Chapter Thirty-Two: Learning and Selling on the Spot

  The next evening, Qilin was still in men's clothing. She didn't return to Rose Garden until very late last night.

  Lu Zhú said that if she didn't show up, they would have to search the entire garden for her. After a casual explanation of two sentences, Qí Lín covered her head and fell asleep, but no matter what, she couldn't sleep, so with panda eyes, she got out of bed early. Who knew that at noon, she suddenly felt drowsy, and as soon as she lay down, she slept until dusk.

  "Green bamboo, you go tell Miss Peony first, just say I'll be there soon, whatever you do, don't mention that I overslept." To be on the safe side, Qilin had Green Bamboo go ahead and announce her arrival, then she brought some things over.

  Although Lu Zhū didn't know much about Qí Lín, she could see that Qí Lín wasn't a person who followed the crowd, and yet, Mǔ Dān Xiǎo Jiě wasn't in the best position right now, but for some reason, Qí Lín always seemed to be running towards Mǔ Dān's side.

  Although she thought so, Green Bamboo still went to find Peony as instructed.

  After the green bamboo left, Qi Lin quickly rushed to the backyard. She remembered that she saw some unfamiliar flowers when she came last time, which were quite beautiful. After searching around, she finally found some behind the fake mountain.

  These flowers are mainly white, but the petals have red stripes like blood threads, and the edges are light purple, very beautiful. Qilin didn't think twice and picked up a few, carefully tying them with silk.

  Satisfied with her handiwork, Qilin glanced at the messy area and stomped on it a few times before leaving with peace of mind.

  When I arrived at Peony Garden, peonies had already prepared wine and dishes, and there was no one around, presumably Green Bamboo had been taken down by Cui'er.

  Qilin arrived, still dressed as a man. Mudan smiled with satisfaction and walked over to pull Qilin's hand, saying softly "Just now I heard Lüzhú say that Ah Xue was delayed due to something, and I was worried she might not come."

  Put down the burden in your heart, follow Peony to approach the room, before Peony reacts, hug Peony's waist and say softly "So... Miss Peony wants to go downstairs?"

  Hearing Zilin's voice, Peony's face turned red and her ears were burning, her heart almost jumped out, tightly biting her red lips without responding.

  Qilin took out the flowers she had prepared from behind her back, placed them in front of Peony and swayed them gently, pretending to be deeply moved as she sniffed them. A faint fragrance wafted up, warming Qilin's icy heart slightly.

  "It's said that a precious sword is given to a hero, and rouge is matched with a beauty. Isn't that right? Qilin blinked her eyes without leaving any trace and continued, "On the way here today, I was unfortunately attracted by the beauty of this flower, and I thought only Miss Peony could match it. So, I couldn't help but pick some, hoping Miss Peony will like them."

  The peony's eyes fluttered up, but when she saw the flower in Qilin's hand, her face turned even redder. She pushed Qilin away and turned to sit at the desk, not daring to look directly at the flower in Qilin's hand, yet letting out a extremely seductive voice "You're really quite bold."

  Daring?

  She hasn't done anything yet.

  Not understanding what Peony said at all, Zilin took it as Peony being coy and walked over to sit down "Don't you like it, Miss Peony?"

  She asked tentatively, but found that the blush on Peony's face became even more pronounced, with a puzzled frown, was it her outfit today that made Peony feel embarrassed? Or had Peony turned over a new leaf today?

  Seeing Qilin's puzzled expression, Mudan thought that maybe Qilin didn't know what was going on, so she proactively poured a cup of wine and handed it to Qilin, and also filled up her own cup.

  Taking the cup of wine from Peony, Qilin hesitated to drink it down, worried that the wine was not pure. This was also what the mysterious person had told her - Peony's wine should not be drunk casually.

  She pretended to take a sip from her lips and looked at the flower, only to find that the temperature on her heart was even more pronounced than before.

  "Ah Xue, actually from the first time I saw you, I wanted to drink with you like this." Putting down her reserved exterior, Peony's cheeks flushed red as she leaned lightly on Qilin's shoulder, one hand constantly rubbing back and forth on Qilin's thigh, wanting to move up but being grasped by Qilin. Peony slightly raised her eyes and said "You've already brought this out, are you afraid I wouldn't understand?"

  The peony pointed to the flower in Qilin's hand, raised his hand and stroked Qilin's slightly flushed face, but found that Qilin's skin was even smoother than it looked. He couldn't help but pinch a few times, looking at the fleeting red finger marks on Qilin's face, Peony smiled complacently.

  Qilin Mu looked at the thing in her hand, could it be that this thing was a symbol of courtship here?

  Her heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped the flower, but Peony caught it in time. She saw her carefully place the flower in her bosom, pick up another one and put it to her mouth, giving Qi Lin a flirtatious look.

  At this moment, Qilin had already thought of running away, but her feet were as heavy as lead and couldn't move.

  The heat in my heart and mouth is becoming more and more apparent.

  Her eyelids drooped, but she saw the enchanting eyes of Peony, Qilin couldn't help but reach out and stroke Peony's cheek, gently lowering her head to plant a kiss on Peony's forehead.

  The red lips of the peony also arrived at Qilin's forehead in time, and this kiss was like an ice pack, making Qilin's head feel cool and refreshing, while also regaining her composure.

  Suddenly, she lifted her head and looked at Peony's face, which was flushed red, with lips that kept opening and closing. Qilin suddenly had the urge to kiss her, but she still suppressed this unreasonable thought. She intended to push Peony away, but when her hand touched Peony's body, Peony let out a seductive voice, causing Qilin to instantly break out in goosebumps all over her body.

  The peony didn't let Qilin push him away, instead he turned around and hugged Qilin tightly, trying his best to stick his body onto Qilin's.

  "A Xue, I want you." His throat was dry and unbearable, he leaned in to Qi Lin's slightly red lips, wanting to cover them but was skillfully avoided by Qi Lin.

  Feeling Peony's movements becoming bolder, Qilin suppressed the impulse in her heart, grabbed Peony's elbow and pushed her away with a sudden force. Qilin quickly stood up, but felt a wave of dizziness.

  Steadying herself, Qilin looked at Mudan who was in a daze and softly said "I'll go to the restroom for a bit."

  Past the peony that stretched over, Qilin quickly opened the door and a cool breeze greeted her, making her feel much more awake.

  She found a secluded spot and shook her head vigorously, feeling utterly embarrassed by her recent loss of composure. What was wrong with her?

  "I thought you already understood, but I didn't expect you to do something so foolish."

  A familiar voice came from above, and Qilin looked up just in time to see a long robe fluttering in the night sky, and she knew without thinking who it was.

  Wiping away the sweat from her forehead, Qilin leaned against the tree and fanned herself to cool down before asking "How did you end up here?"

  "I've always been following you." The man ignored Qilin's resentful gaze, shaking the flowers in his hand, which were exactly the ones Qilin had picked, and he had taken all of them from the room just now.

  What a lovely spring scene in this house.

  He hung upside down from a tree branch, and with a flick of his body, he appeared in front of Qilin in the shape of an inverted golden hook. He swayed the flower in his hand and said, "This flower is called the Beauty Flower. It's white in the morning and red at dusk. At night, it looks like this, as if it has been disfigured by a woman, evoking pity. That's why it's called the Beauty Flower."

  Qilin looked at this flower, the name is a good name, but what's the point? On the other hand, the man's long hair kept sweeping across his face from time to time, which was very uncomfortable.

  It seemed that he had seen through Qilin's mind, the man raised the corner of his mouth, leaned in close to Qilin, and whispered in her ear "The beautiful flower is an indispensable ingredient for the beauty red, even if it's just smelling this fragrance, it can also have a stimulating effect."

  The man had just finished speaking when he saw Qi Lin's expression change from confusion to embarrassment, looking very comical. With a sudden movement, he jumped down to the ground, his back facing Qi Lin, and shook the flower in his hand. "Peony has completely let her guard down against you, what should you do now, shouldn't you know?"

  "Who would easily know about this kind of thing?" Just standing there made me feel sick and want to run away, I finally understood Peony's words.

  Bold, indeed bold!

  Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier? Qilin gritted her teeth at the man's back, but staying outside for too long wasn't good either, it would arouse suspicion. She gave the man a white eye and turned to leave.

  But just as she was about to lift her foot, the man suddenly grabbed her hand. Qilin turned around cautiously and frowned slightly, saying "You wouldn't dare to try to take advantage of me again like the last two times, would you? I may not have the strength to refute you now, but one day, I will make you kneel before me and admit your mistake."

  He didn't expect Qilin to say something like that. The man was slightly stunned, he had never knelt down for anyone before, let alone a girl.

  He stretched out his long hand and hooked Qi Lin's chin, smiling slightly "You're going in like this, and if you get eaten clean, it won't be you anymore. Do you want to kneel down and tell Peony that you were wrong?"

  Upon hearing this, Qi Lin's face flushed with heat; she had misunderstood.

  But what he said is also true, if we go in without any defense, and if something strange happens again, what should we do?

  Looking up at the man with extreme disdain for the triumphant information in his eyes, she stretched out her hand and said "What's the solution?"

  "You look like you know I'd definitely know how to handle it." The man still pulled out a sealed bottle from his bosom. "This is rose-distilled essential oil, which has an invigorating effect and can also suppress the Beautiful Woman Flower."

  That's it, Qilin stretched out her hand to take it, but was dodged by the man. Looking at the man, Qilin raised an eyebrow and said "How is that?"

  "If you kiss me once, I'll give it to you."

  "Then go die." Without hesitation, Qilin refused and turned to leave. But thinking of Peony's expression, she was really afraid, so Qilin gritted her teeth.

  It's just a kiss.

  She quickly tiptoed, lifted her head and kissed the man's cheek, then snatched something from his hand and turned around, almost running away. So she didn't see a hint of surprise flashing in the man's eyes in the dark.

  What a feeling, he couldn't say it out loud, only in his heart, inexplicably speeding up, and the place where he was kissed felt slightly warm.

  Arriving at Peony's room, I saw Peony lying on the ground in a very charming posture, with her fragrant shoulders half exposed, holding a beautiful flower in her hand, and greedily savoring its fragrance.

  Startled by the scene, Qilin still gritted her teeth and walked over, grasping Peony's scorching jade hand. She applied some essential oil to her own hand and slightly raised the corner of her mouth, saying "Peony, you look so beautiful like this."

  Opened his eyes and saw Qilin's clear pupils, even his brain became a little clearer. He grasped Qilin's hand and placed it on his chest.

  "A Xue, what's going on with us? Can we...?" As Mudan spoke, she had already unconsciously leaned in close to Qi Lin, but just as she was about to touch her, she felt a sudden clarity and pulled back, only to find herself unable to resist leaning in close to Qi Lin once again.

  Qilin smiled awkwardly, "Isn't this the effect of a beautiful flower like peony? Probably most of it is what she herself wants."

  He reached out and hooked his finger under Peony's chin, his thumb rubbing back and forth over her red lips as he whispered, "Miss Peony, it's time to rest."

  After finishing speaking, Qilin stood up without hesitation, pulled out the corner of her clothes that Mudan had grasped, and walked to the door, leaving without looking back.

  This move is "to release in order to capture".

  So she decided not to take the initiative to see Peony within three days, and the next time they met would be when Peony left.

  But things aren't all going smoothly either.

  For example, Zilin is now standing at the highest point of the Baifang Pavilion, tightly hugging the pillar, and would rather have the guy in front of her fall down immediately.

  "You've done a good job, and it wasn't in vain that I taught you personally." The man patted Qilin's head with satisfaction and continued, "Next, you know what to do, right?"

  "Nonsense, if I didn't know that, wouldn't I have lived in vain?" Qilin said in a bad tone, she didn't want to give the man a good face. "Why do you always bring me here? Do you know that high places are hard to bear?"

  "Is it cold up high?" The man slightly furrowed his brow and clapped his hands saying "Good. A good 'it's cold up high'."

  Hehe, Qilin stared at the man speechlessly. She accidentally said a line of poetry, which shouldn't be considered disrespect to the ancients, right?

  Tugging at the corner of her mouth, Qilin continued, "Let's go down anyway, Lüzhú will find me."

  "Don't worry, I've already put her to sleep." The man said calmly, his mind still on Qilin's last words.

  It's really wonderful.

  "What? Sleep?" Qilin opened her eyes wide and stared at the man, she didn't think he would be so proper to a girl.

  Facing Qilin's exaggerated reaction, the man rolled his eyes and said, "What? Are you afraid I'll do something to her? Don't worry, although I'm a man, I'm not someone who wants just anyone."

  Qilin looked at the man with great suspicion, turning her head in distaste, thinking about how to get him to send her down.

  In the darkness, the man slightly raised the corner of his mouth. How could he not know what was on Qilin's mind? It's just that Qilin's reactions were sometimes too ridiculous and very interesting.

  But today she did well, let her rest early too.