Ji Yu looked at Su’e in confusion. Su’e smiled and made the introductions. “Master Ji, this is Master Zhong, and this is Master Jiang.”
Ji Yu cupped her hands in greeting. “Master Zhong, Master Jiang. I am the artist here at Xunfang Pavilion. My surname is Ji, given name Yu.”
After introducing herself, she watched Master Jiang walk up to her. He looked her up and down, then reached out his hand to measure her height against his own shoulder. After a moment of silence, he couldn’t help but tease, “Master Ji, you aren’t even up to my neck. Are you really not that young?”
Ji Yu smiled and replied, “I am already sixteen.”
Jiang Zhao looked shocked and turned to Zhong Yiwen, but seeing that the other man wasn’t paying attention, he turned back to Ji Yu and said seriously, “Sixteen already? My third brother is also sixteen, and he reaches up to my eyes. You really don’t look like a sixteen-year-old.”
Faced with this subtle suspicion, Ji Yu remained calm on the surface. “My family was poor when I was little. We often didn’t have enough to eat, so I grew up smaller and thinner than others my age.”
This Master Jiang clearly doubted her identity. But she naturally had thick eyebrows and big eyes, giving her a rather boyish look. Even in her original world, she usually wore short hair and neutral clothes. Now, in this body, her features were exactly the same, perhaps even sharper, making her disguise very convincing. Anyone who hadn’t seen her in women’s clothes would never guess she was actually a girl.
Jiang Zhao didn’t seem entirely convinced. He stared directly into her eyes, trying to find a lie, but her round eyes were clear and innocent.
However, he soon found another flaw in her story. “But from what I know, learning painting is extremely expensive. Poor families can’t afford it. Besides, the paintings on those screens are masterful. How did you learn to paint like that?”
That hit the nail on the head. Ji Yu frowned slightly. Why was this guy so suspicious? Was it so hard to believe she was an artist? Was he going to make her prove it right now?
Seeing Jiang Zhao looking at her again, Ji Yu simply ignored him. She relaxed her brows, looked at Su’e, and asked innocently, “Miss Su’e, what exactly did you call me here for? If it’s not urgent, I should go back to paint for Miss Meirui.”
She cleverly dodged the question and redirected the conversation back to business, leaving Su’e to handle it. After all, Su’e was the one who brought her here.
From the moment she saw Zhong Yiwen and Jiang Zhao, Ji Yu had guessed that they were the clients looking for an artist, and Su’e had recommended her. That made sense now—there was no way Su’e herself would pay thirty taels just for a painting. Unless she was crazy.
Su’e quickly caught on. She extended her fair arm gracefully. “Please, everyone, let us sit and discuss this properly.”
Ji Yu politely gestured for them to sit first, then took a seat next to Su’e.
Su’e poured wine for everyone. Zhong Yiwen thanked her, then stood up and cupped his hands towards Ji Yu. “Master Ji, if you can truly paint as beautifully as the ladies on those screens, I am willing to pay thirty taels for you to come to my residence and paint my younger sister.”
Ji Yu’s eyes lit up. Just as she suspected. One of them wanted her services.
But seriously, why was that Jiang guy so hostile? Doubting her, mocking her height…
She pursed her lips and glanced at Jiang Zhao. Seeing him drinking and not looking her way, she quickly stuck her tongue out at him playfully before turning her bright smile back to Zhong Yiwen.
“Since Master Zhong is so sincere, I certainly won’t refuse. But when would you like me to come to your residence?”
“How about tomorrow?” Zhong Yiwen asked cautiously. He was worried she might be busy and refuse, and then his sister would make his life miserable again.
Ji Yu nodded with a smile. “Very well. I will be there first thing in the morning.”
Zhong Yiwen untied his money pouch, counted out some silver, closed it, and handed it to her. “Here are ten taels as a deposit. Once you finish the painting and my sister is satisfied, I will give you the remaining twenty.”
Ji Yu took the pouch and asked, “What if the painting doesn’t meet your sister’s standards? Do I have to return the deposit?”
Zhong Yiwen was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to ask that. After a moment of silence and Jiang Zhao’s laughter, he smiled gently at her. “Even if she isn’t satisfied, you still put in the work. The deposit is yours to keep, no matter what.”
Ji Yu beamed. “Then I will definitely be on time tomorrow, and I promise to make her happy!”
***
Rain pattered steadily against the window, making a soft *tap-tap* sound.
Nan Xing carefully avoided his injury as he got out of bed. He walked to the window and pushed it open. A gust of wind blew cold raindrops onto his face. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he looked out at the pitch-black night and the dimly lit house opposite, lost in thought.
***
“Why is it raining?!”
Ji Yu was running down the street, caught completely off guard by the sudden downpour. She was soaked to the bone.
It was already late when she left the pavilion, and there were few people on the street. With the rain, the road was completely deserted.
She ran towards home, but as she approached a dark, narrow alley, fear began to creep in.
She was usually brave enough to watch horror movies before sleeping, but in this eerie environment, every scary scene she had ever seen flashed through her mind like a slideshow.
The cold, damp air amplified her fear. She hugged herself tightly and shivered. She just needed to run through this alley to get home.
But the rain blurred her vision. Suddenly, she saw a tall figure emerge from the shadows of the alley, walking slowly towards her.
Terror seized her. Her pupils contracted, her heart hammered against her ribs, and her lips trembled. She tried to run away, but her feet felt glued to the ground.
*Is it a ghost?*
*There are no such things as ghosts in the real world… but I transmigrated into a book! Who knows what exists here? Maybe there really are ghosts!*
Her mind raced with terrifying thoughts, until a sharp scent of blood reached her nose. She snapped back to reality and focused her eyes. The dark figure was now close enough to see clearly.
She looked at the person in surprise. “Why are you here?”
“It’s raining. I came to bring you an umbrella.”
Ji Yu looked at the umbrella held above her head, then at his empty other hand. She couldn’t help but ask, “There’s only one umbrella?”
It must be the one from her father’s room.
“Yes. I looked everywhere in the house, and this was the only one I could find.” Nan Xing confirmed her guess.
Actually, there were two more in her room, but with his personality, he would never enter someone else’s room without permission, especially not a young woman’s.
Ji Yu felt warm inside. Very few people had ever waited for her or brought her an umbrella in her life. In this book world, he was the first.
But it was so dark, and she was dressed as a man. How did he recognize her?
“Master Qi, how did you know it was me?”
Nan Xing thought for a moment. “To be honest, I didn’t recognize you at first. But as I got closer, I smelled the scent of medicinal herbs on you. That’s how I knew it was you.”
So that was it. Ji Yu smiled. She practically lived in the medicine shop, so the scent was deeply ingrained in her clothes. It wasn’t unpleasant, though.
She moved closer to his left side, pressing against him so they could both fit under the small umbrella and stay dry.
But as she moved closer, the smell of blood became much stronger. Ji Yu looked at his left chest. It was dark, and he was wearing a grey robe, so she couldn’t see if blood was seeping through, but the scent told her everything—his wound must have opened up again.
She was touched that he came out for her, but not at the cost of his health! She would rather have run home in the rain.
“Does it hurt?”
Nan Xing froze. He turned to look at the girl who only reached his shoulder, confused by the question.
“Your wound,” Ji Yu said, looking up at him. Seeing him staring blankly, she pointed directly at his chest. “It must have opened up again. I can smell the blood.”
“It’s fine… doesn’t hurt much.” Nan Xing looked away, gazing down the alley.
Ji Yu pouted and muttered, “Such a guy… totally insensitive to pain.”
The rain was heavy now, drumming loudly on the oiled paper umbrella, drowning out her words. Even with Nan Xing’s sharp hearing, he didn’t catch it.
The rain had filled the stone-paved road with puddles. One wrong step and their shoes and socks would be soaked, so they were walking slowly, carefully.
But Ji Yu was anxious. She was worried about his wound; it needed to be treated immediately or it might get infected.
“Master Qi, let’s walk faster,” she urged.
Nan Xing paused slightly. He could have walked fast, but he had been deliberately taking small steps to match her pace. He didn’t expect her to find it too slow.
“Miss Ji, it’s dark and slippery. It’s better not to walk too fast,” he reminded her gently.
“But your injury can’t wait! We need to treat it quickly. Besides, with rain this heavy, our shoes are going to get wet anyway, so what does it matter if we step in a puddle?”
Without waiting for his reply, Ji Yu grabbed his arm and practically pulled him along, quickening her pace.
Nan Xing stiffened slightly. He looked down at her small, white hand gripping his arm. Then, he suddenly asked, “Miss Ji… do you care about my injury that much?”