165: One to one: Affectionate Ning Bing!
The grand plan unfolds!
165: One to one: Affectionate Ning Bing!
The grand plan unfolds!
In the evening, after having the meal prepared by my sister Suo Ningbing, I took a comfortable bath, changed into comfy silk pajamas, and sat down at the simple desk to write and doodle on the white paper with a pen whittled sharp with graphite.
Candles are rather expensive in this world, but Suo Lun lit as many as ten candles to ensure there was sufficient light.
Moreover, tonight’s meal included expensive delicacies such as venison and fish slices.
Even in such dire straits, he wouldn’t deliberately economize, let alone share porridge with the servants in a gesture of common hardship.
Even the bottle of wine in front of him at the moment would cost five silver coins.
Suo Ningbing entered silently, bringing in the freshly made lotus seed paste and then, while Suo Lun paused for a moment, she used her small hands to massage his temples, her beautiful eyes falling upon the drawings Suo Lun had been making.
“What is this?” asked Suo Ningbing.
“A pond that will grow Gold Coins,” replied Suo Lun.
“You’re lying,” said Suo Ningbing, her voice playful and slightly scolding.
“Haven’t I lied to you?
Gui Qinshao is very beautiful, isn’t she?” asked Suo Ningbing.
“Yes, it’s no wonder the royal family doesn’t dare to marry her,” said Suo Lun.
“To bring a woman like her out, she almost immediately becomes every man’s common enemy.
Marrying such a woman immediately gives off the impression of being a great catch.”
After finishing work, Suo Lun opened a chest to the side and took out a pile of portraits.
All of these were once the portraits of women associated with Suo Lun, and he now took out Gui Qinshao’s portrait.
Suo Lun’s painting skills were decent, but an expressive style was simply not enough to capture the overwhelming beauty of Gui Qinshao.
Gui Qinshao herself was indeed much more beautiful than her portrait, truly more ravishing than any woman Suo Lun had ever seen on Earth in movies, her beauty so vivid and eye-catching.
After a brief glance, Suo Lun set Gui Qinshao’s portrait aflame atop the candle.
Then he watched as the flames consumed the portrait of Gui Qinshao, until it was completely turned to ash.
As he burned Gui Qinshao’s portrait, Suo Lun’s expression was very calm, but Suo Ningbing’s heart trembled.
Immediately afterward, Suo Lun took out the portrait of Princess Zhining and set it on fire as well, reducing it to ashes.
Previously, Suo Ningbing had warned him to pay particular attention to three women: Princess Zhining, Gui Qinshao, and Yan Nai’er.
Now, the portraits of the first two women had already been burned by Suo Lun, signifying that in Suo Lun’s heart, these two women were already enemies.
Of the three important women, only Yan Nai’er remained.
From the pile of portraits, Suo Lun found Yan Nai’er’s portrait and looked at it carefully.
Although it was an impressionistic portrait and not extremely lifelike, Suo Lun still discerned the woman’s temperament.
She possessed very contradictory traits; her face was delicate and perfect, like that of a porcelain doll, yet she also looked very serious, even cold as ice.
A frosty temperament would usually be paired with a slender and graceful figure.
But Yan Nai’er’s figure was very…
Despite her conservative dress, her figure was far too voluptuous, very much like a bombshell, and even through the expressive portrait, Suo Lun could feel this woman’s plump and exquisite body.
This was the woman Suo Lun pursued with the most difficulty and who left the deepest impression on him.
“Sister, what kind of person is Yan Nai’er?” asked Suo Lun.
Suo Ningbing thought for a moment and replied, “She’s very obsessive, very serious, and earnest.
Cold on the outside but with a very passionate heart.
She’s not skilled at expressing her feelings and is very conservative.
Even though she loves Suo Lun deeply, she wouldn’t even hold hands without being married.”
Then, Suo Ningbing said, “I really, really like her.
If it wasn’t for the fact that Suo Lun already had a marriage arrangement with Gui Qinshao, I would have actually liked him to marry her.”
“How about her martial arts skills?” asked Suo Lun.
“Extremely, extremely high,” answered Suo Ningbing.
Suo Lun said, “Then how did a girl so outstanding end up being pursued by a wastrel like Suo Lun?”
“How thick-skinned is Suo Lun, right?
Yan Nai’er may appear cold to everyone, but deep down she’s passionate and very naive, which is why she was deceived by that scoundrel Suo Lun,” explained Suo Ningbing.
It wasn’t just deception, her heart was deeply wounded.
At first, Yan Nai’er found Suo Lun incredibly annoying, even resorting to violence to beat him until he screamed and howled.
But the persistent suitor wears down the maiden, and with Suo Lun’s little white face being as stunning as it was, over time, under his relentless pursuit, the naive-hearted Yan Nai’er completely fell for him.
Knowing full well that Suo Lun was a good-for-nothing spendthrift, she still fell for him hopelessly.
In order to be with Suo Lun, Yan Nai’er almost severed ties with her father, making Suo Lun her sole emotional support at one point.
However, their love affair lasted less than half a year.
Maybe it was because she never allowed him to touch her, or perhaps it was Yan Nai’er’s deep affection that made Suo Lun feel guilty.
In any case, Suo Lun’s affections shifted elsewhere.
When Yan Nai’er heard that Suo Lun was pursuing Princess Zhining, she was initially shocked as if struck by lightning, then she rushed into the Royal City Academy, placed a sword at Suo Lun’s throat, and demanded that he marry her immediately.
A pure and proud girl, a stunning beauty desired by countless men as the woman of their dreams, a girl with exceedingly high martial arts skills, was actually brandishing a sword to force a marriage.
It may have seemed as if she was pressuring Suo Lun, but in reality, she was laying her own dignity on the ground for him to trample upon.