Chapter 32
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Chapter 32:
Before the guests who were supposed to meet for tea in the morning arrived, they heard loud noises outside, with drums beating and gongs sounding. Li Chunzhou propped her head with one hand in the elegant room and looked outside.
Qi Leyuan also peeked out and asked, "What’s going on outside?"
Li Chunzhou boredly said, "The emperor has found another one of his illegitimate sons who was living outside, but this time the progress seems faster than previous times, is it because of Jian Hou?"
Qi Leyuan widened his eyes, full of question marks, and asked, "What does that mean?!"
Li Chunzhou played with the tassel on her waist and said, "The emperor has three illegitimate sons living among the common people, and now that they have been found, they naturally need to acknowledge their ancestry… but actually, all three of them are players."
Qi Leyuan instantly understood, "Wow, they really hit the jackpot with hidden characters."
Li Chunzhou looked at him oddly and asked, "Are you envious of them, Li Li?"
Qi Leyuan thought about how he used a special skill card to turn into a chicken, while they suddenly went from being commoners to princes. Trying hard to hide his bitterness, he said, "No, I just hate how the class difference divides people and distorts personalities…"
Li Chunzhou slowly added, "What’s even more upsetting is not becoming a prince all of a sudden, right?"
[Qi Leyuan, feeling exposed, said, "Wow, this feeling of being revealed is so amazing! Surprised, excited, angry… You have just casually mentioned the long-lasting emotional pain performance of mine. You are playing with my emotions, sis, it’s so thrilling! Say more!"]
Li Chunzhou chuckled, her long-lost smile making Qi Leyuan couldn’t help but look at her a bit longer.
Life in the Spring Flowers Tower wasn’t unhappy for her. Everything Li Chunzhou ate, used, and played with was considered the best in the whole Shengjing City. She could do many things for Liang Changfeng in the tower, such as making connections, passing messages, and discerning people’s true thoughts… But as she repeated these tasks too many times, becoming more flawless and perfect, she felt increasingly exhausted.
After calming down, Qi Leyuan asked, "But what do you mean by ‘This time’s progress is faster than the previous ones’?"
Li Chunzhou contained her smile and calculated with her hand, "Today is the fifth day after the Dungeon started. We found the lost illegitimate child on the seventh day last time, so this event happened earlier."
[Qi Leyuan pondered, "It must have been Jian Hou who did something, but why would he do this?"]
Swinging her fan back and forth gently, Li Chunzhou explained calmly, "Since he knows what will happen in each stage next and the triggering points of each Sub-dungeon, it seems he knows this Dungeon very well. Triggering the second Sub-dungeon earlier is probably to help you clear this stage sooner for his inspection."
[Yes, even though he is an administrator, the methods for finding bugs are limited. First, he checks the sub-dungeon components individually, then he checks how they operate together as a whole. He needs to see if all four sub-dungeons can be completed to clear the Dungeon World.]
"Hmm," Li Chunzhou nodded, "Red Bean’s Dungeon has been cleared. That’s why he contacted you. I think he will personally go to the scene to double-check."
[Then why doesn’t he just tell us directly, so we can clear the Dungeon quickly?]
"Li Li, even though you usually appear tough, you are actually very simple," Li Chunzhou chuckled softly and said, "I think he didn’t do that for two reasons. Firstly, their Main God System may have rules against employees helping players clear dungeons. Secondly, if the Dungeon has no bugs and it’s just that the previous 120 batches of players lacked ability, if he directly helps you clear it, he will definitely be reprimanded by his superiors, right?"
Li Chunzhou paused, lowered her head, exaggeratedly sighed in front of Qi Leyuan, and sadly said, "As for the two players who died in the Sub-dungeon, Jian Hou probably doesn’t care at all."
Like attracts like, Qi Leyuan’s expression also became grim as he angrily cursed at the Main God System.
At this moment, Li Chunzhou gently placed her hand on Qi Leyuan’s back and said, "But it’s okay, I will help you, Li Li. Our goal is the same, to clear all four sub-dungeons."
Her expression was so gentle and sincere that Qi Leyuan immediately believed her without hesitation.
Qi Leyuan felt a bit touched internally and thought about the future, hesitating, "What if we complete all four sub-dungeons but still can’t leave this Dungeon World?"
Li Chunzhou and Qi Leyuan looked at each other, and after a moment of silence, they both said the same word at the same time, "Restart."
***
The guest that Li Chunzhou was going to meet today was from the Wang family, one of the four major families. Although he was just a distant relative, not considered important, he had big ambitions. His purpose in meeting her today was not just to see her, but also to subtly inquire about news of the Second Prince. He kept mentioning the Second Prince, so anyone unaware might think he wanted to meet a girl named Liang Changfeng.
Li Chunzhou smiled and nodded in agreement, just then Xu Yanqu arrived.
Today, Xu Yanqu was wearing a dark green robe, with a faint scent of powder, as if he had just removed his makeup.
His face was still glamorous, like a peach blossom. His lips seemed to glisten with a touch of water, making the bright red color even more vivid. There were gold earrings on his ears that swayed slightly as he moved.
Xu Yanqu had been performing in operas since he was young, playing both warriors and scholar roles very well. However, his scholar roles were more popular, especially when he played the role of Yuji in "Farewell My Concubine" at Xiangru Court.
When Li Chunzhou saw him, she waved happily and gestured for a maid to invite Xu Yanqu to join them.
Xu Yanqu walked over with a smile on his face.
Young Master Wang had not arrived at the agreed time yet, so Li Chunzhou couldn’t leave early. She had to ask Xu Yanqu to keep her company and chat with Young Master Wang.
The three of them chatted for a while. Li Chunzhou rested her chin on her hand, gazing in the direction of the main entrance, and casually said, "I really want to eat the almond cookies from the Xu family."
The young master from the Wang family across from them heard her and quickly said, "I passed by their shop on my way here. I will bring it to you tomorrow."
Li Chunzhou didn’t want to meet him again just for a pastry, so she smiled and waved her hand, saying, "No need to trouble Young Master Wang. I was just talking, maybe I won’t feel like eating it tomorrow."
Xu Yanqu glanced at her and slowly brought out a bag of pastries hidden under the table, placing it on the table.
Li Chunzhou was overjoyed, her eyes widened in disbelief as she asked excitedly, "Wow! Where did this come from? Just bought? Brother Yan, you’re so kind!"
"I knew you liked it, so I bought it before coming." Xu Yanqu handed it to her with a gentle and indulgent look. Li Chunzhou happily hugged him from the side of the table.
Young Master Wang’s expression soured a bit, he glanced at Xu Yanqu, feeling awkward to say anything. Everyone knew Xu Yanqu was currently in favor with the Third Prince. Besides, Young Master Wang didn’t want to stoop to arguing with an actor.
Xu Yanqu could tell what the man beside him was thinking without even looking up. He smiled and put his hand around Li Chunzhou’s waist, seeing Young Master Wang turning green with envy. He then tactfully said, "Lady Chun, did I say something wrong? Did I disturb you and Young Master Wang… Will Young Master Wang be angry?"
Li Chunzhou and Xu Yanqu have been friends for about ten years. The first wood carving Li Chunzhou ever made was a gift for Xu Yanqu. When he received it, he gently commented, "It’s a bit ugly… but it’s okay, I can tell Lady Chun put a lot of effort into it."
Li Chunzhou thought he didn’t like it, but the next day she saw Xu Yanqu hanging the wood carving around his waist with a rope.
Over the years, Li Chunzhou has given him new and more skillfully crafted wood carvings, but Xu Yanqu still stubbornly carries the bird she carved for him the first time.
Li Chunzhou thinks they are ugly, but deep down she feels a bit happy – she actually enjoys feeling cared for.
Later on, Li Chunzhou gave wood carvings to other people, and Xu Yanqu was no longer the only one with a wood carving she made by hand. However, he still carries that strange-looking little bird with him.
Xu Yanqu holds a special place in Li Chunzhou’s heart, unlike other men she casually dealt with. After a falling out with Gu Lingfan, Xu Yanqu remained her best friend for a long time. So, even though Li Chunzhou sensed Xu Yanqu’s disapproval of Young Master Wang, she pretended not to hear it, didn’t defend Young Master Wang, just laughed it off.
Even after Li Chunzhou smoothed things over, Young Master Wang left feeling unhappy. Li Chunzhou didn’t feel like acting as usual and didn’t try to keep him around.
Xu Yanqu could see that she was not in a good mood today. He held Li Chunzhou’s wrist with his two fingers. Li Chunzhou looked at him in confusion and asked, "What are you doing?"
She tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t. Li Chunzhou huffed, "Let go of me…"
Xu Yanqu pretended not to hear, closed his eyes and counted silently on his fingers. Then he opened one eye and asked Lady Chun, "Are you feeling anxious and stressed recently?"
Li Chunzhou stopped fussing and let go of Xu Yanqu’s finger, saying admiringly, "You are truly a master at this, your prediction is spot on!"
"Tell me about it, let me see if I can help." Xu Yanqu asked with a smile.
He was like a caring mother, always worrying about Li Chunzhou and wanting to take care of her in every way possible. However, his care was different from Liang Changfeng’s, Xu Yanqu always gave a sense of gentleness and consideration, never directly intervening in Li Chunzhou’s life but always being there to support her.
There were so many things she wanted to say, but Li Chunzhou couldn’t find the words. She just muttered and complained about her troubles to Xu Yanqu in a jumble.
She said the Second Prince didn’t want her to meet the famous wizard lately, and blinked as she asked Xu Yanqu if there was a way.
The Third Prince was young and enjoyed watching plays. He also liked to play a part. Xu Yanqu was a popular figure around the Third Prince, and it was easy to get information from him.
After some persuasion from Li Chunzhou, Xu Yanqu quickly agreed to help her meet the wizard.
Li Chunzhou finally smiled a little, making Xu Yanqu look at her helplessly.
In his nose, Xu Yanqu smelled the familiar scent of rouge powder carried by the wind, causing him to involuntarily look away and give a bitter smile.
Despite his well-hidden expression, Xu Yanqu couldn’t deny that his heart pounded when Li Chunzhou hugged his arm.
Watching Li Chunzhou’s lively figure skip away, Xu Yanqu finally understood clearly that liking someone meant not being able to help but step back for her, losing oneself in the process.
Is it important if she takes advantage of you? No, what’s important is making her happy.
Whenever Xu Yanqu faced Li Chunzhou, he couldn’t help but feel that their relationship was more than it seemed. With ten years of knowing each other from ages five to fifteen, the days of acquaintance outnumbered the days of not knowing each other.
Yet, precisely because of these ten years, their relationship could only remain like this.
It makes you unwilling, yet willing at the same time.