Chapter Fourteen: Ye Yeju—A Hard Life

The rain continued to fall.

“Sorry, we’re full.” Su Ziye, carrying a large bag, braved the downpour to reach an inn, but before she could say a word, a man under the eaves addressed her coldly.

“We can pay double for a room,” Su Ziye tried, her voice carefully composed.

“We only serve guests with prior reservations,” the man replied, his tone unyielding.

“How can lips that are thirty-seven degrees say words so cold?” Su Ziye sighed. “My lady has traveled far to attend the Night of Leaves Exam—there’s still a week until the test begins. Isn’t it a bit heartless to turn us away?”

“We truly don’t lack for money. Even if it’s a gold leaf coin per night, we can afford it.”

“At the very least, could you let my lady wait inside? It’s raining—just let her warm up and have some tea.”

The man didn’t even glance outside. “Look at our guests—every one is here for the Night of Leaves Exam. Perhaps on another day, you could have come in for a bit, but times are different now. All the young men and women staying here are of noble birth and great renown. If your lady didn’t secure a reservation, it simply means she isn’t that remarkable.”

What he said was true. Those coming to the Nightleaf Academy for the exam were all either wealthy or noble. Nightleaf City itself was scarcely more than a speck on the map, and now it was flooded by an overwhelming number of candidates, making every inn and hotel impossibly crowded. Only a select few managed to obtain those precious reservations; most were forced to stay in towns over a hundred miles away.

To secure a place within Nightleaf City was, in itself, a mark of distinction.

No wonder the innkeeper found Su Ziye’s attempt to bluff her way in both amusing and contemptible.

Just then, a third voice sounded from within.

“The young lady at the door—is she your mistress?”

Su Ziye looked toward the speaker and saw a refined, blue-haired young nobleman regarding her.

He carried no umbrella, nor any attendants, yet as he stood in the rain, every drop seemed to bend away from him, leaving him untouched.

“Master Lanliu!” The once-cold innkeeper hurried into the rain, his tone transformed with deference. “Why didn’t you send word ahead? Your suite is ready, and we’ve just prepared fresh tea from the valley. Please, come in.”

The rain quickly soaked the innkeeper’s hair, but he cared not. This was a man of true importance—in the Lanleaf Empire, the name Lan alone carried weight.

“Let the young lady at the door come in as well. She can have Suite One, Heaven Wing.” Lanliu spoke lightly.

The innkeeper hesitated, then burst out laughing as he turned to Su Ziye. “Boy, fortune smiles on you. Your mistress is blessed! Hurry inside!”

Overjoyed, Su Ziye rushed to Liu Ru. “Miss, someone’s giving us his reserved room—maybe we won’t even have to pay!”

Liu Ru shot Su Ziye a cold glance. “The most expensive things are always free. If you don’t pay in coin, you’ll pay in something else.”

With that, she raised her umbrella and walked toward Lanliu. “May I ask your name, sir?”

Lanliu gazed at the girl’s breathtaking beauty and smiled—a smile as warm as spring. “My surname is Lan, given name Liu.”

“A noble of the Lan family?” Liu Ru’s lips curled faintly.

“I hardly deserve the title—merely blessed by my ancestors,” Lanliu replied. “I saw that you arrived in haste and hadn’t reserved a room. Allow me this small service; I hope you’ll forgive any presumption.”

“A small service?” Liu Ru looked at Lanliu, her voice cool. “Do you intend to be a dog, or a horse?”

Lanliu’s smile froze.

It’s said one should not strike a smiling face, yet he never imagined his well-intentioned gesture would be met with such a retort.

But his smile returned, softening once more. “For you, I’d willingly be an ox or a horse.”

Su Ziye seemed stunned by the tension between them. He tugged at Liu Ru’s sleeve and forced a smile. “Please, don’t mind my lady, Master Lan. She’s been spoiled since childhood, her temper is a bit much.”

“The greater the temper, the greater the talent,” Lanliu replied amiably, pleased at the chance to retreat gracefully. “I hear your lady will also take part in the Night of Leaves Exam. Perhaps we’ll be classmates. For the sake of future camaraderie, an advance favor is only natural.”

“Yes, Miss, you have no idea how hard it is to find a room here. If not for this gentleman, we might be sleeping on the street tonight,” Su Ziye added.

Liu Ru looked at Su Ziye with a half-smile. “Whose side are you on, Little Su?”

Caught off guard, Su Ziye was left speechless.

Lanliu laughed softly. “This young man is simply protective. Miss, may I ask your name? I mean no harm—I only wished to help a lady in distress.”

“You may call me Miss Liu,” Liu Ru replied coolly. “But since you say it’s because I’m in distress, you helped because I’m pretty, didn’t you?”

“A beautiful woman’s face is the best passport in this world,” Lanliu said with a smile. “I come from a great family and have seen many beauties, but you are one in ten thousand.”

“You’re too kind,” Liu Ru answered.

With that, she turned and walked out into the rain.

Su Ziye was dumbfounded.

He looked at Lanliu, then at Liu Ru, and finally, gritting his teeth, ran after her into the rain.

“Why refuse my kindness?” Lanliu called after her, frustration in his voice.

“Because I enjoy saying no to those who are too sure of themselves,” Liu Ru replied, turning back with her umbrella raised. “Besides, your invitation isn’t kindness—it’s laced with desire.”

Lanliu was momentarily speechless.

He clenched his jaw. “Doesn’t that just prove I’m a normal man?”

If he didn’t desire Liu Ru, why would he bother?

“Exactly.” Liu Ru smiled slightly. “Which is why I choose to refuse.”

Lanliu glared at her. “You’ll regret this.”

It was a naked threat from the young noble.

“How disgraceful,” Su Ziye muttered, making a face at Lanliu as he watched the scene unfold. Then he took the oil-paper umbrella from Liu Ru and held it over her as they walked away together.

The master and servant moved off through the rain, growing smaller until they vanished, leaving Lanliu standing alone as the rain fell steadily around him.

Even the once-eager innkeeper hurried away—he knew better than to linger. When a man of standing loses face so publicly, any attempt at consolation would only be rubbing salt in the wound. It would take little for such a man to crush him like an ant—best to keep one’s distance.

No one knew how long Lanliu stood there before he finally stirred.

Softly, he spoke, “Hawk.”

“I’m here, sir,” a voice answered from the shadows.

“Look into that woman. If there’s nothing unusual, I want to see her tonight,” Lanliu ordered, his tone cold.