Flower Stealing Master

Cheng Ying noticed her cousin had stopped mid-sentence and looked over curiously. Cheng Yaojia’s expression was shifting between gloom and blush, her skin like a perfectly ripe, rosy peach.

“Cousin, are you feeling unwell?” Hearing her deliberately suppressed gasps, Cheng Ying asked in puzzlement.

“N-no… nothing.” Cheng Yaojia gritted her teeth and endured. To divert her cousin’s attention, she pressed on with her earlier question: “Why did you ask me that question earlier? Did something happen?”

“N-nothing much.” Now it was Cheng Ying’s turn to be evasive and hesitant.

“T-tell me. What’s there to be embarrassed about with your cousin?” Cheng Yaojia frowned slightly. She could hear her own voice trembling. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up.

Unable to resist her cousin’s gentle persistence, Cheng Ying finally began to confess: “Actually, something happened today. This afternoon, when Young Master Song was treating Wushuang’s leg, I…”

Blushing, Cheng Ying eventually recounted everything that had happened. She hadn’t wanted to tell anyone, but keeping it bottled up inside was too painful. Feeling wronged, she wanted to confide in her gentle, kind-hearted cousin. She trusted her cousin’s character completely and knew she would never reveal her secret.

“What? You used your mouth to…” Cheng Yaojia was stunned. She had imagined countless scenarios, but never one involving Song Qingshu. *This man behind me—whenever there’s a beautiful woman, he always manages to be connected to her somehow.*

Feeling the change in the man inside her—he had clearly heard everything as well—Cheng Yaojia bit her lip and stealthily pinched him.

Hearing her cousin’s reaction, Cheng Ying grew flustered: “No, no, I didn’t mean to! At the time, I thought it was some kind of hidden weapon. I didn’t know it was his…”

Hearing the sobbing tone in her cousin’s voice, Cheng Yaojia naturally didn’t dare joke further. She quickly comforted her: “Don’t worry, it’s no big deal. Young Master Song doesn’t seem like a big mouth. He won’t go around telling people.”

“But…” Cheng Ying wasn’t reassured. Instead, she said, “I know someone of his status wouldn’t gossip about it. But I’m afraid he might think I did it on purpose—that I’m some kind of shameless, despicable woman deliberately trying to seduce him.”

Cheng Yaojia’s cheeks grew hot. *If that makes you shameless and despicable, then I don’t even know how many times over I’ve been shameless and despicable.*

“Don’t worry, cousin. With your elegant, orchid-like temperament, no man would ever think that of you. And to be honest, I suspect that Song fellow took advantage of you on purpose.” Her last sentence was deliberately meant for the man behind her. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.

Wanting to get justice for her cousin, Cheng Yaojia bit her lip and subtly tightened her legs, giving Song Qingshu a fierce squeeze. He sucked in a sharp breath—simultaneously pained and pleasured, a mixture of sensations impossible to describe to outsiders.

“That’s not it, cousin. You don’t know the situation. Young Master Song really had no choice at the time. He was at a critical moment in treating Wushuang’s leg.” For some reason, Cheng Ying actually began defending him. “Actually, I admire him quite a bit. If he hadn’t been so strong-willed, and had let his qi go awry because of what I did, Wushuang’s leg would be in danger.”

Song Qingshu’s heart was full of emotion. *Cheng Ying is just as described in the original—understanding and considerate, always thinking of others. This temperament of hers is truly like a spring breeze. Even if we can’t be lovers, she would be an excellent friend.*

Cheng Yaojia’s heart stirred, and she couldn’t help asking, “Are you falling for him?”

Cheng Ying looked like a startled rabbit. “O-of course not! How could you think that, cousin?”

Cheng Yaojia smiled and said, “Oh my, I almost forgot that our Miss Cheng has already given her heart to someone.”

Hearing this, Song Qingshu pricked up his ears.

Cheng Ying, both embarrassed and anxious, turned her whole body away, not daring to look at her. “I don’t have any such feelings for anyone,” she mumbled.

Seeing her turn away, Cheng Yaojia breathed a sigh of relief. She signaled Song Qingshu behind her to take this opportunity to slip away while she continued teasing her cousin: ” ‘Now that I’ve seen this gentleman, why should I not be joyful?’ Like that Young Master Yang, or Young Master Liu…”

“It must be that blabbermouth Wushuang, spreading rumors everywhere.” Cheng Ying felt her cheeks burning. She knew without looking in a mirror that they must be bright red.

Cheng Yaojia leaned over and hugged her from behind. This served two purposes: first, to escape the “demon claws” of the man behind her; second, to ensure Cheng Ying couldn’t suddenly turn around and catch a glimpse of Song Qingshu.

She waved her hand behind her back, signaling Song Qingshu to leave quickly, then said, “You’re wronging Wushuang. She just came to me one day with a piece of paper asking what the words on it meant. I saw eight characters written on the paper and figured Wushuang couldn’t possibly have written them herself—her literary skills aren’t that advanced. When I pressed her, she said she’d seen you writing these words over and over on paper, tearing them up and writing them again. Worried that something was troubling you, she stole one. But since she couldn’t understand it, she came to ask me.”

“One look, and I knew our little sister was lovestruck. When I asked Wushuang who you had met during that time, she said you’d met a young man named Yang Guo. So naturally, I guessed what was on your mind.”

Cheng Ying was mortified, but she quickly said, “Cousin, you must never tell Wushuang about this!”

Cheng Yaojia was taken aback. “Why not?”

Cheng Ying sighed softly. “Wushuang is deeply in love with Brother Yang. How could I possibly get in the way?”

Even Song Qingshu was moved. *Cheng Ying’s tendency to put others first is almost heartbreaking. In the original story, she never spoke of her feelings for Yang Guo, never told anyone. This is where I have to admire Jin Yong’s skill—how could a young girl, just awakening to love, speak such feelings directly? She wrote them over and over, then burned them. If Yang Guo hadn’t been sly and secretly stolen a piece of paper to read what was on it, who would have known of her feelings?*

No wonder in the original, when Yang Guo saw it, his heart pounded and he was entranced. Not just him—the readers were entranced too.

Cheng Yaojia’s heart was touched by her words. She couldn’t help sighing, “Silly girl, matters of the heart can’t be settled by giving way. If you don’t bravely fight for it, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Cheng Ying smiled bitterly. “There’s no need. Brother Yang already has someone he loves who loves him back. Whether it’s Wushuang or me, there was never any future for us.”

“My poor sister.” Cheng Yaojia’s heart ached at her words. She couldn’t help pulling her into her embrace.

This made Cheng Ying uncomfortable. “Cousin, I’ve already made peace with it—Ah!”

She suddenly gasped, instantly turned around, and stared dumbfounded behind Cheng Yaojia.

Cheng Yaojia inwardly groaned. She tried to hold her cousin to keep her from turning, but Cheng Ying was the Eastern Heretic’s closed-door disciple. Her martial arts far surpassed Cheng Yaojia’s. If she wanted to turn, there was no holding her back.

“Y-you… you… what are you doing here!” Cheng Ying sat upright. She had clearly seen everything on the bed. Pointing at Song Qingshu, she was shocked beyond words.

“It’s over!” All that remained in Cheng Yaojia’s mind was a blank void.

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