A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 200: On the Edge of the Unattainable, My Heart Itches (5)_1

Chapter 200: On the Edge of the Unattainable, My Heart Itches (5)_1

At night.

The little girl next door stealthily climbed out of bed for a late-night snack; the smell of sesame paste wafted over.

Zhou Luchen had been copying scriptures. With utmost disgust, he closed the window. He then took out a matchbox, slowly selected an incense stick with his long fingers, struck a match, and lit the incense burner.

Finally, the unpleasant scent of sesame was dispersed.

A special, privately blended musk incense burned in the small tripod censer.

A faint, milky fragrance lingered in the air, the aroma it produced bewilderingly sweet.

He leaned back in his chair and wearily closed his eyes to rest. Inhaling the rich, cloying incense, he drifted into a dream.

A beauty, her long hair disheveled, lay sweating and weeping in his arms, murmuring, "Little Uncle... no more... no more..."

Just as the excitement peaked, as he grasped her chin to kiss her, still unable to see her pretty face clearly, Zhuang Ming pushed the door open and called out, "Second Master!", disturbing his Jiaojiao and his dream.

Zhou Luchen opened his eyes.

Zhuang Ming said, "I’m truly sorry. I brought you the wrong incense."

As he spoke, Zhuang Ming lifted the cover of the censer on the desk and silently replaced the incense with Bai Qinan, expertly preparing and lighting it.

Zhou Luchen gave Zhuang Ming a sidelong glance, his voice tinged with more scorn. "You ruin everything."

To Zhuang Ming, it sounded exceedingly cold.

Zhuang Ming was perplexed and dared not show his surprise. He had no idea what wonderful moment of the Second Master’s he had ruined.

All he knew was that the incense had been a gift from a friend of the Second Master, and the Second Master always preferred Bai Qinan. He had simply brought the wrong one today.

He looked at the Second Master again. Zhou Luchen was lazily reclined in the pearwood chair, a faint flicker of desire in his blood-red eyes. But in a moment, he sat up, took his brush, and narrowed his eyes. The earlier desire vanished instantly.

He transcribed ten more Chapters of scripture that night than the previous night.

All in Song typeface.

Meanwhile, Shen Jing was squatting by the white wall, holding a bowl of sesame paste and occasionally muttering to herself, I wonder if the person next door is a night owl; their light is on all night long.

"Do you want to invite them over for some sesame paste?"

Upon hearing Sun Qiyan’s voice, she looked up.

Sun Qiyan draped his coat over her. "Still craving a midnight snack? Call me next time, and I’ll cook for you."

Shen Jing pointed at the kitchen door. "There’s another bowl in the pot, saved for you." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Sun Qiyan chuckled softly. "You’re the one who’s craving it. I left it all for you."

"Then I won’t be polite."

She hasn’t eaten meat for days and feels like she’s lost some weight, he thought. Tomorrow, I’ll have to make her something to nourish her qi and blood.

「The next day.」

Zhou Luchen was tired from copying scripture.

Taking advantage of the lighter snowfall, he went to the Heavenly King Hall to burn and offer incense.

Clad in a simple yet dignified black suit, his slender fingers held three sticks of incense steadily as he paid homage to the golden Buddha statue atop the high altar. The incense smoke created a haze that obscured the man’s handsome profile.

What should he pray for? He sought nothing. He revered Gao Tai, and so he asked for nothing.

He placed the three incense sticks into the censer.

Just as he turned to leave the Buddhist hall, the bright yellow curtain beside the Buddha statue was lifted by a small, fair hand. The girl on the other side clutched Buddhist scriptures to her chest.

Shen Jing was preoccupied and didn’t notice Zhou Luchen’s departing figure. Her gaze was unconsciously drawn to the three incense sticks on the offering table, smoke from their slowly burning tips swirling faintly upwards.

Had the great personage from the neighboring courtyard come to offer incense?

Could such a powerful figure truly have desires they couldn’t fulfill?

Outside the courtyard, snowflakes drifted.

Beneath a black umbrella with a peachwood-ribbed handle, the man’s figure gradually receded into the snowstorm. His aura, one that the garden’s desolate cold and pressing snow could not diminish, bespoke a man of wealth and pride.

Zhou Luchen had already walked far away, never noticing Shen Jing’s presence.

He walked under his umbrella back to the East Pavilion. Soon after, she, clutching the scriptures, braved the heavy, goose-feather snow back to the Eastern Second Pavilion.

From beginning to end, neither of them was aware of the other’s presence.

The little cat always met Shen Jing halfway. Its belly was round and plump from who-knows-where, and it bounced along, following her through the snow.

"Have you had dinner?"

"MEOW."

"There will be radish dumplings later. Brother Qiyan made them. Do you like them?"

"MEOW, MEOW, MEOW..."

This time, it meowed insistently. It was a gluttonous cat; having eaten its fill in the neighboring courtyard, it was still eager to scrounge another meal here.

"Right, you’re a monastery kitty. Have you ever eaten meat?"

The cat didn’t understand, merely meowing loudly as it led the way.

It was an interesting little cat.

Shen Jing looked down and chuckled softly, her gaze coincidentally falling on the faint imprint of a man’s leather shoe in the thin layer of snow.

Size 42?

Probably.

She had often seen size 42 men’s leather shoes before.

Sun Qiyan was already waiting at the door for her return. As she crossed the threshold, he covered her head with a prepared towel, wiping the snowflakes from her hair.

"Next time, remember to bring an umbrella. You just love being out in the snow. What if you catch a cold?"

Shen Jing’s eyes sparkled, clear and bright from her smile. "I just went to the scripture library in the Heavenly King Hall to find some books, and I found a couple for you, too."

Sun Qiyan raised his hand, gently tapping her forehead with his index finger.

"You silly girl, always running out into the cold. We have heating inside. Come in quickly."

"I’m not cold. I wore two sweaters on purpose today," she said, holding up two fingers, her expression adorably coy.

It was true; who could resist her when she acted like this?

"We’re having radish-filled dumplings for dinner," Sun Qiyan said softly, urging her, "Hurry up and wash your hands. The food will get cold."

She acknowledged with an "Oh," then suddenly smelled the rich aroma of almond and bird’s nest soup.

Shen Jing turned to look out the door and saw a Monk passing by, carrying gift boxes from Manfu Feast and heading briskly towards the East Pavilion.

Even during a quiet spiritual retreat, they needed almond and bird’s nest soup from Manfu Feast?

Couldn’t they stomach the simple vegetarian fare of the temple?

What kind of precious person was this neighbor? Was he royalty gracing the mortal world?

The Spotted Li Cat was an utterly pragmatic kitty. Enticed by the scent, it was already dashing off to the East Pavilion for a meal.

Thinking of the turncoat cat, Shen Jing grumbled, "Are my dumplings not fragrant enough for you? Don’t even think about coming tomorrow night!"

East Pavilion’s dinners were always ordered from the Black Pearl Restaurant, delivered punctually three times a day.

Considering the stray cat that often came to scrounge for food, there was also a small portion of bird’s nest soup and proper cat food set aside for it.

Zhuang Ming fed it slowly. The cat ate even better than some people.

It probably wouldn’t be keen on having dumplings next door tomorrow.

Zhou Luchen leaned against the doorframe, his gaze indifferent as he watched the cat eat.

Zhuang Ming turned his head and happened to meet the Second Master’s eyes. He didn’t dare to look directly.

The Second Master’s eyes seemed to convey a message: Since you eat my food, you can’t go eating anyone else’s.

So, Zhuang Ming put extra effort into feeding the little creature.

This stray cat was incredibly prone to be swayed.