Deadly Trap.

Chapter 29. The New World

So after dinner, just like any other couple, Gu Mufeng and Su Li walked to visit the Alhambra Palace.

They climbed the slope to the ridge. The Moorish palace overlooked the entire city. In winter, with few tourists, the carved arches and reflecting pools exuded a timeless tranquility.

Su Li's eyes shone brighter and brighter as she walked, as if her dream had come true.

Some say that the history of human civilization is a vicious cycle of power struggles and mutual slaughter that humans cannot escape. But Su Li believes that there is no shortage of the brilliance of humanity within it.

Before the reflecting pool in the courtyard of the Eros tree, Suli almost knelt down and began to sing praises to Muhammad: to her, however, it only referred to the incompetent and domineering ruler of the Denastrid dynasty who brought about the downfall of the kingdom.

Perhaps history considers him weak. But it was precisely because he chose to surrender that this magnificent palace was spared the ravages of war.

Today, the fact that people can stroll through Suli like the ancient Sultan is undoubtedly a miracle created by millions of people and passed down and protected by generations.

While those around him remained aloof and indifferent, observing from the sidelines, for the first time, Gu Mufeng saw a genuine brilliance shine in Su Li's eyes.

This brilliance cannot be bought with any amount of money.

She had looked at him countless times with her charming or sharp peach blossom eyes, but never, not even once, had she looked at this palace with such sincerity and purity as she did today.

Having flown all the way from Minzhou, Gu Mufeng suddenly realized that his obsession with "bringing her here" had far exceeded what he thought was a mundane plan.

He had never studied architecture. In his eyes, the palace and his apartment in Minzhou were no different; both were embodiments of power and piles of money.

But at this moment, seeing the unprecedented purity in Su Li's eyes, he felt apprehensive for the first time.

In the empty palace, kings and nobles have turned to dust. But for them today, only the present moment remains, only he and she are immortal.

This feeling of reality was something he had never experienced before.

"Mu Fei?" As if from another world, Su Li called out to him softly.

Gu Mufeng was momentarily stunned: at this moment, the sunlight was bright and slanted from outside the archway, and every drop fell into Su Li's neck and onto the shoulder he had kissed passionately ten thousand meters in the air.

She was beautiful, with a graceful and upright posture, and her makeup was impeccable in his presence. Even on this hike today, she insisted on wearing high heels, like a determined urban woman.

Right now, however, she was holding two incongruous wooden pencils and a hardcover notebook in her hand. She had insisted on carrying it with her ever since she arrived.

"Mu Fei, I'd like to draw a few pictures while I'm at it. I'll walk slowly. Is that alright?"

Why was it that when she opened her mouth, her eyes already betrayed her anticipation of his rejection and were preparing a second plan?
Why is it that she can look at a bloodless, fleshless palace with complete indifference, yet is wary of him at every turn?
She should have belonged to him.

"If you don't want to wait, I can also—"

"You just draw it."

For some inexplicable reason, he took a deep breath, and for the first time ever, Gu Mufeng's heart felt wild and untamed. The indulgence he craved made him restless and impatient.

He gritted his teeth, barely managing to force a deceptive, soft smile: "Do what you want; don't ask me."

After giving a perfunctory reply, he suddenly turned around. He had to leave immediately. He knew that if he lingered for even half a second longer, he would lose control of the strange, unsettling tremor within him.

However, even with his back to her, Gu Mufeng still felt as if Su Li had possessed him. The more he tried to pull away, the more reluctant he was to leave her.

In the distance, Su Li's Persian-style sheer skirt and trousers swayed gently in the breeze, her legs appearing and disappearing as she walked, stopping and starting.

She gripped the pencil, her hand trembling slightly. The pencil tip moved swiftly across the notebook. Sometimes she sketched the layout of the courtyard, sometimes she depicted intricate carvings.

A line accidentally went astray. She bit the green pencil with her red lips, frowned, erased it with an eraser, and then carefully retraced it. She added her own footnote next to the drawing:
The running script is beautiful and elegant, but the strokes are unexpectedly sharp and aggressive.

Gu Mufeng watched from afar. He had never noticed Su Li being so focused before, to the point that even breathing felt like a disturbance to her.

How could two ordinary wooden pencils seem to create a new world in Su Li's hands?

Unbeknownst to her, Gu Mufeng had silently and forcefully approached. As he passed her shoulder, he instinctively held his breath.

"What is this?" Unable to resist asking his own questions, Gu Mufeng asked directly, "Why is there another row of complicated windows on the second floor? Aren't you afraid of being eavesdropped on?" Su Li was genuinely startled by his calm voice. She had been completely absorbed in her own world and hadn't expected Gu Mufeng, who had just been impatient with her, to come back to this.

Su Li's pen tip swept across the fallen paper with a "whoosh":
Why are you suddenly so close?

She spoke softly, not complaining, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Gu Mufeng was already bending down to pick them up. He gently and carefully brushed away the fine dust from the paper. All of Su Li's drawings and notes were randomly laid out and subjected to inspection by his sharp phoenix eyes.

Biting her lip nervously, Su Li whispered, "Don't look. I haven't finished drawing yet..."

Su Li cautiously took the sketchbook back from Gu Mufeng's hand. Surprisingly, he hadn't even opened it.

She never expected that Gu Mufeng, as her sugar daddy, would be interested in her desires and also in her studies and passions.

His handsome face was focused, and he was quite close. Following the calluses on his fingertips, Su Li saw him pointing out a row of small, screen-like windows that she was drawing.

Unable to suppress her shyness, Su Li smiled gently:
"You know what, that's a really important question. I was just thinking the same thing, why is it necessary to add this row of small windows?"
"Only you would think of eavesdropping."

Gently, she hid a slight, suppressed smile from the corner of her mouth. Then she continued earnestly:
"However, you do remind me: what if these small windows were designed specifically for eavesdropping?"

As she spoke, her feet moved naturally. Su Li took several steps forward.

She looked up, her gaze tracing the ancient walls, climbing up the intricate geometric window frames. It was as if she were transcending time and space, conversing with them one by one:

"Mu Fei, do you know? This hall is called the Ambassador's Hall. It is specially provided for envoys from various countries to wait here."

"Think about it, in the days when information traveled slowly, when envoys traveled thousands of miles to come here, they couldn't help but whisper about foreign policy and exchange information about important figures."

"Perhaps, this small window is what blocks the Sultan's view from where he is hiding. The king listens intently..."

As she recounted the story, Su Li's bright eyes were already tracing Gu Mufei's face, scrutinizing him.

Like a sudden pause in her breath, without explaining the complexity in her eyes, Su Li blushed slightly, lowered her head, and continued:

"A few years ago, I listened to an old professor give a lecture. He said that in the Nastrild dynasty, which created the Alhambra, women were born into a deep and unforgettable world once they entered the palace."

"Only when the Sultan receives messengers from their homeland will they perhaps be allowed to stand behind the window."

"Through the windows of a foreign land, they observe the rules of pleasing others, silently watching their homeland, even if they want to express..."

As she spoke, Su Li's voice trailed off, as if she noticed her own shadow cast behind the window frame. A hint of darkness flickered in her eyes.

But soon, she regained her gentleness:
"Perhaps everyone has a palace they can't escape. But as long as the heart is still willing to feel, one day we will all find a way to open the window."

She turned back a few steps away and looked at him again.

Sunlight streamed through the arched corridors, its delicate dappled light falling into her eyes, which shone with pure radiance at that moment.
"Of course, these are just one person's opinion. The behavior of people and the dedication of the architecture, Mu Fei, isn't that interesting?"

She smiled brightly, her face devoid of any flattery or pretense. At that moment, her smile was solely for herself.

Gu Mufeng looked at her.

His breath was stolen; his heart felt pierced, leaving a sudden void. He realized he had made a grave mistake.

>>>>>
Next chapter: More, even more

[Author's Note | Chapter Twenty-Nine]

Did everyone feel the shock of Gu Mufei?
It's like One Thousand and One Nights, except Su Li only tells two stories: the Sultan and the harem are each trapped behind their own windows... Is her worry something you've ever felt?

What exactly did Gu Mufeng realize he had done wrong?
Feel free to leave your thoughts!

Collecting, following updates, and voting help every woman in real life break free from constraints and go further!

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(End of this chapter)