Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Fu Yaoqin looked down following Xie Xiaoyi's gaze and realized that the neckline of her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) was too wide.

When she bent over just now, her collar was a little loose, and he could see the edge of her collarbone and a glimpse of her chest.

"It is extremely rude of you to stare at me like that, young master."

Xie Xiaoyi frowned and smiled:

"If the flowers are in full bloom and I don't appreciate them, I'd seem unromantic!"

Fu Yaoqin's almond-shaped eyes flashed with reproach: "Young master, do you know that one should not look at what is improper?"

Xie Xiaoyi raised an eyebrow and smiled, revealing his roguish charm.

"Girl, do you know that food, sex, and nature are all human desires? Everyone has a love for beauty."

"I was simply following my heart to admire Master Fu's unparalleled beauty; how could that be considered improper?"

Fu Yaoqin was taken aback upon hearing this, and her brows furrowed slightly.

He kept pondering the four words "food, sex, and nature" in his mind.

I found it very novel; I had never heard of such a thing before.

Upon closer examination, it makes some sense, but upon further reflection, it seems to be a fallacy of sophistry.

"That's just sophistry! I'm really surprised that you can make such fallacies sound so blatant."

Xie Xiaoyi chuckled softly, picked up the wine jar on the table, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

The wine slid down his lips to his chin, then down his neck and into his clothes, adding a touch of wild, roguish charm.

He casually placed the wine jar on the stone table, and the next second he leaned forward.

Fu Yaoqin was stunned by his roguish charm. She only realized what was happening when Xie Xiaoyi was right in front of her. She got up and walked away.

Xie Xiaoyi caught up with her, braced himself against the pillar beside her with one hand, and gave her a "wall slam".

Fu Yaoqin was half-encircled in his arms, creating a strong sense of oppression.

"Whether it's fallacy or truth."

All I want to say is that some people have watched it for a long time, but it's just that kind of thing.

Some people you only see once, but you feel like they're meant for you forever.

A glance that lasts a lifetime, you know?

The moment those words were spoken, Fu Yaoqin froze completely.

His words were utterly unfamiliar, yet every word pierced her heart, stirring her emotions and causing her to unconsciously savor them repeatedly.

Completely stunned by the sudden confession, she forgot to even struggle.

Xie Xiaoyi chuckled to himself.

These modern flirting techniques are indeed effective, and they'll still work in this parallel ancient era.

He pressed his advantage, slowly leaning down, his warm breath gradually approaching Fu Yaoqin's reddened lips.

Fu Yaoqin was scalded by the smell of alcohol on his breath and suddenly came to her senses—

She hastily placed her hands against his chest, barely managing to stop him from getting closer. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears, a mixture of shyness and anxiety in her expression.

"Young master, please stop! You...you're being insolent!"

"Outrageous? Could it be that the shop owner is even slightly displeased?"

As he spoke, Xie Xiaoyi lightly brushed the tip of her nose with his finger, causing her to tremble again.

The ambiguous tension between them made Fu Yaoqin's heart burn.

"You...you mustn't talk nonsense. If you keep saying that, I won't talk to you anymore."

To Xie Xiaoyi, this phrase "ignore you" sounded like a line from the Japanese film "Yamete" from before his time travel.

Can't stop.

Xie Xiaoyi chuckled softly, his fingers lingering on the delicate touch of her nose.

"Such a soft and gentle refusal to acknowledge me is more alluring than pleading in kind words."

I wish I could hide you away right now, so that you could only ever say these words to me for the rest of your life.

Fu Yaoqin said with a slight reproach, "Young master, such recklessness is not the behavior of a gentleman."

This person... has no sense of propriety when it comes to their mouth!

It was clearly under the influence of alcohol that she openly laid out her true intentions.

I originally admired his poetic talent and wanted to befriend him, but how did it turn out like this?

Just as they were struggling, the soft voice of the maid Qingdai suddenly came from outside the corridor, carrying a hint of caution.

"Master, a guest has sent a letter from the front yard, saying that he has come to pay you a special visit."

When the sound fades—

Qingdai's figure had already appeared at the entrance of the corridor. Seeing her own shop owner trapped between the pillars by a man, and the two of them in an intimate posture, she was immediately startled and hurriedly lowered her head and bowed.

"This servant has been rude!"

Fu Yaoqin was already embarrassed and ashamed, and when the maid caught her in this state, her cheeks instantly burned.

She pushed Xie Xiaoyi away forcefully, took two steps back, straightened her clothes, and completely suppressed her shyness, leaving only a forced coldness.

"Your poem yesterday was elegant and spirited, and Yaoqin admires your talent."

"I invited you here today to discuss a few lines of poetry with you, nothing more."

These words, though seemingly gentle, were actually a subtle way of veiledly rejecting Xie Xiaoyi's ambiguous feelings.

How could Xie Xiaoyi not understand?

He raised an eyebrow, not angry at all, but instead chuckled softly: "Asking for advice on poetry? It was my presumption."

Fu Yaoqin gently gathered her sleeves with her fingertips, her voice carrying a hint of detachment.

"Young master has had his fill today, so it is not convenient for Ya Yin Fang to entertain any more guests today."

Young master probably has important matters to attend to, so Yaoqin will not keep you any longer.

"Wait until the plum blossoms in the courtyard bloom, then send someone with an invitation."

I go.

This is an order to kick me out.

I was really hoping for a romantic encounter, but I ended up getting a cold shoulder.

Xie Xiaoyi didn't hesitate. He clasped his hands in a traditional Jianghu salute, slung "Guan Cang Hai" over his shoulder, and turned to walk out of the waterside pavilion.

As I walked along the corridor, I suddenly remembered the Song Dynasty poem "Little Chongshan" that I had read before the time travel, and thought that it might be able to turn the tide.

Xie Xiaoyi's voice was deliberately neither too loud nor too soft, drifting into Fu Yaoqin's ears at just the right moment.

"The old pines and bamboos of the old mountain are aged, hindering my return. I wish to entrust my heart's secrets to the zither, but few understand, and who will listen when the strings break?"

Having said that, he turned and left without looking back, laughing loudly.

Upon hearing this, Fu Yaoqin froze on the spot, her heart churning with turbulent emotions.

This is hardly a sentence that was just recited off the cuff.

The preceding line, "The old pines and bamboos of the old mountains are worn, hindering my return journey," in just seven characters, fully expresses the melancholy of being far from home and the depression of having no way to return.

That feeling of loneliness and isolation, of being adrift far from home, unexpectedly stirred a pang of heartache in her.

"I long to pour out my heart's secrets to the zither, but true friends are few, and who will listen when the strings break?"

Fu Yaoqin repeatedly chewed over these two lines of text.

Do you wish to entrust your heart's secrets to the zither?

Yaoqin?

Does he want to tell me what's on his mind?

"Few understand him, and who will listen when the strings break?" Does this mean I don't understand him?

His casual remark was so natural and profound.

Let alone this Ya Yin Fang, I'm afraid that no one among the literati and scholars of the entire Qingjiang City could compare to it!

As Fu Yaoqin watched Xie Xiaoyi's disappearing figure, her heart was in turmoil. The deliberate distance she had maintained just moments before had been completely shattered by these few lines of poetry.

She stood in the waterside pavilion, only slowly coming back to her senses when a maid called her.

Early the next morning.

Fu Yaoqin then summoned her personal maid, her tone urgent yet attempting to remain calm.

"Go to the inn and invite Young Master Xie here. Tell him..."

"I'll say that the new tea from Ya Yin Fang is ready, and I'd like to share it with him."