Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Brother Lian, please have some tea."

The room was simple and unpretentious, not particularly luxurious, but it had everything one needed.

A young woman of sixteen, with a gentle appearance, delicately presents a bowl of fragrant tea. If she were to encounter a vulgar and shallow man, he might be captivated by her beauty and even act in a lewd manner.

Jia Lian, of course, did not have it.

She is, after all, the You family's sister; she should be treated with some respect.

So he thanked her and then sat down to slowly savor his tea.

Sister You glanced at Jia Lian silently for a moment, said nothing, and turned to go into the inner room.

Just as You Sanjie had dismissed the maid who was about to serve tea, she noticed Jia Lian sitting alone in the room. She walked around the screen to her sister's side and questioned, "Why did you come in when you weren't talking to him outside?"

Second Sister You knew exactly what Third Sister You meant. Her face flushed slightly, and she said shyly, "I... I don't dare to talk to him..."

"How could I not dare?"

How could a young girl in her early teens know the timidity and humility of her older sister, who had already fallen in love, in front of the man she loved?

"Sister, have you thought this through? It's rare for him to come all the way here."

I heard he's leaving Beijing soon. If we miss today, who knows when we'll see him again. Maybe we'll all be back in our hometown by then, so don't regret it, sister."

Having been in Ningguo Mansion for so long, the three women from the You family already knew about Jia Lian's situation.

The young and vigorous second-rank nobleman was not only exceptionally capable, excelling in both literary and martial arts, but also of upright character and humble demeanor.

Most importantly, there wasn't even a side room inside!

Such powerful figures are truly rare and hard to come by, not to mention that Sister You fell in love with one at first sight.

Given this, how could they not give their full support?

Since Sister You Er became wealthy, they naturally benefited as well.

When Old Lady You went out just now, she specifically instructed them to treat Jia Lian well. Both Second Sister You and Third Sister You understood the meaning behind this.

Therefore, Sister You Erjie, who already had her own thoughts, became even more restless after Sister You Sanjie said that.

She seemed to have mustered her courage, but after only glancing back at Jia Lian sitting outside, she suddenly deflated.

"I think I'll pass. I feel like he doesn't even like me..."

Sister You whispered to her younger sister, her eyes filled with hesitation.

Sister You San became anxious, feeling a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Jia Lian has come to collect the silver, and he'll probably be leaving soon after. There's no time to do any more persuasion for his sister now.

"How could that be? Any man would have thoughts about my sister."

Ugh, I can't be bothered to talk to you anymore, just watch me.

You Sanjie grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her to the doorway. Then, she straightened her posture and walked directly towards Jia Lian.

At this moment, Jia Lian had just returned from the yamen, so he was wearing a brand-new, spotless official robe.

He was tall and slender with a handsome and clean-cut face. Although he was just sitting and drinking tea with a casual expression, one could still feel a strong aura surrounding him within a few feet.

Even the fearless You Sanjie couldn't help but feel a jolt in her heart when she looked at Jia Lian again. She thought to herself: Sure enough, Jia Lian's appearance and demeanor are truly extraordinary, far surpassing those ordinary scions of noble families she had seen before!

As Jia Lian looked up, You Sanjie greeted him with a smile.

"Where did Brother Lian come from?"

As she spoke, she walked up to Jia Lian, propped herself up on the tea table with one hand, tilted her head slightly, and displayed her feminine figure.

Jia Lian smiled inwardly, "I just came back from the yamen."

"Hehe, I heard that Brother Lian is so young, yet he has already become the head of the Military Affairs Office, and he has thousands of men under his command."

There's nothing in the capital city that doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of Second Brother Lian.

"In that case, Brother Lian must be quite exhausted from handling his daily official duties, right?"

As she spoke, Sister You moved with graceful steps, placing one hand on Jia Lian's shoulder and walking behind him.

Perhaps fearing that Jia Lian would misunderstand, she quickly placed her other hand on Jia Lian's other shoulder, her fingers moving slightly, as if massaging or stroking.

At this point, even Sister You couldn't help but feel that she had been reckless and audacious.

However, a quick glance inside the inner room revealed her sister's shocked yet "admiring" gaze, which immediately shattered her confidence.

What are you afraid of? Aren't I helping my sister?

Besides, look at me, I'm just a coward. What's there to be afraid of? He's just a man, he's not that hard to approach.

Realizing that Jia Lian did not reject her, You Sanjie felt smug and became even more audacious. As before, she asked about Jia Lian's glorious past to build rapport, while her soft little hands roamed over Jia Lian's shoulders, occasionally daring to touch and caress the skin on his neck.

In this situation, let alone vulgar and shallow men, even gentlemen with slightly weak self-control would likely lose their composure.

But Jia Lian knew exactly what was going on.

He glanced at the inner room door and saw the girl, who was clearly much more timid, immediately hide inside when she met his gaze.

Jia Lian smiled inwardly; these two sisters were quite interesting.

He didn't mean to reprimand Sister You. In the past, he had always gone to great lengths to win the favor of the women he had dealt with. Sister You was the first beautiful young woman who had taken the initiative to seduce him and fawn over him from the very beginning.

No matter what, you have to enjoy this kind of treatment.

So I relaxed and casually continued the conversation about Sister You.

After a while, Sister You began to have some doubts.

She thought that even if Jia Lian wasn't an ordinary man and valued his reputation highly, he wouldn't easily reveal his flaws. But surely he couldn't remain indifferent to someone as precious as her? The fact that Jia Lian didn't reject her advances was proof enough.

She had originally planned that if Jia Lian lost his temper and tried to lay a hand on her, she would run away and let her sister take her place.

Even if my sister is stupid, with her looks, she can easily win over a man who is eager to get his attention.

But why is he sitting there so still? Is it because he lacks charm, or is he just a block of wood?

Just as You Sanjie's confidence was somewhat shaken and her movements were not as smooth as before, she suddenly noticed Jia Lian tilting his head and saying, "A little to the left, put some force into it."

Point Guard Here

Ok?

Sister You was taken aback.

What? He really treats me like a maid?

Wasn't she seducing him? How could he think she was serving him?

Feeling dejected, You Sanjie wanted to admit her defeat and retort to Jia Lian by telling him to give up.

But glancing at him, just from Jia Lian's profile, one could see that Jia Lian seemed to be smiling...

They were laughing, mocking her!

Ah, so it turns out the wooden figure wasn't him after all. The ridiculous one is me!

He was actually making fun of himself.

Thinking of this, Sister You was furious. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little respect for her.

Having always considered herself exceptionally intelligent, she rarely felt intellectually suppressed...

However, as long as you are still a normal man, I haven't lost yet!

While Sister You was angry, she also came to a realization.

Since Jia Lian wasn't indifferent to her, but rather deliberately teasing her, wouldn't it be a good chance to turn the tables if she could seduce him into losing his composure in the end?

It wasn't just that she won a game; she won!

Rekindled with fighting spirit, You Sanjie put aside her distracting thoughts and, as Jia Lian instructed, vigorously massaged his shoulders.

"How's the force?"

"Um."

Hmm, what does that mean?

Having already figured out some of Jia Lian's ways, she didn't press him for an answer and instead smiled and said, "My eldest sister said that Second Brother Lian is a famous handsome man in the capital. Even the famous princess is drooling over him and wants to take him by force."

But is it true that my second brother Lian refused to comply even at the cost of his life?

Jia Lian, who was enjoying a shoulder massage from a pretty young woman while sipping tea, frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Coveting? Forcibly taking? What kind of words are these?

Is this something a girl from a humble family could say?

No wonder You Xiaosan has such a prominent role in the original novel. A girl in her early teens managed to make Jia Zhen and Jia Lian, two dissolute sons of government officials, look foolish and put them in a difficult position.

However intelligent and strong-willed she may be, she is still a woman at heart.

Doesn't she know that playing such frivolous games with men, especially men of much higher status than her, will ultimately only result in her suffering the consequences?

A glance at the outer room door revealed not even a maidservant in sight. Meanwhile, Old Lady You, who had gone to fetch the silver, seemed to have vanished without a trace, lingering for a long time.