The male supporting character was actually myself.

Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't want to get involved with him and ruin their reputation.

Moreover, his fiancée spoke with righteous indignation and strong words, without any attempt to evade or conceal anything, which really didn't seem like there was anything wrong with her.

Duan Lang, who was young and proud and always confident, was not one to be cuckolded, so he nodded slightly and said, "Since we are from the same hometown as Qingqing, please come upstairs and have a cup of wedding wine to ward off the chill of the rainy night."

With the homeowner's permission, Ji Ningyu followed them up to the second-class guest room floor.

"Lord Duan, it's been a long time!" Duan Lang had intended to stay by his fiancée's side, but unexpectedly, he ran into a young talent from another dynasty as soon as he entered the hall. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the other party seemed eager to learn from him and discuss matters.

He could only give his page a subtle look, signaling him to keep an eye on the down-on-his-luck painter.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Do You Know Who I Am?

Even if Ye Qingqing wasn't very bright, she knew she should avoid suspicion at this time. So after returning to the banquet hall together and exchanging a few polite words, she got up and left.

The pageboy watched Ji Ningyu from afar and saw him sitting down at an empty table, drinking and eating with his mouth full of oil. He immediately curled his lips in disdain.

As expected of a poor, unsophisticated artist, acting like he hasn't eaten in ages. Judging by his full stomach, he probably still wants to take something else...

"Host, I'm so anxious waiting for them to get on track. When will it be my turn to make my appearance?" The little white cat complained to its host while staring at Ji Ningyu.

Sitting in the corner, Jiang Chen patted its head and comforted it, "Don't worry, the script hasn't been updated yet, what's meant to come will come sooner or later. You're anxiously waiting, but the male and female leads are even more anxious than you. They can't wait to be inseparable."

"It's just that the overall environment doesn't allow it. Don't worry, the world's will will create opportunities for them."

Sure enough, after watching for a while, the pageboy, whether from being too tired from running around or from having drunk a couple of cups of wine at dinner, soon became so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open and fell fast asleep against the table.

After eating and drinking her fill, Ji Ningyu wiped her mouth clean and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, got up to look for the figure of the Fairy Sister.

Ye Qingqing, who had gone back to her room to change her clothes to avoid suspicion, also happened to come out of her room. There were so many people in the second-class guest room, but at this moment, only the male and female protagonists met under the eaves.

The bright, flashing lights contrasted sharply with the oppressive atmosphere of the dark, rainy night.

Beneath the ornately carved beams and painted rafters, under the luxurious eaves, one gazes tenderly, the other with expectant eyes.

"A single meeting in the golden autumn breeze and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world!" Ji Ningyu quickly stepped forward, grasped her hand, and said sorrowfully, "My dear sister, since we met, got to know each other, and parted last night, I have been unable to forget you, even in my dreams!"

Hearing his heartfelt words, Ye Qingqing felt a surge of warmth in her heart and was about to speak when she vaguely heard some noise in the corridor. Startled, her face paled slightly, and she grabbed him, pushing open the door to Duan Lang's room. She whispered, "Shh! Don't let anyone see us!"

For some reason, she felt that the situation was both terrifying and extremely exciting.

Just like in many traditional stories, there is a scene where a down-on-his-luck scholar has his maidservant cover him for a late-night rendezvous with a rich young lady, but it is a pity that he doesn't even have a confidant to help him embroider a handkerchief to convey his feelings.

The two walked to the back of the living room. Ji Ningyu tacitly opened the window a crack, determined that if they were discovered, they could immediately jump out the window to the dimly lit back corridor.

"Pfft!" Seeing his timid appearance, Ye Qingqing couldn't help but laugh out loud. "We had such a pleasant chat last night that I forgot to ask you your name and where you're from. I lied and said we were from the same hometown. Luckily, that idiot didn't suspect anything and kept asking."

Otherwise, wouldn't we be exposed?

Ji Ningyu hurriedly bowed and said, "My name is Ji Ningyu. I am from the capital of the Huan Dynasty on the Morning Rise Continent. My father once served as the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works in the Huan Dynasty. However, he was dismissed from his post due to a fabricated charge and passed away, which led to the decline of our family..."

"The Ji family?" Ye Qingqing, who had been all smiles, was now stunned, staring blankly at the handsome young man in front of her, her heart almost leaping out of her chest!

What a coincidence that fate brings people together! The lover I happened to meet and fall in love with turned out to be the very man I had been engaged to and had longed to marry!

"Was that person just now the one to whom Miss was forced into the marriage?"

Ji Ningyu, unaware that she was already in tears, commented to herself, "Judging from his appearance and demeanor, he is quite good, but from what I've seen of the guests he knows and the things he says, he is clearly just a mediocre person who uses the imperial examinations to climb the ranks and pursue fame and fortune."

Driven by the pursuit of fame and fortune, they obsessively pedantically studied classical Chinese prose and engaged in bureaucratic maneuvering and sycophancy, long ago losing the original scholarly spirit of pursuing knowledge…

Ye Qingqing wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes with a handkerchief, and chuckled, "We finally meet, but instead of saying anything else, you just keep talking about your mediocre theories. It's clear you really hate the stench of officialdom."

Do you know who I am?

"How would I know if the young lady hasn't introduced herself yet?" Ji Ningyu was about to launch into a long tirade against those bookworms who only sought fame and fortune, but when she heard the fairy sister ask this question, she was stunned and looked completely bewildered.

She choked up slightly as she said, "Brother Ningyu, I... I am Ye Qingqing, the one who was betrothed to you as a child but was forcibly broken off!"

"What?!" Ji Ningyu was also stunned.

He never imagined that the two people he had been longing for had actually been engaged and were supposed to get married!

"It's my bad luck. My father was convicted of a crime on the eve of our marriage, which caused our wedding to be delayed, and then..." He didn't finish his sentence. Ye Qingqing naturally knew that Ning Yu was dissatisfied with his mother, after all, the Ye family's forced annulment of the engagement caused the Ji family to lose face.

The little white cat watched the two holding hands, laughing and crying, hugging and cuddling, and yawned and rolled its eyes in boredom.

After sharing their feelings for a while, the two encouraged each other, and soon they were free from their psychological burdens. They decided to break free from worldly constraints and wholeheartedly pursue true love, so as not to waste the wonderful fate that brought them together again after so many twists and turns.

"Does Brother Ningyu make a living by painting now?" Ye Qingqing looked at him with bright eyes, and mustered up her courage to say shyly, "I once asked someone to search for Brother Ningyu's fan paintings, and they are really beautiful. The poems written on them are also very good."

I've acquired a rare treasure today. Could you please paint a picture for me, brother, so I can preserve my youthful appearance as a keepsake?

Ji Ningyu clapped her hands, "That's wonderful! If you don't mind, I'd like to make some minor modifications to this painting and use it as the cover of a storybook."

Once I arrive on the Star Moon Continent, I will definitely write down this extraordinary adventure; it will surely become a timeless tale!

Upon hearing that she was fortunate enough to become the protagonist in the storybook, Ye Qingqing was overjoyed.

With Ning Yu's exquisite brushstrokes and talented poetry, he will surely be able to depict this story in a way that captivates the audience, and may even become a master of his generation.

The two hit it off immediately. Under Ji Ningyu's guidance, Ye Qingqing shyly took off her outer, middle, and inner clothes. When she was left with only a white bodice covering her vital parts, he tore off a piece of pink gauze and personally covered her up, creating a seductive, alluring effect.

Then Ye Qingqing sat on the couch with a charming and graceful posture, her long, fair neck adorned with a sapphire and purple jade necklace, and her head full of dazzling pearls and jade, which made Ji Ningyu stare in amazement.

Filled with intense and overflowing admiration, he painted with divine inspiration, quickly completing a nearly fruit-shaped picture.

After admiring the "art" for a moment, Ye Qingqing carefully preserved the painting, wrapped herself in pink gauze, and went to the bathing room, stepping barefoot into the wooden tub that had been prepared with hot water.

The bathtub, with fresh flower petals floating on it, has a special heat preservation system underneath that keeps the hot water from cooling down for a certain period of time.

The scene of a beautiful woman bathing amidst rising steam and delicate floral fragrance is simply too wonderful.

This reminded Ji Ningyu of the times she had bathed in the grand garden, frolicking with the clever and pretty maids who were supposed to serve her. Now, the beauty bathing was her former fiancée, making the experience all the more poignant.

Watching this scene through the beaded curtain, he felt his mouth go dry and his chest burning with a raging fire.

"Host, the male and female leads have gone into the bathroom. Should we make our move now?" The little white cat excitedly ran to inform its host.

Jiang Chen's lips curled up slightly, and he whispered a few words to it. The fluffy ball of fur laughed mischievously and hopped over to the person sitting to Duan Lang's right, who was holding a wine glass and talking at length. It then kicked the stool he was sitting on!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Pricking One's Thigh with an Awl!

"Ouch!" The man was a little drunk. He felt the stool wobbling and lost his balance. He spilled a whole glass of wine on Duan Lang's ochre-colored long robe with black trim.

A series of clattering sounds of bowls, plates, and cups filled the air. Duan Lang hurriedly got up, but still ended up covered in dirt.

"I'm sorry, Lord Duan, I..." The man was startled and had already sobered up quite a bit. He quickly got up to help the other man wipe himself.

Duan Lang smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. Please sit for a while. I'll go back to my room to change my clothes before we continue our conversation!"

Seeing him get up and walk towards the house, Jiang Chen gave the little white cat a thumbs up, "Well done!"

"Hehehe, host, just you wait and see, there's something even more exciting coming up!" The fluffy dumpling, having received its host's approval, smugly skipped along, taking steps with an air of arrogance as it followed Duan Lang.

When he pushed open the door and entered the room, Ji Ningyu was tenderly wiping his beloved sister with water, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

"Dangdang!"

He was so frightened by the sound of the door closing that his legs went weak and he almost peed himself. He turned around and saw that there was nowhere to hide or run away!

Ye Qingqing was also panicked, her face turned pale and she didn't know what to do.

"Qingqing, are you asleep?" Duan Lang, slightly drunk, strode into the room, unbuttoning his clothes with one hand and asking with a smile.

Unexpectedly, he would suddenly return at this time. Ye Qingqing took a deep breath to calm herself down, and grabbed Ji Ningyu's hand, gesturing for him to get into the bath tub as well.

Anyway, the bathtub in the second-class room is very large, enough for two people to take a bath together, and if one person hides in, no one outside can tell.

With nowhere to hide, Ji Ningyu gritted her teeth and took off her shoes, stuffing them under the long, thick curtain.

Then he tiptoed into the wooden tub, pressing his entire body tightly against the other person's soft, delicate body, not daring to move.

A few seconds later, Duan Lang heard the sound of water, turned to the bathroom, and lifted the curtain. He saw his wife, her face flushed and her face full of shyness, covering her bare shoulders with a pink veil.

"So you're taking a bath. Should I call one of the maids from the airship to serve you?"

Duan Lang was immediately intrigued by the sight of the beautiful woman bathing. He casually tossed his soiled outer garment outside, walked over, and knelt beside the wooden tub, gazing intently at his wife's face. He said affectionately, "I drank some wine today and was worried that the smell would bother you. Tomorrow I promise I won't touch a drop, and we'll bathe and change together!"

Just as he walked over, Ye Qingqing remained outwardly calm but hurriedly used her hands to push Ji Ningyu underwater, then covered him with a pink veil to prevent him from noticing anything amiss.

"Aren't you supposed to be receiving guests?" She lowered her head, her face flushed with shyness, and her voice trembled slightly. "I...I don't need anyone to serve me."

After I finish my shower, I'll lie down and rest. You...you go ahead and do your thing..."

Seeing her like this, Duan Lang thought that his fiancée was being so intimate with a man for the first time and her voice was trembling with shyness. He immediately smiled and shook his head, saying, "Alright, alright, whatever you say."

"I'm not teasing you anymore, I need to change my clothes for my social engagement. I'll be free tomorrow, and we can get to the Glass Pagoda early the day after tomorrow, then we can start making preparations for the wedding..."

Seeing that Duan Lang was about to leave, the little white cat seized the opportunity to dip its body into the water, revealing its sharp, gleaming claws.

"Whoosh!"

A claw scratched at Ji Ningyu's neck as he held his breath underwater, trembling with fear. The pain and shock almost made him lose his breath.

Fortunately, knowing the serious consequences of this matter, he gritted his teeth and held his breath, refusing to move.

"What the heck? It's not even moving like this?" The little white cat narrowed its eyes upon seeing this and dived directly to the bottom of the water.

Underwater, Ye Qingqing's body was curled up on one side of the wooden tub, and Ji Ningyu was lying close to her at the bottom of the water. It took the little ball of fluff a while to distinguish the two body parts.

He then took out an awl used for sewing shoe soles from the system space and, with all his might, stabbed it directly into Ji Ningyu's round, upturned buttocks.

"Pfft!"

The sharp awl pierced halfway in, and the little white cat quickly pulled it out and put it back into its space.

"Awoo!"

This time, Ji Ningyu could no longer hold back and jumped up, clutching her buttocks and howling in pain.

A stream of blood flowed down the soaked trousers and into the water, staining the area red.

Just as Duan Lang was about to turn around and leave the bathroom, he heard the sound, turned back, and was instantly enraged!

"Come..." he shouted, wanting to call in people to catch the adulterous couple, but he swallowed the rest of the words after only uttering one.

The newly crowned top scorer's fiancée, who had just gotten engaged, was found naked in a bathtub with a strange man...

If this gets out, he'll lose all face before he even takes office!

As the saying goes, "Don't wash your dirty linen in public." Even if your arm is broken, you should keep it to yourself. This matter should be handled privately and never let anyone else know.

Duan Lang's eyes turned red with anger. He stepped forward, grabbed Ji Ningyu by the neck, dragged him out of the wooden tub, punched him in the face, and then kicked and punched him repeatedly, which calmed his anger down a little.