During dinner, the three women kept discussing literature, hardly giving Li Qi and Ma Wu a chance to speak.
After dinner, Ma Wu suggested going to the dance floor, but Shen Rongqing made no comment, and Shan Zhumei, her face dark, sternly refused.
Oil Peach kept looking at Shan Zhumei. Shan Zhumei, controlling her emotions, said she was tired and wanted to go home to rest.
When Shan Zhumei left in her carriage, Ma Wu sighed, "She’s too difficult to deal with. It’s going to take more effort to win her over. I’ll ask her out again in a few days."
Oil Peach shook her head. "No need to wait a few days. Now that we’ve found out where she lives, I’m going to see her tonight."
Ma Wu was surprised. "Miss You, there’s no need to rush this."
Oil Peach rubbed her forehead. "I am in a rush. I had one meal with her, and then I had to spend three days with Xiao Yeci reciting poetry collections. Her writing is complete rubbish! I feel sick just reading it, and she still forces me to memorize it. If I wait for the next meal, I’m bound to slip up. It’s better to take care of her tonight."
Li Qi liked Oil Peach’s temperament. When dealing with important matters, one shouldn’t delay!
Shan Zhumei returned home, feeling a bit disheartened.
As a newspaper editor, her income was decent but not substantial. She lived alone in a small house and, unable to afford servants, didn’t even have anyone to talk to.
After lying on the bed for a while, she wanted to write something, but once she picked up her pen, she didn’t know what to write.
After struggling for an hour, she tidied her bed, intending to sleep, but suddenly she heard a knock on the door.
When she opened the door, Oil Peach stood outside.
Shan Zhumei’s heart rate accelerated. As their eyes met, she cautiously asked, "Who brought you before me?"
Oil Peach smiled. "Destiny."
Shan Zhumei asked again, "And who is in charge of destiny?"
Oil Peach just smiled again.
Shan Zhumei was still waiting for an answer.
Oil Peach wrapped one hand around her waist, cradled the back of her head with the other, and then sealed her lips with a kiss.
「Three days later.」
Shan Zhumei went to Xiaoyao Lodge, hoping to meet Li Qi and Ma Wu.
But one couldn’t just see them whenever one wished.
Li Qi couldn’t be bothered with her.
Ma Wu wasn’t there; he had gone to Loess Bridge to take care of business.
Shan Zhumei sought out Shen Rongqing, asking her to persuade Li Qi to meet.
Shen Rongqing refused to help, saying, "Ah Mei, you gave him such a cold shoulder at dinner, and now you want me to beg him on your behalf? That’s not appropriate."
Left with no choice, Shan Zhumei turned to Zhang Xiuling. Surprisingly, Zhang Xiuling quite admired Shan Zhumei and genuinely helped her.
Zhang Xiuling, Puluo State’s most talented woman and leader of the Hundred Flowers Gate, personally went to Xiaoyao Lodge to find Li Qi. Li Qi had to show her some respect. "Fine, we can meet," he said. "But it’s not proper for a man and woman to meet alone. Let’s have a meal together, the three of us."
The three of them ate together at Xiaoyao Lodge. Shan Zhumei found it difficult to broach the subject of her visit. After the meal, she desperately pleaded to have a private word with Li Qi.
Zhang Xiuling chuckled. "Ah Mei, even if you’ve taken a fancy to Seventh Master, you shouldn’t be so impatient."
No matter how much Zhang Xiuling teased her, Shan Zhumei persisted. Reluctantly, Li Qi agreed. He had a private room opened, and they spoke for a short while.
Shan Zhumei’s request was simple. "I want to see Miss You again, but I can’t find her."
"Seeing Miss You is possible. She admires you greatly." Li Banfeng showed Shan Zhumei a newspaper. "This article was written by you, right?"
She didn’t even need to look; she recognized her own story. "Yes, I wrote it."
Li Banfeng asked, "Have you ever been to Thousand Pearls Mountain? How did you write this story?"
Shan Zhumei replied, "I’ve never been to Thousand Pearls Mountain. I wrote it based on news reports."
"The news came out, and you wrote the story that same day?"
Shan Zhumei answered, "I saw the news report and rushed to write it overnight."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I see you’ve included everything that was in the news."
"That part was easy, just copying."
"But you’ve also written things that weren’t in the news."
"I fabricated those parts."
Li Banfeng looked at the story’s details and smiled. "You fabricated these parts so well they seem real?"
Shan Zhumei pursed her lips. "That’s artistic license."
Li Banfeng put down the newspaper. "Artistic license that makes it seem so real?"
Shan Zhumei began to sweat. "I poured a lot of thought and effort into it."
Li Banfeng looked at Shan Zhumei. "Thought and effort that make it seem so real?"
The questioning was becoming intense, and Shan Zhumei felt herself losing composure. "What exactly are you trying to ask?"
Li Banfeng said calmly, "I’m asking you, is what you wrote actually true?"
"I never said it was true!"
"If it’s not true, how did you write it to seem so real?"
Shan Zhumei exclaimed angrily, "How would you know it seems so real? Did you witness it yourself?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "I did witness it myself. That’s why I say what you wrote seems so real. Did you also witness it?"
"I didn’t witness it..."
"If you didn’t witness it, how could you write it as if it were the real thing?"
Shan Zhumei felt herself backed into a corner. "I... I heard it from someone..."
"Heard it from whom? And they described it as if it were the real thing?"
Shan Zhumei took a deep breath, feeling the strings in her mind snapping one by one. "Xie Mengjiao, a singer from the Hundred Joy Gate, brought me the information," she said. "She described what happened and asked me to write this story."
"She asked you to write it, and you just did? Why were you so obedient to her?"
"Because..." Shan Zhumei didn’t know how to respond.
Li Banfeng answered for her, "Because you’re both from the Flying General Camp, right?"
After a long silence, Shan Zhumei suddenly looked up fiercely. "So what if it’s true? Following the Flying General to rid the world of tyrants and bring peace to the people—I have no regrets in my life for that! Since you’ve discovered my identity, do as you wish. Kill me or cut me to pieces. I won’t reveal a single thing about the Flying General Camp, nor will I betray anyone!"