Entangled Love GL - Chapter 29

When Yang Mei arrived, Duan Min had only recently fallen asleep. In her semi-conscious state, she felt the room brighten a little. She lazily raised her hand to shield her eyes, then instantly woke up and abruptly opened them. The bed curtain was pulled back halfway. Someone was holding a small lamp, looking at her. Duan Min couldn’t help but be shocked: “Yang Mei!”

Yang Mei realized how reckless she had been on her way and had already decided to leave if Duan Min was asleep. But once she was right there, even though the room was already dark, she couldn’t bring herself to turn back. When she snuck into the room, it was pitch black. The silence was so profound it made her afraid to breathe. Her heart pounded, and she was so nervous she wished she could leave immediately, yet her feet wouldn’t move. After a long while, she made up her mind, saying she would just look at her and then leave.

Yang Mei found a small lamp on the table. She carefully lit the wick and cupped her hand around the flame, letting out only a tiny red glow. Then, holding her breath, she walked to the bedside and gently pulled back the curtain.

Duan Min was lying on her side, facing outward. Most of her body was in the shadow, and her expression was hazy in the faint red light, completely devoid of the usual aloofness that kept people at a distance when she was awake. Yang Mei thought, Hurry and leave, don’t wake her, but she had an even stronger urge to move closer and see more clearly. It was at this moment that Duan Min suddenly woke up.

Duan Min opened her eyes and exclaimed, “Yang Mei!” This cry was like the evening drum and morning bell. All the magic was instantly dispelled. Yang Mei’s head buzzed. She sobered up instantly, and her face immediately burned.

Duan Min quickly regained her composure, sat up, and looked at Yang Mei without speaking or showing any emotion.

Yang Mei was completely stiff. She couldn’t stand the oppressive silence. She wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. After enduring this awkwardness for a while, her emotions calmed down somewhat. She then remembered what she had said to Yue Ting not long ago. Yang Mei couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She thought she should have approached her slowly, getting to know each other better. Tonight’s intrusion must have displeased her, but since the deed was done, she could only try her best to salvage the situation.

Yang Mei took her hand away from the lamp, making the light between them brighter. She carefully observed Duan Min’s expression. She considered several explanations but didn’t dare to speak easily. Finally, she just said, “I’m truly sorry. Please go back to sleep. I didn’t mean anything by this. I’ll leave now.” After saying this, she took a step back, dropped the bed curtain, turned to the table, and was about to blow out the lamp when she heard a voice behind her say, “Wait a moment.”

Yang Mei paused, making sure she hadn’t misheard before turning back. She became nervous again and asked, “What is it?”

Duan Min got out of bed at this point and was only two steps away from Yang Mei. She said, “Can we talk properly?”

Yang Mei was both surprised and delighted. She immediately thought that Duan Min merely wanted to advise her, but Duan Min had never taken the initiative to advise her before. Yang Mei was still very happy about this action. Yang Mei couldn’t help but smile, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s too late today. Shall I come early tomorrow evening so we can talk then?”

Duan Min nodded in agreement. Yang Mei then jumped out the window and returned to the Pavilion.

Outside, a crescent moon and a few stars shed a faint light. Duan Min stood by the window for a long time before closing it and going to sleep. Yang Mei had long since disappeared into the night, but her words and smile seemed to remain before her eyes.

Perhaps it was the light playing tricks, but Duan Min felt very strange about seeing Yang Mei this time. Although the matter was very abrupt, Duan Min felt that Yang Mei seemed a bit more composed. Yang Mei’s speech was particularly restrained, without the triumphant and determined air she had a few months ago, and instead showed a kind of seriousness.

Duan Min suddenly became worried. When they first met, the Pavilion was undergoing major changes. She felt that Yang Mei might be eager to find emotional support and that her interest in herself was merely a fleeting impulse. By consistently responding with coldness, she thought Yang Mei would gradually focus on other matters and other people. But, Duan Min suddenly thought, what if it wasn’t like that?

Duan Min didn’t know if having a proper talk was a good idea, but she wanted to clarify her doubts.

The next day, Mu Ye went out in the morning and brought back news: Yan Bozhan of the Nine-Turn Dragon Pavilion had sent someone to the Pavilion to propose marriage to Yang Mei. Yang Mei had refused on the spot. Mu Ye glanced at Duan Min as she spoke. Seeing no reaction from her, she didn’t say much more. She talked about other things and soon left again, not returning until nightfall.

Duan Min sensed that she was unusually busy today, wondering if it had anything to do with their conversation the previous night. Mu Ye gave no hints, and Duan Min couldn’t think of any connection, so she didn’t dwell on it.

After dinner, Lady Yun invited Duan Min to the garden for tea. Duan Min naturally refused and waited alone in her room for Yang Mei, carefully considering what she wanted to say.

Yang Mei didn’t keep her waiting long. She arrived quickly but didn’t let her speak. As soon as she entered the room, she smiled and handed her an object: “Look. The other day you said you never figured out what this was. I had it re-polished. What do you think now?”

Duan Min’s heart stirred. She took it and saw that it was indeed the jade pendant.

The jade pendant was originally hung on Yang Mei’s sword. It was stolen by Shui Yanghua, who was impersonating the Peach Blossom Thief, some time ago. It was later recovered and re-polished. Although its size was reduced, its greenish texture remained the same, and its lustrous appearance was completely unchanged.

Duan Min had wanted to look at this jade pendant again these past few days, not because its appearance was strange and she couldn’t identify it, but because Shui Yanghua had inadvertently mentioned that the jade pendant was a relic left by Princess Zhaoyuan, Wushuang.

The jade pendant was less than an inch long, generally semi-circular, with a point at one end. It had only a few engraved lines, some broken, some connected, some straight, some curved, which really didn’t form any discernible image.

Yang Mei watched from the side. Seeing her examine it repeatedly, seemingly very interested, she couldn’t help but be both happy and amused: “Actually, it’s not strange at all. The jade pendant is incomplete, so of course, you can’t make out anything.”

Hearing this, Duan Min asked, “What happened?”

“My master smashed it.” Yang Mei smiled and explained, “It’s a long story. This jade pendant was left by my mother. I was only a few years old when I first got it. I heard people say it couldn’t be broken, so I tested it, and indeed, not a single mark could be made on it. I was naive back then, and just used it as a plaything, carrying it in and out very casually.

“Later, my master saw it, and I told him the jade wouldn’t break and that he didn’t need to be so careful with it. As a result, his temper was really something. He smashed it right there and then, with enough force to shatter it into dozens of pieces in one blow.

“The current jade pendant is made from the largest piece we could salvage, polished to match the shape of the break. No other image has been carved onto it.”

When Yang Mei got to this point, she was afraid Duan Min would be disappointed, so she quickly said, “It’s no fun after I’ve explained it, is it? Why don’t you guess what it originally was?”

Although Yang Mei asked earnestly, she didn’t actually expect Duan Min to guess. She was just looking for a way to continue the conversation. However, unexpectedly, Duan Min suddenly smiled, her tone steady: “A swallow.”

“Ah!” Yang Mei was very surprised. That was correct! And judging by her expression, she wasn’t guessing at all. She looked like she knew.

Suspicion arose in Yang Mei’s heart. She tentatively asked, “How did you guess that?”

Duan Min looked at her and said, “Since it was a guess, is there an explanation?”

Yang Mei paused, then smiled: “I asked the wrong question. You clearly weren’t guessing. Can you tell me how you knew?”

Yang Mei waited briefly. Seeing that Duan Min didn’t answer, she smiled again, seemingly nonchalantly: “I thought very few people knew about such a small matter. I was going to talk about the origin of the jade pendant. Do you know all that too?”

Duan Min said at this point, “Tell me about it.”

“Oh,” Yang Mei replied, secretly glancing at Duan Min. Seeing her lost in thought, she knew Duan Min must have a hidden motive, and she also knew that she would never easily reveal it. She couldn’t help but feel a little worried. She didn’t speak for a while until Duan Min looked over and asked, “What’s wrong?” That was when she came back to her senses.

Hearing this question, Yang Mei suddenly had an inspiration. Her expression changed to one of utmost innocence. She looked at Duan Min with pleading eyes: “May I sit down to speak?”

Duan Min was slightly stunned. Only then did she realize that she hadn’t offered a seat since Yang Mei entered the room. But this wasn’t strange. She had never said such polite words to her. What was strange was that Yang Mei spoke this way, almost like she was acting spoiled.

Duan Min looked at her in confusion, but only managed to say, “Please sit.”

Yang Mei loved her slightly surprised and puzzled expression when she pondered such small matters without trying to hide it. She sat down at the table, smiling very happily.

Duan Min couldn’t help but ask, “You seem very happy today?”

“Yes,” Yang Mei nodded and admitted frankly, “I’ve been feeling very happy since I saw you last night.”

“Why?” Duan Min’s expression cooled. She thought that once Yang Mei answered, she could steer the conversation to the main topic.

Yang Mei seemed not to notice at all and remained cheerful: “Although the circumstances were a bit special, last night was the first time you called me by my name.”

Duan Min hadn’t thought about that at all. Just as she was looking at her, before she could speak, she suddenly heard a cough. Turning her head, she saw Mu Ye approaching with a face full of excitement, asking heartily, “Min-jie, what are you two talking about? What happened last night?”