So he still remembered that she liked sweets. For a moment, a tangle of emotions churned in Fengguang’s heart. She couldn’t quite identify what she was feeling, and could only manage a forced smile as she said, “Thank you.”
Just then, the lively crowd on the street suddenly parted, people moving to either side as a clear path opened in the middle. Everyone turned to look in the same direction.
Curious, Fengguang followed their gaze. She saw the road carpeted with flowers, fragrant incense drifting through the air. A delicately carved flower sedan chair approached, its gauze curtains swaying gently. Through the layers of flowers inside the chair, one could make out a woman in white kneeling gracefully.
The woman wore a veil over her face, and with the gauze curtains fluttering in the breeze, her features were impossible to see clearly. Still, there was a calm pride in the line of her brows, along with a pure, untainted air—as though she were a goddess admired by all.
When a woman sees another woman—especially a beautiful one—she can’t help but compare them in her heart. Fengguang was no exception.
She stared for a long while but could only glimpse her as if through mist and flowers. Turning to the candied hawthorn vendor beside her, she asked, “Sir, who is that young lady?”
The vendor thought it strange—judging by her accent, she didn’t seem like an outsider, so how could she not know who that woman was? Still, since her husband had just bought his candied hawthorn, he patiently explained, “That’s Miss Bingqing. She’s the top courtesan at Lanyue House. This year’s Flower Goddess Festival has her playing the role of the Flower Goddess.”
“Lanyue House?” Fengguang’s eyes lit up. “Isn’t that the kind of place that—”
Before she could finish, the vendor smiled knowingly. “That kind of place, yes.”
“That place…” Her words cut off abruptly when she felt a gaze land on her. Feeling guilty, Fengguang turned her head and saw Baili Mo smiling at her warmly. Her confidence instantly deflated.
She understood perfectly what he meant.
With his eyes, he silently asked, Why does Fengguang know about that kind of place?
Why did she know…? She’d lost her memory—how was she supposed to know?
Fengguang quickly decided to change the subject. “Why is the Flower Goddess being played by Miss Bingqing?”
“You may not know this, miss,” the vendor said. “The Flower Goddess for the festival is always chosen from among the most beautiful women. Don’t be fooled by Miss Bingqing’s humble background—her looks are unmatched in the entire imperial city.”
“Unmatched…” Fengguang’s brow twitched, and she instinctively glanced at Baili Mo.
Baili Mo smiled, took her hand, and lifted the corner of his lips at her. The soft summer evening breeze carried a faint fragrance, dizzying to the senses.
Fengguang’s face flushed. Though he couldn’t speak, she already understood what he wanted to say.
No matter how many women there are in the world, none can compare to Fengguang.
She knew she was good-looking, but she would never dare claim to be the most beautiful. Hearing him “say” it with such tenderness left her feeling flustered.
Even the hand he was holding seemed to burn with heat.
At that moment, something suddenly went wrong on the street.
A group of people dressed in black appeared, blocking the flower sedan chair. Leading them was a tall, thin young man, who drawled lazily, “Miss Bingqing, it’s been a long time. Our alliance leader has been thinking of you very much.”
The candied hawthorn vendor exclaimed in surprise, “Why has the Villains’ Alliance come back again?”
“The Villains’ Alliance?” Fengguang echoed in confusion. That name… was a little too straightforward.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152