Miss Truth
Chapter 385 - 244 First Kiss

Chapter 385: Chapter 244 First Kiss

Xiao Song had been making such intimate gestures towards Ran Yan from time to time over the past few days, and she hadn’t paid much attention to them, but in the next moment, a fervent kiss suddenly landed on her lips.

Ran Yan’s eyes opened slightly, her mind feeling as if it had snapped, only sensing a burning heat between her lips and teeth and the refreshing masculine scent filling her nostrils. Then her lower lip was gently sucked.

His actions were very gentle, as if he was afraid of startling her with any firmer move, sending a tickling sensation that shot straight into her heart, like a tiny flame spreading and burning throughout her body. As their breaths intertwined, both of their breathing became heavier.

Xiao Song couldn’t help but stretch out his hand to caress the back of her neck, pulling her even closer to himself. Her faint body fragrance mixed with the scent of orchids became an intoxicating aroma that silently consumed his consciousness, the intense heat in his body rushing to one place. Right now, he only wanted to follow his instincts and continue, but the part of his mind that was still lucid did not want to take liberties with her without a marriage contract, leaving him in a dilemma. It was this very dilemma that made his desire even more uncontrollable, and he deepened the kiss unconsciously.

"Ah Yan..." Xiao Song’s hoarse and mellow voice made her heart tremble.

Wan Lu and Ge Lan had gone out to empty the water and just returned. Before they even entered the room, they saw the scene inside.

Xiao Song, in a crimson official uniform, stood in front of a table, leaning over to capture Ran Yan’s lips, while Ran Yan sat stiffly, looking somewhat dazed. The scene was undeniably beautiful, but Wan Lu didn’t forget that it was Xiao Song who was taking liberties with her mistress. Before she could even cry out "rogue," Ge Lan quickly covered her mouth and dragged her to the side.

Although the sound made by Wan Lu and Ge Lan was not loud, Ran Yan still heard it, and with a jolt, she came back to her senses and hurriedly turned her head away.

"I... I couldn’t hold back for a moment." Xiao Song saw a slight annoyance on her face and felt some regret in his heart. He should not have been so frivolous, but the swelling in his lower body made him unable to resist reminiscing about the charm of their recent contact. He was truly too easily aroused by her.

Xiao Song often socialized with his colleagues and had been approached by women, but the soft bodies coated in grease and powder that pressed against him never interested him, not even enticing him to go further. Hence, he did not expect that once arousal was kindled, it would spread like wildfire, beyond his control.

Ran Yan’s cheeks were slightly flushed. She stood up abruptly and hastily left the hall. Her heart was pounding erratically, and she felt a complex mixture of emotions that she needed to calm down and sort through.

Xiao Song followed her for a few steps, but then he thought that she didn’t seem to be angry, maybe just shy, so he did not pursue her.

Ran Yan had planned to immerse herself in her work and temporarily forget about the incident, so she ran all the way to the small loft. Squatting beside the skull and holding the clay used to simulate human soft tissue, she played absentmindedly for a while, feeling as if she couldn’t concentrate. Facial reconstruction without computer assistance required her to be meticulous at every step and strive for the best since a single moment of distraction could cause a fatal error.

When her hands stopped their motion, she thought that this place was still Xiao Song’s residence and felt somewhat uncomfortable, so she took Wan Lu and Ge Lan and returned to her residence to have a quiet afternoon.

The carriage was silent.

Wan Lu hesitated, starting and stopping several times, until Ran Yan couldn’t bear it any longer and said, "If you have something to say, say it. If you don’t want to talk, don’t make that face."

Wan Lu let out a dry laugh and asked softly, "Mistress, you were taken advantage of by Mr. Xiao... What do you plan to do now?"

Wan Lu’s words made Ran Yan a bit irritated as she glared at her and said, "What do you mean taken advantage of? Am I someone he can just take liberties with whenever he pleases?"

"Then that means..." Wan Lu opened her mouth, "Is it possible that you took liberties with Assistant Minister Xiao?"

Ge Lan pursed her lips in a smile, remembering that back in Suzhou, Ran Yan had indeed taken the initiative with Xiao Song. This time, it was clearly not Ran Yan’s initiative, but since it wasn’t taking liberties, it must have been with consent, right?

Ran Yan was at a loss for words, and after a long pause, she looked increasingly uncomfortable, finally choosing to act as if nothing had happened and lifted the curtain to look outside. Her hand unintentionally touched the flute in her sleeve.

She paused for a moment, her palm gripping the slightly cool flute, and the hand that was lifting the curtain also slowly let go.

After a long while, she sighed.

Ran Yan admitted to herself that she had feelings for Su Fu, as he seemed to match her tastes in every aspect. However, one shouldn’t be too greedy in life. She now felt a sense of dependency and belonging towards Xiao Song, though this feeling was not yet profound, it was something she had never experienced before.

No one will wait for you forever. If you try to hold onto everything, you’ll end up with nothing.

Usually, emotions deepen over time spent together. Neither she nor Su Fu was determined to marry only the other. As the ambiguous feelings faded with time and with Xiao Song’s unwavering efforts, they would ultimately turn to dust.

"This flute, better to put it away..."

Ran Yan lowered her gaze to hide her eyes, lost in thought.

When the carriage passed through the east gate of Pingkang Square, the place where brothels were clustered, there were many pedestrians on the road, so the speed of the carriage had to slow down.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside, and the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

Wan Lu craned her neck to look out and asked the coachman, "Why have we stopped?"

"Wife Wan, the road ahead is blocked at the intersection, could you wait for a moment?" the coachman asked.

Ran Yan responded, and with her eyes wide with anticipation, Wan Lu said, "Wife, should your slave go down and take a look?"

"Go ahead, but make sure two bodyguards follow you," Ran Yan instructed.

Wan Lu responded loudly, excitedly jumping down from the carriage, and inside you could clearly hear her lively shouts as she summoned the bodyguards to accompany her.

Ran Yan parted the curtains and looked out the window. She saw that in front of a brothel the road was completely packed, clogged up so tightly that not even a single horse, let alone a carriage, could get through. Wan Lu was on the outside, struggling to squeeze her way in.

After waiting for a short while, the coachman couldn’t help but say, "Wife Wan, it looks like they are selecting an oiran ahead; it may not clear up without three or five hours. Shall we take the East Market route instead?"

"Oiran competition?" Ran Yan inquired.

The coachman who grew up in Chang’an and had some knowledge explained, "In Chang’an’s largest brothels, there are courtesans with both beauty and talent who attract scholars and literati. Every year, these brothels let these courtesans gather to compete in talents and beauty, which is essentially a way to attract business."

After watching for a while, Wan Lu ran back excitedly, climbing into the carriage with a face full of excitement, "Wife, your slave has seen Hu Ji!"

Ran Yan smiled faintly and ordered the coachman to take the East Market route.

"That Hu Ji has skin as white as snow, brown hair, and brown eyes, with such long eyelashes!" Wan Lu gestured, "She’s like a person made out of snow, truly beautiful!"

Wan Lu chattered all the way about what she had just seen and heard, her exuberant spirits also affecting Ran Yan.

Since the carriage couldn’t speed through the streets of the East Market, they simply opened the curtains and used a light gauze to cover the windows, taking in the view of the orderly buildings on either side and the various kinds of shops.

Thinking about it, Ran Yan realized she had never really taken a close look around the East Market since arriving in Chang’an.

"It’s blocked up ahead again!" Wan Lu looked outside and sighed, "The roads in Suzhou are so narrow yet they don’t get blocked, but the roads in Chang’an are so wide and still end up congested!"

"Don’t worry, Miss, this place will clear up soon," the coachman, experienced as he was, immediately reassured her.

The carriage seemed to have stopped right in front of a restaurant, and while waiting, two chatty individuals stood beside the carriage.

One said, "Brother Cheng, it’s been too long since we’ve last met; let’s not return today until we’re drunk!"

The other replied, "Another day, another day. There’s an oiran competition up ahead. Let’s go watch the excitement first; wine we can drink anytime, but such lively events are not seen every day!"

"Tsk, what’s so good about that, tomorrow is when the leading courtesans from each house will perform. Come on, let me tell you..." The man’s voice gradually faded, but Ran Yan still vaguely heard words like "Pei Jing" and "injury."

The one interested in seeing the oiran was taken aback and said, "Really? Let’s go, I want to hear all about this."

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) and cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)