Miss Truth
Chapter 99 - 62: Fury Spreads Like Wildfire

Chapter 99: Chapter 62: Fury Spreads Like Wildfire

The river wind was bleak, the night as fluid as water, the river surface truly displayed an unprecedented grand spectacle, with music rising and falling, and poetry ringing clearly.

Many great scholars who attended the gathering on the pleasure boats moored nearby, listening to these young talents of Suzhou City recite their music and poetry, occasionally offering a comment or two. Seeing their admired scholars present, the youths exerted even greater effort. What began as a mere farce had eventually turned into a significant Qixi literary festival.

Ran Yan and Ran Yunsheng sipped their drinks while enjoying the songs and poems, feeling quite content.

Ran Yunsheng looked at the calm-faced Ran Yan and said softly, "Yan, you really have grown up! Emotionally, I am not your match."

Ran Yan smiled faintly. Having witnessed so much treachery and murder, and grown accustomed to the life and death of people, even the most foolish should have become more indifferent.

"It’s not about emotional state, it’s about seeing things from different perspectives. For instance, if I wanted to kill someone, before acting, I would definitely need to consider how the other party would react. Once I understand, I can block all their moves, making it hard not to kill them." Ran Yan peeked through the curtain and saw more and more women gathering on the deck, her eyes resting on Yin Miaomiao.

Yin Miaomiao, seemingly unaffected by the festive atmosphere, stood by the railing, gazing down at the river. The moonlight reflected off the water, casting glistening ripples that shone on her gentle face, her expression indiscernible.

Ran Yunsheng stared at Ran Yan, dumbfounded by the shocking metaphor. Wide-eyed, he opened his mouth, then finally sighed, "Well, it’s good for you to think this way, but once you’re married, it’s better to appear weaker and rely more on your husband. That’s a privilege of being a daughter, don’t waste it."

"If the other party is truly dependable, naturally I won’t make things difficult for myself," Ran Yan replied offhandedly, but she knew in her heart that one couldn’t simply choose to be strong; likewise, those who were consistently strong had long forgotten how to be weak.

Ran Yunsheng, seeing her nonchalant attitude, wanted to say more when suddenly a cheer came from outside the boat. He lifted the curtain and looked towards the deck, sighing, "Qi Liuniang has come out!"

Ran Yan followed his gaze. There on the deck, a woman in white surpassed the snow, her black hair styled in a flying immortals’ bun. Her features were as beautiful as a blossoming flower, her eyes and brows holding a proud, cold loneliness under the brilliant moon, which she seemed to rival in splendor. The surrounding girls, with all their flaunting beauty, could not surpass her aura, turning their elaborate dresses unfortunately into mere backdrops.

Everyone was captivated by Qi Liuniang’s beauty. Ran Yunsheng quietly suggested, "Yan, let’s leave now!"

"If we leave, what will Suzhou City say tomorrow?" Ran Yan asked in return.

Ran Yunsheng was at a loss for words. To leave would dishonor all the noble youths in town, and even though Ran Yan was the legitimate daughter of the Rans, she likely wouldn’t be accepted. However, if they kept their promise, everyone would just think of it as part of the fun, enjoying the company and admiring the beauty without further thought.

"We can go out, but I just don’t want you to be overshadowed by Qi Liuniang." Ran Yunsheng puffed his cheeks, his exceedingly handsome face showing a hint of childishness that was particularly endearing, "Your outfit is beautiful, yet it hides your true temperament. This fragile look might just make you another backdrop to Qi Liuniang!"

"Do you have some grievance against Qi Liuniang?" Ran Yan wasn’t concerned about surpassing or not surpassing Qi Liuniang; she never relied on her looks, not then, not now.

Ran Yunsheng stood up, went into the inner cabin, and dragged a large box from beside the couch to in front of Ran Yan, "I was planning to surprise you with this when you returned home, but since it’s fitting now, you might as well use it!"

Ran Yunsheng opened the box, which neatly contained stacks of clothes and various sizes of jewelry boxes that glittered dazzingly under the bright lamp light.

"Didn’t you just buy me a lot recently? Why another gift?" Ran Yan was astonished. Ran Yunsheng’s wasting was well known in Suzhou City; he was second to none!

"I brought back many top-grade silk fabrics from Chang’an. I wanted to give them to you right away, but I thought you wouldn’t find a skilled seamstress so soon. So I took the chance to secretly get your measurements from the servants when having clothes made for you at the market the other day." Ran Yunsheng proudly handed a carmine silk dress to Ran Yan, "This fabric is the finest, interwoven with top-quality palace silk. When it was made, I felt that no one in this world but our Yan could match it."