Lady Mu was fond of classical aesthetics and fancied herself a heroine of the martial world. Naturally, her boudoir was steeped in an antique charm.
The room was modestly adorned. A rosewood round table and two matching chairs occupied the center, exuding quiet refinement. On the tabletop sat a bluish-white porcelain tea set—unadorned yet elegant.
Filtered sunlight streamed through a lattice-carved window, casting mottled reflections across a polished bronze dressing mirror. Opposite the mirror hung a green bead curtain. When the breeze stirred it, the beads clinked softly, sounding like "pearls dropping onto a jade plate."
It didn't take much imagination to guess that behind that curtain lay her bed.
On the wall beside the bed, a red-tasseled longsword rested in its scabbard, and on the other side, an austere zither stood in quiet dignity.
"Lady Mu, your taste isn't bad," Jiang Chen remarked casually as he stepped forward and reached toward the bead curtain.
Suddenly, Mu Xi seemed to remember something. Her expression changed and she quickly grabbed his arm. "Don't!"
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, confused. "Don't what?"
Flushed with embarrassment, Mu Xi lowered her head. "This is my boudoir. My bed is inside. It's not something just anyone should see."
Jiang Chen scoffed. "I'm not interested in you, let alone your bed."
Ignoring her protests, he pushed the beads aside and walked in.
What greeted him made him pause.
The bedcover was thrown on sideways, and two half-sized Winnie the Pooh plushies were nestled in the pillows. The whole scene was a riot of pink and disarray, soft with girlish energy.
Mu Xi covered her face in horror. She had left in a rush last night and hadn't tidied the bed. The fact that Jiang Chen saw it now was mortifying.
He tugged at the askew bedcover, grinning. "Lady Mu, your sleeping posture is unique. Ever wake up thinking you've grown taller, only to realize the bedcover's just on the wrong way?"
Mu Xi shot him a glare, gnashing her teeth. "None of your business!"
Jiang Chen chuckled, sat down beside her without ceremony, and casually placed her on the bed.
Mu Xi's mind inexplicably recalled a line from the Ballad of Mulan: "He opened the east chamber door, sat on the west chamber bed."
That line. He'd already fulfilled half of it. Opened the chamber door. Sat on the bed.
Was he going to take off his robe next?
The thought made her shiver. She hugged herself tightly and exclaimed, "You can't!"
Jiang Chen blinked. "Can't what? I haven't done anything."
Realizing she'd misunderstood, Mu Xi turned even redder. "It's nothing. Just go already."
"Let me check your leg injury first," he said, reaching for her ankle. "How many times have I told you not to curl up like that? It causes blood to pool. Not good for the wound."
Mu Xi huffed and kept her legs tucked.
"Straighten your leg," he ordered.
She refused.
He sighed, then forcefully but gently extended her leg.
Mu Xi let out a yelp. "Ow! Be gentle!"
"Maybe next time listen," he said dryly.
Mu Xi pouted. "You have no sense of how to treat a lady!"
She picked up a Winnie the Pooh bear and viciously squeezed it, pretending it was Jiang Chen.
He smirked. "Hot compress should help. Where's your hot water?"
Mu Xi pointed irritably. "Blind, are you? The kettle's right there."
Jiang Chen fetched a basin, tested the water, and returned to clean her wound with careful precision.
Mu Xi, watching him in silence, found her heart unexpectedly warmed. Her feelings were a complex mix: shyness, joy, a flicker of anticipation. She'd never felt this way before.
Just as she settled into the quiet, Jiang Chen suddenly chuckled.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Something you said reminded me of a song."
"What song?"
He leaned back and said, "Dear Guest, It's Not Allowed."
Mu Xi blinked. "That's a song?"
He ignored her disbelief and began humming:
You're getting closer,
Your eyes, where are they looking?
Still pretending to be calm...
Mu Xi frowned. What do you mean, getting closer? Her eyes had been glued to her own knees!
Jiang Chen continued:
Waiter, did you bring the wrong pot?
This one's short and round, can't even find the waist.
Mu Xi's face darkened.
Short? Round? Can't find the waist?
She clenched her fists. "Who are you insulting here? I'm 165! I weigh 45 kilograms! I have a waist!"
Jiang Chen casually finished the final lines:
Where are you now?
I reminisce every day...
Mu Xi fell quiet.
Despite the teasing lyrics, the melody was oddly sweet, carrying the innocence of first love. Even the ending had a soft, melancholic beauty.
She looked up at him, eyes wide and curious. "Did you write that?"
Jiang Chen started to shake his head, paused, then nodded. "Let's just say I did."
Mu Xi raised an eyebrow. "Either you did or didn't. What does 'let's just say' even mean?"
He yawned. "I'm sleepy. You should rest too. Remember the hot compress every two hours. Helps with circulation."
Just as he stood to leave, the door creaked open.
A little boy poked his head in, eyes wide with curiosity, peering at the strange scene inside.