She Ning looked at Zhao Xiang, who was speechless at this, and then glanced in the direction the man in the bamboo hat had gone. After a moment's thought, he said, "Don't you find him familiar?" He remembered what the man in the bamboo hat had said to Zhao Xiang before leaving.
Hearing this, Zhao Xiang sighed lightly, looked at She Ning, and frowned. "..." Since there were many people around, he hesitated whether to engage in conversation with She Ning. Because of this, he hadn't truly listened to She Ning's words.
She Ning also understood that there were many people on the street, and Zhao Xiang didn't want to be misunderstood because of him. So, he stopped talking and gestured to the sides, indicating "Which way?"
Zhao Xiang understood She Ning's meaning and, without a word, turned and walked in the opposite direction they were heading.
In the blink of an eye.
Mu Anxiao squeezed through the crowded street and inexplicably stopped in front of a pleasure house. She then eyed the various women standing outside the establishment and frowned. "Strange, why have I come here?" As she spoke, she looked to either side. Just as she was about to turn away, she saw the man in the bamboo hat, who had coincidentally followed her.
The man in the bamboo hat had intended to follow quietly, without being noticed. Who knew... she would suddenly turn around at that moment and look at him. He couldn't help but feel awkward. "..." So, he beckoned and walked up to Mu Anxiao.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao immediately put one hand on her hip and said disdainfully, "Who told you to follow me?"
"I'm following you?" The man in the bamboo hat feigned ignorance, peered behind Mu Anxiao, and chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Mu Anxiao didn't quite grasp what was happening.
The man in the bamboo hat didn't want to over-explain and deliberately pointed behind Mu Anxiao.
Following his gesture, Mu Anxiao was momentarily confused. She turned her head to look in the direction he was pointing, and her expression froze. "..."
The next second, the man in the bamboo hat deliberately said, "Didn't you say it was an inn?" he asked, staring at the back of Mu Anxiao's head, waiting to see her reaction.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao looked at the lively scene outside the pleasure house and couldn't help but recall her earlier denial and the man in the bamboo hat's guess about her destination. Her eyes darkened, and she said, "I know." She turned to look at the man in the bamboo hat. "You did that on purpose."
"What did I do?" The man in the bamboo hat feigned ignorance to avoid the question.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "You're pretending to be foolish. You followed me because you wanted to see me make a fool of myself, didn't you? You wanted to see if I was going to the pleasure house. Let me tell you," she said, trying to clear her name, "you're wrong. I didn't intend to come to a pleasure house; I was just... lost."
"Oh?" The man in the bamboo hat's eyes were full of amusement as he crossed his arms.
Seeing his reaction, Mu Anxiao stiffened. Then, just as she was about to continue "whitewashing" herself, a scent suddenly wafted through the air. Smelling it, Mu Anxiao slightly frowned. "..."
The man in the bamboo hat noticed Mu Anxiao's discomfort and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Anxiao shushed him, sensing something. She turned her head towards the pleasure house and suddenly remembered the relationship between A Chu and Song Xu, and the rules of their "inn." Her eyes darkened, and she murmured, "Inn by day, pleasure house by night. Female demon, A Chu, Song Xu." As she spoke, she unintentionally glanced at the waiter who had directed her to find A Chu, and was completely baffled.
The man in the bamboo hat reached out and patted Mu Anxiao's shoulder. "Mu Xiao, what's wrong?"
Listening to his question, Mu Anxiao thought about her earlier confident denial and felt embarrassed. "..." She suddenly didn't know how to face him.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, the man in the bamboo hat stepped forward and circled around to face Mu Anxiao. "..." He stared intently at her face.
Mu Anxiao, under his gaze, felt an urge to find a hole to burrow into and hide. But, given the situation, she had no time to waste. Helplessly, after an internal struggle, she decided to face him. "What are you looking at me for?" she asked, feigning ignorance to diffuse the awkward atmosphere between them.
"I'm asking you a question," the man in the bamboo hat said calmly.
Mu Anxiao continued to play dumb. "What did you ask me?" she said, giving him a dry chuckle. "My mind just went blank for a moment. Could you repeat it?"
"What's wrong with you?" the man in the bamboo hat asked, playing along.
Mu Anxiao gave another dry chuckle.
The man in the bamboo hat remained silent, watching the chuckling Mu Anxiao, and he began to smile as well.
After they had been laughing for a few seconds, Mu Anxiao said, "If there's nothing else, you can go. I, I'll go look for them. I remember it's on this road." Being stared at by the man in the bamboo hat, she suddenly felt too embarrassed to tell the truth.
In contrast, the man in the bamboo hat said, "As you said, I followed you here."
"Oh," Mu Anxiao replied perfunctorily.
The man in the bamboo hat frowned. "You're not angry?" He seemed somewhat surprised by Mu Anxiao's reaction.
Mu Anxiao looked unconcerned. "What's there to be angry about? I've long witnessed your curiosity. Since you know I'd be angry," her lips twitched a couple of times, "you should leave quickly. Next, I need to find the person I'm looking for." After speaking, she realized... she really wasn't good at faking smiles.
"You..."
"Don't think you're going to see me make a fool of myself, hurry up and leave." Mu Anxiao didn't want to listen to the man in the bamboo hat's nonsense anymore and cut him off unceremoniously.
Unexpectedly, the man in the bamboo hat, far from being angry, actually smiled after Mu Anxiao said that.
Mu Anxiao was bewildered. "No, what do you mean by that? What are you laughing at?" She was displeased.
"I didn't mean to see you make a fool of yourself. I'm just curious, which woman has no eyes," the man in the bamboo hat said, scanning Mu Anxiao from head to toe. "She can't even tell your identity."
His mention of "identity" was, in fact, referring to her gender.
"..." Mu Anxiao's face hardened.
The man in the bamboo hat maintained his smile. "What, I shouldn't be like this? You..."
"What's your name?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, suddenly wanting to know his name.
"...." The man in the bamboo hat withdrew his smile and fell silent.
Seeing his reaction, Mu Anxiao snorted lightly. "What, you still don't want to tell me your name?" she asked, fixing her gaze on his eyes.
Following this, the man in the bamboo hat suddenly retorted, "The place you're going to is this place, isn't it?"
Mu Anxiao's expression stiffened. "No," she replied emphatically, not wanting the man in the bamboo hat to mock her.
"No," the man in the bamboo hat said, then turned his body and glanced at the pleasure house. "That's good."
"That's good?" The man in the bamboo hat's exclamation startled Mu Anxiao. "What are you going to do?" She had a bad premonition.