The man in the bamboo hat stared at Mu Anxiao with a beaming smile, not uttering a single word.
Mu Anxiao looked up at his eyebrows and eyes, which clearly displayed his emotions. Her gaze deepened, and she said again, "Bamboo Hat Man, let me tell you, where I'm going is a place that costs a lot of money. Don't even think about following me." She pointed at his face.
"Who said I was going with you?" the man in the bamboo hat replied with a smile.
Mu Anxiao froze, then peeked towards the pleasure house. After a moment's thought about the man's earlier "That's good," she faltered and said, "I don't have any money." She took half a step back.
As it turned out, the place she was going was the same one, and before she arrived, she had been emphasizing that she was heading to an inn. If the man in the bamboo hat followed her in, her plans would be ruined. Therefore, to prevent such a thing, her first course of action was to stop him.
However, they weren't exactly familiar with each other. If she used words, it would seem too abrupt and might even create unnecessary misunderstandings for him. These thoughts led her to consider money.
At that moment, she couldn't help but admire how useful her brain was. She thought that once she said this, he would surely give up.
To her surprise, after Mu Anxiao spoke, the man in the bamboo hat simply spread out his hands.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao blinked and asked, "What are you doing?" She realized her plan had failed.
"What else? I originally wanted to sneak in and have a look, but now that you've said that," the man in the bamboo hat said, glancing again at the beckoning women outside the pleasure house, and continued, "I'm really curious, what makes them so valuable?" With that, he turned back to look at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at him and let out an awkward laugh.
"Hurry up. I see that fellow gave you quite a bit of money. I gave mine to him, and you can share some of his with me, that's not asking too much, is it?" the man in the bamboo hat said mildly.
Mu Anxiao gave a wry smile, "Can't you understand what I'm saying?" She felt like she was being tricked by this guy, but she couldn't quite describe the feeling. In any case, she knew she couldn't give him her money.
Unexpectedly, the man in the bamboo hat persisted, "Mu Xiao, you go to your inn and order a cheap pot of tea, that's all. Give me some money," he frowned, "It won't cost you a pound of flesh."
"If you can't have my flesh, I advise you not to waste my time anymore. Go back and find Zhao Xiang and the others."
"You..."
"If you don't want to find them, go play somewhere else. In short, just don't bother me," Mu Anxiao interrupted him sharply, making as if to turn away.
The man in the bamboo hat grew anxious, "I've already told you I don't have any money, and you're still like this," he said, his gaze unintentionally falling on the money pouch at Mu Anxiao's waist. "It's not safe to hang your money pouch like that." After speaking, he stepped forward, quickly bent down, and snatched the money pouch from her waist.
Just then, Mu Anxiao turned her head to meet the man's eyes. "..." She suddenly felt he looked somewhat familiar.
Conversely, the man in the bamboo hat quickly averted his gaze, pulled down the money pouch, and ran off.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. She quickly dismissed her stray thoughts and hurried after the man in the bamboo hat.
In the blink of an eye.
Mu Anxiao had no time to pay attention to anything else. She ran past the women and quickly entered the pleasure house, then stopped in the center of the lobby. Looking around, she saw it was full of people. Clearly, the atmosphere was completely different from that during the day. The air was filled with fragrance, the women were enthusiastic, and even the usually indifferent waiter had become attentive.
Various greetings, introductions, and laughter flooded Mu Anxiao's ears. This made her feel increasingly uncomfortable.
"You little brat, where have you been?" she asked, looking around.
"Who are you looking for, young master?" a woman's voice suddenly came from behind Mu Anxiao.
Hearing the voice, Mu Anxiao felt a jolt, as if she had been "electrocuted." At the same time, she was certain the woman was speaking to her. Because she remembered... a certain woman had said that once you enter, you are a guest. Regardless of status or appearance, as long as you have money.
However, a practical problem now was that her money pouch had been snatched by the man in the bamboo hat. If she turned around and the woman asked her something, she would definitely be driven out by the waiters. In that case, it would be difficult for her to enter again.
But if she said she was looking for Ah Chu, then this woman would definitely try to lure her with all sorts of sweet talk. Although she wasn't a man, the woman's attitude would still make it impossible for her.
A series of thoughts surged into her mind, and her head went blank. She froze on the spot.
"Miss, what are you looking for her for?" a man's voice followed.
At the same time, under the man's question, the woman lowered the hand she had raised to Mu Anxiao's shoulder, turned, and smiled at the man in front of her, who was wearing a black cloth and a bamboo hat. "Young master, what is this attire?" she said, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the woman's casual question to the man. Then, she turned her head and saw that it was indeed him.
"..." She narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the face of the man in the bamboo hat.
The man in the bamboo hat didn't notice Mu Anxiao. Instead, he said a couple of words to the woman, who then walked away without looking back.
After the woman had gone far away, Mu Anxiao stepped forward and walked up to the man in the bamboo hat, saying sarcastically, "Not bad, you. Men are men, coaxing her away with just a few words." As she spoke, she didn't forget to lightly hit his shoulder.
"...." The man in the bamboo hat let out a light chuckle, indicating his capability.
Seeing the man's smug behavior, Mu Anxiao snorted impatiently and said, "Give me back my money pouch." She held out her hand.
The man in the bamboo hat smiled, "No. Look how beautiful the girls here are. Look at you," he glanced at Mu Anxiao's face, "You're really quite ordinary. Speaking of which, aren't you a bit self-conscious when you see them here?"
"What business is it of yours whether I'm self-conscious or not? Give it to me quickly."
"How about we find a girl to talk to?"
"You..."
"This place is an inn during the day and a pleasure house at night. If I'm not mistaken," the man in the bamboo hat interrupted Mu Anxiao, glancing left and right, "this is where you were coming."
"..." Mu Anxiao disliked this feeling of being exposed, so she fell silent.
"It seems I guessed correctly," the man in the bamboo hat said, reaching out and pinching Mu Anxiao's cheek.
Mu Anxiao glared at him with disgust and said, "You really think you're so clever." She yanked his hand away, stepped forward, and asked, "How did you know?"
"Your ease when you entered, and also," the man in the bamboo hat glanced at the waiter by a nearby table, then turned back to Mu Anxiao, "he recognized you, but you've been ignoring him."
Ignoring?
Indeed, as the man in the bamboo hat had said, Mu Anxiao had been ignoring the waiter since she entered. It wasn't for any other reason than she wanted to find the man in the bamboo hat as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, this guy was quite observant. With that in mind, she let out a cold laugh, raised her hands, and applauded in front of the man's face, saying, "Not bad, quite smart."
"..." The man in the bamboo hat smiled.