Chapter 154: A Heart as Still as Water

“Honglan?”

Seeing that Zhao Honglan was staring blankly at Yun Huizhou, Qu Tingquan gave his collar a firm tug.

“Go change your clothes,” she said with a smile. “I’ll do your makeup and style your hair.”

Zhao Honglan looked at Qu Tingquan with a hint of terror in his eyes, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her. He allowed Qu Tingquan to pull him into the inner room.

Once the two of them left, Yun Huizhou finally felt less tense. He walked to the table, poured himself a cup of water, and sipped it slowly.

To be honest, he didn’t feel any pangs of conscience regarding the “persecution” of Zhao Honglan.

When Zhao Rong was a youth, he had lived on Drunken Dream Island for a long time. The Grandmaster had also guided him for a significant period, so Zhao Rong and the four Island Lords could arguably be considered half-fellow disciples.

Furthermore, when Zhao Honglan and Qu Tingquan were around ten years old, they had also come to live on Drunken Dream Island for a while. The three of them had endured the “torture” of the four Island Lords together.

However, they didn’t stay for long. After Yun Huizhou left the island at the age of twelve for his worldly trials, they departed as well.

Back when the three of them were together at ten years old, pitting themselves against each other and getting into scuffles was a common occurrence.

Later, when he returned from the grasslands and had grown older, he went to the Qinghong Sword Sect to find them, only to discover that those two had ended up together.

After that, his way of interacting with Qu Tingquan changed slightly; generally, if he could look for Zhao Honglan, he would look for Zhao Honglan.

As he waited for Zhao Honglan and Qu Tingquan to emerge, he thought about the past. Back then, Qu Tingquan often hung around with them, yet he seemed to have never had any romantic thoughts about her.

Even when he learned they were together, his heart was filled with nothing but blessings. He didn’t experience the same unpleasant feeling he felt after knowing Su Jun had developed some modicum of affection for Lian Li.

There was also that time in Linjiu City when Young Master Wang appeared. He recalled the things that man had said and the “claws” that had tried to touch Lian Li’s hand—what had his mood been then?

It seemed he had been struck by a flash of violent rage.

Yun Huizhou’s eyes flickered. He raised a hand to touch his chest; it seemed he was beginning to understand.

But he still couldn’t be certain.

He couldn’t afford even a sliver of uncertainty. He had to figure it out completely. Otherwise, if he ended up hurt, he could say he deserved it, but if Lian Li got hurt, it would be far too unfair.

He composed himself and looked toward the screen separating the inner room, waiting for Zhao Honglan to come out.

Qu Tingquan and Zhao Honglan stayed inside for quite a while. From outside, Yun Huizhou could hear the sounds of them talking and laughing.

For a moment, he felt like he was truly a third wheel here.

But he certainly wouldn’t leave until he saw Zhao Honglan come out.

After another interval of time it took to drink a cup of tea, Qu Tingquan finally emerged. She stood by the screen, looking inside.

Yun Huizhou waited for a moment, and seeing that Zhao Honglan still hadn’t appeared, he cast a questioning glance at Qu Tingquan.

Qu Tingquan looked at him with a hint of helplessness in her eyes. She then turned her head to urge Zhao Honglan, “Hurry up and come out. Stop dawdling, it’s almost time for dinner.”

The person behind the screen remained silent, but the sound of footsteps drifted out.

Yun Huizhou braced himself and waited.

Soon, a corner of a light blue garment was revealed from behind the screen. Yun Huizhou tilted his head slightly, trying to peer around the screen.

Qu Tingquan, however, had lost her patience. she grabbed Zhao Honglan’s arm and dragged him straight out.

Zhao Honglan kept his head slightly turned away, looking extremely embarrassed. Yun Huizhou couldn’t see his face clearly, but just looking at his physique, gait, and posture, his own lips twitched slightly.

Seeing Zhao Honglan’s bashful manner, Qu Tingquan couldn’t take it anymore. She reached up and pinched Zhao Honglan’s face, forcing him to turn toward Yun Huizhou.

Once he saw the face clearly, Yun Huizhou fell into an even deeper silence.

To be honest, Qu Tingquan’s makeup skills were not something Lian Li could compare to, and Zhao Honglan was a handsome man to begin with.

Therefore, the cross-dressed Zhao Honglan standing before him was, unsurprisingly, beautiful.

Yun Huizhou even felt that this face had a unique, charming beauty to it.

But unfortunately, upon seeing it, he only felt that it was “pretty.” He didn’t experience that breathtaking, stunning sensation he felt when he first saw Lian Li in women’s clothing.

As Lian Li would put it, Lian Li simply “perfectly matched his aesthetic tastes.”

He remembered the first time he saw Lian Li in drag; Lian Li had called out “Dear Senior Brother” to him and even made a kissing sound.

At the time, although he felt it was a bit hard to describe, he hadn’t felt any revulsion.

Now, looking at Zhao Honglan in women’s clothing, he imagined if this version of Zhao Honglan said to him: “Oh~ Dear Brother Yun… let me give you a passionate kiss~ mua~”

Yun Huizhou immediately felt unwell. Although it was rude to say, a faint sense of nausea actually welled up within him.

Terrified by his own imagination, he actually shuddered right in front of Zhao Honglan and Qu Tingquan. His expression then became distorted and pained, and he closed his eyes, unwilling to look at Zhao Honglan any longer.

Zhao Honglan, who had originally been somewhat embarrassed, couldn’t help but speak up when he saw this: “Brother Yun, am I that hideous?”

Yun Huizhou: “…”

Yun Huizhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed. As if making a monumental decision, he opened his eyes and bravely looked Zhao Honglan in the face.

“No, you’re overthinking it, Brother Zhao.”

Zhao Honglan: “Heh!”

Yun Huizhou looked away, pretending he hadn’t heard.

Qu Tingquan naturally noticed Yun Huizhou’s discomfort, but her mind was much more delicate than Zhao Honglan’s.

She could see that when Yun Huizhou first saw Zhao Honglan come out dressed as a woman, his expression and emotions hadn’t changed much.

But after a moment, he seemed to have thought of something, and then his expression shifted.

She pondered for a moment and guessed that Brother Yun had likely substituted Honglan into the things Junior Brother Lian had said and done while wearing women’s clothes for comparison, which was why his face had suddenly changed.

She didn’t know exactly what Junior Brother Lian had said or done, nor what Brother Yun’s reaction had been at the time.

But in any case, it certainly wasn’t the reaction he was having toward Honglan now.

Qu Tingquan glanced at Zhao Honglan and thought he looked wonderful, but now wasn’t the time for admiring him. She had to help Brother Yun resolve his troubles first.

Thus, she called out to Yun Huizhou.

Yun Huizhou snapped back to his senses. He looked at Zhao Honglan once more, gave him a nod of acknowledgment, and then said, “It’s getting late. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Qu Tingquan immediately replied. She then said to Zhao Honglan, “I’m going to see Brother Yun off. Wait here for me to come back for dinner.”

Allowing no room for refusal, she pressed Zhao Honglan down into a chair and then left the room with Yun Huizhou.

On the way, Qu Tingquan asked, “Brother Yun, how do you feel?”

Yun Huizhou: “…My heart is as still as water.”

Hearing him describe his reaction to seeing Zhao Honglan in drag that way, Qu Tingquan couldn’t help but laugh. She said, “If your heart had actually been moved, then I would be the one in trouble. Speaking of which, I almost dug a pit for my own love life. But, Brother Yun, have you thought things through clearly now?”