Only Zhao Wujiu and Bai Shiqi remained in the room, one of whom was still dead drunk.
Zhao Wujiu used a cloth to wrap her hair, absorbing the water bit by bit, while another cloth roughly wiped over her face. When he went to wipe the water from her neck, he felt something unusual under the cloth. Lifting it to look, he was instantly stunned.
—The skin at Bai Shiqi's Adam's apple had been rubbed raw by his rough handling!
Ra... raw skin?
Zhao Wujiu was greatly startled. Staring more closely, he realized that something seemed to be pasted over her Adam's apple, now half-peeled upward. Peeling it further down... it was actually a fake Adam's apple?
There were many rumors in the martial world about various miraculous disguise techniques existing in the world, which Zhao Wujiu had never had the chance to witness.
He lifted the half-detached fake Adam's apple again and found the skin beneath it smooth and flat. The fake Adam's apple matched her skin tone perfectly, an exquisite imitation.
In the palace, there were young eunuchs who had been castrated in childhood, their voices high-pitched and lacking an Adam's apple. But Bai Shiqi's voice was clear and bright, and she was the young master of the Jiangsu Water Gang. It was impossible for her to be a eunuch.
Having brushed with death many times over the years, Zhao Wujiu considered himself accustomed to storms. Yet, at this moment, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat over his own speculation—could Bai Shiqi be a woman?
He lowered his head to scrutinize the person on the bed again. He saw the fine down around her lips, her jade-like face beardless. With her eyes closed, he noticed her thick eyelashes and the long, narrow shape of her eye corners, like a casual, masterful stroke of a calligrapher's brush. In life, they must lend a natural, rakish charm to her glances, her laughter, anger, and scolding all following her whims.
If Bai Shiqi were a woman, then could this world... possibly have a woman more mischievous and rakish than any man?
Zhao Wujiu spent the night half-awake, half-asleep. The carefree fellow lying beside him slept soundly and sweetly, long hair spread across the pillow. In the middle of the night, he even draped half his body over Zhao Wujiu and chuckled triumphantly in his sleep.
Zhao Wujiu: "..."
If Bai Shiqi really were a woman, this... this was utterly improper!
After daybreak, Bai Shiqi finally sobered up. Holding her head, she climbed out of Zhao Wujiu's bed, groaning, "My head is killing me! That bastard Wen Tao!"
Zhao Wujiu's expression was complex. He initially wanted to ignore her cursing, but thinking that she might be a woman, her mouth full of crude and vulgar language, utterly lacking a woman's gentleness and refinement, he couldn't help but chide, "I heard you say your families are old friends. How can you be so disrespectful to your sworn brother?"
"Sworn brother?" Bai Shiqi knocked on her head and snorted coldly. "Knowing a sworn brother like him is my misfortune. How many times has he tricked me since we were kids? If it weren't for Uncle Wen's sake, I'd have beaten his face to a pulp!"
She gathered her hair and, dragging Zhao Wujiu's floor-length outer robe, stood before the bronze mirror. Looking down, she immediately noticed the abnormality on her neck—the fake Adam's apple was already half unglued. She had no idea if she had been exposed in front of Zhao Wujiu.
"Where are my hair crown and outer robe from last night?"
Zhao Wujiu was still lying in bed, pretending to be drowsy. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her guilty expression, turning his five parts of suspicion into eight or nine, needing only verification.
"You rushed drunk into the bathhouse pool to bathe last night. They're probably still there."
Bai Shiqi hurried to the bathhouse, found her hair crown and outer robe, and felt inside the robe's inner pocket for the special adhesive. She carefully reattached the Adam's apple, worrying whether Zhao Wujiu had discovered anything. Coming out, she put on a smiling face: "Cousin, how about I go to the bridal chamber and have Brother Shu attend to your washing up? Later, we can go out to the market for a good meal?" She took the opportunity to sneakily study his expression.
Zhao Wujiu maintained his usual demeanor: "Go ahead."
Only after Bai Shiqi left did Zhao Wujiu turn his head to look at the bed. Last night, they had shared the bed. Bai Shiqi had been restless in sleep, constantly nudging against him. He lowered his eyelashes, his mind inevitably flooded with endless thoughts.
In the bridal chamber, Fourth Miss Song had waited late into the night, listening as the sounds of revelry from the front gradually quieted. Her maid, Zhen'er, reported that the banquet had been cleared, but the whereabouts of the bridegroom and Young Master Wen were unknown. Only then did she finally retire for the night.
After dawn, Zhen'er extinguished the dragon-and-phoenix candles and was helping her mistress rise when the door was knocked upon. A familiar voice sounded from outside: "Fourth Miss—"
Fourth Miss Song's eyes lit up. She eagerly got up and personally went to open the door. Seeing the handsome young master outside, wearing a crumpled outer robe, she immediately blushed: "Did Master drink too much last night?" Was that why he couldn't find his way to the bridal chamber?
Bai Shiqi stepped inside and sat down boldly on a chair: "Don't mention it. Wen Tao got a bunch of people to force drinks on me. I don't even know how I fell asleep last night. Send someone to ask outside, they should at least bring me a change of clothes."
Zhen'er was Fourth Miss Song's maid from the Song household and unfamiliar with the Wen residence. She asked the young maid serving the bridal chamber, Que'er: "Sister, could you trouble you to go outside and find our master's people? Ask them to bring in his change of clothes."
Fourth Miss Song personally washed her hands, wrung out a hot cloth, and attended to Bai Shiqi's washing. Bai Shiqi said, "No need to trouble yourself, I can do it."
"This servant is now Master's person. Attending to Master's daily needs is my duty from now on." Her stance, as if ready to be a virtuous wife and mother, almost startled Bai Shiqi.
"No need, no need. We'll discuss this later. I don't have many rules here. You can continue doing what you used to enjoy; there's no need to change for my sake."
Fourth Miss Song's fair face flushed pink: "Master is magnanimous, but this servant cannot be ignorant of propriety."
Three years ago, when Fourth Miss Song debuted, she was just fourteen, a budding age. As an entertainer who did not sell her body, she still couldn't avoid being taken advantage of by lecherous ruffians.
The first time Bai Shiqi went to the Song household to listen to storytelling, she happened upon a young bully publicly harassing Fourth Miss Song. Bai Shiqi beat him soundly and mocked him relentlessly. From then on, the man was too ashamed to ever return.
At that time, Fourth Miss Song was still a delicate young girl, far from the social adept she was today. If not for Bai Shiqi's intervention, her reputation might have been ruined.
Afterward, Bai Shiqi even sent several story scripts to her. Although the author was credited as Mr. Yunping, Fourth Miss Song attributed all the kindness to Bai Shiqi.
Relying on those wonderful stories, she established herself firmly in Huai'an City. Every year, she counted the days, awaiting the return of the grain transport ships south. What she awaited was not just Mr. Yunping's new scripts, but also the young master of the Water Gang before her now.
With her wish fulfilled, she felt as if walking on clouds. With a smile in her eyes, she attended to Bai Shiqi's washing. A young maid brought the change of outer robe. After changing into clean clothes, Bai Shiqi said, "Let's go find Wen Tao and demand something from him."
Fourth Miss Song's eyes and heart were full of Bai Shiqi. She would follow whatever Bai Shiqi said: "This servant will obey Master."
Bai Shiqi had seen the admiring gazes of many pretty young ladies in her life. Usually, she could laugh it off, but this one before her... had become her chamber consort. This was truly a headache.
Wen Tao was still under his blankets when someone kicked his door open. Bai Shiqi barged into his bedroom, almost dragging him out of bed.
She sat on the chair by the bed, crossing her legs without a hint of courtesy. "I say, Brother Wen, didn't you promise last night, after the wedding night, to return Fourth Miss Song's deed of indenture to me?"
Wen Tao lifted the quilt, revealing his bare shoulders, not missing a single flicker in Bai Shiqi's eyes. Discovering her utterly unfazed, he suddenly remembered how most of the boatmen on the canal barges worked bare-chested during the hot summer. In her eyes, a man's bare torso was probably nothing strange anymore. His mood inexplicably soured. "You didn't even return to the bridal chamber last night, and you have the nerve to come asking for the deed?"
Bai Shiqi gave a roguish smile. "There's a flaw in your logic, Brother Wen. What I did on our wedding night is none of your concern. The point is, the night has passed, and you should fulfill your promise. Otherwise..."
Wen Tao stared fixedly at her, pulling the quilt aside further. Bai Shiqi's gaze remained steady, without the slightest intention to look away, which made him inwardly hesitate. "Otherwise what will you do?"
Bai Shiqi: "If you insist on not giving it, I'll go to the Wen family and ask Uncle Wen for it. I imagine a mere deed of indenture is something Uncle Wen wouldn't begrudge."
Whenever Wen Tao and Bai Shiqi crossed paths, clashes were inevitable—either verbal sparring or setting traps for each other. Wen Bao was long accustomed to it; hearing about this matter, he'd likely just treat it as another childish dispute between the two.
"But the deed is in my hands. I could just say I lost it."
Bai Shiqi's eyes swept over the outer robe hanging on the clothes rack. Without another word, she lunged to search it. "So you planned to mess with me from the very start, huh? No problem, I'll just take it myself."
Wen Tao, barefoot and wearing only silk trousers, jumped off the bed and rushed over to wrestle the robe from Bai Shiqi. "You little rascal, stop that!"
Seeing this, Bai Shiqi grabbed the bundle of clothes and bolted for the door, shouting as she ran, "Catch me if you can!" She planted one foot outside the room, then turned back to taunt Wen Tao with a grin: "After all, Young Master Wen isn't afraid of being seen in all his glory."
Catching a glimpse of Wen Tao's bare chest from the corner of her eye, Fourth Miss Song instantly flushed crimson, turned her head, and hurried away, pretending she hadn't seen anything. Zhen'er followed close behind, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, whispering, "Miss, our master... really is!"
Utterly shameless!
