I Am The Villain In The Novel - Chapter 40: Mid-Autumn Festival and Fox Demon (Part 2)

Chapter 40: Mid-Autumn Festival and Fox Demon (Part 2)

The music slowly came to a stop.

The red-clad servant girl in front of them also stood still, bowed, and retreated with a curtsy.

“Ding~”

A crisp, clear sound rang out, and then everyone saw a figure in red clothes floating in, like a celestial being descending to the mortal world.

Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, her neck was like jade, her fragrant shoulders were half-exposed, and her gaze was captivating.

Although Yang Liushi wasn’t wearing much, the few patches of skin exposed were enough to make the men in the room swallow hard and drool.

If she were to be placed in the previous life, her turning-head rate would likely reach 1000%.

Wei Changtian and Liu Zongliang couldn’t help but stare, their eyes fixed on the main attraction.

Compared to Liu Zongliang, who was almost drooling, Wei Changtian was much more composed.

Because he was clear in his heart – she was a fox demon!

However, he had to admit that Yang Liushi was the most beautiful woman he had seen in his two lifetimes.

Before this, Lin Qingxia and Lan Jingyao were not inferior to her…

Under the gaze of dozens of greedy eyes, Yang Liushi sat down, her small face without a hint of shyness.

“Gentlemen.”

Her soft, gentle voice was like silk, making everyone’s hearts flutter.

“I’m honored that you’ve come to keep me company today.”

“I was delayed because I accidentally tied my skirt wrong while changing.”

“I’ll punish myself with a cup of wine to apologize to the gentlemens.”

With her long sleeves covering her face, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, Yang Liushi’s cheeks flushed after taking a sip of wine.

She gazed at everyone with her charming eyes, holding an empty wine cup in her hand.

“I’ll have a cup with Miss Liu!”

Someone suddenly shouted, and the others also came back to their senses, loudly echoing in agreement:

“I’ll have a cup too!”

“Don’t blame yourself, Miss Liu, we won’t hold it against you!”

“This is exactly right!”

“……”

The room was suddenly filled with excitement.

It didn’t matter that these people were all high-ranking officials; when it came to boot-licking, social status and wealth didn’t matter.

Who said that having money and power meant you couldn’t boot-lick a woman?

Think about it, do you understand?

The officials pretended to be heroic, raising their cups to toast Yang Liushi, trying to leave a good impression.

Only Wei Changtian didn’t move.

He kept staring at Yang Liushi, who was beaming with joy, and felt a pang of emotion in his heart.

No wonder she could be a courtesan; not only was she beautiful, but her words were also full of charm!

Changing clothes? Tying her skirt wrong? So she was late?

Although this excuse was quite far-fetched, it was hard not to think of her undressing and untying her skirt.

You could say that just one sentence from her was more alluring than many women stripping naked.

And she even cleverly used the ambiguous term “gentlemens” to refer to them, making it sound even more flirtatious…

Tsk, tsk, tsk, this should be considered top-level green tea behavior.

Wei Changtian thought to himself while casually cracking open a melon seed.

Such an unusual behavior naturally caught Yang Liushi’s attention.

Her autumn-water-like eyes gazed over, seemingly with a hint of annoyance.

Wei Changtian playfully gazed back, and casually spat out a melon seed shell.

This action was already quite rude to Yang Liushi, but her face didn’t show any signs of embarrassment, only a gentle smile, as if she was truly amused.

Indeed, she was hard to deal with.

Wei Changtian withdrew his gaze, and Yang Liushi spoke up again.

“Gentlemen, tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions.”

“I’ve lost my parents, but I’m fortunate to have all of you accompanying me, and I’m filled with gratitude. I’d like to sing a small song to express my heartfelt emotions.”

“May I?”

Her soft, gentle tone was tinged with sadness, as if she was truly a pitiful woman longing for her family.

Immediately, someone comforted her:

“Don’t be sad, Miss Liu, we’re all your family!”

“Exactly!”

“Today, we’re fortunate to hear your heavenly voice, it’s a blessing in three lifetimes!”

“……”

Good grief, did they just call themselves her family?

Wei Changtian thought to himself that Yang Liushi would be a great salesperson if she did live streaming, and the sound of the guqin began to play on stage.

“The flowers on the branch are crying, and the old scars are hidden between the new scars. The fish and birds have no news, and the soul is worn out from the long journey…”

“No words can be spoken, and the fragrance is scattered. I am heartbroken until dusk…”

“I can finally light the lamp, and the rain hits the pear blossoms, closing the deep door…”

“……”

The music stopped, and the sound of the guqin ceased.

The water outside the window was rippling, and the moon above seemed to have disappeared.

The people below were stunned for a moment, and then erupted into applause.

…

Unlike ordinary courtesans who could be “hired” with money, Yang Liushi, as a high-ranking courtesan, and the head courtesans of various brothels, had a two-way selection process with their clients.

This process was often referred to as “playing tea games” or “drinking flower wine”.

The specific selection methods varied, but most involved playing matching games or flying flower cards. Some liked to play dice or toss coins, but it was clear that such games were not suitable for this “high-end” gathering.

Of course, it would be difficult for these ignorant young masters to recite poetry, so they relied on the literati by their side to help them.

Just like now, a scholar with a carefree hairstyle was helping his master play the flying flower game.

“Mountain… this character is too simple!”

“Mountain scenery is beautiful in the spring, don’t take it lightly and think of returning!”

“Good!”

Someone immediately cheered, and the scholar sat down proudly, then listened as the next person took their turn:

“Returning with double braids, each one is carefree, seeing the painting and remembering the past year!”

“Year… I also have one!”

“In the year, the swallows are paired, willing to be troubled for someone, but not coming!”

“……”

The sound of reciting poetry echoed continuously, but it was just a form of self-entertainment among the literati.

Because everyone knew that Yang Liushi wouldn’t decide who to spend the night with based on this.

If it wasn’t to deepen the impression of Miss Liu, this kind of thing was actually unnecessary.

For example, Wei Changtian didn’t participate.

The Wei family also had several literati guests, but he thought it was too silly to ask someone to recite poetry on his behalf.

As for taking the stage himself… sorry, he didn’t know a single poem in this world.

Before he knew it, the flying flower game had gone through several rounds, and the full moon outside had gradually shifted to the west.

Just as the sound of the drumbeat signaling the hour of the night watch began, Yang Liushi lightly waved her hand, summoning a servant girl to her side, and whispered a few sentences.

Everyone immediately fell silent, and then the servant girl spoke up in a crisp voice:

“Gentlemen, my mistress says it’s been a long time since she’s heard new poetry, and she’d like to propose a topic for you to compose a poem. How do you gentlemen feel about it?”

“Let the young lady propose the topic!”

“With poetry, we’ll determine the winner, how elegant!”

“Quickly propose the topic!”

The crowd responded enthusiastically, all aware that it was finally time for the “decisive battle”.

For this, they had long been prepared, bringing along the most talented literati from their families, and some had even written poems on the theme of Mid-Autumn Festival in advance, just waiting for the opportunity to impress and win the beauty’s heart.

However, the topic proposed by the servant girl left them all stunned.

“Mid-Autumn Festival poems are too cliché…”

The maid smiled mischievously: “My mistress is so beautiful, even compared to Chang’e, she’s not inferior at all. Why not… let’s make my mistress’s beauty the topic?”

“Th-this…”

“Haha, great!”

“Exactly!”

Some people looked unhappy, some were calm, and others were delighted when they heard the topic.

Wei Changtian, however, was surprised.

This topic was definitely suggested by Yang Liushi, but she had the maid say it out loud.

Was this fox demon so narcissistic that she wanted others to write poems praising her beauty???