I appeared to ponder, but inwardly thought, “Believe you? Do I look stupid?”
Madam Song, thinking she had a chance, hinted that if I agreed to this marriage, she could persuade her son to return my big brother’s intended bride.
I glanced at her and cleared my throat. “No need. We’ll handle my big brother’s marriage ourselves. Such a fickle girl is not suitable for my brother. Ah— she’d be much more compatible with your distinguished gentleman.”
Madam Song’s face turned blue, then she bit her lip and pleaded, “My daughter and An are truly in love. Now she can’t eat or sleep; she’s wasted away—” Her eyes reddened, and she let out a sob.
The matchmaker sympathetically chimed in, “Young Madam An, Song’s third miss truly loves An. Why must you break up their love?”
Now it seemed I had become the villain.
Over the past year, although I hadn’t deliberately obstructed anything, I knew every detail of An Jin’s romantic encounters. Fortunately, his meeting places were always in crowded locations—tea houses or White Crane Plains—which made tracking and sketching convenient.
Whenever he had a date, I would follow if possible, or observe from a distance, completing my series of paintings about him and thoroughly understanding his romantic history.
This Song third miss had never actually been on a date with An Jin. She had only met him once through her brother, and An Jin probably spoke no more than three sentences to her.
This sheltered young lady, who rarely saw men, encountered a handsome and gentle man and thought she had found her true love. She began daydreaming, mostly seeing me as an imaginary enemy.
Madam Song’s face finally turned completely blue. She said indignantly, “Madam An, what do you mean?”
I swallowed the last bite of cake and clapped my hands. “Madam Song, after careful consideration, I have three words for you.”
“What?”
I smiled sincerely at her. “Not a chance.”
Chapter Nine: Song Third Miss
That evening, An Jin unexpectedly returned home on time, followed by a small, fat, entirely white dog.
I was overjoyed. The big white dog ran towards me happily, barking lightly.
An Jin frowned slightly and said firmly, “Stop.” So it reluctantly stopped, sitting and looking at me, then at him.
