The Virtuous Young Man, He Yunxiao

 Chapter 6

He Yunxiao massaged Jiang Wuyou's shoulders while his eyes fixed towards the battle arena.

Damn!

Chu Fan is blocked by the railing!

Move, would you!

'He's moving, he's moving!' 

Quick, quick, where's Sister Du ?

OK, they're in the same frame, they're in the same frame.

Check the affection level!

[Du Yinyun's affection for Chu Fan is 70]

70?

He Yunxiao almost spat out blood*.

[T/N- Exaggerated Coughing]

The protagonist really is terrifying!

They've only exchanged glances twice, and the affection level is that high? I've been working hard all this time, and mine's only at 55.

[Du Yinyun's affection level drops from 55 to 45]

What’s going on? Why did it drop again?

He Yunxiao happily continued massaging Jiang Wuyou's fragrant shoulders when he noticed Du Yinyun, who was sitting ahead of him, turning around to look at him.

There was confusion and disgust in her eyes.

"Young Master He, please stop."

A girl who had been standing-by holding the gong came over to persuade him.

"Why?" He Yunxiao was completely baffled.

"He Yunxiao!"

Jiang Wuyou suddenly stood up, clenched her fists, and glared at him.

At this moment, He Yunxiao's mind was entirely occupied by the famous nursery rhyme "Grandma's Bridge"...

Rock-a-bye, rock to Grandma's Bridge...

[T/N- Chinese Nursery Rhymes-> https://youtu.be/gI55GzMxsS0?feature=shared]

He was not worried at all and even continued to joke.

"Even when Sister Jiang is angry, she looks so beautiful."

[Jiang Wuyou's affection level increases from 83 to 85]

Although the affection level increased, Jiang Wuyou clearly had no intention of letting He Yunxiao off.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" she said sternly.

Jiang Wuyou's tone made all the girls , jump in their hearts.

They knew that although He Yunxiao's behavior was wild and disrespectful, he was a legitimate marquis' son with an inherited title. He was not the same as them, who were not even considered commoners*.

[T/N- in ancient China (not to sure as Chinese history was in my syllabus for just one year and I can't find many things in internet for ancient China, net is filled with post communist china so what I am about say don't believe blindly. There were different set of rules for different class like who can buy what , how many can that person buy, which establishments one person can visit,how many civil rights he/she holds. Basically the bell lady saying there position is lower than of commoner as they hold less civil rights than them]

To put it bluntly, He Yunxiao was the one who acted improperly first, but even if it was investigated later, the worst he would face was house arrest. Meanwhile, as "slaves" who had "offended their superiors," they would face execution.

'Being Xià rén* means having no say.'

[T/N- xià rén means lower class people in Chinese]

So when Jiang Wuyou reprimanded He Yunxiao severely, Du Yinyun's small hand was already nervously clutching her clothes.

She was ready to kneel and plead for Jiang Wuyou when He Yunxiao, would be furious because of the scolding, and erupt.

But to everyone's surprise, this skilled, arrogant marquis' son, who disregarded etiquette, took the scolding without any temper at all and instead coaxed his Sister Jiang kindly.

.

He Yunxiao was utterly bewildered by the scolding.

He had no idea why he was being reprimanded. His character was not one to be a good-natured person; in his past life, if someone had scolded him for no reason, he would have snapped back.

Everyone lives only once; no one is nobler than anyone else. Why should I tolerate your temper?

But now, looking at Jiang Wuyou, He Yunxiao couldn't get angry at all.

Firstly, Jiang Sister looked beautiful even when she was angry, which was pleasing to the eye, and secondly, Jiang Wuyou had a high affection level of 85.

You should know that once the affection level reaches 80, the system grants a strategic reward.

Let's not talk about this "poison resistance enhancement" that oh so effectively counter Chu Xiaoxiao's Soul-Eating Pill. Let's just focus on the significance of this "successful pursuit."

"A successful pursuit" means that in Sister Jiang's heart, there's only me now. From now on, her fondness for me will only increase, not decrease.

With this understanding, only scum would get upset with a girl who only has you in her heart, wants to treat you well, and fully trusts you.

He Yunxiao asks himself if he's a scum or not, and not only is he not, he's a standard good guy.

Nice chest, slim waist, long legs.*

[T/N-In Chinese civilization, this phrase often refers to the ideal physical attributes of a woman. It reflects cultural standards of beauty, often associated with grace, elegance, and femininity.]

"Do you know what you're doing?" Jiang Wuyou said sternly.

He Yunxiao innocently blinks and said straightforwardly, "Giving my sister a shoulder rub."

"You are a Marquis's heir, a one-in-a-million person, how can you serve a mere dancer?" Jiang Wuyou sighs, her voice lowering when she mentions "dancer."

This statement makes Du Yinyun and the other red card* girls present there lower their heads slightly. They understand that despite being popular, courtesans are often not taken seriously even by the men who always sweet-talk them.

[T/N-In ancient China, the term "red card girl" typically referred to a courtesan or a woman of high social status who entertained guests at gatherings or events. These women were often skilled in various arts such as singing, dancing, and poetry, and they were admired for their beauty, talent, and refinement. The term "red card" may symbolize their elevated status or association with luxury and extravagance.]

In their eyes, playing with a courtesan is just a bragging right. Nothing more.

Jiang Wuyou wasn't troubled by the low spirits for long. She quickly regains her composure after a brief moment of despondency and solemnly says, "Moreover, with the current political situation unstable, it's not easy for Wuxing Marquis to maintain the family position. With Yinyun's state as warning, as a nobleman, you should behave yourself even more."

Listening to Jiang Wuyou's words, He Yunxiao finally understands why everyone is surprised and why Sister Jiang is angry.

People are surprised because a nobleman is trying to please a courtesan, and Sister Jiang is worried because she's afraid he's being extra frivolous, and it would cause gossip to take the turn for worst.

So he pulls Jiang Wuyou and made her sit surrounded by the people who are standing, then he squats down himself so Jiang Wuyou can look down at him like a Queen.

This gesture is may be common in modern times but unheard of in ancient times.

Only the emperor and parents could receive such reverence.

Even Du Yinyun, who is usually indifferent, is startled by He Yunxiao's gesture. She looks around nervously, but fortunately, they are on the second floor, and when He Yunxiao squats down, people can't see him because of the obstructed view.

He Yunxiao payed no attention to others and just stares into Jiang Wuyou's eyes.

"There are no noblemen or dancers in my eyes, only men and women. Women are made of flesh blood woven by water, men are made of flesh blood and mud. When I see my sister, I feel refreshed; when I see others, I feel filthy and repulsive."

[Jiang Wuyou's fondness increases from 85 to 90]

[Successful pursuit reward: "Poison resistance enhancement" gains improvement]

[Du Yinyun's fondness increases from 45 to 60]

He Yunxiao is genuinely thankful for the nine years of compulsory education; without it, wooing girls would be difficult!*

[T/N- Believe me I don't know which education is helping picking up Girls , if it's government one I am doing this for 17 years now I didn't see any course of this subject🙂]

Even the girls at Spring Breeze Tower have never heard such sweet words.

Jiang Wuyou blushes as if she's drunk.

She quickly pulls He Yunxiao up.

"What's with the talk about men and women? I told you to behave yourself. You bad-bad thing, you never change, always talking nonsense!"

He Yunxiao allows Jiang Wuyou to pull him up, and on the way, he adds fuel to the fire.

"If my sister is happy to hear it, then even if I'm bad to the bone, it's worth it."

Jiang Wuyou tries to put on a stern face, but the blush on her cheeks won't allow her.

In her speech, it sounds more like playful banter with He Yunxiao.

"Hmph, I'm not happy."

Du Yinyun stands on the sidelines, quietly observing.

At this moment, she has to admit that she envies Jiang Wuyou a bit.

Although He Yunxiao is a superficial flirt, he's not completely useless. At least his martial arts are not weak, and though he's a bit debauched, he's not as bad as the typical troublemaker.

At most, he's a bit lustful.

But that can hardly be called a flaw. For aristocrats, siring heirs is far more important than remaining faithful. Moreover, judging by his attitude towards Senior Jiang , he's probably a romantic too.

Putting aside prejudices, he bows and kneels just to make a 'dancer' smile.

This kind of thing, in the past, Du Yinyun wouldn't even dare to think about.

If only I could have...

Du Yinyun massages her temples, quickly giving up on idle thoughts.

She's not a naive child; how could she not understand the concept of love? Even for women of the red-light district, let alone the daughters of noble families or princesses, love is something unattainable.

If my father were well, then at my current age, he probably would have promised me to a young talent already.

A young talent? Does He Yunxiao count? Or maybe Chu Fan?

Without realizing it, Du Yinyun has given the two men, who were originally incomparable, the same weight in her heart.

[Du Yinyun's fondness increases from 60 to 61]

[Du Yinyun's fondness increases from 61 to 62]

...

"Miss Du?"

A soft call brings Du Yinyun back to reality.

She looks up and sees a handsome face bathed in sunlight filling her vision. Its owner, He Yunxiao, is right beside her.

[Du Yinyun's fondness increases from 64 to 66]

This face makes one's mouth dry.

"Young Master He? What do you want with me?"

He Yunxiao smiles politely, bowing slightly, "Miss Du, the martial arts competition downstairs has been delayed for too long. Shall we start?"

~~~End~~~