After a while, they finally parted.
Lin Ting was gasping for air, her mouth numb from the prolonged kiss.
The rouge she had applied in the morning had smudged without her noticing, and the skin around her lips was reddened, standing out starkly.
Duan Ling wasn’t in any better shape.
His face was also stained with her rouge, a mix of red and white that plainly showed what had just happened.
Lin Ting straightened up, her gaze flickering nervously as she subtly pressed her legs together.
He didn’t seem to notice her small gesture and handed her water to wash off the rouge from the corners of her lips.
Then he asked, “Have you made up your mind?”
She glanced at the Jade Hairpin in Duan Ling’s hair and pursed her lips, “It hasn’t even been ten days yet.”
Duan Ling’s gaze never left her lips, as if lost in thought, before he chuckled softly, “You just kissed me, I thought you had decided already. You don’t need ten days to give me your answer.”
Lin Ting felt uneasy and snorted, “That wasn’t a kiss, that was a bite.”
He looked at her silently.
Feeling a bit guilty under Duan Ling’s gaze, as if biting him meant she had done something like leading him on and then abandoning him, she relented, “We can try dating for a while.”
Their wedding was still a few months away, so they could date for a few months first and see if it was right to turn their sham marriage into a real one.
Duan Ling probably guessed what she meant by “dating.”
“Alright.”
Clearing her throat, Lin Ting said, “Starting today, you’re my boyfriend, and I’m your girlfriend.”
She hadn’t dated in the modern world, so trying it out in the past was acceptable.
Although Duan Ling was used to her sudden, strange remarks, sometimes he still couldn’t quite guess what she meant.
“But haven’t I always been your boyfriend?”
She knew he meant a male friend, so she explained, “No. A friend is different from a boyfriend.”
Duan Ling was silent for a moment then he asked, “So that means Linguan isn’t your girlfriend?”
Lin Ting choked on her saliva, caught off guard.
“Of course not. Linguan is my best friend, but not my girlfriend.”
He looked up at Lin Ting standing before him, the small wound on his lip from her bite clear as day.
“I… am your only boyfriend?”
The idea of changing their relationship from friends to lovers made her uncomfortable.
“You could say that.”
Turning her back to him, she poured tea and said, “My dress is dirty. I want to bathe. You find me another dress.”
Even if her dress wasn’t wet, it had to be changed.
After searching for Duan Ling in the Third Alley for so long, she was covered in sweat from the intense heat, sticky all over.
Before long, Duan Ling found her a new blue embroidered dress and took her to the Imperial Guard’s Northern Command Office bathroom to bathe.
The Northern Command Office didn’t originally have a bathroom, but since Duan Ling was in the habit of bathing after interrogations, he had one installed after becoming the Imperial Guard’s Deputy Commander.
As soon as Lin Ting stepped into the bathroom, the scent of agarwood wrapped around her like a net from all directions.
This bathroom was used only by Duan Ling and contained only his presence and belongings.
She bathed quickly and soon left the bathroom, returning to the main hall.
The bathroom was next to the main hall, not far away, just around the corner.
After entering, Lin Ting tossed the already rolled-up dirty dress onto a low stool, with her undergarments at the very bottom.
She asked Duan Ling, “Where should I throw this?”
He glanced at the dress without answering but instead asked, “You don’t want this dress anymore?”
“No.” When Lin Ting had kicked the door while looking for Duan Ling, the hem had likely caught on a sharp splinter, tearing a few small holes.
He looked at it again and said, “Leave it here. I’ll take care of it for you.”
Hearing this, Lin Ting paid no more mind to the dirty dress and sat down to eat some grapes and pastries.
Every time she came to the Northern Command Office, she could enjoy fresh fruit and treats from Shixiang Pavilion.
Duan Ling took the dirty dress away and returned empty-handed.
The next day, their second day officially dating, Lin Ting didn’t go to the Northern Command Office.
Now that they’d decided to date, there was no need to touch base frequently to gauge if there was romantic feeling.
Yet, she only felt awkward at the moment of deciding to change their relationship; afterward, things felt pretty much the same, as if nothing had changed.
They were too familiar with each other.
She had thought that changing their relationship would bring some differences, but there weren’t any.
She wasn’t sure if that was normal.
Lin Ting kicked her legs hard, swinging higher and higher, the gold step-shaking hairpin in her hair jingling clearly.
Li Jingqiu walked into the courtyard and asked, “You’re not going to the Northern Command Office with Ziyu to assist on the case today?”
She had believed Lin Ting’s words, really thinking Lin Ting had unintentionally gotten some clue and went every day to help Duan Ling with the investigation.
Unfazed, Lin Ting lied, “The investigation’s finished. Why, don’t you want me to stay home?”
“What nonsense! How could I not want you to stay home?” Li Jingqiu changed the subject, “How are things with Ziyu lately?”
‘I’m just on okay terms with him,’ Lin Ting thought bitterly.
Out loud, she said, “How could things be any different? Just like before.”
Li Jingqiu grabbed one of the swing’s ropes and sat down too.
Lin Ting scooted over and the two of them swung gently in the courtyard.
“Mother, before you got married, did you like anyone?”
Lin Ting knew Li Jingqiu hadn’t married Third Master Lin for love, but due to arranged marriage, joining households for convenience.
Li Jingqiu glanced around cautiously, making sure no one was nearby.
Such topics could cause trouble.
“Why do you ask?”
Lin Ting hugged her waist, resting her head against her arm.
“Curiosity.”
“You’re curious about a lot of things,” Li Jingqiu pinched her cheek.
“Before marriage, I traveled all over with your maternal grandfather for business. I only cared about business. I never liked anyone. I did recognize a few young men to help me with work.”
Lin Ting toyed with the Yupei at Li Jingqiu’s waist and asked, “Where are they now?”
Li Jingqiu stroked Lin Ting’s gold step-shaking hairpin.
“Just passersby. I don’t know where they are now, but I guess they’ve all married and had kids, just like me.”
She took it lightly.
“Oh, by the way, Ziyu will come to our place for dinner with Linguan after his shift today.”
Li Jingqiu noticed the gold step-shaking hairpin Lin Ting wore today was from Duan Ling and couldn’t help but think of him.
Lin Ting swung the nearly stopped swing.
“Why didn’t he tell me yesterday?”
Li Jingqiu lowered her hand and replied, “I sent someone to invite them today. Ziyu didn’t know yesterday, so he couldn’t tell you.”
Lin Ting didn’t understand the meaning behind it so she asked, “Why did you suddenly invite them over for dinner?”
“You dare say that? You often go to the Duan residence to eat and take things, sometimes even stay overnight there, but you rarely invite Ziyu and Linguan to our place.”
Li Jingqiu pinched Lin Ting’s ear without warning.
Lin Ting covered her ear, “Ouch!”
She didn’t agree with Li Jingqiu’s words and retorted, “I have invited them before, on my birthday, didn’t I?”
“Once a year, do you think that’s enough? Maybe before it was fine, but now you’re engaged to Ziyu, soon to be husband and wife. You need to let him feel that you care about him.”
Lin Ting still didn’t agree, “It’s not just once a year. Besides my birthday, I’ve invited them several times.”
“But you? You go to the Duan residence almost every other day, easily over a hundred times a year.”
She felt elders tended to overthink.
“True friends don’t keep track like that. Please don’t worry so much about our relationship.”
Li Jingqiu glared at her.
Lin Ting shut up.
Fine, invite them then.
She didn’t care much about these things anyway.
At dusk, Duan Ling and the others arrived.
After dinner, Li Jingqiu asked Lin Ting to take Duan Ling for a stroll in the back garden to aid digestion and asked Duan Xinning to stay behind and talk with her.
Lin Ting dared not disobey and immediately led Duan Ling to the back garden.
As soon as they entered, Duan Ling’s hand slid from behind her, fingers slowly and firmly intertwining with hers, skin touching.
Clearly, this was their new relationship, holding hands as lovers rather than friends.
Lin Ting glanced back at him.
Duan Ling looked down at her.
She mischievously scratched the palm of his hand, and Duan Ling pressed down on her fingers to stop her from moving.
Not far away, Li Jingqiu and Duan Xinning were watching behind a large tree.
Li Jingqiu smiled in satisfaction, seeing their “affection as before.”
“Look at them, even holding hands now.”
Duan Xinning smiled awkwardly.
When she learned Li Jingqiu planned to secretly follow them to the garden, her heart jumped to her throat, afraid they would be caught and prepared to create a distraction to warn them.
But the two were so cautious, even with no one nearby, they acted out “liking each other.”
Duan Xinning finally relaxed.
Lin Ting, unaware of them behind the tree, kept leading Duan Ling deeper into the garden.
Duan Ling’s hearing was sharp enough to pick up nearby sounds but he didn’t look back.
Because no matter if someone was nearby or not, it wouldn’t affect him.
“Do you want to go boating on the lake?”
Mentioning food and fun perked Lin Ting up.
“Yes! When you’re free, the three of us will go boating and release lotus lanterns.”
“Just the two of us.”
The word ‘date’ flashed in Lin Ting’s mind, “Then just the two of us.”
They had rarely gone out alone before, and Duan Xinning wouldn’t join Summer Zimo on dates either.
***
Two months later.
Lin Ting lay drowsily on the couch when Tao Zhu suddenly lifted the curtain and gently shook her awake, “Seventh Miss, Second Master Duan is here.”
Lin Ting didn’t want to move, her body limp as a rag.
Unconsciously, they had been dating for two months, and during this time, Lin Ting and Duan Ling’s way of interacting hadn’t changed much.
The only difference was holding hands and kissing when they met.
A few times, they almost went too far, and maybe because Duan Ling was too sensitive, he would easily react.
Although they had only dated two months, they had known each other for over ten years, so it wasn’t like they had just met and wanted to jump into anything.
Still, they hadn’t taken that final step, only staying at a tentative stage.
Lin Ting asked, “What does he want? Didn’t we just see each other yesterday?”
Tao Zhu shook her head, “I don’t know. Second Master Duan didn’t say. He’s waiting outside now. Will you see him or not?”
Of course, she would see him.
“Yes.” She rolled off the couch, opened the wardrobe to pick a dress, then sat before the mirror to apply light makeup.
“Tao Zhu, help me do my eyebrows.”
Tao Zhu suspected Lin Ting was possessed.
They had been engaged for a while, but before this, Lin Ting always just threw on an outer garment before going to see Duan Ling.
Today, she was unusually well-dressed.
Lin Ting waited a moment without a reply and turned to call out, “Tao Zhu?”
Only then did Tao Zhu respond.
“Coming.” She hurried over and picked up the eyebrow pencil on the table, expertly shaping Lin Ting’s brows.
“Seventh Miss, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you care so much about a meeting with Second Master Duan. Is today a special day?”
Lin Ting: “…………”
Somehow that line sounded familiar.
Never mind.
She took out the gold step-shaking hairpin from the jewelry box and pinned it into her hair bun, then put on a pair of Purple Jade Earrings.
“Nothing special, I just suddenly felt like dressing up.”
Tao Zhu didn’t press the matter.
She took out a newly bought rouge and dabbed some on Lin Ting’s lips.
“Do you want me to accompany you?”
“No need.”
Makeup done, Lin Ting immediately went out.
In front of the Lin residence gate, Duan Ling stood tall like a crane, his crimson clothes fluttering in the wind.
The Lingan Baiyu Hairpin jingled softly with the breeze, its chimes rising and falling.
Lin Ting quickened her pace toward him.
Duan Ling climbed the steps and walked toward Lin Ting, not waiting for her to ask why he had come.
He took the initiative and said, “Let’s go boating on the lake today.”