Chapter 996: Xiao Chong Side Story 45_2
Chapter 996: Xiao Chong Side Story 45_2
Lin Wanwan was also dressed in ancient attire today, in a Tang Dynasty Hanfu, not rented, but prepared by Xiao Chong, blending seamlessly as she walked down the street.
A cloud-patterned narrow-sleeved ruqun in deep red and apricot yellow with a touch of moonlit green, paired with a scarf, giving an impression of graceful allure, vivid brightness, and free-spirited elegance.
Even Lin Wanwan’s black hair was styled up by Xiao Chong with a hairpin, adorned with other hair accessories like gold flowers and step shake ornaments.
What surprised Lin Wanwan even more was that Xiao Chong, being a painter, also knew how to do makeup.
Lin Wanwan’s eyebrows, eyeliner, floral decoration between her brows, and the peach blossoms at her fingertips were all exquisitely done by Xiao Chong, looking exceptionally elaborate.
There is a poem as proof: Slowly the lovely face becomes delicate and abundant, adorned with flowers in light silk and golden thread.
As for Xiao Chong himself, he wore a gauze headwear with bamboo bones, a crescent white half-sleeve robe, matched with a narrow-sleeved shirt of the same color inside, with a jade pendant hanging at his waist, appearing ethereal and scholarly.
At first glance, he seemed like an ancient scholar traveling through time.
Dressed so grandly, if no videos or photos were taken, Lin Wanwan felt it would be a missed opportunity.
After they admired the lanterns along the crowded main street of the ancient street, they ran to the sparsely populated riverside corridor, taking photos and enjoying the scenery along the riverbank.
Soon, they arrived at a small dock where Lin Wanwan saw a small wooden boat filled with flowers and strings of lights on the river, and, holding Xiao Chong’s hand, she laughed and pointed, saying, "Look, there’s a tour boat ahead, so beautiful, I wonder if we can buy tickets to take a ride."
Without a word, Xiao Chong led Lin Wanwan ahead, and the boatman waiting at the dock assisted them onto the boat.
It wasn’t until they were seated in the cabin surrounded by flowers that Lin Wanwan realized what was happening and looked up to ask Xiao Chong, "Did you prepare this in advance?"
"Yes." Xiao Chong smiled slightly.
Under the flickering lights, his face appeared more perfect and unreal, almost as if he might vanish with the wind at any moment.
Lin Wanwan was spellbound.
Xiao Chong’s deep and dark eyes gazed straight at Lin Wanwan, seeing her gradually overlapping with an enchanting beauty from a thousand years ago, a surge of emotions welled up in his heart.
In this moment, time and space seemed to intersect, the gap of a thousand years no longer existed, as if they had returned to the Lantern Festival of the Great Tang over fourteen hundred years ago.
A pang of bittersweetness surged in his heart, his eyes grew warm, and Xiao Chong cupped Lin Wanwan’s head, leaned in and kissed her with closed eyes.
Lin Wanwan unconsciously clutched his robe at his waist with one hand, pressed against his chest with the other, bearing the intense emotions conveyed through his lips, her eyes tightly shut, feeling both shy and happy.
After a long while, Xiao Chong’s emotions subsided, and he lifted his head, releasing Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan was kissed into a daze, and she opened her eyes in a stupor, only to feel a hint of red in Xiao Chong’s usually clear eyes.
"You... what’s wrong?" At such a joyous moment, how could she feel a hint of sadness in him?
Xiao Chong hugged Lin Wanwan again, burying his head in her shoulder, his voice hoarse: "It’s nothing, just feeling too happy. Wanwan, it’s great having you in this life."
Lin Wanwan’s heart raced at the sudden confession, and she hugged his waist back, squinting her eyes happily, "Me too."
Moments later, Xiao Chong let go of Lin Wanwan, taking her hand, bending down to exit the cabin, sitting on the deck at the boat’s bow, and said, "Wanwan, you can watch the stars and the moon here, let me play a tune for you."
With that, he reached out, drawing an Ancient Zither from among the flowers, placed it on his knee, and began to play.
The melodious and far-reaching sound of the zither penetrated deep into people’s hearts, under its spell, all the world’s clamor faded away.
Lin Wanwan looked at Xiao Chong’s profile, felt as if the starlight fell upon him and the zither, watching in a trance.
The sound of the boatman rowing gradually ceased, the world suddenly fell into silence, only the sound of the zither remained.
The originally sparse pedestrians on the riverbank gradually grew in number, with people constantly being drawn by the zither’s sound.
Across the river, families also kept opening windows to listen.
All within dozens of meters of the small wooden boat paused in their actions, as if the world was pressed with a pause button by an invisible hand.
As the tune ended, all was silent.
After a while, someone started clapping, followed by a thunderous wave of applause and occasional whistles.