2 Window Meeting

In a place far away from the cheers and jeers of the crowd, the room is small and decorated with simplicity. With a curtained bed, chairs, table, wardrobe and a mirrored boudoir that all fit into the room comfortably. There is a view that overlooks the Bei River from the small room. The outside is freezing the inside with the windows wide open. The room holds candles that have melted into stumps, and the red wax flowing down resembles that of slow-flowing blood, the candles flicker from the winds that have entered the room.

There is a figure sitting in front of the copper mirror. The face that was reflected in the mirror was that of exquisiteness. A face that was painted white, except for the blushing cheeks and the eyes that were tinted a slight pink. The lips that were adorned with plum colored paint. On the table is a headdress that is adorned with flowers and strings of shining beads that are laid draping over the table like a crystal blue waterfall.

Su Wan's hair was draped over her shoulders. The strands that were as black silk made for contrast against her pure white inner garment. A delicately poised hand carelessly reached for a wooden comb that was engraved with small flowers and enamored with the scent of clove oil. The young woman carefully combed her silk strands under the light of flickering candles.

"Miss, someone enquired your name." A young girl with her hair tied into buns secured by blossom colored ribbons bursts into the room to complain.

"Bai Yun, you scared me." Su Wan lazily says as she plays around with the comb.

"Miss, this is important!" Bai Yun stomps her feet angrily and goes to Su Wan's side.

"Doesn't this happen every night? What's there to worry about?" Su Wan enquires as she continues to comb her hair, the scent of clove oil was very strong, seemingly able to reach every place within the small room.

"Of course miss, but after seeing the dance of the fairy, they will forget you, but now, it's different. After seeing the dancing fairy, he still came to enquire about your name."

"Ah… There is someone that does not have any interest in dancing fairy Cai Qing?" Su Wan is slightly surprised and puts her comb back into a box on the boudoir. Her plum painted lips are slightly agape.

"I know right? Such a strange man, who wouldn't like the dancing fairy Cai Qing?" Bai Yun speaks of Guo Ning as though he was some unusual creature. After all, all men who have seen Cai Qing were mesmerized by her, so much so that she wondered if Cai Qing was a vixen reincarnated.

Su Wan slightly smiled as she began running her fingers through her hair and says "Do not worry, it is most likely just out of curiosity, I will be forgotten soon." Her eyelids were slightly lowered as she played with her hair, such that not the slightest bit of emotion could be seen under the heavy makeup of her painted face.

"Watch out miss, he might find his way to your room." Bai Yun said giggling.

"Sure, sure." Su Wan nodded, "He might be searching for my room as we speak." She laughed along with Bai Yun.

Little did she know, that while she was within her room, Guo Ning was actually looking for her.

A strong wind blew, the shudders of the window shuddered for a few moments.

"Miss, you didn't close the windows?" Bai Yun asked as she went to the windows, preparing to close them.

Su Wan was at a loss of words, she wanted to tell Bai Yun that it was all right, but Bai Yun had already moved across the room in a flash, prepared to close the window shudders.

Yet, as her hands reached the wooden frame, they slightly trembled.

Seeing Bai Yun's hands were trembling, a strange sense of worry overtook her. "Ah Yun… Is everything alright?" Su Wan asked cautiously, as she prepared to take out the needles hidden in her hair.

"No, there is a person outside waving a lantern…" Bai Yun's voice trailed off as she continued to look.

"Below is the river and it's this time of year, how could someone be there?" Su Wan did not seem to believe the girl as she came over to the window to take a look.

"They're on boats."

At the window, Su Wan could see two figures on a boat. There was one person rowing a small boat, while there was another standing on the titter tottering boat holding a red lantern out towards Su Wan's window. The boat seemed so unsteady that it was a single misstep that could cause him to fall into a river that still had chunks of ice. In fact, there was only one boat floating in the night river right now.

Su Wan moved to close the window, but before she could do so, a voice from below yells "Miss Su, please, I have something to say." Because the window is not far from the ground floor, merely on the third floor, both people could hear each other.

Su Wan seems to have heard the sound, slightly leaning over the window, she peers out and says "There are so many people here, how can you be sure that I am the one you are looking for?"

"Didn't you perform in the butterfly lovers on stage an hour ago?" The voice below yells.

"Yes, but you have not seen my face, how can you just come over to my window?" She asks, her face was still painted in the stage makeup, thus rendering her features and skin tone unrecognizable.

"Then I look forward to seeing you without the stage makeup, I just wanted to see you." The man on the small boat says, before turning his head away. "Mo Yi, let's head to shore." Guo Ning says, hanging the lantern back at the head of the boat. Mo Yi then rows back to shore, carefully maneuvering around the floating chunks of ice that were in the process of melting.

Su Wan watches the dot of the red lantern slowly float to the safety of the shore, and the lantern extinguished. Only when the dot is no longer seen does Su Wan close the window. Bai Yun staring behind her speechlessly.

Tapping Bai Yun on the shoulder, Su Wan confusingly asks "What's wrong?"

"Miss, you waited until they got to shore safely before closing the window." Bai Yun says, slightly surprised that Su Wan would actually stand by the window for so long.

"Hmm… Anything wrong? It would be bad for the reputation of our Blue Mountain Pavillion if some guests were to fall into the river and freeze to death." Su Wan says with all seriousness.

"Whatever you say, miss." Bai Yun giggles as Su Wan turns away. She silently wonders when was it that Su Wan had begun caring for the reputation of the Blue Mountain Pavilion, after all, this place had always been notorious for secret underhanded trades, secret discussions and was the birthplace of various vicious schemes.

Schemes… Bai Yun narrowed her eyes.