Liang Zhichen’s brow furrowed with a hint of helplessness as he suddenly tightened the reins, bringing Dazhuang to a stop. Then he turned back, grabbed her hand, and had her wrap her arms around his waist from behind. She was startled for a moment. "Baobao, you’re gripping too tightly, the horse might not be able to take it. If you’re afraid of falling off the horse, just hug my waist. But if you feel uncomfortable with that and dislike the idea, you can also hold onto my clothes." Dong Huiying felt awkward for a moment. She nodded shyly and then withdrew her hand to lightly grasp the back of his clothes. Liang Zhichen sighed silently and then continued to spur his horse down the mountain. Dong Huiying said she mainly came for a visit to the Sky Blue Building, and Liang Zhichen also had matters to attend to. Thus, after they agreed on a meeting place, they went their separate ways. Dong Huiying walked toward the Sky Blue Building, overhearing people talk about the fire at the He family granary the previous night. Her mood remained undisturbed, as if she had heard nothing at all. Outside the Sky Blue Building. She saw many women blocking the entrance, gossiping and making a fuss, all discussing the fleeting glimpse of the ’Ten Young Masters of Tianqing’ from before. Boss Choo from the establishment across was enjoying the commotion but started to feel a hint of sourness. "Ha, the Ten Young Masters of Tianqing? How pretentious, for mere prostitutes to share a designation with those rich young masters. Even if the title might appear more cultured, it cannot mask the fact that they serve others with their bodies!" Boss Choo was clearly dissatisfied, but he could only grumble quietly behind closed doors. Even his complaining had to be kept under his breath, lest someone with a motive might overhear and cause trouble. That would indeed be unpleasant. Dong Huiying saw this scene and couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. The crowd blocking the front was indeed too large, and it seemed best for her to keep a low profile. So, she walked around the Sky Blue Building and, finding no one in sight, she stealthily climbed over the wall. "Brother Bao, what are we to do? We’ve not opened for business for several days now. If this continues, our establishment is bound to collapse," said the one originally named Xingxing, who had been renamed Si Lan by Miss Xiao Dong. Brother Liubao glanced at Si Lan with a look of dejection and said, "If even you understand this, how could I not? But look at those ladies, they’ve been blocking the outside every day. If we open, they’ll surely storm in. Then what do we do? You should look in the mirror and see for yourselves how you look!" In these past few days, with Xiao Dong not coming by, Brother Liubao had to find other ways. One clever Young Servant had a trick up his sleeve, thinking, since Xiao Dong’s makeup skills were indeed superb, the technique was easy to pick up. Sadly, without the cosmetics mixed by Xiao Dong, even though they had a basic grasp of the makeup technique, the results they achieved were... well, open to interpretation! "All we can do is wait in agony," Brother Liubao said anxiously. "What kind of game is the lady playing at? She could at least show her face, no? Just from that one night alone, we made what we would in a month. I truly admire her!" Without Miss Xiao Dong, he dared not open; the business naturally couldn’t go on. After all, if Si Lan and the others didn’t apply makeup, they were far less attractive, not even comparable to the least attractive of those opposite at Choo Pavilion. He was counting on the likes of Si Lan to be his trump cards and couldn’t let others know of their shortcomings, otherwise future business would be impossible.
