I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 7

If Ah Luo could reverse time, she would definitely do it and stop herself from saying that.

Before she could even finish saying them, she had already regretted the words coming out of her mouth. Her voice grew softer as she spoke. She wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground right there and then. Why would she ask about his waist sash? Could he, the heir of the marquis of Yuanting, be lacking a waist sash? Why would he care about that?

Moreover, she was a young woman; to say such a thing to a young man! Would he think that she was silly because of this?

Just as Ah Luo was thinking that, the young man in front of her suddenly recovered from his surprise and smiled at her.

His neat and handsome eyebrows stretched, and his amber eyes made crescents as he smiled. Seeing his face felt like seeing a gentle and soothing breeze blow over the moving clouds.

Wenren Jin stood up. With a slight smile on his lips, he saluted her in gratitude and said, “In that case, I must thank you very much, Miss Su.” 

After a pause, he added in a serious voice, “I happen to like that waist sash very much. Thank you, Miss Su, for keeping it on my behalf.”

Ah Luo breathed a long sigh of relief. Under the man’s gentle ‘gaze,’ her tense emotions slowly faded away. However, she was still blushing.

He really was such a gentleman. Even though she’d gotten herself into an awkward topic, he still kindly gave her a way out of it.

Due to his blindness, Wenren Jin had a habit of looking at the other person when he talked to other people to show his respect.

Ah Luo knew of his habit. However, facing Wenren Jin’s gentle expression and his overly direct ‘gaze’ still made her feel shy, even though she kept telling herself in her heart that he couldn’t see.

Wenren Jin probably sensed Ah Luo’s unease and subtly lowered his eyelids because of that. His thick eyelashes covered his amber eyes.

After he shifted his gaze away and stopped staring at her without blinking, Ah Luo suddenly felt much better.

“Heir… Why don’t we go for a walk? The flamboyant tree we have in our residence’s garden is blooming very well.”

This was the first time that they’d really met, so Ah Luo was unsure about what they should do. She thought it’d be a good idea to go for a walk. Two people in an enclosed space would inevitably feel tense, especially when they were of the opposite gender. An open environment outside would help them relax.

After those words came out of her mouth, though, she realized that she’d misspoken again.

No matter how beautiful the flowers were, Wenren Jin couldn’t see them! Ah, did she just hit a sore spot?

Unexpectedly, Wenren Jin, tall and graceful like a pine or bamboo, nodded. He had a smile on his face, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of offense on his face. His voice was as gentle as ever as he said, “Of course. Could I trouble you to lead the way, Miss Su?”

Ah Luo looked at him blankly and said nothing for a while.

Wenren Jin, who didn’t receive a response, blinked and tilted his head slightly in Ah Luo’s direction.

“Miss Su?”

“…Of course.” Ah Luo suddenly came to her senses. She hurriedly turned around and walked out of the hall.

This man was too much of a gentleman.

After a few steps, she suddenly slowed down. She deliberately made her footsteps heavier. Then, she turned back and softly said to him, “Here… be careful, there’s a threshold.”

Wenren Jin’s face remained with a faint smile. His tone was calm and steady as he said, “Miss Su, please walk as you normally would. There’s no need to accommodate me. My hearing is sharp; I can keep up with you.”

Ah Luo looked at the calm expression on his face. Suddenly, she realised that he was probably accustomed to this. 

He was probably used to silently listening to other people’s footsteps and distinguishing whether the ground before him was flat, muddy, or if there were steps. He was probably also used to walking only on the path that other people had walked on. He did these things and appeared just like any other person on the street.

But what if he were in an unfamiliar place he had never been to, with no one to lead him? Would he bump into walls, fall awkwardly, or get hurt?

How much had he endured to achieve the composure he had today?

Ah Luo responded softly with an ‘okay,’ but her footsteps remained audible. She made sure that he could hear each of her footsteps.

Daughters of noble families were taught to walk quietly, with slow and delicate steps, so their walk would look elegant and graceful, and their skirts would sway beautifully with each step that they took.

Ah Luo, however, paid no mind to rules and aesthetics. She walked ahead of him with clear, steady steps.

Wenren Jin, who was following behind her, noticed the unchanged sound and rhythm of her steps. His eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent; he suddenly became quiet.

Silence flowed between them, but neither of them felt awkward or constrained.

The sound of footsteps echoed like a simple yet lively melody in the air.

When they arrived under the large flamboyant tree in the garden, Ah Luo stopped and said, “We’re here.”

She turned back and looked at Wenren Jin, who seemed to be aware of her gaze. Out of instinct, he ‘looked’ back at her. As soon as his glassy eyes landed on Ah Luo, though, he suddenly turned away and looked somewhere else, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

The smile on his lips remained. He kept looking somewhere else—everywhere but at her, as if he was really seeing and appreciating the beautiful scenery around him. 

After a moment, he said, “Although I cannot see, I can sense that the flowers are blooming very well from their fragrance.”

Ah Luo pursed her lips. She looked up at the red flowers blooming on the tree above their heads. How great would it be if he could also see this bright red color, which was as radiant as a burning fire?

“In front of you is a flamboyant tree with red flowers. It’s very tall. This one was planted in the year that I was born, and has grown extraordinarily tall since. When it blooms, the tree will be full of fiery red flowers; when autumn comes and it wilts, these flowers will fall like they’re raindrops.”

Ah Luo approached him. As she did, she slowly described the history of this flamboyant tree—how it bloomed and withered, and how she had naughtily climbed it to pick its flowers when she was a child, scaring her parents in the process.

Wenren Jin quietly listened to her with a calm and peaceful smile on his face.

Ah Luo came to him. Suddenly, she raised her hand and gently touched the corners of his eye with her fingertips.

Wenren Jin was startled. He started blinking, and his expression showed a mix of surprise and confusion. He had sensed Ah Luo’s approach but hadn’t expected her to touch him.

In her soft, girlish voice, she asked, “Do you know what red looks like?”

Wenren Jin’s expression froze. He was silent for a while before he said, “I don’t. I was born blind and have never seen what red looks like.”

Ah Luo touched his eyelids with her fingers. “Close your eyes, then.”

The girl’s fingertips that were touching his eyelids felt soft and warm. The small warmth felt like a spark, which caused a prairie fire that spread to his entire body.

Wenren Jin was surprisingly compliant. He closed his eyes. However, his ears were silently turning red.

Ah Luo put her hand on his chin and lifted his head up so he looked up at the sky.

She could sense his confusion, but he was so good-natured that he didn’t resist. With just a gentle touch, he raised his head on his own to look up at the sky.

In one of her previous tasks, Ah Luo had come across a theory that congenitally blind people, besides black, could see red. Their thin eyelids, which were filled with capillaries, would allow light to penetrate. So, when they looked towards a strong light with their eyes closed, the light would penetrate their eyelids, and a red hue would appear to them.

“Don’t open your eyes. Do you see it? The light that has appeared in front of you is red.”

Wenren Jin didn’t say anything. He closed his eyes and looked up at the sky. His fair and handsome face was exposed to the sun, and he seemed to be feeling the ‘red’ that Ah Luo was describing.

Ah Luo didn’t intend to let him look at the sun for too long. Even though he was blind, it still wouldn’t be good for him to look directly at the sun for a long amount of time.

He was too tall and he also had his head raised now, so she had to tug at his lapel, just like when he had saved her from the water. She gently pulled his lapel and said, “Don’t look too long, you’ll hurt your eyes.”

Wenren Jin silently lowered his head. Neither of them knew when, but the smile on his face had disappeared. He sighed softly and said, “Blind as I am, today I finally know what red looks like. Thank you, Miss Su.”

“It’s nothing.” Seeing the trace of melancholy in his expression, Ah Luo changed the topic. “By the way, this flamboyant tree is growing taller and taller as time goes on. Now I can only admire it from afar. I used to pick its branches, but I can’t even do that anymore.”

Wenren Jin smiled slightly and said, “That is not difficult. Miss Su, wait a moment.”

Ah Luo watched as he listened for a moment. Just then, a gust of wind blew, rustling the branches. He lightly tapped his toes on the ground and his body suddenly rose up. He touched a branch of flower, quickly broke it off, and gracefully descended back to the ground.

His movements were composed. With his fluttering white clothes, he looked like an immortal descending to the mortal world.

Wenren Jin held the flower branch and handed it to Ah Luo.

“Are you giving it to me?” Ah Luo asked.

“Yes,” he answered. He lowered his eyes. His ears were flushed as he continued, “You showed me what red looks like, so I’m giving you red flowers in return.”

Ah Luo carefully took it. The flowers on the tree bloomed unevenly, but the branch Wenren Jin picked was full of vibrant, fiery flamboyant flowers. It was extraordinarily beautiful.

She lowered her head and smelled the flowers. She said, “It smells really good.”

The flowers in her hand were as red as fire. Ah Luo looked at the person in front of her; his white clothes were as pure as snow, clean and bright under the blue sky.

Just as she accepted the flower branch, a maid came looking for her, saying that Lady Yao was calling for her.

They returned the same way that they came. Ah Luo still walked in front of Wenren Jin, and now, in front of the maid as well.

The maid walked one step behind her and, as such, could see the golden butterfly hairpin swaying in her hair. She couldn’t help but admire it and comment, “Miss, the hairpin you’re wearing today is so beautiful. It looks like there’s a real butterfly on your head.”

Ah Luo’s steps faltered. Inwardly, she scolded the maid for being so talkative. Wenren Jin had gifted this hairpin to her yesterday, and today, he’d caught her wearing it. She felt so embarrassed…

She felt fine earlier since Wenren Jin couldn’t see it. However, after the maid pointed it out in front of him, Ah Luo’s cheeks immediately started to heat up.

She quickened her pace and walked forward, eager to escape him now. She said, “Let’s hurry. We mustn’t don’t keep Mother waiting.”

The two of them didn’t see how the young man in white, who was slowly following them, suddenly lowered his eyes and smiled. Breeze had blown over the lake that was his heart and caused ripples on its calm surface.

After they were back in the front hall, Wenren Jin bid goodbye to Grand Tutor Su. Meanwhile, Ah Luo and Lady Yao returned to the inner courtyard of the house. None of them made any further mention of Wenren Jin’s waist sash.

Lady Yao asked Ah Luo about what she thought about Wenren Jin. Ah Luo secretly thought to herself, ‘You have already decided on the date for the marriage proposal. Why are you still asking me what I think about him?’

However, following Su Luoyan’s character, Ah Luo replied, “He is gentle and courteous. He seems to be a dependable man.”

Lady Yao said, “I see no fault in him except for his eyes. But regarding his master… I don’t know what he intends to do.”

Ah Luo was also curious about that. Would Wenren Jin truly defy his master’s orders for a supposed responsibility?

She returned to her own courtyard, pondered it for a while without finding an answer, and decided not to dwell on it.

“Chun Xi, bring me a vase.”

“Miss, where did you get these flowers? The tree is so tall. You didn’t climb it yourself, did you?” Chun Xi asked in surprise upon seeing the red flowers in Ah Luo’s hand.

“Someone else picked it for me,” Ah Luo said. She was smiling, and there was a touch of pride in her smile.

She carefully placed the branch of flowers in the vase. She trimmed the branches and leaves, then set the remaining flowers and the vase by the chaise lounge near the window. She kept it for three days, until it withered completely, before asking someone to take it away.