The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Cherry Pastry

The man stood there, tall and slender, and the candlelight illuminated his face.

Pei Lingyi’s first glance caught the small mole hanging under his eye, which seemed to glow with a seductive red.

His skin was pale, not the gentle, delicate kind of pale, but rather the kind that came from being indoors for too long, like a sickly pallor.

Despite his thin frame under the simple hemp clothes, Pei Lingyi had discovered that he was not as fragile as he appeared.
In fact, he was quite strong.

When their eyes met, even Pei Lingyi was taken aback. His pupils were dark, like an endless abyss that seemed to draw her in.

His eyebrows were gloomy, and his lips were pale, giving off a cold and austere aura.

However, his face was exquisitely chiseled, not like a man’s rugged features, but rather like a finely crafted work of art.

Yet, despite his refined features, there was nothing feminine about him.

Pei Lingyi’s only thought was that he was beautiful, in a way that was both masculine and feminine.

She had never seen a man like him before. His appearance must have been inherited from his mother, the princess of the fallen kingdom of the ancient moon.

“Lost in thought?” he said in a flat tone, but his eyes betrayed a hint of pleasure.

He seemed to be satisfied with the girl’s reaction. In the past, he had detested his appearance, which resembled his weak mother’s.

But now, he found it wasn’t entirely useless.
It was somewhat useful to be able to mesmerize someone like this.

The girl finally snapped out of her trance, covering her face with her hands and blushing. “Who, who was looking at you? I was just scolding you.”

“If being called a rogue is a form of scolding, then I think it’s a fitting title,” he said.

Pei Lingyi was taken aback by the man’s shamelessness. How could someone be so brazen about being a rogue?

And yet, he didn’t seem to be ashamed of it; instead, he seemed to take pride in it.

“You, you, you… I have nothing to say to you.”

The girl was obviously infuriated, repeating the word “you” several times, but ultimately didn’t know how to deal with him.

She had learned the Eight Elegant Arts for Women since childhood and surrounded herself with people who appreciated refinement and valued reputation. She had never met someone as shameless and brazen as this man.

She couldn’t win in an argument or a physical fight, so she could only seethe with anger, turning her head away in an attempt to calm herself down.

He had never seen her angry before.
Perhaps the moonlight was too alluring, and he couldn’t resist teasing her.
Women were naturally beautiful, even when they were angry, and all he wanted to do was hold her close and coax her until her lips curled into a smile.

He had known about the palace banquet tonight and, as a cat, had learned that she was likely from a wealthy or noble family. However, he wasn’t sure if she would attend.

Everything told him to be cautious and not reveal his hand too early. The palace banquet would be heavily guarded, and getting in would be no easy feat.

He was used to being alone, and only she held a special place in his heart. But that special place wasn’t enough to make him take a huge risk.

If he did, he would face destruction, and everything he had built would be lost.

Although Pei Lingyi didn’t directly look at him, she caught a glimpse of his subtle attitude.

They didn’t know each other, and judging from his actions in their dreams, he wasn’t someone who would be swayed by beauty. If he were, a mere glimpse would be enough to captivate him.

So, why was he hesitating?
A person with such weak resolve wouldn’t amount to much even if they managed to survive by chance.

To be honest, Pei Lingyi hoped that he could maintain the fierceness in his bones. Only a wolf cub like him could bite off the flesh of those demons and monsters.

Only then could he be her most loyal dog.

Although she was a bit surprised that he had lost control at first, it just proved that he didn’t actually dislike women.

She had already investigated and found out that there was a palace maid who couldn’t bear the loneliness and had set her sights on his good looks, trying to offer herself to him.
However, he had ruthlessly kicked her out of the door.

The palace maid was so humiliated that she wanted to die, but she didn’t dare to do anything to him because she had no power or influence. She could only swallow her anger and keep it to herself.

Almost no one knew about what happened that night, because being thrown out naked in the middle of the night was a humiliating experience in itself.
She wouldn’t let others know about it.

However, apart from the man in front of her, there was actually someone else who had seen what happened. In the deep palace, human hearts were the most dirty. As long as she satisfied the other person’s desires, they would reveal everything to her.

Only through exchanging benefits could things last.

Moreover, she hadn’t exposed her identity, and the palace maid who had seen her that night had received gold from her. She knew that her family had received good land and a new house, so she would definitely keep the matter to herself.

She had only spent some gold and silver to get the information she wanted, which was a good deal.

Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy was the key to winning every battle.

She, Pei Lingyi, never fought a battle without preparation, especially against a wolf cub like him.

Xiao Huaice looked down at her, and her cheeks were flushed, which looked even more beautiful on her fair skin.

For some reason, he thought of the cherry pastry made in the imperial kitchen, which was extremely exquisite.

The pastry was made with top-grade cow’s milk, sifted repeatedly to ensure there were no impurities.
It was made with fine glutinous rice flour, honey, osmanthus, apricots, and other ingredients.

The most precious ingredient was the cherries. The capital of the country was not suitable for growing this delicate plant. Every time the cherries ripened, countless horses would die, and so much manpower would be spent to transport the intact cherries to this magnificent palace.

The old emperor would usually give some of the cherries to the empresses and use some as rewards. The rest would be used to make the cherry pastry.

He had secretly peeked, that cherry pastry was luxurious and exquisite, every part of the cherry shortbread made was precise.

Just watching from afar made one want to know the taste, but such luxurious pastries were only for favored concubines and princes.
Xiao Huaice couldn’t even dream of getting cherries, let alone the cherry stems.

Perhaps when he was young, he fantasized that the old emperor would suddenly think of him and reward him with a plate of cherry pastry, but what awaited him was endless humiliation.
He hadn’t thought about cherry pastry for a long time.
But now, seeing the young lady in front of him, somehow, it stirred up the thing he wanted to eat the most when he was young.

Pei Lingyi secretly peeked at him, but suddenly froze, the man who was just shameless and brazen, now had endless sorrow in his eyes, the sorrow was so palpable that one couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to him.

“Get out!”
But just in an instant, the man pursed his lips, his voice cold and detached.
As if the previous tenderness was just an illusion.