After the quarrel ended, everyone settled down to watch the show.
The guests let out one burst of laughter after another.
The old Dukeâs haggard face slowly began to smile. The script written by his son was really splendid. His literary attainments werenât at all inferior to his skill in martial arts. He could do anything.
Cassiaâs laughter was the sharpest and drew the most attention. When the plot reached its climax, she even made weird âee ee eeâ noises when she laughed after running out of breath.
She clenched her fists and pounded the table or slapped her thighs, rocking backwards and forwards with laughter. No woman in the room was so uninhibited.
Sheâd completely forgotten how hard she worked to maintain a cold and elegant persona.
If even she was so absorbed, forget about everyone else.
The play was an amazing success. It ranked among Gloriaâs finest comedies of all time.
Only Jian Qiao was immune to this jovial feast. Although he watched the stage intently, his misty eyes seemed to see nothing. All the noise, all the laughter, all the cheer had nothing to do with him.
His body was present but his soul was far away.
Rege could sense he wasnât happy.
Jian Qiao couldnât seem to fit himself into this joyful atmosphere or allow himself a moment of amusement, no matter what. His heart was trapped somehow.
Rege, who was originally in the best of spirits, gradually grew silent and somber as well. He glanced at Jian Qiao again and again, and his brow grew tighter and tighter. He no longer saw the performance on stage or heard the laughter from the audience. He only wanted to know why Jian Qiao wasnât happy.
Where exactly was his heart?
Why was he always so melancholy?
What could he do to make him smile?
These questions gave Rege a headache.
The guests who surrounded him continued to exclaim with admiration, âRay, what a wonderful play youâve written!â
âRay, this is the best comedy Iâve ever seen!â
But in Regeâs opinion, the performance was a failure! It hadnât achieved its intended goal at all! It wasnât even funny!
Regeâs face was strained, and he only applauded once or twice, like someone owed him a lot of gold coins.
Jian Qiao thought he was still upset with the old Duke, so he didnât think much of it.
The old Duke, who had a smile on his face, slowly became uneasy.
In this bizarre atmosphere, the performance concluded. Prince Andrew came over, tossed a heavy cloth bag onto the table, and looked gloomily at Cassia, whose cheeks were red with laughter. He grunted coldly and strode away.
Another nobleman approached, holding a ring in his palm. âRay, you won. Now itâs back to its rightful owner.â
They were here to pay off the bet.
âI wasnât trying to win anything, I just wanted you to see a damn good show!â
Rege tried to explain to this group of people, but their pride was hurt so badly they didnât want to hear it, and they went away.
The performance on stage broke up, the cheerful laughter subsided, the heated atmosphere returned to calm. All that remained of the eveningâs entertainment was the lingering fragrance of perfume and wine.
Cassia stood up, put on pure white gloves, and said lightly, âItâs time for me to go. I feel quite satisfied with the performance. Thank you for arranging it. You succeeded in making me laugh, so youâll get my reward. I promise to make you the most envied man in Grande.â
She knew the play wasnât created for her, let alone to make her laugh, and she hadnât been able to make out much of the argument before. But so what? She was perfectly willing to distort Regeâs intentions and make a certain someone misunderstand.
Just then âa certain someoneâ stood up and said with a soft voice, âI should go, too.â
Rege: ââŚâ
Yesterday in front of the jewelry store he should have wrung Cassiaâs neck! All this woman did was meddle!
âIâll see you out!â Rege pushed back his chair and eagerly followed Jian Qiao.
Cassia, who was now unescorted, shrugged her shoulders, then smiled wickedly.
The old Duke, however, extended his hand and said courteously, âBeautiful lady, please allow me to escort you on your way.â
Cassia didnât feel any reluctance. She stretched out her hand and gently placed it on the old Dukeâs palm.
â
In the courtyard under the drizzling rain, Rege held an umbrella for Jian Qiao. He asked in a low voice, âDid you like the play?â
Jian Qiao was about to nod his head when Rege immediately added, âDonât lie to me. Be honest.â
Jian Qiao: â⌠I didnât like it.â
He didnât enjoy seeing the actors trample themselves on stage to please the audience. None of it was a sham, it was genuine. The slaps were real, the kicks were real, the brawls were real.
After the farce played out, those little people must have been black and blue.
There was no possible way he could enjoy that kind of performance.
But he couldnât blame Rege. This era was so barbaric. Everyone grew up in the same dark jungle, they had a set of long-established customs for survival, and those customs were impossible to challenge. They were far above the legal code, far above morality.
If those dwarfs werenât kept by the nobles for amusement, they wouldnât have a chance of surviving.
In the eyes of ordinary people, they were a group of monsters. Theyâd be stoned to death.
Jian Qiao shook his head and fell silent. He didnât approve, but he also didnât criticize.
Regeâs mood lowered as well. He murmured, âBut you were laughing so happily last time. I thought youââ
At that point he stopped abruptly. Because he suddenly realized heâd made the same mistake as his father. What he thought wasnât what Jian Qiao liked. He was trying to impose his will on Jian Qiao.
Regeâs heart sank.
Once this occurred to him, he was amazed at how badly everything turned out today! Everything heâd done was so stupid. He made Jian Qiao stay in a place he didnât like at all and forced him to watch a show that bored him to the core. Jian Qiao sat wearily on his chair, counting every minute, biding his time until the play ended. His heart must be full of dissatisfaction, right?
It was the exact opposite of what Rege intended.
Rege almost covered his face and sighed.
He blew it!
Jian Qiao pursued, âWhy do you ask?â
âNo, itâs nothing. The carriage is here. You should go back.â Rege was very frustrated and embarrassed.
It made him afraid to stay much longer with the gentleman Earl.
He pulled open the carriage door and helped Jian Qiao up, though Jian Qiao was planning to give him a farewell hug.
âGoodbye.â After closing the carriage door, Rege waved his hand.
âGoodbye.â Jian Qiao leaned on the carriage window to look at him, his eyebrows slightly knit together. This separation was too hasty. He didnât even have time to properly talk to Rege.
The two horses stepped onto the gravel road, slowly kicking and tramping away.
Rege just stood there, watching as Jian Qiao gradually disappeared. He whispered, âYou laughed so happily that dayâŚ.â
It was because heâd seen Jian Qiaoâs smiling face that he got the idea of buying every dwarf in Grande. If one dwarf could make Jian Qiao laugh, what about a troupe of them?
The only thing he wanted was to preserve that smile.
Why can Andrew do it, but I canât?
Rege tossed away the umbrella and slowly walked back, recalling the memories frame by frame in his mind. And then his footsteps stopped. A flash of insight suddenly opened his eyes. The only difference between him and Andrew was that even if the dwarfs had failed to amuse the guests, he wouldnât have taken their lives.
Jian Qiao wasnât laughing that day. He was giving in.
Yielding for an innocent life.
Rege slapped his forehead, revealing a dazed expression. Then he covered his face and stood in the cold rain for a long time. No one could tell how many complicated emotions were hidden in his eyes.
The gentleman Earlâs heart was far softer than Rege imagined. Inside, a sea of flowers was in full bloom, clear spring water was flowing, a gentle breeze was stirring.
There was an extremely beautiful, extremely pure world hidden inside.
ââââ
Jian Qiao, who was sitting in the carriage, was also recalling the parting scene just now. He kept thinking something wasnât right with Rege.
He seemed disappointed and depressed, his head hung low and his drooping, downcast eyes looked so pitiful. He was like a little lion cub abandoned by his mother and rejected by his peers. He could only play in a corner by himself.
Why had that happened? The show was a wonderful success. Everyone applauded for it, didnât they?
Jian Qiao couldnât help but care about Regeâs mood. When the light and heat emitted by that man dimmed a little bit, Jian Qiao would immediately detect it, then feel anxious with misgivings.
He knew how terrible it was for a morbid mentality to be in low spirits. The last thing he wanted was for Rege to become like himself.
âWhy?â He lightly touched the corner of his eye with his fingertips and kept searching through his memory.
âBut you were laughing so happily last time. I thought youââ
This unfinished sentence popped into Jian Qiaoâs mind.
Intuition told him it was important.
So Jian Qiao tried to complete the sentence.
ăI thought youâliked it?ă
ăSo, because you liked it, I bought all the dwarfs in the city.ă
ăI wrote the script and rehearsed with them myself. I invited you to come, and I wanted you to laugh as happily as you did last time.ă
ă This play isnât for Cassia, itâs for you âŚ.ă
One reasonable guess after another made Jian Qiaoâs dark eyes gradually brighten. He finally understood how ardent a heart was hidden behind those unspoken words.
While he was trying to please Rege with a bunch of gifts, Rege was doing the same.
They were both like fools, giving so much to each other in silence.
It was reallyâŚ
Jian Qiao covered his face and breathed a sigh.
âBack to the ducal palace, quick!â he ordered sharply.
The carriage immediately turned around and drove back to the ducal residence.
Standing in the rain, Rege suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves. He looked back, only to see Jian Qiao jump down from the parked carriage and sprint towards him. Fine rain fell into his eyes, but it couldnât drown the twinkling stars inside them.
âRay!â he panted out of breath.
âSlow down!â Rege strode forward to meet him, quickly took off his cloak, and flung it over the gentleman Earl. He didnât want this person to get sick.
âWhy did you come back?â he asked in a deep voice.
Jian Qiao tried to catch his breath, waiting for his excitement to subside before he said, âI came back to ask you some questions.â
Until then, he had no idea his heart, trapped for so long in the dark, could also feel such warmth.
âWhat kind of questions?â Rege jogged a short distance away, picked up the umbrella, and held it over the gentleman Earlâs head. He moved in front of the wind, blocking the cold rain with his taller body.
Jian Qiao noticed his actions and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
âWas the play prepared especially for me?â he asked directly.
Rege froze, then he nodded in dismay. âYes, it was prepared especially for you.â
âWere you trying to make me laugh?â
âYes, I wanted to make you laugh. But I seem to have made a fool of myself.â Rege pulled at his hair in annoyance.
Jian Qiao tilted his head to look at him, his gaze gentle and focused, and put his right hand over his pounding heart. He said, one word at a time, âThen I want to tell you Iâm very happy today.â
He nodded and added earnestly, âTo be more precise, this is the happiest day Iâve ever had. And itâs all because of you.â
After saying this, his mouth slowly widened, revealing a pure, perfect smile.
Rege opened his eyes wide. His face was filled with disbelief.
At that moment he seemed to behold a sea of gorgeous flowers, tasted the freshness of spring water, felt the blowing of a gentle wind and the cool, refreshing touch of fine mist.
Such beautiful scenery, such a sweet taste, and such a tender soothing feeling. He was intoxicated, unable to escape.
Finally he understood what was missing from the smile Jian Qiao was forced to show last time. There was no intense feeling, no incandescent heat, no sparkling radiance. And those feelings, heat, and radiance were flooding over him just now without any reservation.
Without waiting for him to wake up from his trance, Jian Qiao continued to reveal his heart. ââIâve never had the ability to make myself happy. But you do. After I met you, I began to know what it was to experience happiness. My withered heart seemed to come alive.â
Jian Qiao touched his chest, where his heart was beating faster and faster, and he gently laughed out loud.
His slightly curved eyes were overflowing, not just with starlight, but with happiness and joy.
Rege lowered his head and gazed in disbelief at this person who suddenly blossomed like a flower. His mouth opened and closed, but he couldnât say a word.
He knew this smile was only for himself. No one else but him could make Jian Qiao reveal such a beautiful expression.
Intense emotions ran rampant in his chest, almost making his heart explode.
He was so excited he couldnât move.
Jian Qiao stepped forward to gently embrace him, then backed up and bid him farewell. â I finished what I wanted to say, goodbye. â The smile on his face never faded.
Rege, who was dizzy with shock, could only watch as Jian Qiao quickly climbed into the carriage and disappeared into the rain. He came in such a hurry, threw down a bunch of passionate words that made a personâs blood boil, and departed so abruptly.
Rege stood stiffly in place for a long time before the corners of his mouth lifted in a silly grin as wide as it could be. He jumped up all of a sudden, punched the sky, and shouted with all his might, âYES!â
After turning half a circle in the air and landing steadily, he realized the old Duke and Cassia were holding umbrellas and standing not far away, looking at him with astonished faces
Instead of feeling embarrassment or chagrin, he gave them a cheerful smile. The disgust and hatred he felt for them before seemed to have disappeared.
The old Dukeâs cloudy eyes suddenly welled up with hot tears. This simple, happy, laughing child. How long had it been since heâd seen him?
TL Notes:
ĺźĺˇ§ćć â made a fool of myself â do a seemingly clever thing which turns out to be foolish instead; make a fool of oneself trying to be smart, get egg on your face