Volume 1: Absolutely No Same Parallel Universe Chapter 18: The Bizarre Person's Headquarters (Part 1)

  I no longer bothered with Jin Niang, but instead walked quickly forward without any purpose, feeling extremely annoyed and frustrated in my heart, wanting to find a place to shout loudly and vent. There was a faint sound of footsteps behind me, I knew Jin Niang was still following me, so I deliberately quickened my pace.

  The sky grew darker, the grass by the roadside had a slight dew, wetting my skirt hem. I trod on some slightly chilly clumps of grass, listening to the rustling sound beneath my feet, and gradually couldn't see the road surface clearly anymore.

  The faint sound of silk and bamboo music drifted to my ears, and the annoyance on my mind gradually dissipated. I thought this Furan Castle was dull and lifeless, but unexpectedly, someone was playing a zither. I followed the direction of the music and walked forward, and in front of me appeared a large lake. On the other side of the lake, lights were shining brightly, and besides the sound of music, there were also faint sounds of people's laughter and conversation, which didn't quite match the quietness of Furan Castle.

  I walked quickly towards the lights with joy, and Jin Niang called out from behind me: "Miss, Miss, it's getting late, we should head back."

  I stopped and looked at her: "Don't you see people singing and dancing over there? I want to go take a look."

  "It won't work." Jin Niang said without hesitation.

  Here is the translation: "Here we go again, I turned my head and asked her, 'Why not?'"

  Jin Niang was stunned, I ignored her and continued walking forward, I had to go take a look.

  Jin Niang sighed and continued: "Go back, why can't you go, you know."

  A wooden fence surrounded by a hedge was in front, which was completely different from other gardens of Furong Building. Through the garden fence, there were two fields inside, with green vegetables growing on them. Further inside, there were houses full of rural flavor. A winding corridor extended into the lake, and there was a semi-open waterside pavilion in the center of the lake, where lights, music and laughter came from.

  I stopped at the gate and asked Jin Niang: "I don't know what reason can't let me go in, if you're afraid I'll run away, you can wait for me here."

  Jin Niang suddenly appeared in front of the door and shook her head.

  "I said with some annoyance, 'Then what are you worried about? Nobody inside knows me. If you're afraid I'll reveal your identity, you can come in with me too. But if you do go in, it's possible nobody won't know me.'"

  I saw that she still didn't respond, so I changed my tone and spoke kindly: "Being cooped up in the house all night can make even a good person sick. Let me go take a look. In my day, we had rich nightlife every evening. We'd find some wine, chat with strangers, brag a bit, and then each go our separate ways after it was over."

  Seeing her hesitate, I took the opportunity to say: "Jin Niang, I know you're a good person, otherwise you wouldn't have said those things to me today. I know how to conduct myself, and besides, I'm not a prisoner now, am I?"

  Seeing her expression soften, I grasped her collar and shook it, saying: "Jin Niang, I promise you, I'll go take a look. I absolutely won't tell anyone who I am. Hmm, I'll be out in at most an hour, okay?"

  Jin Niang looked at me for a while, sighed and said: "You are really a clever and talkative woman, if my mistress were like you, willing to pour out her heart, it would be great."

  "I'm delighted!" I said with a smile, "So you've agreed?" As I spoke, I walked inside.

  Jin Niang grasped me with one hand and said: "You can't reveal your identity, also, I'll wait for you here. If you don't come out after an hour, I'll come in to look for you."

  "Ah, okay." I replied hastily, but in fact, my heart had already flown inside. I must take a look at who's inside, maybe there's hope for me.

  Jin Niang finally let go, I suddenly hugged her and kissed her face, laughing: "Jin Niang you're so good" After that, I left her there in a daze and rushed in with a whoosh.

  I quickly ran up to the corridor in the middle of the lake, and quietly walked into the waterside pavilion. With the half-closed door, I could only see a table of wine inside, but couldn't see the number of people. Only on one side near the door, an old man with white beard but ruddy complexion was playing the zither, while a woman in red dress was dancing gracefully. Although her face couldn't be seen clearly, her dance moves didn't seem to be very smooth, as if she was just swaying randomly following the rhythm of the music. The rest of the people were clapping and laughing along with the beat, creating a lively atmosphere.

  I was thinking about how to get in, when suddenly the sound of a guqin came from inside, and then there was complete silence. A slightly sharp male voice laughed and said: "Who is the noble guest outside the door? Why not come in and have a chat?"

  I chuckled and pushed the door open, walking in while laughing: "Fine wine and delicacies, beautiful music and elegant dance, I didn't expect to find such a wonderful place within this Furuong Fortress!"

  I walked up to the table with a big smile and said, "What a great wine, count me in!" As I scanned the room, I saw five people in total. Besides the old man who played the piano and danced earlier, and the woman in red, there were three other men. One of them was around 40 years old, with a slender face and a short beard, slowly savoring his wine while sitting across from me, seemingly smiling but actually sizing me up. Next to him was a fat man - calling him fat was being modest, I had never seen anyone so obese before. His huge face had eyes that were almost closed when he smiled, and the flesh on his cheeks shook along with it. He sat far away from the table, no doubt due to his enormous belly. Then there was the young man in green sitting to my right, a rare handsome guy with a gentle and elegant demeanor, but unfortunately, he was sitting too close for me to take a good look at him.

  Everyone saw me coming in, and their eyes lit up. The fat man smiled at me and said: "So the young lady is also a fellow traveler. Since we are all in this Furuong Fortress, why can't we drink and have fun together? Come pour wine."

  Before she had even finished speaking, the woman in red had already placed a bowl, chopsticks and wine cup in front of me. She smiled lightly and said: "Little sister really was brought over by the fragrance of this wine? Then big sister must properly toast you with a cup."

  The man in blue on the right picked up the wine jug and filled the cup in front of me, smiling: "We all have to toast you a glass."

  I raised my wine cup and smiled, "I'm late, I should be punished with a drink first." As I said that, I downed the wine in one gulp. The wine was so fragrant and mellow, sweet and smooth on the palate, leaving a lingering aftertaste on my lips. It was completely different from the white wine of my world. I couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine!"

  Everyone applauded and cheered.

  Before I could put the cup down, the woman in red poured me another full cup. I picked up the cup again and smiled: "First meeting, little sister first introduce myself, my surname is Fang, name Ning Xi, everyone can call me directly by my name, now I'll go around and toast one circle, don't know how to address this beautiful lady."

  I raised my glass towards the beauty in red, she was originally the only woman at this table, of course ladies first.

  The woman in red smiled, with a face that was slightly too long and narrow, a pair of phoenix eyes, high nose bridge, thick lips, forming her unique and distinctive style, somewhat like the mixed-blood look of my era. She sat down beside me warmly, raised her cup and laughed: "Little sister has such a refreshing personality, big sister won't fall behind either! But ah, I've even forgotten my own name, everyone calls me Red Sister, little sister can call me whatever she likes, let's have a drink first to show respect." After finishing speaking, she drained the wine in her hand.

  I immediately thought of the bold and beautiful Zhong Chuhong from my era, haha, I actually saw a knockoff version of Hong Jie here, and I immediately liked her. I also downed the wine in my hand at the same time, and there was another round of applause.