coobybook 242 is never enough.
242 is never enough.
"What?!" Tong Ling blurted out without thinking, "That's such a pity! Sir, you are the master of the Spirit Flute!"
Seeing her face quickly scrunch up in regret, Chu Qingluo immediately added, "Although Wuyang is no longer playing in the music hall, he will soon be starting to teach, and his flute playing will still be widely known, so you can rest assured."
"Teaching?" Tong Ling's face changed as quickly as the weather, turning from gloomy to partly cloudy, and she smiled broadly, saying, "No wonder he no longer teaches the flute in the palace; it turns out he's gone outside the palace to teach by example."
Although Chu Qingluo didn't know when Tong Ling had started to idolize Wu Yang so much, nor how she knew about Wu Yang's relationship with her, she could tell from Tong Ling's tone and expression that she valued Wu Yang very much. In fact, she made no attempt to hide it.
Chu Qingluo's dark eyes darted around as she asked, "Tong Ling... do you really like playing the flute?"
"Huh?" Tong Ling stiffened slightly at Chu Qingluo's question, then quickly nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes! I really like... playing the flute!"
Seeing her slight embarrassment, Chu Qingluo smiled and said very kindly, "Wuyang teaches at my residence in the east of the city. Since you love the flute so much, why not go and ask him for some pointers when you have some free time? I think he would welcome you."
"Really?!" Tong Ling's voice suddenly rose. She subconsciously covered her mouth with her hand, but couldn't hide her excitement and lowered her voice to say, "Thank you, Lord Chu!" She then bowed.
Chu Qinglu smiled without saying a word as she sized up Tong Ling... It must be a great thing that Wu Yang has gained such a cheerful and lively fangirl.
……
Half a month later, Chu Qingluo's specially made Forget-Worry Pillow was finally launched at Mingyifang.
Although everyone was unfamiliar with this soft, squishy thing, and it wasn't cheap, once they heard the people at the clothing store say that even the current emperor was using it, they all bravely decided to try it.
The number of Forget-Worry Pillows was also very limited; the first batch sold out within a day. Chu Qingluo didn't want to use the high price of the Forget-Worry Pillow to make money; on the contrary, she hoped to make this daily necessity available throughout the Ji Kingdom. Unfortunately, cotton production was currently scarce, and achieving this goal would take some time.
During this period, Wu Yang also officially started teaching classes at the East City Mansion.
This was all thanks to their effective advertising in August, which attracted many children to learn the flute. Wu Yang had already accumulated a lot of experience teaching the flute in the palace, and now she was full of confidence and patience when teaching children.
Ever since Chu Qingluo extended an invitation to Tong Ling, Tong Ling has been coming to Wu Yang every few days to ask him for tips on playing the flute, enjoying it immensely...
That day, Wu Yang was busy when he saw Tong Ling slip in through the back door of the school again, and his brows twitched slightly. He had clearly chosen a new piece of music and asked her to practice it at home for a few days until she was proficient before coming back. How come she had reappeared after only one day?
During a break in the middle of the performance, he walked over to Tong Ling. "Lord Tong, you've mastered the new piece so quickly?"
"No, no," Tong Ling quickly waved her hand and said, "There's just one thing I don't quite understand, so I came to ask you for your guidance."
Seeing that Wu Yang nodded, she added, "I've told you so many times, just call me Tong Ling. Calling me 'sir' is too formal!"
Wu Yang smiled and said, "Yes, Wu Yang has remembered. May I ask what Miss Tong Ling doesn't understand?"
"It's that at the beginning..."
Just as Tong Ling was about to speak, Wu Yang was surrounded by three or five children who chattered and asked him questions.
"Sir, sir, is my gesture correct?"
"Sir, why can't I produce any sound with this flute?"
"Don't rush, take it one at a time."
Seeing that Wu Yang was already surrounded by children, Tong Ling pouted helplessly: "Sigh." Seeing how busy he was, she could only rest her chin on her hand and wait to the side.
As a result, Tong Ling waited all afternoon without having a chance to speak with Wu Yang.
Even so, just watching his busy figure, the gentlemanly demeanor he exuded while playing the flute, and his slender fingers moving rhythmically with the flute music... she could stare at him all day without getting tired of it.
It seems like I can never get enough of looking at it...
Even if he's so good and outstanding, he's already a member of the Chu family, and they have absolutely no connection whatsoever. At most... they can only be considered master and disciple.
Realizing that her thoughts had gone a bit too far, Tong Ling couldn't help but shiver, feeling as if her heart had been pierced by many tiny silver needles!
Although she knew perfectly well that she shouldn't have any inappropriate thoughts about Wu Yang, her gaze just couldn't help but linger on him...
But his gaze remained fixed on someone else.
Finding her unharmed, Tong Ling looked out the window and knew without looking that it must be her. Following her gaze, Tong Ling indeed saw Chu Qingluo's figure without any surprise.
She didn't come alone; the Seventh Prince was with her. The two of them stood together, occasionally chatting and laughing, like a beautiful painting, making people envious and unable to look away.
But in Wu Yang's gaze, besides her focus, Tong Ling also caught a similar emotion to her own: loneliness.
Seeing his expression, Tong Ling's heart skipped a beat again.
It's perfectly normal for people to have biases in their feelings. She didn't think there was anything wrong with Chu Qingluo often being seen with the Seventh Prince, nor was she pitying Wu Yang. She simply wanted to do something for him... even if it was just to stay by his side.
With that in mind, Tong Ling immediately made a bold decision. She took a deep breath and went outside.
She went straight to Chu Qingluo and bowed to them: "Lord Chu, Seventh Prince."
Chu Qingluo looked at her and smiled, revealing her teeth: "Tong Ling is here."
"Lord Chu... Actually, Tong Ling has something she would like to discuss with you."
Seeing that Tong Ling, who was usually quick-witted, was hesitant to speak today, Chu Qingluo gave Ji Qiran a wink, signaling him to go first.
Ji Qiran was also quite sensible. He gently squeezed her palm and said, "Then I'll go check on how the Forget-Worry Pillow is coming along."
"Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
After Ji Qiran left, Tong Ling said, "Lord Chu and the Seventh Prince's relationship is indeed as rumored, they are very affectionate."
Chu Qinglu smiled, neither confirming nor denying. "Now that it's just the two of us, Tong Ling, feel free to speak your mind."
"grown ups……"
Tong Ling looked into Chu Qingluo's eyes, eyes that were calm, composed, and sincere. There was no condescension, nor any complexity caused by worldly troubles; they were simply looking back at her, giving Tong Ling more courage to say what she wanted to say...