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Finest Servant Chapter 553
🕑 Added 2023-10-12 12:18:18 +0000 UTCChapter 553 Teaching You How to Act
"What do you mean, 'Actor'?" The Turkic girl glanced at him, her expression a mix of shyness and confusion. "I don't understand what you're saying!"
Lin Wanrong shook his head at a leisurely pace, a small smile gracing his lips. "A good actor needs to not only distinguish between different scenes and moments but also control their gaze. When you are expressing your love for someone, your eyes must be filled with deep emotion and passion. Understand this: every time you look away, it signifies a momentary distraction, which could be fatal to your performance. Look at me—"
Yujia couldn't help but lift her head. Before her, Lin Wanrong's face was adorned with a subtle smile, his eyes locked onto her own. His eyes were as clear as water, the dark pupils reflecting a beautiful image. His demeanor was as natural as a breeze brushing against one's cheek, filled with love and focus.
"What—what are you doing?!" Yujia panicked; the thumping of her heart was unmistakable.
"I am teaching you how to act!" Lin Wanrong stared at her beautiful face, his expression serious. "When you're facing someone you love, your emotions may cause your heart to race or your voice to quiver, but your eyes must remain steadfast and passionate, conveying the depth of your feelings. Like how I am looking at you now—"
Moonlight, quiet as water, spilled gently through the window, the plains outside so still you could hear the grass breathing. Lin Wanrong gazed at her, his voice as soothing as a hypnotic incantation.
Their cheeks were inches apart, eyes meeting as if their breaths were mingling. Locked onto his deeply emotive eyes, Yujia found her breath hitching, her chest heaving with tension. She quickly turned her head away, her cheeks flushed with anger. "You despicable bandit! Don't cast your spells on me! I will not yield!"
"Spells?" Lin Wanrong shook his head. "Miss Yujia, you give me too much credit. It's you who've been casting spells on me all along, so much that I've lost count!"
"I did no such thing!" Yujia hummed softly, her voice feeble.
Lin Wanrong gave a simple "oh," his eyes gleaming as he smiled at her. Yujia felt unnerved under his gaze; her cheeks turned even redder. She hurriedly looked away and scolded softly, "What are you staring at? You despicable bandit!"
‘It seems I can't shake off the title of 'bandit,'’ Lin Wanrong said with a wry smile, gently patting Yujia's head. "The age-old saying still holds, young lady—innocence is a virtue."
"Whether I'm innocent or not is none of your business!" The Turkic girl retorted with cold sarcasm. "You keep talking about acting—well, you're the real actor here! Your entire life is a performance! Bah, you despicable bandit, loathsome scoundrel!"
Watching Yujia's righteous indignation and profuse cursing, Lin Wanrong laughed heartily. "Miss Yujia, I didn't expect you to see through my nature so quickly! You're right; my life has been nothing but a play. Unfortunately, you'll never understand."
He sighed, his smile tinged with a hint of loneliness.
"You're so full of yourself!" Looking at Lin Wanrong's expression, Yujia found it incredibly irritating. She lowered her head and muttered her complaint.
The tent fell into a momentary silence, neither of them uttering a word. The silver moonlight streamed into the felt chamber, casting a cool, ethereal glow.
Yujia had no desire to engage him further. But with only the two of them inside the tent, and him sitting so close, she couldn't possibly fall asleep. Casting a slight glance his way, she noticed that the bandit had already sat down. Somehow, he had produced an envelope, and was smiling as he stared at the letter inside, lost in thought. Moonlight spilled onto the paper, revealing a series of exquisitely drawn women, captured in various postures—some in motion, some still, some smiling, some frowning. The bandit caressed the letter lovingly, his eyes gleaming greedily, and saliva trailing down from his mouth.
The Turkic young woman let out a disdainful "tch" and exclaimed, "You really are despicable. I wonder whose portraits of women you've stolen to entertain yourself like this!"
Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Well, you're nosy. What's wrong with admiring a portrait of my wife?" He stashed the letter into his robe, and then casually produced a blood-stained piece of silk, slowly unfolding it before Yujia's eyes.
Yujia stared, then her face turned pale. "This...this is my portrait. Where did you get this?"
Lin Wanrong winked and started to pack up the silk, "Where it came from is not your concern. I'm merely passing along a message—Miss Yujia, your people miss you. They're wondering when you'll return to the Turkic court."
Yujia clenched her fists, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, "Don't think you'll get anything from me, you despicable Great Hua bandit. I will never submit to a wolf like you!"
Lin Wanrong nonchalantly waved his hand, "No need to answer. I can guess, can't I? Coming from the royal court, educated, and beautiful, and even having artists draw your portrait—you must be someone important. A princess or something of the sort, am I right?"
Her eyes calm as still water, a sarcastic smile crept onto Yujia's lips, "Aren't you the cleverest man in all of the Great Hua Empire? If you can even count the lines on your palm, why ask me?"
Lin Wanrong had already experienced Yujia's resolve and tenacity. Seeing her unfazed demeanor and hearing her flawless speech, he wasn't surprised. Nodding, he smiled, "No rush, we have all the time in the world. We can play the long game—maybe even forever." He handed the silk back to her, "Here, this is yours."
"Give it back to me?" Yujia was taken aback, staring at him incredulously, "Are you really giving it back? Are you actually being kind?"
"What else could I do?" Lin Wanrong sighed, "If I keep it, you'll think I have ulterior motives. Better to give it back to you, then I can be at ease."
Her pretty face flushed, Yujia lowered her head and tightly gripped the silk in her hand.
Lin Wanrong shook his head, patting her gently, "It's getting late. I have things to attend to. You should get some sleep. Remember to count the lines on your palm, see how much sorrow and happiness you've had. That's all one can expect in a lifetime—hey, why are you staring at me like that?"
Yujia's lips moved hesitantly a few times before she finally let out a hum. Softly, she said, "I wonder if you're just putting on a show. Is that palm reading really that effective?"
"Do not doubt! Less skepticism, more sincerity," Lin Wanrong replied calmly, "From a human perspective, aside from ethnic differences, there's no fundamental difference between you and me."
Yujia pondered over his words for a while, feeling they held deep meanings. Even with her intelligence, she couldn't grasp them immediately. As she watched him stride towards the tent's exit, she hesitated for a moment and then softly called out, "Wo Lao Gong—"
"Hmm?" The bandit turned around with a smile, "I love hearing you call my name, Little sister Yueya’er. What do you want?"
This man's mood changed faster than flipping a page! Yueya’er gritted her teeth and said seriously, "If you truly wish to learn the Turkic language, I'm willing to teach you. And I guarantee my pronunciation is a hundred times better than your subordinates."
"Thank you!" Lin Wanrong waved without looking back, "You know, I'm an actor. Don't take my words too seriously. I have no interest in the Turkic language or Turkic women."
There was a soft "snap" behind him, echoing distinctly in the quiet night, startling Lin Wanrong. He turned around to see Yueya’er's portrait lying on the ground behind him. Yujia, lying on the bed, had cold, steely eyes.
With her hands tied together, how could she have thrown the portrait so far? Lin Wanrong stared in disbelief. Yujia glared at him angrily, her eyes unblinking. Her long eyelashes, under the cold moonlight, resembled the misty rain of March.
‘It's an act! It must be an act!’ Lin Wanrong thought, feeling a chill in his heart, and quickly stepped out of the tent.
His steps were swift, and as he lifted the curtain, he felt as if he had bumped into two mountains. Before he could dodge, he crashed into them. "Ouch!" Two strong figures fell heavily to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Brother Gao, Brother Hu, what are you two doing here?" Lin Wanrong said, looking at the two men on the ground, both amused and annoyed.
Gao Qiu rubbed his buttocks as he stood up, chuckling, "Nothing, nothing. The night was so beautiful, I couldn't sleep. So, I invited Hu Bugui out for a chat. Right, Old Hu?"
He sneakily pinched Old Hu a few times. Hu Bugui's face turned red as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Yes, yes, just chatting."
"Oh, so you chose to chat in front of my tent in the middle of the night," Lin Wanrong said with a sarcastic smile, "You both are in such high spirits."
What kind of person is Brother Lin? He's as cunning as a fox! Gao Qiu knew he couldn't deceive him and quickly said, "Actually, chatting was secondary. We mainly wanted to hear how Brother Lin showcased his prowess and conquered Yueya’er."
"Yes, yes, Old Gao is right. We came to eavesdrop," the honest Old Hu hastily added.
"Oh, eavesdropping, I see," Lin Wanrong grinned, "So, what did you two hear?"
Gao Qiu laughed lewdly, "It was even more intense than we imagined. Brother Lin, you were truly impressive. Your tactics were brilliant. She took the bait completely unaware! Truly, it's all about emotions, with a touch of force. Admirable, truly admirable!"
"What's all this talk about taking the bait?" Lin Wanrong chuckled. "What kind of person do you take me for? Brother Gao, one must remain pure!"
Gao Qiu nodded solemnly, his expression utterly serious. "Pure enough to tame a wild horse? In the past, I would never have believed it! But after hearing your plan today, I finally get it. Whenever you, Brother Lin, take action, the pure can turn salacious, and the salacious can turn pure! Your theatrical brilliance today is absolutely awe-inspiring. Your skill is as subtle as it is profound—leaving no traces, yet effective in every way. Yueya’er has no idea she's trapped in her own play. Indeed, he who seeks to control others is controlled in turn. It's both laughable and lamentable! Only you, Brother Lin, move freely and effortlessly. It seems like there's no trickery, but in fact, every move is calculated. How can I sum this up but to say it's brilliant!"
"All this talk about trickery—Brother Gao, you're making me dizzy!" Lin Wanrong laughed. "You're overthinking it. I'm not that cunning! I just return what others try to do to me—that's all, nothing intentional."
After both men shared a laugh, Hu Bugui finally spoke. "General, the scouts we sent to Ha'er Helin and Ejina have just sent back information. They have located both tribes! As we expected, these tribes still maintain a significant military force—over four thousand strong men!"
Lin Wanrong nodded and said, "They are probably waiting for news from Zozan and Soranki. They won't make any moves for the time being."
Gao Qiu frowned. "This is problematic. If they remain holed up, with over four thousand men guarding Ejina, we might suffer significant losses trying to pass through to Yiwu. The risk may outweigh the reward."
Hu Bugui nodded in agreement. Lin Wanrong smiled and said, "Brother Gao, no need to worry. The greatest advantage of waging war to support war is that we have no burdens. We can attack or retreat as we wish. No one knows where we'll strike next. The initiative is entirely in our hands! On the other hand, the tribesmen must defend their territory, leaving them on the defensive. That's not their style! With some tactics, taking Ejina won't be a problem. To be honest, what I'm most worried about isn't on the grasslands—"
"Not on the grasslands?" Hu Bugui exclaimed. "General, are you referring to Advisor Xu?"
Lin Wanrong nodded and sighed. "Going deep into the grasslands is thrilling, but it also severs our contact with the outside world. How are things at the Helan Mountains? How is Miss Xu? Has she received the message I sent her? All of this is an unknown, and that's our greatest pain."
