Chapter Seventy-One: Three Women Without Water

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“How could I not? It’s mainly because things are complicated here and I can’t reveal my identity. But I think about you every day.” Liu Yunfei felt a pang of guilt. Had he known, he wouldn’t have bought those three golden roses that day—he hadn’t thought of this girl at all. Still, recalling the sales clerk’s suggestion to engrave “I will love you forever” three times, he sighed. The heart’s desires are truly exhausting; why isn’t there someone to share this burden with?

“Why is that Chinese woman still here? Didn’t you say she’d left?” Shalina pressed, unwilling to let the matter drop.

“Her name is Yu Qing. She’s realized her mistake—who doesn’t err? If you can correct your errors, that’s what I like,” Liu Yunfei said, pulling Shalina to sit beside him on the sofa, gently caressing her soft, silken hair.

“Shalina doesn’t mind how many women Yunfei has, as long as you remember I’m thinking of you. And Yunfei, be careful of wicked women—don’t let them seduce you. If anything happens to you, Shalina will be heartbroken,” she murmured, resting her head in the crook of his arm.

Arab women are wonderful, Liu Yunfei thought. No wonder those Saudis take several wives—it’s because their women don’t get jealous. He’d worried Shalina might clash with Yu Qing, but now it seemed unlikely.

“Shalina, you’re so sweet—how could I not miss you? Come, has your little tongue grown longer? Let me taste it,” Liu Yunfei began coaxing the young woman.

“No. You’re my uncle now,” Shalina refused, lips shut tight, which only made Liu Yunfei want to kiss her more.

“That’s pretend uncle—let Yunfei try your lips, just to see…” Liu Yunfei’s words were cut off by a sudden, urgent knock at the door. “Who is it? Of all times, you had to interrupt now,” he grumbled, releasing the blushing Shalina.

He opened the door to find Yu Qing holding a glass of juice. Guilty, Liu Yunfei quickly straightened his clothes. “Weren’t you in the kitchen?” he asked, realizing too late that this only made things more obvious—he shouldn’t have said that, as it revealed he’d come while she was away.

“Mm.” Yu Qing was visibly stunned, wondering what was really between these two. Weren’t they supposed to be uncle and niece? Something felt off. Her gaze swept over Shalina, who was flushed and breathless, clearly not normal.

“What are you doing here? Out, out! We women need to talk—men, go away!” Yu Qing shooed Liu Yunfei out of the room and shut the door.

“Hey, don’t! I was just discussing Shalina’s Quran studies with her, don’t get the wrong idea,” Liu Yunfei protested outside, shamelessly wondering if, back in the day, Muhammad and his female disciples also “studied the Quran” like this. Maybe he should start his own religion someday, gather a host of female disciples, and study the Quran with them every day.

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Turning around, he found Ram standing behind him. “I told you to walk heavier-footed—every time you sneak around like a ghost, you scare the children!”

Ram watched Liu Yunfei’s retreating figure as he walked downstairs, feeling a bit aggrieved—clearly, he was lost in some mischievous thoughts, and even when she tugged at his sleeve, he didn’t react.

Soon Liu Yunfei realized he was being isolated. He’d thought having so many beautiful women around would let him enjoy the lavish, polygamous lifestyle of an Arab magnate; instead, the more beauties he had, the less he could indulge. Even Yu Qing refused to sleep in his room at night, saying she’d stay with Shalina to share a bed and talk by candlelight. Yet even the most cunning hunter has his lapse: when Yu Qing went to help in the kitchen, Liu Yunfei, delighted, sneaked into Shalina’s room—only to be disappointed, as Ram was there again, watching him closely, making it impossible to act.

The three women were like sisters, laughing and calling each other affectionately, as if they’d completely forgotten Liu Yunfei’s existence. This couldn’t go on—he needed to reassert his authority.

“What are you all doing? Am I the forgotten corner of love?” Liu Yunfei shouted.

“Who’s yelling in the bathtub all alone?” Yu Qing’s voice replied from outside, louder than his own.

“No one, I’m reciting the Quran,” he answered, thinking to himself that fearing one’s wife is true happiness; small patience prevents great chaos. He wondered why Yu Qing wasn’t gossiping with the other two today. Ah well, if he couldn’t have Shalina, he’d seize the chance with Yu Qing—he dashed out naked, only to see Yu Qing leaving the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

The three girls huddled together all day, whispering and laughing. Were they talking bad about him? Liu Yunfei got dressed and decided to mimic Ram, eavesdropping around corners, only to find someone else had beaten him to it—furtively lurking outside Shalina’s door. “Hey, what are you doing?”

The amiable steward, Shadi, turned around. “Ah, young master, they’re changing clothes inside and asked me to stand outside.”

“Oh, I thought you shared my interests,” Liu Yunfei muttered.

“I’ll go accompany the young prince for his practice now,” Shadi offered a salute.

“Wait, what kind of practice does the young prince do?” Liu Yunfei had wanted to ask for a while. Every time he saw Awari training, it made him uneasy. The movements didn’t look odd, but Awari’s aura seemed strange and sinister, though Liu Yunfei couldn’t pinpoint why. He tried to reassure himself that everyone’s methods are different; those vampires use evil arts, yet Gao Renhou hadn’t turned bad. To be honest, he didn’t really understand those practices—being an outsider, he had no right to judge.

“It’s a family secret, never taught to outsiders—I only passed it on to the young prince,” Shadi answered cautiously.

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“Oh, alright, carry on,” Liu Yunfei conceded. There was nothing he could do; a family secret meant he had no business prying—it wasn’t his place to force someone to reveal ancestral secrets.

When he knocked and entered the room, the three women were seated on the sofa, examining something dazzling and golden. Damn that Yu Qing—so that’s what she was doing in his room earlier, taking out the golden flower to display as a treasure.

Now Liu Yunfei felt a pang of regret—he shouldn’t have come. Shalina and Ram looked at him strangely, while Yu Qing seemed unfazed, rushing over to take his hand. “Darling, they say this flower is beautiful. Where did you buy it? Shalina says she wants her boyfriend to get her one too.”

Now there was no way to escape; he had to sit among them. “Well, if you like it, I’ll give each of you one.”

Yu Qing’s gaze changed as well. “Should we engrave ‘I love you forever’ too? Or maybe ‘I love you all forever’?”

“That’s, um, not…” Liu Yunfei blushed to the roots of his ears, unable to find words.

“Brother Awashid just wants us all to be happy, right?” Ram chimed in, and Liu Yunfei wanted nothing more than to kiss the little rascal.

“Exactly, exactly—everyone’s happiness matters. As the saying goes, joy shared is joy multiplied. For your happiness, I’ll bear a little grievance; as long as you’re all happy, it doesn’t matter,” Liu Yunfei feigned a look of martyrdom.

“I don’t want the rose from Uncle Awashid,” Shalina chimed in to break the tension, giving Liu Yunfei a sidelong glance. “I want my boyfriend to give me one.”

“Right—what uncle gives a niece a rose? Isn’t that…” Yu Qing’s face brightened, but when she said ‘niece,’ she glanced meaningfully at Liu Yunfei.

The women in the room all laughed, and Liu Yunfei could only join in. Ah, the ancients were right: one monk fetches water, two monks carry water, three women—no water at all.