Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 117
by Little PandaExtra 2: The ‘What If’ Timeline
Song Muyun was sent home in a daze.
One sentence echoed endlessly in her mind: The one I truly like is your friend.
Jiang Yao likes my friend…
For some reason, she wasn’t happy at all. She felt no joy that her friend had found someone she loved. Instead, a profound sense of resentment and anger began to surface. A cold, bleak feeling washed over her, and she returned home, crestfallen, without once looking back at Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao saw that her mood was off and, contrary to what one might expect, felt a flicker of delight.
Just as she was about to leave, the girl who had just gone inside came chasing back out. She grabbed Jiang Yao’s arm, her expression anything but pleasant as she asked coolly, “Which of my friends do you like?”
Jiang Yao, who in truth didn’t even know what her friends were called, grinned. “I like elegant women who can compose poetry. But she doesn’t know I like her yet. If I said her name now, it might be bad for her reputation. It’s best not to say for now. I’ll tell you after I’ve coaxed her into my hands. I’ve been out long enough today. Muyun, no need to see me out.”
Jiang Yao waved her other hand, shook off the one gripping her arm, and left.
Behind her, Song Muyun clenched her fists in anger. She doesn’t even like you yet, and you’re already so considerate of her reputation? You treat her so much better than you treat me.
The young lady didn’t recognize the sour, puckering feeling in her heart for what it was: jealousy. She was jealous—very, very jealous.
Soon, it was time for another banquet, this one for the Liang family’s Old Master’s birthday.
Jiang Yao had specifically asked her maternal grandfather to invite the Song family.
The next day, the two met at the Liang Residence.
For the past few days, Song Muyun had been turning the matter over and over in her mind, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out who Jiang Yao could possibly like.
She had a fair number of friends, but Jiang Yao almost always spoke only to her. How could she have fallen for one of her friends?
The girl was sullen and unhappy. When she saw Jiang Yao, she deliberately turned her face away, ignoring her.
It was only after a while, when Jiang Yao still hadn’t come over to her, that it dawned on her: they hadn’t made up yet. Jiang Yao probably didn’t want to talk to her.
A wave of disappointment washed over Song Muyun. She looked up at Jiang Yao from afar, thinking, Fine, like someone else. But you won’t even talk to me. You’re still upset over such a small thing. You definitely wouldn’t be so petty with the woman in your heart.
Jiang Yao was in the middle of greeting her relatives from the Liang family when she felt a silent, intense gaze fixed on her.
She turned her head. It was Song Muyun, of course.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with her Liang family relatives, she headed toward the Songs.
Song Muyun was still standing with Madam Song. The moment Madam Song saw Jiang Yao approach, she patted her daughter’s hand. “Go on and have fun. Remember to chat with the young ladies of the Liang family.”
“Yes, I know.”
Song Muyun agreed and walked toward Jiang Yao, but instead of stopping, she walked straight past her.
Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow and followed. “What’s this? Ignoring me now?”
The girl’s jealousy was obvious, though only she herself was unaware of it. “Aren’t you the one ignoring me?” she said. “Besides, on such a fine day, why come looking for me instead of the person on your heart?”
Jiang Yao walked alongside her, a light laugh escaping her lips, though her words were deliberately provocative. “I was waiting for you to take me to her. I don’t know her very well. What if I go over by myself and she ignores me?”
Hearing this, Song Muyun felt like she was about to explode with anger. In that instant, she decided she didn’t want to make up with Jiang Yao anymore. What a villain.
“I’m not taking you. If you want to go, go by yourself. Don’t drag me into it.”
She looked furious, her pace quickening. The jade waist pendants at her side collided, creating a crisp, pleasant sound, a stark contrast to her usual graceful and serene demeanor as a highborn lady. Jiang Yao had angered her so much she’d forgotten all about her composure.
Jiang Yao was intent on provoking her. She deliberately followed behind, greeting Song Muyun’s friends, laughing and chatting with them with the same intimacy she had once shown her. Soon, Song Muyun stopped hanging out with her friends altogether.
The same thing happened at the next few poetry gatherings. The young lady started spending her time alone. And not only that, she insisted Jiang Yao stay and keep her company.
She was cool and quiet, so it was mostly Jiang Yao who spoke while she listened.
Jiang Yao was restless by nature and couldn’t sit still. She looked up, thinking of finding a servant to fetch a pot of wine, but she saw Song Muyun’s eyes darken. “Jiang Yao, when you’re with me, you still have to look for her?”
“Hm?” Jiang Yao’s eyes were wide with confusion.
But the moment she asked, seeing Song Muyun’s displeased expression, she suddenly understood who she was talking about.
She smiled deliberately. “She’s the person on my heart. Of course I have to look for her.”
Song Muyun’s chest heaved with anger. She glared at Jiang Yao. “Then go find her. What are you still doing here with me?”
“I was just worried you’d be bored all by yourself. My kindness is completely wasted on you1.”
Her words only made the other girl angrier.
Song Muyun’s face paled, her eyelashes trembling. A thin mist of water veiled her eyes, a sight that would make anyone’s heart soften.
Jiang Yao mentally cursed herself. You just say whatever comes to mind. You’re such a son of a bitch.
The girl’s voice was trembling, too. “Who do you like?” she asked.
Those beautiful, watery eyes stared at her stubbornly.
How was Jiang Yao supposed to know who she liked? She still couldn’t quite remember the names of Song Muyun’s friends. She cleared her throat and said nothing, as if she were once again protecting the girl’s reputation.
Song Muyun’s expression grew colder. Just then, a young lady approached gracefully from a short distance away, smiling. “So you’re here! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Miss Jiang is here too. You two are truly inseparable2.”
Jiang Yao stood and gave her a fist-and-palm salute. A servant happened to be passing by with a tray of flower tea3. Jiang Yao promptly took a cup and offered it to the newcomer. “Have some tea to soothe your throat.”
Because she’d told Song Muyun that the person on her heart was one of her friends, she had indeed been paying extra attention to them lately.
Who knew that the moment the cup of tea was delivered, the atmosphere would turn sour.
Jiang Yao looked up and saw Song Muyun’s face suddenly darken, as if she were extremely displeased.
She glanced down. Oh. Muyun didn’t have any tea yet…
Her confidence wavered instantly.
The young lady who received the tea thanked Jiang Yao politely, then turned to Song Muyun and smiled. “Why are you looking at me like that? It’s as if I’ve stolen something of yours.”
At her words, Song Muyun finally retracted her gaze, though her expression was still grim.
Jiang Yao had only meant to tease her, but now that she was genuinely angry, Jiang Yao didn’t dare do anything more.
And she says she’s not into mirror polishing, Jiang Yao thought. Looks to me like your case is even more serious than mine.
Lin Shanya noticed that today’s Muyun didn’t seem to want to talk to her.
But why?
Her face full of sincere confusion, she asked, “Did I do something to offend you? Why are you so upset with me?”
Song Muyun’s face was impassive. “I’m not upset. You’re overthinking things.”
Lin Shanya: …Am I blind?
She looked at Jiang Yao in bewilderment. Jiang Yao had no desire to let her antics ruin a friendship, so she quickly said, “It’s nothing. I just made her angry. It has nothing to do with you.”
Then, turning to Song Muyun, she said in a gentle, coaxing tone, “Don’t be angry with me anymore. How about I buy you some tanghulu4 later?”
A sharp, sour feeling pierced Song Muyun’s heart, as if someone were pricking her with a needle, over and over. She didn’t want to talk to Jiang Yao anymore. Never again.
The young lady looked composed and mature, but she was only fifteen and couldn’t yet control her emotions well. In an instant, her eyes welled up with angry tears.
The friend who had come over to chat was suddenly afraid to speak. She looked helplessly at Jiang Yao, silently asking what was wrong.
Jiang Yao pressed her fingers to her forehead and said to Lin Shanya with a sigh, “You should head back first. I’ll calm her down.”
Terrified of being blamed for making her cry, Lin Shanya nodded hastily. She stood up and, with a semblance of poise, walked away at a very brisk pace.
Jiang Yao reached for Song Muyun’s hand, but it was slapped away, leaving a faint red mark on her skin. It was clear just how angry she was.
“Look at you, you’ve scared your friend away.”
Jiang Yao said it with a teasing smile, only to be met with another glare. Song Muyun’s voice was hoarse with unshed tears. “My friend was scared away, and you’re so very concerned. You like her, don’t you?”
Lin Shanya was from the Lin family, a noble house of scholars. She had been well-versed in poetry and the classics since childhood and was skilled in rites and music. Come to think of it, she was very similar to the person Jiang Yao had described. Perhaps it really was her…
Song Muyun clenched her fingers tightly.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and a string of tears suddenly fell.
Jiang Yao was stunned. She hadn’t actually meant to make her cry. Seeing the tears, she rushed over, pressed down on her fluffy head, and pulled her into an embrace, coaxing her urgently. “What are you crying for? We can talk things out. Why are you crying?”
As far as she was concerned, she had been talking things out.
Song Muyun gripped Jiang Yao’s hand and looked up at her, fresh tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. She asked again, “You like Shanya, don’t you?”
Jiang Yao froze. She didn’t have time to speak before Song Muyun answered for her. “You really do like her. Since you like her, why did you come looking for me?”
She pushed Jiang Yao away and lowered her head, weeping silently.
Jiang Yao was at a complete loss when she was like this. She wanted to comfort her, but before she did, she decided to light one last fire, to grit her teeth and coax the person on her heart into her hands today. “You have a point,” she said. “Should I go find her now? Don’t cry. Be strong. When I’m with her in the future, there’ll be no one left to coax you.”
Song Muyun felt as if she’d been struck by lightning5.
She told Jiang Yao to go, and Jiang Yao was actually going to go!
“You dare! Jiang Yao!!!”
The young lady completely lost control of her emotions and erupted in fury.
Jiang Yao struggled to suppress the upward curve of her lips, looking at her calmly. Her voice even held a trace of a question. “Weren’t you the one who told me to go?”
“I’ve thought about it, and it makes sense. After all, you’re not into ‘mirror polishing’, and I’ll have a xifu’er someday. Once I have a xifu’er, I can only coax my xifu’er. If I’m still coaxing other girls, my xifu’er will definitely get jealous. So, while I haven’t found a xifu’er yet, you should learn to be strong. Don’t cry at the drop of a hat. In the future, there won’t be anyone to wipe your tears.”
She deliberately fanned the flames, making Song Muyun’s tears fall, plip-plop.
Fortunately, to avoid her friends, she had found a secluded spot. Otherwise, if word got out that Jiang Yao had made her cry, her father would be at the Jiang Residence with a sword by tomorrow.
“Shut up!” Song Muyun glared at Jiang Yao, her voice filled with resentment.
Glaring was such a rude gesture, something she would never have done before meeting Jiang Yao. But after meeting her…
Someone was being driven to the brink of madness; she had no time for etiquette.
Being yelled at, Jiang Yao even managed to look a little wronged. “Why are you being so fierce? You’re the one who didn’t want to be my friend and thought my ‘mirror polishing’ was shameful.”
“I did not! You’re lying! I never said I didn’t want to be your friend, and I never thought you were shameful!”
She had thought Jiang Yao was a carefree person who didn’t mind anything. Only today did she realize how petty she could be. That had happened so long ago, and she was still bringing it up!
Hadn’t she already forgiven her?
After her outburst, the young lady looked pitiful again. But she knew she had no right to meddle in Jiang Yao’s affairs. Even if Jiang Yao wanted to find a xifu’er, what did that have to do with her?
The person she liked wasn’t her. What right did she have to be a busybody?
Song Muyun gradually let the fierce, wolf-cub expression fade from her face, her voice now just a wounded, hoarse whisper. “I’m never speaking to you again. Go find her. From now on, you can be with her. Don’t come looking for me.”
Jiang Yao’s heart sank. Oh, crap. I’ve taken it too far6.
She finally felt a little nervous. She crouched down to speak to Song Muyun face-to-face, her smile helpless and guilty. “Why won’t you talk to me anymore? I was joking. I want to be with you.”
“You already like her, but you still want to be with me. People really are fickle7. Women and men are all the same.”
She finished coldly and turned her face away.
Jiang Yao didn’t speak, just stared intently at Song Muyun.
At least, that’s how it looked on the surface.
Inwardly, she was so clueless about how to comfort her that she kind of wanted to just drop dead.
Being stared at so intensely, the sense of grievance in Song Muyun’s heart grew stronger. The heat she had just suppressed rushed back to her eyes. She sniffled, then suddenly shoved Jiang Yao. The push caught Jiang Yao completely off guard, and Song Muyun demanded, “Since you were going to leave me sooner or later, why did you approach me in the first place!”
Fuck, my xifu’er is really strong when she’s angry.
Jiang Yao scrambled up from the ground with difficulty and sighed dramatically. “It’s not that I want to leave you. It’s just that you don’t like me.”
Song Muyun was impatient. “I already told you I don’t…”
She stopped abruptly. Her brow furrowed, and her fingertips curled secretly inside her sleeves. The meaning of her words this time seemed different from before.
A suspicion bloomed in her mind, but… how could that be possible?
Song Muyun reached out almost helplessly, her hand fumbling across the stone table, but she found nothing. Only then did she remember: she had no tea. Jiang Yao had given tea to Shanya, not to her.
Her small, pale hand suddenly clenched into a fist out of anger, and she slammed it on the stone table.
Jiang Yao was startled. She instinctively reached out and covered Song Muyun’s hand, chiding, “This table is cold and hard! You shouldn’t hit it, no matter how angry you are!”
Song Muyun turned her head away, not wanting to talk about the table. She wanted to ask what kind of ‘like’ she meant. She wanted… she wanted Jiang Yao to like her, but she didn’t know how to say it. Biting her red lip, Song Muyun was so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Jiang Yao saw that the time was right. She suddenly spoke, feigning disappointment. “If you could like me, I wouldn’t need to go and like someone else.”
Song Muyun’s whole body went stiff. The fingers enveloped in Jiang Yao’s hand curled helplessly. She didn’t dare look at her directly, her gaze drifting elsewhere as she spoke in a tiny, whisper-thin voice, “But I… I don’t dislike you. And you still went to like someone else.”
“Not that kind of like.”
Jiang Yao stared at her, finally confirming her suspicion. “I’m talking about the love between women. Romantic love. The kind of love where you want to spend a lifetime together.”
Song Muyun’s eyes gradually widened. She found it hard to believe, yet at the same time, it felt inevitable. Jiang Yao was gentler and more attentive to her than her own parents. Of course it wasn’t for nothing.
Even so, an uncontrollable joy bubbled up inside her, something she couldn’t explain or articulate.
She lowered her head, flustered. She should have refused, but instead she found herself saying, “My father and mother won’t agree.”
Jiang Yao heard the opening and smiled. She squeezed her hand and said earnestly, “As long as you agree, that’s all that matters. As for your father and mother, my parents will persuade them.”
Song Muyun: ???
“The Prime Minister and Madam Jiang agree to you… you…?”
She was too reserved to say the words.
But Jiang Yao knew what she meant. She hummed in affirmation and explained, “My parents have always been very indulgent of me. If I truly like you, they won’t stand in my way.”
She knew her parents so well. It was bound to be true.
The Prime Minister and his wife are so wonderful… Song Muyun thought, dazed.
As she was feeling envious, she heard Jiang Yao say, “It’s a pity you said you’re not into ‘mirror polishing’, and you won’t like me. I’ll just have to find someone else.”
Song Muyun’s pupils contracted. She bit her lip and looked up, seeing genuine regret in Jiang Yao’s eyes, as if this was where they would have to part ways, all because she didn’t like her.
Something flashed through her mind, and she instinctively retorted, “Who says I don’t like you? Jiang Yao, you dare find someone else!”
They hadn’t even known each other for that long, but her possessiveness over Jiang Yao was stronger than anything. She didn’t want Jiang Yao to have other friends. She didn’t want her to be good to anyone else.
She wanted Jiang Yao to be good only to her.
In just a few months, her feelings for Jiang Yao had surpassed those for many others, second only to her family. She hadn’t even realized herself how much she liked Jiang Yao.
Just seeing Jiang Yao exchange a few more words with someone else was enough to make her heart ache with jealousy.
It was manageable before, but ever since she learned Jiang Yao was into ‘mirror polishing’, she felt upset whether Jiang Yao was talking to a man or a woman. Her heart felt heavy and stifled.
But… a relationship between two women was against the laws of heaven8.
On one hand, she forbade Jiang Yao from finding someone else; on the other, she was completely at a loss, unsure of what to do.
Her father and mother would never agree. If they knew about Jiang Yao’s intentions, they might even forbid her from visiting the Song Residence again and hastily marry her off.
What would she do then?
Her pearly white teeth bit down on her lip until she tasted a hint of iron, but she still couldn’t find a solution. How could a man as stubborn as her father possibly listen to the Prime Minister?
Jiang Yao didn’t know she was thinking so far ahead; she only knew that she had agreed.
She said she didn’t dislike her, and she forbade her from finding someone else.
It had been so long since she’d felt this happy. She tried her best to suppress the joyous emotion, almost wanting to lean in and shamelessly kiss her. But she was afraid that a proper young lady like her wouldn’t be able to handle it, so she held back for now.
Instead, she said in a soft, gentle voice, “I won’t find anyone else. If you’re willing to have a secret affair9 with me, I’ll only seek you.”
A deep blush spread across Song Muyun’s face. She mumbled in embarrassment and annoyance, “What ‘secret affair’? If you don’t know how to talk, then don’t.”
She didn’t even dare to look at Jiang Yao, utterly mortified by the improper phrase.
The more Jiang Yao looked at her xifu’er, the more she liked her. Even her shyness was incredibly alluring. Jiang Yao stared, dumbfounded for a moment, before clearing her throat and suddenly saying, “I don’t believe you like me.”
Song Muyun: ?
She forgot her shyness, terrified that Jiang Yao would go find someone else. “I already told you I like you! Why don’t you believe me? Jiang Yao! You’re not allowed to not believe me!” she said angrily.
Her voice was naturally a little sweet, and at her young age, it still had a touch of girlishness. It made Jiang Yao’s heart melt. She really wanted to pinch her cheek.
Fine, I’ll endure for now. After all, she had an even more outrageous request to make.
The expression of the capital’s most infamous wastrel, the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family, suddenly became firm. She looked at Song Muyun with utmost seriousness.
Song Muyun’s heart skipped a beat. Then she heard Jiang Yao say, “Unless you kiss me, I won’t believe you really like me.”
…
“Jiang Yao!”
She was even more annoyed now. A fifteen-year-old girl, if her family doted on her at all, wouldn’t have even begun to discuss marriage prospects. How… how could she kiss someone? Such an intimate act was something that should only happen after marriage, and even then, only at night.
And to make matters worse, they were two women. They couldn’t get married.
Jiang Yao pouted. “Why are you being so fierce? You’re not even willing to kiss me, yet you dare say you like me. You must be lying. You’re just saying you like me now so we can be together. When you don’t feel like it anymore, who knows where you’ll toss me aside.”
Her words stung. How could Song Muyun ever do something like that? She immediately denied it. “You’re lying! I would never! I’m not a fickle person like you!”
Jiang Yao retorted, “I’m not a fickle person either! The moment you liked me, I stopped liking anyone else. I only like you. I couldn’t be more devoted. You know how well I usually treat you. Only your gifts are the ones I pick out with the utmost care!”
Song Muyun thought of the large jade flower on her bedside table and fell silent.
Actually, it would be fine if she let someone else pick out the gifts.
Jiang Yao waited for Song Muyun’s response. Seeing that she remained silent, she grew impatient. She tapped her fingers on the stone table, urging her on. Her eyes narrowed as she pressed, “Are you really not going to kiss me?”
Song Muyun sulked and ignored her. She had never done anything so out of line before. Naturally, she didn’t dare.
But in the next second, a soft sensation brushed against her cheek. Something warm and soft pressed against her skin and stayed there for a good long while.
Song Muyun’s eyes, originally shy and timid, gradually filled with shock. They widened and widened, as if she couldn’t believe Jiang Yao would do such a thing.
She could actually do this to me!
The young lady stared blankly ahead, unable to process what had happened. After a while, Jiang Yao finally moved away from her face. Song Muyun turned her head in a daze and met Jiang Yao’s eyes. She snapped back to reality, gritting her teeth, wanting to scold her, but realized that she, being so proper, didn’t know any good curses.
Besides, Jiang Yao was incredibly petty. If she scolded her, she would definitely start ignoring her again!
That would be a terrible loss.
Song Muyun swallowed her anger with great grievance.
She just turned her face to the side and ignored her.
Jiang Yao, who had just thought she was about to get slapped, was floored. !!! I… I actually got away with it!
If she’s not angry about that, then another kiss should be fine, right?
Right? Right?
The soft feeling seemed to linger on her lips. For a moment, lust overcame her, and her mind went blank. She lowered her head and went in for another kiss. This time, she was finally pushed away with a mixture of shock and fury.
Song Muyun shot to her feet, her slender body trembling with anger. “Jiang Yao, you… you… you’re bullying me again and again!”
Jiang Yao wouldn’t accept that accusation. She said indignantly, “There was no ‘again and again’! I only bullied you twice! Besides, what’s wrong with kissing the person on my heart? Or do you not like me?”
She had twisted the conversation right back around. Of course Song Muyun didn’t dislike her. But if she said she didn’t like her, she would go find Lin Shanya!
How could she let that happen?
The young lady fumed and fumed, and after a long while, all she could manage was, “It’s broad daylight. Don’t get handsy10. It’s not proper!”
Jiang Yao smiled. She didn’t know when it had started, but in front of her, Muyun no longer had that cool, fairy-like demeanor. Instead, she was always getting angered to the point of glaring and stomping her feet, showing a vitality more suited to her age, which made her all the more lovable.
She teased her deliberately, “Are you saying it’s okay at night?”
Song Muyun’s eyes widened, and she immediately denied it. “Of course not! That’s not what I meant! You’re not allowed to act recklessly.”
Jiang Yao was always spouting nonsense, always saying these things to embarrass her. She was the worst.
Even as she thought about how annoying she was, the tips of her jade-white ears couldn’t help but turn red. Her eyelashes trembled with shyness.
Jiang Yao crossed her arms, her long hair blowing messily in the wind. She paid no attention to Song Muyun’s words and affirmed on her own, “Then it’s settled for nighttime. I’ll come find you secretly. Let me have a couple of kisses, okay? If not, at least let me hold your hand?”
Song Muyun’s eyes widened once more. She felt that ever since they had confessed their feelings, this person had become exceptionally shameless. How could she say such lecherous11 things!
“No! No touching! Our… our matter still needs to be considered at length12.”
The moment she heard “considered at length,” Jiang Yao grew displeased. She looked at her suspiciously. “You’re not thinking of backing out, are you?”
“Of course not. I’m just worried about my father…”
A shadow of worry crossed her features. Seeing this, Jiang Yao felt a sense of relief. As long as she wasn’t planning to back out, it was fine.
She took Song Muyun’s soft, pale hand. There wasn’t a single callus on it; it was incredibly tender, completely different from her own hand, which was calloused from years of sword practice.
Jiang Yao was fascinated. She couldn’t help but knead it a couple of times. Seeing that she was about to blush again, she quickly put on a serious expression. “You don’t have to worry about this matter. My father will handle it. He’ll help us.”
She had no hesitation in pushing the matter onto her old man. In his residence, Jiang Heng let out two consecutive sneezes13, never imagining who could possibly be thinking of him at a time like this.
Footnotes
- Original: hǎoxīn dàngchéng lǘgānfèi (好心当成驴肝肺), literally 'good intentions are treated as a donkey's liver and lungs'. An idiom for having one's kindness mistaken for ill will or being completely unappreciated.
- Original: jiāo bù lí mèng, mèng bù lí jiāo (焦不离孟，孟不离焦). An idiom referring to Jiao Zan and Meng Liang, two famously inseparable generals from the Song dynasty. It means 'two peas in a pod' or 'thick as thieves'.
- Huāchá (花茶) is a type of tea made by infusing tea leaves with flower blossoms, such as jasmine, osmanthus, or chrysanthemum.
- Tánghúlu (糖葫芦) are skewers of fruit, most commonly hawthorn berries, coated in a hard candy shell. They are a popular traditional snack in Northern China.
- Original: qíngtiān pīlì (晴天霹雳), literally 'a thunderclap on a clear day'. An idiom for a sudden, shocking event; a bolt from the blue.
- Original: wán tuō le (玩脱了), literally 'played until it came off'. A colloquial phrase meaning to have taken a joke or prank too far, resulting in an unintended negative consequence.
- Original: sān xīn èr yì (三心二意), literally 'three hearts, two minds'. An idiom for being fickle, indecisive, or half-hearted.
- Original: yǒu wéi tiān lǐ (有违天理), literally 'to violate the principles of Heaven'. A phrase meaning something is against the natural order of things or morally unacceptable.
- Original: àn dù chén cāng (暗度陈仓). This is a famous historical allusion from the Chu-Han Contention. General Han Xin openly repaired the main roads while secretly marching his army along a hidden path to Chencang, achieving a surprise victory. It has since become an idiom for any clandestine operation, often used to refer to a secret love affair.
- Original: dòng shǒu dòng jiǎo (动手动脚), literally 'to move hands and feet'. An idiom for getting handsy or making unwanted physical advances.
- Dēngtúzǐ (登徒子) is a classical literary allusion to a lecherous man from a poem by Song Yu. The term is now used to mean a libertine or a lecher.
- Original: cóng cháng jì yì (从长计议), literally 'to discuss from a long-term perspective'. An idiom meaning to take one's time to consider something carefully and plan for the future.
- In China and many other East Asian cultures, it is a common superstition that if you sneeze, it means someone is talking about you.
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