Kneeling and Kowtowing

"Ah, dang it, country bumpkin, I lost again! What bad luck!" Li Yanhao slapped his thigh in frustration but didn't cheat; he threw back the small cup of wine in one gulp.

Xiao Yun, having won several rounds, rubbed his hands together and grinned: "Young master, don't blame me if I win! If it's too much, should I let you win a bit?"

Li Yanhao refused immediately, slapping Xiao Yun's arm and shouting, "Let you win? Back home, those brats always let me win when we played finger-guessing and drank together. What's the fun in that? No, no, don't let me win. Let's continue, keep going!"

Li Yanhao rolled up his sleeves, ready to continue the game, when suddenly he heard a man's voice nearby.

"Your servant greets the young master, wishes you a happy Lantern Festival, all the best, and worry-free affairs."

Su Shimao lifted the hem of his long robe and knelt at Li Yanhao's feet.

Xiao Yun glanced sideways, noticing Su Shimao's face glowing pale and smooth under the blue-white oil lamp. Su Shimao's voice seemed deliberately strained, making Xiao Yun, a rough man, feel uncomfortable and shiver.

Li Yanhao, however, paid no attention to Su Shimao, focusing solely on winning the game back. Being a pampered young master, he was used to people kowtowing to him. Seeing Su Shimao kneeling didn't seem unusual; instead, he urged Xiao Yun to continue.

"Country bumpkin, come on, let's continue!" Li Yanhao rolled up his sleeves and resumed the finger-guessing game with Xiao Yun.

Su Shimao knelt beside Li Yanhao, wondering what kind of men Li Yanhao liked. He glanced secretly at Xiao Yun, seeing for the first time that the country bumpkin was actually quite handsome — healthy honey-colored skin, muscular arm visible, broad shoulders, and a lean, strong figure.

Su Shimao knew Xiao Yun's figure and looks were top-notch and thought no wonder Li Yanhao was so captivated by him, spending all day together.

Su Shimao then considered his own condition — a scholarly, weak type, completely opposite to Xiao Yun's strong and masculine build — and felt a bit discouraged, fearing Li Yanhao might not fancy him.

But then he thought, most men from noble families were fickle and unfaithful, unlikely to love only one type. Maybe Li Yanhao liked both the country bumpkin and a scholarly weakling like him?

With this thought, Su Shimao straightened his back, kneeling with a refined but unyielding posture despite being on his knees.

Behind him, Su Li watched Su Shimao and blinked, whispering to Aunt Chen, "Auntie, don't you think something's off about Su Shimao?"

Chen nodded, "Yes, there's something not quite right about him."

But Chen couldn't quite figure out what it was that felt off.

Su Li stared at Su Shimao's face for a moment and said to Aunt Chen, "Auntie, look at how pale Su Shimao's face is. Could he be wearing women's makeup?"

"How could that be? Su Shimao is a grown man. Why would he wear women's powder?" Chen said casually, but when she looked closely at Su Shimao's face, she was surprised: "Oh, he really is wearing powder. With his long robe and tied hair, and wearing powder—could he be...?"