...how about now?

Two figures stood in a snowy clearing, wreathed by the bare brown branches. One was a tall man, imposing and elegant; the other a slim girl with graceful bearing and poise.

Ling Fengxiao was near enough to Mei Yanran to envelope her misty breaths in the chilly air within the hues of his black robes and cloak. He seemed to have locked around her like a cage, or perhaps the night itself, dark with endless depths.

She found it pleasantly warm in his shadow.

"Well?" Ling Fengxiao asked again when there was no reply.

"Um," Mei Yanran replied intelligently. A thousand thoughts were currently swarming in her head: how close they were, how husky his voice sounded, how his perfect skin could rival the female lead.

And...he smells really nice too!

It was sort of a deep woodsy scent mixed with the crisp cold of snow and sweet traces of South Heaven Fragrance she'd seen burning in the guest hall earlier.

Sensitive but manly, Mei Yanran decided, even as Ling Fengxiao wrinkled his brows. He leaned down further until their noses were almost touching, giving her a mild heart attack as a battle played out in her head.

Eskimo kisses! Eskimo kisses! Her inner devil was squealing like a fangirl. If you were a little taller, your noses would be touching by now!

No, it's too soon! You can't take advantage of his innocent heart like this! Her inner angel-slash-conscience was throwing propriety in her face.

But just look at those lips! the devil whispered seductively.

They're holy ground! the angel was firm. No trespassing allowed!

—

Did I scare her? Ling Fengxiao wondered. As a general rule, girls from outside the capital were more conservative and timid than their peers when it came to men. At most, he meant to catch her off guard, not stun her out of her wits.

Although, the way she's creasing her brows doesn't look like fear...

Before he could think of what to do next however, there was a sound thump on his back. Ling Fengxiao froze as Mei Yanran patted him firmly on his waist.

"Ha..hahahah! N-not bad!" she managed to chirp out. "But you're supposed to bend from the lower back, not the upper torso!"

That was a tough call, Mei Yanran exhaled internally. But I don't want to scare him off with my feelings on our first date!

The cool surface of his cloak took some heat away from her burning face as she poked him gently once more. "Right here, feel it?" Thank God I'm being so professional.

As she beamed at him, Ling Fengxiao's mind was silently reeling.

What does she mean by touching me out of the blue? Such a brash and bold girl...

If he wasn't so sure she was harmless, he'd be ordering his guards on her now. Any other assassin with a dagger in their hands could have stabbed him straight through the spine just then!

"Why the lower back?" Ling Fengxiao asked as he straightened up, distancing himself in the process.

"Because that's where your back begins, at the base of the spine," Mei Yanran explained. "Dancers need to use every inch of their bodies, so that means stretching from the beginning of our joints! You'd only be doing a half-stretch if you started midway up."

"I never expected dance to include knowledge of anatomy as well," Ling Fengxiao intoned.

"Why wouldn't it? If you're using the human body, you have to know how its parts work together as a whole," Mei Yanran rattled on. "That's important knowledge to prevent injuries."

"And this was all taught to you by those dance instructors?"

"Yep!" Mei Yanran nodded before squinting at him knowingly. "You know, Lord Ling, there are plenty of male dancers and they're all very mascul—"

"I already said, I'm not interested," Ling Fengxiao refused coldly. He immediately regretted his tone of voice—how was he supposed to get close to the girl now?—but a quick peek at her face revealed she was still looking at him with that same undisguised curiosity.

"Alright," Mei Yanran said slowly, then broke into a bright smile. "Should we get back to discussing how to stretch your back?"

If possible, Ling Fengxiao stood even straighter than before, his expression flat. "You mentioned something about choreographing next year's Snow Festival dance?"

Underneath his stiff, piercing stare, Mei Yanran felt herself relenting.

Forget it, forget it! It's not a loss if I yield to such a handsome man anyways.

"Oh yes!" Delicately dropping the subject, Mei Yanran took another step sideways to circle around Ling Fengxiao. "Have there been any memorable dances about the plum blossom in past Snow Festivals?"

"None that particularly stood out," Ling Fengxiao replied instantly, turning to follow her. Why does it feel like she's leading me on when I'm the one directing the conversation?

"Good!" Mei Yanran nodded emphatically. Even the best dance could feel stale if the subject matter was old and trite. "What about props, like sleeves or fans? Do you know if dancers favored certain items?"

"I'm afraid I don't recall," Ling Fengxiao admitted. Why would I pay attention to such trivial things?

"Oh. Then I guess I'll ask around to see if anyone else does..." Mei Yanran murmured with a frown.

For some reason, Ling Fengxiao felt a bit annoyed. I have the kingdom's best spies at my disposal and you're saying you'd rather gather information yourself? "Why don't you ask me to find out?" he prodded. "It's easy enough to get my subordinates to make inquiries."

Mei Yanran looked at him, genuinely astonished. "Why would I?"

Ling Fengxiao only felt exasperated. "Weren't you asking me for the same details just a few minutes earlier?"

"That was only asking you, Lord Ling," Mei Yanran pointed out. "It's like—asking a friend what they saw at a party! It's different from sending scouts to investigate information."

What is a party? Ling Fengxiao shook the question out of his head as he argued back, "Asking my subordinates is no different than asking myself. The information would come out of Ling Manor all the same."

"It's the principle of the thing," Mei Yanran shook her head. "And it'd be unfair."

"Unfair?" Ling Fengxiao echoed. "Was not Miss Mei's entire motive for coming to my estate and gaining my companionship a way to further your advantages for the next Snow Festival? Under the Empress Dowager's decree, I am obligated to assist you in your endeavors. Her esteemed self never specified how."

Even if she's only here for the flowers, the fact that I'm assigned to watch over her is already a form of favoritism. Whether she excels or fails, the House or Ling will be linked to her name.

"Miss Mei might as well make use of your connections now to secure the information you need against your potential rivals."

That's putting it plainly enough. Ling Fengxiao wanted for Mei Yanran to either admit or deny his charges, but she simply shook her head.

"You still think it's unfair?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"Yet Miss Mei has already gained this ace against your competitors." The ace, of course, being him and his connections.

"I don't mean unfair for them," Mei Yanran said, "But for you."

Ling Fengxiao's brows creased further as he waited for her to explain.

"You're a busy man with better things to do than looking into the latest dance styles of noble girls in the capital," Mei Yanran explained. Like helping the male lead win the throne in the future, for instance. "Yanran is thankful for your lordship's offer, but it's quite unnecessary."

"A trifling task like that wouldn't affect my usual duties," Ling Fengxiao said. He could order his subordinates to gather everything within a day.

"But what's easy for your lordship would be a monumental task for me or any other noble's daughter in the city," Mei Yanran countered. "I think it's more meaningful to earn things through my own efforts. Besides," she added cheekily, "Their skill levels are too far apart from mine, heheh!"

"You're so confident you'll beat them again?" Ling Fengxiao arched a brow.

"Skilled dancers are only born out of genuine, long-term training," Mei Yanran replied solemnly. "I don't think any competitor on the continent can come close to my levels."

Not for another thousand years, at least!

"If that is the case," Ling Fengxiao muttered, "Then what is your reason for requesting me as well as my plum blossom orchard? You could have simply asked for a token pass to the Winterflower Woods."

Mei Yanran's eyes suddenly took on a mischievous glint. "Maybe I just like the views?"

As Ling Fengxiao connected the dots and grew incredulous, Mei Yanran soon spun away to the center of the clearing, her fur-lined cloak billowing around her with her skirts.

"Ah, it's snowing," She looked up at the few wispy flakes drifting down from the skies and suddenly brightened. "Lord Ling, let me show you the secret Flurry Dance!"