The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 186 Meng Yulou's Test
Ximen Qing glanced at her coldly and snorted, "What? You seem to be upset?"

Meng Yulou trembled, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions. She lowered her head and said in a soft, melodious voice, "I am already a servant of the Ximen household... I even belong to the master. The shop naturally... naturally belongs to the master as well."

But that voice, tinged with a hint of resentment, hung suspended in mid-air like a thread about to break.

Upon hearing this, the official smirked coldly, "Ha! You call me 'official' all the time, and 'this humble servant' all the time, so smoothly. Have you forgotten who you are now? Have you forgotten the day you sent your personal maid to beg me to rescue you?"

These words were like a bucket of snow water poured over Meng Yulou's head, leaving him feeling cold all over. Only then did he realize the presumption he had made in addressing her.

Her face turned deathly pale, and her kneeling body went limp, almost collapsing. Her voice trembled as she cried out urgently, "Master... Master, please forgive me! It was my fault... I lost my mind for a moment!!"

The official's gaze lingered briefly on Meng Yulou's face, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Alright. You're new to the household, so it's understandable that you're unfamiliar with the rules. You were once a mistress of a region, and now that things have changed so drastically, it's natural that you're not at peace with your new life."

"If I were to use family discipline and beat you with a bamboo comb as soon as you entered the manor because of a mere title, even if I beat you until your skin was torn and you were forced to submit, it would make me seem petty, intolerant, and incompetent."

After speaking, his gaze suddenly swept across Jinlian'er, who was standing to the side. He saw that the little girl had already pouted her cherry lips, her cheeks were bulging, and her peach blossom eyes were brimming with tears, clearly showing that she was filled with jealousy and resentment.

Looking at her like this, Ximen Qing felt both smug and amused. Without saying a word, he swung his hand back and slapped her hard, the sound of which was just right on the tip of her round and pert buttocks.

He squinted leisurely, a wicked smile playing on his lips: "You little slut! Look at you, all wanton and smug. Are you feeling resentful too? Hmm? Is that it or not?"

Jinlian'er, suddenly struck by the blow, let out a soft cry of "Ouch!" Far from being annoyed, she seemed to find it amusing, her face immediately lighting up with a delighted smile. With a sway of her waist like a water snake, she nestled into Ximen Qing's arms:

"Ugh! Good father! What a cruel heart you have! How biased you are! We all made mistakes, but you don't hit the newcomer or anyone else, you just pick on me and beat me! I feel so wronged!"

The man held her soft, fragrant body in his arms and laughed, "Oh? Judging from your wanton tone, do you think I hit you too lightly or too hard? Are you getting cocky and want to be beaten?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Lian'er knew that her master was teasing her. She glanced at Li Guijie, becoming even more smug. Like a swallow returning to its nest, she pounced on him, her fragrant, soft body falling directly into Ximen Qing's lap. Her two pink arms wrapped around his neck like vines, and her red lips approached his ear, her breath as sweet as orchids, her voice so alluring it could drip honey.

"My dear father! A beating is a sign of pain, a scolding is a sign of love. When Father's discipline falls on my body, my heart feels... itchy and numb, as if a thousand little insects are crawling inside and burrowing into my lungs. It feels so good!"

"I am that little devil who deserves a beating, and Father is the Vajra pestle that subdues demons!"

She rubbed against his leg like a taffy, her voice becoming increasingly sticky and seductive:
“For many days I’ve been slapped by Father… The feeling of that bamboo slats… I still miss it terribly! I wish Father would do what he did that day, and after he’s finished slapping me, he would feel sorry for me, and slap me until my bones are weak and my muscles are limp, so that Father would pick me up again and gently caress and cherish me…”

As she spoke, she tilted her delicate, fair face up, pouted her cherry-like lips, and gave Ximen Qing a loud, red kiss on the chin.

What a slut!

Li Guijie, who was standing to the side, watched with envy and a burning desire, gritting her teeth and almost tearing the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.

Ever since she entered the mansion, relying on her background in a brothel, she has used all sorts of tricks to try and outdo Pan Jinlian in every way. However, when it comes to being charming, coquettish, and speaking sweet nothings in a wanton manner, she is far less talented than this slut who is naturally gifted and can speak fluently without hesitation.

A surge of anger welled up inside him, and he cursed through gritted teeth, "You little slut! What a shameless whore! ... You filthy vixen reincarnated! You've used all the seductive tricks you've honed in brothels over the past few lifetimes on me!"

Even Li Guijie, who came from a brothel and was used to the ways of the world, felt her face burning with embarrassment and her heart fluttering, let alone the newcomer Meng Yulou.

Although she was a widow, she had been married into the Yang family for seven years before becoming a widow, but had never had any children. She had never seen such a romantic scene in the boudoir.
She felt a rush of hot blood surge to the top of her head, her face turning as red as a ripe peach petal in March, or like dripping rouge, burning with unspeakable shame and embarrassment, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.

She hurriedly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like startled butterfly wings, her eyes fixed on the cracks in the blue brick floor, not daring to raise her head even a fraction!

If the eyes can't see it, how can the ears be covered?
Jin Lian'er's unrestrained and piercingly seductive words seemed to have hooks, drilling straight into her ears and scratching at her heart.

She couldn't help but gasp, feeling a strange heat rising in the long legs beneath her knees, as if ants were crawling on them.

Unfortunately, the floor tiles were scorching hot, and the silk trousers under her robe clung stickily to her skin, making her extremely uncomfortable!
The official patted Jinlian'er, signaling her to stand up, then gestured with his hand towards several large, gilded, red-lacquered chests piled up beside him, and said lazily:

"Here, these are all trunks brought from your house, filled with your clothes and jewelry. Although you are a servant and don't usually wear these clothes, you can take them all."

He paused, then lifted his eyelids, his gaze lingering on Meng Yulou's lowered neck: "You just said that all your clothes were made by yourself and then painstakingly modified? I want to see. Go, pick out the one you modified the best and wear it for me to see."

Having received Ximen Qing's permission, Meng Yulou was about to get up.

Her long legs, hidden beneath her skirt, first bent slightly, her full calves tensed, and her buttocks lifted slightly.

With each rise and fall, her waist swayed gracefully, like a willow swaying in the breeze, elegant and graceful; the ripples of her hips were like a boat being pushed by spring water, exuding a natural charm.

Yet her movements were composed, unhurried, and perfectly orderly, befitting a matriarch from a wealthy family—no wonder, given that Meng Yulou was pampered by her merchant family and her parents were already well-off before their deaths.

After marrying into the family, she worked hard to manage the business, still holding onto two shops and having dozens of people at her beck and call. Her demeanor was naturally incomparable to those from humble backgrounds.

This behavior, however, was an eyesore to Li Guijie and Pan Jinlian standing nearby.

Especially Li Guijie, who was filled with jealousy, first glanced at the few conspicuous trunks, then looked at Meng Yulou kneeling on the ground, her mind already in turmoil.

She came from a brothel, and although she has now entered this household and is fighting like a madman with Pan Jinlian, in truth, Jinlian is also a bitter gourd.

She was also someone who had been pawned and sold off by her heartless mother for a few taels of silver since childhood! However, her background was only slightly better than that of Li Guijie by a tiny bit.

Even as Meng Yulou knelt there, her spine was straight as a rod, her neck stiff, and her lowered eyes could not conceal the noble and aloof air that emanated from her very being.

As if they were born to clash, Gui Jie'er's eyes darted around, and a smile spread across her face, so sweet it could kill. She said to Ximen Qing in a coquettish voice, "Master~ may I be so bold as to pick one out for her? I guarantee you'll see something new!"

Ximen Da Guanren raised an eyebrow and nodded indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Li Guijie was secretly delighted. She swayed her hips and walked to the chests, pretending to rummage through them. Her eyes scanned the shimmering, smooth silks and satins, specifically targeting the fabrics that were as thin as cicada wings and as transparent as wisps of smoke.

Hmph! A lady from a respectable family? I'll show you your true colors in broad daylight!

With a flick of her delicate fingers, she pulled a plain gauze skirt for summer from the pile of clothes—the fabric was light, thin, sheer, and shiny; when held up to the light, you could almost see the shadow of her fingers through it! The hem of the skirt was embroidered with lotus patterns in gold and silver thread, and as she moved, it was the most revealing and alluring part of her figure.

"Master, what do you think of this one?" Li Guijie lifted the light, flowing gauze skirt, smiling like a cat that had just stolen some cream. "Look at this fabric, this stitching, tsk tsk, Sister Meng must have put in a lot of effort! I guarantee... hmm!"

When Meng Yulou finally saw the thin, plain gauze dress in Li Guijie's hand—so thin that it reflected the peony pattern on the screen behind her—even the most dignified and composed woman's fair cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, the blush spreading from her cheeks to the delicate, warm hollows of her neck behind her ears.

"This..." Meng Yulou's voice trembled slightly, and her breasts, which rose and fell gently with her breath, moved a little faster. "This dress... is for summer, and it's probably... not very proper for this occasion..."

Li Guijie was secretly pleased, but on the surface she pretended to be surprised: "Oh my, you changed this yourself! Isn't this the very trick the master wants to see? You said before that your body belonged to the master, so now you mean the master can't take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yulou's heart sank. The word "no" rolled three times on the tip of his tongue, but he ultimately dared not utter it.

She could only respond softly with a "yes," and with light, graceful steps, she stepped forward and took the plain gauze dress that felt as light as a feather yet as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Holding her gauze skirt, her fair neck lowered, her eyes seemed to be bewitched, and she involuntarily slipped behind the gilded and painted screen that concealed the spring scenery. With a slight shift of her feet, she turned her body to follow.

"Yo—!"

That sweet, crisp "yo" was like a jade bead falling onto a silver plate; it was Pan Jinlian who had opened her mouth.

She held a plain-colored crepe handkerchief in her hand, half-covering her cherry-red lips, and glanced at us sideways: "Do they still consider us 'outsiders'? Fine then... Could it be that even our master is considered an 'outsider' in your eyes, sister?"

Meng Yulou froze, and the half-step she had taken was like an iron nail driven into the ground, firmly wedged in place.

Enough! Enough! Enough! Since I am a slave in the Ximen household who has signed a death contract, this body of mine will inevitably face this day. I may escape it on the first day of the month, but I cannot escape it on the fifteenth!

With a determined heart, Meng Yulou abruptly turned around, leaving her back to Ximen Qing. Her slender fingers then fell upon the floral button loop on her pale yellow jacket and skirt. Her fingertips trembled like autumn leaves in the wind, and after several attempts, she finally managed to untie the delicate knot.

"Screw rustle..."

The subtle rustling of fabric against fabric sounded particularly jarring in the quiet room, where you could hear a pin drop and the oppressive heat of the charcoal fire made it even more stifling. She lowered her stance slightly, gripped the waistband of her skirt with both hands, and pulled it down—

With a soft "whoosh," the pale yellow and gold-embroidered skirt seemed to lose its structure, collapsing to the ground and piling up at her feet, which were clad in soft-soled embroidered shoes, like a crumpled ball of gold foil.

In an instant, it seemed as if the entire room had been brightened by three-tenths!
Meng Yulou was wearing a pair of pale white silk trousers! The material was as thin as a cicada's wing and as soft as flowing clouds, clinging tightly to her plump, slender, and breathtakingly curvaceous buttocks.

Her thighs were plump and rounded, and her calves had smooth and firm lines. Under the warm, cozy heat of the underground heating system, she was slightly sweaty, and the silk fabric clung to her legs obediently, outlining the full, lustrous flesh beneath.

What's even more eye-catching is that a pair of silk trousers of the same color are vaguely visible inside, revealing another layer of ambiguous outline.

Meng Yulou trembled with shame, her whole body shaking as if she were a leaf, and a fine layer of millet-like bumps instantly appeared on her snow-white skin.

She bit her lower lip hard, closed her eyes tightly, and took a deep breath of the scorching air to barely calm her heart, which was about to leap out of her chest. She then frantically tried to put on the thin, almost transparent plain gauze dress.

Li Guijie, standing to the side, spoke in a soft, clear voice: "Sister Meng, you... you're wearing two layers of 'protective clothing' underneath? In the sweltering heat of summer, a gauze skirt is all about keeping it cool and sweat-proof!"

“You’re all wrapped up like a dumpling, wearing trousers and underpants. If you put this thin gauze on, will the master still be able to see the wonderful ‘modification’ you’ve done? The master is eagerly waiting to see something new! In my opinion, why don’t you…” Her eyes darted around, “…just go together, that would be a proper ‘full appreciation’!”

Meng Yulou was struck dumb, frozen in place, as if her soul had been shaken out of her body.

The plain gauze skirt slipped halfway down her trembling fingers, fluttering precariously. Though she had long known that as a servant, this body would eventually no longer be her own, it had come so swiftly! She felt stars flash before her eyes, the world spin, her body trembled like a withered leaf in the autumn wind, and her icy hands gripped the waistband of her trousers tightly, about to pull them down—

"That's it!"

At this critical moment, Ximen Da Guanren's lazy voice rang out like a pardon: "Just put it on like this!"

To Meng Yulou, this voice was nothing short of a life-saving pardon!

She felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and no longer cared about propriety. She hurriedly and clumsily pulled up the slipped white gauze skirt, not even bothering with the front or back, and haphazardly put it on. Her ten fingers trembled as she quickly tied the skirt sash. Her movements were as hasty as a rabbit startled by a hawk, only wanting to quickly cover her private parts.

however--

When the thin, light gauze skirt finally covered her jade-like legs, the air in the warm pavilion, which was already making people dizzy, seemed to condense into scalding hot honey with a "buzz"!
Even the crackling sound of the earthworm charcoal fire could no longer be heard.

Pan Jinlian and Li Guijie, who were just moments before one was being sour and jealous and the other was being mean and difficult, now seemed to be frozen in place, both gasping for breath and their almond-shaped eyes wide open!

Four pairs of eyes, like red-hot iron hooks, were fixed on Meng Yulou's long legs with unbelievable shock and undisguised jealousy, wishing they could tear holes through the thin veil covering her body!
"How strange!" Sister Li Gui frowned her two willow-leaf eyebrows: "An ordinary plain gauze dress, only made of thin material, how... how how it seems that when it's wrapped around her body, her legs have grown two feet longer out of thin air? Her buttocks appear even rounder and more perky like a full moon, her waist even more slender like a willow branch, and even her breasts are fuller and more bulging!"

Pan Jinlian gripped the handkerchief so tightly her knuckles turned white, a surge of bitterness welling up inside her, and she stared in disbelief.

Ximen Da Guanren leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes, which had seen countless beauties, now blazed brightly, carrying a hint of amusement and admiration as they scanned Meng Yulou's body, as if he were appraising a rare piece of jade.

His gaze was like a knife, instantly piercing through the thin veil and reaching the key point—it turned out that she had actually set her sights on this dress!
She made the waistband of the skirt exceptionally wide, inlaid with delicate lotus scroll patterns. What's even more ingenious is that this gorgeous waistband was not tied below the waist, but rather tied high outside the blouse and below the chest!
With a lift and a bundle, the universe shifts!

The official saw through the secret hidden in the skirt at a glance!
This is clearly a revival of the Tang Dynasty's traditional clothing style, infused with his own ingenious and subtle techniques! He revealed the secret in a single sentence:
"Brilliant!! The secret lies entirely in the word 'waistline'! Ordinary fools, when tying their skirts, only know how to slit the waistband between their hips, literally cutting them in two! Even if they are born with long legs, they won't show any charm!"

"But she was incredibly audacious, daring to lift the belt up to 'below her chest'! And that lift turned stone into gold!"

“Look, starting from below her chest, this line goes down—and then it’s all legs! And look, doesn’t that waist look even thinner and more delicate, like you could pinch water out of it? And isn’t that chest firmly supported by that high-waisted skirt?”

"That's what you call 'proportion'! The advantage of three parts, after this reminder, can be shown to be ten parts! The wonder of seven parts can also be piled up to twelve parts! It makes all the charm and elegance of the body shine brightly!"

Ximen Qing's words instantly awakened Li Guijie and Pan Jinlian! Their eyes gleamed, their minds racing, and they memorized the secret technique of "high waist below the chest".

However, the one who was truly shocked out of his wits was Meng Yulou himself!

This... this is exactly the change she made in a flash of inspiration, almost by accident, when she was practicing in front of the bronze mirror under the lamp!

She felt that this outfit made her look taller and more slender, like a tender willow in the wind. She had vaguely grasped the key to it, but she had never understood the reasoning behind it so clearly and thoroughly!

To my utter surprise, my husband—no, I should say my master—could see right through her little trick hidden deep inside her room!

In just a few words, the principle of "proportion" is analyzed so incisively and thoroughly!
It was as if she were standing there naked, and he had stripped away even the most shameful, girlish thoughts she was ashamed to express!

A feeling she couldn't quite describe—whether it was shame, fear, or something else—suddenly rushed to her head, making her ears burn like fire.

Deep within her heart, an inexplicable feeling stirred within her—a sense of "kindred spirits," like bubbles rising from the depths of dark water, quietly surfaced in the lake of her heart. It was as if, in this corrupt world, there was someone who could understand her lonely thoughts.

The man never expected that he would cause such a change in the heart of this tall, mature woman by simply using the most common sense of modern people.

He waved lazily.

Jin Lian'er immediately swayed her slender waist, picked up a fine charcoal pencil and paper from the gilded makeup box beside her, and handed them over in a sweet voice.

The official took it in his hand, said nothing, and casually began to sketch.

Meng Yulou was still immersed in the subtle emotions she had just experienced, standing there at a loss, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.

"Meng Yulou," the official said, painting without looking up, his lazy voice carrying an undeniable weight, "you're thinking about taking back your two shops and managing them yourself, aren't you?"

Meng Yulou's heart skipped a beat, as if her life force had been seized! She hurriedly nodded repeatedly, her voice urgent: "Yes, sir! Those two shops are my life's work! I know the ropes, and if... if I were to manage them carefully, I would surely earn more profit for you than anyone else!"

"Oh?" Ximen Qing finally put down his pen, raised his head, and a playful smile appeared on his lips. His gaze swept over her as if assessing the value of a piece of merchandise. "It's not entirely... there's no room for negotiation."

A spark of hope instantly ignited in Meng Yulou's eyes!

Ximen Qing tossed the charcoal stick aside, pointed with his chin at the drawing in his hand, and said casually, "If you make these two little things yourself, just like I drew them, you might be able to manage those two shops."

Meng Yulou has not seen it.

"Ah—!" Pan Jinlian and Li Guijie exclaimed almost simultaneously! Even though these two women usually dared to say any sweet words and use any means, when they saw the two pictures on the paper, they were so embarrassed that their faces turned as red as ripe shrimp!

The two of them spat in unison, turned their heads away, covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs, and couldn't help but steal glances at each other.

It turns out that her husband's seemingly casual strokes had actually outlined the silhouette of a woman with a prominent bust and a stunning figure!

Above that outline, he drew a skirt—the skirt's hem was tightly gathered, like a lifelike fish tail, suddenly narrowing from below the plump waist and hips, tightly wrapping around the buttocks, sliding down along the thighs, barely reaching the knees!
Beside the painting.

The master then drew two long, straight, and surprisingly proportionate legs—the shape of which was clearly modeled after Meng Yulou's long legs!

But on those legs, the master had used thick charcoal to smear the black color from the toes all the way to the root of the thigh! The black color was not applied randomly, but rather it was tightly, evenly, and incredibly smooth, "adhering" to the skin, forming a "shell" that was as thin as nothing, yet could outline all the textures and shadows of the skin!
What's most striking is that this "black jade shell" is abruptly "stuck" at the fullest part of the thigh by an invisible line, above which is snow-white skin. The contrast is so strong and abrupt that it makes one's blood boil!
This painting clearly depicts the most alluring parts of a woman in the most direct way!
"Oh my! My dear father!" Pan Jinlian covered her cherry-like mouth with a handkerchief, giggling, her eyes sparkling with seductive charm: "Why are you drawing this?"

Li Guijie joined in the fun, twisting her body to get closer to the master, a sweet fragrance wafting into his nose, and said in a coquettish voice: "Master, your drawing is truly enchanting! The waist is a waist, the hips are hips... Could it be that it was drawn based on my figure?" She chuckled, but her eyes were hooked as she glanced at the breathtaking curves on the ground.

Pan Jinlian rolled her alluring eyes upwards, curled her cherry-red lips, and sneered, "Are your eyes blinded by honey? The figure depicted in this painting, sir, is clearly that of me! Look at these breasts, these dimples..."

She deliberately puffed out her chest, her fingertips tracing the voluptuous curves on the ground, and glanced sideways at Li Guijie, "You? Ha... do you even have that kind of figure? Even two steamed buns wouldn't be enough to support the allure in this painting!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Li Guijie's almond-shaped eyes widened, her willow-leaf eyebrows stood on end, and she spat out, her face flushed red: "Pah! You shameless Jinlian! Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue in the wind! The master clearly painted me! This waist is a waist, this hip is a hip, and your little feet don't even deserve it!"

She grew angrier as she spoke, and suddenly grabbed the tie of her pomegranate-red skirt. "You're not convinced? If you're not convinced, then let's show our figures and compare! Let the master judge and see whose figure is more worthy of this painting!"

"Let's compete then! Are you afraid of me?" Pan Jinlian was not one to shy away from trouble. She immediately started to unbutton her jacket, revealing a section of her snow-white neck, and sneered, "Take it off! Whoever doesn't take it off is a virgin from a brothel who hasn't been defiled yet!"

"Take it off then! I'm not afraid of you, you slut!" Li Guijie's fingers had already hooked around the waist of her skirt, and it looked like a sensual "flesh screen" was about to unfold in this warm chamber!
"Alright! Stop fooling around! Your father has important business to attend to!" Master Ximen raised an eyebrow.

Pan Jinlian and Li Guijie stopped abruptly and quickly stood behind the man, their rapid breathing the only sound remaining.

The official stopped looking at them and turned his gaze, as if it were tangible, to Meng Yulou, who was staring at the paper with an ever-changing expression.

Pan Jinlian and Li Guijie both thought that their master had painted a romantic picture.

But Meng Yulou is different!

She suppressed the urge to jump out of her throat and endured the burning shame that rushed to her ears, but her eyes were fixed on the carbon mark as if drawn by a magnet!
Her keen eye, honed over many years, was like the sharpest pair of scissors, slicing through appearances with a "whoosh"!
The woman's silhouette, outlined in bold, vibrant colors, was clearly a "skirt" unlike anything seen before, defying common sense and dogma!
The skirt suddenly tightened from below the chest, like the waist of a cheetah, all the way down, creating a breathtaking curve at the full hips, and then suddenly tightened again, tightly wrapping around the thighs, with the hem being shockingly short!
"Oh dear!" Meng Yulou exclaimed in surprise.

The shame was like scalding oil, burning her insides!

Just imagining what it would look like if she actually wore that "skirt," how it would shape her body, and how she would move around... made her ears bleed with embarrassment. She dared not look but couldn't help but want to look!

What terrified her even more was the figure in the painting beside her!
The two straight and slender legs that the old man casually sketched were so beautifully proportioned!

The curve of her knees, the perfect plumpness of her calves, the slenderness of her ankles... they were practically peeled off Meng Yulou's legs!

Exactly perfect!
And that thick, almost impenetrable ink on top... was definitely not just smeared on randomly!
An unbelievable yet incredibly clear thought exploded within me: This... this ink mark is actually a "sock" to be "worn" on the legs!
A thin layer of "socks" that tightly wraps around like a snake's shed skin!
Ximen Da Guanren leaned back in his rosewood armchair, having already taken in every subtle change on Meng Yulou's face—from the initial shame and indignation, to the forced composure and scrutiny, and now to the sudden burst of a light of realization in the depths of her pupils, a mixture of shock, sudden understanding, and disbelief!
The official's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile: This Meng Yulou is indeed a man of substance! He can actually see through the essence of this painting at a glance!

He knew that although the "bodycon skirt" on the left was novel and daring, and required a lot of skill in its tailoring, Meng Yulou, who was quick-witted, might be able to figure out the tricks of the trade after trying it a few more times.

But this "stocking" on the right...

A hint of amusement and a deep-seated ruthlessness flashed across Ximen Qing's eyes.

The difficulty of this item lies in defying the heavens!

The silks, satins, and gauzes on the market today, even if they are as thin as cicada wings and as light as smoke, do they have even a fraction of this kind of "elasticity" that follows you closely and clings to your skin.
He posed this difficult question merely to test this "red horse" who had shown extraordinary talent in the business world.

(End of this chapter)