I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Kiyoshi tried to pull the paper out, but Dango stepped on it even harder, leaving a blurry gray shadow in the pencil drawing.

"Never mind, if you like it, you can have it."

Kiyoshi waved her hand and turned around to tidy up the desk that had been messed up by Tuanzi, but Tuanzi was persistent and wrapped her tail around Kiyoshi's arm, insisting on pulling her to look at those inexplicable sketches.

"Alright, I've seen it," Kiyotaka said, pulling her hand away, but Tuanzi persisted, "Aren't you satisfied with me? You want to kidnap every pretty girl you see?"

Qinglai reached out his other hand and ruffled the dumpling's head until it couldn't stand it anymore and ran out of the room, then chuckled, "Little rascal."

Once again, Kiyoyori had already suppressed his smile. The spot where Dango had stepped earlier was marked with a pencil mark, a small, blurry plum blossom print, right at the eye, completely ruining the original beauty.

I originally wanted to keep it, but since this one is already damaged, there's no need to keep it anymore.

Kiyoshi put the rest of the still intact sketches into his notebook, crumpled the one in his hand into a ball, and threw it into the trash can at his feet.

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Kiyotaka glanced at the contact name casually and hung up without hesitation. Before she could even leave the room, the phone rang again. Kiyotaka took a deep breath, answered, and waited silently for the other end to speak.

"Yahoo, little Qinglai~."

A cheerful female voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Is something wrong?"

"So cold, my sister is so sad."

I can't hear any sadness in you at all.

Suppressing his displeasure, Kiyoshi asked, "Madam, is there anything I can help you with?"

If she could, she would hang up the phone immediately and turn it off, completely isolating herself from the other person and never seeing them again.

"It's been so long! Let's grab a bite to eat together?"

The background noise over there was very loud, as if they were walking on a bustling street.

"I refuse."

"Eh~?" The other person said in a coquettish tone, and Kiyotaka felt as if a large spoonful of honey had been forced into his throat. "If you don't come, I'll visit you in person."

As if the whole world had lost its color, Kiyoyori felt sorrow for her hard-won vacation. "Where..."

"Kyoto!"

"You're not in Uji?!"

Qinglai felt his anger rising to his head after being tricked by this woman again.

"When did I say I was in Uji?" The voice on the other end paused suddenly. "I've bought your ticket. Come over at 2 PM today, and we can have dinner together."

Kiyoshi, who had been completely taken care of, sighed helplessly, "So what exactly do you want from me?"

"Family matters."

Kiyoshi's face darkened. "You haven't given up yet?"

"Hard to say," the person on the other end chuckled. "See you tonight, my dear Kiyoyori."

Kiyoshi threw his phone at the bed, yelling, "Damn it!"

"Chiang Lai!"

From downstairs came Touko's impatient call, "When are you going to come downstairs?!"

No matter how gentle a mother is, she will become irritable and hysterical at times like this.

"I'm coming!"

Qinglai picked up his phone, went downstairs, and closed the door behind him.

The room returned to darkness.

..................................................................

Kiyoyori followed his phone's location to an elegant, retro-style restaurant. A string of wind chimes hung at the entrance, tinkling crisply in the evening breeze. Kiyoyori wrapped his coat tighter around himself; the late-year evening wind was biting cold, and light snow was falling. This was Kyoto's first snowfall of the year, which had already blanketed the city in silver. Although it was a rare and beautiful sight, Kiyoyori had no interest in appreciating it. Pedestrians hurried by, seemingly unwilling to enjoy the snow scene in the cold wind.

Kiyoshi took his hands out of his pockets, and the cold wind immediately assaulted his exposed skin, mercilessly taking away the last bit of body heat. His fingertips became cold and numb. Kiyoshi put his hands to his lips and blew on them before stepping forward to lift the curtain and open the wooden door, which seemed to offer little protection against the cold.

The warmth of the air conditioning immediately relaxed Kiyotaka's tense body. She patted the snow off her clothes and followed the receptionist inside. The waitresses here were all dressed in elegant kimonos, with their hair neatly styled in buns. A hairpin with a pendant was inserted between their thick black hair, swaying rhythmically with their small steps.

Her kimono was more exquisite and elaborate than those of the other staff members who entered and exited the rooms, making her look more like a manager. Among the staff members who passed by the rooms were several heavily made-up women, whose skin was glaringly white except for a small patch of skin near the collar.

This is a geisha restaurant.

Kiyoshi, realizing this, frowned in confusion.

Why did that man invite her here?

"Guest, your private room has arrived."

The person leading the way bowed to Kiyoyori, "Miss Yukinoshita is already waiting for you inside. Let me help you take off your coat."

Qinglai nodded, took off his heavy coat, revealing the sweater underneath.

Through the semi-transparent paper door, Kiyoshi could vaguely see a short-haired woman sitting inside the room with her back to him.

As soon as Kiyoshi opened the door, the person who had been lounging at the table immediately turned around and greeted her with a smile.

"Long time no see, little~Qing~Lai~!"

Chapter 50 A Woman with a Perverse Taste

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Kiyoshi nodded expressionlessly, then stepped into the private room and walked straight to the woman opposite him.

This is a small private room. Although small, it is very exquisite and does not make people feel cramped. There is a realistic half cherry blossom tree in the corner, antique decorations, and a faint fragrance that is not strong but just right. Even the ornaments and tableware on the table maintain the style of being small but exquisite.

Kiyoshi really likes this place.

It would be even better if she shared dinner with someone else, but it must be said that other people might not be able to grasp her preferences so well, and besides, it's generally impossible for ordinary people to make a reservation here.

Yukinoshita, however, happens to meet all the conditions.

The heating in the private room was on full blast, and even after taking off his coat, Kiyotaka felt his whole body starting to warm up. However, the malicious gaze coming from across the room made Kiyotaka unable to relax.

Do you like it here?

Yang Nai remained seated without any proper posture, propping her cheek with one hand and leaning lazily against the table, smiling as she looked at Qing Lai, who was sitting upright and serious.

"Thank you for your understanding, but I don't understand why you brought a minor here."

Kiyoyori glanced at a maid who was kneeling quietly in the footsteps. She was dressed as a geisha, silently holding a small, translucent jade bottle, with her eyes lowered.

"Of course, we're here to celebrate Kiyoyori's gold medal win at the brass band competition, and also to let you experience Japan's intangible cultural heritage."

Yang Nai casually offered a rather insincere reason, then gestured to the geisha to fill Kiyori's small sake cup.

“The Kyoto Prefecture Tournament has been over for almost half a year, and I don’t think there’s anything to celebrate about the waste gold. Also,” Kiyoyori glanced at the clear liquid in the sake cup, where two red carp painted on the bottom could still be seen, “underage drinking is illegal.”

“It’s alright,” Yang Nai said, picking up the wine bottle on the table and filling his own glass. “Yours isn’t wine.”

Kiyoshi frowned, picked up the wine cup and sniffed it. There was indeed no smell of alcohol, so he cautiously took a small sip.

The liquid is cool and slightly sweet.

Kiyoshiro raised an eyebrow and slowly exhaled, "Miss Yukinoshita really has a wicked sense of humor."

Using a wine glass to hold mineral water is something she would do.

"How could that be? Xiao Qinglai can't drink alcohol. I also guessed that you must be thirsty and hungry after your long journey. This isn't a bad joke, it's a romantic gesture."

Yang blinked innocently, while the geisha next to him covered the corners of her slightly upturned mouth with her wide sleeves.

Qinglai angrily downed the water in his cup. "Why don't we get down to business? I can still catch the last bus home."

“It’s alright, I already booked a room for Kiyora,” Yang Nai said, taking out a hotel room key. The black card had gold trim and belonged to a five-star hotel in Kyoto. “It’s right next to mine.”

"unnecessary."

"Hmm, how about Xiao Qinglai shares a room with me?" Yang Nai still had a smiling face, but her eyes were icy cold. "Anyway, given our relationship, we'll get to that point sooner or later."

The heat from the heating system dissipated at that moment, and Kiyotaka was now very calm. "I think our relationship is no longer valid."

"That depends on what the two families think."

The two faced off for a moment, the atmosphere inside the room seemingly frozen, which even the ample heating could not alleviate.

Yang Nai suddenly smiled, clapped her hands, and said, "Let's serve the food."

The door was pulled open in response, and several waiters carried dishes inside, quickly filling the entire room. The dishes rapidly filled the table, and they left in an orderly fashion. Soon, the private room returned to calm.

Yang Nai put her hands together first and said, "I'm starting."

She remained still, looking at Kiyoshi, seemingly waiting for her instructions.

"I'm starting to eat."

Kiyoshi lowered his eyes and stopped looking at the other person, picking up his chopsticks on his own.

Dinner was very much to Kiyoyori's liking. Although she and Haruno had many conflicts and their relationship was awkward, she had to admit that as long as Haruno didn't say anything, the delicious food on the table was still very appetizing.

After all, beauty is pleasing to the eye.

Of course, as long as she keeps quiet.

Of course, Yukinoshita Haruno would never let such a good opportunity to provoke slip by.

"Qinglai is about to take his entrance exams, right? Has he already decided on a school?"

"Kitauji."

Kiyoyori had no reason to lie in a place like this; even if she managed to fool them temporarily, Haruno would eventually find out the truth.

“Kitauji?” Yang Nai frowned. This answer was quite different from what she had imagined. “Kitauji’s college entrance rate is not the highest in the city, and the level of playing the erhu is also very poor. I thought that Kiyora would definitely choose a strong erhu school, such as Tachibana or Seiryo.”

"No need for you to trouble yourself."

Kiyoshi picked up the wine cup and took a sip of water.

"If you have time to worry about me, you should worry more about your sister."

Pick up a piece of sushi and put it in your mouth. The caviar rolls between your teeth, bursting with salty and fragrant juice.

"Sister?" Yang Nai showed a look of pain and realization for a moment. "I'm an only child, I don't have a sister. Could it be that Kiyora actually wants to be my sister? No matter how cute Kiyora is, it's impossible~."

"But I can understand Kiyora's sister complex."