The unlikely pair, one extremely tall and handsome and the other very short and odd looking, now stood outside a gaudily decorated three story building covered in red lanterns. The red plaque at the front read 'Beautiful Fragrance House'.
"This looks amazing Tan Bowen. Is this a perfumery?"
"Something like that," he agreed airily, feeling a little guilty.
He put his arm around her shoulder, drawing her towards the entrance. She carefully plucked it off.
"Men and women don't touch," she hissed at him.
"What about men and men, Wei Wei?" he smirked. "We must act the part, or we'll be found out."
"Don't go too far with your act," she warned him.
As soon as they entered the building they were flocked by a bunch of pretty women, dressed to the nines in bright colours and heavy make-up, some of them tottering on bound feet.
"Hello sirs," they twittered, touching them gently. "Master Tan, we haven't seen you for ages. Where have you been? Who is your little friend here? We haven't seen him before. He looks very lively. Like a little tiger," they giggled.
"Raah!" said one of them playfully, making tiger claws at Meili.
"Hello ladies," said Tan Bowen. "This is Master Wei. Yes, he is very lively."
"Oooh, is that right Master Wei?" one of the ladies cooed. "Do you roar?"
The women all laughed suggestively behind their hands.
Meili suddenly realised that she was Master Wei, and she was expected to reply.
"I don't know, do I roar Tan Bowen?" she asked him curiously.
"Oh, he's asking Master Tan if he roars." The ladies shrieked with bawdy laughter.
Master Tan had the good grace to blush, while Meili scratched her tall top knot in puzzlement. It wobbled precariously.
"Ahem. Now, now ladies. We're just here for tea and Lihua's guqin."
"Of course, Master Tan," they giggled. "All the gentlemen are here for 'tea and guqin'. Come upstairs with us," they beckoned.
As they walked up the staircase together, a very beautiful older woman walked down towards them.
"Master Tan," she nodded gracefully at him.
She turned to Mei Meili and did a double-take. She made some small hand movements and guards miraculously appeared from both up and down the stairs. They picked Meili up under her arms and reversed her back down the stairs, carrying her straight back out of the establishment, her little feet waving daintily in the air in protest.
"Put me down," she struggled.
"Gently does it, boys," the older woman called after them. "No female guests Master Tan," she waved her finger in mock chastisement at him. "You know the rules."
"Oh, you're good Madam Lu. How did you know? Was it her height?"
Madam Lu pealed with laughter. "Her height, her beautiful face, her hair, her skin, her figure, her expression… How could I run this place for so long and not be an expert in a woman's looks? There is no disguise, dirt, scar, costume or hairdo that can obscure a beauty from me. She is noble and innocent Master Tan. This is no place for her. Treat her with the respect she deserves."
He bowed to the woman. "You are the master, and I am but your lowly pupil, Madam."
"Your absence here has been noted, Master Tan. Now I see why." She smiled at him. "I'm happy for you. It's good that we don't see you. Stay away."
He gave her a cheeky grin then bounded down the stairs after Meili, throwing a backwards wave at the Madam.
She smiled and rolled her eyes at the handsome young man. That girl was a great beauty. She hoped he didn't get his heart broken.
"Hmmph," Meili glared back at the guards who had ejected her, dusting herself off officiously. "Why can't I be allowed in there?" she asked Tan Bowen as he appeared beside her.
"Madam Lu picked you as a woman," he said. "It's a men-only club."
"Oh," she said sadly. "I guess my disguise is not that good."
"It's fine, it's fine," he reassured her. "Madam Lu runs a men's club employing pretty women, so she's an expert in such things. Most people are not as good as her."
"Oh," she looked curiously back at Beautiful Fragrance House. "What a pity I didn't get to experience it just once."
"Never mind, never mind. There are so many other wonderful things you can experience tonight. The night is just beginning!"
Meili couldn't agree more. She stared in happy wonder at the bustling streets as Tan Bowen lead her back the way they had come, and then onto the street that fronted the canal.
The canal was beautifully lit by the glow of the businesses that fronted it, and the pretty lanterns decorating them. Pleasure boats were being punted along the canal, passing under the decorative bridges that crisscrossed it.
Meili stopped on one of the bridges to admire the view, sighing happily. Tan Bowen joined her, watching her joyful face. He would be perfectly content making this little beauty happy for the rest of her life, he thought.
A few drops of spring rain started to fall, and she turned her face into the warm evening sprinkle. She turned in circles, laughing, as she enjoyed the water on her face and hands.
She looked so blissful Tan Bowen's heart felt full to burst.
She stopped spinning, giddy, and looked over her shoulder at him.
He smiled and reached for his handkerchief. "Come here mess-maker," he said.
She walked to him obediently, and he wiped off the smudged make-up that had started to run everywhere.
"Well, that hasn't helped with your disguise," he said despairingly. "Let's get into the restaurant before you're 'outed' by someone."
He dragged her off towards the scene of the fateful evening with Bai Li and the Second Prince, 'Soulmate'. He had a fondness for the restaurant now, as a memory of that evening which had ended so fatefully.
"Young Master," the greeter bowed in recognition. "Please steer clear of our acrobats this evening. Remember, you're much bigger than them," he admonished the tall man.
Tan Bowen dragged Mei Meili upstairs to a private balcony overlooking the canal.
"What did he mean by that Tan Bowen?" she asked. "Why should you need to be warned to let their acrobats be? Have you attacked them in the past?"
"No reason, no reason," he said, steering her to sit at the low table. "He says that to all the patrons. It's just a general kind of warning. Like 'run if there's a fire', or 'don't jump from the balconies'."
"Really? Because it kind of sounded like he knew you."
"I've never touched his acrobats," he assured her.