One and Only

Chapter 11: Dust-Laden Melodies of Bygone Years (2)

The sunlight was too intense, so she had to draw the curtains, darkening the room.

Not wanting to disturb his rest, she put on headphones and focused intently on the subtitles, completely absorbed.

Episode after episode played, and she lost track of time.

Suddenly, the sofa beside her dipped slightly. She turned abruptly to see him sitting down. His hair was still damp—clearly, he had showered after waking. Dressed in light blue fleece pants and a white shirt, he looked as clean and fresh as a student who had yet to leave campus.

"You're awake already?" Shi Yi removed her headphones.

"I'm not used to sleeping for long," he said, glancing at the muted TV. "Have you been watching this the whole time?"

She nodded and reached over to check his forehead.

Fortunately, the fever had subsided.

"Don't you have a family doctor? Why didn’t you take any medicine when you had a fever?"

"I do, but with a low-grade fever like this, I usually recover on my own."

She hummed in acknowledgment, the headphones still draped around her neck as she studied his slightly damp hair. "If you're not in a hurry to go out, stay and sit for a while longer."

"No urgent matters. I’ve cleared my schedule for the next week to spend time with you," he said, relaxing fully into the sofa. "I was already quite busy before, but after the engagement, things will get even busier."

She made a soft sound of agreement, watching him.

"Something on your mind?" He smiled knowingly, his voice weary but gentle.

"Nothing serious," she said, leaning sideways against the sofa to face him. "I was just suddenly curious—why did you go into research? Was it really just because you didn’t know what else to do and chose it randomly?"

"Doing something that benefits others," he mused, genuinely considering how to answer her question. "And research—it might help more people in the long run."

She hummed again.

"There aren’t many people like that in my family, but there are a few. Like my younger sister," he said. "She was born with a congenital heart condition, poor blood circulation, always in frail health. Yet she insisted on studying medicine—just to do something meaningful, to save a few more lives."

There was warmth in his voice when he spoke of his sister.

At home, she always wore glasses when watching things. And now, Zhou Shengchen sat across from her, also wearing glasses.

Their eyes met intermittently through the thin lenses.

Leaning against the sofa, she chatted leisurely with him. Just this—it was already enough to feel content.

From where she sat, she could see the glass wall separating the living room from the dining area. Reflected in the glass were her and Zhou Shengchen.

Their outlines were clear, but their faces remained blurred.

She thought back to their first meeting in their past lives. Standing atop the city walls, she had leaned against the battlements, straining to see him in the dim light of dawn. His face had been just as indistinct then, only his silhouette visible. Someone beside her had said, Eleven, he will be your master from now on. She had nodded slightly—before sneaking out to see him, she had already heard his name: Zhou Shengchen. It sounded refined and noble, as though he were a scholar well-versed in poetry and literature.

But the reality had been entirely different.

What she had imagined was a gentleman holding a scroll of scriptures.

What she had seen was the Little Southern Chen Prince clad in armor, leading his troops.

That day.

The long night gave way to dawn as the three armies marched forth. Against the backdrop of beacon smoke and swirling yellow sand,

He stood atop the high platform, overlooking his forces. With a single wave of his hand, seven hundred thousand soldiers knelt before him in unison. This was the true Zhou Shengchen—a prince with a thousand retainers at his command, leading an army of seven hundred thousand.

Was it the allure of his presence? Or the bewitchment of love?At six or seven years old, she didn’t understand any of this, only feeling awestruck by what she saw before her. Her small hands clutched tightly at the green bricks of the city wall, her heart pounding like a drum.

Back then, she and he had been separated by the titles of master and disciple, and by her prearranged betrothal. From the age of seven to seventeen, everything—from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to social conduct, even every book she read and every line of poetry—had been taught by him. From ignorance to deep-rooted understanding.

Enchanted by his charm, her soul was captivated.

It took her ten years to truly grasp the meaning of these four words.

"Tired?" Zhou Shengchen suddenly asked her.

Shi Yi shook her head. "Just thinking about something," she said, quickly adding, "Work-related," afraid he might press further.

Since learning that he had no work or family commitments that day, she had deliberately mentioned working late the previous night and feeling a bit tired. They had spent the entire day at home with plenty of ways to pass the time, yet he had chosen to play Go. The way he held the pieces was elegant and strikingly familiar.

Occasionally, Shi Yi would steal glances at him under the pretense of studying the board.

She suspected he noticed but simply allowed her to do so.

He took her to their house.

A modest courtyard with a three-story building. The interior was decorated like a blank sheet of fine paper—colors not too vivid, yet exuding a serenity that made one instinctively lower their voice upon entering. She suddenly wondered: if it weren’t her, but someone else as his fiancée, would everything feel jarringly out of place? A dissonance of eras.

Yet for her alone, nothing ever felt uncomfortable.

As someone about to be engaged to him, it was only natural she should be involved in every detail. Zhou Shengchen didn’t believe he had the right to decide everything alone, even down to the multicolored woodblock prints for the invitations. He personally showed them to her, asking if she had a preference for the calligraphy style. They discussed this during a break in his meeting with his advisors.

On the dark brown table lay the woodblock prints, each engraved version accompanied by a strip of rice paper.

He had ordered her name carved and printed on the paper. In truth, she recognized every calligraphic style, even the stories behind them. She asked him, "What do you usually prefer?"

"The older generation revered the Tang style, favoring the balanced and upright regular script. As for which master’s script, it’s purely a matter of personal taste."

She nodded. Among the Four Masters of Regular Script, only Zhao Mengfu belonged to the Yuan Dynasty. Naturally, she dismissed that sample.

Then, with precision, she picked out the other three masters’ scripts and laid them before them both.

Unnoticed by her, a flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Shengchen’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Shi Yi to recognize them so accurately.

"I really like Yan Zhenqing’s handwriting, but he died unjustly—would that be inauspicious?" she murmured, suddenly superstitious. "Liu Gongquan’s script is too rigid—would it be unsuitable for engagement invitations?" Hesitating, she then felt she was overthinking it. After all, it was just the font for invitations—why be so particular?

Zhou Shengchen, however, didn’t mind. He picked up the only slip she hadn’t rejected. "Firm yet graceful—Ouyang Xun’s script is excellent." With that, he summoned someone to take the rice paper away.

He checked his watch and told her there would be many arrangements ahead, none requiring his presence.

At first, she found it odd, but as his figure disappeared into the study, she noticed a familiar face peeking in from outside—the girl who had taken her measurements that night, smiling playfully.Shi Yi suddenly understood what "unsuitable for him to participate" meant.

That night at the young woman's old residence, when selecting fabrics and taking measurements, there were only the four of them—grandmother and grandchildren—along with an elderly woman serving tea. Apart from the deep courtyard setting, Shi Yi hadn't found anything particularly special. But now, seeing the girl walk in followed by over a dozen exquisitely dressed middle-aged women, she grasped what Zhou Shengchen meant by "aristocratic family."

Some of the middle-aged women carried garments covered with dark red cloth, while others held long wooden cases.

Shi Yi glanced over, unable to guess what might be inside the cases.

After greeting her, the girl signaled for the cases to be opened. Soon, dark red clothing racks were assembled.

So even the racks for hanging the clothes had to be brought along for delivery.

The realization dawned on her.

Noticing her expression, the girl also found this practice rather troublesome: "Grandma insists that everything concerning the eldest young master of the Zhou Sheng family must be done with full ceremony," the girl sighed at Shi Yi's surprise, "There's no helping it. After all, Miss Shi Yi, you're marrying into the Zhou Sheng family—the family that produces only one heir per generation."

Someone removed the covering cloth and hung up over a dozen long dresses.

Shi Yi exhaled in admiration: "So beautiful."

"Do you like them? Really?" The girl smiled, "Then let me tell you—this is just for the engagement. My grandmother hasn't been well recently, so the three of us siblings designed these. For the actual wedding, Grandma would personally take charge, and they wouldn't just be 'beautiful'." Her tone brimmed with anticipation.

Shi Yi expressed her gratitude sincerely.

Someone hung up fabric drapes.

As Shi Yi tried on each gown with the girl's assistance, she finally remembered she hadn't asked for the girl's name.

"I'm Wang Man," Wang Man examined the dress Shi Yi was wearing closely, pursing her lips to direct Shi Yi's attention to the mirror. "No wonder Grandma said the eldest young master treats you better than anyone. You're the only woman in their family who doesn't have to wear qipaos at public events."

"Is wearing qipaos mandatory?" Shi Yi asked curiously.

But upon reflection, during her first meeting with his mother and later when dining near Jinshan Temple with his cousin and sister-in-law, they had indeed all worn qipaos. Regardless of fabric or style, none had broken free from traditional qipao constraints.

"I only heard from Grandma that established aristocratic families have countless rules, making clothes-making for them rather dull."

Wang Man studied the gown's cuffs, seemingly considering removing some decorations.

True beauty needs little adornment—minimalism is the highest art.

Finally, Shi Yi selected a gown that revealed a rare glimpse of her calves while the sleeves extended to her forearms.

Most importantly, it still somewhat resembled a qipao...

Noticing her thoughts, Wang Man suppressed a laugh and had the screen removed. Just as she was about to call Zhou Shengchen over, Shi Yi heard her phone ring. Picking it up from the table, she walked to the glass wall to answer when a man's voice lightly coughed behind her.

Turning around, she saw an unfamiliar man and woman standing at the doorway.This wasn’t surprising. Since being with him, she had only ever encountered unfamiliar faces. What was truly strange, however, was the momentary stunned expression on Wang Man’s face as her gaze landed on the young man. Shi Yi followed her line of sight and looked over. The man was dressed in light-colored trousers, a green checkered shirt, and a black suit jacket.

His height lent him an advantage, subduing the frivolity of the green and instead giving off an air of effortless charm.

The young man gave Wang Man a slight nod before shifting his gaze to Shi Yi. “I’m guessing this stunningly beautiful lady must be my brother’s fiancée, am I right?”

Shi Yi was taken aback but nodded in response. “Hello, I’m Shi Yi.”

“Hello,” the young man said, stepping forward and extending his arms. Just as she reached out to shake his hand, he pulled her into an enthusiastic hug. “I’m Zhou Wenchuan. Zhou Shengchen is my brother.”

Surprisingly, his Chinese was rather stiff—nothing like Zhou Shengchen’s.

Yet Shi Yi could still recognize his resemblance to their mother, particularly in the slant of his eyes.

So this was one of the twins he had mentioned—Zhou Wenchuan.

When they parted, Zhou Wenchuan waved over his female companion and introduced her. “This is my wife, Tong Jiaren.” Tong Jiaren approached but, unlike Zhou Wenchuan’s warmth, merely shook Shi Yi’s hand briefly before letting go.

Her demeanor was somewhat cold, even carrying a hint of hostility.

Shi Yi couldn’t understand why the atmosphere in the room had turned so peculiar.

Just as she hesitated over how to receive them, the door to the small conference room suddenly opened from within, as if he had heard the commotion outside. Inside, men in black suits were either seated or standing, their demeanor so solemn it seemed as though they were engaged in a life-or-death negotiation. Zhou Shengchen stepped out and motioned for the door to be closed behind him.

He wasn’t wearing his jacket, and the top button of his shirt was undone. In his right hand, he held his glasses. Lifting his gaze slightly, he took in the group in the study, his eyes naturally settling on Shi Yi. “You look lovely.”

Shi Yi smiled but before she could respond, Wang Man exhaled deeply. “Good, as long as it looks nice.”

She seemed eager to leave, quickly instructing her staff to tidy everything up.

As she prepared to depart, Zhou Shengchen unexpectedly asked her to stay for dinner. “You and Wenchuan have known each other since childhood. It must have been years since you last met?” Wang Man glanced at Zhou Wenchuan. “About three or four years, I’d say.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Wenchuan mused. “Sounds about right.”

The topic was brushed aside without further elaboration.

Dinner was served at home. After the meal, the group gathered in the courtyard for casual conversation. To Shi Yi’s surprise, she learned that Tong Jiaren and Zhou Shengchen had once been schoolmates. Though their age difference wasn’t significant, by the time Tong Jiaren enrolled, he had already earned his doctorate.

“According to the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, my brother here is a certified genius with an IQ of 190,” Zhou Wenchuan chuckled, crossing his left leg over his right. “He received an advanced study invitation at 12, entered university at 14, and earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering by 19.”

Wang Man let out a light laugh. “You’ve bragged about your brother so much, it’s become tiresome to hear.”

Zhou Wenchuan shook his head, still smiling.Wang Man continued, "According to the Guinness World Records, the smartest person in the world isn't the young master. That person could speak four languages by age two, audited university courses at four, and earned a Ph.D. in physics by fifteen."

Zhou Wenchuan slightly raised his eyebrows. "Little girl, you always oppose me."

Shi Yi couldn't help but chuckle.

Yet the central figure of their conversation didn't seem fully engaged. From the corner of her eye, Shi Yi glanced at him, wondering if he was thinking about his research projects in Xi'an or matters at home. Somehow, this was rather amusing. He could sit quietly by her side, allowing her to observe him occasionally and freely speculate about his thoughts.

Shi Yi pulled her wandering thoughts back.

Unexpectedly, she noticed Tong Jiaren subtly avert her gaze.

The direction she had been looking only held Shi Yi and Zhou Shengchen.

It was unclear whether she had been looking at her or him.

The two debating intelligence had already shifted the topic to moxibustion. Wang Man was explaining how, after returning from London, she had abandoned the diet that easily led to weight gain, yet unexpectedly, she had gained a little instead. "I exercise until midnight every day in the old house, do yoga in the morning, and barely eat any staple foods. Who knew it still wouldn't work?"

This was how girls talked about weight loss.

Whether you were from a prestigious family or had hands skilled enough to weave heavenly garments, weight gain was still a concern.

Zhou Wenchuan merely smiled. "Be careful not to give Mother a heart attack with all that jumping." He turned to his newlywed wife beside him. "Jiaren, didn't you teach your cousin some moxibustion and massage techniques?"

Tong Jiaren seemed distracted, as if she hadn't heard.

Zhou Wenchuan lightly patted her arm, half-smiling. "What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Tong Jiaren replied, puzzled. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you knew any moxibustion or massage methods for weight loss."

"It's not for weight loss but for boosting metabolism," Tong Jiaren said, placing her fingers on a spot three inches below her navel along the midline. "This is the Guanyuan acupoint. Regular moxibustion and massage here can promote diuresis, enhance kidney function, and improve the health of internal organs. Generally, with better metabolism, the body won't accumulate as much waste or fat, preventing obesity. In terms of function, this is the healthiest way to lose weight." Her tone was gentle yet carried a sense of detachment.

"Did you get that?" Zhou Wenchuan asked Wang Man.

Wang Man seemed slightly displeased, neither thanking her nor answering Zhou Wenchuan.

An awkward silence fell.

Having observed everything, Shi Yi found their relationship increasingly peculiar.

She smiled and suddenly added, "Also, Wang Man, remember this: moxibustion on this point can easily cause internal heat. Drink a cup of warm water before and after, or pair it with moxibustion on the Yongquan point on the soles of your feet to redirect the heat downward."

She only meant to diffuse the awkwardness.

Instead, she piqued Zhou Shengchen's curiosity. "You know about acupoints?"

She hummed in affirmation. "A little."

Much of what she knew was superficial.

But because he had once taught her, she had memorized it all and never forgotten.

Including calligraphy, including moxibustion points.

As the guests gradually left, she and he remained seated in the courtyard.The men who had been discussing business with him in the afternoon came over with a stack of documents for Zhou Shengchen to review. Shi Yi tactfully averted her gaze, turning her attention to the colorful koi fish in the pond. Suddenly, a golden koi leaped out of the water with a splash before diving back in.

The gentle sound of water accentuated the tranquility of the evening.

He took the pen and signed at the bottom right corner of a page. After the men left, he lightly massaged his temples with two fingers before putting on his glasses.

Only then did he turn to look at her.

Shi Yi's profile was exquisite, her eyes reflecting the moonlight as she deliberately avoided his work matters, focusing instead on the pond and the artificial rockery beside it. There wasn't the slightest hint of impatience in her demeanor. He recalled a phrase used to describe true beauty.

The most beautiful are those unaware of their own beauty.

When they first met, he had suspected she might have been arranged by someone to approach him, relying on her striking appearance. But now he genuinely acknowledged that she simply wanted to get to know him—a very pure intention.

Under the moonlight, she watched the koi, while he watched her.

A line came naturally to mind:

"Long brows arched like distant hills, sidelong glances soft as mist; her beauty captivates the soul, bringing joy to the heart beside her."

(End of Chapter)