Upon hearing this, Madam Li turned to Li Yuan beside her and said, "This time your wish has been granted. Knowing you don't enjoy opera, your cousin specially rented a film reel to screen for you." Li Yuan clapped her hands in delight, standing up and clamoring to go see it immediately. Madam Li responded, "The film won't be shown until evening. Since you're so impatient, I'll take you to see what movie it is." She then smiled at Pingjun and said, "Miss Ye, please wait here for a moment. I'll take my mischievous cousin to take a look and return shortly."
Pingjun nodded in acknowledgment. After taking a few steps, Madam Li turned back with a gentle smile and added, "Miss Ye, we've invited a distinguished guest to our home today who must not be neglected. If he arrives while I'm away, would you please ask him to wait here? Bo Ren and I will join you shortly."
Noting the special instruction, Pingjun promptly nodded in agreement. Only then did Madam Li lead Bai Liyuan away. The garden was exceptionally beautiful, filled with the fragrance of flowers and lush green grass. As Pingjun sat there, a pair of vibrant butterflies fluttered past her and alighted together on a budding pink hibiscus, silently fanning their wings. Seized by a playful impulse and seeing no one around, she boldly stood up and approached them. But just as she reached out to catch them, the butterflies took flight again, settling in the center of another hibiscus blossom.
Holding her breath, she tiptoed closer and cupped her hands to try again. The pair of butterflies danced away through the flowers once more. Suddenly, a soft chuckle came from the covered corridor. "Clearly, these are the Butterfly Lovers—Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Why must you try to catch them and break their dream of flying side by side?"
Startled, Pingjun looked up to see several men standing in the covered corridor, all dressed in sharply pressed iron-gray military uniforms and leather boots. At the center stood a young soldier who stood tall and handsome, his deep, dark eyes sparkling with an innate pride and magnanimity when he smiled. It was none other than Yu Changxuan. Casually removing his military cap and handing it to Gu Ruitong, he nodded slightly toward Ye Pingjun and said with a light laugh, "Miss Ye, I've long heard of you."
His remark, "I've long heard of you," suggested he already knew her. Pingjun scrutinized Yu Changxuan from head to toe. Just as Gu Ruitong, holding the military cap, was about to turn away with the other aides-de-camp, he noticed Ye Pingjun looking in his direction. He gave a slight bow of his head and walked straight out.
After studying him for a moment, her clear eyes filled with puzzlement, her first question was: "Who are you?"
Watching her chase butterflies among the flowers, her clothes fluttering gracefully in the wind like a celestial being, and hearing her question, Yu Changxuan smiled warmly, answering with complete candor, "My surname is Yu, given name Qing, courtesy name Changxuan."
Pingjun frowned slightly. Though she came from a common family, she knew that in Golden Mausoleum, anyone who announced the surname Yu was certainly no ordinary person. Pointing toward the other end of the covered corridor, she said, "You must be the Lis' distinguished guest? Mr. Li and Madam Li are receiving guests in the front hall, and there's also a delightful operatic performance."Yu Changxuan let out an "oh," his deep gaze lingering on Pingjun as he chuckled softly, "No need to trouble yourself going to the front. I think this place is quite nice." Pingjun grew flustered under his stare and turned to leave, but he took a few steps forward and said, "Miss Ye, please wait a moment."
Pingjun turned back, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "How did you know my surname is Ye?"
A smile touched the corners of Yu Changxuan's lips. "Madam Li is terribly busy up front and asked me to come to the garden to look for a young lady with the surname Ye. She said Miss Ye is very close to the Li family and could help entertain me for a while. I guessed it was you—am I right?"
Seeing how convincingly he spoke, Pingjun thought to herself how strange Madam Li was, casually tossing a male guest her way. Not wanting to make things awkward for him, she nodded and said, "Then why don’t you sit here for a while? I’ll go fetch you a cup of tea."
Yu Changxuan smiled, "No need, there’s some right here." Pingjun had intended to use the tea as an excuse to slip away for a moment, but to her surprise, he deftly turned and poured tea from the pot on the round table—even pouring two cups. He placed one on the opposite side of the table before politely saying to Pingjun, "I’ve disturbed you, Miss Ye. Let me offer you a cup of tea as an apology."
Seeing his courtesy, Ye Pingjun felt she couldn’t refuse. She stepped forward, sat down, and picked up the teacup. Without a word, she brought it to her lips for a small sip, acknowledging his gesture. He said nothing more, only smiled at her. The garden was lush and vibrant with flowers and plants. It was evening, and the sunset bathed clusters of hibiscus blossoms in a beautiful glow. A subtle fragrance drifted in the air, while the distant sounds of drums and gongs from an opera performance emphasized the tranquility around them, as if they were in another world.
Sitting with a stranger like this for no reason made her uneasy. She set the cup down on the table and made to stand up, but suddenly, he laughed and said, "Is this your book, Miss Ye?" Pingjun turned to see him holding the Book of Songs that had been lying at the corner of the table. She shook her head and said, "That’s not mine."
Yu Changxuan let out another "oh," picked up the book, and casually flipped through a few pages. Suddenly, he chuckled and said, "I have a younger sister—the most spoiled girl you’ll ever meet. Our family hired a classical literature tutor for her, and after just a few days of lessons, she came up with a riddle to test me. Can you guess what she said?"
Intrigued by his mysterious tone, Pingjun asked, "What did she say?"
Yu Changxuan replied, "She loves to challenge people. She said: 'Xiao Shi rides a dragon and sings like a phoenix, chanting the fourth note of the Guan Ju.' The answer is a line from the Book of Songs." As soon as he finished, Pingjun laughed and blurted out, "That’s simple. I’ve read about it in a book. The fourth note of the Guan Ju is naturally 'a gentleman longs for a fair maiden.'"
Yu Changxuan looked at her, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, thank you for the guidance, Miss Ye. So it’s 'a gentleman longs for a fair maiden'—but I wonder, what is it that this gentleman longs for?"Pingjun was slightly taken aback, rising from the chair and turning to look at him. Her eyes were clear and bright, yet carried a hint of coldness. Just then, Bai Liyuan’s cheerful laughter echoed from one side of the Covered Corridor, "Pingjun, Pingjun, there’s someone playing 'Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute' up ahead. Would you like to listen?"
Pingjun turned and saw Bai Liyuan running toward her, followed by Madam Li and Li Boren, both looking rather helpless. Madam Li repeatedly called out, "Liyuan, stop right there! You really are..." But Liyuan had already rushed over and grabbed Pingjun’s hand, grinning playfully. Madam Li was at a loss. Seeing Yu Changxuan seated there, Li Boren let out an awkward chuckle, "No wonder we couldn’t find anyone after waiting so long. So Fifth Master is here."
Madam Li chimed in with a smile, "I didn’t know our Boren had such influence, even managing to invite Fifth Master. This birthday celebration is truly worthwhile." Yu Changxuan replied, "My timing seems unfortunate. I didn’t realize there were other guests here."
Li Boren quickly interjected, "We’re all family here—no such thing as guests. The garden scenery is quite lovely, Fifth Master. Please take your time enjoying it. We’ll head to the front shortly for the banquet. My wife and I will go check on the preparations." Madam Li nodded with a smile but then turned to Bai Liyuan, "Liyuan, you’ve been here for a while and still haven’t called your father, have you? Go make that call now, so he doesn’t worry."
Liyuan gave an "Oh," but Pingjun spoke up first with a smile, "I just remembered—I left something in the car I arrived in. I’ll go check right away." Her words left Li Boren and Madam Li momentarily stunned. Madam Li recovered first and said hurriedly, "What did you forget? I’ll send someone to fetch it for you. There’s no need for you to go yourself."
Yu Changxuan glanced up at Pingjun and chuckled, "Am I some kind of beast? The moment I arrive, everyone scrambles to leave. Since when does your household treat guests this way, Brother?"
Ye Pingjun smiled and said, "Exactly. Mr. Li, Madam Li, please attend to your guest. Liyuan and I will go together and return shortly." Liyuan, delighted by the idea, grabbed Pingjun’s hand and giggled, "Let’s go then! I’ve been bored here for ages and have been wanting to have some fun."
Li Boren could only watch helplessly as Bai Liyuan and Ye Pingjun walked hand in hand along the Covered Corridor. Turning back to Yu Changxuan, he rubbed his hands awkwardly. Sipping his tea, Yu Changxuan took in Li Boren’s expression and burst into laughter, which only irritated Madam Li further. She snapped indignantly, "You, Fifth Master! You’ve got our whole family running around for you, and you have the nerve to laugh? No wonder everyone says you’re no good!"
Once Ye Pingjun and Bai Liyuan left the garden, Pingjun watched Liyuan go to make her phone call and then stepped out of the main hall, standing on the steps to survey her surroundings. She noticed several Guards stationed in the Covered Corridor of the front courtyard and began walking toward them. Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out: "Halt!" Two Guards immediately blocked her path.Ye Pingjun lifted her head and glanced forward, seeing a handsome and refined military officer approaching. It was the same person who had admitted her mother to the hospital and visited periodically. She went straight to the point: "Who exactly are you?"
Seeing no further need for concealment, the young officer waved his hand to dismiss the guards and said, "I am Gu Ruitong, head of the attendants' office at the Yu Family Mansion."
Ye Pingjun kept her gaze fixed on Gu Ruitong, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "So the person who helped me and my mother is the one upstairs referred to as Fifth Master?" Gu Ruitong nodded, "Exactly." Upon hearing this, Ye Pingjun immediately blurted out, "Why would he do this?"
Gu Ruitong looked at Ye Pingjun, noting how clear and pure her eyes were, like ice and snow. He remained silent for a moment before saying, "Miss Ye, you are an intelligent person. You understand without me having to explain."
Ye Pingjun lowered her eyes slightly, immediately grasping the implication. There was no need to ask further. She turned to leave but suddenly heard a voice call out, "Miss Ye!" She turned back to see Gu Ruitong still standing straight. He seemed to hesitate briefly before finally saying, "Miss Ye, it's best to extricate yourself early!"
Ye Pingjun was slightly taken aback. She looked at Gu Ruitong, whose expression remained as calm as ever, and gave a quiet smile, nodding, "Thank you, I'll remember that."
Subtle shadows, an unspoken elegance
When Ye Pingjun returned to the hall, she found the banquet already underway. As soon as she entered, Madam Li promptly approached with a smile and led her to the head table. Ye Pingjun took a seat beside Bai Liyuan, who asked with a laugh, "What exactly did you lose? Did you find it?"
Ye Pingjun smiled faintly and whispered, "I found it. It’s just a small trinket Xue Ting gave me. Luckily, it wasn’t lost, or else..."
Bai Liyuan giggled, "Or else you’d be heartbroken to death!" Their quiet laughter at the table soon caught the attention of Madam Li, who asked, "What are you two whispering about so happily? Share it with the rest of us so we can all have a laugh." Her question drew the eyes of everyone at the table. Yu Changxuan glanced at Ye Pingjun, a faint smile playing on his lips. Ye Pingjun tried to stop Bai Liyuan, saying, "It’s nothing, Li Yuan, stop laughing."
Bai Liyuan, never one to keep things to herself, became even more determined to speak when Pingjun tried to hush her. She replied cheerfully, "Just because Jiang Xueting gave you that little thing, you rushed out to look for it. Can’t I laugh a little? How could you be like this!"
Madam Li’s smile instantly froze. She glanced over and saw Yu Changxuan slowly set his wine glass down on the table. Noticing the situation, Li Boren quickly shot Madam Li a meaningful look. She immediately reached out and took Pingjun’s hand, speaking softly and warmly, "Miss Pingjun, I liked you the moment I saw you. I’ve been thinking of taking you as my younger sister. Would you do me the honor of acknowledging me as your elder sister?"
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