After saying this, he picked up the things Shuangxi had placed on the desk and stormed out.

"That's true. An apology should be done in person. As long as she can forgive me and forgive me for what I did, I'm willing to do anything."

"Not only that, I also want her to know her brother's true colors. In her previous life, she entrusted herself to the wrong person and lost her happiness by some twist of fate. In this life, I can't let her waste her time on her brother."

Shuangxi's eyelids twitched; she had never expected He Yunce's reaction to be so strong.

He hurriedly tried to stop him, but He Yunze had already walked out and disappeared without a trace.

When He Yunze arrived at Ximoxuan with his apologies, he was stopped by his servants before he could even enter.

He seemed to have thought of something, his expression darkening slightly as he stared blankly at the servant before him: "Was it my elder brother who sent people to be wary of me?"

The servants in the courtyard looked puzzled when they heard He Yunze's words.

What do you mean by being confined to one's home?

It was clearly his young mistress who fell into the water, and his master took pity on her, so he asked the Imperial Hospital for a few days of sick leave. The young mistress had been so busy recently, so now she could naturally rest in the courtyard for a few days.

But He Yunce continued talking.

"Just because I sent apologies to the courtyard a few times, my brother got angry? My brother doesn't love her, yet he won't let her go out or see anyone. Is that reasonable?"

When He Yunze got to this point, he recalled everything from his past life, and his heart trembled: "She longed for freedom; she couldn't bear being confined to the courtyard all the time."

“If you don’t let me in, I will wait here until my brother comes back and until she comes out to see me.”

Seeing He Yunze's resolute expression, the servants were in a dilemma, unsure whether to let him in or not.

Hearing the commotion at the door, Sanqi went inside and reported to Song Xizhi exactly what He Yunce had said.

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi recalled his past life, and his fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, paused slightly.

She remained silent for a long time before slowly raising her eyes: "Since he wants to see me, then let him in."

Upon hearing Song Xizhi's words, Sanqi glanced at her quietly before abruptly lowering her head again.

For some reason, his wife had no expression at the moment, but her aura made him tremble and cold sweat break out on his back.

He quickly agreed and rushed out to report.

Standing at the door, He Yunze was overjoyed to hear Song Xizhi agree to see him and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, because of his brother's obstruction, his apology was never presented to her.

So after the servants of Ximoxuan made way for him, he couldn't wait to squeeze into the courtyard.

He Yunze strode forward, feeling as if he were walking on clouds with every step. He had never felt such joy, not even when he shed his reputation as a good-for-nothing and went to court for the first time in his previous life.

Excited and impatient.

He seemed to be filled with tears, eager to see that woman.

That woman who jumped into the icy lake without hesitation for a cat, that woman who devoted herself to her husband, that woman who loved candied hawthorns, donkey rolls, and big meat buns…

As He Yunze thought to himself, he slowly clenched the food box in his hand, and with another creak, he pushed open the half-closed door.

The room was extremely quiet.

He swallowed hard, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar decorations in the room, and for a moment it felt like he had returned to his past life, to the time when the two of them had just gotten married.

When the woman on the soft couch, dressed in a pale yellow dress, slowly raised her head towards him, He Yunze almost burst into tears.

It can't be too exaggerated, and it won't scare her.

He Yunze silently warned himself, carefully wiped away the tears from his eyes, and quickly walked up to Song Xizhi.

The woman's every smile and gesture seemed to tug at his heartstrings, filling him with joy. He was afraid that if he suddenly spoke, he would shatter this beautiful dream.

He Yunze hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile and handing the food box to Song Xizhi.

"This...this is the food and storybooks I've collected."

He Yunze's throat was a little dry: "The candied hawthorn was made by the most authentic master in the capital, the donkey roll was made by the master in the east of the city, and the dragon beard candy was made by the master in the west of the city. They are all from your favorite shop."

He forced a fawning smile, eagerly awaiting Song Xizhi's opening of the storybook and the joyful expression that would follow.

"These storybooks are all out of print and can't be found in the capital, so I hired a storyteller to tell the stories while I copied them down. I've been copying for several nights now, and I've copied a few more to entertain you..."

After He Yunze finished speaking with a smile, he cautiously raised his head to look at Song Xizhi's expression.

Song Xizhi simply flipped through the storybook with a calm expression, showing no emotion on his face.

He Yunze swallowed hard again and continued to Song Xizhi: "...This is all my apology. I didn't expect that my apology would displease my brother and cause you to quarrel. My brother even forbade you to go out and made you stay in the courtyard."

“I know you yearn for freedom and have extraordinary ambitions. I will talk to Father about this, and I will ask my brother to release you. No one can restrain you like this.”

He Yunze's chest trembled as he spoke this.

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi finally smiled. She nodded, her eyes slightly moist as she looked in He Yunze's direction.

"Yes, there are only two things I fear most in my life. The first is the cold lake water, because when I was young, Song Ruoan deliberately pushed me into the lake, and I barely survived."

He felt a pang of sadness and hurriedly said, "I have already dealt with Song Ruo'an. She can no longer hurt you."

Song Xizhi gazed calmly at He Yunce's face, his voice low and soft, as if he were recalling something:

"The second thing I fear is losing my freedom. Since marrying into the Marquis's mansion, I have never set foot in that cold courtyard on the far west side of the mansion, because I have been imprisoned there for thirty years."

He Yunze's eyes narrowed, his heart trembled, and he looked up in disbelief at Song Xizhi's face.