After waiting for a while, Qingchen did not hear a reply.

She leaned against the headboard, her breathing a little rapid, one hand resting on her sash, a helpless smile playing on her lips. "If the teacher doesn't want to, then I'll call the housekeeper..."

Soon, the door was slowly pushed open.

Bright light streamed in through the crack in the door, covering the floor.

The person was bathed in sunlight, making it impossible to see their face. After entering the house, they turned and closed the door, standing there for a while.

"Teacher, over here."

A moment later, he walked over in silence.

Because her head felt heavy, Qingchen remained leaning against the headboard. Her thin body felt weak and listless, and her slender waistline was faintly visible behind the curtains.

She pointed to the ribbon on her neck, "Somehow it got tied in a knot that I can't untie. Teacher, please help me, it'll be easier to untie if you get closer."

The straps were on the inside of the bed, so he had to stand next to her, lean forward, and reach over her body to reach them.

Seeing that he was hesitant to make a move, Qingchen looked at him, panting, "The wine is already soaking through my undergarments, teacher."

He blinked his eyelashes, then bent down, lowered his head, and reached out to untie her sash.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

This position brought their faces very close, their noses almost touching.

Song Yue's breath brushed against her face, gentle and warm, a scent unique to him. The alcohol churned within her, and Qingchen's already rapid heartbeat quickened even further.

She took a slight breath, afraid that he would hear her heartbeat.

Song Yue seemed to have no reaction, focusing on untying his belt, his face expressionless, revealing no emotion.

"Teacher, does this sash look familiar?" Qingchen looked at his perfect profile and suddenly said, "You untied it before. Do you remember the day Gu Shaoheng had his coming-of-age ceremony?"

She let out a soft breath and continued, "I was testing you to see if you knew my identity. You refused to reveal it, only saying, 'It's cold, don't make trouble.' Do you remember?"

...

White light streamed in through the window, falling obliquely on him. Her words went unanswered, like petals falling silently, leaving only the sorrow of time's irretrievable passage.

He didn't answer, but his slender fingers untied her sash, then he raised his head and took a step back.

Seeing that he was about to turn and leave, Qingchen grabbed his wide sleeve, "Wait... Where is Teacher going? Isn't this room big enough? Can't it fit the two of us?"

He seemed to pause for a moment, then stopped, but still didn't say anything.

Qingchen quickly took off her outer robe, revealing a thin cotton coat. She grabbed his arm, pulled him back forcefully, and then hugged his body.

Song Yue was taken aback, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. The light and shadow on that handsome face flickered, still vivid and captivating.

Qingchen held him and whispered in his ear, "Does this body feel familiar? Teacher, you've held me before..."

Song Yue closed his eyes, feeling only the thin, frail body in his arms, so soft it seemed as if it might fall apart at any moment. He couldn't help but tighten his embrace slightly.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again, grabbed the new robe that the butler had prepared from the bed, and draped it over her back.

Qingchen shook her head, pushed him away, and tore off her clothes from behind. "Teacher is still the same as before, so caring. But why the rush to get dressed?"

"...Don't catch a cold." He finally spoke, his thin lips tinged with a faint red. His face was radiant and smooth.

"You won't catch a cold," she said, taking his hand from beside him.

It was the same touch he remembered: long, slender joints and slightly cool fingertips. This hand was just like that when he first taught her to write.

Qingchen took a breath, grabbed his fingers, and made him touch his lips with his fingertips. "And these lips, do they look familiar, teacher? You kissed them."

He frowned slightly and looked at her with a serious expression.

"The ones you kissed," she said, looking back at him intently. "In the snow pavilion, in the clinic, in the carriage, on the swing, on the bed... Teacher, you haven't forgotten any of them, have you?"

The room was quiet.

Qingchen felt as if something was dripping or tapping in her heart.

Song Yue slowly withdrew his hand, looked down at her, and said, "...You called me in just to say this?"

Is that all?

Qingchen suddenly laughed, rubbed his brow bone, then grabbed the new robe and put it on, tying the sash. "I'm a little drunk, the sash really won't come undone. You saw it too..."

He was about to say something when she continued, "What do you think I meant by keeping you here and hugging you? Missing you? Remembering you? No. Nothing at all. There was absolutely no such meaning. It's been almost two years. There's no such meaning between us anymore. You understand, teacher, right? Please don't misunderstand."

“There’s no misunderstanding.” After a moment of silence, he spoke. “I know. Me too.”

His voice was cold and aloof, and the words "Me too" were especially chilling.

"That's good." Qingchen stiffened slightly for a moment, then smiled somewhat awkwardly. "As long as they're the same."

Shouldn't she have understood long ago? He sent her to Yunnan, but wouldn't let her come back. What other reason could there be besides this?

Before entering this room, she still harbored a lingering thought: had something happened to him? Had someone done something to him that caused his sudden change? Now it seemed there was nothing to it. His distancing himself from her and driving her away wasn't for any other reason than that he, "just like her," had long since lost that feeling.

Therefore, there's no need to ask those questions anymore.

Qingchen stood up, straightened his robe, and took a breath. "I'm done changing, you can change now. Teacher, you probably don't need my help, right?" The student then left.

"Can you walk by yourself?"

"Sure. Of course I can." She smiled and walked in a straight line, barely managing to stay awake. "This little bit of wine won't get me drunk. I'm off now."

"Um."

He gave a curt reply, then walked to the bedside and began to take off his clothes, which were soaked with alcohol. He didn't turn around.

Qingchen finally reached the door, but didn't dare look at his back. She quickly closed the door after leaving.

She didn't return to the banquet hall, only entrusting her servant to deliver a message to Zhao Qiran before heading out the door. As the protagonist of the day, this was somewhat impolite, but her chest was really tight, her head was throbbing, and tears were welling up, so she couldn't care less about those things.

If she doesn't leave soon, she might have to show the most embarrassing side of her life in front of everyone.

Summers in Beijing are rather humid and hot.

There is no wind.

It's suffocating.

After resting for two days as ordered, Qingchen returned to the capital.

As the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue, she had many things to do. Just getting to know everyone in the ministry, becoming familiar with government documents, understanding the national tax and grain situation, and verifying the accounts of various provinces required a lot of effort.

What she wanted to do first was to publish and distribute the "Yuan Family Agricultural Book" written by Yuan Song and others to various provinces so that they could learn from the experience and improve grain yield per mu.

In short, she has to adapt to the new environment and new position for a while, and she has a lot to do.

When you're busy, you don't have time to think about anything else.

She thought it was fine.

Although that's not always the case.

That day, Qingchen's subordinates brought in some official documents, saying they were drafted by the cabinet and required the Ministry of Revenue to implement them. Qingchen glanced at them; one of them was a document instructing them to quickly guide the provinces to increase yields per mu. The handwriting on the draft was that of Song Yue.

"Lord Shen is indeed worthy of being Grand Secretary Song's student; you and the Grand Secretary are on the same page."

Qingchen smiled slightly, which was his answer.

Qingchen's subordinate was a sensible person, and she had enjoyed working with him for the past two weeks. He added, "With the cabinet's draft proposal, no one will dare to be negligent in its implementation. Your Excellency's promotion of this policy will undoubtedly proceed more smoothly."

There was a hint of envy in his words.

Qingchen was a newly appointed official. Although he was a third-rank official and the Vice Minister of Revenue, he was still young and didn't have much of a background. There were many imperial relatives and nobles in the court, and quite a few of them were arrogant. When they encountered a newcomer like Qingchen, some of them inevitably had thoughts of slacking off or deliberately disobeying and testing him.

This will affect the implementation of the policy and delay the planting of the second rice crop this year.

However, if the cabinet votes in favor, that would be a different story.

Qingchen remained noncommittal, only saying, "You can go down now. I need to look at the accounts for a while."

"Yes, sir."

Summers in Beijing are very hot.

Qingchen had changed his cotton-padded coat under his robe into a thin gauze one, but it was still very hot. The cicadas outside the window kept chirping incessantly, which was somewhat irritating.

She had to keep a handkerchief by her side to wipe away sweat, otherwise the sweat dripping from her hands would inevitably wet the account books.

Fortunately, she was using a jade pen, and the cool feel of the pen handle provided some relief.

This pen was a gift from Song Yue. She remembered him telling her that she could only use this pen to write, and unexpectedly, she had been using it for more than two years. After using it for more than two years, she had long since gotten used to this pen. The jade pen handle felt heavy to others, but she found it just right.

When we went to Huairou to check on the embankment, it was almost lost. Later, Xu Si went down to the river and found it again, but a faint scratch was left on the pen.

With her thoughts drifting, Qingchen complained about the hot weather and the cicadas for a moment before burying herself in the ledgers.

At that moment, two people entered the hall.

She looked up and saw the Minister of Revenue and... Song Yue.

"Lord Shen," said the Minister of Revenue, "I was just talking to Grand Secretary Song about the poor summer grain harvest in Shandong Province. The Grand Secretary wants to see the account books for Shandong. Please hand over the account books to the Grand Secretary first."

Qingchen was looking at the account books of Shandong Province.

Shandong had a poor harvest last year due to several natural disasters, but this year's summer grain harvest is also reported to be short. She has some questions and is currently investigating. She didn't expect Song Yue to be concerned about this as well…

"Yes." Qingchen replied, then closed the ledger that was spread out in front of him and handed it to Song Yue with both hands, "Grand Secretary."

Song Yue's face remained expressionless as he glanced at the notes she had laid out on the table. "You're looking at these too?"

"yes."

"What did you see?"

Seeing that the teacher and student seemed to be discussing things, the Minister of Revenue said, "I have some matters to attend to. You two may continue your discussion. Your Excellency, I shall take my leave now."

"Um."

Only two people remained in the room.

Qingchen continued the previous topic, saying, "Shandong is reporting a shortfall in summer grain again this year, but there hasn't been any major disaster. I've only just started looking at it and haven't seen any problems yet. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

Song Yue nodded, casually flipped through the booklet in his hand, and then his gaze inadvertently swept across the room and fell on the jade pen on Qingchen's pen holder.

Following his gaze, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. "I'm used to this pen, and the others feel a bit light to pick up, so I can't write well... It doesn't mean anything by it. Please don't misunderstand."

“It’s old…” He parted his thin lips slightly, “I’ll have someone bring you another one.”

"No need!" Qingchen quickly replied, "I just didn't notice and that's why I didn't exchange it. Today, thanks to your reminder, I remember and will exchange it. I can buy one myself."

"..." He seemed to want to say something, his lips parted slightly, but he didn't say anything, and turned to leave.

When they reached the door, he stopped again. "Do you know where I can buy this kind of pen?"

Qingchen watched his retreating figure and curled the corners of her lips. "I don't know. But I don't plan to use this kind of pen anymore. I'll just pick out an expensive one at the market."

"……Um."

He gave a curt reply and left.

Qingchen stood quietly for a while before slowly sitting back down in her chair.

Looking at the jade pen, she felt a slight tingling sensation in her nose.

It's like having to say you're giving up something you can't bear to part with.

Qingchen has been back in Beijing for almost a month, and summer in the capital is slowly coming to an end.

On this day of rest, she was at home keeping her father company while he enjoyed the cool evening air when a servant came to report that guests had arrived.

Upon arriving at the main hall and seeing the person who had come, Qingchen was stunned for a moment before finally coming to his senses.

Xu Silin.

Xu Silin was wearing a long robe. Two years had passed, but his young face was still handsome. The unruly spirit in his eyes had lessened, replaced by a more mature look.

He smiled when he saw Qingchen, revealing his white teeth. "Before you returned to the capital, I was on a mission to Shandong and only got back yesterday. It's been a long time."

Qingchen nodded. "Long time no see."

He tilted his head, squinted at her, and smiled warmly, "Have you missed me?"