Chapter 22. They were so close they were practically whispering sweet nothings to each other...

Time flies, and Qingming Festival has passed in the blink of an eye. People drank merrily along the banks of the Qinhuai River, surrounded by beautiful women. My second uncle, Qian Younian, returned home last night and is leaving again this morning. Before departing, he sent a letter to Yunteng Pavilion.

Qian Yingyi's face fell, and she stubbornly refused to answer the letter. "It's another letter from Dad, isn't it? I'm not going back, I said I'm not going back!"

Qian Younian frowned, his face showing disapproval. "Take it quickly. Your second uncle still has to rush to Yongping. How could your father harm you? Your frowning face is really ugly."

What's so ugly about her? Qian Yingyi reluctantly took the letter, spun around and headed to the west window of the main room, casually tossing it in with a "thud," then turned back and stuck her tongue out at Qian Younian.

Qian Younian smiled and shook his head, then hurried away.

Because of the repeated letters, Qian Yingyi was very angry. She stood with her hands on her hips and cursed in the corridor, "I don't care if they are the sons of officials of the first, second, or third rank! I've never seen them before. They are all short and small-eyed, or fat-handed and pig-faced. When I was ten years old, my parents couldn't control me anymore and wanted to force me to go back to find a husband. No way! I just won't go back!"

Where is the slightest bit of the demeanor of a well-bred lady? If the ladies in the outside world saw her like this, they would laugh so hard that the face powder they had applied would fall off!

The maids, used to such sights, chuckled softly and didn't take it seriously. Qian Yingyi's eyes darted around, and after a moment, she called over Little Tortoiseshell: "I ask you, if your parents asked you to marry a woman you'd never seen before, would you agree?"

Little Tortoiseshell's heart and eyes were filled with Chuntang; how could she possibly agree? She immediately straightened her face and replied, "No way! I'd rather die than agree! If one cannot be with the one they love in this life, it's better to live alone!"

These words were sour, and Qian Yingyi glanced at him disdainfully, her thin body trembling. "There's no need to say it so mushy."

Xia Ling smiled and stuffed a basket into the little tortoiseshell's arms. "Then you'll be in charge of sifting the flower petals. They say you can test a man's patience by how meticulous he is at his work. These flowers were picked by Chuntang to make wine. You can choose some."

Little Tortoiseshell perked up and couldn't help but steal a glance at Chuntang. Knowing she couldn't hear him, he still chuckled and shouted, "Leave it all to me!"

Chuntang bit her lower lip and hid behind the quilt. The warm sun made the quilt smell comforting and also made her fair and delicate face rosy. Even though she couldn't hear, she could guess seven or eight parts of what was going on from the expressions of the maids.

How could I not feel ashamed?

Qian Yingyi's eyes lit up, her gaze shifting back and forth between the little hawksbill turtle and Chuntang. She had privately asked Chuntang if she had feelings for the little hawksbill turtle; at that time, Chuntang just sat under the lamp, blushing.

When she and her grandfather brought Chuntang home, Chuntang was filthy, her eyes filled with wariness of strangers, and she could tear a chunk of flesh from a person when she bit them—she was by no means a delicate or gentle person. If she didn't like someone, she would definitely refuse them directly.

Thinking of this, Qian Yingyi chuckled. She wanted to create a wonderful opportunity for the two of them, so she cleared her throat, glanced at the birds on the wall, and said, "Little hawksbill turtle, have there been a lot of people going to Xuanwu Lake for spring outings these days?"

The little hawksbill turtle was engrossed in picking through the petals when it heard this. It looked up and asked in surprise, "There are quite a lot. Would you like to go out and have some fun, Miss?"

Qian Yingyi smiled happily and hurriedly ordered Xia Ling to prepare some fruits and snacks. She went back to the main room to change her clothes and dressed herself up smartly before leading the group outside. "Of course we're going!"

A warm breeze carries the crisp sounds of strings and pipes, as countless homes vie to create new melodies. At this time of year, flowers are in full bloom, and young ladies, enjoying the spring scenery, ride in carriages, occasionally lifting the curtains to entice the young riders to secretly pull on the reins. Before you know it, the road becomes somewhat congested.

The vendors on both sides of the road are always good at doing business. They swarmed in at this time. One storybook vendor was carrying a book box on his back. Presumably to attract young ladies to buy, the box was wrapped with a circle of peach blossoms, which was very eye-catching.

The shoving led him to the Qian family's carriage. The vendor smiled, then looked up and met a cold-eyed young man. He thought to himself that the young man probably didn't know how to do business. After a moment's thought, he finally mustered up the courage and pulled out a storybook. "Sir, would you like to read a storybook?"

Qin Lizheng glanced at him indifferently and said only, "If you don't want to look, please step back. The carriage has no eyes, and it would be bad if you got hurt."

Before he knew it, the little tortoiseshell poked its head in and bombarded him with questions: "What kind of storybooks? What kind of stories do you have? Storybooks are sold in bookstores, you didn't steal these from somewhere and are you reselling them, did you?"

Seeing his amiable demeanor, the vendor quickly put on a smile as well. "Oh dear, how could that be? I work for Fubaozhai. Fubaozhai is managed by the owner of Yinbaoge. The owner said that with the spring sunshine, the study is cool and shady, so the customers probably don't like to go in. That's why I'm carrying storybooks and wandering around outside!"

He handed the storybook to Little Tortoiseshell, "Young master, this is Jinling Little Red Bean's latest work. It's selling very well in Yangzhou and Suzhou. Take a look?"

Little Tortoiseshell had heard of the name "Little Red Bean of Jinling." But because of the excessive hype, he felt rebellious and deliberately avoided buying it.

By sheer coincidence, and seeing that the road was still congested, Little Tortoise was bored and decided to buy the two volumes. But as soon as she glanced down at them, she was first attracted by the "Portraits of Martial Arts Performers" on the cover. She grinned and showed them to Qin Lizheng in the sunlight, "Hey, look, there's even a little figure drawn."

Qin Lizheng merely glanced at it twice, his gaze sweeping over the seal under the signature. When he saw that it was a small rabbit with droopy ears, he lingered for a moment longer.

After a long delay, just as Xiao Daimao was reading the scene where Yu Niang was setting off to deceive people, the road finally opened up. He hurriedly picked it up and put it back in his arms, then quickly steered the carriage through the gap, and soon began to drive towards Taiping Gate.

The sun was warm and the breeze was gentle; spring had arrived and the river water was as green as blue. Boats ply the water, and bursts of laughter echoed across the scene. Qian Yingyi was quite excited when she got off the carriage, and she grabbed her skirt and ran towards the lake.

Not only the wealthy, but even ordinary people lazily lay on the grass. Qian Yingyi was in a good mood, but then remembered her business and walked towards an open space. Her clear, bright eyes darted around, and she said, "Oh, I just remembered, Chuntang seems to be visiting Xuanwu Lake for the first time, little hawksbill turtle..."

She turned to call the boy, smiling, "You came to Jinling when you were young, why don't you take Chuntang for a walk?"

At this moment, it seemed as if the little tortoiseshell had finally snapped out of its daze. She stood there dumbfounded, her face gradually flushing red. She was very happy, but fearing that Chuntang would refuse, she could only fix her gaze on Chuntang's slender figure.

Fortunately, Chuntang was gently nudged by Xia Ling. Although she kept her eyes down, she moved lightly, turning back every few steps, until she reached the little hawksbill turtle's side.

Qian Yingyi glanced at the two of them, smiled, and waved her hand, "Go!"

Little Tortoiseshell was so nervous that his palms were sweating profusely. He didn't know where to put his hands and feet. His eyes looked around and he fixed his gaze on a large rock facing the lake shore. He then smiled sheepishly and gestured to Chuntang.

The two walked behind the rock, and gradually could no longer hear what Qian Yingyi was saying with laughter on the other end.

Little Tortoiseshell couldn't help but steal glances at Chuntang out of the corner of his eye. He reached into his robes, pulled out a clean green fruit, and handed it to her with trembling hands.

Chuntang took it, put it in her mouth and took a bite. It was so sour that her eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth almost scrunched up together!

The little tortoiseshell was startled and quickly snatched the green fruit away. "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Spit it out! Is it sour? I was so stupid to give you this!"

Perhaps it was nervousness, or perhaps it was the pent-up emotions of too long, or perhaps he knew she couldn't hear him, and he watched as she spat the green fruit from her mouth onto her handkerchief while avoiding his gaze. Little Tortoiseshell lowered his eyes and mustered his courage to say:

"Chun, Chuntang, I like you."

"Ever since I started serving you, Miss, I've fallen in love with you. Chuntang, a few of my sword tassels are broken. You tied a knot for me with brown silk thread back then, and I still can't bear to replace them."

"Chuntang, can I...be your support? I can do anything. Whether you're happy or sad, you can take it out on me. No...I mean, I mean you can hit me or yell at me, and I won't fight back. Oh, that's not what I meant. Chuntang, I want to marry you. Chuntang, I..."

As soon as she finished speaking, her sleeve was suddenly grabbed lightly by a hand.

Little Tortoiseshell's eyes trembled slightly as she watched the embroidered shoes with red apricots walk up to her. Suddenly, she looked up and saw Chuntang lowering her eyes to avoid her.

He thought to himself that he shouldn't have said it to her, but rather he should have shown it to her. Fearing that she might feel he was disrespecting her, he became anxious and quickly glanced at her with his face turned to the side, then hurriedly began gesturing in front of her.

Before he could even raise his arms, a smiling face suddenly appeared before him, and those soft lips, carrying a hint of sourness, pressed against his lips.

Chuntang couldn't hear, but as she turned to look at him, she could vaguely recognize her name from his lips...

Once, twice, three times...

Petals drifted down from the embankment in the wind, and the distant mountains were also full of spring. At that moment, their hearts suddenly stopped.

The kiss was brief, but Xiao Daimao couldn't calm her pounding heart or stop her trembling hands. She tried to put her arm around Chuntang's waist, but Chuntang pushed her away against her chest and shyly walked away to the other side.

The boy suddenly snapped out of his daze, both surprised and delighted. Realizing that she had never been to Xuanwu Lake before, he hurriedly followed her, always keeping a small distance between them, yet unable to resist the urge to get closer.

Their springtime thoughts blossomed amidst the fragrant grasses and flowers, growing ever more dazzling. Qian Yingyi, seeing this, withdrew her gaze, covered her face with her handkerchief, and laughed.

She has always cared a lot about the happiness of those around her. If the two of them are in love, why not give them a push?

Xia Ling blinked and sighed, "He's truly sincere."

Qian Yingyi placed a clean square towel under her, sat down cross-legged, rubbed her face against the cold-faced guard, and suddenly said, "Lin Zheng, come here. What are you doing standing so far away? Let's play a game."

Qin Lizheng silently walked to her side, and just as he was about to sit down, a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Miss Qian?"

Qian Yingyi looked back blankly, and when she saw who it was, she couldn't help but be surprised, "Yingniang? What a coincidence that you're out here too!"

Yingniang was dressed exactly like the young ladies of the household today, her hair tied up in a high bun, a pink handkerchief twirling in her hand. She softened her voice, smiled, and curtsied to Qian Yingyi, “My godmother allowed me to rest for a few days. I was bored sitting in the tower, so I came out. But I almost twisted my ankle after only a few steps. It was this gentleman who helped me in time, otherwise I would have made a fool of myself…”

She stepped aside, and Qian Yingyi then saw a tall, handsome young man standing not far away. He was dressed in a bamboo-colored cross-collar robe and wore a Tang-style headscarf, looking quite dashing.

Qian Yingyi understood, and considering that the two sides had already met, she generously moved aside, saying, "We were just about to have some fun, would you and that gentleman like to join us?"

Her approachable manner made Yingniang want to get closer to her even more. She thought to herself that it was common for young men and women to gather and have fun during spring outings, so she didn't hesitate and cheerfully waved to the young man, "Please come over here!"

As the young man approached, Xia Lingfang stood up and bowed to him, "My young lady's surname is Qian. May I ask your surname, sir?"

To his surprise, the other party raised an eyebrow in astonishment, then smiled and asked, "Miss Qian? Are you from the Qian family in Pipa Lane?"

Xia Ling was taken aback, then cast a sharp glance at him, remaining silent for a long time.

The young man bowed and said, "My surname is Pei, and I happen to live in Pipa Lane. Our two families are neighbors."

Qian Yingyi blinked and smiled, "So it was you who listened to the opera every day!"

Pei Ji curled his lips into a smile. Shouli first asked Yingniang to sit down before saying, "I have nothing to do today, and I brought some snacks with me. If you don't like them, I can send someone to ride back to the city and buy a few servings from the best restaurant by the river and send them over."

He was generous and didn't care about money, so Yingniang secretly kept an eye on him.

After some conversation, she learned that he was in the silk business in Huai'an Prefecture. Qian Yingyi simply took note of it and then said, "How about we play a drinking game?"

Yingniang smiled and clapped her hands, "Although I haven't read many books, I am familiar with some poetry. Shall we play a refined game?"

Qian Yingyi shook her head and said, "Poetry is so boring, let's just play with the simplest things."

She picked up a twig, turned the dishes on the tray upside down, and explained, "Once it stops, each end will point at one person. The two people play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser has to answer a question for the winner without lying."

He added, "Tea can be used instead of wine. It's not good to go back drunk when you're out having fun."

Everyone nodded slightly, assuming they understood. Yingniang then called over a maid who had accompanied her, making a total of six people.

When a strange man suddenly appeared, Qin Lizheng's expression did not change. However, while Qian Yingyi was having fun, he secretly leaned closer to her and used half of his shoulder to block some of her view.

After one round, Xia Ling lost first, and Ying Niang won. Ying Niang didn't hold back and asked with a smile, "Does sister think I'm beautiful?"

Who would ask that? Xia Ling chuckled, but still answered seriously, "Beautiful."

Yingniang glanced at Pei Ji secretly, chuckled twice, and then called for them to play again.

To everyone's surprise, Xia Ling lost again. She was not convinced and laughed, blaming herself for sitting in a bad position. She then switched places with Ying Niang, and when she turned around, the tree branch indeed pointed at Qian Yingyi.

Opposite her was Pei Ji.

Pei Ji smiled gently and pretended to play rock-paper-scissors with her. Qian Yingyi was an expert at this game, but Pei Ji was even better and won.

Pei Ji then threw his head back and chuckled, as if joking with her, and casually asked, "I wonder what Miss Qian usually dislikes the most? And what does she like the most?"

With just a few words, Qin Lizheng suddenly looked up and stared at him.

The young maidservant Yingniang brought was confused and asked, "Didn't we say we could only ask one question at a time?"

Qin Lizheng slowly scrutinized Pei Ji with his eyes, sensing something amiss. Before he could grasp it, he heard Qian Yingyi say with a smile, "Then I can only choose one of the two. I hate being lied to the most."

Qin Lizheng's heart, which was beginning to harbor doubts, was instantly pulled back to her side. He silently lowered his eyes, watching the shadows of the two intertwined under the green grass, and hearing her extremely confident tone, he suddenly felt a little uneasy.

The game progressed quickly, and when it was Qin Lizheng's turn, he was somewhat lost in thought. After easily defeating the little maid, he had a blank expression and simply said, "I have nothing to ask."

Distracted by him, Qian Yingyi also lost her enthusiasm. She put down her hand, gave a polite smile, and said to Yingniang and the other woman, "I'm sorry, I always lose. I can't find the joy of winning or losing, so I don't really want to play anymore."

Yingniang had come for Pei Ji, so she naturally wanted to spend more time with him. Hearing this, her smile widened. "It's alright, it's just a game."

Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Pei Ji had no reason to stay any longer. So he stood up, brushed the weeds off the hem of his robe, and said, "Today is truly a fortunate occasion. Miss Qian, we are neighbors. Please take care of me in the future."

Then he and Yingniang walked to the other side.

Yingniang admired the flowers and scenery ahead, while Pei Ji followed behind, a smile on his face. From a distance, they looked like a perfect couple. After a while, the servant beside Pei Ji came over and whispered, "Master, what a great opportunity! Why don't you say a few more words to that Miss Qian?"

Pei Ji stared at Yingniang's back, but upon closer inspection, there was no emotion in her eyes. He raised his eyebrows, a half-smile on his face, and strolled leisurely. "It's all thanks to her coming up to me and saying that she would often perform at the Qian family's opera in the future that I deliberately met her here."

"If even the top official of Yingtian Prefecture has to curry favor with the Qian family, then I will naturally follow suit. They want to take advantage of me, and I have the right to choose my patron. If the Qian family is superior, I don't need to fawn over them. Who would want to hand over their money so easily?"

"Put it still for now. I'm just a merchant, and it's already difficult enough for me to have a voice."

“Moreover,” Pei Ji paused, his eyes narrowing, “that guard beside Miss Qian is not simple. Just now it was just a joke, but the way he looked at me was no different from staring at a piece of dead meat on a chopping board.”

Leaving aside the schemes and plots for now, let's just see Yingniang turn around and smile at Pei Ji. Pei Ji also smiled back and quickened his pace to follow her.

Qian Yingyi raised her chin slightly and glared at the guard, "Why are you spoiling the mood?"

Qin Lizheng withdrew his scrutinizing gaze from Pei Ji, turned to look at her, and, recalling her words "being disliked and deceived," parted his thin lips slightly, ultimately only saying, "I'm not very good at this."

"So what games can you play!" Qian Yingyi pouted. "I was finally getting excited, and you almost spoiled it again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the guard turned his back and quickly left.

"Hey!" Qian Yingyi clenched her fist angrily and said to Xia Ling, "We can't even say anything to him! He's got a temper now!"

Little Tortoiseshell and Chuntang had disappeared somewhere, and Qian Yingyi didn't clamor to return to the city. Seeing that the sun was shining brightly, she covered her face with a handkerchief to shield herself.

Xia Ling felt hot, so she grabbed a basket and put it upside down on her head.

Laughter and noise continued all around, and then a series of heavy footsteps sounded behind me, bringing with them a refreshing scent of mint.

Qian Yingyi, her face tilted back, didn't move. Recognizing the voice of a guard, she snorted, "Go away! What are you doing back here? Didn't you hate it when I said something to you?"

Her small face was completely covered by a handkerchief. When she spoke, the tip of her straight nose twitched, and a small part of her fair and delicate chin was vaguely revealed.

Qin Lizheng pursed his slightly dry lips, and unconsciously used the object in his hand to gently stroke her chin, his tone softening, "I'm not leaving, want to play this?"

Qian Yingyi was startled and immediately lifted her handkerchief. When she saw the kite in his hand, her expression was especially pleasantly surprised. "I wanted to play with this before, but I looked around when I got off the bus and couldn't find any for sale. Where did you buy it?"

"The vendors are taking a nap under the trees," Qin Lizheng said, extending his arm towards her. "Want to go and let them roam for a while?"

Qian Yingyi happily climbed up by his strong forearm, and was about to brush the weeds off her skirt when she suddenly saw him kneel down and brush them away for her. The little bit of temper she had was instantly dispelled, and she was so happy that she didn't hold it against him anymore. Instead, she said generously, "Thank you!"

Seeing that Xia Ling was dozing off, Qian Yingyi didn't wake her and quietly left.

The kite was shaped like a butterfly. Qin Lizheng led Qian Yingyi to a quiet open space, where she untied the string, shook it, twirled her skirt, and tossed the kite into the air before running away with a smile.

She was very good at flying kites, and she used to love flying them with her friends back in the capital. But after moving to Nanjing, she carefully reflected on the past ten years and realized that she hadn't flown one even once.

Qian Yingyi became increasingly delighted as she released the butterfly, gazing at it for a long time before asking the guard, "Do you think I released it well?"

"Very good, very high."

Qian Yingyi smiled, her laughter full of joy. Seeing that it wasn't high enough, she ran forward a little, then backed up, trying to place the butterfly even higher.

Little did he know that staring at the sunlight for too long would make his eyes blurry, and when he looked down at his feet, he would feel dizzy and fall backward.

Before Qian Yingyi could even gasp, she collapsed into a pair of strong, powerful arms.

Having run for quite some time, a thin layer of sweat covered her face, and her cheeks gradually flushed until they turned bright red. The reason for this was... unknown, whether it was because she suddenly stopped and her blood rushed back to her head, or because she was caught by a guard.

This startled her so much that she stopped pulling the cord. In her blurry vision, all she could see was a tight, sharp jawline, and the scent that filled her nostrils was no longer the smell of grass, but his unique minty fragrance.

She gazed at him for a moment, but still couldn't make out his eyes and eyebrows.

It felt like that face was getting closer and closer... closer and closer...

Qin Lizheng couldn't help but lower himself, wanting to get closer to her. An impulse surged within him, wanting to hold her tightly, to kiss her slightly parted lips, to linger there, to embrace her even more. His hidden feelings were about to be exposed.

He knew she couldn't see clearly at that moment.

When they were so close they were almost whispering sweet nothings, Qin Lizheng closed his eyes, finally letting go of her and forcefully stopping the kiss that was about to erupt.

"Miss, watch your step."

Strange, was it just her imagination? Qian Yingyi's heart trembled strangely, and her hand holding the string suddenly tightened, pulling the kite down a little.

Strangely enough, she thanked him naturally when he brushed away the weeds for her earlier. Now that he had helped her up again, she should thank him again.

Qian Yingyi swallowed hard, but the repeated "thank you" remained unspoken.

A breeze often blows across the vast Xuanwu Lake, causing the butterflies to sway wildly in mid-air, as if they were struggling trapped in the wind.

Qian Yingyi looked away blankly, pursed her lips, took a half step back, and whispered, "I...I don't want to play anymore."

Why?

Qian Yingyi's face flushed, and she shoved the ball of thread into his hand without a care. Her fingertips brushed against his hot palm, and she flinched, forcing a smile as she quickly fanned her face with both hands. "I'm hot, I really, really don't want to play anymore. You go put it away, I'll watch."

Qin Lizheng slowly spun the string, staring at her for a moment, a smile playing on his lips. He obediently listened to her and turned his back to fly the kite.

As dusk settled, layers of evening clouds rolled in on the horizon. Just as it was time to go home, the long-lost little hawksbill turtle finally returned with Chuntang. Bathed in the glow of the sunset, their faces were flushed.

Qian Yingyi followed behind the guard all the way. Although the kite was back in her hand, her gaze kept falling on his hand.

Fortunately, the feeling that she didn't quite understand vanished the moment she saw Chuntang and the other person. She smiled and looked back and forth between the two of them before quickly lifting her skirt and running over.

The return trip to the city was still lively. Qian Yingyi was quite happy today. After dinner, she remembered that there was still a letter that had not been opened. She was giving her father face after all.

The moonlight slanted down as Qian Yingyi sat by the window reading a letter. The further she read, the more she couldn't hide her smile.

Finally, he slammed his hand on the table, jumped up, and ran out of the main room, searching the whole yard for Xia Ling, shouting, "Xia Ling! Xia Ling! My brother and sister are coming to Jinling!"

She hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise in the letter. Finding Xia Ling in the corner of the corridor, she immediately hugged her, her voice choked with joy, "I haven't seen them for three years! They're coming to Jinling!"

"It's Mother's handwriting! Mother said that my brother-in-law has been appointed as the Governor of Jiangnan and is taking my sister to Jinling. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and my brother is going to Yangzhou on business, so he'll drop her off on the way!" Qian Yingyi burst into tears of joy, two tears falling onto Xia Ling's shoulder. "Xia Ling, I'm so happy, so happy!"

Xia Ling had followed her since childhood and knew that she was close to her older siblings. She couldn't hide her delight, "Really? This time, both the eldest young master and the second young lady have come to Jinling. Let's see who dares to laugh at you outside!"

Qian Yingyi didn't care about any of that; she was already overwhelmed with joy. She lifted her skirt and went to find Chuntang, but little did she know that she would run into Qin Lizheng on the way.

She was so happy that she forgot the romance of the afternoon and ran wildly toward him.

When Qin Lizheng looked up, he saw her running towards him with a radiant smile, and he was stunned and stood there, his heart skipping a beat.

He almost raised his arms to catch her.

Qian Yingyi ran up to him in a few steps, patted his arm and laughed, "Lin Zheng, Lin Zheng, my brother and sister-in-law, as well as my sister and brother-in-law are all coming to Jinling! Heavens, I'm so happy I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Qin Lizheng's expression hardened, and after a long pause, he forced a smile. "Is that so?"

Her brother-in-law, Yu Cheng, and her elder brother, Qian Linye, had both met him while serving the Emperor. If they were to come, his identity might not be able to be concealed.

Qian Yingyi didn't care about anything else, she wanted to tell others the good news, so she stood on tiptoe, patted his shoulder, and then twirled away.

As she turned around, a small object fell down her skirt.

Xia Ling was busy chasing after Qian Yingyi and hurriedly walked past Qin Lizheng.

Qin Lizheng bent down to pick up the object, his eyes flashing slightly as he stared at it.

The object was a small, cute seal, with a picture of a lop-eared rabbit on it.

Sparks crackled twice from the yellow gauze lantern. Qin Lizheng stared at the seal with a slight surprise. After a long while, he turned and walked towards the main room. A moment later, he reached the west window and quietly placed the seal on the desk that Qian Yingyi often used.

Just then, Little Tortoiseshell walked by, lost in thought. Qin Lizheng stopped him and reached out his hand, "Let me take a look."

The little hawksbill turtle was clearly caught up in the tenderness and affection, and subconsciously asked, "Huh?"

Qin Lizheng didn't waste any words with him. He took the two storybooks from his arms, clutched them tightly in his hand, and then went to his bedroom to rest.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself, but when he finally settled down to read the storybook, he suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment.

He thought he knew her well enough. But after reading the stories she wrote, he was shocked to realize that he had only touched a corner of her world.

Too many unexpected things happened today. Qin Lizheng took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and fell into deep thought.

Reason also forced him to quickly distinguish between what was important and what was urgent.

If someone with ulterior motives tries to get close to her, he can devise a plan to keep them away. He can also pretend not to know the secret that she is Jinling's Little Red Bean, simply concealing that secret himself...

But Yu Cheng and Qian Linye might expose his identity.

Can he still stay by her side?

A dim lamp flickered beneath the window, casting Qin Lizheng's face in half-light. He thought, he began to hope that his dream would come true. If it were truly possible, setting aside hatred and fame, abandoning everything, he would be willing to be with her in this vast Jinling, in the familiar Qian Mansion...

Just like that dream I had many days ago.

To be a lady's bodyguard for life.

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Author's Note: I want to shout out my slogan: Pure love is invincible!

This is my first time writing a story about unrequited love, and I think I should take it one step at a time [shy].

Originally, the plan was to arrange for them to take a boat trip, which would gradually warm up the atmosphere between the two. However, according to Xia Ling's idea, it was impossible to let the guard and the young lady travel alone on a boat, since a boat is a very private space, and the overall environment is slightly better. So, they changed it to flying kites instead~ [shy]

On a side note, when I went to Nanjing, I took a boat on Xuanwu Lake. Oh my god, I can't swim, and I was terrified! [crying emoji]