Chapter 104

No wonder the envelope suddenly appeared on the table!

But didn't she say... she wasn't leaving?

She even said she wanted to go on a trip with him.

Did she regret it?

Zhou Yanqing's heart instantly panicked. He wanted to go forward and ask, but he was afraid of hearing an answer he didn't want to hear.

He stood there helplessly, his body trembling slightly, neither daring to push the door open and go in, nor wanting to turn around and leave.

Just as the door was suddenly opened, Si Yanmo saw that the person at the door had red eyes, as if they were about to cry at any moment.

She looked at her with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong with you?"

Zhou Yanqing looked at the package in her hand, her heart aching. She grabbed the cloth strip and asked with trembling lips, "Are you... leaving now?"

So he already knew.

Si Yanmo smiled, "Of course not now, it's so late..."

Zhou Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief, but then heard her say, "Leave tomorrow."

He panicked completely; she really was going to leave him.

What about all the sweetness they've had these past few days, coming back from Sak?

He pulled her into his arms, tightening his grip until Si Yanmo could barely breathe. "What... are you doing?"

The tall man instantly transformed into a helpless child, tears welling up in his eyes and falling to the ground. "Can't you stay?"

His voice was almost pleading; he was willing to do anything as long as Si Yanmo didn't leave.

The man's reply was not what he expected: "Of course not, what time is it?"

His eyes turned bloodshot as he gripped her arm tightly and stared at her.

A thought popped into Zhou Yanqing's mind: imprison her again. This time, she would not let her escape no matter what, and she would show no mercy.

But... he really didn't want it to be like this. She had clearly said she liked him, and they had been very happy together these past few days.

Zhou Yanqing liked this feeling. He wanted them to stay like this forever, like a real couple, instead of torturing each other with hatred.

His voice trembled, as if he wanted to give her, to give them, one last chance, "Amo, please, don't go. Didn't you say you liked big dogs?"

Upon hearing this, and seeing the man's expression of near collapse, Si Yanmo finally realized that he had misunderstood!

Although she didn't know what he was thinking, she was certain that it was definitely not the same thing she was thinking.

She raised her hand and rubbed the man's face, laughing, "Silly boy, it seems like we're talking about different things."

Seeing her smile at him, Zhou Yanqing felt a little relieved and asked, somewhat stunned, "Then what did you say?"

"Didn't we say we should go to the Lantern Festival banquet early? What about Tan Muhe's place..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Yanqing instantly realized what was happening.

He's been so happy spending time with his Amo these past few days that he's completely forgotten about this whole thing.

Si Yanmo is the same.

If she hadn't run into Zhong Zihe on her way back from her sister's place today, she probably wouldn't have remembered this until the day of the palace banquet.

My sister gave birth a month early, leaving them with nothing to do for the entire month. They spent their days either visiting her adorable little nephew or going on various dates with Zhou Yanqing, completely forgetting about their previous plans.

That's why she was in a hurry to pack her luggage when she came back, otherwise if she was delayed on the way, her plans would be ruined.

"So that's what you meant." Zhou Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief, hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness, thank goodness you meant this..."

As she spoke, her voice trembled with sobs.

This time it's because of joy.

Si Yanmo was also confused by his appearance and couldn't help but become curious, "Then what are you talking about?"

Zhou Yanqing was taken aback, then coughed a few times awkwardly, "N-nothing..."

He would never admit that the mighty King of Qin cried because his wife wanted a divorce.

The next day, the group prepared and set off for Nandu, while Zhou Junsong and Si Yunyun would depart a little later than them, as planned.

When she said she was going back, Zhong Zihe insisted on coming along. At first, she thought he was going back to celebrate the New Year, but seeing the strange harmony between him and Tan Muhe, she finally realized something was wrong.

While the group was resting in the car, she grabbed Zhong Zihe, her clothes contorted as if she were being tortured. "Tell me, what's going on between you two? Confess!"

"Yes...it's what you think." Zhong Zihe looked away guiltily, avoiding her gaze. "But...Mu He hasn't agreed yet. He said to wait a little longer, and he believes my charm will soon..."

Before he could finish speaking, Si Yanmo smacked him on the head, "Charming my foot! When did this happen?"

"While you were in...Sak."

At this moment, she noticed that Zhou Yanqing, who had followed her earlier, didn't seem surprised at all. She realized something, "You didn't already know, did you?"

Zhou Yanqing chuckled, then took a step back as if afraid of being hit as well, "Only a month earlier than you."

"Fine, you all kept this from me!" Si Yanmo was furious with them.

It was agreed that she and Zhong Zihe were childhood sweethearts, and there were no secrets between them! Now, everyone knows except for her!

She was eager to know the whole story. "Tell me, how did you start liking men?"

Zhong Zihe had no choice but to confess honestly.

When Zhong Zihe first learned that Si Yanmo planned to exonerate Tan Muhe and arrange for him to stay with her, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

I used to be a regular at Qiuhe's place, and I fell in love with her because of her piano playing.

But now his goddess has turned into a man, and he has to live under the same roof with her every day. This is worse than death for him.

Zhong Zihe initially avoided this person, but Tan Muhe was much more open than him and even sent some jewelry as payment for the room.

After a while, he started to realize that it wasn't really Tan Muhe's fault. He hadn't even spoken to her before liking her; what did it have to do with her?

Even if he was lying by dressing up as a woman, it was all to save his life.

This person is with him now, so he should take good care of him.

So he started trying to talk to Tan Muhe.

He did start talking, but the other person barely responded, practically like a block of wood. This made him rebellious.

Who is Zhongzi He?

Can you really suffocate just because someone doesn't talk to you?

He started looking for topics to talk about, and soon he discovered that when he talked to this person about the piano, the other person was always very enthusiastic. Although he still didn't talk much, he could still keep up with the conversation.

Gradually, the two discovered their shared love for the zither, and they became rare soulmates.

Tan Muhe would play the scores he had studied for him, and he would also give his opinions.

He didn't know from which day it started, but as Zhong Zihe watched that person play the zither, even though he was dressed in men's clothing, without makeup, and his tone of voice had faded, he still felt the same way he did with "Qiu He" back then.

He had a sudden thought: a man is a man, he likes it, and he doesn't care about gender.

Zhong Zihe was neither as conflicted as Si Yanmo nor as stubborn as Zhou Yanqing. Once he made up his mind, he would do it and speak up, but the answer he received was: "We are not suitable."

Tan Muhe told him that even if he really was a woman, he was still the "son of a criminal," and as long as his father was not exonerated, he would never be able to see the light of day and would be a sinner.

Being with him will bring no benefit; on the contrary, it will put you in a dangerous situation.

Most importantly, he disliked Zhong Zihe.

But Zhong Zihe was not discouraged; his greatest skill was relentless persistence. From childhood to adulthood, he had always managed to get what he wanted, all thanks to his shamelessness.

This time, he was shameless too, following Tan Muhe around every day. Finally, he opened the man's long-sealed heart.

Tan Muhe said, "Have you heard of 'Spring Comes and Goes'? Once you learn to play it, I'll go home with you."

Zhong Zihe was overjoyed. Even though he knew that "Spring Comes and Goes" was one of the four great classical pieces and was notoriously difficult to play, he was still willing to learn it.

"I want to be with him." He smiled, with a hint of silliness, leaving Si Yanmo speechless.

She pinched Zhong Zihe's ear and said with exasperation, "Are you trying to drive your uncle and aunt to their deaths? You really plan to bring a man back with you?"

She grew up with Zhong Zihe and naturally knew the temperaments of Zhong's parents. Although the two elders had been successful in the business world and had seen a lot, they were still traditional when it came to their family.

Don't let Zhong Zihe's usual carefree attitude fool you. He spent a lot of time in private school as a child and got punished quite a bit. Otherwise, how could he be both a businessman and a connoisseur of music? It was all honed during that time.

The two elders' greatest wish was that Zhongzihe would inherit the family business, marry a virtuous and kind girl, and add another member to the family.

According to Zhong Zihe's destiny, he was a businessman in his early years, but later his business was suppressed and his family was targeted, leading to bankruptcy. He then rallied and entered officialdom, where he achieved great success and married a beautiful and virtuous woman.

Life has had its share of ups and downs, but it has also been fortunate.

How did things go off track now?

"Didn't I tell you, you have a destined marriage! That girl is wonderful!" Si Yanmo was furious.

Zhong Zihe, however, felt he was quite right. "Who says fate can't be changed? You said you were destined to die, but you're alive and well now!"

"Zhong Zihe!" She didn't know if Zhong's parents would be driven to their deaths by anger, but if she listened to this person continue, she was afraid she would be driven to her death. "Fine, I'm not going to care about you anymore!"

She pulled Zhou Yanqing away.

When Zhong Zihe saw that she was really angry, he quickly followed up to coax her, "Oh, Xiao Mo'er, you can't be sure about feelings, right?"

Si Yanmo ignored him, looking like she was saying "I won't listen, I won't listen," and ran forward quickly, leaving him behind.

He reached out to pull her, but Zhou Yanqing pushed him away and glared at him as she turned around.

Now he could only slink back into his carriage and follow the two men on their way.

The road to Nandu became warmer and warmer as we traveled, and by the time we reached Wufeng Pass, we no longer needed to wear a fox fur coat.

The group decided to rest there for the night before continuing their journey.

Looking at Si Yanmo, who had been sullen ever since she learned about Zhong Zihe and Tan Muhe, Zhou Yanqing couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Why are you unhappy? You don't... really like him, do you?"