From the moment Jiang Ziqi and Li Yunrong met, every word he spoke and every action he took was tailored to her tastes.
Even Li Yunrong would occasionally fall into a daze, wondering how someone could be so perfectly in sync with her. They had only known each other for a few short months, yet she felt as though they had been acquainted for years.
"Miss, Miss! A letter from Young Master Jiang!" Hongying came rushing in from outside, her voice full of excitement.
Li Yunrong glanced at the two maids in the room and said calmly, "You may leave."
"Yes, Miss."
Seeing others in the room, Hongying immediately silenced herself and stood still with a serious expression. Once the two maids had exited, her excited look returned instantly, and she skipped over to Li Yunrong’s side in a few quick steps.
Li Yunrong looked at her helplessly. "You must be more careful next time. If you keep being so boisterous and Father hears you, he’ll scold you again."
"Yes, yes... your servant remembers. Miss, hurry and see what Young Master Jiang wrote!" She pressed the letter into Li Yunrong’s hand, urging her on.
Li Yunrong gave a resigned smile. "Why are you more excited than I am?"
As she spoke, she opened the letter and began to read.
"I’m only happy because I see that Miss is happy. Could it be that Miss isn't happy to receive a letter from Young Master Jiang?"
The maid’s teasing made Li Yunrong choke on her words. Blushing with awkward shyness, she lightly tapped Hongying with the envelope. "You mischievous girl..."
"Hehe..."
Initially, Hongying hadn't thought much of Jiang Ziqi due to his reputation. However, after observing him for so long, she felt he was actually quite a good person, not at all the degenerate the rumors suggested.
Crucially, he was good to her mistress—truly good. Every little detail was accounted for; she had never seen anyone else treat her mistress with such genuine importance.
Moreover, her mistress seemed to have a good opinion of him as well. Wasn't this a perfect match of mutual affection?
A moment later, Li Yunrong finished the letter.
"Miss, what did Young Master Jiang say this time?"
Li Yunrong mused, "He wants to meet me tomorrow at the East Pavilion of Chiyin Lake."
"Will you go, Miss? If you do, you should make him wait for a while. Who told him to stay out of touch for so long?" Hongying thought for a few seconds, wrinkled her dainty nose, and gave a deliberate huff.
Li Yunrong smiled, appearing to consider it. After a moment, she chuckled softly. "I see... he really has offended you this time."
She shook her head.
Hongying said stubbornly, "I'm just standing up for you, Miss."
In truth, Jiang Ziqi really hadn't contacted Li Yunrong for quite a while, and no one knew what he had been busy with.
The two shared a few more laughs before dropping the subject.
The next day, Jiang Ziqi arrived early at the designated spot to wait. According to the plan, today was supposed to be the day he confessed his feelings to Li Yunrong.
However...
In a room within the Que Tower, Ye Zhao sat by the window, gazing at the two figures in the distance. He slammed his teacup down heavily. "Jiang Ziqi wimped out again!"
"Sigh..."
Ye Zhao rubbed his forehead, nursing a headache. They had been at it for fifteen minutes. Although he was too far away to hear what Jiang Ziqi was saying, he could tell from the man's posture that he wasn't confessing.
In reality, Jiang Ziqi was incredibly nervous. He was rambling about anything and everything just to keep the conversation going and prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward.
But Li Yunrong was no fool; she naturally sensed his agitation and tension.
"Jiang Ziqi? Do you have something you want to say to me?"
Having spent so much time together, they understood each other to some extent.
Jiang Ziqi’s heart jolted. "Ah... ah? No! Nothing!"
He immediately wanted to slap himself. What was he saying?! Of course he had something to say! Otherwise, wouldn't he be wasting this chance to be with her?
He hurried to salvage the situation. "No, no! I do... I do have something to say!"
Li Yunrong waited for him to speak.
Jiang Ziqi pumped himself up again and again, but the moment he looked into Li Yunrong’s eyes, the words that had reached the tip of his tongue refused to come out.
He opened his mouth, then swallowed the words back down, his expression drooping slightly.
"?" Li Yunrong looked at him in confusion, wondering what was on his mind.
"I'm going to be busy with something for a while, so I might not be able to see you as often. Don't... don't forget me." After agonizing for a long time, Jiang Ziqi finally managed to squeeze out this sentence. He looked at Li Yunrong expectantly, like a puppy caught in the rain.
Li Yunrong heard the worry and trepidation in his voice. A second later, she let out a sudden "pfft" of laughter. "Don't worry, how could I forget you?"
"You..." Jiang Ziqi seemed to want to say something, but only a single syllable escaped before he swallowed the rest. He wanted to ask: *Didn't you forget me once before?*
?
Li Yunrong saw him pause and was about to ask when she heard him say: "Don't forget me, and don't think of anyone else. I will always be thinking of you, Rongrong."
*Whoa—*
Suddenly, their eyes met.
Li Yunrong was stunned at first, then a look of surprise slowly dawned on her face.
The moment Jiang Ziqi realized what he had just said, he felt his soul leave his body. His composure shattered.
He bolted upright, his face turning as red as a monkey's backside. He gestured wildly with his hands. "No, no, no! I meant... I meant..."
He stammered for a long time without managing to explain himself.
Suddenly, Li Yunrong let out a soft laugh.
She nodded with a look of understanding and said, "I know what you wanted to say."
"Huh?" Jiang Ziqi had a momentary lapse in intelligence. Before he could pick up his fallen dignity, he heard Li Yunrong speak slowly.
"I know what you want to say."
She was calm and composed, and if one looked closely, a hint of amusement could be seen in her eyes. Unfortunately, Jiang Ziqi’s mind was a total blank, and he noticed nothing.
All he knew was that Li Yunrong knew he liked her.
Even though both were well aware of the situation, now that the paper window had been poked through, Jiang Ziqi couldn't help but feel anxious, nervous, and afraid.
And then...
He spinelessly turned and ran...
Li Yunrong watched his retreating figure in stunned silence, the words still echoing in her ears: "Wait for me to achieve something great, then I'll come find you!"
In the blink of an eye, he had vanished into the distance.
In the ensuing silence, a gentle breeze blew past. Li Yunrong suddenly gave a light chuckle.
Her gaze fell upon the lotus leaves on the lake's surface. Her expression was breathtakingly soft, and a faint blush graced her beautiful face, making her look as radiant as peach and plum blossoms.
She thought she understood Jiang Ziqi’s purpose for seeking her out today.
"Rongrong?" she whispered the name to herself. Her face grew redder, but the more she thought about it, the more familiar the name felt. It was as if someone had called her that before. Yet, after mentally cycling through her relatives and friends, she couldn't recall anyone who used that name for her.
Jiang Ziqi was the first.
Not long after, her maid Hongying arrived and asked where Jiang Ziqi had gone.
Li Yunrong smiled and said nothing, simply heading home in high spirits.
On the other side, Jiang Ziqi was not in such a good mood. Aside from his own annoyance at himself, he had to face Ye Zhao’s expressionless stare.
What else could Jiang Ziqi do?
He could only obediently admit his mistake and try to coax his friend.
Ye Zhao felt both helpless and exasperated by this coward, but since things had already turned out this way, they could only follow the current plot.
Next, it was time to get down to business.
The two spent several days finalizing a series of operational details for the Fengyun Pavilion. Afterward, Jiang Ziqi began running around, recruiting people, borrowing money, and contacting bookstores to discuss business. He was so busy his feet barely touched the ground. He hadn't been to the academy for many days; even when he did appear, it was only to discuss matters with Ye Zhao.
"Sigh, how did I end up with a friend like Jiang Ziqi?"
In the afternoon, the academy had an hour-long break. Ye Zhao had been napping in the music room when he was suddenly shaken awake by Jiang Ziqi. The man had asked a question and left immediately, but Ye Zhao found himself unable to fall back asleep. He let out a mournful sigh.
"Why don't you two just end the friendship?" Xie Yusong set down his brush, looked away from his calligraphy, and glanced at Ye Zhao with a joke.
The afternoon class was Pei Shian’s zither lesson. No one usually came this early, making it a rare place of tranquility. Ye Zhao loved to nap here, and after following him a few times, Xie Yusong had also come to appreciate the benefits of the spot.
He was practicing his calligraphy alone, while nearby, Su Jinzhou and Pei Yunting were playing a game of Go.
Ye Zhao propped his chin on his hand, leaning lazily against the zither table. His eyes were half-closed with lingering sleepiness as he replied, "If that worked, I wouldn't have been woken up today."
That was true. Ever since he had met Ye Zhao, he had seen those two "end their friendship" countless times, yet they remained as inseparable as ever.
Such a bond was truly enviable. Xie Yusong gave a light chuckle. "Hehe..."
"Since you're awake, why not come and see how my calligraphy is?"
Ye Zhao couldn't sleep but didn't want to move. He replied lazily through half-lidded eyes, "Your calligraphy is naturally excellent."
"How do you know it's good without looking?"
"I just know."
Xie Yusong seemed determined to engage him. He suddenly asked, "Then how good is it? How does it compare to those two?"
?
It took about a second for Ye Zhao to register his meaning. He responded with zero sincerity, "Good, good, good... everyone is good..."
The other two looked over, then returned to their game.
"Pfft..." Xie Yusong laughed. "I'm starting to agree with Jiang Ziqi. No wonder he calls you a little old man."
He asked, "Ye Zhao, I see you don't do much all day. Why are you always so sleepy?"
Indeed, he was often seen dozing off during class.
It was truly baffling. Where did he get so much sleep from?
Ye Zhao: "What else is there to do besides sleep? There's nothing fun to do."
It wasn't like the modern era with the internet, games, and endless forms of entertainment. Back then, if he was bored, he could go clubbing or shopping. But now?
There wasn't a single corner of the capital he didn't know like the back of his hand!
Others could treat the "Four Arts," horse riding, or archery as entertainment. But for him?
Those were skills that required arduous cultivation.
Life was utterly devoid of pleasure.
Sometimes, he even thought it would have been better if he hadn't recovered his modern memories. Living his life in a state of amnesia would be better than having known what he was missing.
"Sigh... it's a long, sad story." Without realizing it, he spoke the thought aloud.
The other three: "?"
Their minds raced. Surprisingly, the first to speak was the cold-faced Pei Yunting. He said, "Are you bored?"
Though he didn't understand the specific phrase Ye Zhao used, he could sense the meaning from his tone and expression.
"Mhm..." Ye Zhao wasn't just bored; he felt like grass was growing out of his head.
However, he had grown accustomed to this "growing grass" lifestyle. He only complained internally; if someone actually gave him work to do, he would be even more reluctant.
"Let us have a game of stones."
Ye Zhao opened his eyes and realized who had just spoken to him. He hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no. You two keep playing. I'll pass..."
Just as Ye Zhao finished speaking, the door to the music room was pushed open.
The group turned to see Pei Shian.
He wasn't surprised to see them, as he was well aware of their habit of gathering here at noon.
Since the previous topic had been interrupted, and fearing that Pei Yunting would nag him into playing Go again, Ye Zhao quickly changed the subject and asked Pei Shian to teach him the zither.
Calling it "teaching" was a stretch; it was more accurate to say he wanted to listen to the music.
As for Ye Zhao’s own zither skills... the less said, the better.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 赤殷湖 | Chiyin Lake | A local lake mentioned as a meeting spot. |
| 东亭 | East Pavilion | A specific structure by the lake. |
| 风云楼 | Fengyun Pavilion | Literally "Wind and Cloud Tower/Pavilion," the name of the new business venture. |
| 容容 | Rongrong | A pet name/diminutive for Li Yunrong. |
| 手谈 | Game of stones | A literary term for playing Go (Weiqi). |
| 琴室 | Music room | Literally "Zither Room," a place for practicing the Guqin. |
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