Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

Chen Sumei sat in the teahouse, feeling as if her bones had been removed, her whole body was extremely weak, and it was as if someone had pressed down on her shoulders, making it impossible for her to get up.

Su Yan and his group were seated in a private room not far away, separated only by a half-height wooden screen. The screen was painted with a few slender bamboo stalks, which vaguely obscured the figures on the other side.

Through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, Chen Sumei could see half of Su Yan's profile, the way he turned his head slightly as he spoke, and his smile.

He didn't actually look this way much, but Chen Sumei was flustered, as if all her thoughts were written on her face and she was about to be seen by someone.

She picked up her teacup and took a sip; the tea was already cold, and its astringency made her tongue numb. The waiter came over to refill the water, but she waved her hand, telling him not to.

She felt she shouldn't be sitting there at this moment. Xu Yun hadn't arrived yet, and it was perfectly reasonable for her to go and pick out things. But her legs just wouldn't obey her, and neither would her eyes. Every time she heard laughter from over there, she couldn't help but glance behind the screen.

She cursed herself inwardly: Chen Sumei, what are you doing? You're engaged. You're the Xu family's betrothed.

But the more he scolded her, the more she couldn't look away.

After some time, it seemed that Su Yan's group had finished their conversation. Several students stood up, pushed their chairs back with a creaking sound, exchanged a few more words of laughter, and then walked towards the door one after the other.

Chen Sumei abruptly pulled her fingers back on her knee, and turned around along with the figures.

She saw Su Yan walk down the stairs, her dress fluttering slightly in the wind. Her heart felt like it was being pulled out of her chest. Before she could think it through, she stood up, lifted her skirt, and chased after him.

She chased him into the street, where there were people everywhere. She tiptoed through the crowd, her heart pounding with anxiety, afraid that he would disappear in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, she spotted Su Yan at a glance. His moon-white robe stood out so much in the crowd, like a small piece of the moon fallen to the ground.

She caught up with him in a few steps, stopped two steps behind him, and called out breathlessly, "Young Master!" Her voice was muffled by the noise of the street, and she could hear the slight tremor in her voice.

Su Yan stopped and turned around to see her, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

He stepped aside, his gaze sweeping across her face, his expression a mix of coldness and displeasure at being disturbed: "Is there something you need, young lady?"

"My name is Chen Sumei." She stepped forward, looked up, her eyes filled with a warm and urgent light: "Do you remember me, young master? You saved me at last year's Lantern Festival. I was almost knocked over by the crowd, and you helped me up and asked if I was hurt."

Su Yan listened without any expression on his face, only shaking his head: "Miss, you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't remember ever seeing you before." He said it bluntly, without any intention of going along with her guesses.

He needed to continue his journey, but fearing the woman would pester him, he veered slightly to the side.

Chen Sumei grew anxious and took a small step forward: "It was during last year's Lantern Festival, on the street where we were guessing lantern riddles. There were so many people, I almost got knocked over, and you reached out and caught me. I thanked you then. You really don't remember?"

Su Yan didn't even smile this time; a faint hint of impatience appeared on his face: "There were so many people on the street that night during the Lantern Festival. Who bumped into whom, who helped whom—do you have to remember all of that for the rest of your life? If you have nothing else to say, young lady, I'll take my leave now." With that, he turned to leave.

Chen Sumei felt a lump in her throat from his attitude, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

Before she could say anything more, a voice cut in from behind.

"Su Mei".

Chen Sumei froze. She slowly turned around and saw Xu Yun standing a few steps away. He looked like he had run a long way; there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his breathing was a little uneven, but he still had that gentle smile on his face.

She didn't know when he arrived or how much he had overheard. She only felt a little guilty and uneasy.

Xu Yun walked over unhurriedly, first bowing to Su Yan: "I saw you at the other end of the street just now, I thought I had mistaken you for someone else. Brother Su, it's been a long time."

Su Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, then returned the greeting: "It's Brother Xu, it's been a long time indeed. I heard you're running a general store with your family now, and business is booming."

"It's all family business, so I'm just helping out. But you, it's been a long time since I've seen you; you've become even more handsome and dashing." Xu Yun said with a smile, then turned to look at Chen Sumei, his words carrying a natural intimacy: "This is Sumei, the one our elders arranged for. I'm here with her to pick out a couple of pieces of fabric, and I didn't expect to run into you here."

Su Yan glanced at Chen Sumei, as if he had just realized something, and nodded: "So she is Brother Xu's fiancée."

He didn't continue the topic, but said to Xu Yun, "This young lady stopped me just now, saying something about the Lantern Festival. She probably mistook me for someone else. Brother Xu, you should take her to a less crowded place. There are too many people on the street, so be careful not to bump into her again." These words sounded like they were spoken to Xu Yun, but every word seemed to be an attempt to distance himself.

Chen Sumei stood to the side, her face turning red and white in turns, as if she had been slapped in public.

Xu Yun, however, seemed oblivious to what he meant and replied with a smile, "Brother Su is right. I'll take her shopping now. I'll invite Brother Su for tea another day when I have time."

Su Yan nodded, and without lingering, turned and left. His pace quickened slightly, as if he wanted to get as far away from the woman as possible. Chen Sumei watched his retreating figure, her lips moved, but she ultimately remained silent.

She watched helplessly as he turned the corner, just like last year during the Lantern Festival, and was swallowed up by the crowds. This time, however, she didn't even offer a proper farewell. He simply thought she was a madwoman randomly identifying people on the street.

Xu Yun stood beside her without saying a word. He turned his head and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.

Her eyes were still fixed on the direction Su Yan had left, but the light in them had faded, like a sparrow that had been thrown down from the clouds.

He felt uneasy, but he didn't say anything. He just handed her the roasted chestnuts he was holding and asked, "Are you hungry after walking so far? They're still warm."

Chen Sumei snapped out of her daze, glanced down at the bag of roasted chestnuts, and then looked up at him.

Xu Yun remained good-natured, but her smile wasn't as deep as before. Suddenly, she panicked and quickly shook her head, saying, "I'm not hungry." After a pause, she added, "Maybe I really did get it wrong."

Xu Yun looked at her and said softly, "It's okay. There are many people in this world who look alike. It's common to mistake someone for another person on the street."

He paused, then put the chestnut back into his sleeve: "The jewelry shop still has something for you. Go and pay now."

Chen Sumei nodded and followed him. The two walked along the street, neither of them mentioning what had just happened again.

Xu Yun walked slowly, as usual, always accommodating her pace.

Chen Sumei walked beside him, her heart pounding like a rabbit in her chest. She glanced at him and saw that his lips were pursed.

Upon arriving at the jewelry shop, Xu Yun asked Chen Sumei to see if there was anything else she wanted to buy. Chen Sumei shook her head, so Xu Yun took out some silver to pay.

"Let's go take another look at the fabric," Xu Yun said. Chen Sumei, carrying the brocade box, followed him with her head down.