In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

"Sister-in-law!" Xie Yige ran over.

"Shh—" Xie Wanrou hurriedly raised her index finger, her cheeks slightly flushed, "Don't make any noise."

Despite saying that, the smile in her eyes was unmistakable.

Xie Yige boarded the carriage with a smile and sat down next to Xie Wanrou. The carriage was lined with soft cushions and filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which made people feel inexplicably at ease.

"I've already delivered everything to my brother. He even asked me why I didn't come myself."

"We're not married yet." Xie Wanrou looked away, her ears flushed slightly. "It's not appropriate for me to go."

"What's inappropriate about it?" Xie Yige leaned closer, deliberately lowering her voice, "Anyway, you two will be getting married in four months. You can come and deliver it every day then, and see who dares to say anything."

"Yige!" Xie Wanrou covered her mouth in embarrassment.

The two of them burst into laughter and playful banter.

"Oh, right," Xie Wanrou took out a small dish of osmanthus cake from the food box beside her, "This is a reward for you. It's freshly made, have a taste."

Xie Yige took it and took a small bite. The sweet and glutinous taste melted on her tongue, and the fragrance of osmanthus filled her mouth, but for some reason it reminded her of the warm yet slightly cool touch on her lips when that man kissed her, and the faint blush on the tip of his ear.

Her ears slowly turned red, and she suddenly felt that the osmanthus cake was so sweet it made her dizzy.

"Yige? Why is your face red?" Xie Wanrou looked at her in confusion.

"No, it's nothing. It was just too stuffy in the carriage." Xie Yige lifted the carriage curtain to let the wind in.

Unbeknownst to her, at that very moment, in the East Study of the Academy, there was someone else who was also feeling uneasy.

In the east wing of the academy, all the lights were lit.

Cui Yutang sat upright at his desk, the Book of Rites in his hands untouched for a long time. The candlelight cast his profile on the wall, motionless, like a stone statue.

The scene under the pear blossom tree uncontrollably flooded his mind.

He abruptly closed his eyes, but as soon as he did, the sight of that light green hem of the skirt, that incredibly slender waist, and the fleeting warmth on his lips made him suddenly feel hot all over.

The way she interacted intimately with Zhou Xuan'an evoked a complex mix of bitterness and excitement within her.

The scroll in his hands was crumpled from being squeezed.

"Squeak—"

Zhou Xuan'an pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bundle in his arms, with a spring-like smile on his face, and even his steps were lighter than usual.

"Brother Yutang, haven't you rested yet?"

Cui Yutang looked up.

Zhou Xuan'an carefully placed the bundle on his desk, his movements as gentle as if he were handling some precious treasure. He untied the sash, revealing a hint of light green underneath—a dark robe.

The light green soft gauze fabric gleamed with a warm luster under the candlelight. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with delicate pear blossoms in silver thread, the stitches even and exquisite, clearly showing that a great deal of effort had been put into it.

Cui Yutang's hand, gripping the book, tightened slightly at the knuckles. The color... was exactly the same as what she was wearing today.

"Who gave you this garment?" He heard himself ask, his voice calm and unwavering, but only he knew that his fingertips were trembling slightly inside his sleeve.

Zhou Xuan'an's smile deepened as he picked up the robe and held it up to his chest, his eyes and brows brimming with undisguised joy.

"My fiancée sewed it by hand. Look at the stitches, the embroidery—" He gently stroked the pear blossom on the lapel, "It took her three whole months to finish."

fiancée.

The three words, clear and distinct, were like a blunt knife, cutting into Cui Yutang's heart again and again.

The light that had been stubbornly held in his eyes dimmed instantly, and the last glimmer of hope in his heart was completely shattered.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the four words "Do not do anything improper" on the page. The ink was particularly glaring in the candlelight, and each word seemed to be slapping his face.

"It fits perfectly," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Right?" Zhou Xuan'an was still smiling as he carefully folded the clothes, his movements gentle. "She always thinks about me..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Cui Yutang carefully: "Brother Yutang, you don't look well? Are you feeling unwell?"

Cui Yutang's fingertips dug deeply into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped red marks.

"Nothing." He stood up, casually placing the books on the table. "I suddenly remembered that Master Xiao has something to tell me, so I'll go out for a bit."

"So late?" Zhou Xuan'an glanced out the window. "It's almost curfew."

"I'll be back soon."

Cui Yutang said no more, turned around and pushed open the door to leave.

The door closed gently behind me, shutting out the warm candlelight inside, as well as the light green robe and the faint scent of pear blossoms.

The corridor was dimly lit. He walked quickly, his steps somewhat unsteady, but his back remained straight as a pine tree, as if he were using his last bit of strength to maintain his dignity.

His hand, hidden in his sleeve, had clenched into a fist, his nails digging deep into his palm. The slight stinging pain actually brought him back to his senses.

But his heart felt like it was being immersed in ice water, growing colder and colder with each passing moment.

It turned out to be the case.

That clear "Zhou Xuan'an," those eyes that lit up the moment they saw Zhou Xuan'an, that garment that took three months to make—all of it was for Zhou Xuan'an.

However, he developed feelings for a girl who was already engaged, who was also his friend's fiancée.

He even...touched her.

absurd.

He took the jade pendant out of his sleeve. Under the moonlight, the pear blossom pattern was clearly visible, and the small "Xie" character on the back felt like a branding iron burning his palm.

"Xie... Yige." He uttered the name silently.

He had only heard Zhou Xuan'an call out once from afar. Like a thief, he secretly memorized the name he shouldn't have.

After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were as calm as a deep pool.

He put the jade pendant back into his sleeve and turned to walk back. His pace had returned to normal, but he didn't glance at the pear tree as he passed by.

Not even a single one.

The night is getting darker.

Xie Yige lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The moment I close my eyes, I see that person's face—a cool and restrained gaze, with the almond-shaped eyes that she loves most, paired with a high nose bridge, making their features appear very deep. Up close, their eyelashes are so long, so incredibly long. I really want to kiss them, what should I do?

How can a man be so good-looking? He's got all the qualities she's looking for.

Suddenly, a very soft, indistinct voice sounded in my ear:

"...Binding error...Insufficient energy..."

Xie Yige was taken aback and pricked up her ears.

The sound was weak and intermittent, as if it came from a great distance, or as if it resonated directly in one's mind.

"...Host identification error...Correction failed..."

"Who?" she asked softly, her heart inexplicably racing.

No one answered. Only the rustling of the night wind through the treetops and the faint sound of a night watchman's gong in the distance.

"...Target locked...Xie Yige..."

This time it was clearer; it was a weak, childlike voice with a slight electrical hum, and then it disappeared completely after saying that.

Xie Yige waited for a while, but there was no more sound. She turned over, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and thought: I must be too sleepy, just hallucinating.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, the sound came again, tinged with a sob:

"Oh no... I tied up the wrong person... What do I do? Waaaaah..."

Xie Yige suddenly opened her eyes, her heart pounding like a drum.

This time she heard it clearly—it wasn't a hallucination; there really was something in her head.