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

She wandered around the shop again, looking at some floral decorations and hairpins, but she always felt that something was missing.

Finally, she stopped at the east counter, her gaze falling on a warm jade writing brush. The brush handle was smooth and lustrous, the carving simple and fluid, and it felt warm and comfortable to hold.

It's perfect to give it to him.

Xie Yige finally smiled and bought the equally valuable jade pen without hesitation.

Bichun followed behind her, watching her young mistress holding the wrapped jade pen, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy, and silently sighed in her heart.

What should we do if her young lady seems to have developed a romantic mindset?

After shopping for half a day, she couldn't bear to buy herself a nice headdress and hair ornaments, and kept thinking about the man who had made her angry.

Back at her residence, Xie Yige's negative emotions had completely vanished.

After having dinner with her brother and sister-in-law, she returned to Pear Garden, lit the lamps, and took out the warm jade pen she had bought that day, carefully examining it under the lamplight. The jade was warm to the touch, and imagining him holding this pen, reading and writing under the lamp, made the corners of her lips unconsciously turn up slightly.

"Miss." Bichun suddenly lifted the curtain and came in, her expression somewhat strange. "Someone from the Persian Pavilion has come to see you."

Xie Yige looked up in confusion: "Please come in."

Entering was a Persian woman veiled in a transparent veil, dressed in exotic attire, her steps light and graceful. She carried a beautifully carved wooden box, bowed slightly upon entering, and spoke in Chinese with a soft, slightly rolled "r" sound: "Greetings, Madam. I am Yaoyue from the Persian Pavilion. Someone entrusted me to deliver this to you."

Xie Yige took the wooden box with surprise and slowly opened it.

In the candlelight, a pear blossom hairpin lay quietly on a brocade background. Its jade petals were like snow, and its pearly beads were like stars. It was the "pressed crabapple" that she had looked at again and again during the day and was reluctant to leave.

She was stunned.

"Excuse me... who sent it?" she asked, looking up.

Yaoyue smiled slightly: "There's a note left for you by that gentleman at the bottom of the box."

Xie Yige lowered her head, unfolded the brocade box, and sure enough, there was a neatly folded piece of plain paper at the bottom. Unfolding it, the calligraphy was strong and elegant, the characters clear and upright:

Next time we meet, wear it for me to see.

The signature was simply the character "崔".

Xie Yige's cheeks instantly burned, her fingertips gripping the thin sheet of paper, her heart pounding like a drum.

"Thank you for your trouble, Sister Yaoyue." She heard her own voice sound a little strained.

Inviting the moon, she performed a traditional Central Plains-style curtsy and took her leave with a smile.

The lady who owns "Ya Haitang" is indeed a very beautiful young woman; this trip was definitely worthwhile.

When Bichun returned from seeing the guests off, she saw her young mistress sitting under the lamp, holding the hairpin in her hand, a smile she couldn't suppress on her lips, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling, her whole being as soft and bright as if she had been soaked in spring water.

She quietly slipped out, closing the door slightly behind her to allow some ventilation.

Oh well, so be it. As long as the young lady is happy.

Just then, Xie Wanrou's voice came from outside the door: "Yige, who's here so late?"

Xie Yige shuddered, bouncing up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She quickly folded the note and placed it at the bottom of the box, then went to collect the hairpin—but the more she rushed, the more afraid she was of damaging the delicate jade petals and fine tassels. She handled it like a rare treasure, her movements becoming even more cautious and clumsy, her forehead sweating with anxiety.

When Xie Wanrou lifted the curtain and came in, she saw her bending over, half of her body blocking the makeup box, still clutching the wooden box in her hand, frozen in place, looking like a kitten caught stealing food.

"Yi Ge?" Xie Wanrou walked over and peeked inside. "What are you hiding?"

"N-nothing..." Xie Yige subconsciously tried to hide the wooden box behind her back, but the box was quite large and couldn't be hidden, making it seem even more suspicious.

Xie Wanrou didn't press further, but simply smiled and reached out to gently pinch her rosy cheeks: "Tell me honestly, do you have someone you like?"

Xie Yige's face flushed instantly, and she opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Looking at her like this, Xie Wanrou already had some guesses in her mind.

She recalled that when they were in Dongli, Zhou Xuan'an had complained to her that his younger sister always inquired about his classmate and friend, Cui Yutang, without her noticing. Yesterday, at the old lady's birthday banquet, Yige had disappeared for quite some time, and Cui Yutang was also at the banquet. She had taken a special look at him and thought he was truly a refined and noble young man.

"Sister-in-law," Xie Yige bit her lip, her voice extremely low, "I'm telling you this secretly, but please don't tell my brother, okay?"

"Silly girl, I promise you." Xie Wanrou gently smoothed the stray hairs that were falling down her head.

Xie Yige took a deep breath, as if she had finally mustered up her courage: "I... have fallen for my brother's classmate and best friend, Cui Yutang."

After saying this, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but she still kept her head down, not daring to look her sister-in-law in the eye, her ear tips so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Looking at her like this, Xie Wanrou sighed inwardly, "Just as I thought," but then felt happy for her. Her little sister Yige had finally grown up.

"So you were nowhere to be seen at the banquet yesterday, did you go to see him?"

"I didn't go to see him on purpose, it was... I ran into him by accident." Xie Yige's face turned even redder, and her mind had automatically set a ban on 'not recalling what happened behind the artificial hill that day'.

"I know, I know." Xie Wanrou looked at her nervous appearance with amusement. "You two are destined to meet from afar."

She paused, then said, "I heard from your brother yesterday that the Imperial Academy will be closed for three days, and he has arranged to meet with Mr. Cui at Wangjiang Tower in three days."

Xie Yige's eyes lit up, but she quickly composed herself, though Xie Wanrou had already taken it all in.

"Then please remember, sister-in-law..."

"I know, I won't tell your brother yet." Xie Wanrou smiled, tapped her forehead, and turned to leave.

After Xie Wanrou left, Xie Yige closed the door, leaned against the door panel, and her heart was pounding like a drum.

Three days later, at Wangjiang Tower?

Perhaps this is a good opportunity to find a moment to give him the jade pen.

Hmm, maybe we could sneak over to Wangjiang Tower beforehand to scout it out?

She suddenly remembered something: his jade pendant was still with her.

She took the jade pendant off her wrist and held it in her palm, examining it closely. The jade was warm and lustrous, already warmed by her body heat.

As I gently traced the strokes of the character "崔" with my fingertips, an indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

This is his stuff.

Should we return it to him?

She pressed the jade pendant to her chest and hesitated for a long time.

...What should I do if I'm a little reluctant to part with it?

The next morning, Xie Yige took Bichun out. The carriage passed through several lanes and stopped in front of Wangjiang Tower. The people coming and going here were all wealthy and noble, and although there were many people, everything was orderly.

Some regular customers greeted Xie Zhen, who was waiting at the door, and were very curious about what kind of distinguished guest was coming that Xie Zhen would personally wait for at the door.