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

On the day of the wedding.

How could he not be here?

The bridal sedan chair passed by his carriage bound for the capital, and the festive music became a recurring nightmare that haunted him in the dead of night. He lowered his eyelashes and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp. The wine was pungent, burning as it slid down his throat.

"That day was truly a pity," Zhou Xuan'an said, seemingly oblivious to the situation. "Brother Yutang suddenly fell ill and was brought back to the capital overnight. I was worried for a long time. Later, I heard that he was out of danger, and that put my mind at ease."

"Thank you for your concern." Cui Yutang put down his wine glass, his voice calm. "It's just a slight cold, nothing serious."

"That's good." Zhou Xuan'an refilled his glass. "It's fate that we've met again in the capital. Come, let me toast you."

Cui Yutang raised his wine glass and drank with him. His gaze fell on Zhou Xuan'an's face, which radiated the high spirits of newlyweds. Cui Yutang lowered his eyes and swallowed back the metallic taste in his throat.

Just then, a luxurious pleasure boat, about two stories high, slowly approached Wangjiang Tower. Elegant zither music drifted from inside the boat, melodious and lingering, floating in the twilight.

Zhang Zhiyi rose from the dining table in surprise, walked to the balcony, and gazed out from the railing: "What an impressive painted boat!"

Zhou Xuan'an and Cui Yutang remained seated, but also looked towards the direction of the painted boat. From the balcony on the third floor, the luxurious and elegant interior of the painted boat was clearly visible—exquisite screens, bookshelves, desks, soft couches, carpets, and beautiful plants, it had everything one could need, basically an elegant and spacious mobile study.

The woman playing the zither was dressed in a strapless, flowing robe, her beauty captivating. Her fingers danced across the strings, producing a melody as melodious as flowing water. Beside her, a man in white brocade robes held a teacup, leisurely sipping tea by the window.

"Who is this person?" Zhang Zhiyi opened his folding fan and struck a dashing pose, as if he wanted to compete with the man in white. "He is dressed so elegantly and meticulously, and his demeanor is as graceful as a jade tree. He is very dashing."

"The woman playing the zither over there is incredibly skilled," Zhou Xuan'an remarked, stepping forward to stand beside Zhang Zhiyi.

Cui Yutang remained seated at the dining table, his brows slightly furrowed. Why was the Sixth Prince, Li Xianhong, here?

Meanwhile, Xie Yige, who was in the next private room, almost popped her eyes out—the woman playing the zither was none other than Seventeen Niang, whom she had met just yesterday!

Just as she was about to take a closer look, a sudden change occurred.

Several men in black suddenly leaped from beneath the water, their sharp blades gleaming coldly in the twilight, aiming straight for the man in white. The ship's guards appeared out of nowhere; some confronted the assassins, while others quickly shielded the man in white.

Zhang Zhiyi and Zhou Xuan'an were so frightened that they quickly left the balcony and retreated back indoors.

Cui Yutang stood up with a solemn expression, his eyes fixed on the battle on the ship. Xie Yige next to him also looked at Seventeen Niang with worry—she was standing beside the man in white, holding a zither, and looking around warily.

The assassins were extremely skilled, and half of the guards were killed in an instant. Suddenly, the pleasure boat began to rock violently, and water started to rise.

"It looks like the bottom of the boat has been damaged." Zhou Xuan'an was anxious watching from the side, but he didn't know who the man in white was and didn't dare to help rashly.

Just then, a group of assassins in black leaped up from the water, aiming straight for the man in white. The people on the boat visibly panicked, and the guards retreated in disarray.

Suddenly, Seventeenth Sister threw down her zither, drew a dagger from her waist, and stood in front of the white-clad man, blocking an assassin's attack. Her movements were swift and decisive, a stark contrast to her previous gentle demeanor while playing the zither.

Seeing the danger below, Cui Yutang no longer hesitated. He drew the soft sword hidden at his waist, leaped swiftly, and landed lightly on the painted boat. A flash of sword light, and two assassins fell to the ground. He grabbed the white-clad man's arm, and with a light touch of his toes, flew back to the private room on the third floor, quickly closing the balcony door behind him.

The movements were so swift as lightning that Zhou Xuan'an and Zhang Zhiyi were both stunned.

Just as the door was closing, the man in white turned around and shouted, "Seventeenth Sister, come up quickly!"

"Seventeenth Sister, over here!" A soft, sweet female voice came from next door.

Seventeen didn't look at the man in white. With a light tap of her foot, she leaped into the suddenly opened window—the room next door. The person there was Xie Yige.

Seventeen's hair was a little disheveled, but she didn't look flustered. Instead, she looked at Xie Yige with a smile and said, "Young Master, we meet again."

"Seventeenth Sister, are you alright?" Xie Yige had never seen such a dangerous scene before and was obviously very flustered. She looked her up and down to make sure she was not injured.

"It's nothing, just a few petty assassins." Seventeen Sister smiled, her tone relaxed, as if she hadn't personally experienced a fierce battle.

The assassins downstairs could only leave angrily after seeing their targets enter Wangjiang Tower. Clearly, they couldn't afford to offend the people behind Wangjiang Tower.

The man in white sighed deeply after seeing Seventeen Niang enter the next room. He then turned to Cui Yutang and the others, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Thank you for your help, brother. May I ask your name? I will certainly repay you handsomely."

"My surname is Cui. It was nothing, Brother Li, please don't take it to heart," Cui Yutang said indifferently. Upon hearing the other party's self-address, he knew that it was inconvenient for him to reveal his true identity, and he also did not want to have in-depth dealings with members of the royal family, especially those who were vying for the crown prince position, so he was unwilling to give his full name.

Next door, Seventeen looked at the unobstructed scene across the way with a half-smile—through the special glass, she could clearly see Cui Yutang, Zhou Xuan'an, and Zhang Zhiyi. She then glanced at the spot where Xie Yige had just stood, directly facing Cui Yutang.

"Young Master," Seventeen's voice carried a hint of mischief, "who have you taken a fancy to? Is it Cui Langjun, the number one handsome man in the capital?"

Her gaze toward Xie Yige was full of ambiguity and pleasure: "Looking at him now, he is indeed elegant and noble, and incomparably handsome, even more so than in the portrait."

Xie Yige was caught red-handed doing this for the first time, and she wished she could disappear into the ground, too ashamed to face anyone again.

"Young Master, the secret of this room cannot be revealed. I'll head out now." Seventeen Sister extended a finger and affectionately tapped Xie Yige's forehead. "I'll bring you some nice things to your residence another day."

As she spoke, she pushed open the door and went out, then closed it again without leaving a trace.

A moment later, Xie Yige saw Seventeen Niang appear in the room opposite. The man in white anxiously grabbed her hand and checked her over: "Seventeen Niang, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Seventeen let him check her over, her tone gentle. "Let's go back quickly, it's not safe here."