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

Moon white, pale yellow, light blue, and smoky pink—these were all her favorite colors. Her fingers gently brushed against the fabric, the soft touch sending a sensation through her fingertips, like touching a secret she couldn't believe.

Her gaze fell on a few small garments folded in the corner. They were several Suzhou-style embroidered bodices with pear blossoms, the white silk embroidered with delicate pear blossoms, the stitches fine and lifelike.

She reached out and picked up a piece, her fingertips trembling slightly. The size was exactly the same as what she was wearing.

Her face flushed instantly.

She turned to ask him something, but accidentally knocked the undergarment she was holding to the ground. The silk fluttered down, and as she bent down to pick it up, her gaze suddenly froze.

On the lower right corner of that bodice, a tiny character was embroidered in extremely fine silk thread—

"should".

As if she had been burned, she quickly put it away.

Turning around, I looked at the man with his head down by the door, like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

"Cui Yutang." Her voice trembled slightly.

He looked up and met her eyes, which were brimming with tears. His heart clenched instantly.

"I like it very much," she said softly, her voice tinged with laughter.

"I really like this room."

Cui Yutang stared at her blankly, a surge of emotion suddenly welling up in his clear, cold eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Master..." Baoyu called softly at the door.

But he didn't continue speaking, instead glancing into the room. Cui Yutang understood and took two steps outside: "What's wrong?"

"Miss Biao is here again, right at the door, saying she wants to see you."

Cui Yutang's face darkened: "Tell her that if she sets foot in my Chaoyi Villa again without permission, she should leave the Cui residence and go back to Qinghe."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

"Furthermore, if any outsiders come over in the future, you don't need to report to me anymore; just send them away."

"Understood, Master."

When Baoyu arrived at the gate, he saw Liu Ruolian dressed in a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a semi-transparent red veil over it, confronting the guards at the gate with her maid. The pearl hairpins and ornaments on her head were gorgeous and flamboyant, swaying wildly with her high spirits.

"You're just a servant, how dare you block my way?"

"If you don't let me in, I'll have my cousin beat you later."

Baoyu had long been annoyed with this woman. She was clearly just a distant relative trying to freeload, yet she acted like the young lady of the Cui family, never showing any courtesy to the servants. Didn't she know whose territory this was? Even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner?

"The master said that if you set foot in Chaoyi Villa again without permission, you should go back to Qinghe."

Liu Ruolian was stunned: "What? Impossible, my cousin would never do this to me."

"This must have been your own idea." Her voice rose a few decibels, sharp and menacing. Her cousin usually just ignored her, but had never said anything so harsh.

"Miss, these are the master's exact words." Bao Yu's eyes were icy. Having followed Cui Yutang for a long time, she had also learned some of his intimidating manner. "If you continue to cause trouble here, think about whether you can bear the consequences."

Liu Ruolian's arrogance instantly subsided by more than half. If it really was her cousin's exact words... her hand suddenly trembled. Could it be that her cousin had truly felt no affection for her all along? Impossible.

If she hadn't seen Li Roujia go to the Cui residence yesterday, she wouldn't have been so panicked. Did her cousin really intend to marry that hypocritical woman?

"Ah Ling, let's go back first today."

She looked up reluctantly at the plaque that read "Chaoyi Villa" before turning and leaving.

Zhixia, who had witnessed the whole thing, flew down from the tree.

She returned to Xie Yige's room and recounted the entire conversation without missing a single detail.

Miss? Is she the woman I met when we went boating on the Bizhao last time?

Xie Yige felt a surge of frustration. This guy certainly has a lot of admirers. She should have given him a good thrashing back in the carriage today.

No, he needs to be punished. He can't be allowed to hold his anger in overnight.

She suddenly remembered a storybook she had recently seen from Seventeen Sister, so she beckoned and whispered a few words in Zhixia's ear. Zhixia frowned more and more as she listened.

"Do you know what to do?" Xie Yige asked, looking at her.

Zhi Xia was silent for a moment. Wasn't this putting her mistress at a greater disadvantage? Fine, whatever she said, she would do. She nodded obediently.

Moon stars are rare.

Cui Yutang carried two jugs of pear blossom wine and found a spacious platform in the courtyard. Moonlight shone down, the pear blossoms were like snow, and a gentle breeze carried their subtle fragrance.

"This wine is homemade, have a taste." He poured her a glass.

Xie Yige took the wine and sipped it. The wine was clear and refreshing, with a hint of pear blossom sweetness. It went down smoothly and wasn't harsh at all.

"It's delicious." She took another sip, her eyes lighting up.

Cui Yutang looked at her, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

The two shared a few drinks. Xie Yige secretly observed him—his expression remained unchanged, his face impassive, as if he were only drinking water. This couldn't go on; she hadn't even gotten him drunk yet, and she was about to pass out herself.

"Do you have any wine here?" she asked, putting down her glass.

Cui Yutang was slightly taken aback, finding it a bit strange, but he still nodded: "Yes." He instructed his servant to bring a pot of wine.

Xie Yige took the wine pot, filled it for him personally, and said in a sweet voice, "This wine looks good, you should try it."

Looking at her attentive manner, Cui Yutang had a few guesses in his mind: she wanted to get him drunk! He didn't expose her, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Xie Yige poured him another full glass.

One cup after another.

Cui Yutang accepted all offers, but secretly forced the smell of alcohol onto his face. Before long, his earlobes and cheeks flushed red, and his eyes began to glaze over, making him appear somewhat drunk.

Xie Yige was secretly delighted to see that he was finally showing signs of drunkenness. "I finally got him drunk. I'm really something!"

But she herself had drunk quite a bit, her face flushed, and she was already half-drunk. She shook her dizzy head, beckoned Zhixia over, and the two of them helped Cui Yutang up.

"Be careful not to bump into him," she muttered.

Supported by the two men, Cui Yutang, somewhat disgusted by their touch, subtly leaned his body towards Xie Yige, almost pressing his entire body against her soft, fragrant form. His breath sprayed onto her neck, warm and moist.

Xie Yige felt a tingling sensation on the side of her body that he was pressing down on, and her blush deepened.

She finally managed to help him to her bedroom and place him on the bed. Cui Yutang closed his eyes, but his heart was already racing. What exactly did she want to do?

Then, he felt his hands being lifted up, and something soft wrapped around his wrists—a strip of cloth. He was tied up, and a booming sound seemed to flash through Cui Yutang's mind.

"Don't tie him so tightly, it will hurt him," Xie Yige muttered softly, loosening her grip a little more.

Zhi Xia felt somewhat helpless, with a sense of foreboding.