Acting like some unyielding Family Head in front of him, yet behind his back, wearing this kind of thing—who was he trying to be a treat for?!
Imagining Pei Lianyi draped in the nearly transparent black silk, walking before someone else, Huo Jingzhao’s chest surged with violent rage. An undercurrent he couldn’t distinguish—whether fire or a sour numbness—flooded his heart, making his pupils constrict and his face turn iron-blue.
The maidservant, oblivious to his abnormality, continued to chatter to herself: “These are what the Master changed out of last night after going to the hot spring. There are rules in the manor: whether used or not, the Master’s personal items, such as sleeping robes, hairpins, sachets, and soft pillows—no one else is allowed to touch them. Although the Master has been in a good mood lately, we servants must still be careful…”
Hearing this, Huo Jingzhao felt as if he could smell the moisture in the air, and the unique fragrance that belonged to Pei Lianyi.
Ha! He had held the man before, but now he couldn’t even touch his clothes?!
After the maidservant finished speaking and straightened up, seeing Huo Jingzhao still kneeling on one knee, unmoving, she cautiously asked: “Young Master, are you alright?”
“It’s nothing.” Huo Jingzhao retracted his suspended hand, looked up, and smiled at her: “Many thanks to the young lady for her quick reaction, otherwise I might have damaged such fine material and angered Master Pei. That would have been terrible.”
The maidservant shyly replied, “No need to thank me,” thinking to herself what a polite and courteous gentleman Young Master Huo was. An ordinary man would probably blame her for making a fuss, but judging by Young Master Huo’s expression, he seemed to cherish the items on the silver tray even more than she did.
In the past, she hadn’t understood why the Master insisted on matching the Little Young Master with a poor man. But now, she saw the Master’s judgment was too good—a man this handsome, who cherished even a single stitch, was hard to find anywhere!
“This servant will take her leave then.”
“Alright, take care.”
But what the maidservant didn’t know was that after she left, Huo Jingzhao, still standing in place, gradually lost his smile, revealing a dark, deep, and icy expression no one had ever seen.
At midnight, the vast, brightly lit Pei Manor lay in perfect peace.
Under the cover of deep night and silence, a tall, bizarre black shadow stepped into the narrow Ancestral Hall.
He raised his hand and smashed the incense burner on the offering table. After dirtying the table and curtains with incense ash, he still felt unsatisfied. His gaze then fixated on the neatly arranged ancestral tablets…
The black shadow tilted its head and suddenly, with a burst of viciousness, kicked over the entire offering table.
Bang! Bang! Thud! Crash! Clang! Clang—
Before long, a series of strange noises echoed from within the Ancestral Hall, vaguely accompanied by the growls of a wild beast.
The outline of the black shadow’s hysterical figure was cast on the thin window paper. Wherever he went, it was as if a storm had swept through—nothing was spared.
Seeing this, Sang Sha, who was crouched outside the door, couldn’t help but shiver.
Unaware how long he had been smashing things, he stopped only when he was slightly winded.
Pei Lianyi… Pei Lianyi—! He searched everywhere for objects bearing the traces of that person. When he saw the one remaining intact prayer mat on the ground, his expression changed.
Through the window paper, one could see the young man slowly hunch down and bury his face into the prayer mat.
The next day, Huo Jingzhao slept comfortably until the sun was high in the sky, most of his raging fury dissipated.
Even if Pei Lianyi was avoiding him, as long as the man was in the manor, he couldn’t escape far.
Now that he’d smashed the Ancestral Hall, he would just wait and see where the man could hide.
Just as Huo Jingzhao was pillowing his arms, about to hum his bizarre little tune, he learned from Pei Ziying that Pei Lianyi had left the manor.
“What did you say?” Huo Jingzhao sat upright and asked coldly.
“Father went out with Family Head Shi not long ago.”
As soon as Pei Ziying finished speaking, the man on the couch completely froze over his entire face.
Two shichen earlier—
In the courtyard, the pond’s green lotuses stretched to the sky. The breeze carried a verdant freshness, bringing a touch of coolness to the Waterside Pavilion.
A reclining chair was placed in the spacious pavilion. The man in the chair wore a glazed, treasure-white robe. He flipped through a book without haste, exuding an air of nobility that ordinary people could never match.
His leg wound had mostly healed, but Pei Lianyi had been pampered since childhood. Even the slightest injury would cause him redness, swelling, heat, and pain—several times more severe than for others. This time, with his leg nearly smashed by a boulder, it was even more unbearable.
Even with Li Man’er’s treatment, he was left with lingering effects.
Now, even putting his feet on the ground caused faint, nagging pain in his leg bone. Only after ordering someone to bring the reclining chair and lighting some warm, deep Sandalwood incense did he feel a little better.
The warm fragrance wrapped around him, bringing on drowsiness.
Pei Lianyi had just put down his book when he saw Cao Xian enter and say: “Family Head, Family Head Shi is here. He’s waiting for you in the main hall.”
Shi Chengji? Hearing his words, Pei Lianyi frowned slightly: “When did I summon him?”
Saying this, he took a light sip of his flower tea, preparing to order Cao Xian to send the man away. But then, someone outside laughed and said:
“Father, I was the one who let Family Head Shi in.”
Pei Ziying walked into the Pavilion and stood before his father.
Facing his son’s delicate, exquisite little face, Pei Lianyi’s expression flickered. A trace of helplessness flashed in the corners of his narrow, long eyes.
Ever since he had turned Shi Wuya and the others away at the door, publicly humiliating Pei Ziying, and forbidding anyone from getting near Huo Jingzhao, his usually beloved son had harbored resentment towards him, a gap forming between them.
Now that Huo Jingzhao was awake, the father and son, having not seen each other for days, finally met face-to-face.
Their eyes met. Pei Lianyi couldn’t describe the feeling as he pressed his lips together.
Looking at the child he had cherished in the palm of his hand since birth, thinking of his own sinful longing for his beloved son’s husband, he felt both deep shame and unbearable mortification. He couldn’t help clenching his sleeves tightly.
Pei Ziying, however, looked very natural. He smiled and said: “Father has been cooped up in the manor lately, and the Ancestral Hall was damaged by who-knows-what. There’s nothing but vexing matters all around. Today, Family Head Shi came and said he wanted to invite Father to fly kites at the Sea View Pavilion. I thought it would be good for Father to have someone accompany you, to relax and clear your mind. So I had him wait in the main hall. Father won’t blame me, will you?”
Then, without waiting for his father’s response, he added: “Oh, right, I heard Lord Yan and the others are also there. For the sake of the family business, Father should go too.”
Pei Lianyi paused briefly. He averted his eyes and said hoarsely: “Last night, perhaps some stray cat or dog accidentally barged into the Ancestral Hall and broke the offering table. It’s no big deal.”
He didn’t answer Pei Ziying’s question—”Father won’t blame me, will you?” He only said hoarsely: “The Sea View Pavilion for kite flying. I will go.”
Whatever his son wished for, he would do.
Pei Lianyi recalled the moment Pei Ziying was first born: the palm-sized little thing, a face frozen purple, a weak cry that sounded like it was about to stop at any moment… Back then, he was covered in blood, his heart full of hatred. But the instant that tiny hand grabbed him, he thought he had to live on with this child.
His frail child had now grown into a handsome young man. What more was there for him to be unsatisfied about?
“Father doesn’t blame me, that’s wonderful!” Seeing his father agree so readily, Pei Ziying was overjoyed. He immediately rushed forward to press close to Pei Lianyi’s knee: “Then I’ll go prepare the carriage for Father. Father must have a good time.”
Pei Lianyi gently patted his back and nodded his agreement.
“I’ll go right now—!” Pei Ziying hurriedly got up and sprinted off like a puff of smoke.
Watching the Little Young Master leave, Cao Xian at the side sighed with relief:
“Who would have thought, after just a few days with Young Master Huo, the Little Young Master has become so sensible! Not only is he considerate of the Family Head, but he also knows to help worry about the business. This old servant reckons it won’t be long before he and Young Master Huo can manage the household together!”
Gazing at the nearly burnt-out incense burner, Pei Lianyi smiled bitterly: “He’s sending me away.”
“What did the Master say?” His voice was very low, like faint, hazy mist. The incense dissipated, and Cao Xian didn’t catch it for a moment.
“Nothing.” Pei Lianyi stood up. He made an effort to relax his shoulders and slightly raised his chin: “It’s a good opportunity to go out for a walk. Cao Xian, go fetch the pigments I use for painting.”
“The Family Head wants to paint?” Cao Xian asked in surprise, the smile instantly vanishing from his face.
Everyone in Rongchu City said the Pei Manor was piled high with famous paintings and countless treasured calligraphy works. Master Pei was even more deeply versed in the art of collection.
But what few knew was that Pei Lianyi himself possessed extraordinarily exquisite painting skills, even capable of surpassing the masters of Shangjing.
However, ever since he became pregnant with Pei Ziying, painting had become an extremely painful affair for him. He had never touched it again.
Hearing him say he wanted to paint now, Cao Xian knitted his brows and asked in a trembling voice: “Family Head, are you alright?”
Pei Lianyi sipped his tea, suppressing his painful breathing, and said lightly: “Aren’t we going kite flying with Shi Chengji? I want to personally paint a paper kite.”
So he just wanted to paint on the kite…! Cao Xian breathed a sigh of relief and hurried off to get the pigments.
After he had gone far, Pei Lianyi slumped dejectedly back into the reclining chair, letting out painful, light pants.
Two shichen later, a chill suddenly spread within the exquisite bedchamber, but the room’s master was completely unaware.
Pei Ziying was peeling an orange as he said: “This morning, I went to the main hall and saw Cao Xian, followed by a whole group of craftsmen. That’s how I knew the Ancestral Hall was vandalized last night.”
“Jingzhao, you didn’t see it. It was a complete mess inside, even a bit frightening! But Father didn’t take it to heart and didn’t go look.”
He paused, then relayed Pei Lianyi’s “stray cat or dog” remark to Huo Jingzhao.
A stray cat or dog from who-knows-where, accidentally barging into the Ancestral Hall! That man truly had a knack for provoking his furious desire.
“Where did he go?” Huo Jingzhao asked, enunciating each word. The white teeth in his mouth ground together, and he practically squeezed a bloody taste from his throat.
“He went with Family Head Shi to the Sea View Pavilion to fly… Eh! Jingzhao, where are you going?!” Pei Ziying had just spat out the location when he saw the man throw on an outer robe and rush out the door.
When Huo Jingzhao passed through the courtyard, Cao Xian was leading the servants in tidying up the Pavilion.
Seeing the pigments on the stone table, the man slowed his steps.
At this moment, thick gray clouds obscured the sunlight. The clear sky outside had suddenly vanished, the weather turning overcast in an instant.
“Ah, look at the sky. Looks like it’s going to rain. I wonder if the Master will be able to fly his kite after all…” Tilting her head to look at the lowering clouds, a maidservant murmured.
On the other side, a servant also worriedly said: “Head Steward Cao, should we send someone to pick up the Master?”
Cao Xian beamed: “The Family Head said if it gets late, he’ll just stay overnight at the Shi Manor. It’s no problem.”
He had just finished speaking when a clear, bright male voice rang out behind him:
“Where did Master Pei say he would stay overnight?”
“Ahhh—!! Young, Young Master Huo?!” Only then did the busy servants notice the man’s approach. His footsteps were too light, and coupled with those dark, bottomless black pupils, his entire being seemed wreathed in black mist.
The face was still that same handsome face, but it seemed unusually strange.
Ever since Young Master Huo was injured, both the Master and the Little Young Master had instructed everyone to mention the Master less in front of him. The servants didn’t understand the reason but could only obey. But who could have expected the future son-in-law to silently appear right behind them…
Ah, it was all their loose tongues!
Everyone lowered their heads in silence.
Even Cao Xian, who had seen many grand occasions with Pei Lianyi, was too shocked to move rashly.
“The Shi… Shi Manor.”
Huo Jingzhao’s ears roared. His entire head nearly exploded. He violently swept the pigments off the table and, ignoring the servants’ protests, strode to the stable. He grabbed a horse, leaped onto its back, clamped his legs fiercely against the horse’s flanks, and charged out.
Outside the Sea View Pavilion, the sky was adorned with colorful kites. A man with a heroic, bright appearance held a paper kite and joined the kite-flying crowd.
“Lianyi, don’t worry, today our kite will definitely fly the highest—” He manipulated the fine string, yet still yelled over his shoulder at the person behind him.
The man behind him wore white, his posture upright, his features refined and distinguished, but his face held a touch of distraction.
Today, Pei Lianyi had unusually tied his hair back with a ribbon. The satin-like black tresses swayed with the wind, gathering around the curve of his back. The petal tips of the floral patterns on his collar curled slightly, accentuating his indescribably gorgeous aura.
Seeing this scene, the nobles up in the pavilion gathered into a cluster and commented: “I didn’t think Family Head Shi could actually get Family Head Pei to come out…”
“Tell me about it! Master Pei, actually flying kites with this fellow.” Someone clicked their tongue, their tone laced with unconcealed envy.
At the head of them, Lord Yan let out two great laughs: “You all lost the bet, didn’t you? Pay up!”
The other masters were quite displeased but could only pay up.
Family Head Shi’s long-time admiration for Family Head Pei wasn’t exactly a secret in Rongchu’s business circles.
But over a decade ago, Pei Lianyi had blocked everyone outside with a single statement: “I will never discuss marriage or courtship for life.” Over the years, his status had grown increasingly exalted, and his temper had followed suit, becoming cold and closed-off. Besides business, he wouldn’t spare an extra glance for anyone unnecessary.
Everyone thought Shi Chengji had no chance. Only Lord Yan expressed optimism.
When asked, it was: If the two great families unite by marriage, their strength would increase tremendously. Both Family Heads are in their prime and can talk to each other—why wouldn’t they be a good match?
At this moment, Shi Chengji’s shouts came again from the grassy field below the pavilion: “Lianyi, look! The kite has flown to the highest point!”
Pei Lianyi looked up. Seeing that the kite he had painted had left the others far behind, his expression softened slightly.
Seeing this, Shi Chengji ran even harder, but his clothes were cumbersome and his movements clumsy. In just a few steps, he went sprawling face-first on the ground.
“Pfft, haha…” Watching him roll around, completely covered in grass and looking utterly pathetic, Pei Lianyi couldn’t help but laugh.
Shi Chengji was completely stunned. He said: “Lianyi, if I can win your smile, I’d willingly die from this fall.”
Pei Lianyi’s smile faded. His heart once again throbbed with that familiar, dull ache.
Back then, sitting at the Sea View Pavilion, watching Huo Jingzhao compete in the Dragon Boat Festival, seeing the man fight with all his might for the championship, he had felt both gratified and bittersweet, thinking Ziying would surely be happy.
Now, looking at today, he understood that his heart had already been moved back then.
Physically, he was here, listening to Shi Chengji’s fawning words, but his mind was full of another’s face.
The way Huo Jingzhao had performed the lion dance for him at the crab feast;
The way Huo Jingzhao had held his arm tightly under the moonlight;
Huo Jingzhao’s utter refusal to be refused when placing the pearl for him…
From the very first meeting, he had sensed the pain of their eventual parting. The past was vivid before his eyes; melancholy thoughts twisted and turned. In this moment, he was utterly certain: He had fallen in love with Huo Jingzhao.
A light rain suddenly began to drift from the sky. A chill seeped onto his shoulders. Pei Lianyi turned to leave: “I’m going back.”
“Hey! Lianyi, don’t go. What’s a little rain? The kite can still fly…” Shi Chengji tugged at the kite and quickly chased after him to the base of the Sea View Pavilion.
Before he could finish his words, a sharp stone flew through the air, instantly severing the kite string.
“Wha—what happened…!” Finding his hands suddenly empty, Shi Chengji looked up and cried out in shock: “Huo—Jingzhao?!”
A man clad in a sharp black outfit, of peerless handsomeness, sat on the roof eaves. He indolently bent his right leg, propping his elbow on his knee, slowly toying with the stone as he declared clearly:
“Flying a kite… What excellent spirits.”
The kite string was cut. The beautiful paper kite plummeted rapidly. Shi Chengji went pale with shock and immediately rushed off with his attendants to retrieve it.
“Ah—! Quickly, get Lianyi’s kite back for me…!”
“Yes! After it, after it…!” The crowd craned their necks and gave chase in a hurry.
Indifferently watching the chaos unfold on the grassy field, Huo Jingzhao, still on the eaves, gave a sweeping wave of his large hand and effortlessly caught the kite in his palm.
What was this damn brat doing causing trouble?! For some reason, even knowing the other was a son-in-law of the Pei Manor, merely seeing Huo Jingzhao’s face was enough to make Shi Chengji feel an intense, inexplicable chill.
And what was with him today? His face looked as sour as if he was owed millions.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Pei Lianyi turned his head in astonishment and stared directly into Huo Jingzhao’s eyes.
He was both shocked and embarrassed. He couldn’t help but retreat half a step in a guilty fluster, his jade-colored hair ribbon trembling ceaselessly along with its master.
Watching his face, Huo Jingzhao wound the kite string once around his hand: “It can fly as high as it wants, but in the end, it will return to my hand.”
