On the other side.

Tang Si propped her head up, deep in thought. Now that they were planning to set off and return to the capital, what should she do?

From Houliao to Dalin, she had already been away for a very, very long time. If she didn’t return soon, her father would definitely send people out to find her, and once they found her, he would surely flay her alive.

But—

She couldn’t bear to leave Muruo!

Her heart was extremely conflicted. In a fit of determination, she slapped the table and ran off to find Muruo.

Muruo was sitting in the pavilion by the pond, drinking wine while composing poetry to the moonlight.

“Morning and evening, beneath the western ridge moon, a pot of fine wine, graceful and fair.”

Mm, good poetry!

He poured a mouthful of wine down his throat, then saw Tang Si running toward him. His hand trembled, and the wine pot nearly smashed to the ground.

As if he’d seen a ghost.

This kind of woman was not to be trifled with!

But before he could flee, he was blocked by her.

“Why do you run away whenever you see me?” Tang Si demanded.

He smiled without warmth in his eyes. “I didn’t. Look, it’s getting late, and we have to depart tomorrow. I was just about to go back and rest.”

“Really? I thought you were running because you saw me coming.”

“Of course not.” He quickly waved his hands. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”

He pried Tang Si’s hands away, planning to slip away in a flash.

“Wait.”

Tang Si blocked his path, spreading both arms wide.

“I have something I want to ask you.”

“What?”

“You have to promise me first that you’ll tell me honestly, no lying.”

Huh?

Muruo looked her up and down. What was this girl up to?

He nodded impatiently. “Just hurry up and ask. If I know the answer, I’ll definitely tell you.”

Tang Si paused for a moment, licked her red lips, stared at him intently with serious eyes, and slowly asked, “Do you want me to return to the capital with you?”

Do you want me to return to the capital with you?

Muruo’s body stiffened. He looked at her in confusion. “What kind of question is that? Why are you asking?”

Tang Si bit her lip and mustered her courage. “You know, I’ve come all the way from Houliao to Dalin. I’ve been away for a long time. If I don’t return to Houliao soon, my father will definitely come looking for me. When that happens, he’ll drag me back even if he has to carry me, so… I want to ask you—do you want me to go back? Or do you want me to risk being hunted down by my father and go to the capital with you?”

“Of course you should go back. You’re from Houliao. Do you really want to put down roots in Dalin?” He didn’t even think about it.

Leave quickly!

Leave quickly!

Tang Si felt hurt and anxious. “So you mean you want me to go back?”

“Of course. You already said your father would hunt you down, so why would you stay out here? Hurry back.”

“But… what if we set aside those issues? What if my father wasn’t insisting I return to Houliao? Would you want me to return to the capital with you?” Tang Si’s eyes lit up, looking at him with anticipation.

Muruo was struck speechless by the question. He let out a wine-scented burp and said nothing.

Since he wouldn’t directly state his position, Tang Si’s heart couldn’t settle. She stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve, shaking it vigorously as she continued pressing him. “Say something! Do you want me to return to Houliao or go back to the capital with you?”

“I…”

“What ‘I’? I’m giving you the count of three to decide. If you want me to return to the capital with you, I’ll go with you no matter who tries to stop me. But if you don’t want me to go, then when you all return to the capital tomorrow, I’ll go back to Houliao.” She seemed to be getting worked up.

Muruo was rendered completely speechless.

He had been drinking perfectly well, in high spirits and planning to compose poetry, when this girl showed up and completely killed his mood. Now she had him all confused and flustered.

His head was about to explode.

Tang Si began counting.

“One!”

Muruo’s heart struggled internally. This woman was like a piece of sticky taffy—once she latched on, she refused to let go. She was so annoying. So many times, he’d wanted nothing more than to kick her away. He couldn’t care less where she went.

“Two!”

But she had saved his life. She was his savior. And she wasn’t really a bad person—her mouth was just a bit crude, she was a bit noisy, even a bit crazy, but he seemed to have developed just a tiny bit of feeling for her…

He quickly shook his head.

“Three!”

No response came.

Tang Si stared at him eagerly for a long while. Finally, the hand clutching his sleeve slowly released its grip.

Disappointment!

She hung her head, tears glistening in her eyes, but stubbornly wiped them away and said, “I understand.”

Huh?

Muruo wondered, what did she understand?

He saw her dejected and drained of energy, turning away from him, preparing to leave.

Seeing this, Muruo’s brain suddenly short-circuited. His mouth moved of its own accord. “Hey, you’d better pack your things properly and don’t leave anything behind. If you start whining about forgotten items halfway there, I’ll throw you off.”

Hmm?

Tang Si’s lowered head suddenly shot up.

Her eyes filled with delight!

She turned to look at him.

“What did you say? Say it again.”

“Say what again? Aren’t you annoying? When we get to the capital, I’m definitely going to examine you thoroughly and see exactly what part of your brain is broken.” He waved his hand dismissively, his face full of disdain.

Still maintaining his disparaging manner.

His meaning was—he was letting Tang Si go to the capital with him.

Smiles slowly overflowed from Tang Si’s eyes. Her lips pressed together as she grinned like a thief, her delicate body swaying toward Muruo.

“You should have said so earlier! I thought…”

Hehe.

She laughed with such joy!

Muruo wrinkled his nose and stepped back, pointing at the sky. “It’s very late. Go rest early. We still have to travel tomorrow.”

“Um…”

Before Tang Si could finish speaking, he picked up his feet and left. But after only two steps, he was suddenly embraced tightly from behind.

It made his whole body shudder.

Tang Si didn’t know where she got the courage to hug him, pressing her cheek against his back.

Eyes closed, the corners of her mouth curved in a sweet smile.

In that moment, time stood still.

Muruo stood there dumbly, as if someone had cast a paralyzing spell on him. He only glanced sideways, but didn’t reach back to push away the woman behind him. He just let her hold him like that.

·

Time passed bit by bit.

Tang Si opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and released him. She circled around to face him, stood on tiptoe, lifted her chin, and brought her lips to Muruo’s face, planting a kiss.

A fleeting touch!

Then, like a child who had done something naughty, she ran away.

She disappeared in a flash.

But from far away, her laughter could still be heard.

She’d scored big!

But—

Muruo was completely dumbfounded.

Yes, he had told that girl to return to the capital with him, and he admitted that he had just a tiny bit of feeling for her, but—wasn’t she moving way too fast?

Couldn’t she give him a little time to prepare?

His brows furrowed tighter and tighter as he quickly used his sleeve to wipe away the wet residue on his face.