Small Bamboo Grove in the City Outskirts

Two simple horse carriages traveled one after the other. After leaving Yanjing City and traveling all morning, they finally reached their destination and stopped outside this dense bamboo grove.

The scenery here was pleasant. The bamboo leaves in the grove rustled, like someone plucking the strings of a zither, playing music that entered the ears thread by thread. Combined with the bird songs in the grove, it made one’s heart involuntarily calm.

After the carriages stopped steadily, several burly men successively descended from the carriage behind. Without a word, they directly carried the things from the carriage to a house in the bamboo grove. There weren’t very many items, so they were relatively easy to transport—just three slightly larger trunks and two small trunks.

Qi’er descended from the front carriage, followed by Ji Yunshu.

Jingrong, on the other hand, was riding on horseback. He dismounted, his gaze coldly surveying the bamboo grove, as if observing the terrain! His expression remained as tense as before, his two sword-like brows slanting upward, his brow deeply furrowed. Such an expression was truly difficult to fathom—impossible to penetrate what his mood was at this moment.

It must be said that the current Jingrong was like a massive block of ice. He wrapped himself inside in the safest place where no one could enter, no one could touch. Even if the blazing sun were large, it couldn’t completely melt his cold, hard heart.

This was different from the Jingrong of years past!

Completely different!

Yet he was precisely the person Ji Yunshu had been searching for with her whole heart for three years.

When he dismounted, Ji Yunshu couldn’t control herself and quietly fixed her gaze on him, as if worried he would slip away and disappear at any moment when she wasn’t paying attention! She also didn’t know why, but whenever she looked at Jingrong, she would inexplicably lose herself in thought. Perhaps it was that palpitation in her heart secretly pulling at her!

Such ardent gaze—Jingrong naturally noticed it. Not wanting to meet it, he simply turned his head away, leaving Ji Yunshu with a cold, indifferent back view, then followed those burly men to carry the trunks from the carriage to the bamboo house.

But Ji Yunshu’s gaze kept following him without shifting even slightly until he entered the bamboo house! Although Jingrong was still avoiding her now, even unwilling to face the truth, she wasn’t sad anymore. Because as long as Jingrong was by her side now, everything was satisfying.

She believed he would remember! Even if… he couldn’t remember now and couldn’t remember in the future, she didn’t mind anymore. As long as they were together, everything was good.

Qi’er said from the side, “Miss Ji, are you satisfied with the place the young master arranged for you?”

She withdrew her gaze and smiled slightly. “It’s quite good. It’s very quiet here, and no one will come to disturb me.”

“Then let’s go inside and look. Everything inside has already been arranged. The young master arranged two cooks and two maids here to serve you. Whatever matters you have, just give orders freely and they’ll help you handle them.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s the young master who arranged everything properly.” Qi’er said.

Yes, Su Ziluo had arranged everything properly. To protect Ji Yunshu, he arranged for her to stay in this bamboo house in the outskirts. Before Jingrong made the definite decision to return to Dalin with her, before Jingrong recovered his memories, she had to stay here. But in Yanjing City, Li Shiyan was watching her, and the Wen family brothers were also watching her, so Su Ziluo had no choice but to temporarily arrange for her to come here to prevent the Wen family from discovering her identity and Jingrong’s identity.

Ji Yunshu entered the bamboo house. The courtyard was very large. Many flowers were planted outside, and there was also a small pavilion—an octagonal pavilion with gray-white gauze curtains hanging around it, swaying in the wind. It was already well into autumn now. The surrounding tree leaves were falling one after another, flying into the pavilion and covering that stone table.

It had a naturally leisurely atmosphere.

They entered the bamboo house. Inside, the rooms had been cleaned very tidily.

Qi’er asked, “Miss, how is it?”

“Quite good.” She truly liked it—peaceful and pleasant. She turned around again in the back courtyard. There was a small path paved with pebbles, a clear spring surrounded by decorative rocks, and plum blossoms planted in the courtyard. Like the plum blossoms planted in Su Ziluo’s courtyard, they bloomed all four seasons, never falling year-round…

Ji Yunshu gazed at the plum blossoms on the tree. Just then, a gentle breeze blew past, brushing down a petal that landed in her palm. It was so light, like a feather, so soft it made her palm tickle involuntarily.

Just then, Jingrong finished placing the trunk in his hands and came out. He happened to see Ji Yunshu standing under the plum blossom tree. Her slightly curved almond-shaped eyes seemed to contain a pool of clear water—lively and pure, perfectly picturesque. It was as if the flower petals swaying in the wind bloomed so vibrantly because of her. A woman like this was like a flower’s heart—born naturally to be cherished and protected. Any person’s fierce spirit would transform into soft, fluffy clouds before her. Even the greatest hostility would become nothingness…

At this moment, ripples arose in Jingrong’s heart, like a feather gently brushing against his chest. There was an impulse to rush over and hold her tightly. But when this impulse gradually surged up, his sword-gripping hand suddenly tightened as he quickly suppressed this “frightening” impulse.

What was wrong with him?

Why would he have such a strange thought? And in that instant, it even felt so familiar.

The several burly men finished placing the items and walked before him, saying, “Master, everything has been put away.”

Jingrong withdrew his gaze and said, “Alright, you all wait outside.”

“Yes!”

The burly men went out.

Qi’er saw that matters here had all been handled properly, but to prevent any oversights, she personally inspected everything once more before feeling at ease. Seeing that the time was about right, and wanting to return before evening, she took her leave of Ji Yunshu: “Miss Ji, everything here has been arranged. You can settle down with peace of mind. Then I’ll return first to report back to the young master.”

“Thank you for Qi’er’s arrangements. I won’t see you out then.”

Jingrong also planned to return together, but Ji Yunshu stopped him, saying, “Mister Su arranged for me to stay here to avoid others knowing my identity. The other reason is he wants me to wait here—wait for you to think clearly or recover your memories before leaving Qujiang with me. If you leave now, what meaning is there in me being here?”

“I still have important matters to attend to.”

“You’re no longer Lichuan, and you don’t need to obey any of Mister Su’s instructions anymore. Your identity is Jingrong!”

“So what?”

“So whether in your heart or in your mind, the person you should be paying attention to and thinking of should be me.” Ji Yunshu spoke with an extremely domineering tone. She really had no other choice—who told Jingrong to be a hundred times more stubborn than herself? Before he recovered his memories, it seemed he felt all these facts were lies, as if everyone was playing with him, so he was half-believing and half-doubting.

Jingrong’s expression barely changed as he continued, “I truly still have matters to attend to.”

“I’m a weak woman staying in this forest in the outskirts. What if something happens?”

“I’ll arrange for people to protect you in secret.”

“You don’t understand what I mean. I don’t need others to protect me.” Like a child, Ji Yunshu showed a stubborn expression on her face. She walked a step closer to Jingrong, raised her head to meet his gaze, and said, “I only need you!”

“…”

Ji Yunshu walked another step closer to him, reached out to grasp the corner of his robe, and tugged down gently a few times. Her beautiful eyes blinked: “Can you really bear to leave me staying here?”

The distance between them was mere inches apart.

Jingrong could clearly feel Ji Yunshu’s breathing brushing against his neck. A fragrant scent also emanated from her body, wafting to the tip of his nose. He lowered his eyes to look at the woman raising her head to gaze at him. Those eyes seemed to sparkle with light, like stars in the sky—very beautiful, twinkling and seemingly about to confuse his heart, making his cold, hard, and fierce heart at this moment like ice under the blazing sun gradually melting, leaving him with absolutely no resistance whatsoever.

Finally, his throat rolled for a while before he uttered a sentence: “I’ll stay tonight.”

Just tonight!

Ji Yunshu’s face broke into a radiant smile, completely satisfied.

In the end, Qi’er and those burly men left, leaving behind Ji Yunshu and Jingrong, along with the cooks and maids working here.

But Jingrong kept standing in the courtyard holding his sword, like a sculpture.

Ji Yunshu sat in the pavilion in the courtyard and had a maid find her the four treasures of the study. She spread out white paper and began stroke by stroke to paint Jingrong’s appearance. Although he wore a mask now, he had a different kind of charm…