At Meng Duo’er’s question, Baili Weisheng immediately remembered—he really did recall that during his amnesia, he’d had this girl keep some kind of secret for him, and it had been something fairly important to him.
But that was as far as his memory went—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall exactly what it had been.
Seeing Baili Weisheng’s expression, Meng Duo’er asked tentatively, “You… forgot?”
In truth, if possible, how she wished the scholar had forgotten that matter entirely during his amnesia, forgotten it forever.
For something that could never have an outcome, the best solution was simply to forget it.
To her surprise, Baili Weisheng answered immediately, “How could I forget something so important?”
Meng Duo’er’s heart ached faintly, a flicker of disappointment rising, even as she scolded herself internally for being selfish—that was the scholar’s own business, how could she wish for him to forget it?
Lady Jinjiao, unable to make sense of what they were discussing, asked eagerly, “What secret do you two share? Duo’er, you never told me.”
At this, Meng Duo’er remembered Lady Jinjiao was still standing right there, and the cunning Baili Weisheng seized the moment to feign displeasure, glancing pointedly at Meng Duo’er, silently signaling for her to handle Lady Jinjiao.
He’d said it was a secret, and yet she still asked.
But Lady Jinjiao wasn’t so easily deflected—she eyed Meng Duo’er suspiciously, waiting for an answer!
“It’s nothing, ma’am. Weren’t you saying you had important matters to discuss with the scholar?” Meng Duo’er hastily changed the subject.
“You two have a secret together!” Lady Jinjiao said with a knowing, teasing smile.
Meng Duo’er’s face flushed slightly. Unable to explain, she could only accept the accusation, while Baili Weisheng looked skyward in helplessness. He’d noticed that whenever he crossed paths with Meng Duo’er, things tended to spiral beyond his control—he thoroughly disliked that feeling!
He wanted to say they had no secret at all, that he’d forgotten most of it anyway. But explaining further seemed strange somehow, so he simply went along with changing the subject.
“Mother, you two came looking for me? What’s this about?”
“I want you to come back to the South Sea with me. I’m getting on in years, and the dragonkin clan needs you,” Lady Jinjiao said, getting straight to the point.
The corner of Baili Weisheng’s mouth twitched. At this moment, only one thought filled his mind: from now on, no matter whether it was Meng Duo’er or this old lady, he would absolutely, resolutely avoid them both!
He was certain that once he returned to the South Sea and settled down, this old lady’s next move would surely be to pressure him about marriage.
The clan needing him—in other words, the dragonkin clan needed a golden dragonkin, needed him to have children and carry on the line!
“Heh heh, you don’t even need to say it—I was already planning to head back to the South Sea myself. Been away from the ocean too long, feeling all restless!” Baili Weisheng said with a warm, genuine-looking smile that was entirely false.
Meng Duo’er muttered inwardly—ten years apart, and this man’s true nature hadn’t changed one bit, lying so smoothly.
Lady Jinjiao, however, was delighted, beaming with joy. “You wretched boy, finally showing some conscience! Ten years apart, and you’ve really grown up!”
“Of course I have! At my age, it’s time to settle down, start a family,” Baili Weisheng said, sounding remarkably like a mature son.
The moment Lady Jinjiao heard the words “start a family,” she was practically enchanted, grinning so wide she couldn’t close her mouth.
Meng Duo’er, standing nearby, genuinely wanted to expose his lie. In the past, she would have done exactly that. But now, even she didn’t understand why she no longer dared to.
Was it that once you fell in love with someone, your courage shrank?
“Mother, how about this—you head back first, and once I find Baili Xiaosheng, I’ll come home,” Baili Weisheng said seriously.
Lady Jinjiao nodded without hesitation. “Fine, fine, Xiaosheng’s matter is important. Xiong Bao’s still waiting for you at the Xiao family estate—hurry along, don’t delay!”
Baili Weisheng nodded, then glanced at Meng Duo’er. “Miss Meng, would you mind escorting my mother back to the South Sea? Nanzhao’s so chaotic right now, I’d worry about her traveling alone.”
The request came out so naturally, so logically, that Meng Duo’er nearly agreed on the spot.
Fortunately, Lady Jinjiao, delighted as she was, hadn’t been completely intoxicated by the flattery, and quickly said, “Don’t worry, I’m not taking the Nanzhao route—I’ll go by way of Da Zhou, to visit Ziqing and the others.”
With the border just behind them, Baili Weisheng instantly ran out of excuses, but showed no sign of it on his face, nodding with a smile. “That’s good too—Xiao Qingqing will surely be delighted to see you.”
Lady Jinjiao turned serious, patting Baili Weisheng’s shoulder. “Boy, don’t worry about my end. I’m entrusting Duo’er to you. Nanzhao’s in such chaos—take good care of her along the way. If anything happens to her, I won’t be able to face the dream clan.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s perfectly safe!” Baili Weisheng agreed readily.
Lady Jinjiao pulled Meng Duo’er aside, and whatever she said to her, Meng Duo’er’s expression cycled through embarrassment, shyness, and helplessness, a whole mix of emotions written plainly on her face.
Baili Weisheng rubbed his chin, waiting patiently nearby, watching, thinking to himself that a girl like Meng Duo’er, who wore every emotion openly on her face, really wasn’t his type at all.
At the thought, he suddenly realized a question he’d never once considered—what kind of girl did he actually like?
But the moment this thought surfaced, he immediately crushed it in his mind.
Liking someone was troublesome. Why think about it so much?
After a good while, Lady Jinjiao finally finished her private conversation with Meng Duo’er. Reluctant to leave, she hugged Baili Weisheng once more before finally departing.
Baili Weisheng and Meng Duo’er both watched Lady Jinjiao’s retreating figure until it disappeared. Only then did Baili Weisheng let out a faint breath, and just as he did, Meng Duo’er turned to look at him, catching that expression of relief, and a sudden sense of unease crept over her heart.
At that moment, Baili Weisheng slowly turned to look at her too.
He recalled that the last time he’d been alone with this girl must have been that time chasing Meng Wanyue from Da Zhou to Nanzhao. What stuck in his memory most vividly was that on that occasion, this girl had torn one of his robes.
Unlike a moment ago, Baili Weisheng’s eyes now carried a hint of playful appraisal—not much, just a trace—yet Meng Duo’er felt inexplicably as though she’d been seen through completely.
Yet even feeling this way, Meng Duo’er couldn’t look away, meeting his gaze directly, and only then noticed how striking his eyes were, seeming to hold an eternal, brilliant glint.
“Miss Meng,” Baili Weisheng said.
“Mm,” Meng Duo’er responded instinctively.
“Should I tell you that I travel faster than you?” Baili Weisheng asked with mock seriousness.
“Huh?” Meng Duo’er didn’t quite catch his meaning.
The corner of Baili Weisheng’s lips curved into a cunning smile. “I won’t.”
Meng Duo’er frowned, puzzling over his words. “You… you mean, you won’t tell me that you travel faster than me?”
The moment she finished speaking, she understood immediately—but at that very same instant, Baili Weisheng’s figure flashed and vanished!