He hadn’t originally expected Shen Xiling to be waiting for him at the door of Wangshi room. After returning, he first had Qing Zhu go check whether the lights were still on at her room. Qing Zhu went to look and came back to report that the lamp was extinguished, but when he knocked on the door no one answered. Yi Xiang, who lived in the same courtyard as Shen Xiling, heard the sound and got up, saying that Shen Xiling hadn’t been in her room all afternoon and had gone out early in the day. When Qing Zhu went to report back to Qi Ying, Qi Ying was somewhat surprised, not knowing where she had gone. Only later did he find the little girl who had already fallen asleep in the corner by the door of Wangshi room, her body curled up into a tiny ball, like a homeless kitten.
Even a kitten has a tail to curl itself up with, but she didn’t. It was still the depths of winter, yet she had actually fallen asleep outside like this. Qi Ying didn’t know what to say for a moment. He walked to the little girl’s side and touched her hand—it was frighteningly cold. He quickly scooped her up horizontally and carried her through the door of Wangshi room.
As soon as he picked her up, Shen Xiling woke up. Opening her eyes, she drowsily saw Qi Ying’s beautiful phoenix eyes very close to her face. She was stunned for a moment, not knowing if it was real or a dream.
Qi Ying saw she had awakened but couldn’t spare time to speak with her. While striding into the room, he frowned deeply and quickly instructed Qing Zhu: “Bring a thick blanket and get two charcoal braziers for her.”
Qing Zhu hurried to arrange these things. Shen Xiling was carried all the way into the inner room by Qi Ying and placed on the chair behind the writing desk where he usually sat. Before Shen Xiling could speak to him, she saw him remove his own cloak and wrap her completely in it, asking with furrowed brows: “Are you all right? Do you feel any warmer?”
Shen Xiling was still somewhat dazed at that time, not having realized she had actually fallen asleep earlier. She was now so frozen that her limbs were stiff and couldn’t move, even her teeth were chattering.
She looked at Qi Ying and answered shakily: “Be… better now…”
It really was better.
His cloak had a faint scent of sweet flag, just like the fur coat he had given her that day when she first met him in the woods outside the city—thick and warm.
Qi Ying’s brows remained furrowed. Just then Qing Zhu returned, followed by two maidservants, each carrying a charcoal brazier in her hands, while Qing Zhu himself carried the thick blanket. Qi Ying had the two maidservants place the charcoal braziers by Shen Xiling’s feet and had Qing Zhu wrap another layer of blanket around her. Only then did Shen Xiling gradually recover, gaining some warmth in her body.
Seeing that her lips had regained some ruddy color and weren’t as blue-purple as before, Qi Ying felt somewhat relieved and waved his hand to indicate that Qing Zhu and the maidservants could withdraw. Qing Zhu led the two maidservants out. Just before leaving, he happened to meet Shen Xiling’s gaze and coldly glared at her with an indifferent expression, making Shen Xiling’s heart jump and feel somewhat bewildered, not knowing whether Qing Zhu was angry or why he might be angry.
Qi Ying didn’t notice this. Seeing that Shen Xiling had recovered, he felt that if he didn’t scold the little girl a bit, she might act so recklessly again next time and fall asleep outside. Today he had returned in time, but if he had been any later, she might have frozen to death.
However, though he was determined to give her a good scolding, this was Second Young Master Qi’s first time disciplining a little girl, so he was inevitably inexperienced and could only recall how his father used to discipline his two younger brothers. After thinking it through, he realized that his father didn’t really lecture Qi San and Qi Si much—he usually just applied the rod directly.
…That wouldn’t be appropriate.
Without a reference, Qi Ying could only improvise. He put on a stern face and scolded Shen Xiling: “What kind of weather is it outside that you dared to sleep out there like that? If I had returned any later, you might have frozen to death—Shen Xiling, you treat your own life too carelessly.”
Though he didn’t speak loudly, his words carried great weight, his expression was serious, and this was the first time he had called her by her full name, which was quite frightening. Shen Xiling could see he was angry, and her heart felt somewhat wronged.
She guessed he had misunderstood, thinking she didn’t value her life. Actually, she had just accidentally fallen asleep and hadn’t intentionally tried to torment herself. However, she wasn’t good at explaining by nature. After being scolded, she didn’t argue back, only lowered her head and silently continued listening.
Seeing her well-behaved appearance, wrapped in the thick blanket and cloak, making her look even smaller and quite pitiable, Qi Ying sighed, realizing that the little girl before him was just a child after all. He restrained his temper, his expression softening somewhat, and said to her: “Remember not to do this again next time.”
After pausing, he added another sentence: “This time I was also at fault. Next time if I return late, I’ll have someone inform you.”
Hearing his voice become somewhat gentler, and the latter half of his sentence actually containing an apology to her, Shen Xiling felt inexplicably happy. She pressed her lips together and nodded again.
Seeing how obediently she curled up in the blanket, with only a pair of bright, beautiful eyes showing outside the blanket, the red mole between her brows appearing even more prominent, Qi Ying coughed and got to the main topic: “I’m looking for you to tell you something extremely important…”
Qi Ying explained all the circumstances of changing her identity, then added: “From now on you are Fang Jun. The surname Shen must never be mentioned again. I will handle all other matters for you. You only need to remember one thing: speak little and move little—the more you say, the more mistakes you’ll make.”
Shen Xiling listened somewhat dazedly, her heart feeling somewhat empty.
She hadn’t thought about the identity issue. Now that it suddenly came to this, she was somewhat shocked, but more than that, she felt lost. Her parents had both left her now. They had left her nothing except this body of flesh and blood and a name, but even this name… had to be changed to someone else’s.
She remembered her mother telling her that her name was personally chosen by her father. From the time her mother became pregnant until she was born, he had thought about it for a full ten months. According to her father, Xiling was a place name in Hangzhou, where he and her mother first met. It was a picturesque place that captivated the heart. Moreover, there was an ancient poem that said, “Watch the painted boats all enter Xiling, idling away half the lake’s spring colors”—it was a name that found tranquility in bustle, suitable for both movement and stillness.
Though their days in childhood were lived in hardship, both parents loved and protected her dearly. During summer nights when they enjoyed the cool air together in the courtyard, sometimes her parents would call her Xiling, sometimes they would call her by her childhood name Wenwen—those were her most joyful times. And now… must she lose even this name?
Qi Ying saw the little girl lost in thought and knew she disliked changing her name. His heart felt both pity and helplessness. He was silent for a while, then said in a low, gentle voice to comfort her: “Only in front of others. At other times you’re still called Shen Xiling.”
Shen Xiling looked at Qi Ying once, her eyes moist, making his heart soften again. Unable to help himself, he made another concession, saying: “You can also keep your childhood name—let people call you Wenwen.”
Shen Xiling’s eyes widened slightly.
She hadn’t expected that Qi Ying even knew her childhood name. Her childhood name had only been used by her parents—no one else had ever known it. Now being called this way by a man who wasn’t particularly close to her made her face feel warm. What surprised her even more was that in her confusion, she actually felt his voice calling her Wenwen was very familiar, as if… he had already called her this way before…
Shen Xiling was bewildered. Qi Ying didn’t know what the little girl was thinking and assumed she was still sad, so he had to ask her opinion once more. Shen Xiling came back to her senses, hesitated for a while, but finally looked at Qi Ying and nodded gently.
Qi Ying breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing in his eyes as he said: “Good, then let’s do that.”
Looking at the faint smile in his eyes, Shen Xiling somehow felt even more dizzy.
Qi Ying had Qing Zhu escort Shen Xiling back.
Wrapped in Qi Ying’s cloak, Shen Xiling walked out the door of Wangshi room, following behind Qing Zhu down the steps. Seeing Bai Song still standing at the door with his sword, Shen Xiling greeted him. Bai Song was somewhat surprised, not having expected to see Shen Xiling entering and leaving Wangshi room so frequently recently. Upon reflection, he understood that the reason his master had insisted on returning to Fenghe Garden tonight despite his physical discomfort was actually for Shen Xiling.
Bai Song was truly quite amazed. Though he had originally brought Shen Xiling back hoping his master would show her some pity, he actually hadn’t expected his master to go to such lengths. He was both surprised and happy for Shen Xiling, thinking that this little girl had suffered many hardships in life—if she could truly receive his master’s care, it would be her great fortune.
Bai Song glanced at Qing Zhu, seeing him wearing a sour expression with a very impatient demeanor, and understood he was targeting Shen Xiling. After thinking it over, he stopped Qing Zhu and said: “Let me escort her back for you. You stay here.”
Qing Zhu maintained his stern expression, looking at Bai Song with neither cold nor warm eyes, snorted coldly, and nodded. Shen Xiling could also sense that Qing Zhu was very unhappy, but wasn’t sure if he was angry at her. Recalling the glare he had given her when leaving the room earlier, it seemed like it, but she couldn’t think of where she had done something inappropriate to offend him. As she was wondering, she saw Bai Song beckon to her and say: “Let’s go.”
Shen Xiling looked at Qing Zhu again, seeing that he wouldn’t look at her at all and stood alone at the door of Wangshi room with a cold expression. She pressed her lips together and left with Bai Song.
Speaking of which, since that night when Bai Song first brought Shen Xiling back to Fenghe Garden, the two of them hadn’t had a chance to talk together. Only now did Shen Xiling have the opportunity to ask about the injuries he sustained from those hundred lashes last time. Bai Song casually answered “It’s been fine for a long time,” then while walking, looked down at Shen Xiling, noticing she had become even thinner than when they traveled north to Langya, probably due to her previous serious illness. He said: “But you, at such a young age, keep getting sick. You need to take good care of your health.”
When she first met Bai Song, Shen Xiling had only thought this person was cold, and the scar between his brows made him look fierce. She hadn’t expected him to be such a kind-hearted person. She was very grateful, nodded, and thanked him again.
Walking along with Bai Song, Shen Xiling’s mind kept flashing back to Qing Zhu’s attitude earlier. Her heart still couldn’t let it go. After hesitating for a while, she decided to ask Bai Song about it. She asked: “Big Brother Bai… I wonder if I did something wrong to make Qing Zhu unhappy?”
Bai Song was silent for a while, then said: “Qing Zhu has served by the master’s side since childhood and is quite close to him.”
He paused, glanced at Shen Xiling, and continued: “He puts the master first in everything, and has a straightforward temperament. He won’t show a good face to anyone or anything that’s bad for the master. Tonight the master was unwell, but he still rushed back to Fenghe Garden for you, delaying his rest. Qing Zhu must be taking out his anger on you because of this.”
Shen Xiling was startled and asked: “The master is unwell?”
Thinking carefully, Qi Ying’s complexion had indeed been somewhat pale tonight, but because she herself had suffered from the cold, she hadn’t paid attention to it.
Bai Song nodded and answered: “He’s been extremely busy recently and has hurt his stomach somewhat. Today he also had to drink alcohol.”
Shen Xiling was speechless, a wave of guilt suddenly surging in her heart. He had been feeling so uncomfortable, yet earlier he had been taking care of her and worrying about her affairs the whole time, not showing any sign of his own distress. They were originally people with no connection to each other, yet he had gone to such lengths for her…
Shen Xiling turned back. She and Bai Song were now some distance from Wangshi room, but she could still see the candlelight showing through the doors and windows of Wangshi room, indicating that person still hadn’t rested and was still busy.
Shen Xiling furrowed her brows, gazing silently into the distance.
Author’s Note: Qi Zhang: As a father, I can responsibly say that educating children is like this—if scolding doesn’t work, you generally have to resort to beating. Qi Ying: …That wouldn’t be appropriate.