As Qiao Yiran spoke, she waved at Zheng Yun: “Zheng Yun, we’re going to find Yan Qing. Call me if you need any help.”

Zheng Yun made a sound of acknowledgment: “Go ahead.”

Yan Qing was watching Shi Ting play mahjong. He held a tile in his hand and turned his face slightly toward her: “Should I play it or not?”

Yan Qing only had a passing understanding of mahjong. Usually it was only during the New Year, when guests came to the house and her second aunt needed a bathroom break, that she would be asked to fill in for a round.

She thought for a moment: “Play it.”

After Shi Ting played the tile, E’Yuan across the table let out a loud cry: “I win! Seventh Brother, I’ve got a clean hand — a big one!”

Shi Ting looked at Yan Qing with a helpless expression. Yan Qing laughed: “Don’t look at me like that. You were the one who insisted on asking me.”

“Seventh Brother, pay up, pay up!”

E’Yuan happily collected his winnings: “Master, just stay right where you are. Ever since you arrived, my pile of money has been growing taller and taller.”

Shi Hao wasn’t happy: “E’Yuan Liang Ping, you’ve won so much. Isn’t it time you switched out? Bai Pang and I haven’t won a single round.”

Shi Ting added: “Neither have I.”

Yan Qing laughed: “You’ve all been playing this long, and only E’Yuan won anything?”

“Isn’t that right — that kid walked away with everything.”

“That kid has great luck today.”

E’Yuan grinned with delight: “Come on, come on, let’s keep going.”

“Why don’t you take a couple of rounds for me?” Shi Ting suggested. “Maybe you’ll change our luck.”

“I’m not very good. Are you sure?”

“At worst you’ll lose just like me.” Shi Ting stood up and let Yan Qing sit in his seat.

E’Yuan immediately voiced his complaint: “Seventh Brother, you can’t do this — calling in outside help just because you can’t win.”

Shi Ting replied unhurriedly: “You can call in outside help too.”

E’Yuan put on an expression of being stabbed in the heart. The Military Police Division had no shortage of bachelors — pull out any one of them and he was a lone commander without so much as a follower.

“Seventh Brother, you have such a wonderful wife, but you’ve completely forgotten about us brothers.” Shi Hao let out a huff. “Our Military Police Division has a nickname outside — they call it the Bachelor’s Paradise.”

Yan Qing burst out laughing: “Shi Ting, did you hear everyone complaining? You really ought to do something about their marriage prospects.”

Shi Ting gave a light cough: “Well then, you’d better hurry up and beg your sister-in-law.”

Yan Qing: “……”

He had passed the hot potato to her that quickly. This man was truly something.

Yan Qing noticed him winking at her and could only shake her head helplessly. Their Director Shi was by no means emotionally dense, yet he was completely unsuited to playing matchmaker — otherwise the Military Police Division wouldn’t have accumulated so many bachelors.

“Who’s winning?” Qiao Yiran, having spent so much time around the Military Police Division, was on familiar terms with everyone there.

“E’Yuan, the great forensic examiner.” Shi Hao grumbled in E’Yuan’s direction while drawing a tile.

“E’Yuan, winning this much means you have to treat everyone!” Qiao Yiran walked over with Ling Ai. “Let me introduce a new friend — Ling Ai.”

Ling Ai quickly bowed and greeted everyone.

Everyone promptly returned the greeting.

Yan Qing noticed that Ling Ai’s face was flushed red and her hands were empty, which told her she had already given her gift to Zheng Yun.

Zheng Yun finished watching the chefs bustle about in the kitchen, and when he walked out he ran right into Bai Jin.

“Old Zheng, Old Zheng.” Bai Jin draped an arm over his shoulder and asked in a conspiratorial tone: “Are you close with that Ling Ai?”

“Why do you ask?” Zheng Yun pushed away his paw.

“If you’re not close, why did she come? It can’t just be to join the fun — and she came to join the fun and also brought you a gift?” Bai Jin blinked. “You thick-headed log, that girl obviously has feelings for you.”

Zheng Yun’s footsteps paused. He turned his head and looked at him.

Bai Jin draped his arm over his shoulder again: “Based on my years of experience, there’s about an eighty-percent chance Ling Ai has feelings for you. Even though she’s from Di Guo and there’s the barrier of national borders, this girl is good-looking and has a pleasant personality. You ought to consider it.”

“Based on your years of experience?” Zheng Yun was thoroughly dismissive. “You don’t even have a partner. Where does this experience come from?”

Bai Jin shot him a look: “What does having a partner have to do with it? Can’t you just use your eyes?”

“Do you know who her father is?”

“I heard from Sister-in-law that it’s Hui Cun.”

“Then do you think Hui Cun would allow his daughter to marry someone from Xin Guo — and one who is merely an ordinary Military Police Division captain at that?”

“How do you know he wouldn’t?”

“In families like that, the children’s marriages are never theirs to decide. It’s either a political union or an economic one.”

“Maybe Di Guo’s traditions are different from Xin Guo’s.”

“More similar than different.”

Zheng Yun stopped paying attention to Bai Jin and walked directly over to check on the arrangement of the drinking tables.

Bai Jin rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

When Zheng Yun finished inspecting the drinking tables and looked up, he caught sight of a familiar flash of white in the distance. When Ling Ai had arrived earlier, she had been wearing a white dress, if he recalled correctly.

She was now crouching in his untended flower bed, doing something he couldn’t quite make out.

“What are you doing here?” Zheng Yun walked up behind her and looked over in puzzlement.

Ling Ai was startled. She quickly turned around. There were smudges of soil on her fair little face, like a piece of white jade that had been brushed with color.

“These peonies of yours are a rare and precious variety. If you don’t tend to them properly they’ll die.” Ling Ai held a small trowel and carefully turned the soil. “Peonies are best kept in sandy soil. This earth of yours is passable, but you still need to fertilize it. Also, you don’t need to water them too frequently — once every two days is fine, and a little more in summer.”

“Do they have peonies in Di Guo?”

“No. The first time I ever saw a peony was in Xin Guo. I love peonies, so I’ve done some research on my own time.”

“These flowers were given to me by the family of a victim. Her family runs a peony garden.”

“This variety of yours is quite valuable. If well tended, it could fetch quite a bit of money.”

Ling Ai stood up and casually wiped the sweat from her face: “All right. Remember to give them proper care from now on — it would be a shame to waste such a fine variety.”

Zheng Yun’s gaze rested on her fair face: “Go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay.” Ling Ai gave him a brilliant smile, her bright eyes shimmering as though they held dancing starlight within them.

Zheng Yun was momentarily stunned. He quickly looked away: “Never mind — I’ll go get you some water.”

Ling Ai hurried along after him. He was tall and slender; she could only walk in his shadow.

After a few steps, Ling Ai quietly asked: “Have you known Miss Qiao for a long time?”

“Yes, several years now.” Zheng Yun answered: “Qiao Yiran is a newspaper reporter. She often covers stories about our Military Police Division, so she’s become quite familiar with everyone there.”

Hearing that Qiao Yiran was simply well-acquainted with people throughout the Military Police Division, Ling Ai’s heart suddenly settled.

“Why do you ask about her?” Zheng Yun suddenly turned around. The smile at the corner of Ling Ai’s mouth had no time to hide itself, and it collided squarely with his gaze.

“N-nothing. Just asking.” Ling Ai quickly lowered her head, feeling a flush of embarrassment inside.

“Let’s go.” Zheng Yun said nothing more and quickened his pace.

By the time Ling Ai had washed her face, the courtyard had come alive with noise and cheer.

Bai Jin had hired several chefs, and the delicious dishes were steadily filling the tables one after another.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Bai Jin led the toast to Zheng Yun: “Birthday boy — happy birthday.”

Zheng Yun was in excellent spirits today. He raised his cup in thanks: “Thank you all for coming to my home today.”

“Squad Leader Zheng, you have to drink plenty tonight.”

“That’s right — if we can’t get Squad Leader Zheng drunk tonight, we’ve failed as brothers.”

Faced with everyone’s good-natured heckling, Zheng Yun smiled: “All right. We won’t stop until we’re all drunk.”

Ling Ai sat beside Yan Qing, smiling as she watched Zheng Yun and the others drink. They drank fast — tiny little cups, each drained in a single gulp.

Back in Di Guo, the liquor wasn’t as strong as what they drank in Xin Guo, and people didn’t drink with this kind of urgency and ferocity. But she loved this atmosphere — it gave her a feeling of being so at ease she could forget all about going home.

“What’s the fun in just drinking? Let’s play a game.” Bai Jin stirred things up.

Shi Hao called out at the top of his lungs: “Old Bai, whatever game you name, I’ll play it to the end!”

Bai Jin suggested several games, each of which Shi Hao shot down. Helpless, Bai Jin turned to Yan Qing for help: “Sister-in-law, see — Shi Hao is giving me a hard time.”

Yan Qing laughed: “Then go ask your Director.”

Shi Ting took a sip of wine: “I’m staying out of this.”

“Sister-in-law, please, help me out — come up with a game.”

“Fine.” Yan Qing thought for a moment: “There’s a game called Truth or Dare. I wonder if any of you are brave enough to play.”

This game had been a perennial favorite back in her era.

“Sister-in-law, tell us the rules.”

“The rules are simple. You roll the dice. Whoever rolls the lowest number loses. The loser has two choices: drink the full contents of their cup, or answer a question — and no lying allowed. It has to be the truth.”

“Great, this game is perfect.” Bai Jin pointed at Shi Hao: “Shi Hao — what about it? Do you dare play with me?”

“Let’s play. Who’s afraid of you?” Shi Hao rolled up his sleeve. “I’ll go first.”

Someone immediately brought over a bowl and dice and arranged everything neatly.

Shi Ting said: “You don’t drink, yet you’re full of ideas.”

Yan Qing blinked at him: “Impressed?”

“Deeply in awe.”

“Do you want to play?”

“I think I’ll sit this one out.”

Yan Qing thought about it and agreed. If Shi Ting lost and chose to tell the truth, she suspected no one would dare ask him anything anyway.

“We’re joining in too.” Qiao Yiran pulled Ling Ai over. “You can’t let only the men play.”

“All right, all right — adding Miss Qiao and Ling Ai. Miss Qiao, no crying if you lose later.”

“I certainly won’t. Right, Ling Ai?”

Ling Ai nodded, and then sneaked another glance at Zheng Yun.

“Come on, let’s go.” Shi Hao rolled first and got a six, which made him roar with laughter.

When the dice reached Ling Ai, she shook a four and let out a quiet breath of relief.

When it was Zheng Yun’s turn to roll, a single bright red dot appeared in the bowl.

Everyone turned to look at him at once. Shi Hao slapped the table, laughing loudly: “Birthday boy, your luck isn’t great either.”

Bai Jin followed up: “Birthday boy — truth or drink?”

—