When Xie Queshan and Song Muchuan arrived at the neighborhood, Xie Sui’an’s brawl with the woman had already ended.

The woman across from her had her face scratched, her hair disheveled, and her fine clothes torn. Looking at Xie Sui’an, she also had a bruised and swollen face—not much better off.

To think that she was a close guard to the new monarch, a daughter raised by a great family, yet had gotten into a street fight with a woman. She had stubbornly refrained from using martial arts to bully others, fighting with hands and feet, pulling hair and slapping faces. For a moment, one couldn’t tell if she was a gentleman or a scoundrel.

The woman clearly hadn’t gained any advantage. Though they had been pulled apart, she still pointed at Xie Sui’an’s nose, cursing: “Let’s see which family dares marry a shrew like you! Something raised without a mother’s guidance!”

“What’s it to you? I’m not marrying into your family! Mind your foul mouth! If I hear you spouting nonsense again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

At this moment, Xie Sui’an was like a lit firecracker—anyone who touched her would get exploded on.

The accompanying maid dragged and pulled Xie Sui’an away. The two ran straight into Xie Queshan head-on. Song Muchuan was behind them playing the good man, using his most skilled method to coax those women into letting the matter rest.

Xie Sui’an glanced at Xie Queshan, her fierce demeanor obviously deflating at once, but she still ignored him and left with an affected swagger.

“What happened?” Xie Queshan quietly asked the maid.

It turned out that after Xie Sui’an had parted unhappily with Madam Gantang, she had gone out to the streets to clear her head and heard some gossiping women discussing Xie Queshan.

The common people still thought he was a traitor. The Qi soldiers had been completely annihilated, yet they heard he was still alive and well, so their words were quite harsh.

“…I think that kind of person should be torn apart by five horses and executed by slow slicing to satisfy our anger!”

As a result, Xie Sui’an went mad. She couldn’t be stopped and rushed forward to argue with them.

“What kind of person is he? Have you seen him? What do you know! You’re just spouting nonsense here, ruining someone’s reputation!”

“How do I not know! Isn’t he that infamous great traitor? He betrayed so many officers and soldiers, and he still has the face to live? Who are you anyway, speaking up for him? You’re not his lover, are you?!”

“Watch your filthy mouth!”

Then they started quarreling, and after a few disagreeable words, they began fighting in the street.

Xie Queshan was stunned speechless.

Little Six Xie ignored him and gave him no pleasant looks. He had thought she, like those people, wished he would die soon.

He had never imagined that she would actually get into a street fight for his insignificant reputation—clumsy and ridiculous.

Seeing Xie Queshan standing there dazed, Song Muchuan pushed him.

“Hurry up and go coax Little Six.”

Xie Queshan quickly caught up with Little Six. Though she had walked ahead early on, she was walking slowly, being stubborn as hell.

Xie Queshan didn’t know what to say and followed behind her with shortened steps. Suddenly he reached out his hand and, both angry and moved, pressed down on her head.

Xie Sui’an immediately bristled again, turning around huffily to glare at Xie Queshan.

“Don’t think I’ve forgiven you! I’m very hard to coax!”

Her fierce tone was accompanied by a muffled crying voice.

“Who wants to coax you? Don’t be so conceited.” Xie Queshan smiled.

…

The two siblings returned home, where the banquet in the dining hall had already been set.

Xie Jun and Old Madam Xie had both come. It had been a long time since the family had been so complete.

The feast was sumptuous with eight delicacies, steaming hot.

People seemed to be standing in fog, seeing everyone as blurry, with only the clamor from all directions surging forth.

“Oh my, my dear miss, where did you roll around to get covered in all this mud? Where’s your ladylike appearance?”

“Concubine, Sixth Girl definitely went out to fight with someone. You can’t beat her up anymore anyway, so save yourself the effort of nagging.”

“Exactly—I want to sit by the braised pork knuckle. I haven’t had a proper big meal in months. Those days of vegetarian meals and Buddha worship really weren’t fit for humans.”

“Little Six, you mustn’t be disrespectful to Buddha.”

Xie Sui’an stuck out her tongue and slipped over to sit beside Nanyi.

“Third Brother Xie, you sit down too.”

“Chao’en, come.” Xie Jun beckoned to Xie Queshan.

The surroundings suddenly quieted as everyone looked toward Xie Queshan, who was still standing stiffly.

Xie Queshan felt dazed—what evening was this? The fog was dispersing. Across the crowd he saw Nanyi’s face; she sat there distantly.

She was the only guest in this room, but she looked at him with warm eyes.

That was the gaze of loving someone without reservation, like a clear and warm spring that silently enveloped him with moistening care.

This gaze gave him enormous courage—he was someone worthy of being loved.

No more running away, no more pretending. This was his home.

Only then did he realize that all the gazes looking at him were warm. He had just momentarily felt estranged, but the smile on his face quickly became completely natural. Those memories deep in his bones were awakened again, boiling in every corner of his body.

There might have been many grudges in the past that were still hard to dispel upon reflection, but tonight, they could all be temporarily forgotten.

He slowly walked over and took his seat.

The table became lively again, filled with cheerful voices and laughter.

Xie Jun, who had abstained from alcohol for many years, broke his abstinence tonight and drank several cups. He probably wanted to say something to Xie Queshan, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn’t bring himself to speak them. After all, he was also a stubborn character who had never yielded.

Xie Queshan took the initiative to raise his wine cup: “Father, let me accompany you in a drink.”

Xie Jun was surprised and somewhat nervously clinked glasses with him.

Still not knowing what to say, he just tilted his head back and drained the wine in his cup.

When he put down the cup, he found his bowl already piled high with food that everyone had served him.

Though somewhat deliberate, it was more like a form of repentance, but everyone was trying to convey this in an understated way.

“Sister-in-law, why are you crying?” Xie Sui’an suddenly exclaimed, and only then did everyone notice that Nanyi had at some point buried her face in her bowl as if concentrating on eating, but her shoulders were shaking badly.

Seeing Xie Queshan sitting happily among his family members, being surrounded with love, her tears couldn’t help flowing down.

There were no pretentious scenes of letting bygones be bygones, no tearful forgiveness—they sat together because they were family.

Nanyi’s heart ached for the suffering he had endured in the past, and she was genuinely happy for the warmth and human connection he possessed at this moment.

He had finally emerged from bitterness to sweetness—this was the best thing in the world.

She knew crying at the dinner table was embarrassing, but she couldn’t help it no matter what. She thought no one had noticed her, but Little Six immediately called it out.

She had to lift her head from her bowl, wanting to forcefully deny that she was crying, but her crying voice betrayed her emotions as soon as she opened her mouth.

The more she tried to hold back, the harder she cried. She could only grab Little Six’s hand through her sobs and say: “I’m sad… you went out and got in a fight, what if your face scars… wouldn’t that ruin your looks… you’re so young, you can’t have your looks ruined…”

She simply burst into wailing tears.

Xie Queshan choked on his water, covering his mouth and coughing violently.

Little Six was stunned, both moved and guilty, stammering an explanation: “I… I’m fine, it’s a minor injury, it’ll heal in a few days.”

Nanyi nodded through her sniffles, wiped her tears, and said: “I lost my composure… I’ll go back to my room to collect myself. I’m sorry.”

As she was about to leave, she still quickly cleaned out the rice in her bowl before fleeing the scene under everyone’s bewildered gazes.

She didn’t even dare to glance at Xie Queshan.

…

Escaping to the garden, Nanyi splashed cold water on her face by the water’s edge. Looking at her own face dimly reflected in the water, she felt utterly ridiculous.

How had she ended up crying in front of so many people?

With all those elders present, wouldn’t someone notice something strange?

Though she was no longer a Xie family daughter-in-law, if people really found out about the relationship between her and Xie Queshan, that would be quite awkward.

But thinking of Xie Queshan, she couldn’t help but well up with tears again, crying from extreme joy.

He had seen daylight from the depths of the abyss—she was happier than anyone else. Because he was an absolute scoundrel who had lured her into participating in his life, dragged her into a muddy swamp. His shadow had always loomed over her; only when he became bright could she truly achieve completeness.

And now was very good—the future would certainly be even better.

Nanyi finally calmed down, wiped her face, and thinking that leaving early was probably impolite, she turned back toward the front hall.

Just as she rounded the covered walkway, she was pulled aside by a force. Someone embraced her in the darkness, enveloping her with overwhelming warmth.

Nanyi stiffened, smelling a faint wine fragrance wafting over. She too was about to become drunk, melting in this embrace.

“I had originally thought I would never make you cry for me again. But seeing you shed tears tonight, my heart actually felt somewhat happy,” he said softly by her ear.

“You person, how did you start taking pleasure in others’ misfortune?” Her voice was muffled in his embrace, half teasing, half coquettish.

He also smiled without answering, just holding her tightly like this, as if they could last until the end of time.

It lasted so long that Nanyi became somewhat nervous, guiltily tugging at his sleeve like a thief with a guilty conscience.

“Xie Queshan, people come and go here. Don’t let anyone see us.”

“Let them see if they see.”

Nanyi was startled: “Are you crazy?”

“Are you unwilling?”

Nanyi was slightly stunned, always feeling there was meaning behind his words. Unwilling to what? This sentence seemed to have many implications.

Despite her mind’s attempts to escape, Xie Queshan still informed her: “Zhang Yuehui has left.”

These few words seemed to weigh a thousand jun, suddenly making Nanyi unable to breathe. She didn’t even dare to lift her head to look at him, her thoughts complex. Zhang Yuehui had left—what about the conditional exchange between them? Did he still want her to fulfill it? …Or had he silently let go, nullifying everything and giving her back her freedom? But he clearly hadn’t said anything—how could she think so matter-of-factly? She was simply too base.

But Xie Queshan didn’t give her space for silence. His palm gently caressed her jawline, his gaze lingering greedily on her face.

“Come to me. I won’t let go again.”

By the sparse moonlight, Nanyi looked up in surprise, thinking she had misheard.

How could it be… was he asking her to stay?

He had never spoken such definitive words. Every time they had drawn close in the past, every intimacy, had been helpless resignation after restraint, bodily instinct, stolen pleasure without tomorrow.

But the surging emotion in his eyes at this moment clearly contained undisguised earnest desire—that was a promise about the future.

He wanted to fight for himself once.

Being alive was already a tremendous blessing. Whether selfish or treacherous, he wanted to be this villain, he wanted to firmly grasp this warmth.

Having possessed these things once, even if just for an instant, he didn’t want to return to the cold again.

She was about to cry, tremblingly covering his hand. She wanted to exhaust all tactile sensation to feel the reality of this moment. Even though her heart surged with enormous bewilderment—how should they face the Xie family being together like this, how should they face Zhang Yuehui, the problems were still there unresolved—yet in this moment of gazing at each other, they seemed to dissolve effortlessly.

“We won’t be separated anymore, will we?” She only wanted to confirm one more ethereal thing.

“We won’t.” He answered with certainty.