Xia Chengxiu first met Yan He at a spring banquet while accompanying her cousin for an outing.

Though called a spring banquet outing, it was merely an opportunity for eligible young nobles to meet and appraise one another. At that time, Xia Chengxiu was only sixteen years old. While some ladies of this age in the capital had already married, Lord Xia doted on his daughter and had no intention of marrying her off so early.

Thus, Xia Chengxiu was simply accompanying her cousin for recreation.

It was April, spring, when grass grew lush and orioles flew freely. Along the banks of the Si River, tender grass sprouted soft and fuzzy. Xia Chengxiu alighted from the carriage with her cousin Xia Qianqian, and already some acquainted young ladies were flying kites.

Seeing this, Xia Qianqian immediately instructed her maid to bring out the prepared kite and walked toward her friends.

Xia Qianqian was eighteen that year, with exceptionally outstanding beauty among the group of young ladies, particularly sweet and radiant. She understood her physical advantages well, wearing a thin madder-red embroidered narrow-collared dress that accentuated her graceful figure—she could be spotted at a glance amidst the crowd.

Her family background was also the most privileged among these young ladies. In no time, she was surrounded by admirers offering compliments and praise.

At that time, Xia Chengxiu was still a sixteen-year-old girl who could at most be described as pretty, let alone compared to her cousin Xia Qianqian. Lord Xia was commonly called a bookworm, and consequently, Xia Chengxiu was secretly referred to as the little bookworm. She rigorously adhered to propriety and, among peers and sisters, appeared somewhat wooden and reticent, not particularly likable.

The relationship between Xia Qianqian and Xia Chengxiu could not be called close—they were merely ordinary cousins. However, with the dull and awkward bookworm Xia Chengxiu beside her, Xia Qianqian appeared more vivacious, lively, and clever by contrast.

Xia Chengxiu herself didn’t mind. Seeing her cousin engaged in lively conversation with friends, she simply took out a book and sat aside to read. Xia Qianqian couldn’t be bothered with her. After a while, everyone began setting up long tables by the Si River, placing various snacks and refreshments brought from their homes. At noon, they would dine there.

Some time passed, and Xia Chengxiu overheard the young ladies nearby shift their conversation from discussing which house’s new rouge had the prettiest color to “the Yan family’s young master will come today too.”

“Yan family’s young master” referred to the son of the current Commander of the Left and Right Vanguard, Yan Nanguang, who was only eighteen this year. He was reportedly valiant and skilled in battle, handsome in appearance, and had a promising future despite his young age. Xia Qianqian’s father intended to form a marriage alliance with the Yan family, and today’s outing was a tacit understanding between the Yan family’s master and mistress—to see if there might be a connection between the two young people.

Xia Chengxiu had heard of this but considered it her cousin’s affair. Her presence today was merely to serve as an accessory, highlighting her cousin, to bask in the sun and read a book, nothing more.

Just as she was thinking this, someone beside her softly exclaimed, “They’re here!”

Xia Chengxiu looked up and saw a group of young men approaching from the distant willow banks of the Si River. The leader wore a silver robe—a color so eye-catching that it should have seemed strange, but it didn’t, for he was handsome and tall. His hair was tied in a high ponytail, with an untamed, rebellious look in his eyes and a hint of irritable impatience that made him stand out distinctly among the other young men.

Everyone said the capital had three beauties: Xiao’s eldest young master was like spring wind, Xiao’s second young master was like autumn waters, and Chu’s fourth young master was like a secluded orchid. This young man, however, resembled a silver spear—somewhat exaggerated and excessively resplendent, yet carrying a straightforward impetuosity.

Handsome young men in spring are always particularly beautiful. Even though Xia Chengxiu typically had little interest in such matters, she couldn’t help but look twice, thinking that with his appearance, he could certainly be considered the fourth beauty.

Just as she was thinking this, a young lady sitting beside Xia Qianqian nudged her and whispered, “Qianqian, that’s Young Master Yan. You two look so well-matched!”

Xia Qianqian’s face inexplicably reddened.

Before coming, although she had heard Yan He’s name, she had never seen him in person and didn’t know what he looked like. Seeing him today, she realized how handsome he was. Instantly, her heart stirred.

The group of young men didn’t approach closely. From a distance, several youths laughed together as they brought out prepared kites and began playing in the east wind.

Soon, the sky above the Si River was filled with many kites—swallows, magpies, and twin dragons playing with pearls. The silver-robed youth, surrounded and jostled by others, finally took out a “Black Warrior” kite with an impatient expression.

The “Black Warrior” flew swiftly. This youth was skilled at flying kites. The young ladies watched from afar, secretly applauding, though they couldn’t articulate whether they were cheering for the kite flying highest or for the young man flying it.

As Xia Qianqian watched, she suddenly stood up and smiled, “Let’s go fly kites too.”

The young ladies had already been flying kites for a while, but these delicate noble daughters had limited stamina and had to sit down to rest after a short time, leaving the rest to their servants. Xia Qianqian stood up, walked to the maid who was flying her “Hundred Butterflies” kite, and said, “Let me do it.”

The young ladies sitting by the long table immediately began laughing, with someone whispering, “It seems Qianqian has taken a liking to him.”

Xia Chengxiu heard this but didn’t understand and didn’t speak up, as she wasn’t a talkative person. She only watched as Xia Qianqian pulled the kite string and walked toward the riverbank. Seeing the two kites in the sky drawing closer to each other, she hesitated whether to warn her cousin. The next moment, she heard her cousin cry out in surprise as the “Hundred Butterflies” and “Black Warrior” strings tangled together, crashing toward the grove of trees.

The noble ladies beside her laughed even louder, accompanied by hushed comments: “Qianqian has good technique.”

Xia Qianqian still held the kite string in her hand, her expression one of flustered bewilderment, though her eyes betrayed secret delight.

She had absolute confidence in her beauty. If she wanted to capture a young man’s heart, it shouldn’t be difficult. Her rouge today was beautifully applied, and her dress was lovely. She glanced back at the silver-robed youth who was frowning at the tangled kites, then turned and ran toward the grove where the kites had fallen.

At the same time, Xia Chengxiu put down her book and stood up.

A noble lady beside her asked, “Miss Chengxiu, what are you doing?”

“My cousin’s kite fell. I’m going to help,” Xia Chengxiu replied.

“What help could you possibly provide?” The noble lady covered her mouth and laughed, looking at her as if at a fool, with a complex hint of jealousy. “Qianqian doesn’t need your help right now.”

Xia Chengxiu pressed her lips together and, still concerned about her cousin being alone, lifted her skirt and ran after her.

The noble ladies called after her a few times, and seeing she didn’t respond, they let it go.

The grove where the kites had fallen wasn’t far from the riverbank, but it was filled with dense shrubs. Girls walking through had to be careful of thorny branches tearing their skirts. Xia Chengxiu laboriously pushed through the vegetation and spotted a corner of her cousin’s madder-red dress in the distance. Her heart relaxed, and just as she was about to approach, she suddenly heard Xia Qianqian speak: “Young Master Yan.”

Xia Chengxiu paused, only then noticing another person standing before Xia Qianqian—the protagonist of today’s meeting, Young Master Yan.

Xia Qianqian’s voice was sweet and gentle, carrying hints of panic and apology, “Young Master Yan, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Yan He merely frowned at her.

His gaze was bright and sharp, making Xia Qianqian inexplicably nervous. She anxiously clutched the hem of her dress: “Young Master Yan, now the kites are tangled together. What should we do?”

Xia Qianqian’s expression was bashful, her voice sweet. Xia Chengxiu finally belatedly understood that her cousin was likely “enticing” this Young Master Yan. But now it was too late to leave, and fearing to disturb the two, she was forced to watch the scene unfold. She thought that this Young Master Yan would probably say things like “it’s alright” or “it’s not your fault,” then gently comfort her and escort Xia Qianqian home. Afterward, the marriage would be settled—that’s how it should go, right?

“It’s alright.” Just as she thought this, the youth’s voice came from ahead. Xia Chengxiu thought, sure enough. Looking up, she saw Yan He suddenly smile carelessly, drawing the small knife at his waist and decisively cutting the tangled strings between the two kites with one slash.

Xia Chengxiu was dumbfounded.

She wasn’t the only one shocked. Xia Qianqian stood stunned for a moment before asking, “What are you doing?”

“Now they’re separated,” Yan He put away his knife. “Don’t worry, I’m magnanimous. I won’t hold it against you for deliberately damaging my kite.”

Xia Qianqian had grown up being adored by everyone. No one had ever spoken to her this way. Instantly, a sense of shame washed over her. She cried with a sobbing voice, “Who deliberately damaged your kite?” She slapped Yan He across the face, then lifted her skirt and ran away crying.

Xia Chengxiu was too frightened to breathe, thinking this Young Master Yan was truly unpredictable.

“Hey,” an annoyed voice rang out, “you over there, spying, seen enough?”

Xia Chengxiu froze. Had she been discovered?

The next moment, the person had already walked up to her.

Xia Chengxiu instinctively stepped back.

Up close, this youth called Yan He was indeed very handsome, except he always looked at people with a hint of superiority. Upon seeing Xia Chengxiu, Yan He also paused, frowning, “It’s you.”

Among the group of noble ladies at the long table, he had noticed Xia Chengxiu long ago. She neither chatted nor laughed with the other ladies, nor did she go to fly kites, but only sat beside Xia Qianqian reading a book, like a decoration.

“Just now, that girl,” he asked, “what relation is she to you?”

Xia Chengxiu replied, “My cousin.”

Yan He snorted, speaking with disgust, “Affected.” He pushed Xia Chengxiu aside and walked forward.

Xia Chengxiu hadn’t expected Yan He to suddenly push her. She was a delicate young lady, and Yan He was trained in martial arts. Being pushed like this, she stumbled back several steps, inadvertently brushing her hand against a thorny branch, instantly leaving a red mark on the back of her hand.

The red mark on her fair skin looked particularly jarring. Yan He also froze, not expecting these delicate young ladies to be so fragile, getting injured from the slightest touch. He felt somewhat irritated but couldn’t ignore it. He stepped forward to examine her injury, but unexpectedly, Xia Chengxiu immediately stepped back.

“You’re hurt,” Yan He said.

“I know,” Xia Chengxiu’s expression was calm, seemingly unconcerned about the wound on the back of her hand, her tone flat, “but men and women should not touch inappropriately.”

Yan He was perplexed. The girl before him was far from as radiant as Xia Qianqian, wearing a light goose-yellow dress without makeup, appearing too young to understand matters of the heart. How could she talk about “inappropriate touching”?

He said, “Little girl, you’re quite old-fashioned for your age.”

Xia Chengxiu merely moved aside to avoid him: “I’m magnanimous. I won’t hold it against Young Master Yan for deliberately pushing me.”

Yan He was stunned.

After saying this, Xia Chengxiu turned and left. Yan He stroked his chin, thinking she must be avenging her cousin. This was the first time he had been challenged by a young lady. She looked gentle and refined, but wasn’t one to be taken advantage of.

After Xia Chengxiu left the grove, the noble ladies at the long table had already scattered. Xia Qianqian, having found no pleasure with Yan He, was crying as she boarded the carriage to return home, and Xia Chengxiu had to hurry to follow. By the time Yan He emerged, the group of noble ladies had already boarded their respective carriages.

In the grass by the long table lay a book. Yan He remembered that when they arrived, only Xia Chengxiu had been sitting here reading. This book was probably hers, forgotten in her haste to leave. He bent down to pick it up and opened it—it was a travelogue. It contained annotations in an extremely beautiful handwriting, elegant and flowing, reminding him of the girl who had calmly retorted to him in the grove.

Yan He pursed his lips, muttering, “Bookworm.” Yet somehow, impulsively, he tucked the travelogue into his robe.

The matchmaking with Xia Qianqian naturally came to nothing. Xia Qianqian’s parents even showed cold disdain toward Commander Yan for a period. Commander Yan, in turn, berated Yan He thoroughly, though Yan He himself remained unconcerned.

But this “marriage prospect” had no further developments.

Time flew by, and another year passed. Xia Chengxiu turned seventeen, and Lord Xia considered that it was time to start looking for suitable young talents in the capital for Xia Chengxiu.

When Yan He returned home, he heard his mother discussing with his aunt about matching his cousin with Xia Chengxiu.

“Xia Chengxiu?” Yan He stopped his steps toward the room, turning to ask, “Is that the daughter of the Director of the Imperial Academy?”

“How do you know?” Yan’s mother asked with confusion. “Aren’t you usually the one who can’t remember these young ladies’ names?”

Yan He didn’t answer his mother’s question, only frowning to ask, “Cousin is two years older than me. Isn’t Miss Xia still young? By age, wouldn’t I be more suitable?”

Commander Yan scolded him, “Miss Xia comes from a scholarly family, cultured and sensible. Didn’t you say you hate people who play with words the most? Didn’t you say you hate bookworms the most? If we arranged this for you, would you even be willing?”

Yan He said nothing. He returned to his room and stared at the pond outside his window for half the day, then pulled out a book from the bottom drawer of his desk.

It was a travelogue.

Late that night, when even the dogs in the Yan household were asleep, Yan He, wearing an outer robe, knocked on the door of his parents’ chamber.

“Yan Nanguang, you’re scaring people to death in the middle of the night! What on earth do you want?” Commander Yan was furious.

Yan He said, “I am willing.”

After that began the long days of pursuit.

Yan He exhausted every effort to win the beauty’s favor. Lord Xia was fierce and old-fashioned; Yan He was somewhat afraid every time he met him. Even more terrifying than Lord Xia was Xia Chengxiu herself. Though merely a bookworm who couldn’t even tie a chicken, whenever she looked at him with those calm eyes, Yan He became flustered.

Commander Yan berated him at home: “Usually you’re like a fighting cock, how is it that you can’t even properly court a girl? Why doesn’t she fancy you? Can’t you think about it yourself?”

Yan He couldn’t figure it out. He thought himself quite good—handsome, agile, from a good family, and counted among the top young talents in the capital. Why hadn’t Xia Chengxiu taken a liking to him? It must be because that little bookworm simply didn’t know how to appreciate men, blind to quality. But he dared not say this to Xia Chengxiu’s face.

Seeing her son preoccupied day after day, Madam Yan felt both gratified and helpless, only hinting indirectly, “Since you like her, be good to her. Show more care and attention to the young lady, and Miss Xia will eventually see your worth.”

Yan He thought his mother made sense, but he didn’t know how to be good to someone. The jewelry and silk fabrics he sent were all returned, and the love poems he wrote came back to his attendant the next day. Sometimes he regretted his first meeting with Xia Chengxiu—perhaps he shouldn’t have appeared so crude and frivolous. It would have been better than now, desperately trying to remedy the situation with little effect.

Thus, a pampered son of heaven finally experienced the taste of love’s anxiety and sleepless nights.

And regardless of how he treated Xia Chengxiu, this young lady maintained a neither warm nor cold attitude toward him from beginning to end. So when Commander Yan went to the Xia residence to propose marriage, Yan He initially went with expectations of failure. But he was about to lead troops into battle, where life and death were uncertain. If he didn’t propose, he feared he would never have another chance. Better to try and be disappointed than to be disappointed without trying.

That’s what he thought, but unexpectedly, the Yan family’s proposal was accepted by Lord Xia.

He couldn’t believe it.

This should have been a joyous occasion, but as it approached, Yan He himself retreated. If he were to die in battle, wouldn’t Xia Chengxiu, now betrothed, bear the name of a husband-killer?

He left the Xia residence with a heavy heart. Just as he was about to exit, someone called from behind, “Young Master Yan.”

Yan He turned around to see Xia Chengxiu standing behind him, quietly looking at him.

“I—” Yan He was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Young Master Yan.” This reticent young lady smiled at him for the first time, gentle and graceful like spring willows along the Si River, full of warm tenderness.

“Come back soon,” she said.

He was stunned, inexplicably blushing, and just stared intently at the young lady in the sunlight, until the maid at Xia Chengxiu’s side had already brought out a broom, preparing to chase him away. Only then did he lightly cough and say softly, “I will.”

After taking a few steps, he turned back and casually added, “Wait for me.”