For men like Lu Yun who frequently caused young ladies to compete for his attention, such situations had become so commonplace that he was rather insensitive to the ladies’ subtle machinations. His mind wasn’t on matters of love but filled with court affairs. Walking back to his courtyard with his hands behind his back, when he encountered these fluttering young cousins halfway, his first thought was – why are they blocking my path again?

He was too obtuse to notice the young ladies competing for beauty and attention, only seeing Luo Lingyu sitting there. Under the blazing sun, her almost smile was like a fresh touch of green in a gray world, waiting for him coquettishly. In the sweltering summer heat, he suddenly felt refreshed. Before his mind could react, Third Young Master Lu’s feet had already walked over. After drinking from the young lady’s teacup, finding the fragrance in his mouth cloying, Lu Yun’s frown deepened.

His brow bone was beautifully shaped, and when he frowned, the shadows playing across his brows hooked people’s hearts like a fishhook. All the beautiful young ladies blushed, and Jiang Wanyi, staring at his furrowed brows, was completely mesmerized.

Lu Yun’s throat moved: “…How can you drink this tea?”

Staring at the celadon teacup for a while, the young master’s tone was slightly disapproving. He had always held her skills in high regard. If he didn’t trust her, he wouldn’t have touched anyone’s newly blended tea at all – yet she had made such sticky, overly sweet tea. And gave it to him to drink! He had to exercise restraint not to spit it out.

Lu Yun felt like he had been tricked by Luo Lingyu, and looked over at her keenly and sensitively. Seeing him frown, Luo Lingyu knew he didn’t like the tea. Her heart skipped, afraid that Lu Yun would suddenly see through her little scheme and embarrass her in front of everyone. So as soon as his expression changed, she rose with a smile and took the teacup from his hands: “…This is flower tea, meant for young ladies, so naturally it’s sweeter and more fragrant. Another day I’ll select some green tea to send to Cousin.”

Only then did Lu Yun’s expression soften: “It’s so hot in summer, yet you’re drinking flower tea – aren’t you afraid of getting heatstroke?”

Jiang Wanyi’s face stiffened slightly to the side, as Lu Yun had been focused on talking to Luo Lingyu since his arrival. He had certainly noticed them in his peripheral vision but merely glanced over without much reaction. His treatment of Luo Lingyu was different… when Luo Lingyu spoke, Lu Yun kept watching her… Feeling somewhat awkward, Jiang Wanyi interjected: “Cousin, we’re painting here. The Old Madam said you had returned and asked you to guide us.”

“Cousin is such an accomplished scholar, why not judge our paintings for us?”

Lu Yun’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at Luo Lingyu: “…In such hot weather, you have leisure time to spare.”

Actually, with the tree shade, pavilion, and clear lake, it wasn’t hot at all here. But Lu Yun had just returned under the sun, his summer clothes half-soaked with sweat against his body, so he found their activities idle. Lu Yun reflected that while he was working himself to death, with northern war situations constantly changing, the young ladies at home were still eating, drinking, and playing without worry, even painting and writing poetry. Yet the young masters’ struggles outside were ultimately to allow the girls at home to live in peace and happiness.

Thinking of this, Lu Yun felt some goodwill toward all the young ladies, his manner becoming less distant and formal.

But he still looked at Luo Lingyu: “Where is your painting? Let me see.”

Jiang Wanyi bit her lip, holding back tears as she watched that indolent Miss Luo slowly stand up, her waist as soft as a willow in the mist. Lu Yun’s eyes lowered, sweeping across her waist, then seeming to find it inappropriate, he moved his gaze away. Yet after moving away for just a moment, he glanced at Luo Lingyu’s waist once more before following her to look at the paintings on the table.

Young ladies are extremely sensitive to a young master’s gaze.

What he looks at, what he doesn’t look at; what he likes, what he dislikes. If a young lady often watches him, it’s not hard to discover his thoughts.

Jiang Wanyi could see that Lu Yun treated Luo Lingyu differently.

Having this thought in mind, when she later saw Lu Yun standing behind Luo Lingyu at the table to look at her painting and talk with her, Jiang Wanyi wasn’t so surprised anymore. Just watching the young master stand behind the young lady, directly reaching out, bending down to hold her hand, personally teaching her to paint, his voice clear as a spring flowing through the heart: “…One can tell you haven’t painted for a long time, you’re getting lazier and lazier. Look at this bamboo grove…”

Luo Lingyu said in a gentle voice: “I just can’t paint well.”

Lu Yun paused, slowly giving her a look. Just as he was about to grow suspicious, about to guess that she was using him as a tool in the beauty competition, Luo Lingyu quickly turned her face away, avoiding his burning gaze. Only then did Lu Yun not pursue it, but continue: “I’ll teach you…”

Spots of light filtering through the tree leaves fell upon the golden boy and jade girl, points of light flowing and scattering, as Jiang Wanyi stiffly turned her face away.

The other young ladies also had varying degrees of affection for Lu Yun, and seeing him speak with Luo Lingyu in such a manner, they all felt some disappointment – although they had sensed it before, seeing it in person was still hard to take.

By evening, when familiar young ladies came to comfort Jiang Wanyi, they angrily spoke of Luo Lingyu: “…Fox-faced seductress, only knows how to entice Third Cousin. Don’t worry, the Old Madam won’t let such a woman into the family.”

Jiang Wanyi couldn’t quite describe her feelings: “It was Third Cousin who wanted to talk with her, she didn’t do anything particular.”

The young lady trying to please Jiang Wanyi said: “You’re just too kind, you can’t see how calculating she is! Let me tell you, that Miss Luo, before you came, was always competitive, never falling behind in anything, none of us could match her. But after you came, she suddenly acts all modest. Usually, she’s good at everything, but then suddenly she’s not good anymore, and Third Young Master Lu notices her. Miss Jiang, don’t be fooled by her!”

Jiang Wanyi lowered her head, her heart aching with distress. She hadn’t yet figured out whether Luo Lingyu was truly magnanimous or viciously scheming, but already felt Third Young Master Lu growing more distant from her. In the past when she saw Third Young Master Lu, though he wasn’t close to her, he treated other young ladies the same way, so no difference could be seen; this time with Luo Lingyu as a comparison, she realized that Lu Yun wasn’t always cold – he did have times when he would stare at a young lady.

However, though she thought so much, her heart rising and falling, because Lu Yun was rarely at the manor, the war between the young ladies could hardly escalate.

Because of her good family background, Jiang Wanyi was surrounded by flattering young ladies. She quickly adjusted her mood and decided to keep trying her best, after all, the Old Madam favored her. This afternoon, after the midday nap, a group of young ladies accompanied her to seek out Luo Lingyu for entertainment. Arriving at the young lady’s courtyard, they vaguely heard voices speaking inside the room, and Jiang Wanyi sensitively caught the words “Third Young Master.” In the Lu family, who else could “Third Young Master” refer to besides Lu Yun?

The door creaked open, and Jiang Wanyi recognized the beautiful maid coming out, exclaiming in surprise: “Jinyue, why are you here?”

Luo Lingyu was seeing Jinyue out, the two women talking while putting on their shoes outside the door, and when they turned around to see the young ladies who had come to the courtyard, both smiled in greeting. Jiang Wanyi’s gaze moved uncertainly between Luo Lingyu and Jinyue’s fingers, and before the young ladies could ask, Jinyue smiled and said: “I just came to deliver some things to Miss Luo.”

Jiang Wanyi: “Did Third Cousin ask you to deliver them?”

Jinyue paused before cleverly saying: “Third Young Master isn’t at home.”

She hadn’t denied Jiang Wanyi’s words, yet without listening carefully it seemed like a denial. The young ladies were all masters, and Jinyue naturally couldn’t participate in the battles between masters. However, after telling the truth, she also worried these young ladies would target Luo Lingyu and bring her trouble. Usually handling Third Young Master Lu’s affairs, even if Jinyue hadn’t liked Luo Lingyu before, she would cleverly make herself like her; moreover, Jinyue did like this quick-witted young lady.

Jinyue said in her heart: …After all, she is the one our Third Young Master holds dear.

Jiang Wanyi was more innocent and didn’t catch Jinyue’s implied meaning, thinking that since it wasn’t Third Young Master Lu sending gifts to Luo Lingyu, she smiled. The other young ladies’ brows twitched as they looked at Luo Lingyu. Luo Lingyu pretended not to know and invited them inside: “…I have some newly acquired pastries, please everyone taste them together and give me some opinions.”

The young ladies had originally thought the pastries were sent by Third Young Master Lu, but Luo Lingyu’s talk of “giving opinions” confused them again.

…They didn’t even know whether they should be jealous or not.

Friendships between young ladies were truly mysterious, sometimes good and sometimes bad.

When Lu Yun returned to the Lu family again, it was already the eve of the Qixi Festival. No matter how busy the court was, they would be given holiday leave these two days. Some of the Lu family’s young masters returned to Wuyi Lane, while others returned to the Lu family in Danyang. After reaching Danyang, they went their separate ways. By the time they returned to pay respects at the Old Madam’s courtyard, only Second Young Master Lu Xian and Third Young Master Lu Yun remained.

It was still afternoon when the two young masters came to pay their respects together, entering to find the young ladies sitting together, chatting and laughing while making qingtuan. The Old Madam and other elders sat at another table, smiling as they watched the young ladies play and laugh. Qingtuan was a famous southern food, and Luo Lingyu had only learned to make it with the young ladies after coming to Jianye. Washing and grinding green leaves into a paste; mixing in late rice flour and glutinous rice flour to make green powder balls; filling them with favorite ingredients and rolling them into snow-white balls; finally arranging the delicate little balls on bamboo leaves and steaming them. After coming out of the steamer, they became the famous “qingtuan.”

At this moment, jade-green, round qingtuan was placed on the table, and the Old Madam kept the two young masters here for dinner: “…You’re usually so busy, hardly seeing each other, even relatives become distant. Now that there’s time, brothers and sisters of our own family needn’t be formal, all stay here for dinner.”

Madam Lu, who had been sitting properly beside the Old Madam, looked at her son, then compared him to the brilliant and otherworldly Third Young Master Lu beside him who was like an immortal in exile, and finally, her gaze fell on Princess Ningping Liu Tang who was happily helping Luo Lingyu among the young ladies. Madam Lu became slightly anxious: “Second Son, why don’t you go see if the Princess needs help? She’s a guest from afar, how can you be so impolite?”

Second Young Master Lu: “…”

Lu Xian was quite innocent.

Over there, Liu Tang’s face suddenly turned red, her hands covered in rice flour, made flustered by Madam Lu’s words: “No, no no, I just came to play casually…” Madam Lu’s fuss made all the young ladies look at her, and the shy little princess was almost scared enough to flee in panic.

Madam Lu: “…”

This Princess was good in every way, just a bit too timid. She would become shy just from someone speaking loudly to her, and then look at that Luo Lingyu beside her… Madam Lu weighed the options and felt the little Princess was still better. A gentle-natured daughter-in-law was always better than an overly capable one who had her ideas about everything and would oppose her.

Lu Yun unobtrusively took his position behind Luo Lingyu.

Though he hadn’t said anything, Jiang Wanyi, sitting opposite Luo Lingyu, was already feeling slightly uncomfortable. Not wanting to give Luo Lingyu and Lu Yun a chance to talk, she wracked her brains for a topic. Seeing Lu Yun’s lips about to move, Jiang Wanyi hurriedly jumped in, asking Luo Lingyu: “Those pastries you shared with everyone the other day were sweet and sour, and didn’t stick to the teeth – quite delicious. How did you make them, sister? Why not teach everyone today?”

Luo Lingyu’s heart skipped a beat.

She knew Lu Yun was standing behind her and had been somewhat pleased, but now with the young master’s burning gaze on her back, she felt herself starting to sweat. But Luo Lingyu maintained her composure, only smiling casually: “I just threw them together, I don’t know how I made them. If Sister Jiang likes them, another day when I’ve worked out the recipe I’ll send it to you.”

Just as Jiang Wanyi was about to thank her, Lu Yun spoke: “What pastries?”

Luo Lingyu hurriedly said: “Nothing…”

Lu Yun looked at Jiang Wanyi.

It was rare for the young master to stare at her, and Jiang Wanyi found it somewhat strange. She slowly raised her head, seeing the slightly awkward atmosphere between Luo Lingyu and Lu Yun. Luo Lingyu’s proper smile had grown somewhat stiff and her gaze was wandering, while Third Young Master Lu was unnaturally calm. Jiang Wanyi realized something: “Just some pastries we ate at Miss Luo’s place the other day. They were made in petal shapes, very delicate layer by layer, different from other pastries when you bite into them, both crispy and soft, with a fragrance of flowers and sesame…”

Luo Lingyu steeled herself and looked back.

Lu Yun slowly raised his eyes to look at her.

The whispers among the young ladies quieted as they noticed this exchange, all secretly observing. After watching Lu Yun stare at Miss Luo for a while, he said: “Those pastries you’re talking about, if I’m not mistaken, were ones I had sent back to Cousin Luo when I dined at the palace.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

She faltered: “It was just a box of pastries.”

Lu Yun didn’t make a sound, though his expression remained relatively calm.

Someone among the young ladies exclaimed “Ah!”: “So Miss Luo gave us the pastries that Third Cousin sent her? This, this… Third Cousin, we didn’t know!”

“Miss Luo, how could you so casually give away what Cousin sent you?”

Luo Lingyu silently cursed them for kicking her while she was down – even if Lu Yun hadn’t been angry before, their words would make him angry. Lu Yun was already petty, and she had just played a trick on him these past few days. His not getting angry now probably meant he was waiting to settle accounts with her later…

It was just a box of pastries. Different from the glass bracelet he had given her before. That time he had given it to her personally, this time it was just Jinyue who delivered them. Lu Yun wouldn’t make such a fuss over a box of pastries.

His being angry with her in private was one thing – Luo Lingyu wasn’t afraid of him scolding her in private, she just feared him not giving her face in public. For someone who cared so much about a face like hers… Luo Lingyu bit her lip, timidly glancing at him, hoping he would “show mercy” and not turn against her at this moment.

Luo Lingyu said plaintively: “How can you call it ‘giving away casually’? All the sisters were at my place and saw them, I couldn’t hide them away and refuse to share, could I?”

Second Young Master Lu Xian had been talking with Liu Tang, and his eyelid twitched seeing his third brother and Cousin Luo about to argue again, with others fanning the flames… Second Young Master Lu had a massive headache and hurriedly came over to try to pull Lu Yun away. He laughed it off: “Aren’t pastries meant to be shared? The palace has plenty, sharing or not sharing, it’s only natural. Joy shared is joy doubled.”

Seeing them exchanging glances again, Jiang Wanyi felt a surge of anger and hoped Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu would have a falling out. Jiang Wanyi contradicted Second Young Master Lu: “…If Cousin sent me pastries, I wouldn’t immediately give them away. How could one give them away so quickly? It’s as if I don’t care about Cousin’s kindness at all.”

These words struck right at Lu Yun’s heart.

His face froze.

Originally with just a box of pastries, he hadn’t been that angry. He had sent them to Luo Lingyu because he thought she would like them, and she couldn’t possibly eat such a box all by herself, sharing with sisters was normal. Unfortunately, the problem was that Luo Lingyu had prior offenses. The more she tried to justify herself, the more he felt she was hiding something, the more he felt she didn’t value him.

Lu Yun gritted his teeth: “Luo…”

Seeing signs he was about to explode, Luo Lingyu decisively interrupted: “Cousin! Don’t be angry with me…” suddenly grabbing his sleeve and shaking it. She looked at him earnestly, the rice flour on her hands getting on his sleeve. The young lady was anxious, shaking his arm again and again.

Luo Lingyu said softly: “Brother Xuecen, Brother Xuecen…”

Second Young Master Lu’s eyelid was already twitching constantly.

Over there, the Old Madam and others noticed something was wrong and sent a maid to ask what the commotion was about. They saw Lu Yun shake off Luo Lingyu’s hand and turn to leave quickly, exiting the room. Under everyone’s gaze, Luo Lingyu apologetically smiled at people, then turned to chase after him.

The young ladies in the room were dejected: “…”

Jiang Wanyi gave her maid a look, telling her to secretly go look. After a while, the maid returned, eyes full of joy as she whispered several words in Jiang Wanyi’s ear. Jiang Wanyi was delighted and found an excuse to leave the room and the courtyard. In the evening, lanterns swayed gently under the eaves, and in the overlapping layers of light, Jiang Wanyi saw Luo Lingyu and Lu Yun standing together at the corner of the wall outside the Old Madam’s courtyard, seeming to be arguing.

The sound of arguing was very loud.

Lu Yun’s face was ashen, and when Luo Lingyu turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. The young lady struck the young master’s chest hard, and the young master said something else that made the young lady raise her voice in cursing. The two were both hitting and cursing, bamboo shadows dappled, their shadows flickering in and out of view.

Those two seemed to be fighting quite intensely.

Either Luo Lingyu would turn to leave and Lu Yun would grab her not letting her go, or Lu Yun would try to leave and Luo Lingyu would chase after him grabbing his sleeve and refusing to let him go.

Seeing them argue like that, Jiang Wanyi felt both afraid and happy. Afraid that Third Young Master Lu would forget his gentlemanly manner and hit Miss Luo; but also happy that those two were arguing so badly, thinking she would have her chance. Jiang Wanyi felt quite despicable in her heart, and shame showed on her face.

The maid beside her: “My lady, didn’t I tell you? Look at how Third Young Master Lu and Miss Luo are arguing, they’re clearly about to split up completely.”

Jiang Wanyi was stunned: “Yes, arguing so intensely, they surely can’t reconcile.”

She was dazed, wondering if she had managed to separate those two.

But then she heard Luo Lingyu suddenly push away Lu Yun’s hand, saying angrily: “I’ve already said I didn’t! I’ll do whatever I want, what right do you have to control me?”

Lu Yun grabbed her delicate hand, his brows pressing down, forcing her: “You ask what right I have to control you, it’s because, because…”

As tensions rose, Jiang Wanyi hiding under the eaves thought “Oh no” to herself, and then saw Lu Yun dragging Luo Lingyu, turning back fiercely. Jiang Wanyi frantically hid behind the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, but couldn’t hide in time and ran right into Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu. Jiang Wanyi was embarrassed and was about to force herself to greet them, but Lu Yun had already dragged Luo Lingyu past her, heading back to the main hall in the courtyard.

Lu Yun walked so fast that Luo Lingyu was pulled along awkwardly, having to almost run to keep up, and Jiang Wanyi hurriedly followed.

Inside the room, the Old Madam had also sent maids to observe Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu’s argument. The same argument, when heard by different people, produced different results. Jiang Wanyi was delighted hearing those two argue like life and death, but in the inner room the Old Madam and Madam Lu’s expressions weren’t very pleased.

Madam Lu: “They argued that badly? Did Third Young Master make Miss Luo cry?”

The maid tried hard to remember: “I think so… seemed to see Miss Luo wiping tears.”

The Old Madam was stunned: “…This is terrible.”

Madam Lu: “…Yes.”

Third Young Master Lu normally wouldn’t make a young lady cry. Those two children didn’t even return to their courtyard, but started arguing halfway, and were seen by the maids. The young people thought arguing like this meant they must separate, but to elders like the Old Madam and Madam Lu, the more intensely they argued, the deeper it showed their feelings were.

It was precisely because their feelings were deep that they could argue so. Quick to argue, but also quick to reconcile.

The Old Madam almost broke into tears: “These two fated ones…”

She had wanted to separate Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu and had specially invited Jiang Wanyi to stay at home. But now it seemed Jiang Wanyi had only produced the opposite effect.

While they were worrying, footsteps had already reached outside the room. Under the bright moon, frost covered the ground. In the bright lamplight, the maid opened the curtain, and Jiang Wanyi walked in to see Lu Yun dragging Luo Lingyu before the Old Madam, dropping to his knees with a thud under everyone’s gaze.

Luo Lingyu’s dark lashes were wet, embarrassed at being watched by so many people: “Let me go…”

Lu Yun’s voice was like metal and stone, decisive and determined: “Didn’t you ask what right I had to control you? Grandmother… I want to marry her!” Turning back to look at the dumbfounded Luo Lingyu, “Now I’ll have the right to control you, won’t I?”

There were still tears in Luo Lingyu’s eyes, but under the elders’ gazes, her eyes wavered, and she lowered her head without batting an eye. The young lady tried to pull her hand free from Lu Yun but couldn’t. Luo Lingyu hid the slight look of triumph in her eyes, putting on an appearance of anxiety and unease: “No no no, Cousin don’t talk nonsense… Old Madam don’t listen to him!”

Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, Jiang Wanyi’s body went weak and she fainted.

Madam Lu calmly: “…Miss Luo is right. Third Son, you can’t speak carelessly about this, Miss Luo still has a marriage engagement. You two get up first, don’t let everyone laugh at you.”

The Old Madam looked at the fainted Miss Jiang with exasperation: …To be so inferior to Luo Lingyu, not even knowing how to properly compete for love. Perhaps Lu Yun originally didn’t want to marry Luo Lingyu but was forced into it by these foolish young ladies’ words.

What sin had she committed to deserve this?