Grandfather Yan was going abroad.

During dinner, Ah Heng heard from her grandfather that Grandfather Yan had been preparing visa documents to go abroad since before the New Year. The higher-ups felt that the old master had spent his life in military service, contributing greatly to New China, so the military department should let him go to America to reunite with his son and daughter-in-law’s family. Besides, with Old Master Yan’s military rank, it would be awkward to refuse.

“What about Yan Xi?” Ah Heng asked, only afterward realizing her tone was too urgent.

Grandfather glanced at her, frowning: “That child refuses to go. Marshal Yan has been trying to persuade him since the beginning of the year, but Yan Xi won’t agree. These past few days, grandfather and grandson have been giving each other the cold shoulder.”

Meanwhile, Si Wan had already put down her soup spoon and, disregarding table manners, strode away quickly.

Si’er thought of something, dimmed her expression, bit her lip, and sat there quietly.

Old Master Wen snorted, his gaze somewhat severe: “Such grown children, who know where their minds have wandered off to! One’s like this, and the other’s the same!”

Ah Heng felt awkward – who was Grandfather directing these words at?

She hurriedly finished her meal, returned to her room, and dialed Xin Dayi’s mobile.

“Dayi.” Ah Heng pressed her lips together.

“Oh, it’s Ah Heng, what’s up?” There was some noise around Dayi.

“Si Wan, Yan Xi, are they with you?” She thought for a moment before asking the young man.

“Yes, they’re arguing right now—hey hey hey, Yan Xi, beautiful, don’t get angry, don’t smash my game console, I just bought it. Si Wan didn’t mean anything by what she said!” Dayi moved away from the phone to mediate, and Ah Heng heard most of it on the other end.

As expected… she sighed softly.

“Well, I’ll hang up first, Ah Heng, I’ll call you back later—damn, Wen Si Wan, you’ve gone crazy today…”

A busy signal.

Putting down the receiver, she sat at her desk, looking at the neatly stacked pile of books. No matter which one she picked up, all those rules and frameworks were crystal clear, yet they were all unbearably dry.

Newton’s laws of motion, hah, always create conclusions under empty conditions…

AgCl, BaSO4, will they never dissolve…

Single-celled plants with cell walls, single-celled animals without cell walls, no matter what, they’re all single-celled…

Sine curves, cosine curves, similar shapes, yet always a quarter apart…

She looked at the books, breathing softly, trying to stay calm, yet found that any random second of breathing could lead to uncontrollable chaos.

Finally, she gave herself a break, slowly laying her head on the desk.

She wasn’t smart enough, so how dare she carelessly entertain foolish thoughts of disturbing others’ lives?

Who could overcome the reluctance in their heart and not try to hold onto that someone?

It’s better to endure, if you can endure it, you can let it go.

Ah Heng sighed, then slowly sat up straight, opened her Chinese textbook, and softly recited the lesson text. The Wu dialect she hadn’t used in so long.

Nobody would understand, right? That way, she could feel at ease.

“Gui Youguang, ‘Notes on the Xiang Ji Tower.’ The Xiang Ji Tower was formerly the South Pavilion…” she smiled, touching the characters in the book. Though she had studied many classical texts, this was her favorite.

His family had a South Pavilion that became a study for a young boy with hanging hair. In his life, except for marrying and fulfilling filial duties, he rarely left. His grandmother was there, happy to see the young man enter official service, glorifying the white jade tablet; there was also his loving mother, who would often knock on the door at night, asking “Are you cold? Are you hungry?” showing endless care. The beautiful view before the pavilion changed through the four seasons, with green willows providing shade and moonlight casting scattered shadows. Later, he came of age and took a wife, and his young wife often traced his handwriting, laughing and asking, “My husband, the little sister in the family asks me, what is a pavilion?”

What is a pavilion? The young man was speechless…

What is a pavilion? He was born there, grew up there, half his life wasted, confined within the pavilion, standing on this mountain, how could he know… how could he know what a pavilion is…

“In the courtyard stands a loquat tree, planted by my wife’s own hands in the year she died, now it towers like a canopy.” Ah Heng recited, slightly closing her eyes. The characters and sentences in the book seemed to leave ink stains in her heart, each word requiring careful thought. And so, the loquat tree withered and grew green, grew green and withered again, the young wife who planted it with her own hands had long been buried in yellow earth, separated by the mortal and immortal realms, yet he still didn’t know the answer.

Opening her eyes again, Si’er stood beside her with a bright smile, three steps away.

“Ah Heng, what foolish dreams are you indulging in?” She smiled and asked softly, tilting her head, though her voice in the night wind was cold and sarcastic.

Ah Heng looked up, stood, and spoke gently: “Er’er, the night wind is cool, you’re delicate, don’t stand in the wind.” She turned and walked to the window, closing it.

Outside the window, moonlight spilled over the branches, tree shadows dappled, casting patterns on the window, moving forward slowly and silently.

Si’er turned around carelessly, her tone mocking: “You know what I’m like, no need to act so polite. Today, just because you’re a Wen, I’ll give you a piece of advice – stop daydreaming.”

She smiled coldly: “Perhaps, soon I’ll be gone, this is my final warning to you.”

Ah Heng was surprised but quietly composed herself: “Thank you.”

Calm as water, gentle, and polite in manner.

Si’er closed the door, sneering: “I don’t know what you and Si Wan are fussing about, you two, cut from the same mold.”

Yes, not knowing for whom. And this someone not knowing for what, showing two different faces in public and private.

Ah Heng smiled faintly, watching the young girl leave.

In the middle of the night, she was awakened by a phone call. Fortunately, at that time she cared for nothing but studying; if she had watched “The Ring,” this would have been unbearable.

“Who is it?” She was half asleep, her voice quite nasal.

“Si Wan? You transferred the call to Ah Heng’s room!” An imposing voice.

Ah Heng stared at the receiver for a while, hesitantly speaking: “Yan Xi, I’m, Wen Heng.”

“Oh, did I hear wrong? That’s perfect!” Yan Xi spoke rather quickly.

Ah Heng was a bit confused: “Hm?”

“Hey hey, Ah Heng, I want to ask you something, answer honestly, no lying, okay?”

“Oh.” Ah Heng nodded.

“When my old man and Aunt Li go to America, would you be willing to move in with me?” The young man’s voice was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable.

With everyone gone, was he asking her to watch the house? Living anywhere would be the same.

“Okay.” She rubbed her eyes and answered with a yawn, misunderstanding the young man’s meaning.

“Old man, old man, did you hear that? No need to worry about me. After you leave, this young master will still have food to eat, hehe, Ah Heng’s cooking is top-notch!…” The other end was jubilant.

Click, the phone hung up.

Ah Heng felt like she was sleepwalking, closing her eyes in the darkness as she felt her way back to bed.

When she woke in the morning, Ah Heng muttered to herself, yesterday she had a strange dream – Yan Xi asked her to watch his house, and she agreed. Then she blushed, coughed twice, and lowered her head to drink rice porridge.

Looking up, Si Wan’s complexion looked good, rosy, and bright, with dimples hanging on her face since waking up, looking refreshed. Unlike usual, the young man didn’t deliberately avoid eye contact, but rather looked at her, smiling, showing absolute goodwill.

Ah Heng shuddered slightly, withdrew her gaze, and sipped the white, fragrant rice porridge.

“Ah Heng, when are you going to pack your things? I’ll help you.” Si Wan’s tone was gentle and kind.

Her hand trembled, choking on the porridge, bringing tears to her eyes.

Could it be she was being returned, thrown out?

“Why?” Ah Heng stammered.

“What do you mean why? Didn’t you agree to move to Yan Xi’s house yesterday? Didn’t Grandfather Yan compromise?” Si Wan beamed at her, her smile brilliant, more dazzling than the morning sun.

Old Master Wen pondered, then spoke: “Ah Heng, your Grandfather Yan talked to me about this. Yan Xi indeed doesn’t want to leave, but there’s no one to cook at home, and they’re worried a housekeeper might not suit that child’s tastes. Perfectly, he’s used to your cooking, your going there puts Marshal Yan at ease. I see you two get along well daily, and the relationship between our two families is as close as real siblings. Let’s just do it this way, and if you’re uncomfortable, you can always come back.”

Stunned. Yesterday wasn’t a dream?

But why had Grandfather’s attitude changed so quickly? Yesterday’s tone suggested he couldn’t wait for Yan Xi to leave, today, how did it change so suddenly?

This time, it was Mother Wen who showed displeasure, frowning: “No good, Ah Heng is a girl, it’s not proper for her to stay with Ah Xi!”

Old Master Wen silently observed Ah Heng for a moment, then spoke: “Yun Yi, this matter, your Uncle Yan personally discussed it with me.”

“Dad, I know, but when An Guo left, he expressed to me that he doesn’t agree…” Mother Wen grew anxious.

Old Master Wen interrupted his daughter-in-law’s words, his expression serious: “In those years, if not for Marshal Yan’s strong support, our whole family would have been dragged down in that storm! Without Marshal Yan, where would the Wen family be today!”

“But…” Mother Wen glanced at Si’er, who was looking at Si Wan.

Si Wan winked at her, and she understood in her heart, the sarcastic expression on her face dissipating somewhat, replaced by a relaxed smile.

She… wouldn’t have to leave her family…

“Moreover, back then, when I was trapped in the encirclement, it was Marshal Yan who led people to rescue me! Either of these debts is enough for the Wen family to repay for a lifetime!” Old Master Wen’s voice was quite calm but resounding, leaving Mother Wen unable to argue.

“Grandfather, I’ll go.” Ah Heng stayed silent – was it necessary to escalate a small matter to the level of national disaster and eternal gratitude?

Of course, later facts proved that she had been naive…

The day Marshal Yan and Guard Li left for abroad, she was thrown into the Yan household along with her belongings.

“Yan Xi, we’re entrusting our Ah Heng to you, please be gentle…” Si Wan, carrying the luggage, seemed to have more to say.

Yan Xi took the luggage and kicked hard: “The luggage is here, the person is here, you can get lost!”

Then, bang, the door closed.

“Tch! You think this young master is a sadist?!” Yan Xi widened his big eyes ferociously, grinding his teeth, then turned to Ah Heng, smiling like spring flowers.

Ah Heng’s face twitched as she stepped back: “Yan Xi, normal expression, please.”

Yan Xi pouted: “Is this young master so unwelcoming? When I was little, I was the universally acknowledged cute baby of the compound, cute baby…”

Ah Heng was speechless – when she was little, everyone praised her for being like a sensitive plant.

“Come on, let’s look at your room.” Yan Xi put his hands in his pockets, showing the little red flesh above his gums, “I’ve been preparing for several days, had people buy some furniture.”

It was still a room somewhat far from the corridor, separated from Yan Xi’s by two guest rooms. However, because the Yan family and Wen family were positioned differently, this room Yan Xi chose for Ah Heng was sunny year-round.

“Ah Heng, you like sunlight.” He opened the door, his fair and beautiful fingers releasing a room full of golden light, his tone certain.

Ah Heng was stunned – she thought everyone believed she liked the darkness.

Because at the Wen house, she had chosen the room with the densest tree shadows. She thought she had been completely discreet, but her fear of darkness in the wine cellar had been unconsciously remembered by someone.

“You like black, white, and cool colors, dislike pink, red, and warm colors, exactly opposite to me.” Yan Xi slightly narrowed his big eyes, smiling as he listed the details like treasures.

Black bookshelf, white wardrobe, cream-colored walls, furniture emanating a faint woody fragrance, gentle yet precise color scheme.

Ah Heng looked up, staring at a series of eye-catching graffiti on the white wall.

Yan Xi followed her gaze, lightly coughed, muttering: “Sorry, personal taste, couldn’t resist the urge. You’ll have to make do.” The same casual style as his room – rabbit-eared little figures with thin arms, thin legs, big eyes taking up half their faces, looking exactly like…

Ah Heng smiled, gazing at Yan Xi, wrinkling her nose: “Beautiful.”

Yan Xi burst out laughing, patting Ah Heng’s head: “Silly child, you only know how to say ‘beautiful’ for everything.”

Ah Heng pondered hard for a while, then solemnly said another word: “Thank you.”

Yan Xi covered his lips with the back of his hand, his big eyes twinkling, giggling childishly: “I thought you might be angry that I forcibly took you from the Wen family.”

“You’re Yan Xi, who would dare?” Ah Heng answered softly.

“How unfair, couldn’t you not tell the truth.” Yan Xi raised his eyebrows, gently using his arm to block the sunlight from the window.

After a while, pondering, the young man broke into a smile, teasing: “Ah, since you’re Wen Heng, how could you lie?”