Raindrops hit the floor-to-ceiling window glass, making soft “pitter-patter” sounds. They left oval watermarks. Before one watermark could fade away, another oval would overlap it. The ovals became more and more numerous, more and more dense, until streaks of water began sliding down the glass, sliding down…

Mother’s vanity table stood beneath the window. I heard she loved the rain dearly. I can’t remember her face clearly, and I’ve never seen any of her photographs. But many elders say I look like her, so I often look in the mirror. I’m quite pretty, but just pretty, and this prettiness only exists because I had an exceptionally beautiful mother. Everyone says my mother wasn’t pretty—she was beautiful. When Uncle Lei mentioned my mother to me, he said: “One glance to topple a city, another topple a nation. Understand?”

I don’t think he would exaggerate, because whenever I casually ask family friends about her, they would usually respond with effusive praise, “The Third Young Master’s wife? A beauty, truly a beauty…”

Oh, I forgot to explain, “Third Young Master” was my father’s nickname when he was young. He would ride horses and lean against slanted bridges, with red sleeves beckoning from every floor. He could also fly into a rage that would shock all the nobles. I’ve heard many of his legendary tales, but I’ve never heard anyone tell the story of him and my mother, and he never mentions it. I certainly don’t believe it’s because their story was too ordinary. On the contrary, how could there not be a passionate legend between someone as beautiful as my mother and someone as remarkable as my father? I don’t believe it! The uncles all say my appearance resembles my mother’s, but my personality is exactly like my father’s. I admit my temperament is impetuous and I anger easily, just like my impatient father. Whenever I mention my mother, father either flies into a rage or walks away, which only confirms my belief that there is a secret story between them. I long to uncover this mystery; I’ve been searching and exploring. I don’t believe there aren’t at least fragments of evidence to prove this story.

It was a drizzly evening when I was looking for a book in the main study. Sitting at the top of the ladder flipping through those thread-bound ancient books, I inadvertently opened a volume and a thin piece of paper fell out, gliding to the ground like an agile butterfly. I thought it was a bookmark, but when I picked it up, I discovered it was a plain note with just a few words:

“Mu Lan: Forgive me for not being able to see you again. After our last meeting, he flew into a terrible rage. The scene was truly frightening. He doesn’t trust me. He says he will never trust me again. I’m truly in despair.” The handwriting on the note was delicate and fragile, and I had never seen this handwriting before. I stood there in a daze, and after a long while, I turned over the book to look at it. It was a volume of “Song Dynasty Poems,” and the page containing the note was the “Nine Looms” by Anonymous. “Eight looms, who wrote this palindrome poem? Weaving a piece of desolate meaning, reading line by line, tired and speechless, I cannot bear to think of it anymore.” Next to this verse, in that fragile handwriting, was a small annotation: “Cannot bear to think of it anymore. Even if a thousand gold pieces bought Sima Xiangru’s prose, how could I earn a glance back?” I hesitated, thinking that this handwriting wasn’t my grandmother’s, nor was it either of my aunts’. Then, whose could it be? Who would write in books kept in the study? Could it have been my mother?

I have my father’s impulsive temperament. I immediately began investigating this Mu Lan. I called Uncle Lei, who laughed as soon as he heard my voice, “Young Miss, what is it this time? Don’t tell me you want me to find another classmate you’ve lost contact with, like last time.”

I laughed and said, “Uncle Lei, I need to trouble you to find someone for me again.”

Uncle Lei just sighed, “Who has such audacity to hide from you? Let this old man drag him out to apologize to the Young Miss!”

He made me laugh. “Uncle Lei, this is more complicated. I only know her name is Mu Lan, but I’m not sure if Mu is her surname and Lan is her given name, or if she’s called Mu Lan. I don’t know how old she is, what she looks like, or whether she’s alive or dead. Uncle Lei, please find a way to locate her.”

Uncle Lei fell silent. After a long pause, he suddenly asked, “Why are you looking for her? Does your father know?”

I keenly detected the caution in his words. Could there be an obstacle, an obstacle set by Father? I asked, “What does this have to do with father?”

Uncle Lei was silent again for a long time before saying, “Nan Nan, Mu Lan is dead. She died long ago. She was also in that car…”

I was stunned, completely dumbfounded, and asked in a daze, “She was in that car too… she and mother together…”

Uncle Lei answered, “Yes, she was your mother’s good friend. That day she was accompanying your mother.”

My only lead was broken. I don’t know how I hung up the phone. I just sat there in a daze. She’s dead? Did she die with my mother? She was my mother’s good friend, and she happened to be with my mother that day…

I must have sat there for a very long time because I wasn’t even aware of when Father came home or when it got dark. It wasn’t until A-Zhu came to call me for dinner that I awakened from my trance and hurriedly went downstairs to the dining room.

Several guests had arrived, including Uncle Lei. They were sitting with father in the living room, talking animatedly. Father had inspected troops at Pumen Base today, so he was in full military uniform. Father looked extremely gallant in his military attire, more spirited than when he wore suits. Even though he was older now, with hints of gray at his temples, he still possessed a formidable presence.

Father’s gaze was always so cold. He got straight to the point: “Your Uncle Lei just told me you asked him about Mu Lan.” Being betrayed so quickly was expected; I glanced at Uncle Lei, who smiled helplessly at me. I tried to find an excuse but couldn’t, so I looked directly at Father and said, “I heard someone say she was Mother’s good friend, so I wanted to ask about her. I didn’t know Uncle Lei would say she had died.”

Father fixed his piercing gaze on me for a full ten seconds. I didn’t dare breathe.

Finally, he said, “How many times have I told you not to bother your uncles with trivial matters? They are all important men with significant responsibilities. Do you understand?”

I murmured an acknowledgment, and Uncle Lei quickly changed the subject to rescue me. “Sir, I’ve checked the house at Qinghu. There are quite a few areas that need repairs. We should expedite the work before the rainy season arrives and causes more problems.”

Father said, “Oh, let Little Xu handle it. Let’s go eat.” He turned and walked toward the dining room, and I made a face at Uncle Lei. Uncle Lei smiled, “Once the cat’s away, will the little mouse rebel again?” I raised my eyebrows, and the other uncles silently laughed. I followed Uncle Lei to the dining room, where the kitchen had already started serving appetizers.

During dinner, father and the uncles continued discussing their affairs while I ate silently. Father appeared to be in a bad mood, but I was used to it. He had been in a bad mood for years and rarely smiled, just like grandfather in his day. Grandfather was always preoccupied—making phone calls, losing his temper, scolding people…

But grandfather liked me very much. I was given to my grandmother to raise from infancy and grew up in the Shuangqiao Residence. Whenever grandfather pounded the table and shouted, those downcast uncles would find ways to bring me into his study. When grandfather saw me, he would take me to walk in the garden and show me the orchids he grew.

When I was a little older, grandfather’s temper worsened, but each time he saw me, he was still happy. He would set aside his work, ask someone to bring me chocolate and have me recite poems for him. Sometimes he would take me out. The Qinghu Residence at Scenic River, the Fenggang Residence by the sea, and the Ruisui Residence were all places he often took me. His affection for me was different from grandmother’s. Grandmother loved me by teaching me etiquette and hiring tutors to teach me piano and literature. Grandfather loved me with complete indulgence; whatever I wanted, he gave me. Once during his afternoon nap, I snuck in, stood on a chair to reach his desk, took his brush, and drew a “king” character on his forehead. When he woke up, he had a major outburst, severely scolded the director of the attendants’ office, and had me brought to his study. I thought he would beat me, so I wailed loudly, but to my surprise, he didn’t scold me at all. Instead, he asked someone to bring chocolate to comfort me. At that time, I was losing my baby teeth, and grandmother forbade me from eating candy, so I immediately stopped crying and smiled, because I knew that whatever grandfather gave me, no one would dare forbid me from having it, including grandmother. I said, “Being a grandfather is great! Everyone is afraid of you, and you can do whatever you want.”

Grandfather roared with laughter, picked me up, kissed me, and called me his “silly Nan Nan.”

But when I was six years old, grandfather fell seriously ill. His condition was severe, and they had to send him to the hospital. The household was in chaos as if the world was ending. Grandmother and my aunts were all crying. Every day, the nanny would take me to visit grandfather in his hospital room, and it was in grandfather’s hospital room that I met my father for the first time after becoming aware.

He had just rushed back from abroad, and grandmother told me to call him father. I remained silent like a closed gourd, and Father examined me, frowning, and said, “Why is she so tall?”

Grandmother said, “She’s six years old now, of course, she’s this tall.”

I knew from this first meeting that father didn’t like me. Later, grandfather passed away, and I was sent to live with father. He stopped going abroad, but I still rarely saw him. He was very busy, never came home, and even when he did, I wouldn’t see him…

The following year, he remarried. I instinctively resented this. I refused to attend his wedding, which angered him tremendously. He hit me for the first time, pulling me onto his knee and spanking me. Because of this one beating, my feud with her became intense.

I think at first she tried to please me, buying me many toys and new clothes. I threw all the toys and clothes out the window and secretly went to her room to cut up all her beautiful qipaos with scissors. She angrily told father, which resulted in another beating for me.

I still remember the scene. I stood in the center of the room without shedding a single tear. I held my head high, my back straight as a rod, my fists clenched tight, and cursed her clearly: “You witch! You evil queen! My mother is watching you from heaven! You’ll be struck by lightning!”

She was furious, and father’s expression changed. After that, father rarely intervened in disputes between her and me. Later, father and she fell out; he began to contradict her and instead always sided with me.

But father still didn’t like me. Every time he spoke with me, he would lose his temper before three sentences were exchanged. Like tonight, his mood wasn’t great, so I played mute and didn’t interrupt. After dinner, he sat with the uncles in the small living room, drinking tea and chatting. Uncle Wang suddenly remembered something and said, “Sir, there was an interesting incident today.”

Father asked, “What interesting incident?”

He said, “Today the Second Fleet’s promotion list came up for preliminary review. When they saw one person’s photo, they were startled. Coincidentally, I was passing by, and they called me over to look. I was also quite shocked when I saw it. I thought someone was playing a prank by mixing in an old photo of you from your youth—I was your adjutant, and that photo looked remarkably similar to you when you were young.”

Uncle Li laughed, “Could it be that similar? I find it hard to believe.”

Uncle Wang said, “Several people said it looked alike. Only Ji Lai disagreed. He took it and looked at it for a long time before saying, ‘How does this resemble the commander? I think it looks more like Mr. Mu Rong Feng.’ Everyone burst out laughing.”

Father also laughed, “Only Ji Lai loves to contradict. If you say it looks like me, he absolutely won’t agree. He must sing a different tune. Perhaps it does look very similar, so he couldn’t deny it completely and had to say it doesn’t look like me but like my father—don’t I resemble my father?”

The uncles all laughed. Uncle Chen said, “There are so many coincidences in this world. Last time we were also checking files and found someone’s photo that everyone said looked like me. Old He said, ‘Ha! Old Chen, you’d better reflect on your youthful indiscretions and think about whether you knew this person’s mother from before. You might have gained a son in your old age.’ They teased me for three or four days before letting it go.”

Father’s mood improved gradually. He pretended to ponder, “Oh? Then shouldn’t I now recall whether I know this person’s mother?” The uncles all laughed, and I lowered my head and secretly smiled too. Uncle Wang casually remarked, “If you do know his mother, Sir, you should give me a hint. I want to be the first to flatter the prince—he’s being promoted from lieutenant to captain this time—I should tell them, ‘Why just promote him to captain? Give me the form, I’ll fill in general for him!'”

Father laughed heartily and said, “Nonsense!”

Uncle Wang rummaged through his briefcase, laughing, “I brought his file with me. Take a look and see if there’s a resemblance.” He handed the file to father with both hands. “Look, isn’t there a strong resemblance?”

Father’s eyes were somewhat farsighted, so he held the file at a distance to see clearly. I took the opportunity to turn and look as well. Not to mention father, even I was startled. There are many photos of father from his youth at home. If this photo were mixed among them, I’d bet that even my younger aunt couldn’t tell the difference at a glance. He had the same thick eyebrows as father, deeply set bright eyes, and that straight nose which was the hallmark of the Mu Rong family. Even I, whose appearance completely inherited my mother’s features, had a nose just like father’s.

Looking very carefully, the only differences were that his lips weren’t very similar to father’s—father’s lips were very thin, while his were slightly fuller—and though he had a square face like father, his chin was a bit more pointed than father’s. But—he was truly a handsome young man!

Father was genuinely surprised too and after a while said, “There is a resemblance! Truly similar.” He examined the photo carefully, studying it. “When I was his age, I was also in the military, except the uniforms back then were still the old style. If he were to wear that old-style uniform, he would look extremely like me!”

Uncle Lei laughed and said, “Your rank in the military was higher than his—I remember your final promotion was to brigadier general.”

Father asked, “How old is this person?”

Uncle Wang said, “Twenty-three. He returned from the American N**AL WAR COLLEGE last year.”

Father said, “Today’s young people are remarkable. Back in our day, we couldn’t have been promoted so quickly. I took a shortcut, rising six ranks in ten years, and people still gossiped endlessly about it.” As he spoke, he casually turned a page in the file and strained to read the small print, “Hmm, born on July 7th…”

Father closed the file and returned it to Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang was still joking, “It’s over. Looks like there’s no hope. I was counting on you knowing his mother, Sir.”

Father gave a slight smile. The uncles continued joking and discussed many other topics to amuse father. Father’s mood tonight was unusually good; he listened to their banter and occasionally asked a question or two. They talked for a long time, until I was drowsy with sleep before they finally said goodbye. Father stood up to see them off, but they protested, “We wouldn’t dare.” So father stopped and watched as they filed out. I was tired and wanted to say goodnight to father before going upstairs to bed, but just then, father called out to Uncle Lei, who was walking last, “Shaogong, I have something to discuss with you.”

I found it amusing to hear father address Uncle Lei this way. Uncle Lei had been his adjutant, so he was accustomed to calling him by name. Today, Uncle Lei held a high position with great authority, and his temples were streaked with gray, but when father called him, he naturally stood at attention as if by reflex and said, “Yes,” still in that obsequious adjutant’s tone. I found it even more amusing. As if possessed, I remained behind the wall at the corner, planning to say goodnight to father after they finished talking.

Father remained silent for a long time. I wondered, didn’t he have something to discuss with Uncle Lei?

Then Uncle Lei spoke. His voice was very low, but I could still hear—”Sir… what a coincidence… how could it be a July 7th birthday?”

My heart pounded. What was he saying? What did this abrupt question mean?

Father still didn’t speak. Uncle Lei said, “Should I have someone investigate?”

My heart was pounding like a drum. Oh! What were they talking about?!

Father finally spoke, “Didn’t that child… die at three years old?”

Uncle Lei said, “Yes. I stood guard watching him…”

My ears were filled with a buzzing sound as if an air force squadron was landing, the roaring noise making my vision blur. I drew in cold air through my clenched teeth. Oh! Heavens! What had I just heard? A secret?! An earth-shattering secret! A secret buried for many years!

I forced myself to calm down, but I had already missed several sentences. I only heard Uncle Lei continuously responding, “Yes! Yes!…”

I struggled to focus and heard father sigh softly. I heard him say, “The resemblance is striking, especially that pointed chin, just like his mother’s…”

I bit hard on my palm, desperately trying to prevent myself from gasping. Heavens! Father did have an “old acquaintance”! Heavens! That handsome captain might truly be father’s son!

Uncle Lei said, “Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll send someone to investigate immediately.”

Father’s voice was pained, “Back then, his mother…”

Heavens!

Who was that old acquaintance of his?

One thunderbolt after another rolled over my head. I felt dizzy and light-headed. I was completely shocked by this secret!

Uncle Lei was trying to comfort him: “Don’t overthink it. I’ll go investigate right away.”

Uncle Lei said goodbye and left. I tiptoed toward the stairs, then raced back to my room in one breath, collapsing onto my bed!

Oh! Heavens! How could there be such a secret?! How could there be such a person?!

I don’t know when I fell asleep, tossing and turning all night, having nightmares the entire time. I broke out in a cold sweat that soaked my pajamas. By the time I woke from my nightmares, it was already bright outside. I got up to take a bath. The hot water spraying on my body and face made me clear-headed and resolute. I told myself: “I need to do something! I must do something! They’re investigating, and I need to investigate too to find out the truth! I need to know the truth!”

II

I act as soon as I decide. After my bath, I changed into outdoor clothes and told Director Liang I was going to visit Grandfather Mu. He didn’t suspect anything and arranged a car and escorts to take me out. Mu Shiyang, Grandfather Mu’s grandson, has been my playmate since childhood and is quite resourceful. When I saw him, I quietly told him: “I want to go to Fuhe.”

He said: “Sure, I’ll go with you.” I secretly pointed at the attendants not far away and whispered: “I don’t want tails.” He smiled. We had done this sort of thing several times before, slipping away from the attendants to get late-night snacks and such. He was Uncle Lei’s nephew, and since Uncle Lei was the head of the attendants’ office, plus Father liked Mu Shiyang a lot, the attendants’ office always covered us. As long as we weren’t too outrageous, they would turn a blind eye and pretend not to know.

He said: “I have a way.”

He did have a way. He told the attendants we were going to his second-floor room to play chess, then pulled me upstairs and instructed the servants on how to handle the attendants’ later inquiries. Then we came down through the servants’ small staircase and passed through the garden to the garage, where he drove his off-road Jeep and whisked us out of the Mu family’s main gate without anyone noticing.

Long live the air of freedom! I wanted to shout it out loud. We drove straight down the highway, traveling smoothly all the way. It took a little over two hours to reach Fuhe. He was about to drive into the city when I said: “I want to go to Wanshan.” He was stunned for a moment and said: “Go to Wanshan? It’s too late; I’m afraid we won’t make it back today.”

I said: “I want to go to Wanshan!”

He said: “No way. If we can’t get back today, Grandfather will scold me to death.”

I said: “If you don’t take me there, I’ll never speak to you again! I mean what I say!”

He sighed, and I knew he would agree. Sure enough, he dejectedly said: “Fine, you win.”

We continued along the highway and finally reached Wanshan. He asked me: “Where in Wanshan do you want to go?”

I said: “The Second Fleet Base.”

He was shocked and turned his head to look at me. “What are you going there for?”

“None of your business!”

He said: “You can’t get into the base. It’s a military-restricted area, no civilians allowed.”

I took out a special pass from my handbag and waved it. “With this, I can even enter the Shuangqiao Residence. Surely it’s not higher security than the Shuangqiao Residence.”

He stared at me as if I were some kind of monster. Finally, he said: “You have nothing better to do!” Then he turned the car around. I anxiously shouted: “What are you doing?”

He said: “Taking you back to Wu Chi! I think you’re just being hot-headed and don’t even know what you’re doing!”

I said word by word: “I’m not being hot-headed, and I know exactly what I’m doing. If you don’t want to accompany me, you can go back by yourself.”

He snorted, “What are you going to do alone at a military base? If I don’t take you back right now, I’m the hot-headed one!”

I said: “If you take me back now, I really will never speak to you again!”

He sized me up, gauging how much determination was in my words. I stared him down, and he finally surrendered, muttering: “Grandfather will skin me alive… and Uncle too. My God!”

I said: “I’ll help explain for you.”

He glanced at me sideways and snorted, insincerely saying: “Well, thank you in advance.”

We turned the car around again and, not knowing the way, we asked for directions as we went. By the time we reached the outskirts of the base, it was almost dark. The military port in the twilight was truly beautiful. Looking through the wire fence, the entire sky was filled with rose-purple sunset glow, the color becoming more intense toward the horizon—at the meeting point of sea and sky, it turned into a heavy dark red, faintly overlaid with a layer of purple gauze. The seawater was so blue it appeared purple, with waves forming uniform and graceful arcs. In that crescent-shaped bay, military vessels were docked neatly, one after another, like a group of sleeping children.

Mu Shiyang was negotiating with the sentry at the gate. He was always resourceful, I knew that. He presented both our passes and the sentry finally let us through. He drove the car into the base and turned to ask me: “Now will you tell me what you want to do?”

I said: “I’ll get out, and you go back.”

He slammed on the brakes. If I hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, my head would have hit the car roof. I glared at him, “How are you driving?” He said: “You must be crazy! And I’d be crazy to leave you here alone and go back.”

I pouted, “I don’t want anyone to know what I’m about to do.” He said: “If you try to stay alone, I swear I’ll drag you back immediately! Even if you never speak to me in your next life, I’m taking you back to Wu Chi!”

I had never seen him so angry before. I was stunned for a moment, then said: “Fine. I’m here to find someone. Follow me if you must.” He asked: “Who are you looking for?” I said with frustration: “That’s the difficult part—I don’t know.”

He looked at me like I was some kind of monster again and said slowly: “They say girls change a lot at eighteen, becoming more beautiful, but you’re changing into more and more of a monster!”

I glared at him fiercely and said: “I don’t know the person’s name, but I know he’s twenty-three years old, a captain, born on July 7th, and looks…” I swallowed, “looks very handsome!”

“Handsome?” he pondered thoughtfully, “Have you seen him?”

“No,” I admitted honestly, “I’ve only seen his photo at Father’s place.”

He fell into deep thought. After a while, he suddenly had a revelation: “Oh! I get it! You fell in love with his photo at first sight, so you came to see him in person!” He jumped to his conclusion, “Childish little girl!” I almost rolled my eyes at him. I said: “Yes! You’re so smart to guess that!” I deliberately mocked him: “But this time you’re wrong. Father showed me that photo. He’s arranging a marriage meeting for me!”

He laughed heartily, “A marriage meeting? For you? How old are you this year? Girl, your lies should at least be plausible to be believable.” I argued vehemently: “Why isn’t it plausible? My elder aunt got married at nineteen, and my younger aunt at eighteen. My grandmother was even younger when she married my grandfather, only seventeen. The women in our family all marry early. I’m already seventeen this year, so why couldn’t Father be arranging a marriage meeting for me?”

He was speechless. After a long while, he finally asked: “This captain… is he handsome?”

I raised my head proudly and said: “Of course, more handsome than any boy I’ve ever seen.” He said dismissively: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!” I said: “Fine, you’re right.” I opened the car door and got out, and he quickly followed. The sea breeze was strong, blowing my hair into disarray. I bit my lip and said: “But how do we find someone without a name?”

He gave me that sidelong glance again and said: “Beg me. Beg me and I’ll find a way to locate your sweetheart.”

I readily said: “Alright, I beg you.” He was caught off guard by my quick agreement and was stunned for a moment before saying: “Give me some time to think of a way.” I deliberately taunted him: “So full of yourself. Ha! No way out this time, right?” He was provoked and said: “Who says I don’t have a way?!”

When he said he had a way, he did. He made several phone calls, then told me: “Let’s go! There’s only one person in the Second Fleet with a July 7th birthday. His name is Zhuo Zheng, and he lives in Building D, Room 207 in Ren District.”

I was overjoyed and said: “Mu Shiyang, you’re truly a great person!” He shrugged and looked around: “Ren District… should be over there…”

We found Ren District, located in Building D, and went up to the second floor. We stood at the door of Room 207. My heart was pounding fast, my breathing rapid. I grabbed Mu Shiyang’s hand, feeling a bit afraid. He smiled at me, “What are you afraid of? Isn’t he very handsome?” I glared at him, but my emotions unconsciously relaxed. I said: “Can you knock on the door for me?”

He shrugged again, raised his hand, and knocked. No one answered. He knocked again, but still no response.

I was extremely disappointed and also knocked on the door a few times. The door next door opened, and a young officer poked his head out, “Are you looking for Zhuo Zheng?” I asked: “Isn’t he in?” He said: “He just left.” I asked in disappointment: “Where did he go?” He sized us up and asked: “You are…?”

Mu Shiyang took out his work ID and showed it, “Shuangqiao Residence Administrative Office.” The officer asked in surprise: “Did something happen to Zhuo Zheng?” Mu Shiyang said: “No, just some official business to discuss with him.” He glanced at me and deliberately added: “It’s good news, though.”

The officer said without hesitation: “He just received a call to see the Commander.” We thanked him and went downstairs. Standing below, Mu Shiyang looked at me and asked: “Should we wait for him or go find him? In my opinion, we should head back soon, or we won’t make it back to Wu Chi tonight.” I said without hesitation: “Of course we’ll wait. I must see him.”

He said: “I’ve known you for seventeen years, but I understand you less and less. You’ll turn into a little monster one day!”

I didn’t bother to explain to him, nor did I want to. We just sat in the car and waited. The sky gradually darkened, the sunset at the horizon slowly transformed into a black velvet curtain, and stars began to show their mischievous eyes one by one. The phone in Mu Shiyang’s car rang; it was the attendants’ office calling. They were panicking: “Mr. Mu, are you with the Young Miss?”

He glanced at me and said: “Of course I’m with her.” The attendants seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but they still asked anxiously: “Where are you now?” Mu Shiyang laughed it off, saying: “You only just realized the Young Miss is missing? Be careful, Director Liang might dock your pay.” The attendants relaxed even more, thinking we were just hiding and playing a trick on them, so they said: “Mr. Mu, stop scaring us. The Young Miss should go home now.” I took the phone and told them: “Come find me. Once you find me, I’ll go home.” Before they could say anything else, I hung up.

Mu Shiyang said: “You’ll be the death of me and them.”

I knew that. If the attendants couldn’t find us by midnight, all hell would break loose. I was actually terrified inside, but I casually reassured him: “It’s nothing. At worst, Uncle Lei will scold you, and Father will scold me.” He said: “I’m not that optimistic. I think I’ll lose half my life over this.”

I said carelessly: “I’ll join you in death. Besides, dying under a peony flower, even as a ghost, one remains elegant.” He laughed heartily and looked at me mockingly: “Dying under a peony flower is one thing—but you’re at most a foxtail grass!” I rolled my eyes at him, “And you’re only fit to die under foxtail grass!” We argued, but we were comforting each other. The sky grew completely dark, but Zhuo Zheng was still nowhere to be seen. I started to get anxious. Mu Shiyang saw through my thoughts; he also wanted to fulfill my wish quickly so we could return to Wu Chi, so he asked: “Do you want to go find him?” I asked: “How?” Mu Shiyang said: “We can go directly to see Commander Fan. Zhuo Zheng might be with him, and even if he’s not, with his help, we can certainly find him quickly.”

I exclaimed, “No way! That Commander Fan might have seen me before, and he knows you. If he finds out I snuck out, he’ll escort us both back.”

Mu Shiyang said: “Him knowing me isn’t a big issue. As for you, he’s probably only met you once or twice. If we go to him, he might not recognize you. While the attendants’ office hasn’t made this globally known yet, let’s act quickly.”

Continuing to wait like this wasn’t a solution either, so I agreed. We had just stepped onto the stairs when we passed a young officer. Mu Shiyang immediately noticed his shoulder insignia and blurted out: “Zhuo Zheng.” The man indeed turned around and looked at us questioningly. My heart was beating fast and hard. Those eyes were so familiar! Father’s eyes! Although the gaze was different, though the age was different, they were the same. Mu Shiyang was stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered and asked: “Are you Zhuo Zheng?” The man raised his eyebrows. My God! Even this small gesture of confusion was identical to Father’s. I drew in a sharp breath as I heard him say: “I am.” Mu Shiyang took out his work ID again, “We’d like to talk with you.”

He glanced at the ID and said: “Is there some official business?” But Mu Shiyang seemed to grow suspicious and said: “Mr. Zhuo, you look very familiar. Have we met before?” Zhuo Zheng smiled, “Many people have said I look familiar. I think I just have a common face.”

A common face? No! Not at all! Father’s photos are everywhere; of course, people find you familiar. Mu Shiyang shook his head, “No! I must have seen you before.” I wanted to stop his train of thought, but I couldn’t find the words to interrupt him. My mind was in chaos, on the verge of shutting down. Meanwhile, Zhuo Zheng was also studying me, his expression somewhat puzzled. He asked me: “Miss, your surname?”

I answered randomly: “My surname is Mu.” Mu Shiyang smiled, and I glared at him. Let him take this small advantage; there was nothing I could do about it. Zhuo Zheng coughed lightly and asked: “What official business do you have?” Mu Shiyang looked at me. I was tongue-tied, not knowing what to say.

Finally, I asked: “Mr. Zhuo, what… what do your parents do?” Both Mu Shiyang and Zhuo Zheng looked at me in surprise. I knew I sounded like someone conducting a census. But… how should I phrase it? Though puzzled, Zhuo Zheng still answered: “I’m an orphan. My foster mother is an elementary school teacher.”

An orphan? I was confused. “Is Zhuo your birth surname?” He said: “It’s my foster mother’s surname.” Looking at his face which resembled my father’s, I suddenly became timid. I said: “Thank you,” and then to Mu Shiyang: “Let’s go.”

My sudden change bewildered Mu Shiyang. I thought he must be cursing me as a little monster in his mind again. Zhuo Zheng was also confused; he had probably never encountered people conducting official business like this. He asked Mu Shiyang: “Do you have any other business?” Mu Shiyang was still concentrating on his thoughts and automatically answered: “Yes,” then stepped back as he came to his senses. His face suddenly turned ghost-white, as if he had frightened himself. He looked at Zhuo Zheng in confusion, and Zhuo Zheng looked back at him in equal confusion. I quickly pulled him away, saying: “Let’s go.”

I dragged him away quickly, and even after we got into the car, he was still perplexed: “How strange! What happened to me? This is crazy! This isn’t the Administrative Office, and he isn’t the commander…” Suddenly, he jumped up and exclaimed: “Heavens!” He stared at me wide-eyed, and I stared back at him.

His face had turned ashen! He had finally realized why Zhuo Zheng looked familiar! I think he figured it out! Sure enough, he muttered: “No wonder… no wonder my heart raced when I saw him, I felt guilty when he frowned, and when he questioned me, I…” He looked at me in disbelief: “I…” To be honest, when I saw Zhuo Zheng frown, my heart pounded too. When he put on a stern face, he looked just like Father.

He asked me: “Is this who you meant by very… handsome?”

I nodded. He exhaled deeply and said: “I fell for your trick!” Then immediately, he thought of something: “What did you come to find him for?” He was too clever and guessed it right away. His expression changed dramatically: “He… he…”

I’ve known him for seventeen years, and this was the first time I’d seen him speechless. Among our family friends, he was famous for his poise and knowledge, known as the foremost of the “Four Young Masters of Wu Chi.” His family was renowned for their refinement, priding themselves as an established family that upheld the principle of “remaining unperturbed even when Mount Tai collapses before you.” Yet here he was, completely dumbfounded.

He drew in a sharp breath and said: “Nan Nan, this time you really will be the death of me.” Getting involved in my family’s private affairs was extremely unwise, especially in such a private matter. He thought of my father and sighed deeply.

I defended myself: “I wanted to come alone, but you insisted on following me.”

He didn’t speak. I thought he was angry. I became a bit scared and said: “I’m sorry.” He shook his head and was now as calm and unhurried as usual. He stroked my hair and said: “Never mind, we’re already here. We need to devise a plan to keep this secret.”