Tang Zhou turned abruptly, his shoulder knocking the medicine bottle from Shen Zhixi’s hand.
The bottle tumbled and rolled across the floor, all the way to the windowsill opposite, where it finally came to a stop after bumping into the corner of the wall.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry.”
Shen Zhixi and Tang Zhou apologized in unison.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Tang. I was being presumptuous, but I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just thinking about letting the ointment on your back dry faster, otherwise it might stain your clothes when you put them on. I… I’ll go get the bottle.”
She hurried away, making Tang Zhou feel guilty once again.
He understood her good intentions, but his exaggerated reaction had caused her to misunderstand. Would she think he was disgusted by her touch and didn’t want her to come near him?
Lost in thought, Shen Zhixi, who had reached the window, spoke up.
“This flowerpot…”
Tang Zhou remembered the pot he had accidentally knocked over the night before.
“Is the flowerpot cracked? I’m sorry, Miss Lily. I accidentally knocked it over when I opened the window last night. I didn’t hear any cracking sound at the time, so I thought it was fine.”
“It’s not cracked,” Shen Zhixi replied, carrying the flowerpot back and sitting down at the table. “So it had already fallen once before. I thought something seemed off about it. The pot isn’t cracked, just the soil is a bit loose. It’s nothing serious.”
After speaking, she looked at Tang Zhou nervously and asked, “What about you? Are you hurt?”
Turning back, she saw Tang Zhou gently pulling his clothes back on.
“No,” he replied, covering his chest completely before tying his belt. He repeated, “I’m not hurt at all.”
Shen Zhixi smiled softly and averted her gaze, her tone gentle as she replied, “That’s good. As long as you’re not hurt, that’s what matters. A flowerpot is nowhere near as important as a person. Even if it had cracked, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.”
Tang Zhou, having tied his belt, got up from the bed and walked toward her.
The room was small, but he was already familiar with the layout of the furniture. He easily made his way to the table, held onto the edge, and sat down.
“What kind of flower is this?” he asked.
Shen Zhixi lowered her head to tidy the soil, wiping away the mud that had stuck to the outside of the pot. “Lily of the valley. It’s lily of the valley. Have you seen it before?”
“I’ve heard of it but never seen it. Not many people grow this kind of flower.”
“Yes, most people prefer to grow flowers with auspicious meanings, like peonies, peonies, or chrysanthemums. My mother liked lily of the valley, so that’s probably why she named me Lily. After my mother passed away three years ago, I started to love lily of the valley too. My mother said the meaning of lily of the valley is happiness.”
She clapped her hands together, brushing off the soil.
Turning her head, she smiled sweetly at him and added, “Each stem of lily of the valley can usually grow over a dozen buds. If they bloom well, a large pot can produce hundreds of flowers. Each one is small, but they truly give a sense of abundant happiness.”
“Touch it, feel it?”
Eager to share, she grabbed his hand and gently guided his left hand to rest on the petals of the lily of the valley.
Though he appeared calm on the surface, ripples of emotion stirred within him.
He had wanted to touch the flower the night before but hadn’t dared. Now, he was actually touching it, and it was her guiding his hand to do so. The memory of her falling onto him the day before flooded his mind even more intensely.
He still felt an awkward sense of intrusion and instinctively wanted to withdraw his hand, but he feared she might misunderstand again.
“Can you feel the fullness of the buds?” Shen Zhixi asked, hiding a smile.
“Yes,” Tang Zhou nodded.
As the buds brushed against his palm, he could naturally feel them.
Shen Zhixi held his hand tightly, while her other hand propped her chin on the table. Although she guided his hand to trace the lily of the valley flower, her eyes were fixed on Tang Zhou’s face. Tilting her head slightly and half-closing her eyes, her expression took on a more alluring charm.
“Actually, the lily of the valley has another meaning. It’s called…”
‘Through countless twists and turns, all just to meet you.’
Hearing this, Tang Zhou visibly froze.
His unease made Shen Zhixi’s gaze burn, and the palm pressed against the back of his hand seemed to grow hot as well—so hot that he instinctively withdrew his hand.
Yet his expression remained remarkably composed. Even if he felt uncomfortable, it lasted only a moment before he quickly returned to normal.
“But I don’t quite understand what that means. Tang Gongzi, do you understand?”
Tang Zhou lowered his gaze and gently shook his head.
“It’s alright.” Shen Zhixi gazed at him with eyes shimmering like rippling spring water. “When your eyes heal and you see the lily of the valley for yourself, perhaps you’ll understand. Tang Gongzi must be much wiser than a simple village girl like me who knows nothing.”
Tang Zhou shifted his gaze, offering a polite smile and changing the subject.
“I know your name is Lily, but I don’t know your surname. I don’t mean anything by it—it’s just that I ought to remember the name of my savior properly.”
Shen Zhixi leaned on the table, cupping her face in her hands.
Was he… becoming curious about her?
That was a good sign. Often, the first step toward falling for someone was curiosity—liking someone meant wanting to know everything about them, almost without realizing it.
This was a promising start.
“My surname is Bai, after my mother. As for my father, I’ve never met him since the day I was born. He was a heartless man who abandoned my mother and even refused to acknowledge his own flesh and blood.”
This statement was, in fact, half true.
Her mother had already passed away, though not three years ago—it was two years ago.
Since she had decided to deceive him, she thought it best to deceive him thoroughly. The less truthful information she gave him, the easier it would be to avoid unnecessary entanglements and troubles in the future.
“I see… it’s like that.”
Tang Zhou’s tone was apologetic. He understood how difficult life could be for women in this world, especially those abandoned and left to raise children alone. Their family was not wealthy, and it was easy to imagine the kind of life they had been living. Struggling and impoverished, and now, for his sake…
“Lily, in the future, I will definitely repay you.”
If he ever had the chance to return, he would repay them with riches and ensure that she and her sister could live a better life.
He spoke earnestly, but Shen Zhixi paid it no mind.
After all, how he would repay her was entirely up to her.
“If you truly want to repay me, then focus on recovering your health. Otherwise, it’s all just empty words.” She moved her fingers, gently brushing the petals of the lily of the valley before her, her smile carrying an ambiguous meaning.
“Alright, I will.” Tang Zhou nodded sincerely.
“And one more thing.” Shen Zhixi raised an eyebrow, her tone playful as she added, “Don’t keep calling me ‘Lily’ so formally—it feels distant. Just call me Lily. We’ll be spending quite some time together, after all. What do you think, Tang Zhou?”
This was the first time she had formally called him by his name.
Yet, hearing it, Tang Zhou still felt a pang of guilt.
He thought, Lily was treating him with sincerity, while he couldn’t even tell her his real name.
He felt guilty, but he also understood the gravity of the situation.
If his identity were exposed, it would bring undeserved disaster upon her and her sister.
At the very least, now was not the time to tell the truth.
“Alright.” He could only respond earnestly, his shimmering eyes gazing gently in her direction as he said softly, “As you wish.”