Lan Die silently turned her head, a faint sourness welling up in her heart.
From some of the conversations at the dinner table, she could vaguely sense some clues: Wang Shuyi admired He Canglan, and the two families were on excellent terms—both were immensely powerful and wealthy households, perfectly matched in social status.
She naturally understood the principle that the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment, so she forced herself not to indulge in unrealistic dreams.
Yet, after all, she was still a nineteen-year-old girl in the bloom of youth. No matter how clear-headed she tried to be, there were always moments when dreams would surface.
And the subject of those dreams would always, without fail, stir her heart.
But did she truly have no feelings for him at all? Then where did this sadness come from?
He Canglan was absolutely not a man with a gentle and soft temperament like Kang Jian.
So, after Lan Die broke up with Kang Jian, no matter how unwilling Kang was, he would never force her to do anything against her will.
But He Canglan was different. What he wanted, he pursued openly.
That brazen demand for a kiss was probably nothing more than a momentary game driven by an excess of hormones.
Otherwise, why would he never have spoken a single serious word of affection to her?
They didn’t even know each other, yet he had started with a forced kiss—what difference was there between that and an animal?
The more Lan Die thought about it, the more upset she felt. Unconsciously, her peach-blossom eyes grew moist, and she nearly shed tears.
He Nanzhi, who was beside her, noticed and asked in surprise, “Lan Die, what’s wrong? Why do you suddenly look so unhappy?”
“It’s nothing. The sun is a bit glaring, and my eyes were dazzled by the strong light.” Lan Die quietly composed herself and, hand in hand with He Nanzhi, went to take photos.
Every corner of Lanting Garden was picturesque, and the estate covered an extremely large area.
If He Nanzhi hadn’t been holding her hand, Lan Die would surely have gotten lost inside.
That day, Butler Wang took many photos of them and made a point of capturing numerous solo shots of Lan Die.
All of this was done under He Canglan’s instructions, as Butler Wang was a trusted servant in Lanting Garden.
During the break for the return journey, Lan Die received a message on her phone from He Canglan: “Rest in Guest Room No. 2. Butler Wang will take you there.”
Her heart churned with turmoil. She guessed he would surely be waiting for her there. Yet, her mind was unusually clear at that moment.
She silently deleted the message and allowed He Nanzhi to lead her by the hand toward her bedroom.
When they reached a fork in the path, Butler Wang finally spoke up: “Miss Lan, please proceed to Guest Room No. 2 to rest.”
Lan Die lowered her gaze, looking at He Nanzhi’s hand holding hers. “Nannan, if you don’t mind, may I rest in your bedroom at noon?”
He Nanzhi raised an eyebrow. “I’d be more than happy! Come on, let me show you my bedroom!”
“Okay!”
“Miss Lan,” Butler Wang said with a troubled expression, “everything has been prepared for you in Guest Room No. 2.”
He Nanzhi’s eyes darted around. “Butler Wang, why are you so insistent on having Lan Die go to Guest Room No. 2? What’s the meaning behind this?”
Lan Die said gently, “Nannan, Butler Wang means well. He’s just worried that neither of us will rest properly if we’re together. Thank you, Butler Wang, but I’ll stay with Nannan!”
With that, she walked quickly ahead without looking back.
He Nanzhi, with her short, spirited hair, dashed after her. “Wait for me! Why are you running?”
…
He Canglan never got to see the person he wanted to meet.
Not only did he not see her in person, but she didn’t even reply to his message.
He looked at the photos Butler Wang had brought back. The woman in the pictures was elegant, beautiful, and tender as water—so why did she have such a stubborn temperament?
Everything was fine before the photo was taken, but now who knows what evil spirit has possessed her again!
He Canglan lit a cigarette and smoked in silence, one, then two…
By the time the third one was nearly burned out, he crushed it fiercely into the ashtray.
So ungrateful! Since childhood, no one had ever dared to openly ignore and defy him like this!
He even thought, if it really came to it, he should just let it go. He probably didn’t have that deep of feelings for her anyway.
Immature, disobedient—who knows what kind of trouble she might cause in the future. Forget it, forget it.
He Canglan didn’t close his eyes for the entire lunch break.
He had already decided to shake off that disobedient butterfly in his mind, yet an inexplicable restlessness lingered in his heart.
In the afternoon, a steady stream of people arrived. There were only so many of the truly powerful and influential, and practically all the scions of their circle had come.
Zhou Qichen couldn’t help but laugh when he saw He Canglan’s lazy, roguish demeanor.
“Canglan, everyone knows you’re the hero. Those clips of you on TV, dressed in a shirt, suit pants, and tie—you looked so sharp it was almost supernatural. Who would’ve guessed you’re this much of a scoundrel in private!
Tell me, when you had free time in Australia, did you ever get handsy with any blond beauties?”
“Get lost!” He Canglan glared at him.
Liao Zhongqing leaned in: “Canglan probably likes men!”
He Canglan frowned: “What, want to give it a try? Come on, I don’t mind taking you down right here!”
As he spoke, he deliberately grabbed Liao Zhongqing by the collar and yanked him over.
Liao Zhongqing quickly laughed and dodged behind Shi Zhengqi: “Zhengqi is more delicate-looking than me, try him first!”
“Bunch of riff-raff!” He Canglan was half-exasperated, feeling like he wanted to kick over the already-set-up stage.
Fortunately, a few of the brothers pulled him into a game of Pai Gow on the spot, and his irritable mood was slightly relieved.
Liao Zhongqiu, pulling Wang Shuyi along, also joined the fun and sat down.
Liao Zhongqiu sat next to Zhou Qichen, while Wang Shuyi quietly took a seat beside He Canglan.
In the past, He Canglan would have subtly distanced himself, but today, the fire burning inside him was too uncomfortable. He didn’t care who sat next to him.
The Kunqu opera masters were already in place on stage, and the audience gradually began to fill their seats.
It wasn’t until He Nanzhi’s crisp voice called out, “Uncle, the opera is about to start,” that He Canglan looked up and saw the girl who had ignored him.
Her hair was now loose, lying obediently over her shoulders. Whether it was an illusion or not, those captivating peach-blossom eyes looked red, giving her a pitiable, heart-wrenching appearance.
She seemed isolated from the world around her; the surrounding noise couldn’t disturb her serene, aloof beauty at all.
He Canglan gave her a cold glance, then slammed his tiles down forcefully: “This round, I win!”
“Canglan, teach me! I want to play a round too!” The admiration in Wang Shuyi’s eyes beside him was unmistakable.
“Sure, come on!” He Canglan replied expressionlessly, his tone flat.
Lan Die never looked up. After He Nanzhi finished greeting everyone, the two of them went over and sat down for the Kunqu performance.
“Canglan, what’s the next move? Canglan?” Wang Shuyi looked at the man whose eyes seemed empty.
The man who had just agreed to teach her suddenly lit another cigarette: “Zhongqing, you teach her!”
Liao Zhongqing glanced at him, then stole a look at Lan Die, who was intently appreciating the Kunqu opera not far away, and flashed a knowing smile.
After the Kunqu opera ended, it was time for Lan Die and He Nanzhi’s ballet performance.
On stage, Lan Die, forgetting all her worries, was like a noble and elegant ballet princess, beautiful yet untouchable by anyone.
“This woman is absolutely stunning! Her face is truly beautiful, her figure is so supple…”
Zhou Qichen whispered to He Canglan, his eyes still fixed on Lan Die on stage.
He didn’t notice that He Canglan’s face had already turned ashen…