“I like you very much.”
The weight of those five words sent Su Yu’s brain into total freefall. She had no recollection of what she said afterward, stumbling out of the bedroom in a daze. On her way out, she tripped and knocked right into the edge of a table. It didn’t hurt, but it was a mortifying hit to her pride—thank goodness no one was around to witness it.
The early spring breeze lacked both the muggy heat of summer and the piercing chill of winter nights. As it drifted softly through the window—like a willow branch skimming across calm waters—the young girl in her moon-white nightgown “gazed” out the door. A sudden, gentle smile touched her lips, and she murmured to herself, “So Ayu can be this clumsy, too.”
And here she had worried Ayu would grab her by the shoulders and shake her, coldly telling her to stop dreaming.
Thank goodness that hadn’t happened.
She reached out and felt the corner of the table her fiancée might have bumped into on her way out. It was thoroughly padded; even a hard collision wouldn’t hurt. The girl’s lips curved upward. This was her very first time opening her heart to someone; she was just relieved she hadn’t been rejected.
She truly liked the fiancée her father had chosen for her. It was the honest truth. Even if Ayu was nothing more than an idle playboy who loitered around Xiushui City, she still liked her.
She couldn’t see Ayu, but she could feel that Ayu had the exact features she favored. She could hear her voice—underneath the natural softness of a woman, there was an air of lazy arrogance. It was a confidence oozing straight from her bones, utterly captivating.
What her eyes couldn’t see, she could feel with her heart.
Her fiancée—even as a reckless dandy—must be a bright-eyed, spirited, and fearless rogue. Someone whose refined grace hid a trace of lazy nonchalance, who yawned at every opportunity as if perpetually half-asleep, yet burned with more vitality than anyone else when having fun.
Tracing a faint outline in her mind, Xue Lingmiao rested her head on her arms against the table and chuckled softly, the tips of her ears still a flush red.
There was no way to avoid feeling shy about something like this. The world was vast, yet out of everything in it, Su Yu was the only person she truly had the right to fight for.
So, when you like someone, you have to draw close. Otherwise, you might lose that right entirely—and she was terrified of losing her.
In the dead of night, after bathing and changing into her nightgown, Su Yu tossed and turned in bed, her back dripping with sweat, yet sleep remained entirely out of reach.
Frustrated, she sat up. Long black hair flowed over her slender shoulders, and her slightly open collar revealed her delicate collarbone. “What is that little cat blabbering about again? Does she have any idea how much trouble she’s causing?”
Setting aside whether the Su and Xue families actually had a valid betrothal contract, she herself had zero intention of getting married. Yet this little girl had gone ahead and confessed her feelings without a second thought. Doubt crept into her mind: Does A-Miao even know what ‘liking someone’ means? Does she even realize what she’s saying or doing?
Being loved by someone was a tricky business. She couldn’t just reject an innocent, naive girl the way she turned away outsiders. After all, this was her own cat! Su Yu scratched her head. Forget it! I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.
She pulled the blanket over her head, closed her eyes, and tried to hypnotize herself to sleep.
Having thought about it so much, even her dream featured a lively little kitten with eyes as clear as water. Su Yu grinned in her sleep, running barefoot across a grassy field. “A-Miao? A-Miao, come here!”
She dangled a piece of dried fish to tempt the innocent kitten. Smelling the treat, the tiny kitten scampered over, coming to a halt just a few paces away.
Eager to pet its head, Su Yu lowered herself. “A-Miao? Come on, A-Miao, look dried fish.”
The kitten twitched its ears and, letting its guard down for the sake of good food, trotted over happily. Once it got close, Su Yu scooped it into her arms in one swift motion, showing off her pearly white teeth. “Let’s see you run now! Stay still, I’m gonna pet your head!”
Daylight broke, and rays of sunlight poured through the window. Inside the bed curtains, the girl’s face flushed deep red as she pushed against her fiancée, who even in sleep couldn’t keep her hands to herself. “Ayu, Ayu, wake up.”
The sleeping person possessed tremendous strength; try as she might, Lingmiao couldn’t break free. Flustered and anxious, she ended up pinned beneath Su Yu. She liked having Ayu pet her head, but Ayu seemed far too eager in her sleep—she didn’t even dare imagine what a messy state her hair was being rubbed into.
“Ayu, stop messing around, it’s time to get up. Ayu?”
“Ayu, please don’t, my—my heart is beating so fast. Ayu, I feel uncomfortable, let go of me.”
Soft, breathless pleas echoed beside her ear. Su Yu opened her eyes, not yet fully awake from her dream. Feeling a slight weight on her chest, she lowered her gaze, taking in a radiant, stunning face bathed in the hazy morning glow. “You.”
Her voice was raspy.
Lingmiao gasped for air, trying to hold herself back. “Ayu, let go.”
Su Yu stared at her blankly—at her disheveled hair, at the thin sheen of sweat that had somehow broken out on her forehead, and at her face, which looked more delicate and luscious than a fresh flower. Her throat went dry. “A-Miao?”
“You.” The girl bit her lip, nearly brought to tears by anxiety.
“A-Miao, I dreamed of a cat. It looked just like you. Was that you?”
She was still half-asleep and talking nonsense. Realizing she couldn’t overpower Su Yu, Lingmiao gave up struggling, burying her burning face against Su Yu’s chest. “It wasn’t me.”
As that warm breath trickled down her open collar and warmed her skin, Su Yu burst into a laugh and tried to push her away. “A-Miao, stop it, that tickles.”
“You’re clearly the one causing trouble!”
“What?” Su Yu froze, most of her sleepiness instantly evaporating. She shook her head in a bid to clear the remaining haze.
An indescribable wave of shyness rippled through the girl’s heart. Pushing herself up from Su Yu’s body, she didn’t dare wander around, sitting instead at the edge of the bed to catch her breath.
Once fully awake, Su Yu scrambled in a flurry to tidy her disheveled nightgown. As her senses fully returned, she let out a couple of awkward laughs. “How did you get in here?”
“To wake you up! Did you dream, Ayu? Dream of a cat? What else?”
“Ah, that—that’s not important.” Su Yu flipped off the blanket and stepped out of bed, grabbing a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe while pretending to be composed. “Did A-Zhi buy breakfast yet? I’m starving.”
Her attempt to change the subject was somewhat clumsy, making Lingmiao’s eyes curve into sweet crescents. “She bought it already. We’re just waiting for you.”
Once she dressed, Su Yu noticed the girl’s messy hair. Realizing it was entirely her own doing, she held her forehead, thoroughly embarrassed. “Come here, I’ll style your hair.”
Hearing the words style your hair come out of her mouth, the girl suppressed her inner delight and coyly offered her hand. Su Yu offered a bright smile, stepping forward to take her hand and leading her to the dressing table.
Combing her hair, tying it up, applying makeup, smoothing her collar, and flattening the wrinkles on her dress—Su Yu admired her work with eyes full of praise. “Exquisitely beautiful.”
“Ayu is beautiful, too.”
Knowing the girl had a sweet tongue, Su Yu just smiled without a word, bustling off to wash up.
Lately, the border town was packed with more drama than two eyes could keep up with. First, the young master of the Jin family—who had just moved to town—was beaten up right in the middle of the street. Then, the legitimate son of the General’s Manor suffered a brutal thrashing at home in the dead of night.
Just yesterday at the racetrack, the fourth young master of the Yun family was kicked flying through the air; his injuries were so severe that the physician declared he wouldn’t be able to sit for this year’s Imperial Examinations.
Rumors were spreading everywhere that the female dandy had been completely blinded by a pretty face—she wouldn’t let anyone so much as touch her girl, guarding her beyond all reason.
Early that morning, Auntie Yun—under the banner of seeking justice for her son—brought an entourage to bang on the Su Estate’s gates, creating a massive scene.
In the end, she pushed the short-tempered female dandy too far. Su Yu tossed her out with a cold face, leaving the woman utterly humiliated.
The household had been in an uproar just moments ago. Lingmiao now sat obediently on a bamboo chair, sipping tea to calm her nerves, casting occasional glances toward the main gate. “She won’t break in again, will she?”
Scared over the smallest thing. Su Yu was lying on a small bamboo lounger, taking a pseudo-nap. She deliberately teased her, “If she comes back, you can deal with her.”
“Me?” The girl lacked confidence. “I’m not as fierce as her, nor as capable as you. How would I deal with her?”
“Throw money at her! Auntie Yun loves money more than anything. She came here to cause trouble partly out of anger, but mostly to extort money. If you throw silver at her, I guarantee she won’t hurl a single insult at you, even if she gets a bloody head out of it.”
“What kind of method is that? Absolutely not. My money is meant for important things.” Xue Lingmiao set down her teacup, her face flushing with bashfulness. “Ayu, sit up. I have a wonderful gift for you.”
“A gift?” Su Yu opened her eyelids slightly and sat up from the bamboo lounger.
“Close your eyes. No peeking.”
“So secretive,” she muttered, closing her eyes as told.
From the front gate, Auntie Yun’s foul-mouthed tirades drifted over, noisier than a swarm of cicadas. The blind girl unfastened a personal item she wore close to her body, leaned in, and took quite some effort to tie the jade pendant around her fiancée’s neck. “All done.”
Having just been removed from her chest, the jade pendant still carried her lingering warmth and a subtle floral scent. Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “What a delicate jade pendant. Is there a special meaning behind it?”
“Not telling you.”
“Not telling me? Then there definitely is a meaning behind it.” Su Yu was a connoisseur of play, but she wasn’t all-knowing. Since the girl refused to tell her, she could hardly pry her mouth open by force. She let out a lazy huff. “Fine, don’t tell me then.”
The woman’s shrieks at the gate grew increasingly nasty. Su Yu’s brow darkened. “Sit here and don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
That very day, the townspeople of Xiushui City gained yet another hot topic for their post-dinner gossip—the dandy of the Su family had rolled up her sleeves and slapped the sharp-tongued Auntie Yun right across the face.
Even if the person beaten was merely a concubine, she still represented the face of the Yun family. Everyone braced themselves for an even bigger spectacle, yet unexpectedly, not a single peep came out of the Yun household.
By the next evening, a small rumor began circulating through the alleys: General Ning intended to betroth his eldest daughter to Su Yu. Backed by the formidable reputation of the General’s Estate, the Yun family simply didn’t dare to offend Su Yu.
Inside the General’s Estate, after listening to her servant’s report, Miss Ning’s face broke into a satisfied smile.
Yes, it truly is time for me to urge Ayu along. An alliance between the Ning and Su families was a match of equal standing, a true union of power.
With a helpless, blind girl? Where are her manners!