Zhao Zheng had just shelled another peanut and was about to pop it into his mouth when he suddenly froze.
His eyes lit up.
“Hey, hey, hey !”
He abruptly sat up straight and jerked his chin toward the pavilion’s entrance.
His voice was full of excitement.
“Look! Who’s that coming over there?”
The others immediately followed his gaze.
On the path across Peach Blossom Creek, several young ladies were walking side by side.
At the front was a girl dressed in a neat riding outfit with narrow sleeves.
Who else could it be but Qiu Lingxi?
“Qiu Lingxi!”
Fang Ziheng’s eyes brightened instantly.
He sat up straight, subconsciously adjusted his collar, and smoothed his hair.
“Why is she coming this way?”
Zhao Zheng shot him a sideways glance.
“Why are you so excited?”
“I’m not excited.”
His voice rose half an octave as he said it.
Zhao Zheng snorted and didn’t bother exposing the lie.
Zhou Yanzhi, meanwhile, hadn’t noticed Fang Ziheng’s strange behavior.
He merely commented casually,
“Miss Qiu looks really good in that riding outfit today. More spirited than all those girls in dresses.”
Fang Ziheng nodded repeatedly.
His eyes remained glued to Qiu Lingxi, never moving away.
Too lazy to pay attention to the two of them, Zhao Zheng turned to Shen Jinghong, intending to drag him into the excitement.
But he discovered that Shen Jinghong wasn’t even looking in that direction.
His gaze was still fixed on the entrance of Peach Blossom Cove.
Zhao Zheng frowned.
Following his line of sight again, he saw nothing noteworthy.
The entrance stood mostly empty.
Only a few candied-haw vendors and two or three servants holding horses lingered there.
What was there to stare at?
“Jinghong?”
Zhao Zheng called.
No response.
“Shen Jinghong!”
This time he raised his voice.
“Hm?”
Only then did Shen Jinghong turn around.
His eyes were still slightly dazed.
“What are you looking at?”
Zhao Zheng pointed toward the entrance.
“What’s so interesting over there? You’ve been staring for ages.”
Shen Jinghong opened his mouth, about to answer.
But Fang Ziheng had already lost patience.
Jumping off the railing, he strode over in a few quick steps and slapped Shen Jinghong heavily on the shoulder.
“Jinghong! Forget that!”
His voice was urgent.
He nodded toward Qiu Lingxi.
“Qiu Lingxi is coming this way! To our pavilion! Quick, tell me is my collar straight?”
The blow knocked Shen Jinghong’s shoulder sideways.
Annoyed, he brushed Fang Ziheng’s hand away.
“Don’t you have hands of your own?”
“I’m nervous!”
Fang Ziheng declared without shame.
He glanced down at his belt.
“Do you think I should go over and say hello?”
“Do whatever you want.”
Shen Jinghong’s tone was flat.
Clearly, he had no interest whatsoever.
Fang Ziheng was about to say more when he noticed Shen Jinghong’s gaze drifting once again toward the entrance of Peach Blossom Cove.
He followed it.
There was nothing there.
“What are you looking at?”
Fang Ziheng asked suspiciously.
“What’s over there?”
Shen Jinghong fell silent for a moment.
He withdrew his gaze and looked down at the wine flask in his hand.
Its polished surface reflected a blurry image of his face.
His expression looked strange.
His lips were slightly pursed.
His brows faintly furrowed.
“…I saw a flower spirit.”
His voice was quiet.
Half like an answer to Fang Ziheng.
Half like he was talking to himself.
Fang Ziheng blinked.
Then burst out laughing.
“A flower spirit?”
He laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, slapping the stone table.
“Don’t tell me you listened to that story I told earlier and actually went looking for a peach blossom fairy? Hahaha! Since when are you this gullible, Shen Jinghong?”
Zhao Zheng and Zhou Yanzhi joined in the laughter.
Zhao Zheng slapped his thigh.
“I knew something happened when you wandered off! A flower spirit? Hahaha! Did you drink too much and start seeing things?”
Shen Jinghong didn’t laugh.
He set the wine flask on the stone table and turned toward his three friends.
His face was expressionless.
His tone completely serious.
“I’m telling the truth.”
The laughter stopped.
For a brief moment, silence filled the pavilion.
The three stared at him.
Then exchanged confused glances.
Leaning against the pillar with his arms folded across his chest, Shen Jinghong lifted his chin slightly.
His gaze drifted beyond the layers of peach blossoms outside.
His voice dropped low.
“In the peach grove ahead.”
“She was standing alone beneath an old peach tree, looking at the flowers.”
“She was wearing a pink dress.”
“When the wind blew, petals fell all over her.”
“And then she turned around and looked at me.”
He paused.
“Those eyes… weren’t human.”
Silence fell over the pavilion.
The smile froze on Zhao Zheng’s face.
Slowly, it disappeared.
He stared at Shen Jinghong as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Fang Ziheng was equally stunned.
His mouth opened and closed before he finally managed to ask:
“Not… human?”
“Then what were they like?”
Shen Jinghong didn’t answer.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly.
The corner of his mouth curved upward.
Not in his usual careless grin.
Not with his typical indifference.
Then he reached into his sleeve, took something out, and placed it on the stone table.
The three immediately leaned in.
It was
A peach blossom.
The petals were slightly wrinkled now, and the edges had begun to wilt.
But its pink color remained fresh and delicate.
“You picked it up?”
Zhao Zheng asked.
Shen Jinghong didn’t answer immediately.
He simply stared at the flower for a long time.
Then said quietly,
“…It fell out of her sleeve.”
Fang Ziheng and Zhao Zheng exchanged a glance.
Both wore exactly the same expression.
As if they’d just seen a ghost.
After a moment, Zhao Zheng cleared his throat and cautiously asked,
“Jinghong… are you alright?”
Shen Jinghong finally came back to himself.
He glanced at Zhao Zheng and snorted.
Picking up the peach blossom, he tucked it back into his sleeve.
“Enough.”
He grabbed the wine flask and took a long drink.
Wiping his mouth, he returned to his usual carefree, roguish demeanor.
“I was just talking nonsense.”
“You actually believed me?”
“Look at the lot of you every one of you looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Fang Ziheng let out a long sigh of relief and patted his chest.
“You scared me to death. I thought you’d actually been possessed.”
Zhao Zheng laughed too.
“Exactly! I thought Fang Ziheng’s ridiculous story had really gotten to you.”
Shen Jinghong smiled faintly but said nothing more.
Lowering his head, he continued drinking.
Only he knew that despite his outward calm, his mind kept returning to the girl beneath the old peach tree.
And the peach blossom now hidden in his sleeve.