Fu Yi tilted her head, not yet noticing anything unusual.
Xu Lanxi had no food to eat and had no desire to watch this group of people lingering before her eyes, so she had returned to her room alone long ago.
Only the two Alphas, Fu Yi and Yun Manman, remained.
“…” Yun Manman wore a strange expression, but when she tried to catch the scent again, that osmanthus fragrance, which was so faint it was almost non-existent, had vanished.
She had probably smelled it wrong. Or perhaps there was a flower with a similar scent in these mountains.
After dinner, following a long day of travel and exhaustion, everyone went back to their respective quarters to rest. After Fu Yi saw Ye Xunshu back to her room, she planned to return and help Yun Manman clean the kitchen.
However, Yun Manman nudged her and said, “You don’t need to clean up here. Go back to sleep.”
Fu Yi acted as if she hadn’t heard. She picked up a plate, squatted on the ground, and began washing it with the lake water they had fetched during the day.
She said, “I can’t sleep.”
Yun Manman glanced at her. “What’s wrong? Did your first day getting along with Zhou Ying go well?”
Fu Yi looked up and eyed her coldly. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Yun Manman let out a laugh. “I know you don’t like her, but she’s a young girl after all. She served you so many dishes tonight, yet you didn’t take a single bite.”
“A girl like her, raised in luxury, is different from us. She cares about her dignity.”
“The Water Mirror was filming. In front of so many people, she lost face but didn’t say a single word. Miss Fu, even if you don’t like Zhou Ying, you don’t actually have to be this distant.”
Fu Yi slowed her movements. She could see these things too. Zhou Ying was a bit clingy and occasionally threw unreasonable tantrums, but that was only because she liked her. When a person is in love, they are capable of doing all sorts of foolish things.
“You make Zhou Ying sound so wonderful,” Fu Yi teased her. “Could it be that you want to try things out with her?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Yun Manman suddenly realized the conversation was heading in the wrong direction. Why did it feel like the roles in this dialogue had been swapped?
“Don’t bully an honest person like me.” Yun Manman tried to change the subject. “Tomorrow is the Qiqiao Festival. The production team wants us to choose an Omega or a Beta for a date. You’re choosing Miss Ye, right?”
Fu Yi already had the answer in her heart and nodded. After what happened today, something Yun Manman didn’t know about, Fu Yi was still gripped by a lingering fear. She was afraid something would happen to Ye Xunshu; she couldn’t let her leave her sight again.
“Are you still with Zhou Zhou?” Fu Yi asked casually, adding, “Remember to be more considerate of him. Don’t take him to watch you slaughter pigs again.”
Yun Manman shook her head. “Miss Xu doesn’t seem to like Zhou Ying.”
“I’m fine either way; I don’t mind letting her have Zhou Zhou. After all, it’s just the beginning. People should interact more.”
Fu Yi glanced at her. By the time the Water Mirror live stream was turned off, the two of them were mostly finished with their work. Fu Yi took some pastries that hadn’t been touched during dinner, intending to secretly give them to Ye Xunshu.
As she was leaving, Yun Manman called out to her. Fu Yi turned around. “What is it?”
Shaking her head, Yun Manman just looked at her with a smile and said, “Both of you are famous ‘Scum Alphas’ in Yangzhou, both from prestigious families, yet you and Xu Lanxi are not alike at all.”
“That’s why I don’t believe in rumors. I only make judgments once I’ve seen things with my own eyes.”
“I hope Miss Ye can discover the ‘different’ you soon.”
Fu Yi said nothing. She looked down, clutched the pastries in her arms tightly, and a flash of water-like tenderness flickered in the depths of her eyes.
The next day, the Qiqiao Festival, the production team required a mutual selection process.
Fu Yi and Ye Xunshu were a given. Zhou Ying wanted to choose Fu Yi, but since Fu Yi wouldn’t choose her, she had no choice but to accept Yun Manman’s invitation. After all, between the remaining two, it didn’t matter to her who she was with.
Because of the Qiqiao Festival, the production team had specially booked a boating excursion on the lake.
“Everyone is in pairs today. There are no forced requirements, as long as you gather back here in three hours for the boating shoot. In honor of the Qiqiao Festival, dinner tonight is on us for everyone. I wish you all a happy date.”
After Shen Yiyi finished introducing the rules, she let the three pairs of guests move freely. Meanwhile, as a “dutiful” director, she began to organize and reflect on the results of yesterday’s live stream.
Xu Lanxi was the first to leave, still maintaining her arrogant “young mistress” aura, completely ignoring Zhou Zhou, who had fallen behind. Zhou Zhou followed sheepishly, suddenly looking back.
Catching his gaze, Fu Yi was momentarily stunned. Was he looking at her? Is there no end to these Zhou siblings? The sister on the first day, the brother on the second. Are they taking turns trying to conquer her?
Fu Yi ignored him. Just as she was about to leave with Ye Xunshu, she was intercepted halfway by Yun Manman.
“Look, look!”
Fu Yi: “Look at what?”
Yun Manman murmured softly, “Zhou Zhou must like me. The way he looked at me just now was so full of reluctance. Should I have not chosen Zhou Ying?”
Fu Yi thought to herself, “Sister, not only are you unrefined, but your eyes aren’t working either.” Was Zhou Zhou looking at you? He was clearly looking at her! And was that a look of reluctance? That was clearly the look of someone who wanted to eat her alive!
But out loud, she just went, “Shhh, don’t let Zhou Ying hear you.”
Ye Xunshu had remained silent the whole time, but now she suddenly added, “You must take good care of Sister Zhou for Fu Yi-jie; otherwise, Fu Yi-jie will be worried.”
Fu Yi stiffened all over, not understanding the logic in Ye Xunshu’s words. How was she worried? Besides, she wasn’t worried about Zhou Ying being with Yun Manman. The one to worry about was likely whoever ended up with Xu Lanxi.
After yesterday’s experience, Fu Yi’s impression of Xu Lanxi was now even worse than an Omega’s impression of her. Yun Manman happened to be dense and once again failed to hear the hidden meaning, laughing: “Don’t worry!”
Fu Yi looked at Yun Manman, then at Ye Xunshu. For some reason, no matter how she looked at it, she felt that an Alpha like Yun Manman would surely lose to a rabbit-like Omega like Ye Xunshu. After all, this little rabbit had a smile on her face, but her jealousy was quite formidable.
The Qiqiao Festival market was completely different from the previous day. The streets were bustling with people and carriages; one could easily get lost if they weren’t careful.
Fu Yi took Ye Xunshu’s hand. “Don’t get lost.”
Ye Xunshu lifted her head and said pridefully, “Xunshu isn’t that easy to lose.”
Fu Yi found it curious. It was rare to see the little rabbit act so prideful, and she couldn’t help but reach out and tap her nose. Once she did it, she stared at her slightly curved finger, frozen. Why was she using the method she used to coax her younger sister on this little rabbit? It was because the little rabbit’s prideful look was too similar to her sister’s, so she accidentally couldn’t help herself.
Ye Xunshu didn’t react at first either. After Fu Yi withdrew her hand, she touched the spot that had been tapped, dazed for a second, then frowned. “Why does Fu Yi-jie treat Xunshu like a child!”
Fu Yi looked from her nose to her heart, unable to think of a suitable excuse: “Uh.”
The sky grew dark, and colored lanterns cast various gray shadows over the crowd. Under the neon lights, Ye Xunshu’s fair face glowed with a warm light, looking unreal yet extremely beautiful.
Fu Yi pointed at Ye Xunshu’s face, stubbornly saving face by talking nonsense: “But Xunshu’s face is red. Are you going to say you don’t like it like this?”
“Ah?” Ye Xunshu covered her face with both hands and looked up. “My face is red?”
Fu Yi huffed twice. Seeing the little rabbit fall for it, she leaned down and tapped her nose again. “Of course.”
Of course it isn’t. But the words stopped there. Because after she tapped it again, Ye Xunshu’s face actually did turn red.
On the edge of the Yangzhou market was a large lake. Usually, this area received little attention, but it was an indispensable spot for the Yangzhou Qiqiao Festival every year. There were lotuses in the lake, rising from the mud without being stained, symbolizing purity, beauty, and nobility. The lakeshore was adorned with neon lights that twinkled in the water, appearing to light up all of Yangzhou.
When the appointed time arrived, the three pairs of guests each boarded a small boat. The number of boats on the lake was limited, and once they blended into the crowd, it was nearly impossible to find where the other two pairs were.
The night breeze was very fitting. It wasn’t chilly, but just right. A light breeze brushed against their faces, creating ripples on the surface of the lake. It smelled of lake water.
Ye Xunshu naturally closed her eyes. Fu Yi sat opposite her.
“Fu Yi-jie, let’s row toward the center.”
“Okay.”
In the middle of the lake was a platform hung with many colored lanterns. There was a custom here: couples in love would climb that platform together and make a wish under the lanterns to receive blessings from heaven. After wishing, they could also take a lantern with them.
After hearing Ye Xunshu’s explanation, Fu Yi suddenly laughed.
Ye Xunshu opened her eyes, a hint of dissatisfaction hidden within them. “Sister is laughing. Do you think Xunshu is childish?”
“Ah,” Fu Yi quickly shook her head. “Not childish, not childish at all.”
Ye Xunshu eyed her.
Fu Yi: “…”
She stopped talking and lowered her head to row the boat. But she truly didn’t find it childish. The Upper Realm had things like this too, though the rules were different from the Lower Realm. Believing in such things merely showed that the believer held something beautiful in their heart. Otherwise, they wouldn’t believe in such a beautiful wish.
She laughed only because she realized that the place where she existed was called the Upper Realm, while this was the Lower Realm. Two different worlds, but based on the names alone, they seemed to have an “up and down” relationship.
The moment Ye Xunshu spoke of wishing to the heavens, she couldn’t help but wonder if the people here consider the “heavens” to be the Upper Realm where she came from. If so, that wish probably wouldn’t come true.
When they reached the center of the lake, Fu Yi put down the oars and reached out to lead Ye Xunshu off the boat, but Ye Xunshu threw a small tantrum and refused to give her her hand.
Fu Yi: “What’s wrong?”
Wasn’t she the one who wanted to come to the center of the lake?
Ye Xunshu said, “Just looking from here is enough.”
Fu Yi didn’t understand and glanced at the platform. Not only was the market crowded for the Qiqiao Festival, but this place was also packed.
Ye Xunshu lowered her head and pursed her lips. “There are so many people here. Heaven won’t be able to hear the wish Xunshu makes.”
Fu Yi looked at Ye Xunshu’s expression and kept her eyes down in silence for a long moment. Although she didn’t know what Ye Xunshu wanted to wish for, a wish made on this day likely revolved around love.
If it were her, what would she wish for?
She stepped into the crowd of people making wishes on the platform, closed her eyes, put her hands together, and made a wish in the most devout manner. Who said it couldn’t be heard? She would prove to Ye Xunshu that the heavens could hear the wishes made here.
“By the shores of the marsh, there are rushes and lotuses.”*
She was the person from “above.” If the wish was like this…
The wish was only half-finished when it was interrupted by a commotion.
“Someone fell in!”
Fu Yi snapped her eyes open. In that instant, before her body even had time to turn around, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. She smelled the scent of osmanthus.
*From the “Classic of Poetry,” Airs of the States, Odes of Chen, “Ze Bei” (The Shores of the Marsh).