The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 74

The eldest miss of the Jiang family had fallen while in the mountains and was now missing.

The fourteen-year-old Jiang Jingchun had gone out to play with her disreputable friends. However, she had gotten separated from them by accident and had disappeared without a trace. The Jiang family had searched for her for more than a day, but to no avail.

The longer she remained missing, the greater the danger—and the more worried everyone became. People feared the worst, that something terrible had already happened to her.

Madame Jiang cried until she nearly fainted. Meanwhile, the family’s old madame’s stomach condition flared up again and left her unable to eat for the entire day.

Jiang Nan and Jiang Runchu continued searching for her. Eventually, they enlisted the Gu family to help as well.

At that time, Gu Huaisheng had just returned home from his duties at the Censorate. He sensed that something was amiss in the household, so he went to Jinghua Hall. There, he learned about the situation from Madame Gu and Marquis Gu.

Jiang Jingchun had gone missing while going out with her friends, and although they’d been searching for her for an entire day, they still hadn’t found her yet.

Inside the main hall, Madame Gu sighed and worriedly said, “Who knows where she could be now? We’ve already sent so many people out to search for her, yet we still haven’t found even a single trace of her. It’s terrifying… If we can’t find her this time, I can’t imagine what will become of the Jiang household…”

Upon hearing this, Gu Huaisheng abruptly stood up from his seat. Madame Gu and Marquis Gu looked at him in surprise. They didn’t know what had suddenly gotten into him.

“What’s the matter with you?”

Gu Huaisheng turned and walked towards the door. “I’ll go and help look for her.”

His reasoning was simple. She was his cousin, and he couldn’t just sit idly by when something had happened to her.

“What are you saying? There are already plenty of servants out searching. Aren’t you busy enough with your official duties? You’ve been working all day—why tire yourself out further over this unnecessarily?”

Madame Gu felt there was no need for Gu Huaisheng to personally get involved. After all, he was only her cousin. They weren’t even particularly close, and with so many people already searching outside, it wasn’t as if his involvement would make much of a difference.

However, Gu Huaisheng only paused for a brief moment after hearing what Madame Gu said. Then, he continued out the door without looking back. 

Seeing this, Marquis Gu said to Madame Gu, “Let him go. Another person searching means a bigger chance of finding her…”

Gu Huaisheng immediately headed to the mountain where Jiang Jingchun had gone missing.

While he was on the way, he heard more about what’d happened. Apparently, she’d gone to the outskirts of the capital Song Xuan’an and Chen Muqing, and they accidentally got separated while Song Xuan’an and Chen Muqing weren’t looking at her. When they turned around, they found that she’d suddenly disappeared.

By the time Gu Huaisheng arrived at the mountain forest in the outskirts of the capital, the sky had already gone pitch black. He heard from others that they’d nearly scoured the entire forest, but still hadn’t found any sign of her. Only the side below the mountain remained unsearched, so Gu Huaisheng headed there directly. Along the way, he came upon a flowing river.

He guessed that she might have fallen from the mountain and been carried downstream by the current.

He followed the river and searched until he finally saw someone lying on the riverbank.

The crescent moon hung in the sky and cast a pale light over the tranquil mountain forest. The shimmering moonlight lent the flowing river a faint silvery glow.

It was late winter, nearly spring.

The night air carried an overwhelming chill.

Gu Huaisheng spotted the figure of a young girl lying on the riverbank. Under the moonlight, he could faintly make out her face—it was Jiang Jingchun.

He approached and helped her up from the ground. It was indeed her.

Her complexion was deathly pale. Her hair was wet and plastered to her face. There were small scratches on her face, likely from some tree branches.

Her body was stiff and ice-cold. Gu Huaisheng immediately felt something was wrong. He placed a hand under her nose and, upon detecting a faint breath, finally exhaled in relief.

She was lucky to be alive. She’d fallen down a slope, crashed into the water, and was carried downstream for who knew how long. Her head had even hit a rock…

A bit more bad luck, and she might not have survived.

Gu Huaisheng didn’t know if she had other injuries, though.

He pinched the pressure point above her lip and patted her face until she slowly regained consciousness.

Jiang Jingchun’s body ached all over, and she was freezing. With much struggle, she opened her eyes and saw Gu Huaisheng. Her tears immediately welled up and began to slide down her cheeks. After a brief moment, after she finally caught her breath, she burst into sobs.

The moment she fell down the slope, her mind had gone blank with dread. When she’d crashed into the water, her thoughts had been consumed with fear. Just before she lost consciousness, she was certain she was going to die…

She thought that she was unlucky and no one would find her.

She genuinely believed that she was going to die.

She curled up and hugged her knees. She buried her head between her legs as her cries turned heart-wrenching.

Gu Huaisheng knew she was scared, but he didn’t know how to comfort her. His movements were awkward as he kept patting her back in an attempt to soothe her.

“Don’t be afraid, Xiaochun. Your cousin is here.”

His voice was calm and steady. In that quiet moonlit night, it carried a strangely reassuring quality.

Jiang Jingchun looked up at him and couldn’t hold back any longer—she threw herself into his arms.

Even though she wasn’t particularly close to Gu Huaisheng, and everyone said he was cold and distant like an ice block…

Right now, he was the one who had saved her.

He was also the one who made her feel safe and at ease.

Jiang Jingchun was cold and frightened, and then… she saw him.

What was wrong with Gu Huaisheng, exactly? No matter how other people had criticised him, in her eyes, he was perfect. From now on, if anyone dared to say anything bad about him, she’d be the first to take issue with it.

As he repeated his words, her fear of his cold demeanour melted away. To her, Gu Huaisheng was now the best, the gentlest, and the kindest person in the entire world.

She threw herself into his arms and sought refuge from the icy surroundings. His embrace was as warm as spring.

Gu Huaisheng was momentarily stunned by her sudden action, but he didn’t push her away. He simply let her cry against him. His hands gently and rhythmically patted her back to soothe her.

She was terrified, and pushing her away now would obviously be a poor decision.

Eventually, Jiang Jingchun cried herself into exhaustion. Her sobs grew quieter and quieter until she passed out from sheer fatigue.

Gu Huaisheng scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the Jiang family residence.

He walked in the dark night. He himself couldn’t understand why he’d so suddenly and resolutely decided to come out and find her tonight. He simply knew that it was because she was his cousin, and if it had been anyone else who went missing, he would have done the same…

---

Jiang Jingchun was fortunate and resilient. Despite rolling down the mountain, she hadn’t sustained any major injuries. She had only some scrapes and a broken leg that left her unable to walk. After recuperating at home for three months, she was finally able to run and jump again.

After that incident, Lady Li had scolded her for wandering around recklessly. For the next month after she recuperated, she was kept under strict house arrest. No matter how much Jiang Jingchun begged and pleaded, Lady Li acted as though she couldn’t see or hear her.

Several months passed after the incident, and now, half of the summer had already passed. One day, Lady Li went out to visit another family’s residence. Jiang Jingchun saw her chance and decided to sneak out for some fun while her mother wasn’t home. However, when she reached the back gate, she discovered that guards had already been stationed there. She returned dejectedly, and while passing through the back garden, she noticed the peach tree had borne fruit.

Even though she couldn’t leave the house, Jiang Jingchun refused to stay idle. Seeing the tree sparked a mischievous idea.

She and Huayun dragged over a ladder. She intended to climb the tree and pick peaches.

Huayun tried to dissuade her the entire time, but Jiang Jingchun wouldn’t budge. Huayun had no other choice but to help her carry the ladder.

Even the nearby maids and servants, who had witnessed this, were anxious. They kept pleading with her to stop.

“Young Miss, you mustn’t do this! If the madame finds out, she’ll be furious!”

However, Jiang Jingchun paid no attention to their warnings. She said, “Stop using her to scare me! She only forbade me from leaving the house. When did she ever say I couldn’t climb a tree to pick peaches?”

Her frustration bubbled under the surface. The fall from the mountain had been an accident—it wasn’t her fault! 

Besides, she had already been bedridden for three months and locked indoors for another month. Wasn’t that punishment enough?

Jiang Jingchun had a short memory for consequences. Once an incident was over, she would regain her confidence and act recklessly again. It was as if she had ants in her pants and couldn’t sit still for even a moment.

Lady Li wouldn’t let her go outside, so she played inside the house. This was fine, right?

No matter how much the people below begged her to stop, she was determined to climb the tree.

When they couldn’t stop her, someone quickly thought to fetch Jiang Runchu, who was still at home that day. He was strict like Jiang Nan and would surely be able to rein her in. Without delay, a servant hurried to call him over.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jingchun was oblivious to the sneaky actions of those below. She had climbed into the cluster of peaches.

The tree wasn’t particularly big or sturdy. While sitting on one of its branches, Jiang Jingchun could feel it sway precariously, as if it might snap at any moment. Luckily, she was light; otherwise, she might have already fallen.

She reached out and plucked a peach.

The peach was covered in fine fuzz that felt prickly and uncomfortable to the touch, but it looked ripe and delicious.

Jiang Jingchun picked one peach after another. After she picked them, she tossed them to Huayun, who caught them below. She didn’t notice the two figures approaching from a distance—Jiang Runchu.

Beside him was Gu Huaisheng, who had also come to the Jiang family residence that day.

Jiang Jingchun was completely absorbed in her tasks and didn’t notice their arrival until Jiang Runchu’s stern voice cut through the air.

“Jiang Jingchun! What nonsense are you up to this time!?”

It wasn’t that Jiang Jingchun feared Jiang Runchu; it was just that his sudden outburst startled her. She nearly lost her grip and fell from the tree.

Jiang Runchu’s voice rang out again. “Those peaches will make your hands itch terribly if you touch them! What are you doing playing with such things?”

Jiang Jingchun had always been pampered. In the past, whenever she ate peaches, someone would peel and slice them for her before serving them. She had never touched the fuzzy skin herself. If Jiang Runchu hadn’t pointed it out, she wouldn’t have realised that the peach fuzz was the reason her hands itched so much. 

Even the areas on her neck where she had accidentally brushed against the fuzz were now unbearably itchy.

She couldn’t resist scratching at her skin, but the more she scratched, the worse the itching became.

Even so, Jiang Jingchun refused to admit defeat. She ignored Jiang Runchu’s words and didn’t even bother to look at him. Instead, she continued picking peaches and defiantly retorted, “Don’t meddle in my business! I’ll do whatever I want. You should mind your own affairs.”

Jiang Runchu was infuriated. He had kindly offered advice, and yet she insisted on acting like a troublemaker.

“All you do is waste time at home and stir up trouble when you have nothing better to do!”

She had been cooped up at home for four months now. How could she not be restless?

Upon hearing Jiang Runchu’s words, she immediately retorted, “Yes, you’re so capable, and yet it took you this long just to pass the imperial examination! Even Cousin Gu has already spent a year at Hanlin Academy and has now been promoted to the Censorate. But what about you?”

It was actually an extraordinary achievement for someone to pass the imperial examination at Jiang Runchu’s age. However, his achievement was eclipsed by Gu Huaisheng’s.

Not that Jiang Runchu was deliberately trying to compare himself to Gu Huaisheng—to compare oneself with Gu Huaisheng was a pointless exercise in futility.

He simply found Jiang Jingchun’s stubbornness increasingly hard to bear. His voice grew cold as he said, “Fine. If you don’t want to come down, then stay up there on the tree.”

Having said that, he ordered someone to remove the ladder leaning against the tree.

Jiang Jingchun was now stranded in the tree and couldn’t get down. She glared at him while muttering curses under her breath.

“You’re seriously awful, you know that? I’m just picking a few peaches—how is that any of your business…”

But as she turned her head, she realised that Gu Huaisheng was there too.

He had been there the whole time without making a sound.

Since the last time he had saved her, Jiang Jingchun found herself liking Gu Huaisheng more and more each time she saw him.

Her cousin really was good in every way. This vile little man Jiang Runchu wasn’t even fit to compare with a single strand of his hair.

As Gu Huaisheng stood next to Jiang Runchu, his cold, handsome features seemed all the more gentle in Jiang Jingchun’s eyes.

Jiang Jingchun immediately fell silent and stopped arguing with Jiang Runchu. Upon realising that Gu Huaisheng was present today, she suddenly lost all interest in picking peaches.

She shouted at Jiang Runchu, “Give me back my ladder!”

The moment she saw Gu Huaisheng, her eyes lit up as if a starving wolf had spotted a piece of meat. Jiang Runchu could easily tell what she was thinking.

Just now, he had arrived as well, and deliberately chose to provoke her—precisely to thwart this wish, which he knew she would have.

“You were the one who didn’t want to come down, weren’t you?”

Seeing him act like this, Jiang Jingchun was so furious that she hammered her fists against the tree trunk.

However, with just that small movement, the slender branch, which had already borne her weight for some time, finally gave way. It cracked at the base and snapped cleanly.

Gu Huaisheng had intended to intervene earlier and advise Jiang Runchu not to bicker with a child, but before he could say anything, he heard Jiang Jingchun’s sharp scream as she fell from the tree.

His mind went blank for a second. When he regained his senses, he strode forward and caught her as she fell.

He was about to immediately set her down when the person in his arms exclaimed excitedly, “Cousin, aren’t you amazing!”

Jiang Jingchun had thought she was going to crash straight to the ground, but to her surprise, she landed instead in a warm embrace. Seeing that it was Gu Huaisheng, she was instantly overjoyed, with not a trace of the panic one would expect after falling from a tree—only a deep sense of comfort.

She was in her arms, and her face was close to his. He could vaguely see the brilliant sparkle in her eyes.

He quickly collected himself, gave a slight cough, and placed her gently on the ground.

The moment Jiang Jingchun saw Gu Huaisheng, she clung to him and began chattering away non-stop. She completely treated Jiang Runchu like thin air.

Jiang Runchu couldn’t be bothered with her. Seeing that she was unhurt, he brushed the dust from his sleeves and left, leaving Gu Huaisheng alone where he stood.

The servants nearby also dispersed. When Gu Huaisheng tried to leave as well, though, Jiang Jingchun clung to him so tightly that he could not break free.

In his eyes, Jiang Jingchun was even clingier than Gu Huailang. Gu Huailang was the type who, if you gave him a cold shoulder a few times, would eventually stop bothering you. After pestering Gu Huaisheng a couple of times and getting no response, he had simply left him alone.

But Jiang Jingchun was different. No matter what kind of expression Gu Huaisheng wore, she could chatter on endlessly all by herself.

She really was… the very definition of a child among children.

Gu Huaisheng was about to find an excuse to slip away when he noticed her scratching at her neck. On her pale skin, the red marks left by her nails were especially stark, and small red bumps had even started to appear on her face.

Ordinarily, even if someone handled peach fuzz, it would only cause a little itching at most. Her reaction was far too severe. Gu Huaisheng immediately realised—she must be allergic to peach fuzz, and that must be why she was breaking out in a rash after she touched it.

He stared at her neck and said, “Go find a physician. Don’t scratch your skin. It’ll scar.”

After Gu Huaisheng gave that instruction, he turned around to leave. However, Jiang Jingchun immediately followed him.

“Cousin, am I going to die? It itches so much…”

She trailed behind Gu Huaisheng. Her voice was pitiful. Gu Huaisheng glanced back at her, but he saw no trace of fear in her eyes.

She was merely pretending to look pitiful.

It made sense. She was not the timid type.

If she were truly timid, she would not constantly think about running about and finding ways to play outside.

He quickly guessed her little scheme, but still offered a few words of comfort. His voice was even and calm as he said, “You will not die. Go find a physician.”

However, Jiang Jingchun was unwilling to go alone and insisted that Gu Huaisheng accompany her. She said, “I’m scared. Cousin, will you come with me?”

She had been cooped up at home for nearly four months, from around the start of spring through to the eighth month of the year.

Every day, she was confined to her mother’s side, and she couldn’t even step out of the front gate.

She was nearly bored to death.

Now that she had run into Gu Huaisheng, naturally, she had no intention of letting him go easily.

Hearing her plea, Gu Huaisheng eventually relented and went with her to find a physician.

On the way there, Jiang Jingchun tried countless times to scratch her neck, but Gu Huaisheng stopped her every time.

“Bear it. Once we see the physician, it won’t itch anymore.”

Her neck was already reddened to an alarming degree. If she kept scratching, she would surely break the skin.

Jiang Jingchun’s body itched unbearably. Only now did she begin to regret it—had she known that touching the peaches would make her feel like this, she would never have acted so foolishly.

At first, she had been walking shoulder to shoulder with Gu Huaisheng, but later she slowed her steps and fell behind him.

Though Jiang Jingchun agreed obediently to Gu Huaisheng’s words, her hands could not stay still—she simply could not help herself.

Gu Huaisheng noticed that the person who had been walking beside him was now lagging behind, and immediately guessed what she was up to. Sure enough, when he turned his head, Jiang Jingchun’s hand was already reaching for her neck.

Seeing this, Gu Huaisheng could no longer bother about proper decorum; he directly grabbed her wrist.

He frowned and admonished her, “Don’t scratch your skin.”

His tone carried a hint of sternness.

Jiang Jingchun did not dare move again.

Seeing that she had finally settled down, Gu Huaisheng released her hand and ordered Huayun to hold her wrist firmly, leaving her no further opportunity to act up.

Since he knew she was at her limit of endurance, he also quickened his steps.

After much difficulty, they finally found the household physician, and Jiang Jingchun was at last saved.

After Huayun applied medicine to her, the itching slowly subsided, but the redness would probably take ten days or half a month to fully fade.

If Lady Li were to see it, who knew how long she might be locked up again.

At this thought, Jiang Jingchun’s resentment deepened. If Lady Li hadn’t confined her, she would not have been so bored as to go and pick peaches; if she hadn’t picked peaches, none of this would have happened. Now, having ended up like this, she was sure to be locked up again—perhaps all the way until New Year’s.

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

Thinking thus, Jiang Jingchun could no longer hold back and began to cry.

Gu Huaisheng, who was standing beside her, noticed and was rather startled. What had just happened? Had someone upset her?

He suspected she might be putting on a performance again.

He observed her expression carefully, only to find that she truly seemed aggrieved, and genuine tears were falling from her eyes.

Gu Huaisheng was slightly taken aback and asked, “What’s wrong with you…?”

Why was she suddenly so upset?

Gu Huaisheng could not fathom what was running through her mind, but he only asked this one question and had no intention of speaking further.

The more you asked a crying child, the harder they’d cry.

Sure enough, after being asked, Jiang Jingchun cried even more sorrowfully. Between sobs, she choked out, “I’ve already been locked up at home for four months… I was just bored and climbed a tree… Now that it’s come to this, I’ll be locked up for even longer…”

Just thinking about it made her feel as if the sky were falling.

If she were locked up again, it would be until she turned fifteen next year.

Seeing her crying so bitterly, Gu Huaisheng’s head began to ache. Upon hearing that Lady Li had confined her for four months, he too felt that it was rather excessive.

She was naturally a lively and restless sort; she really shouldn’t have been cooped up at home…

Watching her cry until her words were barely coherent made Gu Huaisheng’s heart soften with a trace of sympathy, which was rare for him. He said, “Don’t cry anymore. I’ll speak with Aunt…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Jingchun was already so overjoyed that she nearly jumped up, the twin buns atop her head bobbed up and down like a little rabbit.

She looked at Gu Huaisheng and asked, “Cousin, you’re not lying to me, are you?”

Just moments ago she had been crying, and now she was so cheerful again—the sudden switch of emotions made Gu Huaisheng once more suspect that she had been faking her earlier tears.

But there was no time to investigate further. Although he looked slightly suspicious, in the end, he still gave a brief ‘Mm’ in reply.

Jiang Jingchun’s tears immediately disappeared without a trace.

Gu Huaisheng thought to himself that Jiang Jingchun was not a little rabbit—she was a little fox…

---

Who knew what Gu Huaisheng had said to Lady Li that day, but afterwards, she truly did not say anything more about it, nor did she punish Jiang Jingchun for secretly climbing the tree and ending up covered in rashes. Later on, she even agreed to take her out again.

Madame Song’s eldest daughter had married into the Lin family and had recently given birth. With the child reaching one year old, the family was holding a first birthday banquet. All the families they were acquainted with came to offer their congratulations.

Jiang Runchu was also taking a leave from official duties and, being on good terms with Madame Song’s son-in-law, decided to join the gathering. Before they set left, Madame Gu brought Gu Huaisheng and Gu Huailang with her to the Lin family, along with congratulatory gifts.

While Lady Li and Madame Gu were exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Runchu spotted Gu Huaisheng and immediately sought him out. Jiang Jingchun naturally went to Madame Gu’s side and began teasing Gu Huailang.

Gu Huailang was only four years old, and when he walked, his steps were tiny and slow. After just a few steps, he grew reluctant to walk and wanted to be carried.

Even while he was cradled in someone’s arms, Jiang Jingchun continued teasing him. “Xiaolang, do you still remember your cousin?”

Gu Huailang lay against the servant’s shoulder, blinking his small eyes at Jiang Jingchun and said, “Cousin, I’m four years old now, I’m not stupid…”

The last time they had met was during the New Year. Although several months had passed, how could he possibly forget his cousin?

Hearing Gu Huailang’s reply, Jiang Jingchun gave an awkward laugh and did not continue.

Once they had entered the Lin family residence, they presented their gifts. After the usual greetings, they were led to the banquet hall.

Men and women were seated separately. Jiang Jingchun and Lady Li sat at the tables for the female guests, while Gu Huaisheng and Jiang Runchu went to the men’s side.

When the banquet was nearing its end, and only the murmur of the ladies’ conversations remained around them, Jiang Jingchun grew somewhat distracted.

Just then, there happened to be a game of pitch-pot taking place outside. The ladies, noticing Jiang Jingchun’s lack of focus, jokingly suggested that she should step outside.

Jiang Jingchun made no show of modesty. After curtseying to the group, she lifted her skirts slightly and headed out.

She passed through the front hall and saw that there were people gathered under the covered walkway outside the courtyard, and that Gu Huaisheng was among them.

Jiang Runchu was playing pitch-pot in the middle of the courtyard. It seemed Gu Huaisheng was waiting for him there.

Today was the first birthday banquet for Song Xuan’an’s elder sister’s son. Naturally, Song Xuan’an was present, but at the moment, Jiang Jingchun had no mind to spare for him.

Wherever Gu Huaisheng stood, countless gazes would fall upon him. Even if he stood tucked away in a corner, it was still the same.

Jiang Jingchun quietly moved to stand beside him, matching his stance without drawing attention.

Gu Huaisheng noticed her arrival. He turned his head and glanced at her, but said nothing.

He had found that, ever since he’d saved her that time, she seemed to have changed into a different person.

In the past, she had been no different from the others. She’d treated him with cool indifference and seemed disinclined even to engage with him.

However, Gu Huaisheng did not take this to heart.

His daily affairs were many and pressing; naturally, he paid little heed to changes in Jiang Jingchun’s moods.

Gu Huaisheng’s gaze fell on the person playing pitch-pot at the head of the courtyard, yet out of the corner of his eye, he kept inadvertently glancing at Jiang Jingchun.

He saw her rise onto her toes and, almost absent-mindedly, pluck a flower from a bush growing in the corner of the courtyard.

He had half a mind to chide her—picking flowers from someone else’s courtyard was not proper—but seeing she had already plucked it, he decided it was too late to say anything, and simply let it go.

Gu Huaisheng did not know what she intended to do with it. He merely watched as she began, petal by petal, to pluck the flower apart. When the last petal fell, Jiang Jingchun seemed suddenly elated.

Gu Huaisheng was somewhat baffled. How could she be so pleased over simply plucking a flower to pieces?

He could not resist asking her, “What are you up to now?”

Jiang Jingchun looked at him, smiling radiantly, and said in a deliberately mysterious tone, “Cousin, I just asked the flower a question. Would you like to know what it was?”

While picking the petals just now, she had been thinking, ‘Does Cousin like me?’

That day, he had been so gentle. Jiang Jingchun had never before seen that look on his face, not anywhere else. She thought, perhaps, just perhaps, her cousin might like her a little too? Even if it was only the fondness an older cousin had for a younger one…

Alright, deep down, she knew it was unlikely. How could Gu Huaisheng possibly like her?

It was only her fourteen-year-old heart, brimming over ever since that night, unable to stop itself from getting carried away.

Even though the question had been ridiculous, when the final petal fell and the answer was her cousin liked her, Jiang Jingchun was still unspeakably delighted.

Even if it was a false positive, she was still delighted.

Seeing the look on her face, Gu Huaisheng had a bad feeling. He had just been about to decline when Jiang Jingchun spoke first.

“Cousin, the flower said you like me.”

Gu Huaisheng froze for a moment when he heard this. His thin lips pressed tightly together, and he could not shake the feeling that the look in her eyes held a hint of mischief.

Like…

It seemed that it was easy for a little girl to say such words.

He turned his head away and no longer looked at her. His hand gripped the railing with some force. The summer air was stifling and hot; Gu Huaisheng felt a light sweat break out on his forehead.

After a long moment, he finally spoke in a detached voice, “No. The flower is blind.”

The flower was blind.

Yet he did not know that the flower had spoken the truth.

When the last petal fell, the hidden stirrings of the young man’s heart had already, without notice, run riot.