Without any warning, Nangong Muyan pulled Zhou Yi into her room. After closing the door, she cheerfully pushed him to sit by the table.
"At least let me go greet your parents," Zhou Yi said helplessly. It was terribly improper to enter a young lady's chamber without even seeing the hosts first.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Nangong Muyan said with an excited smile, asking eagerly, "Where's my gift?"
Looking at her sparkling eyes, Zhou Yi couldn't help but wonder why a young lady from a noble family, who must have seen all sorts of rare treasures, would be so excited about his gift.
Despite his confusion, Zhou Yi reached into his robes and took out a delicately carved wooden box. "I didn't have much time, so I could only choose something small. If you don't like it—"
Before he could finish saying that she could throw it away and he'd get her something else later, Nangong Muyan snatched the box. "I like it, I like it! I like anything you give me!"
Seeing her jubilant expression, Zhou Yi was infected by her enthusiasm, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Inside the box, nestled in soft black velvet, was a translucent white jade bracelet.
In her previous life, Nangong Muyan had studied jade appraisal for a mission where she had to pose as an expert, so she immediately recognized this as premium mutton-fat jade.
The bracelet had a soft, lustrous sheen. When sunlight fell upon it, it reflected tiny sparkles of light, as if covered by a layer of dreamy gauze, creating an ethereal effect.
"I thought the quality was decent enough to suit you, so I got it for you," Zhou Yi explained as he watched her open the box.
Nangong Muyan didn't care about the value of Zhou Yi's gifts at all; to her, a jade bracelet was no different from a wooden one.
She took out the bracelet, placed it in Zhou Yi's hand, and extended her own arm with a bright smile. "Then help me put it on."
"Put it on yourself," Zhou Yi refused without hesitation.
Helping her put on a bracelet would involve too much physical contact—they weren't that close.
"Zhou Yi..."
Nangong Muyan was well-versed in dealing with Zhou Yi by now. She immediately softened her voice and looked at him earnestly. "Please help me put it on?"
Zhou Yi stared at her for a moment. Nangong Muyan met his gaze without hesitation, keeping her hand extended, clearly not planning to give up until she got her way.
"Sigh..."
After a while, Zhou Yi gave in with a sigh. He took her delicate white hand in one of his and used the other to slip the bracelet onto her wrist, indulging her whim.
"Are you satisfied now? Can we go out? Your maternal grandfather's family is here, and it's not proper for you to hide in your room..."
Zhou Yi tried to reason with the willful young lady, but she ignored his words, raising her wrist to examine the bracelet from different angles.
"There are patterns on it!"
Nangong Muyan was surprised. The bracelet appeared smooth at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it revealed hidden intricacies. Both sides were carved with complex, delicate flowers—such craftsmanship must have required extraordinary skill.
Nangong Muyan leaned in closer and carefully examined the patterns, discovering they were blooming epiphyllum flowers. The petals and stamens were lifelike, and carved in mutton-fat jade, they matched the natural color of the flower, making them appear almost alive.
Zhou Yi made an affirming sound, and seeing her enthusiasm, he elaborated: "This flower is quite rare in Great Liang, but it's common in the Eastern Ling Kingdom. It blooms once every three years, only at midnight, with an intense, soul-penetrating fragrance, but wilts within moments, making it particularly precious..."
Nangong Muyan nodded along—she knew all this already.
Zhou Yi paused, glancing at her as she fondly caressed the bracelet, a smile spreading across his lips. "Because it only blooms at night, in the Eastern Ling Kingdom, it's called 'Muyan,' with 'Mu' meaning dusk, the same 'Yan' as in Nangong Muyan."
Nangong Muyan's eyes trembled violently, her heart suddenly pounding like a drum.
Damn it!
Zhou Yi was flirting with her!
She took a deep breath and pressed her fingers to her carotid artery, counting silently: one, two, three... eleven, twelve.
In five seconds, her heart had beaten twelve times!
In other words, her heart rate had shot up to one hundred and forty-four because of Zhou Yi's single sentence!
Numbers don't lie. Nangong Muyan closed her eyes briefly, with only one thought in her mind: she had fallen into her own trap...
Actually, there had been signs earlier, like that day when she unusually stayed awake, happily watching Zhou Yi like a stalker for an entire day.
She had thought she was still in control, just playing around with him, until this moment when her thundering heartbeat finally forced her to admit—she had fallen for him!
Zhou Yi stared blankly as Nangong Muyan suddenly pressed her fingers to her neck, then closed her eyes with a rueful expression. Thinking something was wrong, he quickly moved closer and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Hearing his concerned voice, Nangong Muyan opened her eyes and stared intently at Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi felt unnerved by her stare and stammered "What's wrong?" Nangong Muyan suddenly broke into a gentle smile.
"It's not so bad..." Nangong Muyan murmured to herself, making up her mind at this moment, her smile showing a hint of acceptance.
Zhou Yi was completely confused by her words and was about to ask what she meant when Nangong Muyan moved closer, looking at him seriously with a solemn tone: "Zhou Yi, I've changed my mind."
"What?"
"If you dare take a concubine, I'll kill you!"
"Huh?"
Zhou Yi was completely caught off guard—how did they suddenly get to this topic?
"I'll make you wish you were dead. First, I'll cut out your tongue, then gouge out your eyes, slice off your ears and nose, cut off your manhood, then skin you alive, cover you in honey, break your limbs, and throw you into the dense forest..."
Zhou Yi listened to these horrifying threats with a blank expression, thinking to himself: she's gone crazy again!
"No concubines, understand? You can only marry me in this lifetime..." Nangong Muyan reached out to touch Zhou Yi's face, her eyes showing a hint of obsessive determination.
Zhou Yi grabbed her hand, too angry to remain seated. He stood up from his chair and words burst out of him like rapid-fire: "Nangong Muyan, what's wrong with you? When did I ever say I wanted concubines? You're the only one who keeps bringing it up, and now you're warning me? I've always said I'd only marry you, only you, can't you understand that? You're being completely unreasonable!"
Nangong Muyan looked at his angry face, listened to his gritted teeth, and felt the dark, twisted thoughts in her heart ebb away like the tide.
"Zhou Yi..."
Nangong Muyan stood up as well, her smile blooming again like flowers. Ignoring his dark expression, she stepped forward and threw herself into his arms, holding him tight.
"What are you doing? Let go! We can talk without hugging! Who said you could hug me!"
After being inexplicably threatened and then suddenly embraced by Nangong Muyan, Zhou Yi's anger only grew. He tried to push away the person in his arms, but she clung to him like glue. No matter how he pulled at her hands or pushed at her shoulders, she wouldn't budge an inch.
After struggling for a while and realizing he couldn't win in terms of strength, Zhou Yi changed tactics and tried to reason with her: "Nangong Muyan, we can talk this through properly. Stop with all this hugging, it's not proper. Will you please let go?"
Nangong Muyan giggled in his arms, looked up at him with autumn-pool eyes full of affection, and said, "Sure, if you kiss me once."
"No way!" Zhou Yi flatly refused.
Nangong Muyan wasn't bothered by this rejection at all, maintaining her smile as she negotiated with Zhou Yi: "Just one kiss, and I'll let you go."
Zhou Yi remained unmoved.
They remained in this standoff, staring at each other, until there came a "knock knock knock" at the door, followed by Nangong Chenfeng's hesitant voice: "Sister, brother-in-law... are you... done? Father and Mother asked me to call you, it's almost time for dinner, please hurry..."
Some words were too embarrassing for a man like Nangong Chenfeng to say. He stopped awkwardly, feeling that his message should have been clear enough - this lovey-dovey couple should know their boundaries.
Inside the room, Zhou Yi had been tense since hearing the knock on the door. When he heard the question "Are you done?", his entire body turned as red as a cooked shrimp, from his ears down to his neck.
He glared fiercely at Nangong Muyan and growled in a low voice, "Won't you let go?"
Nangong Muyan replied equally quietly, "No, not unless you kiss me first."
Why was this person so unreasonable? Zhou Yi felt like he was being driven mad by her.
"Yan'er, ahem, hurry up, I'm waiting for you outside."
Nangong Chenfeng's urging was undoubtedly torturous for Zhou Yi. Being the more bashful one, he eventually surrendered in this standoff.
Nangong Muyan watched him intently as he bit his lip with a resigned expression and lowered his head to kiss her cheek. A triumphant gleam flashed in her eyes.
Zhou Yi had only intended to brush his lips against her cheek, but the person in his arms tilted her head, meeting his lips with hers.
The soft, warm sensation made Zhou Yi's eyes widen in shock, and he instinctively tried to pull back.
Just as he retreated slightly, two slender arms wrapped around his neck, holding him firmly in place. Those warm, moist lips pressed heavily against his, and something slipped into his mouth, sweeping past his teeth, entwining with his tongue, trying to drag him into an abyss of passion.
Zhou Yi stood there dumbfounded, his mind in chaos, surrendering his defenses in the blink of an eye.
Nangong Muyan kissed him with intense focus. He could see her slightly curved eyebrows and eyes so close to him, feel her passionate, lingering kiss on his lips, and her soft body clinging to his, yet he had no idea how to respond.
Nangong Muyan herself didn't know if this was how lovers were supposed to kiss. She only knew that when their tongues met, her heart burned with desire.
When the surging waves in her chest had somewhat subsided, Nangong Muyan remembered Nangong Chenfeng waiting outside. Suppressing her desire to continue, she moved her crimson lips to Zhou Yi's ear, kissed his cheek, and whispered in an intimate tone, "Zhou Yi, I love the gift you gave me, and I love you too."
Zhou Yi's blank stare wavered, and something seemed to burst through layers of walls in his heart, rushing forth.
Nangong Chenfeng was leaning against the railing, contemplating whether to call out again when the door opened from inside. His sister emerged, pulling along a blushing man, and said with curved eyes and a bright smile, "Brother, this is Zhou Yi, the man I'm going to marry."
Upon seeing Nangong Chenfeng, Zhou Yi suddenly came to his senses and respectfully bowed, calling out "Big Brother."
Nangong Chenfeng's eyes swept over the pair, lingering on their lips for a moment, guessing most of what had happened inside. He reached out to steady Zhou Yi, saying casually, "We're family now, no need for such formality."
Zhou Yi lowered his eyes guiltily. Facing this sharp-eyed brother-in-law, he felt like he'd been caught in an compromising position.
"Let's go to the living room."
Seeing Zhou Yi's discomfort, Nangong Chenfeng spoke lightly and took the lead.
Nangong Muyan quickly pulled Zhou Yi along, "Brother, wait for us."
When the three arrived at the living room, the large round table was already full of people. Nangong Muyan scanned the room and saw that besides Nangong Ya and Luo Siyi, eight people from the Luo family were present.
Ten pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on the three newcomers, particularly on Nangong Muyan and Zhou Yi behind Nangong Chenfeng.
In the main seat sat a kindly elderly woman with silver hair - Luo Siyi's mother, Madam Zhao, a third-rank noble lady of the court.
Seeing the three enter, Madam Zhao spoke first, with a hint of reproach in her voice, "Yan'er, where did you run off to? It's your birthday, yet you left everyone here waiting. That's not proper behavior."
Nangong Muyan seated Zhou Yi next to Nangong Chenfeng, then went to sit between Madam Zhao and Luo Siyi, responding coquettishly, "Grandmother, what's so important about my birthday? Today is just an excuse to invite you over. You're the real guest of honor!"
"Hahaha... you clever girl, always so quick with words!" Madam Zhao laughed heartily.
The atmosphere at the table was harmonious. Luo Siyi had already briefed everyone before their arrival, and the other members of the Luo family were quite tactful, focusing on flattering Nangong Ya while politely ignoring Zhou Yi. The birthday celebration proceeded pleasantly.
After the feast, when the Luo family members were saying their goodbyes, Zhou Yi also prepared to leave.
"Zhou Yi, why not stay for dinner? You could even spend a night or two here."
Nangong Muyan grabbed his sleeve, looking reluctant to part.
"No, I have matters to attend to," Zhou Yi pulled his sleeve free.
"Then I'll go back to Jun Yue Restaurant with you."
"It's your birthday today, you should spend more time with your family."
Zhou Yi pressed her back into her chair, quickly bowed to the other three members of the Nangong family, and hurriedly fled through the door, his departure resembling an escape.
"Zhou Yi, let me at least see you out!"
Nangong Muyan still cheerfully chased after him.
Inside the room, Nangong Ya, Luo Siyi, and Nangong Chenfeng exchanged glances, all feeling rather bemused by the situation.