Nangong Muyan chased Zhou Yi all the way to the entrance of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Zhou Yi, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Nangong Muyan grabbed Zhou Yi's sleeve, asking a question she already knew the answer to.
Zhou Yi avoided eye contact, not daring to look directly at Nangong Muyan, and repeated his usual excuse: "I have urgent matters to attend to, I must go."
His awkward, contradictory behavior made Nangong Muyan secretly amused. Why was Zhou Yi so endearing?
Nangong Muyan tried to keep her voice steady as she gently said, "Alright, take care."
She knew she couldn't be too pushy now; Zhou Yi needed time to process things.
Zhou Yi had expected more back-and-forth, but was surprised by Nangong Muyan's unexpected normalcy. Feeling relieved, he pulled his sleeve free and ran out of the mansion without looking back.
Nangong Muyan watched until he disappeared around a street corner before returning to the sitting room, her heart full of joy.
Three pairs of eyes followed her as she entered. Nangong Chenfeng, always eager for entertainment, teased: "It seems your talk of mutual affection and inseparable love was false. My brother-in-law clearly can't wait to get away from you, tsk tsk!"
Nangong Ya let out a cold snort: "Not a shred of a young lady's dignity! Where have all your etiquette lessons gone?"
Luo Siyi followed with worried questions: "Yan'er, we asked you to spend time with Zhou Yi to develop feelings, but why does he seem even more resistant to you now than before?"
Nangong Muyan raised an eyebrow, then lifted her hand to show off the white jade bracelet on her wrist. She waved it at the three of them with a radiant smile: "Father, Mother, Brother, isn't my bracelet beautiful?"
The three were momentarily stunned.
Before they could respond, Nangong Muyan beamed with joy: "It's a birthday gift from Zhou Yi~"
Nangong Ya, Luo Siyi, and Nangong Chenfeng: "..."
Who had asked her about that?
"It even has carved flowers on it. Zhou Yi said they're Twilight flowers from the Eastern Ling Kingdom - the 'mu' from twilight and the 'yan' from my name. Isn't that thoughtful?"
The room fell silent.
Nangong Muyan wasn't deterred by their cold response. She just wanted someone with ears to share her overwhelming joy with; she didn't necessarily need a response.
"Zhou Yi might not love me that much yet, but..." Nangong Muyan paused, then continued with absolute certainty: "It's only a matter of time!"
After this monologue, Nangong Muyan stroked the bracelet and turned to leave: "Well, I'm done talking to you all. I'm tired and going to bed."
As Nangong Muyan left with light steps, Nangong Chenfeng looked at his parents' complex expressions and burst out laughing.
After three years apart, his sister had become even more interesting. Yesterday when Jin Yao and Jin Hui told him she had turned the Prime Minister's Mansion upside down, he hadn't believed it. Now it seemed mostly true.
His laugh drew his parents' attention, and Nangong Chenfeng quickly made his escape: "Father, Mother, I have an appointment to drink with Minister Pei from the Ministry of War. I must go."
"Ah..."
After a while, the couple exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.
"A mere bracelet makes her act like such a fool. We have plenty in our treasury, but she never takes those," Nangong Ya said, getting a headache remembering how his daughter had treasured the bracelet.
"You don't understand! It's not about how nice the bracelet is, it's about who gave it to her!" Luo Siyi, being a woman herself, naturally understood her daughter's feelings.
"Yan'er has completely fallen for Zhou Yi. Even if he picked some roadside grass and wove it into a ring, she'd probably wear it happily."
These words made Nangong Ya's heart ache. Had his precious daughter become so humble for a man?
"Why is she so fond of that Zhou boy? Especially when he doesn't even like her back. She keeps trying to warm up to his cold shoulder. If word gets out, it'll be embarrassing for me as Prime Minister."
"Who knows? Well, let it be. She's happy with it, and children must find their own path..."
Nangong Muyan was unaware that her "display of affection" had caused Nangong Ya and Luo Siyi to sigh repeatedly. She went straight to her room, threw herself on the bed, and rolled around in her blankets, but couldn't find sleep.
It felt like a rabbit was bouncing in her heart, making it impossible for her to stay still.
She lay on her back, raised her hand, and stared at the bracelet on her wrist in the dim light filtering through the bed curtains. The smile never left her face.
"Zhou Yi..."
Though they'd been apart for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she already missed him.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yi, the object of her thoughts, hurried back to his residence on Xichun Road after leaving the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Although his family owned several properties throughout the capital, Zhou Zhili and Hong Yuanping mostly lived on Xichun Road. It was the old family house left by his grandfather, conveniently located near both Jun Yue Restaurant and their shops.
As for their other properties in the city's four districts and eight streets, they had bought them at low prices when the original owners were desperate to sell, seeing the good locations. They would then sell them at higher prices when buyers came along, making a profit. If they couldn't sell, it didn't matter - the houses weren't going anywhere.
When Zhou Yi returned home, Hong Yuanping and Zhou Zhili had finished lunch and were chatting casually while digesting their food in garden loungers. After days of running around, the couple was enjoying their rare leisure time, and seeing their son made them even happier.
"Didn't you go to wish your future daughter-in-law happy birthday?" Hong Yuanping teased.
They knew that yesterday Zhou Yi had rushed to four or five jewelry shops, saying he needed to choose a gift.
Zhou Yi gave his mother a sideways glance, muttered "I'm back after giving my wishes," and walked straight to his courtyard without stopping.
"Hey, what kind of attitude is that!"
Hong Yuanping was about to stand up, slapping the armrest of her chair, but Zhou Zhili quickly stopped her.
"Now, now, don't be angry. Looking at his state, he was probably bullied by our future daughter-in-law. You know she's rather... well, lively. Maybe she got too excited and started getting physical with our son, this and that..."
Hearing this, Hong Yuanping realized he had a point. Their merchant family's connection to the Prime Minister's Mansion was largely thanks to Nangong Muyan's "liveliness."
"Our son seems unhappy. Should we ask him about it? We can't just let him be bullied, can we?"
Hong Yuanping's anger turned to worry as she looked toward Zhou Yi's courtyard, uncertain what to do, and could only ask her husband.
Zhou Zhili patted her hand, appearing completely at ease: "Don't worry. We shouldn't interfere in young people's affairs. Let him make his own decisions."
Zhou Yi returned to his room, sent away the maids who were cleaning, closed the door, sat at the table, and gulped down a cup of water. Finally, he let out a long sigh.
Walking to his bed, Zhou Yi fell onto it without even removing his shoes. The thick, soft brocade blanket supported him, allowing his nerves to relax somewhat, and he could finally process the events of the past half day.
"Zhou Yi, I love your gift, and I love you too..."
"And I love you too..."
"I love you..."
"Love..."
Nangong Muyan's whisper in his ear echoed in his mind like a spell. Zhou Yi pounded his head, trying to shake out these words, but it was futile.
In fact, as time passed, he could even recall the shiver that ran through his skin when Nangong Muyan's warm breath touched his ear as she spoke those words.
And before those words, that kiss...
Zhou Yi absently touched his lips, which seemed to still retain that warm, moist sensation - Nangong Muyan's essence.
He vaguely remembered that day at Jinse Lake, when in the cold water, he saw Nangong Muyan break free from his grip. Thinking she was drowning, he had pressed his lips to hers to give her air.
Though both instances involved lip contact, why did these two experiences feel worlds apart?
Was it because the water in Jinse Lake had been too cold?
But later, when Nangong Muyan had taken him to the inn and aroused his desires with her lips and tongue, forcing him to be intimate with her, he had only felt grief and anger then.
What exactly was different this time?
Zhou Yi couldn't understand.
The only thing he was certain about was that Nangong Muyan had genuinely fallen for him!
His earlier plan of peacefully raising their child together would be impossible now.
"What should I do..."
Zhou Yi stared at the bed canopy above him, his mind a tangled mess of thoughts like a ball of intertwined threads he couldn't cut through or untangle.
Just thinking about Nangong Muyan coming to see him tomorrow, likely wanting to embrace and kiss him again, made his heart race with anxiety.
After much deliberation, Zhou Yi finally made up his mind. He suddenly sprang from his bed and rushed out in a flurry.
That's it, he needed to hide somewhere!
So the next day, when Nangong Muyan pushed open the door to the accounting office, she found Zhou Zhili sitting behind the desk working with an abacus.
"Uncle, where is Zhou Yi?" Nangong Muyan asked with a sweet smile.
"Hahaha... he had some business to attend to and isn't here. Shall I arrange for someone to escort you home?"
"Where did he go? I'll go find him."
"He went to Mulberry Leaf Town outside the capital. We have an estate there, more than a hundred li away from the city."
"Why did he go there?"
"That foolish boy! He said he was getting headaches, backaches, and eye strain from all the accounting work, so he went there to relax and enjoy the scenery for a while."
"When will he return?"
"Probably in ten to fifteen days."
Zhou Zhili's tone became somewhat reproachful - that rascal had run off without a word, leaving all the work to him.
"I see," Nangong Muyan replied with a faint smile, politely bidding farewell to Zhou Zhili. "Uncle, please don't let me disturb your work. I'll head home now."
"Ah, alright. Let me have two waiters escort you."
Zhou Zhili thought this daughter-in-law was beautiful and well-mannered, of noble birth yet without any aristocratic airs. He couldn't understand why Zhou Yi didn't like her. But what he didn't see was that the moment Nangong Muyan stepped out of the accounting office, her smile vanished, replaced by a terrifying coldness in her eyes.
How dare you, Zhou Yi!
Nangong Muyan couldn't suppress the dark, obsessive thoughts flooding her mind - thoughts of binding him up, breaking his legs, ensuring he could never escape from her again...
"Young Madam, the master asked us to escort you home."
A man's voice sounded behind her. Nangong Muyan took a deep breath, pushing down her tumultuous thoughts. She turned to see two waiters from Jun Yue Restaurant.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"You're too kind, Young Madam. Shall we go?"
Upon returning to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Nangong Muyan went straight to the side courtyard where the guards resided.
"Li Jiu, you'll come with me to Mulberry Leaf Town."
Nangong Muyan didn't know the way, and being pregnant, she couldn't go looking for Zhou Yi alone. She needed a guard to accompany her, both for convenience and to put Nangong Ya and Luo Siyi's minds at ease.
Among the guards, Li Jiu, who knew medicine, was the best choice.
Li Jiu responded with a "Yes" and went to find Old Zhong to prepare a carriage. Meanwhile, Sheng Jing felt something wasn't right and went to inform Luo Siyi.
Just as the carriage stopped at the main gate and Nangong Muyan was about to board, Luo Siyi came running with Aunt Ying, out of breath: "Yan'er, Yan'er, what are you going to do in Mulberry Leaf Town? How could you leave without saying a word? Do you want to worry your parents to death?"
Li Jiu, sitting on the carriage, jolted at these words - heavens, so Madam didn't even know about this!
"Mother, I'm sorry."
Nangong Muyan felt somewhat guilty, having been so focused on finding Zhou Yi that she'd forgotten about this.
"What are you going to do in Mulberry Leaf Town?" Luo Siyi demanded.
"Um... to find Zhou Yi." Nangong Muyan hesitated before deciding to tell the truth.
"Zhou Yi ran away?"
"Yes."
"Is he trying to escape the marriage?"
"He wouldn't dare!"
Luo Siyi understood then - most likely Nangong Muyan had been too enthusiastic, constantly pursuing him, making Zhou Yi uncomfortable enough to flee to another place to avoid her for a while.
"Yan'er, maybe we shouldn't go. It's beneath your dignity."
Luo Siyi hesitated as she advised. Though she usually indulged Nangong Muyan, even she found this a bit too much.
"Mother, I must go!" Nangong Muyan remained adamant.
The thought of not seeing Zhou Yi for ten to fifteen days was ridiculous. Touching the bracelet on her wrist, Nangong Muyan thought to herself that Zhou Yi would definitely be hers!
"You're carrying a child, and the journey will be bumpy. I'm worried about you."
"That's why I asked Li Jiu to accompany me."
Nangong Muyan glanced at Li Jiu, giving him a meaningful look. Li Jiu understood immediately and chimed in: "Madam, please don't worry. I will take good care of the Young Miss and ensure she reaches the Young Master safely."
Luo Siyi sighed, walked to the carriage door, and lifted the curtain to look inside. She turned to instruct Aunt Ying: "Go fetch two thick quilts to lay down. These seats are too hard and uncomfortable."
Aunt Ying complied, and Luo Siyi held onto Nangong Muyan to give further instructions: "Yan'er, don't rush. I'll have the kitchen pack some food for you to eat on the way."
Indeed, there was no need to hurry now. Nangong Muyan nodded, and after everything was properly arranged, half an hour later, the carriage finally set off under Luo Siyi's concerned gaze.
The carriage moved slowly, at this pace they would probably reach Mulberry Leaf Town by sunset. Nangong Muyan lay among the quilts, touching the bracelet on her hand as drowsiness overcame her.
Zhou Yi, you can't escape.
This was Nangong Muyan's last thought before she drifted off to sleep.