What are you doing?

Gu Wanting pushed Gu Fei’s wheelchair slowly, the two of them trailing behind, followed by Gu Wanxiu and Gu Rou. Before long, the four had fallen to the very end of the procession.

The winding path through the emerald bamboo grove was tranquil and secluded; everywhere the eye wandered, lush green swayed gently, fallen leaves danced in the breeze. Suddenly, Gu Wanxiu grabbed Gu Rou’s arm and addressed Danqing, “My sister and I need to go to the washroom. Danqing, show us the way.”

Danqing paused mid-step, glancing toward Gu Fei ahead, but with Gu Wanting guiding the wheelchair, Gu Fei’s very silhouette was hidden. She could only reply, “Yes.”

Gu Rou looked puzzled, turning to Gu Wanxiu in confusion. She couldn’t fathom why they needed to go together.

Gu Wanxiu smiled, leaning in to whisper in Gu Rou’s ear, “Just keep me company, sister. There are many guests at the Hidden Ink Gathering today; better to avoid any unexpected mishaps.”

“But what about our younger sister…” Gu Rou hesitated.

Before she could finish, Gu Wanxiu stepped deftly, dragging Gu Rou along without so much as a word to Gu Wanting or Gu Fei. “It’s fine, our eldest sister is there, and Yuhua is waiting outside the bamboo grove.”

Gu Rou was pulled off balance; she glanced back and locked eyes with Gu Wanting, whose hair was stirred by the wind, sending a wave of unease through Gu Rou’s heart. In the blink of an eye, the thick bamboo obscured her vision.

She wrenched herself free of Gu Wanxiu’s hold and rebuked her gently, “Second sister, what are you and our eldest sister planning for our youngest?”

Gu Wanxiu sneered, her sweet and innocent face suddenly cold. She glanced sidelong at Gu Rou and flicked the hem of her long sleeve, “Planning? Nothing at all, sister. You’re overthinking.”

Gu Rou’s expression grew frosty; she lifted her skirts and prepared to retrace her steps.

“Stop!” Gu Wanxiu darted forward, arms wide to block her. “Think carefully, sister. Don’t say I didn’t warn you: if you go now, and ever wish to choose your own marriage, you’re dreaming. Without my mother’s protection, what matchmaker would dare come to your door?”

Gu Rou’s eyes flickered with inner struggle. Her usually gentle brows lost their calm for the first time. “Our youngest is merely a cripple, unable to walk. Why can’t you accept her?”

“Hmph,” Gu Wanxiu was pleased with Gu Rou’s compliance. “Accept her? Sister, touch your heart and ask yourself—can you?”

She pointed delicately at Gu Rou’s chest.

Gu Rou felt her breath catch. Gu Wanxiu’s words stilled her very lungs. “I… we share the same father’s blood…”

“How sweetly said,” Gu Wanxiu’s large eyes curved like crescent moons as she leaned closer, scrutinizing Gu Rou’s face. “If that’s so, why does your tone sound so begrudging?”

Gu Rou finally ceased arguing, her gentleness vanishing, replaced by a blank facade. She watched Gu Wanxiu laugh softly, “Second sister, you’re unusually clever today. How rare.”

With that, she ignored Gu Wanxiu’s darkening expression, turned, and chose another path out of the bamboo grove.

Meanwhile, as Gu Wanxiu led Gu Rou and Danqing away, Gu Wanting quickened her pace, nearing the edge of the grove. Suddenly Gu Fei spoke in a quiet, haunting tone, “Eldest sister, I’ve always wanted to ask: have I ever wronged you? If not, why do you so persistently target me?”

Perhaps the directness surprised her, for Gu Wanting hesitated, but quickly recovered with a light laugh, brushing it off. “What nonsense, little sister. We’re family. Why would I target you?”

Gu Fei sighed inwardly, gripping the wheelchair handles, her face expressionless.

Gu Wanting’s answer was a refusal of every last opportunity she could have offered.

“Wanting, over here.” Mo Yuhua’s voice slipped in, gentle as a bird in flight.

Gu Fei’s hand tightened on the handle, then relaxed. She squinted her almond eyes, lifting her gaze to see the man in a dark green robe, a governor’s belt cinched at his waist, leaning casually against the bamboo, his handsome features radiating warmth and scholarly elegance.

Her mind blurred, as if the sight of Mo Yuhua punctured the years and space between them, evoking a familiarity untouched since a decade before.

“Yuhua,” Gu Wanting’s voice carried a hint of delight. She turned the wheelchair toward Mo Yuhua, “Have you waited long?”

Mo Yuhua shook his head, his gaze dropping momentarily to circle Gu Fei before returning to Gu Wanting. “Not too long.”

Gu Wanting smiled gently. “You’re always so considerate. I worry you’ll spoil me too much.”

Gu Fei shivered, regaining her composure. She lowered her head and offered quietly, “Fei greets Young Master Mo.”

Mo Yuhua shook his head with a smile. Hearing Gu Fei speak, he bent slightly, meeting her eyes at the same level. “Fei, no need for such formality. Call me Brother Yuhua, like your third sister.”

Gu Fei’s lips twitched in response, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Gu Wanting laughed, “Indeed, our youngest is too polite.”

The three walked together: Gu Wanting pushing the wheelchair, herself shoulder-to-shoulder with Mo Yuhua. The two whispered to each other, their manner intimate. As the bamboo dining lodge came into view, Gu Wanting suddenly seemed to remember something and exclaimed, “Where are second and third sisters?”

Mo Yuhua frowned, “Didn’t we lose sight of them earlier?”

Gu Wanting’s face paled. “Second sister said she was going to the washroom and took third sister with her. With so many people at the Hidden Ink Gathering today, I hope nothing happens.”

She stamped her foot, handed the wheelchair to Mo Yuhua, and lifted her skirts. “Yuhua, please watch over our youngest. I’ll go check the washroom and be right back.”

Before Mo Yuhua could respond, Gu Wanting’s skirt was already swirling as she hurried away.

Mo Yuhua steadied the wheelchair, his brow furrowing even deeper as he watched Gu Wanting disappear.

At that moment, most guests were in the dining hall; only Mo Yuhua and Gu Fei remained outside. Mo Yuhua was unsure whether to wheel Gu Fei into the hall or go search for Gu Wanxiu.

Gu Fei, for her part, remained silent. From the moment Mo Yuhua appeared she’d watched coldly, curious to see what Gu Wanting was scheming. She said nothing, but if need be, she could wheel herself into the dining hall.

Even in the brief dispersal, Feng Lizhi seemed to have forgotten her and made no move to seek her out—likely Gu Wanting’s handiwork.

An awkward silence fell. Mo Yuhua glanced down at Gu Fei, her face pale as jade. The familiarity from their first meeting surged again in his heart. Though he was engaged to Gu Wanting, Gu Fei was still a young lady of the inner chambers; it was improper for them to be alone together like this.

Yet something stirred within him, compelling him to crouch down, using his folding fan as support, and gently lift Gu Fei’s delicate chin, studying her features intently.

Gu Fei did not resist, meeting his gaze quietly.

She doubted that, after ten years, Mo Yuhua could discern anything from her face.

“Fei?” Mo Yuhua was momentarily dazed. “Where are you from originally?”

Gu Fei turned her head slightly; she disliked being spoken to with her chin held, feeling as if she were being forced under someone’s control. “Young Master Mo ought to know, shouldn’t he? I am the illegitimate daughter of Second Master Gu. Surely my eldest sister has told you?”

Mo Yuhua nodded, his gaze lingering, seeking traces of familiarity in her translucent pale face. “She has, but I heard that Second Master Gu was deeply devoted to his wife, who died in childbirth—unforgetting her for ten years, hence his drinking. For such a man to suddenly have an illegitimate daughter is hard to believe.”

Gu Fei scoffed, her eyes probing and disdainful. “Isn’t this something you ought to understand best, Young Master Mo? After all, you’re both men. Whether devotion is genuine or feigned, no one knows better.”

Mo Yuhua chuckled, bemused by Gu Fei’s unexpected tone. He found a certain inexplicable charm in it and couldn’t help but lean closer, teasing, “Fei, only fifteen and already understands men so well?”

They were too close; Gu Fei could smell the faint, cold plum fragrance on Mo Yuhua, reminiscent of winter blossoms—aloof, yet deeply aromatic. She leaned back to distance herself, but her vision blurred and she pitched forward, dizzy and disoriented. Only Mo Yuhua’s scent remained clear, mingling with the rich incense Danqing had used on her clothes, overwhelming her and making her nauseous.

“Fei, are you alright?” Mo Yuhua’s voice sounded both near and far, his warm palm pressing through his robe.

She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but no words came. She could only struggle to steady herself in the wheelchair, supported by Mo Yuhua.

“What are you two doing?!”

Suddenly, a piercing shout rang out, echoing to the heavens. Gu Fei opened her eyes to see Gu Wanting, Gu Wanxiu, Gu Rou, and Danqing staring at her in disbelief. The shout drew guests from the dining hall—men and women alike.

Her expression hardened as she withdrew her hand from Mo Yuhua’s grasp, abruptly breaking their embrace.

Gu Wanting rushed over like the wind, sleeves billowing, and slapped her fiercely—

The sharp “crack” echoed like ice shattering after being held in check too long, its jagged edges biting deep, sharp and unstoppable.