The instant she heard it, the composed Lanyin suddenly seemed as though her soul had been yanked from her body. Her pupils dilated, and she stood frozen like an empty shell. Slowly, stiffly, she turned her neck toward the source of the voice, her vacant gaze following the sound.
Wang also halted in shock.
She turned and saw a group of people emerging from the darkness of the alley, walking toward them under the moonlight.
Leading them was an elderly woman dressed in a dark red robe embroidered with auspicious patterns. Her age was evident from her full head of silver hair, yet the way she carried herself—the strength in her steps, the piercing sharpness of her gaze—made it clear that she was a formidable figure, someone whose word carried unquestioned authority within her household.
She was surrounded by a retinue of attendants, and a shrewd-looking matron supported her at her side.
Wang was the first to react. Seeing the elderly woman draw closer, her shock was evident as she blurted out, “Mother?”
The others quickly came to their senses.
In an instant, Su Mama, Shi Yu, Song Yue, and the rest all dropped to their knees.
“Old Madam!”
Only Wang, Lanyin, and Qi Yubai remained standing.
Compared to Wang’s astonishment and Qi Yubai’s quiet observation, Lanyin was still in a daze, unable to recover from her shock. She stared blankly as the familiar old woman walked toward her.
She watched as that once-cold gaze softened with warmth and affection upon seeing her. Then, she heard the woman laugh, her tone utterly different from before.
“My little girl, why do you look so foolish?”
At that moment, countless memories rushed forth.
Her grandmother had come to the marquis manor to fetch her when she was a child.
Her grandmother had cared for her so tenderly in the Wang household.
Though unwilling to part with her, her grandmother had still let her go for the sake of her future.
On her wedding day, her grandmother had held her tightly, eyes red with unshed tears.
“Grandmother,” Lanyin choked out, her voice hoarse. Only when she spoke did she realize that she had lost her voice.
Tears streamed down her face. Before her mind could fully process it, her body was already moving. She ran toward the elderly woman, and the moment she threw herself into that familiar embrace, the dam finally broke.
“Grandmother!”
She called out to her again and again, as if trying to pour all her past regrets and grievances into those cries.
It had been so long since she had seen her like this. The Old Madam’s eyes also grew misty. She gently stroked Lanyin’s head, allowing her to cling to her like a child.
Grandmother and granddaughter, reunited.
Shi Yu and the Old Madam’s attendant, Mama Sheng, could not hold back their own tears. Even Qi Yubai remained silent, choosing not to approach, giving them space to reunite in peace.
Only Wang stood to the side, feeling uncomfortable.
Watching the mother who had always doted on her publicly reprimand her while ignoring her presence entirely, while the daughter who had just defied her now looked like a completely different person in her grandmother’s arms, Wang could not suppress the dissatisfaction and bitterness rising in her chest. Unwilling to be ignored, she turned to the Old Madam and began to complain.
“Mother, you have no idea what she has become. She dares to defy me, she even threw my hand aside! Just now, if not for Su Mama, I would have—”
Before she could finish, the Old Madam’s sharp voice cut her off.
“Shut your mouth!”
The fury on the Old Madam’s face was unmistakable.
Seeing her once-spoiled daughter pout with unwillingness but ultimately close her mouth, the Old Madam took a deep breath before turning to Mama Sheng.
“Move the things inside,” she ordered.
Mama Sheng immediately responded and set people to work.
Then, holding onto Lanyin—who had not taken her eyes off her even for a second—the Old Madam spoke gently.
“Show your grandmother inside. Let me see your new home.”
By now, Lanyin had fully regained her composure.
Hearing the old woman’s words, Lanyin immediately rasped out a response, “Alright.”
As she prepared to enter the residence with her grandmother, something came to mind, and she quickly turned to the side.
Under the moonlit sky, Qi Yubai stood quietly in his azure robes, tall and elegant. He was still there, watching her with calm, gentle eyes. Seeing her look over, he curved his lips into a soft smile. Lanyin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but he merely shook his head.
Lanyin understood—he didn’t want to intrude on her reunion with her grandmother. So, she remained silent for now.
Beside her, the Old Madam of the Wang family was still focused on Wang and had not noticed this exchange. “Come inside with me!” she snapped at Wang, her tone impatient. Then, without waiting for a response, she took Lanyin’s hand and led her toward the Gu residence.
Even if Wang was unwilling, she did not dare argue with her mother. Though resentful, she had no choice but to follow.
—
The arrival of the Old Madam and Wang instantly threw the Gu residence into a flurry of activity. However, with Ting Yun’s steady temperament and Mama Sheng’s return, the initial chaos soon gave way to order.
The kitchen was instructed to prepare dinner while accommodations were arranged for the accompanying servants.
In the flower hall of the main courtyard, all the servants had been dismissed, leaving only the three people related by blood.
Now that no outsiders were present, the Old Madam no longer felt the need to spare Wang’s dignity. Her face darkened as she immediately rebuked, “What kind of mother are you? Lanyin is your daughter too, yet you tried to hit her in front of so many people?!”
“Mother only knows how to scold me, but have you even asked what she did?” Wang had been spoiled since childhood, and instead of reflecting on her actions, she grew indignant. Her sharp gaze locked onto Lanyin, who remained unbothered, calmly peeling an orange for the Old Madam.
Seeing this, and recalling how Lanyin had never once called her “Mother” since their reunion, Wang became even more furious.
“She refuses to tolerate Qing’er at all! Qing’er had only been at the Earl Manor for a few days, and she immediately divorced Xiao Ye because of it!”
“Now, the whole city is in an uproar over her divorce! Everyone is saying that Qing’er seduced her own brother-in-law and caused Lanyin to separate from Xiao Ye!”
“Qing’er is your granddaughter too! You say I’m playing favorites, but how are you any better?!”
The orange in Lanyin’s hands stilled for a moment.
Before she could respond, an enraged voice rang out.
“You—”
The Old Madam’s fury surged so intensely that she suddenly began coughing uncontrollably.
“Grandmother!”
Lanyin’s expression changed drastically. She immediately set the orange aside and moved to pat her grandmother’s back in soothing motions.
On the other side, Wang’s face paled slightly at the sight of the Old Madam coughing. She hesitated for a moment, then stood as if intending to step forward, but in the end, she wavered and remained where she was, only watching with concern.
“Mother, are you alright?” she asked hesitantly.
After some time, the coughing fit subsided. The Old Madam took the tea Lanyin handed her and sipped it slowly.
Before Lanyin could say anything, the Old Madam placed the teacup down and, still holding Lanyin’s hand, turned to Wang.
“You’re right. I have never treated Qing’er as well as I have treated Lanyin. Among all the girls of the Wang family, none hold a place in my heart like Lanyin does.”
She fixed Wang with a sharp gaze.
“But do you not understand why I have cherished Lanyin this much?”
Wang’s face suddenly changed. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the old lady continued, “Back when Qing’er went missing, you punished the servants who accompanied her and placed all the blame on Lanyin. You took Lanyin and…”
As if recalling something, she abruptly stopped, her expression turning sorrowful. The other two in the room knew exactly what she was about to say.
She was about to mention how, when Lanyin was six years old, Wang had abandoned her on the streets.
Wang’s face turned ashen. She wanted to say something—to explain. She wanted to say that back then, she had been blinded by rage. Every time she thought of Qing’er suffering outside while Lanyin lived comfortably at home, she couldn’t bear it. That was why she had done what she did.
But she had never truly wanted to lose her.
The moment she had returned home, she had regretted it. Even if Su Mama hadn’t gone to retrieve her, she would have sent someone to bring her back.
She was her daughter too—how could she have truly abandoned her?
She had just… lost control for a moment.
Yet, when her eyes met Lanyin’s, she suddenly found herself unable to speak.
Those almond-shaped eyes, so similar to her own, held a detached, almost indifferent calmness.
A wave of unease surged through Wang’s heart. It unsettled her so much that she couldn’t even maintain eye contact. Under Lanyin’s gaze, she turned her face away.
The room fell silent.
The only sound was the old lady’s tired and sorrowful voice continuing, “All these years, you ignored Lanyin. Hongqian has been stationed far away at Yanmen Pass. Lanyin is not like other children—other children have parents, siblings to look after them, but she only has me, this old woman. Tell me, how could I not dote on her a little more? If I didn’t love her, she would have truly been pitiful beyond words.”
“You say I played favorites. Fine, I admit it.”
“Even ten fingers have different lengths. Back then, I treated you differently from your brothers too. But no matter how different, there is never an excuse for publicly laying hands on your own flesh and blood!”
“Have you considered what your slap would have meant? How Lanyin’s servants would see her after this? How others would talk about her?”
The old lady’s voice sharpened.
Wang turned even paler.
She hadn’t considered it at all. Ever since she arrived in Bianjing, she had heard countless rumors. And the more she thought about Qing’er’s suffering in these past days, the more her anger had consumed her. How could she have had the clarity to think of anything else?
“I never told you not to love her…” she muttered, her voice weak, as if still trying to defend herself. “I just think she went too far this time. If she had grievances, she could have spoken to us. Why did she have to take it this far? How is Qing’er supposed to live after this?”
At the mention of Qing’er, Wang’s fleeting tenderness toward Lanyin disappeared. Anger and resentment took its place.
But seeing the old lady’s exhausted expression and recalling how she had nearly coughed herself sick, Wang hesitated. She bit her lip and finally relented.
“Forget it. I’ll go to the Xiao family and bring Qing’er back first.”
With that, she turned to leave.
The old lady called her twice, but she didn’t stop. Seeing her storming off, worried that something might go wrong, she had no choice but to send someone to follow her.
After all the chaos, exhaustion weighed heavily on her. But just then, a hand gently grasped hers.
She looked down and saw Lanyin standing beside her, looking at her with quiet concern.
At last, a smile touched the old lady’s lips.
But thinking of everything Lanyin had endured, her heart ached once more.
Her gaze softened with love. “My poor child has suffered.”
“Not at all,” Lanyin said with a smile. Just like in the past, she sat on the footstool and buried her face against her grandmother’s lap, hugging her legs. “Now that I’ve seen Grandmother, I don’t feel like I’ve suffered at all.”
The old lady’s eyes turned even gentler as she stroked Lanyin’s hair.
The grandmother and granddaughter sat together, reminiscing in the quiet warmth of the room. When the evening meal was finally ready, they walked hand in hand to the dining hall.
After dinner, the old lady suddenly recalled the figure she had seen outside earlier.
Turning to Lanyin, she asked, “That young man from earlier—who is he?”
She didn’t jump to the same conclusions as Wang. She didn’t believe for a moment that Lanyin had divorced Xiao Ye because of another man.
She knew her granddaughter.
She was simply curious. Lanyin had always kept a respectful distance from men—this was the first time she had seen her stand so closely with one.
Lanyin smiled. She handed the old lady a freshly wrung warm towel. “You don’t remember?”
“Hmm?”
The old lady paused in surprise. “Don’t tell me I know him?”
“It’s the Qi family.”
Mama Sheng entered the room, smiling as she clarified for the Old Madam.
“Qi?” The Old Madam’s expression froze for a moment before her eyes suddenly widened in realization. “You mean Caiwei’s grandson?”
Seeing both Lanyin and Mama Sheng nod, she immediately stood up, feigning annoyance. “You child, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
She muttered as she took a step forward. “Come, come, come! I haven’t seen their family in years. I can’t believe they live right next door to you!”
The Old Madam had always been a decisive person—once she set her mind to something, she acted on it immediately. Lanyin, however, worried that the Qi family’s grandmother might already be resting and was about to dissuade her when Ting Yun, who had been waiting nearby, spoke up.
“The Qi family sent word earlier. If the Old Madam isn’t too tired, she is welcome to visit.”
Noticing Lanyin’s gaze, Ting Yun added, “Master has already spoken to the Qi family’s Old Madam.”
Since everything had been arranged, Lanyin said no more and instead turned to her grandmother. “Would you like to go now, or would you prefer to rest and visit tomorrow?”
She was worried that her grandmother might be exhausted from the long journey and wanted her to rest first.
But the Old Madam, already excited by the news, could hardly sit still. Besides, she had no idea how things were going with her unruly daughter—she wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully anyway. “Let’s go,” she said, “It’s been far too long since I last saw my old friend.”
Since she had made up her mind, Lanyin didn’t try to stop her and instead supported her as they made their way next door.
—
When they arrived, the two elderly women, long-separated friends, were naturally overcome with emotion, crying as they reunited.
Lanyin sat with them for a while before deciding to leave them to reminisce in private. She quietly stepped out and, as she walked alone, she found herself wondering—Why wasn’t Qi Yubai here?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she looked up and saw him.
Under the magnolia tree in the distance, the man in azure robes stood with his hands behind his back, his posture calm and steady.
The moon hung behind him, its silver light tracing his figure in the darkness.
He smiled at her and extended his hand.
“Come here.”