He did not mind her past with Xiao Mingchuan, nor did he mind telling her what became of him in the end. He was certain that even if she knew of his eventual regrets, she would never turn back—just as she was now.
But since she didn’t want to hear it, there was no need to say anything more.
“Let’s go.”
He reached out to gently smooth down the strands of hair at Lanyin’s temple that had been tousled by the wind. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zhusheng hesitating nearby, seemingly debating whether to approach or not.
“They should be about done talking,” Qi Yubai remarked.
Lanyin followed Qi Yubai out. Just as they were about to leave the small path, she suddenly turned to look at him and said, “Qi Yubai, I will treat you well from now on.”
She owed him too much from their past life—the love, the time, the regrets. In this lifetime, she would give it all back to him.
At this moment, Lanyin looked like a stubborn child, naive yet earnest.
Qi Yubai simply smiled, genuinely happy. Standing under the soft evening breeze, he gazed at her determined expression and responded gently, “Alright.”
They continued walking, and just before they reached the moon gate, Qi Yubai suddenly stopped. He handed a small pouch to Lanyin.
“What’s this?”
Lanyin took it, slightly puzzled. She shook it lightly and heard the sound of objects lightly colliding inside, but she couldn’t tell what they were just from the sound.
“Pine nuts,” Qi Yubai said simply.
“I was bored this morning at the shop and shelled them for you. I forgot to give them to you earlier,” he explained casually.
Lanyin was reminded of the past—back when she used to sit with Qi Yubai’s grandmother, he would always sit to the side, quietly shelling pine nuts for them. But back then, she had never dared to take any. This time…
She smiled softly and held the pouch tightly in her hand.
—
Perhaps because she had reunited with an old friend, the Old Madam Wang seemed particularly spirited. The weariness she had shown earlier was completely gone. As she held Lanyin’s hand on the way home, she smiled and said, “I never expected you to have such a connection with them. Originally, I had planned to stay in Bianjing for a few more days before taking you to visit them.”
Who would have thought that her granddaughter had already become their neighbor and had such a good relationship with them?
Lanyin, however, was thinking about what Qi Yubai had said earlier.
Yes, in this world, how many things truly happened by chance? Many so-called coincidences and fateful encounters were actually the result of deliberate effort.
She hadn’t asked him, but she could already guess that this house had his involvement.
The thought amused her. If not for that serendipitous encounter at the Ting Yun Pavilion breaking down the barriers between them, who knew how long this man would have kept it from her?
She turned to her grandmother and said, “I have to thank Grandmother Qi and… my senior brother. If not for them, I wouldn’t have been able to settle down so easily.”
Though she and Qi Yubai had agreed not to reveal anything to the two elders for now, her words had already begun to lean toward favoring him.
She didn’t know what her grandmother thought of Qi Yubai, but she hoped she would approve of him. Right now, Qi Yubai and her grandmother were the two most important people in her life. Naturally, she wished for her grandmother to like him just as much as she did.
The Old Madam Wang had already heard about the incident at the shop from Shi Yu earlier in the day. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed a carriage speeding toward them from the distance.
The carriage barely came to a stop before Mama Su lifted the curtain and jumped down.
Despite her old age, she barely took a moment to steady herself before rushing over, her voice urgent yet hushed, “Old Madam, something has happened to Madam!”
The sight of Mama Su in such a state made the Old Madam Wang’s smile vanish completely. Still holding onto Lanyin’s hand, her tone turned cold.
“What happened?”
“Madam, she…”
Mama Su’s expression was grim, her voice deliberately lowered as she spoke, afraid that the surrounding servants might overhear. “She got into an argument with Lady Cheng.”
Both grandmother and granddaughter frowned upon hearing this.
“What was she arguing about?” Lanyin was the first to speak.
The only thing that could provoke her mother into a confrontation had to be something related to Gu Qing. Furrowing her brows, she asked, “Did something happen to Gu Qing?”
Her mother, Madam Wang, had a temper, but she wouldn’t lash out for no reason. If she was truly furious, there could only be one possible reason—something had happened to her precious daughter.
But what could the Xiao family have done to Gu Qing?
From what she knew about her former mother-in-law, even if she harbored resentment toward Gu Qing, at this point in time, she would still be obliged to treat her well.
She would never hand others any leverage to use against her.
Unless…
“Did Xiao Ye do something?”
Mama Su answered in a low voice, “Madam went over suddenly, catching the entire Earl Residence unprepared. It was only after she arrived that she found out that Second Miss has been confined for some time…”
“Confined?”
Old Madam Wang frowned. “Do you know why?”
Mama Su shook her head. “Second Miss refuses to say anything. Earl Madam has also been bedridden recently and doesn’t know what happened. Seeing Second Miss like that, our Madam felt she had been wronged, but Earl Madam insisted that the Xiao family has been providing her with everything she needs. The confinement only means she is not allowed to leave her courtyard. With resentment in both their hearts, they started arguing. I was worried something might happen, so I came to ask for your instructions.”
Hearing this, Lanyin had mostly pieced together the situation.
If Lady Sun wasn’t aware of it, then it could only mean that the order came from Xiao Ye. As for why he had given such an order… she had a rough idea.
She fell silent for a moment, then looked toward her grandmother. The warmth had completely faded from Old Madam Wang’s face, replaced by exhaustion and irritation.
Lanyin sighed inwardly.
She knew that her grandmother would not turn a blind eye to the situation. No matter how much she favored Lanyin, in the end, that was still her daughter—one whom she had loved dearly since childhood—and that was still her granddaughter by blood. She could not simply stand by and let something happen to them.
Lanyin didn’t mind.
She had received her grandmother’s love and care, but she wasn’t selfish enough to demand that love be exclusive. What she did feel, though, was pity for her grandmother—at her age, she still had to worry about them, still had to deal with these messy affairs.
Softly, she asked, “Shall I go with you?”
“No need.”
Old Madam Wang refused without hesitation.
She had no choice but to go, but Lanyin—she would never allow her to get involved.
It didn’t matter if it was the Xiao family or someone else; she would not let her granddaughter wade into this murky water.
She knew that Lanyin cared for her, that if she so much as hinted at needing her company, Lanyin would go without hesitation, no matter how much she disliked it.
But precisely because she knew, she couldn’t let Lanyin suffer this injustice.
Her little girl had already endured too much. She should not have to sacrifice her own peace for the sake of others.
Old Madam Wang forced a small smile, gently patting Lanyin’s head. “Be good and go to sleep. I will be back soon.”
Her voice was gentle.
Lanyin thought for a moment but did not insist. She had no desire to step foot in the Xiao residence, much less to help Gu Qing. She had only offered for her grandmother’s sake.
Seeing that Old Madam Wang was about to board the carriage, Lanyin suddenly recalled her earlier suspicions. She turned to Mama Su and said, “Mama, go ahead first.”
Mama Su was momentarily startled but did not question it.
After bowing to both of them, she went toward the carriage.
Lanyin then signaled Ting Yun and the others to step back before quietly speaking to Old Madam Wang.
No one knew what Lanyin said, but a moment later, Old Madam Wang’s expression turned grave.
Lanyin murmured, “It’s only my guess, but knowing Xiao Mingchuan, he must have had a reason for doing this. Regardless of what that reason is… if the argument continues, it will only harm both her and the Gu family’s reputation.”
Old Madam Wang nodded thoughtfully, then took Lanyin’s hand and patted it lightly. “I understand. Now go rest.”
Lanyin agreed, but just as her grandmother was about to leave, she suddenly grasped her arm and said, “Grandmother, can you sleep with me tonight?”
Her dark eyes were filled with longing and childlike attachment.
Seeing this rare display of innocence, Old Madam Wang felt her irritation and displeasure fade significantly.
She smiled and agreed.
Lanyin immediately brightened at her response. Personally assisting her grandmother onto the carriage, she watched it disappear into the distance before the joy on her face slowly faded.
As Ting Yun supported her inside, the maid hesitated before asking, “Should I prepare rooms for Madam and… that person?”
Lanyin did not answer.
Of course, she was unwilling.
She had moved out of the Xiao family’s residence, chosen not to stay at the Gu family’s estate in Bianjing, and instead bought her own house—all for the sake of keeping her distance from them. But if her grandmother were to ask…
Lanyin remained silent for a moment. After a while, she finally said in a subdued tone, “Prepare the rooms for now. Don’t make it difficult for Grandmother.”
Ting Yun responded softly and helped Lanyin back to her room.