Perhaps she was afraid of being rejected.
Seeing that Li Qinyuan remained silent, Gu Wuyou hurriedly stuffed the candied hawthorn into his hand, then immediately turned around and ran off. After running a few steps, panting slightly and having put some distance between them, she finally stopped and turned her head.
The girl in red stood in the dappled light and shadow.
Her long black hair, draped loosely behind her, was wildly tousled by the wind, yet her exquisitely bright and beautiful face bore a radiant, dazzling smile.
She was still holding that string of bright red candied hawthorn, her eyes curved in a smile. Seeing him frown and look over, she beamed straight at him. “Thanks for the candied hawthorn. I’m heading to the academy now.” With that, she happily turned back around and continued walking toward the alley entrance.
Li Qinyuan stood in place, watching Gu Wuyou’s departing figure. Even from afar, he could sense the joy in her steps.
Was it really that exciting?
He frowned, standing still, momentarily forgetting to move forward. It was only when the candied hawthorn vendor saw him standing there in a daze that he called out, “Young Master Li, your friend has already left.”
Li Qinyuan let out a light “Mhm” in acknowledgment, indicating he had heard. As he started walking, he still remembered to refute, “She’s not my friend.”
“Huh?” The vendor, who was packing up, paused at his words, then chuckled. “Could she be your fiancée, then? I have to say, you two do look quite well-matched.”
“If I didn’t know you, just from the way you two looked earlier, I’d have thought you were already married.” The way they interacted—he and his own wife weren’t even that close.
His steps halted, and for once, Li Qinyuan’s face showed a rare trace of astonishment. Fiancée? Well-matched? Already married?!
The total number of times he had met her so far was three. One of those times, he had only seen her from a distance. The number of words they had exchanged didn’t even exceed two hands’ worth.
Well-matched, my ass.
For the first time, he felt truly stifled. He wanted to explain, but he had no idea how to. Just now, with the way they looked, even if he claimed they weren’t familiar, no one would believe him. In the end, he could only sullenly mutter a “No,” then walked off with a cold expression.
In his hand, the bamboo skewer of the candied hawthorn was nearly twisted apart from his grip.
Glancing again at the sugar-coated hawthorn, he realized it had been many years since he last ate anything this sickly sweet. Now, just looking at it made him frown. He wanted to casually toss it somewhere, but then he recalled Gu Wuyou’s departing figure—her eyes curved in a smile as she handed it to him.
“…So shameless.” He muttered under his breath.
In the end, he didn’t throw it away. He kept holding onto the candied hawthorn all the way, though Young Master Li’s expression remained rather dark the entire time.
—
Gu Wuyou finally made it out of the alley.
Thankfully, she had walked this road once earlier. Otherwise, with her awful sense of direction, she’d probably get lost again. She cheerfully made her way toward the alley entrance, her mood visibly good.
However, the coachman waiting outside was close to panicking.
He had no idea where Gu Wuyou had gone and didn’t know where to look for her. He had even been debating whether to return to the residence to gather more people for a search. Seeing Gu Wuyou finally emerge, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly approached. “Fifth Miss, where have you been?”
“Ah.”
Gu Wuyou looked at the coachman, who was so anxious that he had broken into a sweat despite the cold weather, and felt a little guilty. She had been so caught up in seeing the Great General earlier that she hadn’t noticed anything else, unintentionally making him worry. “Sorry, I just ran into a friend.”
Hearing this, the coachman’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
It wasn’t so much that she had run into someone on the way, but rather that sentence—”Sorry.”
The coachman, whose face had still been full of worry, was now completely stunned. He seemed unable to believe that he had just heard such words from a young lady who had always been lawless and unruly. After a moment, she hesitated and asked again, “Have you eaten?”
Still in a daze, he stammered, “Ate, I ate.”
“Then let’s go.” Gu Wuyou smiled, happily holding the candied hawthorn in her hand as she climbed into the carriage.
The coachman remained frozen for quite some time before finally getting on the carriage. Even then, he still seemed unable to process what had just happened.
Gu Wuyou had no idea what the coachman was thinking. She leaned against the carriage as it moved forward, the gentle rocking making the candied hawthorn in her hand sway slightly. The dappled light filtering through the half-open window illuminated the sugar-coated fruit, making it look as if she were holding a string of rubies.
Although the day hadn’t started particularly well, the ending was still quite good.
The young Great General might appear cold and fierce, and most of the time, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. But his heart was still as kind as before. Even though he disliked her, he had still helped her out of a difficult situation.
She liked the Great General more and more.
She just wondered if he would eat the candied hawthorn she gave him. As she chewed on her own, her cheeks puffed out, and she pondered the possibility.
By the time the carriage arrived at the academy, two full quarters of an hour had passed.
Although classes had not yet begun, most people had already arrived. Holding her unfinished candied hawthorn, Gu Wuyou spoke to the coachman, “You can head back now. No need to pick me up tonight, I’ll return with Second Sister.”
Having sobered up a little from the cold wind during the journey, the coachman still felt that this morning had been strangely surreal. However, he nodded in acknowledgment. Only when he saw Gu Wuyou enter the academy did he drive the carriage back toward the Duke of Ding’s residence.
Gu Wuyou walked into Pingshuo Hall, still holding her candied hawthorn.
The moment she stepped inside, the voices in the room fell silent. Everyone, whether sitting or standing, turned to look at her.
The most visibly agitated one was Gu Yu.
She had been sitting, but upon seeing Gu Wuyou enter, she immediately stood up and blurted out, “Where did you go so early in the morning?”
As soon as she spoke, not only Gu Wuyou but also Xiao Yi and the others turned their gazes toward her.
Gu Yu, however, did not notice Xiao Yi and the others looking at her. She kept her eyes fixed on Gu Wuyou.
Last night, she had returned home late. She had thought about it for a long time but ultimately chose not to seek out Gu Wuyou.
She had originally planned to greet their grandmother today, then go to the academy with Gu Wuyou and take the opportunity to say, “Sorry.”
But who would have thought? When she had gone to their grandmother’s place full of anticipation, she had found no sign of Gu Wuyou. After asking around, she learned that Gu Wuyou had gone out early in the morning, saying she was going to buy something.
Gu Wuyou always did whatever she wanted, and no one thought much of it.
Although Gu Yu was displeased, she had said nothing. She had simply decided to go to the academy early herself, hoping to catch Gu Wuyou before too many people arrived so she could talk to her.
She still didn’t like Gu Wuyou much, but saying “sorry” wasn’t impossible.
After all—
She had indeed done something wrong.
But who would have thought? Even after she arrived at the academy, there was still no sign of Gu Wuyou. She had anxiously sat in her chair, stretching her neck to look outside again and again. As one person after another arrived, she still didn’t see Gu Wuyou.
She had been on the verge of worrying that something had happened to her on the way.
Fortunately—
Just in time for class, she had finally arrived.
Gu Wuyou blinked, seemingly caught off guard. She hadn’t expected Gu Yu to speak to her in the academy.
In her past life, she and Gu Yu had grown quite close later on, but right now…
She had thought that Gu Yu wouldn’t want to interact with her in public.
So even if they ran into each other, she would be mindful and avoid disturbing Gu Yu’s time with her close friends.
It was strange, but—
Gu Wuyou quickly smiled. She curved her brows and eyes as she grinned at Gu Yu, “I went to buy something.”
This was the first time Gu Yu had ever seen Gu Wuyou smile at her like this. She was a bit surprised, and there was also an indescribable feeling stirring within her. Awkwardly, she wanted to apologize but felt that this time and place were far too embarrassing.
Just then, Miss Liu, who taught embroidery, walked in. Gu Yu pursed her lips and lowered her voice to say, “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Oh.”
Gu Wuyou nodded in confusion. Seeing that Gu Yu had sat down, she also returned to her seat.
She still hadn’t finished her candied hawthorn. In the past, she would have simply thrown it away if she couldn’t finish it. But this one had been bought for her by the Great General, so there was no way she’d waste it. She found a spot to stick it in, planning to eat the rest after class.
Miss Liu was a woman in her thirties who had once worked as an embroidery maid in the palace. After leaving the palace, she came to Luming Academy, and her embroidery skills were exceptional.
Yesterday, Gu Wuyou had been out of sorts and had no energy to learn anything, but today, she listened attentively.
She had a personal motive—the Great General’s birthday was around the New Year, and she wanted to make him a sachet, drying some plum blossoms to put inside, so their fragrance would linger.
Today, Miss Liu was teaching the first step of embroidery—sketching floral patterns. She allowed the students to freely design their patterns, then walked around the room to offer guidance.
When she reached her prized student, Xiao Yi, she smiled and said, “This magnolia is drawn very well. Have you decided on the stitching method?”
Xiao Yi replied gently, “For the outer petals, I plan to use the satin stitch, and for the inner stamen, the split stitch.”
Miss Liu nodded approvingly and continued down the room.
Along the way, she gave various students some pointers and encouragement, but Xiao Yi received the highest praise. No one found it surprising or unfair—aside from archery and horseback riding, Xiao Yi excelled in every subject.
But then—
“Huh?”
Miss Liu stopped beside Gu Wuyou and asked in surprise, “What kind of flower is this?”
The others turned to look.
Gu Wuyou had been focused on sketching, but upon hearing the question, she lifted her head and smiled sweetly at Miss Liu. “This is a pine camellia, a type of tea flower. It’s different from the usual Eighteen Scholars, as these flowers mostly grow along mountain paths and in the wild. The stamens inside are edible and taste wonderfully sweet.”
She spoke gently, her voice sweet, her expression lively.
Miss Liu had initially been somewhat displeased with this notoriously unruly transfer student, but hearing this, she smiled. “That’s quite rare. I’ve never seen such a tea flower before.”
Gu Wuyou hadn’t seen it before either.
She had only discovered it during a brief stay at a countryside manor with Li Qinyuan. Later, when she learned that he liked camellias, she often embroidered this type of flower on his clothes and sachets.
Miss Liu asked again, “Have you decided on a stitching method?”
Gu Wuyou nodded and casually listed a few techniques, each one precisely correct.
This made Miss Liu believe that this new student truly did know embroidery. Though she wasn’t sure how skilled her actual stitching was, at the very least, she had a keen mind and solid fundamentals. Pleased, she nodded and gave her a generous compliment.
At that moment, the expressions in the room subtly changed.
Gu Wuyou had long been known for being uneducated and undisciplined, so no one had ever taken her seriously. But now, seeing that even the notoriously strict Madam Liu was praising her, everyone started to rethink their assumptions.
Especially Xiao Yi—the smile that had been on her face earlier completely vanished.
Her delicate fingers tightly gripped the special pen used for floral sketching. The usually gentle and refined expression on her face turned dark. It wasn’t until she heard faint murmurs around her that she suddenly snapped back to reality, quickly adjusting her expression and resuming her work.
But Gu Wuyou couldn’t care less about their reactions.
As long as she thought about how this piece was for Li Qinyuan, she couldn’t wait to make it perfect. So, as soon as Miss Liu moved on, she focused seriously on sketching her floral design.
—
At the same time, in Buzhi Hall—
By the time Li Qinyuan arrived at the academy, class had already started. The first period was Mathematics with Mr. Pan, a notoriously short-tempered instructor.
Seeing Li Qinyuan arrive late, striding in nonchalantly, Mr. Pan’s face darkened immediately.
His first words were a scolding—”So you still know to come to class? Which academy resident behaves like you, strolling in at the very last minute every day?”
Li Qinyuan let out a lazy “Mm,” still carrying his usual indifferent attitude. “The academy’s food is terrible. I went out to eat,” he replied, casually offering an explanation for his lateness.
In truth, he hadn’t slept well and was still drowsy. His plan was simple—get to his seat, lay his head down, and take a nap.
His explanation only made things worse.
Mr. Pan, already irritable, slammed his teaching rod onto the desk with a loud snap. “This is an academy, a place for learning and self-improvement! If even one of you noble sons could be half as diligent as those in Changrong Hall, I wouldn’t have to work this hard!”
At those words, murmurs rippled through the students. There was clear discontent, but no one dared argue with him.
Then, Mr. Pan’s gaze landed on Li Qinyuan—who was still holding a stick of candied hawthorn.
A student carrying food in the classroom? Utterly disgraceful! What a complete and utter fop!
Mr. Pan, who never had much patience for undisciplined students, grew even angrier at the sight. “If you don’t want to attend class, then leave! Don’t disturb the rest of us!”
Normally, Li Qinyuan considered himself a patient man—at least, in most cases, he preferred to ignore people rather than argue.
But when he was sleep-deprived and someone kept nagging in his ear, his patience was considerably thinner.
He was only a few steps away from his desk when he heard those words. Suddenly, he stopped and chuckled.
Before Qi Xu and the others could speak up, he turned his head toward Mr. Pan, lips curving into a smirk. “Your words, not mine.”
Mr. Pan frowned. “What?”
“I’m leaving.”
With that, Li Qinyuan turned and walked out.
As expected, the moment he stepped out, the sharp sound of a teaching rod smacking against a desk echoed from inside.
He laughed softly and looked down at the candied hawthorn still in his hand, frowning at it again.
Just then, a young servant happened to pass by. For some reason, Li Qinyuan suddenly called out, “You—come here.”
The servant, terrified of him, hurried over with a pale face. “L-Lord Li, what do you need?”
Li Qinyuan studied him for a moment.
Seeing how the boy trembled in fear, he suddenly thought to himself—So my reputation still holds power.
So then, why is that girl the only one completely unafraid of me?