Chapter 1: A single glance can captivate a city, and a second glance can captivate an entire nation.

The raindrops struck the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window, producing faint “pitter-patter” sounds. They left behind elliptical water marks. Before one mark had time to spread, another ellipse overlapped it. The ellipses multiplied, becoming denser and denser, until trails of water began streaming down the glass, sliding down...sliding down...

My mother’s dressing table was right beneath the window. I’ve heard she adored the rain. I couldn’t recall her appearance, nor had I ever seen any photographs of her. But many elders said I resembled her, so I often gazed into the mirror. I was quite beautiful, but merely pretty—this prettiness only stemmed from having a supremely beautiful mother. Everyone described my mother not as pretty, but as beautiful. When Uncle Lei mentioned my mother to me, he said, “A single glance can captivate a city, and a second glance can captivate an entire nation. Understand?”

I didn’t think he exaggerated, because casually asking around among family friends, most would praise her with overflowing words, “Madam Third Son? A true beauty, a genuine beauty...”

Oh, I forgot to mention, Third Son was my father’s nickname when he was young. He could ride horses leaning against slanted bridges, attracting ladies waving their red sleeves. He could also become enraged enough to startle lords. I’ve heard many of his legendary tales, but never once did anyone tell me the story between him and my mother; he himself never brought it up either. I don’t believe it was because it was too mundane. On the contrary, how could there not be an extraordinary legend involving a beauty like my mother and a character like my father? I refused to believe it! Elders often said that I looked like my mother on the outside, but my personality strongly resembled my father’s. I admit, my temper is impatient, and I get angry easily, much like my quick-tempered father. Whenever I mentioned my mother, my father would either explode in anger or turn away, which made me even more convinced there was a secret story. I longed to uncover this mystery, constantly searching and seeking. I refused to believe there wasn’t a single word or phrase to testify to this story.

It was a drizzly, melancholic dusk when I was searching for books in the large study. Sitting atop the ladder, browsing through those thread-bound ancient texts, I unintentionally opened a scroll, and a thin piece of paper fluttered down like a delicate butterfly, landing on the floor. I initially thought it was a bookmark, but upon picking it up, I realized it was a plain note with just a few words:

“Mu Lan: Forgive me for not being able to see you. After our last meeting, he became extremely furious—it was truly terrifying. He doesn’t trust me anymore; he says he will never trust me again. I am utterly desperate.” The handwriting was delicate and frail—I had never seen such handwriting before. I stood there in a daze for a long while before flipping over the book. It turned out to be a volume of Song Lyrics , and the page where the plain note was tucked contained an anonymous poem titled “Nine Looms.” “On the eighth loom, who knows whose poem this palindromic verse belongs to? Woven into a tapestry of desolation, reading line by line, weary and silent, unable to bear further contemplation.” Beside this stanza, in the same frail handwriting, was a small annotation: “Unable to bear further contemplation. Though one might spend a fortune to buy Sima Xiangru’s prose, how could one hope for a glance back?” I hesitated, thinking that this handwriting did not belong to Grandma or my two aunts, so who could have written it? Who would write on the books in the study? Could it be Mother?

I inherited my father’s impulsive nature and immediately began investigating this Mu Lan. I called Uncle Lei, and hearing my voice, he laughed, “Young Miss, what is it this time? Don’t tell me it’s something like finding a lost contact again.”

I smiled and said, “Uncle Lei, this time I really need your help to find someone.”

Uncle Lei sighed, “Who has the guts to hide from you? Leave it to me to drag them out and apologize to the Young Miss!”

His humor made me laugh, “Uncle Lei, this time it’s more complicated. All I know is her name, Mu Lan—whether it’s her surname or first name, I’m unclear. I also don’t know her age, what she looks like, whether she’s alive or dead. Uncle Lei, please, you must find a way to locate her.”

Uncle Lei fell silent. After a long pause, he suddenly asked, “Why are you looking for her? Does your father know?”

I keenly sensed caution in his words. Was there some obstacle here, perhaps set by my father? I asked, “What does this have to do with Father?”

Uncle Lei remained quiet for a long time before saying, “Nuan Nuan, Mu Lan is dead, long dead. She was also in that car…”

I was stunned, dumbfounded, and blankly asked, “She was in that car…with Mother…”

Uncle Lei replied, “Yes, she was your mother’s close friend. That day, she accompanied your mother.”

The sole lead was broken again. I don’t remember how I hung up the phone; I only sat there in a daze. She died? Perished with Mother? She was Mother’s good friend, coincidentally accompanying her that day…

I must have sat there for a very long time because I didn’t notice when Father came back or when it got dark. It was Ah Zhu who called me for dinner, snapping me out of my reverie. I hurried downstairs to the dining room.

Several guests had arrived, including Uncle Lei, chatting animatedly with Father in the living room. Father had reviewed troops at Pumen today, so he was dressed in full military uniform. In his uniform, Father appeared exceptionally heroic, more so than in his Western suits. Even though he was older now, with slightly gray hair at his temples, he still exuded a formidable presence.

Father’s gaze was always cold and direct. Getting straight to the point, he said, “Just now, Uncle Lei mentioned that you were inquiring about Mu Lan.” Being betrayed so quickly was expected; I glanced at Uncle Lei, who gave me an apologetic smile. I tried to come up with an excuse but failed, so I frankly looked at Father and said, “I heard she was Mother’s good friend and wanted to find out more, but Uncle Lei said she passed away.”

Father stared at me with his sharp eyes for a full ten seconds, during which I dared not breathe.

Finally, he said, “How many times have I told you not to bother your uncles with trivial matters? They deal with important affairs, understand?”

I murmured, “Mm,” and Uncle Lei quickly changed the subject to bail me out, “Sir, I’ve checked the house at Qinghu. There are quite a few places needing repairs. We should probably hurry with the work before the rainy season begins.”

Father said, “Oh, leave it to Little Xu to handle. Let’s eat first.” He turned towards the dining room, and I stuck my tongue out at Uncle Lei. Smiling, he said, “Does the cat leave, and the little mouse starts causing trouble again?” I raised an eyebrow, and the other uncles silently chuckled. I followed Uncle Lei into the dining room, where the kitchen had already started serving appetizers.

During the meal, Father and the uncles kept discussing their affairs while I quietly ate my food. Father seemed to be in a bad mood, but I was used to it. He was perpetually in a foul mood, rarely smiling, just like Grandfather used to be. Grandfather was always preoccupied—making phone calls, losing his temper, scolding people…

But Grandfather loved me dearly. I was handed over to Grandmother soon after I was born and grew up in the Shuangqiao official residence. Every time Grandfather slammed the table in anger, the dejected uncles would find ways to take me into the study. Seeing me, Grandfather would take me for walks in the garden, showing me his orchids.

As I grew older, Grandfather’s temper worsened, but every time he saw me, he was still happy. He would put aside whatever he was doing, order chocolate for me, and ask me to recite poems to him. Sometimes, he took me out to play. The Qinghu Official Residence by Scenic River, the Fenggang Official Residence by the sea, and the Ruishou Official Residence were places he frequently took me to. His affection for me was different from Grandmother’s. Grandmother loved me by teaching me etiquette, hiring teachers to teach me music and academics. Grandfather’s love was pure indulgence; whatever I wanted, he gave me. Once, while he was taking a nap, I sneaked in, stood on a chair, grabbed his brush from his desk, and drew the character “King” on his forehead. When he woke up, he threw a huge tantrum, severely reprimanded the chief attendant, and ordered me to be taken to the study. I thought he would hit me, so I burst into tears. To my surprise, he didn’t scold me but instead had chocolate fetched to comfort me. At that time, I was losing my baby teeth, and Grandmother forbade me from eating candy. I stopped crying immediately because I knew that whatever Grandfather gave me, no one, not even Grandmother, would dare stop me from having. I said, “Being a grandfather is great; everyone fears you, and you can do whatever you want.”

Grandfather burst out laughing, picked me up, kissed me, and called me “Silly Nuan Nuan.”

However, when I was six years old, Grandfather fell seriously ill. He was so sick that they had to send him to the hospital, and the household was in chaos as if it were the end of the world. Grandmother and aunts were all crying, and I was taken by the nanny to visit Grandfather in the hospital every day. It was in Grandfather’s hospital room that I consciously met Father for the first time.

He had just returned from abroad, and Grandmother told me to call him Father. I remained silent like a closed-mouth gourd. Father scrutinized me, frowned, and said, “How did you grow so tall?”

Grandmother said, “He’s six years old. Of course, he’s this tall.”

I could tell that Father disliked me from that moment. Later, after Grandfather passed away, I was sent back to Father’s side. He stopped traveling abroad, but I still rarely saw him. He was very busy, hardly coming home, and even when he did, I seldom encountered him.

The next year, he remarried, and instinctively, I resented it. I stubbornly refused to attend his wedding, which infuriated him so much that he spanked me for the first time, dragging me onto his lap to beat my bottom. Because of this punishment, my resentment toward her grew significantly.

At first, I think she tried to win me over by buying me lots of toys and new clothes. I threw the toys and clothes out the window and secretly went into her room to cut up all her beautiful cheongsams with scissors. She angrily told Father, resulting in another beating for me.

I remember the scene vividly. I stood in the center of the room, without shedding a single tear. I held my head high, with a straight back and tightly clenched fists, clearly cursing her: “You witch! You evil queen! My mother will be watching you from heaven! You will be struck dead by lightning!”

She was livid, and Father’s expression changed. From then on, Father rarely intervened in our disputes. Eventually, Father and she had a falling out, always opposing each other, and instead, he consistently sided with me.

Yet, deep down, Father still disliked me. He would lose his temper within three sentences whenever we spoke. Like tonight, since his mood wasn’t great, I pretended to be mute and didn’t interrupt. After dinner, he and the uncles sat in the small living room drinking tea and chatting casually. Suddenly, Uncle Wang remembered something and said, “Sir, there was an amusing incident today.”

Father asked, “What amusing incident?”

He said, “Today, the promotion list for the Second Fleet was submitted. While they were reviewing it, they saw a photo and were shocked. Coincidentally, I passed by, and they pulled me over to look. I was also surprised, thinking someone was joking by mixing in one of your old photos from when you were young to fool us—I was your aide-de-camp, and that photo bore a striking resemblance to your younger self.”

Uncle Li laughed, “That similar? I find it hard to believe.”

Uncle Wang said, “Several people said it looked alike, except Ji Lai, who said it didn’t. He examined it for a long time before saying, ‘Where does it resemble sir? I think it resembles Mr. Murong Feng.’ Everyone burst out laughing.”

Father also laughed, “Only Ji Lai loves to argue. If you say it looks like me, he absolutely won’t agree and must contradict you. Perhaps it indeed looks so similar that he couldn’t deny it, so he had to say it wasn’t like me but like my father—who, by the way, I don’t resemble, right?”

The uncles all laughed. Uncle Chen said, “There are many coincidences in this world. Last time, while we were researching materials, we found a photo that everyone agreed resembled me. Old He said, ‘Ho! Old Chen, quickly reflect on your youthful romantic debts, think carefully if you knew the person’s mother, maybe you’ll gain an unexpected son in your old age.’ They teased me about it for three or four days before letting it go.”

Father’s mood gradually improved. Pretending to ponder deeply, he said, “Oh? Then shouldn’t I reminisce about whether I knew the person’s mother?” The uncles all laughed, and I secretly chuckled with my head lowered. Uncle Wang casually remarked, “If you really knew the person’s mother, give me a heads-up. I want to flatter the Prince early—he’s promoted from lieutenant to captain this time—I’ll tell them, ‘Why promote to captain? Hand over the form, I’ll fill in General for him!’”

Father laughed heartily, “Nonsense!”

Uncle Wang rummaged through his briefcase, smiling, “I brought the person’s file for you to see.” He took out a dossier, handing it to Father with both hands, “Take a look, isn’t it very similar?”

Father’s eyesight was somewhat impaired, so he held it far away to see clearly. I took the opportunity to peek as well. Not just Father, even I was startled. There were plenty of photos of Father when he was young at home; if this one were mixed in, I bet even Auntie wouldn’t be able to tell the difference at a glance. He had the same thick eyebrows as Father, deeply recessed yet bright eyes, and the straight nose characteristic of the Murong family. Even I, who inherited my appearance entirely from Mother, remarkably resembled Father in the nose.

If one observed very carefully, the differences were that his lips weren’t exactly like Father’s. Father’s lips were thin, whereas his were slightly fuller. Also, Father had a square face, and so did he, though his chin was a bit sharper than Father’s. Still—he was a handsome young man!

Father was genuinely surprised and said after a while, “It does resemble! Truly resembles.” He examined it closely, studying it, “When I was his age, I was also in the military, although at that time, the military uniform was still the old style. If he wore that old-style uniform, the resemblance would be uncanny!”

Uncle Lei smiled and said, “Your rank in the military was higher than his—I remember the last promotion was to Lieutenant General.”

Father asked, “How old is this person?”

Uncle Wang said, “Twenty-three. He returned from the U.S. Naval War College last year.”

Father said, “Young people these days are remarkable. Back in our time, we could never rise so quickly. I took a shortcut, advancing six ranks in ten years, and people still talked behind our backs.” As he spoke, he casually flipped a page of the dossier, straining to read the small print, “Hmm, born on July 7th…”

Father closed the dossier and handed it back to Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang continued joking, “That’s it, looks like there’s no chance. I was hoping you really knew the person’s mother.”

Father smiled briefly. The uncles resumed their banter, telling many other stories to amuse Father. Father was unusually cheerful tonight, listening to their rambling discussions and occasionally interjecting a question or two. They chatted for a long time until I grew sleepy. Only then did they bid farewell. Father stood up to see them off, and they repeatedly said, “We wouldn’t dare trouble you.” Father stopped walking, watching them file out one by one. I was tired and wanted to wish Father goodnight before going upstairs to sleep, but at that moment, Father called out to Uncle Lei, who was the last to leave, “Shaogong, I have something to discuss with you.”

Hearing Father call Uncle Lei by his name amused me. Uncle Lei was originally his aide-de-camp, so Father was used to calling him by name. Today, Uncle Lei held a high position and his temples were streaked with gray, but when Father called him, he instinctively straightened his posture like a conditioned reflex, replying, “Yes.”

Still using the deferential tone of an aide-de-camp, it amused me even more. Somehow, I stayed hidden behind the corner of the wall, planning to wait until they finished talking before wishing Father goodnight.

Father remained silent for a long time. I wondered why—if he had something to discuss with Uncle Lei, why was he quiet?

Uncle Lei finally spoke; although his voice was low, I could still hear—”Sir…what a coincidence…why is it a July 7th birthday?”

My heart pounded fiercely. What was he saying? What did this abrupt statement mean?

Father still didn’t respond. Uncle Lei said, “Shall I have someone investigate?”

My heart drummed like crazy. Oh! What were they talking about?!

Father finally spoke, “Didn’t that child die at the age of three?”

Uncle Lei said, “Yes. I personally watched over him…”

My ears buzzed as if an entire squadron of planes was landing, their roaring noise making my vision blur. I sucked in cool air through my clenched teeth. Oh! Heaven! What had I just heard? A secret?! An earth-shattering secret! A secret buried for many years!

I forced myself to calm down, but I had missed several sentences already. I only heard Uncle Lei continuously responding, “Yes! Yes!…”

I strained to focus and heard Father sigh softly. I heard him say, “The resemblance is striking, especially that pointed chin—it’s just like his mother’s…”

I bit down hard on my palm, trying desperately to control my breathing. Heaven! Father really had an “acquaintance” from the past! Heaven! That handsome captain officer might actually be Father’s son!

Uncle Lei said, “Rest assured, I’ll send someone to investigate immediately.”

Father’s voice was pained, “Back then, his mother…”

Heavens!

Who was this acquaintance from his past?

Thunderclaps rolled over my head one after another. I felt dizzy and disoriented, completely astounded by this secret!

Uncle Lei consoled him, “Don’t think too much about it. I’ll go investigate.”

After Uncle Lei left, I tiptoed toward the stairs, sprinted back to my room, and collapsed on the bed!

Oh! Heaven! How could such a secret exist?! How could such a person exist?!

I didn’t know when I fell asleep, tossing and turning all night, plagued by nightmares. I broke out in cold sweat, soaking my pajamas. When I woke up from the nightmare, it was already morning. I got up to take a shower. The hot water sprayed on my body and face, bringing clarity and resolve. I told myself, “I must do something! I must take action! They’re investigating; I need to uncover the truth I want to know! I must find out the truth of the matter!”

I am a person of action. After taking a bath, I changed into clothes suitable for going out and told Director Liang that I was going to visit Grandpa Mu. He didn’t suspect a thing and arranged a car and an escort to send me off. Mu Shiyang, Grandpa Mu’s grandson, had been my playmate since childhood and was also a resourceful person. When I met him, I quietly told him, “I want to go play at Fu River.”

He said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.” I subtly pointed to the attendants nearby and whispered, “I don’t want any tails.” He laughed. We had done this kind of thing a few times before—shaking off our escorts to sneak out for late-night snacks. He was Uncle Lei’s nephew, and Uncle Lei was the head of the attendant office. Moreover, Father liked Mu Shiyang very much, so the attendants always covered for us as long as we didn’t go too far. They would turn a blind eye, pretending not to know.

He said, “I have a plan.”

And he really did. He told the attendants we were going upstairs to his room to play chess, then pulled me up there and instructed the servants on how to handle the attendants’ later questioning. Then we slipped down the servants’ staircase, crossed the garden, and sneaked into the garage. He personally drove his off-road jeep and stealthily whisked us out of the Mu family’s gate.

Hooray for the air of freedom! I wanted to shout it out loud. We sped down the highway without any hindrance. It took us just over two hours to reach Fu River. As he was about to drive into the city, I said, “I want to go to Wanshan.”

He was startled and said, “To Wanshan? It’s too late; I’m afraid we won’t make it back today.”

I insisted, “I want to go to Wanshan!”

He replied, “No. If we can’t get back today, Grandpa will scold me to death.”

I said, “If you don’t take me, I’ll never talk to you again! I mean it!”

He sighed. I knew he would give in. Sure enough, he said dejectedly, “Alright, you win.”

We continued along the road until we finally reached Wanshan. He asked, “Where do you want to go in Wanshan?”

I said, “The Second Fleet Base.”

He was shocked and turned to look at me. “What are you going there for?”

“You don’t need to know!”

He said, “You can’t get into the base. It’s a military restricted area; no unauthorized personnel allowed.”

I took out my special pass from my handbag and waved it. “With this, I can even get into the Shuangqiao official residence. Surely it can’t be more secure than that.”

He stared at me as if I were a monster. Finally, he said, “You really have nothing better to do!” Then he turned the car around. I panicked and shouted, “What are you doing?”

He said, “Taking you back to Wuchi! You’re clearly losing your mind, not knowing what you’re doing!”

I spoke slowly and firmly, “I’m not losing my mind, and I know exactly what I’m doing. If you don’t want to accompany me, you can just go back by yourself.”

He snorted, “What are you going to do alone at a military base? If I don’t drag you back right now, then I must be the one losing my mind!”

I said, “If you drag me back now, I really will never talk to you again!”

He scrutinized me, trying to gauge how serious I was. I glared at him, and he finally gave in, muttering, “Grandpa will skin me alive… and so will Uncle. Oh heavens!”

I said, “I’ll plead for you.”

He gave me a sidelong glance and said insincerely, “Well, thank you in advance.”

We turned the car around again. Not knowing the way, we asked for directions as we went, and by the time it was almost dark, we arrived outside the base. The naval port at dusk was breathtakingly beautiful. Through the wire fence, the sky was filled with rose-purple twilight, the colors becoming deeper closer to the horizon—where the sea meets the sky, it turned a solemn blackish-red, faintly tinged with a layer of purple haze, and the seawater shimmered a deep blue-purple, the waves forming graceful arcs. In the crescent-shaped bay, warships were neatly docked side by side, like a group of sleeping children.

Mu Shiyang negotiated with the guards at the gate. He always had his ways, as I knew. He showed them our passes, and the guards finally let us through. He drove the car into the base and turned to ask me, “Now you should tell me what you want to do.”

I said, “I’ll get out, and you go back.”

He slammed on the brakes so hard that if I hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, my head would’ve hit the roof. I glared at him. “What’s wrong with your driving?” He said, “Are you crazy? If I leave you here by yourself and go back, then I must be crazy too.”

I pouted. “Whatever I do next, I don’t want anyone to know about it.” He said, “If you want to stay behind alone, I swear, I’ll drag you back even if you ignore me for the rest of your life! Even if it means dragging you all the way back to Wuchi!”

I’d never seen him so angry. I hesitated and said, “Alright. I’m looking for someone. If you want to follow, then follow.” He asked, “Who are you looking for?” I said miserably, “That’s the hard part—I don’t know.”

He looked at me as if I were some strange creature. Slowly, he said, “People say girls change a lot as they grow older, becoming more beautiful, but you’re becoming more and more like a monster!”

I glared at him fiercely and said, “I don’t know his name, but I know he’s 23 years old, a captain, born on July 7th, and…” I swallowed. “…very handsome!”

“Handsome?” He mused. “Have you seen him?”

“No,” I admitted. “I only saw his photo at Father’s place.”

He fell into thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed as if he had figured it out: “Oh! I get it! You fell in love with his photo and came here to see him in person!” He smugly concluded, “Such a childish girl!”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes, you’re so clever, you guessed it all! But you’re wrong this time. Father showed me the photo—he’s arranging a marriage for me!”

He burst out laughing. “A marriage arrangement? For you? How old are you? Little miss, your lies need to be believable to fool anyone.” I argued confidently, “How is it unbelievable? My eldest aunt married at 19, my younger aunt at 18. My grandmother married my grandfather when she was only 17. All the girls in our family marry young. I’m already 17. Why can’t Father arrange a match for me?”

He was speechless for a while, then finally asked, “That captain—is he good-looking?”

I lifted my chin proudly. “Of course! Better-looking than any boy I’ve ever seen.” He scoffed, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!” I said, “Fine, maybe you’re right.” I pushed open the car door and got out, and he quickly followed. The sea breeze was strong, blowing my hair into disarray. I bit my lip and said, “But how do I find someone whose name I don’t even know?”

He gave me another sidelong glance and said, “Beg me. If you beg me, I’ll think of a way to find your sweetheart.”

I cheerfully said, “Alright, I beg you.” He didn’t expect me to be so straightforward and was momentarily stunned. “Give me some time to figure it out,” he said. I mocked him sarcastically, “So full of yourself. Ha! Looks like you’re out of ideas this time!” He snapped, “Who says I’m out of ideas?!”

True to his word, he had a plan. He made a few phone calls and then told me, “Let’s go! There’s only one person in the Second Fleet born on July 7th. His name is Zhuo Zheng, and he lives at Room 207, Building D, Ren District.”

I jumped with joy. “Mu Shiyang, you’re such a great person!” He shrugged and looked around. “Ren District… it should be over there…”

We found Ren District, located Building D, and went upstairs. We stood in front of Room 207. My heart was pounding, my breathing quickened, and I grabbed Mu Shiyang’s hand, feeling a bit nervous. He smiled at me. “What are you afraid of? Isn’t he supposed to be handsome?” I glared at him, but my tension eased unconsciously. I said, “Can you knock on the door for me?”

He shrugged again and knocked. No one answered. He knocked again, still no response.

I was utterly disappointed and pounded on the door a few times. The neighbor’s door opened, and a young officer peeked out. “Are you looking for Zhuo Zheng?” I asked, “Isn’t he home?” He said, “He just left.” I asked, disappointed, “Where did he go?” He sized us up and asked, “Who are you…?”

Mu Shiyang flashed his work ID. “Shuangqiao Official Residence Office.” The officer was surprised. “Did something happen to Zhuo Zheng?” Mu Shiyang said, “No, we just need to talk to him about some minor official business.” He glanced at me and deliberately added, “It’s good news.”

Without hesitation, the officer said, “He was just called to meet the commanding officer.” We thanked him and went downstairs. Standing outside, Mu Shiyang looked at me and asked, “Should we wait here for him, or go find him? Personally, I think we should hurry back, or we won’t make it back to Wuchi tonight.” Without hesitation, I said, “We must wait. I absolutely have to see him.”

He said, “I’ve known you for seventeen years, but I understand you less and less. One day, you’ll turn into a little monster!”

I didn’t feel like explaining to him, nor did I want to. We sat in the car and waited. Gradually, the sky darkened, the twilight fading into a black velvet curtain dotted with mischievous stars. The phone in Mu Shiyang’s car rang—it was the attendant office. They sounded frantic. “Mr. Mu, are you with Miss Nuan?”

He glanced at me and said, “Of course I’m with her.” The attendants seemed to breathe a sigh of relief but remained extremely uneasy. “Where are you now?” Mu Shiyang chuckled. “You’re just noticing that Miss Nuan is missing? Be careful, or Director Liang will dock your pay.” The attendants relaxed further, thinking we were just hiding and playing tricks on them. They said, “Mr. Mu, stop scaring us. Miss Nuan should come home now.” I took the phone and said, “Come find me if you can. Once you do, I’ll go home.” Before they could say anything else, I hung up.

Mu Shiyang said, “You’ll get both of us killed.”

I knew it. If the attendants couldn’t find us by midnight, it would be utter chaos. I was terrified inside but tried to reassure him casually, “It’s fine. At worst, Uncle Lei will scold you, and Father will scold me.” He said, “I’m not that optimistic. I think—I might lose half my life over this.”

I joked, “At least I’ll keep you company. Besides, dying under the peony flower, even as a ghost, is romantic.” He burst out laughing, sizing me up with sarcasm. “Dying under the peony flower, sure—but you’re at most a clump of dogtail grass!” I shot him a glare. “You’re only fit to die under dogtail grass!” We bickered, but in reality, we were comforting each other. Night fell completely, but Zhuo Zheng was still nowhere to be seen. I started to grow anxious. Mu Shiyang understood my thoughts and wanted to fulfill my wish quickly so we could return to Wuchi. He asked, “Should we go find him?” I asked, “How?”

He said, “We’ll go straight to Commander Fan. Maybe Zhuo Zheng is with him. Even if he isn’t, getting him involved will surely help us find Zhuo Zheng quickly.”

I exclaimed, “No! Commander Fan might have seen me before, and he definitely knows you. If he finds out I ran away secretly, he’ll definitely send us back.”

Mu Shiyang said, “It doesn’t matter if he knows me. As for you, he’s probably only met you once or twice. If we go to him, he might not recognize you. Since the attendant office hasn’t made a big fuss yet, we should act fast.”

Waiting indefinitely wasn’t a solution either, so I agreed. Just as we stepped onto the stairs, a young officer passed by us. Mu Shiyang spotted his insignia and blurted out, “Zhuo Zheng.” The man turned around, looking at us with confusion. My heart raced wildly. Those eyes were so familiar—Father’s eyes! Though the gaze and age were different, they were the same. Mu Shiyang was also momentarily stunned, but he quickly recovered and asked, “Excuse me, are you Zhuo Zheng?” The man raised an eyebrow. Goodness! Even that small gesture of doubt was identical to Father’s. I gasped and heard him say, “I am.” Mu Shiyang took out his work ID again. “We’d like to talk to you.”

He glanced at the ID and said, “Is this about some official matter?” Mu Shiyang seemed to grow suspicious and said, “Mr. Zhuo, you look very familiar. Have we met before?” Zhuo Zheng smiled. “Many people say I have a familiar face. I guess I have a common face.”

A common face? No! That’s not true! Father’s photos were everywhere, so naturally, people found him familiar. Mu Shiyang shook his head. “No, I must have met you.” I wanted to stop him from pursuing this line of thought, but I couldn’t find the words to interrupt. My mind was a mess, threatening to shut down. Meanwhile, Zhuo Zheng was also studying me, his expression slightly puzzled. He asked, “Miss, may I ask your surname?”

I hastily replied, “I’m surnamed Mu.” Mu Shiyang smiled, and I glared at him, letting him have this small victory. There was no helping it. Zhuo Zheng coughed lightly and asked, “What is this official matter about?” Mu Shiyang looked at me. I was tongue-tied, unsure of what to say.

Finally, I asked, “Mr. Zhuo, what… what do your parents do?” Both Mu Shiyang and Zhuo Zheng looked at me in surprise. I must have sounded like a census taker. But… how else could I phrase it? Zhuo Zheng, though confused, still answered, “I’m an orphan. My adoptive mother was a primary school teacher.”

An orphan? I was baffled. “Are you originally surnamed Zhuo?” He said, “That’s my adoptive mother’s surname.” I looked at his face, so similar to Father’s, and suddenly felt timid. I said, “Thank you.” Then I turned to Mu Shiyang. “Let’s go.”

My sudden change bewildered Mu Shiyang. I’m sure he was mentally calling me a little monster again. Zhuo Zheng was also perplexed—he had probably never encountered someone conducting official business like this. He asked Mu Shiyang, “Do you have anything else?” Mu Shiyang was still lost in thought. Hearing the question, he blurted out, “Yes,” and took a step back before realizing what he’d said. His face turned ghostly pale, as if he had frightened himself. He looked at Zhuo Zheng in confusion, and Zhuo Zheng returned the puzzled gaze. I quickly pulled Mu Shiyang. “Let’s go.”

I dragged him away and quickly bid farewell. Even after getting into the car, he was still deeply confused. “How strange! What’s wrong with me? Am I seeing ghosts? This isn’t the office, and he’s not Mr.….” Suddenly, he jumped up. “Heavens!” He stared at me wide-eyed, and I stared back.

His face turned ashen! He had finally figured out why Zhuo Zheng looked familiar! I thought he had realized it. Sure enough, he muttered to himself, “No wonder… no wonder my heart raced when I first saw him, I felt guilty when he frowned, and flustered when he asked questions…” He looked at me in disbelief. “Could it be that I….”

Honestly, when I saw Zhuo Zheng frown earlier, my heart had also raced. When he put on a stern face, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Father.

He asked, “Is this the person you said was very… handsome?”

I nodded. He let out a long sigh. “You’ve really tricked me!” Immediately, he thought of something. “Why are you looking for him?” He was incredibly smart and figured it out instantly. His face changed drastically. “He… he….”

I had known him for seventeen years, but this was the first time I had seen him at a loss for words. Among our family’s acquaintances, he was renowned for his grace and insight, hailed as the leader of the “Four Gentlemen of Wuchi.” His family was also famous for its aristocratic bearing, priding itself on maintaining composure even if Mount Tai were to collapse before them. Yet here he was, stunned like this.

He sucked in a breath of cold air and said, “Nuan Nuan, you’ll really get me killed this time.” Getting involved in my family’s private affairs was extremely unwise, especially in a matter like this. He must have thought of my father and sighed deeply.

I defended myself, saying, “I wanted to come find him alone, but you insisted on following me.”

He didn’t speak, and I thought he was angry. I grew a little scared and said, “Sorry.” He shook his head and returned to his usual composed self. He ruffled my hair and said, “Never mind, we’re already here. We need to figure out a way to cover this up.”