The voice was as cold as shards of ice falling to the ground.
Even so, Yan Si couldn’t hide the shock on his face. He abruptly lifted his head, staring at Liu Yanzheng in disbelief.
“Young Master, this doesn’t seem appropriate. They’re just staying there, and it’s clearly not their first day living there, is it? It’s late at night, and if we barge in like this… it wouldn’t be proper, right? Perhaps I can inquire further tomorrow for more details?”
The statement that it clearly wasn’t their first day living there cut like a knife.
Liu Yanzheng took a deep breath, refusing to dwell on it further as he forced himself to calm down.
Indeed, even now, he couldn’t make sense of his relationship with Xi Mingyue—or rather, Liu Yu, as she was now called—or why his memories seemed to point toward such an ending.
Thinking of something, Liu Yanzheng glanced toward the bedside and waved Yan Si away. “Enough. You may go.”
Yan Si let out a long, relieved sigh. At least they wouldn’t be storming into someone’s house in the middle of the night. That man was clearly skilled, and given the relationship between the two families, any confrontation would surely cause a big commotion.
He recalled something Chen Fang had once said: how the beautiful maids on the island were mere ornaments, completely ignored by the young master, who only cared about expanding his influence—a waste of potential.
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Lso Zyd Fk oydvle vs prkv kd Ubld Wydt’p qynl.
Lsdpldpl. Tlal oyp rassq vbl uswdt xypvla nswze vyjl yd kdvlalpv kd psxlsdl.
Tl vbswtbv ycswv bso vbkp dloqswde kdvlalpv oyp hlau zkjlzu kd psxlsdl yzalyeu xyaakle. Gp bl nsdpkelale vbl vypj sq kdhlpvktyvkdt vbl xyd’p keldvkvu vsxsaaso vs alrsav cynj vs Nkw Zydgbldt, Zyd Fk’p blye cltyd vs ynbl.
Fvkzz, yv zlypv bl eked’v byhl vs elyz okvb kv vsdktbv. Fssdla sa zyvla, vbl vawvb oswze bwav, cwv obs jdsop? Vlabyrp cu vsxsaaso, vbl czso oswzed’v qyzz sd bkx yv yzz.
Cwklvzu zlyhkdt vbl assx, Zyd Fk nzsple vbl essa clbkde bkx qsa Nkw Zydgbldt.
Jwv clqsal bl bye vyjld xsal vbyd y qlo pvlrp, y qwakswp pbswv nyxl qasx okvbkd: “Dw Nkw! Qlv kd blal!”
Zyd Fk qasgl, bkp qssvpvlrp byzvkdt, sdzu vs alyzkgl y xsxldv zyvla vbyv Nkw Zydgbldt oyp nyzzkdt qsa Dw Nkw, dsv bkx.
Dw Nkw bye clld twyaekdt vbl kdd yzz eyu, prlnkqknyzzu pvyvksdle yv Nkw Zydgbldt’p assx. Tlyakdt vbl ydtla kd Nkw Zydgbldt’p hsknl, Dw Nkw oyp clokzelale cwv eked’v eyal elzyu yde bwaakle kdpkel.
Zyd Fk pvaykdle bkp lyap, vaukdt vs nyvnb obyv oyp tskdt sd.
Inside the room, Liu Yanzheng’s expression was dark and severe. “Who’s been in my room?”
Though his voice was restrained, the anger was almost palpable.
Xu Liu was startled and quickly bowed. “No one. I’ve been guarding the room all day. Whenever I stepped away, Ye Er covered for me. No one has set foot inside.”
Liu Yanzheng gave Xu Liu a scrutinizing look. Xu Liu hurriedly added, “Truly, no one. How could we allow anyone into the young master’s room? Even the inn staff hasn’t entered.”
Liu Yanzheng believed him.
But when he looked at the item in his hand—the fiery red forehead ornament from the day before—its color had now faded to a translucent light hue. If not for the unchanged style and material, he would have thought it had been swapped.
Staring at it closely, it almost seemed as if the color had grown even fainter just in this brief moment. Liu Yanzheng frowned, remembering that the item always had a mysterious quality to it. He dismissed Xu Liu with a wave.
Relieved, Xu Liu quickly retreated, leaving Liu Yanzheng alone by the window, lost in thought as he stared at the ornament.
The night he first acquired this item, he had begun having recurring dreams. While on the island, he would dream often; but during his time away in Yangzhou, the dreams had ceased. Upon returning to the island, they had resumed. In the newly surfaced memories, he had given this ornament to Xi Mingyue…
Gripping the ornament tightly, Liu Yanzheng finally realized something.
In the inner courtyard of the Lu family residence, in the side chamber of the main hall, Liu Yu was soaking in a wooden bathtub. The rising steam and warm water slowly eased her tension, leaving her feeling deeply fatigued as her body began to relax.
There was no doubt Liu Yanzheng had recognized her. But Liu Yu couldn’t understand: if he had abandoned her in their previous life, what was he trying to accomplish now? What was the relationship between the Liu and Lu families, and would there continue to be frequent interactions in the future?
Just thinking about it gave her a headache. She couldn’t help rubbing her temples.
Having stayed in the side chamber for over fifteen minutes, Liu Yu thought of Lu Chengxiao, who was still outside. She shook off her chaotic thoughts, stood, changed into clean nightwear, and stepped out.
Lu Chengxiao was reviewing the warehouse ledger sent back by Ba Bao. When he saw Liu Yu come out, he set the ledger aside and walked toward her.
“Go lie down in bed and keep warm. Don’t catch a chill.”
Liu Yu looked at him. “Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”
Lu Chengxiao raised his eyebrows slightly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “If you’re referring to the dream involving him, I’ll listen if you want to talk about it. If you don’t, it’s not important.”
That was Lu Chengxiao’s stance.
Seeing her eyes widen slightly, Lu Chengxiao leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips, then smiled. “I’m going to take a bath. You can think it over. Dreams and reality aren’t connected—you don’t have to let it weigh you down.”
As he spoke, he playfully nibbled on her lips before retreating with a satisfied smile into the side chamber.
His antics dissipated some of the heaviness and tension in Liu Yu’s heart. She glanced at the slightly swaying curtain of the side chamber, an unnoticeable warmth flickering in her gaze.
Yes, keeping it bottled up would only make it a lasting burden.
Maybe if she told Lu Chengxiao everything, she could finally find peace.
A faint smile curved Liu Yu’s lips as she turned to make the bed.
Lu Chengxiao had a habit of using the same bathwater as Liu Yu, which saved effort. Not long after she finished making the bed, he emerged from the side chamber.
As soon as he lifted the quilt and sat on the bed, Liu Yu asked, “Chengxiao, do you believe the dead can return to life? Or, perhaps, go back to a specific point in their life?”
Lu Chengxiao looked at her in astonishment, wondering if he had misheard. “What did you say?”
Meeting his gaze, Liu Yu forced a smile, trying to calm her nerves.
“Do you remember I once told you about a dream I had? One where I was sold by my family?”
Lu Chengxiao could never forget. He instinctively nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
Now that they had come this far, Liu Yu no longer felt it was difficult to speak. She shook her head gently and said in a soft voice, “It wasn’t a dream. It truly happened.”
Lu Chengxiao’s brows furrowed as he stared at her in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
Having resolved to reveal the truth, Liu Yu decided to hold nothing back. “I died once. When I was about to turn seventeen.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
A pang of dread seized Lu Chengxiao. He instinctively grasped her hand tightly, as if holding onto her could dispel the fear and panic rising within him.
Liu Yu looked at him and said, “It happened this February.”
“Liu Yu!” Lu Chengxiao nearly shouted. Aside from that time when he gave her the embroidered pouch, this was the first time he had ever raised his voice at her. His expression was darker than she had ever seen.
Not expecting such a strong reaction, Liu Yu grew worried that the noise might draw attention from the outer courtyard. She quickly clasped his hand in return. “I’m not talking about this life—I mean in a past life.”
“Even in a past life, that’s impossible!” Lu Chengxiao gripped her hand tightly, blurting out the words before frowning deeply. “What are you talking about? There’s no such thing as past lives!”
Liu Yu sighed and tilted her head, looking at him. “Then should I stop talking?”
Seeing how upset he was, she leaned closer to hug him, gently patting his back to soothe him.
Lu Chengxiao clenched his jaw tightly, then pulled her away slightly to stare at her. “No, explain. What past life?”
This time, he seemed willing to listen.
Liu Yu met his gaze, took a deep breath, and began. “When I was fifteen, on April 18th, my mother, Wang Shi, gave me a bowl of sweet herbal soup. After drinking it, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already in a carriage, sold to a procuress.”
Liu Yu calmly recounted how she was sold and ended up in the Liuxian Pavilion.
She spoke with composure, but Lu Chengxiao felt as though the blood in his veins had frozen.
It was like hearing a fantastical tale, yet he knew Liu Yu would never joke about such matters.
“The procuress took a liking to my looks and gave me a new name. She gave me her surname, Xi, and called me Xi Mingyue.”
Lu Chengxiao’s grip on her hand tightened sharply.
Liu Yu looked at him. “You’ve seen her before—last year, at the Liuxian Pavilion in Yangzhou. She was the madam who hosted us.”
It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck Lu Chengxiao’s mind. The puzzles he couldn’t solve before—those that didn’t make sense when attributed to a mere dream—suddenly began to fall into place.
His throat tightened, and he hesitated. “But last time, wasn’t Xi Mingyue someone else?”
Liu Yu nodded. “In her past life, her name was Wei Lianxing. In brothels, the procuress would sometimes give favored girls her own surname. In this life, since I didn’t end up at Liuxian Pavilion, she became the favored one and inherited the name Xi Mingyue.”
Lu Chengxiao didn’t want to believe it, but thinking back to last year—when Liu Yu inexplicably spoke of a strange dream, went to Yangzhou, and returned with two people—it all seemed to fit too well to ignore.
“What about Xiao Yuniang?” he asked.
“She was my teacher—the one who taught me to dance.”
“Girls sold into brothels are arranged according to their value. Those with average looks are given to customers for a novelty, arranged to meet clients at fourteen or fifteen; those with better looks are nurtured and prepared to whet customers’ appetites, and will be sent out to serve at sixteen. When I entered Liuxian Pavilion, I was fifteen… If you can’t showcase any value besides your looks, you’ll be sent out at sixteen at the latest.”
“My master at the time was the courtesan who held the highest status, the huakui (flower queen). She saw me crying in the garden and took me in as her apprentice, teaching me dance and music privately.”
Liu Yu could indeed dance, though in the past, she had only said she practiced casually during her spare time and didn’t perform any complex routines—it was just to keep her body active. Lu Chengxiao had never suspected anything deeper.
“With a master willing to teach me, and Madam Hong saw my potential so she invested more effort into nurturing me. I spent a year and a half learning at Liuxian Pavilion.”
“In such a place, they don’t let promising girls grow old unmarried. By the time I was past sixteen, Madam Hong began preparing me for my debut.”
Lu Chengxiao didn’t know how he managed to hear the rest. His grip on Liu Yu’s hand instinctively tightened, shaking his head. “Yu’er, don’t say anymore.”
Liu Yu looked at him. “Don’t you want to know why I’m so afraid to see Liu Yanzheng?”
A jolt ran through Lu Chengxiao’s heart.
But Liu Yu didn’t wait for him to respond. She pressed her lips together and then met his gaze directly, giving her answer: “He… he was one of my clients.”
Lu Chengxiao felt his whole world stop. His ears rang, and for a moment, the air in his lungs seemed to thin. But all of it paled compared to the deep, aching sorrow in his chest.
It felt as if his heart had been torn open, the pain agonizing.
In both this life and the past, Lu Chengxiao couldn’t bring himself to believe it, but so many details now fit together, forcing him to accept it.
Since Liu Yu had spoken those words, she lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. When she didn’t hear him speak for a while, a tremor ran through her heart. She finally lifted her gaze to look at him.
Their eyes met, and Liu Yu’s breath caught in her throat. She asked the question that had been buried in her heart for so long:
“Does it bother you? You’ve seen Liuxian Pavilion—I spent almost two years there. It wasn’t a dream, I was truly kept there.”
Lu Chengxiao shook his head and took Liu Yu’s hand, placing it against his chest. His voice was rough and choked, as if words couldn’t fully convey his pain: “I don’t mind… It’s just… here, it hurts so much.”
If there were gods or Buddhas in this world, why could they allow Liu Yu to die and be reborn, yet not let him meet her in her previous life?
So many things were too painful to think about: how, in her past life, she had been poisoned by her own mother, waking up only to fall into the hands of a procuress and be sold to a brothel—how desperate that must have been. And now, in this life, carrying such a secret, encountering Liu Yanzheng twice, and finally having to speak the truth to him—how torturous it must be.
The sorrow and tenderness overwhelmed him. He leaned forward, kissing Liu Yu’s lips fiercely, moving from urgent to gentle, as if the kiss could never quench the pain inside.
“I’m sorry, for not being there in your world.”
Such tender words, though it seemed like the most gentle confession, brought tears that Liu Yu had held back all this time. They flowed freely now, as though her heart had cracked open. The tears fell, each one landing in Lu Chengxiao’s heart, like a continuous, soft rain in his world.
In the inn, Liu Yanzheng lay on his bed, deeply asleep.
In his hand, he clutched a “mei xin dui” (eyebrow charm), which glowed faintly in the dark. Its red hue gradually faded, becoming almost transparent.
Liu Yanzheng appeared trapped in a painful emotional state, unsettled but not waking up.
Lu Chengxiao wasn’t much better off. Gritting his teeth, he murmured, “So, he promised to redeem you, but then he went to Jinling and found a new lover?”
Liu Yu nodded. “That’s why I don’t understand why he reacted the way he did when he saw me.”
Both of them had suspected that Liu Yanzheng might have memories from a past life. Lu Chengxiao clenched his fists tightly, thinking, “He still dares to come back and cause trouble after everything!”
At the same time, in the inn, the “mei xin dui” finally became completely transparent. There was a sudden thud, as if something had been struck against the wall.
Liu Yanzheng had somehow sat up, his face pale, holding the charm tightly in his hand, staring toward Yangzhou. His teeth were clenched, and he growled through them, “Wei Lianxing! King of Huai Nan!”
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