Upon arriving at Caiyun Pavilion, Bai Yan instructed her maid to wait outside before entering.
There was still only Master Ye in the shop. When Bai Yan came in, she took out all the materials she had prepared earlier. After trying on the sample garment, they discussed some details.
While flipping through the catalog, Bai Yan suddenly noticed a very exquisite design at the back. She picked it up and looked at it, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This wedding dress is so beautiful. I wonder what kind of beauty is worthy of wearing it."
Master Ye glanced at it and said, "This is Miss Mu's wedding dress."
Miss Mu? Is she the younger sister that Young Master Mu mentioned?
Bai Yan imagined putting Young Master Mu's appearance onto a woman's face, and surprisingly, it didn't seem out of place.
She casually remarked, "I didn't expect that the young master of the Mu family is still unmarried, while this young lady is about to get married."
Master Ye said, "Yes, but it's not surprising. My wife and Miss Mu were classmates, and I heard that she got engaged when she was young. Didn't you know?"
Bai Yan shook her head: "I am not familiar with Miss Mu. Although I know her third brother, I have never heard of these things."
Master Ye was taken aback and said, "Her third brother?" His tone was full of surprise. "Doesn't the Mu family only have two sons? Their names are Qing and Yun. The third one is Miss Mu. She even came with you to look at the wedding dress that day. Her formal name is Mu Xing..."
Oblivious to her strange expression, Bai Yan continued, "Yes, the third one is Miss Mu's elder brother, Mu..."
She suddenly fell silent.
Master Ye didn't say anything more, and the entire inner room fell into a deathly silence.
Master Ye's words kept echoing in Bai Yan's mind, so loud that they almost shattered her heart.
…The Mu family has only two sons, named Qing and Yun. The third is Miss Mu, who came with you to see the wedding dress that day. Her formal name is Mu Xing…
But the person who came with her that day was clearly Young Master Mu…
Her heart was beating faster and faster, frantically pumping blood into her brain, so fast that Bai Yan almost suspected it had stopped, so fast that her temples felt like they were about to explode.
Her hands trembled as she held the booklet. Her head was bowed. The wedding dress in the drawings was exquisitely beautiful, and in one corner of the drawing was a sentence.
“Drawn on May 22, 2031, by Miss Mu San of Mu Garden.”
Mu San...Mu San!
Young Master Mu clearly told her that he had a younger sister whose given name was Xuan.
How could Young Master Mu possibly lie to her?
Taking a deep breath, Bai Yan could barely find her voice. She gave a dry laugh, "Master Ye, perhaps you've misremembered...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Master Ye hurriedly said, "I also think I must have misremembered. I'm not really familiar with the Mu family..."
Footsteps suddenly sounded at the door. After glancing at Bai Yan, Master Ye hurriedly went out.
Although she tried to keep her voice down, Bai Yan still heard the conversation from the other side of the door:
"...Didn't you tell me the other day that the young master was Miss Mu in disguise? How come that young lady said it was the Third Young Master Mu?"
"What Young Master Mu? Mu Xing has always been like this... Wait, which young lady did you just mention?"
"The one who came with Miss Mu that day..."
The curtain was suddenly thrown open, and Pani stepped in. When she saw Bai Yan, she was taken aback.
Bai Yan closed the picture book and stood up.
Without looking at anyone, she lowered her head and smiled, "I'll leave the wedding dress to you. I'll send someone to pick it up later."
"Miss..." Paanie wanted to say something, but Bai Yan had already stepped out the door.
"What's going on?" After watching Bai Yan leave, Master Ye hurriedly asked, "Miss Mu and this young lady are...?"
Frowning, Paanie said, "I don't know, but I'm afraid Mu Xing..."
Chapter Forty-Eight
The maid was waiting outside Caiyun Pavilion. When she saw Bai Yan come out, she was about to help her up when she looked up and saw Bai Yan's pale face. She immediately exclaimed, "Miss? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Bai Yan felt as if all the bones in her body had gone limp. She gripped her aunt's hand tightly and managed to squeeze out a few words: "Go to Minkang Medical Clinic."
The maid, puzzled, said anxiously, "Miss, what are you doing at Minkang Clinic right now? Young Master Mu is probably still seeing patients. It looks like it's going to rain. Shall we go back first? Even if we need to meet, there's no rush..."
Bai Yan seemed not to hear, but struggled to walk forward. The maid could not dissuade her and had to follow.
The rickshaw bumped along, and the road that usually seemed short now felt like it was a world away, as if it would never be reached.
Bai Yan huddled under the dark canopy of the rickshaw, her thoughts in turmoil, countless voices roaring in her mind. One moment it was Mu Xing murmuring, "I'm not a man," the next, Mu Xing laughing and saying she was the third young master of the Mu family, then Mu Xing saying she would come to marry her…
The words, each one like a death knell, struck her heart with a sharp, heavy thud, ultimately culminating in one sentence—
"Young lady, young lady? We've arrived at Minkang Medical Clinic!"
Suddenly, a pair of hands shook her. When she looked up and met her aunt's face, Bai Yan was stunned and realized what was happening.
We've arrived at Minkang Medical Clinic.
After getting off the car, Bai Yan stood at the entrance of the clinic, but couldn't bring herself to step out.
All the anxiety, panic, and desperate desire for answers vanished instantly. The last vestiges of courage hastily and cowardly retreated into a corner, screaming, "Go back! Stop thinking about the so-called truth! Don't ask, and nothing will happen!"
But in the end, she still took the step.
It was afternoon, and the clinic was nearly empty. The servants were idly smoking in the side room.
Bai Yan knocked on the door: "Excuse me, is Dr. Mu...is he in?"
He glanced at her, then quickly put down his pipe and said in a gentle tone, "Are you referring to Master Mu or Dr. Mu? Master Mu is here to see patients today, but Dr. Mu isn't. If you need to see an ophthalmologist, go and make an appointment with Master Mu. Dr. Mu sees gynecologists, but she probably won't be coming for the next few days."
She twitched her lips and gave a perfunctory smile, then asked, "I was looking for Dr. Mu. Why...has he stopped coming lately?"
The servant said, "Little Mu is getting married! She definitely won't have time to come anymore. How could a young lady from a wealthy family stay in the clinic all the time? She's just here to have some fun and enjoy herself before becoming a leisurely wife!"
Seeing Bai Yan's expression change instantly, the servant added, "However, we have more than just Dr. Mu here. If you want to see a doctor, you'll have to... sigh!"
After abruptly saying thank you, Bai Yan turned around and stumbled out of the clinic.
She ran ahead recklessly until her maid stopped her: "Miss! What's wrong? Isn't Young Master Mu here? It's going to rain heavily, shall we go back?"
A thunderclap struck across the horizon, and the once bright and sunny sky was instantly covered with dark clouds, pressing down heavily overhead, making it almost impossible to breathe.
All her emotions were stuck in her throat. Bai Yan didn't speak, but just nodded hastily.
In the blink of an eye, large raindrops began to fall. The old men who had been leisurely drinking tea under the tea stall hurriedly packed up their teacups and chessboards and squeezed into the shop.
The once proud ice water vendor, who had been as arrogant as an emperor, now dragged his cart past with his head down in a sorry state. The children buying ice water chattered and screamed, their voices almost drowning out the sound of thunder and rain.
The lush leaves were battered down by the rain, falling hastily into the puddles, completely disoriented.
The auntie circled the street twice, almost shouting herself hoarse, but no rickshaw would stop. Bai Yan followed behind her, holding a parasol. Her pure white lace, soaked by the sudden rain, was no longer as bright and vibrant as before, looking like a tattered rag clinging precariously to a frame.
The parasol couldn't withstand the heavy rain, and Bai Yan was quickly soaked to the bone. She followed her maid to seek shelter under the narrow eaves, but the parasol's ribs, unable to bear the weight, broke completely. Rainwater streamed down her hair, ruining her makeup.
Crossing her arms, Bai Yan stared blankly at the city before her, its colors washed away by the heavy rain. The cold rain clung heavily to her cheongsam, like a painted mask sweeping over her, so heavy it almost crushed her.
Everything she thought she could hold onto vanished in an instant.
It turns out that from beginning to end, she was still that girl running wildly in the rainstorm.
Nothing can be kept, and nothing is left unsaid.
As night fell, the heavy rain subsided, falling softly from the glazed tiles and mingling with the accumulated rainwater. The colorful spotlights reflected the bustling street in the rain.
As always, Yuhua Book House was bustling with activity. As soon as Bai Yan entered the book house, her mother came to greet her.
"Isn't this our big star! How come... oh dear, what happened? How did he get caught in the rain!"
Fearing that Bai Yan's disheveled appearance would frighten the guests in the hall, the nanny quickly told the maid to take Bai Yan back to her room.
She took off her soaked clothes and let the maid wrap her in a thick robe. Bai Yan listened blankly to her mother's words.
"Young Master Mu came by earlier and paid for some large candles and a room. He wanted to talk to you, but he couldn't wait for me, and it was about to rain, so he went back first."
Mother beamed and said, "Young Master Mu is truly devoted to you. I heard he's even going to furnish your room and gave you four thousand yuan right off the bat! He instructed that you can choose the style of the furniture yourself, but he'll have to go with you to get the jewelry and headdress..."
As her mother was chatting happily, Bai Yan suddenly said, "No, I don't want to."
Everyone in the room froze, the mother's smile still lingering: "What did you say..."
Bai Yan, who had been silent, suddenly seemed to come back to her senses. She pushed away the maid who was wiping her face and got up to rush out.
"Where is he? I need to find him. I don't want to light any more candles. Where is he!" Her once smooth voice almost cracked.
Her face darkened instantly. The mother waved to the pimp waiting at the door, and the pimp and the maids immediately grabbed Bai Yan, dragged her back to the room, and closed the door at the same time.
Thinking Bai Yan was merely dissatisfied with Young Master Mu, the madam tried to reason with her, saying, "What's there to be unhappy about? What's wrong with Young Master Mu? He's rich and powerful, and he's willing to treat you well. You couldn't find someone like him even with a lantern. What more do you want? Stop putting on airs. Just obediently light the candle; it'll be a great thing for you..."
Bai Yan didn't listen to her at all. The anger, fear, panic that had been extinguished by the heavy rain... all her emotions gradually rekindled in the words of the madam, almost taking over her entire mind.
How could he, how could he lie to her?
How can you arrange these things so casually?
How could he...she, after letting her fall into depravity, offer up the only true love he possessed, and then personally strangle her!
"Do you even know what you're saying? I've already taken the money, and you're telling me you're not going to do it?" Her smile completely vanished, and the mother pointed at Bai Yan's nose, saying, "Have you lost your mind?!"
Struggling fiercely, Bai Yan yelled at her, "Let me go! I'm going to find him! I have nothing left, I have absolutely nothing left!"
"I don't want to light candles anymore, just let me go find him!"
"What's wrong with you?! Talking such discouraging things on such a good day!" The mother lost her patience completely. She said to the pimp, "Go get some rope, tie her up, and lock her in the woodshed. Let her wake up!"
The pimp opened the door in response, and the maid who had gone to change her clothes rushed in and grabbed the pimp, saying to the nanny, "You mustn't do that! The young lady will be lighting the big candle in a couple of days, how can you use hemp rope? What if Young Master Mu sees the wound then!"
With a flick of her hand, her mother looked at her and said, "I haven't even asked you yet, how come this perfectly healthy person went crazy after just one trip?"
The maid had no idea what was wrong with Bai Yan. She could only say, "Just now, she was caught in the heavy rain outside. I'm afraid the young lady is ill and not thinking clearly. Please bear with her..."
Just then, the maid who was holding Bai Yan down exclaimed in surprise, "Mother! Miss Bai is burning up!"
The maid rushed over, reached out and touched Bai Yan's forehead, exclaiming in surprise, "Oh no, it's burning hot! She must have caught a fever from the rain!"
She went over to check on Bai Yan and saw that her face was indeed flushed and her body was burning hot. With a snort, the madam said, "Get her some cold towels to apply first. Is Dr. Li still here? Let him come and give her an injection to bring down the fever."
The maid tentatively asked, "About lighting the candles...?"
The madam, of course, wouldn't budge on the matter of making money. She said, "Tomorrow, when she's sober, ask her what happened. If she still doesn't give in, just don't let her see Young Master Mu again. Lock her up until the day the candles are lit, and let's see if she dares to be stubborn then!"
The pimp asked, "What did Young Master Mu say?"