Love Under the Distant Stars

Chapter 5

"That's right!"

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Shen Jie!" she said frankly, giving her real name.

"A nice name." Ouyang Tianyu smiled and stood up. "It's getting late. I should go to the 'Hundred Flowers Pavilion' to see my lovers. Sister-in-law, farewell!"

He gave her a deep look, knowing she would understand.

"I understand." Su Yuyin nodded. From now on, their identities were restored to what they were before: one was a notorious playboy, and the other was a young mistress in name only. Watching Ouyang Tianyu's departing figure, she simply said softly, "Friend, take care!" She believed he could hear her.

When Ouyang Tianyun returned from outside, he couldn't wait to go back to Meiju. He pushed open the door and found his beloved concubine dozing on a recliner by the window, holding a book of poems in her hand. Ouyang Tianyun frowned, took the book from his concubine's hand, carefully picked her up, and walked into the inner room.

"Cousin?" Xiangmei murmured, feeling someone pick her up.

"It's me." He gently placed her on the bed, took off his shoes, and lay down beside her fully clothed.

Why are you back so early?

"Don't even mention it! If I hadn't come back early, how would I have known that my beloved Mei'er was abusing herself?" Ouyang Tianyun couldn't bear to scold her. "The weather is getting a bit cold now; you'll catch a cold doing this."

"Cousin, I'm waiting for you." Xiangmei said coquettishly, snuggling closer to him, afraid that one day he would leave her.

Ouyang Tianyun chuckled and gently brushed the hair from her forehead, then kissed her cheek tenderly: "Silly Mei'er, your cousin will not leave you. I'm just very sorry that I can't make you my wife."

“No, cousin, Mei’er has already won your heart and your body, so she won’t care about titles anymore. Let’s leave this to my sister. If you divorce her, it’s the same as kicking her out of the Ouyang family. How can a woman like her live like that?” Xiangmei said happily.

"Mei'er, you are so kind." He liked her kindness.

"Cousin, I heard my sister has woken up. May I go see her tomorrow?"

"No, what's so interesting about that woman? Be good tomorrow, and I'll come back early and take you on a pleasure boat." Ouyang Tianyun coaxed gently; he really disliked Su Yuyin.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

Chapter Three

Lately, things have been very unsettled at Green Jade Manor, with one bad thing after another happening. Since the eldest young mistress fell into the water, later that same day, Ouyang Tianlin, the only daughter of the Ouyang family, tripped over a stone not far from Qinzhu Pavilion, hit her head, and hasn't woken up yet. And her maid, Xiaolan, after being missing for three days and three nights, was found floating in the same pond where the eldest young mistress had fallen. Everyone is spreading rumors that Qinzhu Pavilion is haunted, and apart from a few original servants, no one dares to approach it.

"Young Madam, do you think there really are ghosts in our Qinzhu Pavilion?" Xiao Fei asked fearfully.

"Ghosts? How could that be?" Su Yuyin comforted her. She had also heard about what happened in the village, and she believed it must have been man-made. "There are no ghosts in this world. Don't listen to people's nonsense."

"But the master said the same thing. He even said you should move to Meiju and move today." She didn't want to stay here anymore.

"What?" Moving? That can't be that serious.

"Young Mistress, you're moving to Plum Residence to live with the young master and the others." Dujuan was packing her mistress's clothes. Her mistress should be happy, so why did she look so worried?

"He agreed?" As far as she knew, that was impossible.

"Hmm! Aren't you happy?"

Happy? You'd have to be crazy to be happy. Think about it, that young master doesn't even care whether his wife lives or dies, and now he's agreeing to let her move in as a "third wheel." That's really abnormal.

"You guys pack up, I'm going out for a walk." Whatever, I don't want to think about it anymore.

"yes."

Su Yuyin wandered aimlessly. The wind gently caressed her face and tousled her hair; sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves onto her. She leaned against a tree trunk, closed her eyes, and pondered quietly.

Suddenly, a figure flashed by, and Su Yuyin immediately opened her eyes alertly, sharply searching her surroundings.

"who?"

In the blink of an eye, a man wearing a ghost mask stood in front of her. Su Yuyin carefully examined him; he was dressed in all black, like a messenger from hell.

“Ghost Face Soul Star.” His voice was low and cold.

It was him, his other identity. A slight smile played on her lips.

"Is there something you need, Tianyu?"

Hearing her call out his name with certainty, the man in black chuckled. He gently removed his mask, revealing a handsome face.

"I couldn't hide it from you after all." His eyes were filled with admiration and respect. "How did you figure it out?"

“I have a special understanding of people’s voices and body shapes; it’s the most basic thing in our line of work. Once I’ve spoken to someone face-to-face, I can recognize them no matter how they’re disguised,” Su Yuyin explained to him with a smile.

"Have you heard about what happened in the village?" Ouyang Tianyu asked, his smile fading and his expression turning serious.

Su Yuyin nodded; she certainly understood what he was referring to.

"What's your opinion?" He wanted to hear her thoughts.

"I've only been here for a little over ten days. The only people I've met besides the servants in this courtyard are you, Qin Yue, and your master and mistress. I've only seen your elder brother and his wife from afar. What do you think I can possibly say?" Investigating a case requires on-site investigation, and she hasn't even left this courtyard!

"Do you know? It was my eldest brother who brought up the idea of you moving to Meiju with Father."

"Didn't your eldest brother hate this wife? Why would he say this to your father?" I can't understand why his eldest son would do such a thing. Did he have a change of heart?