Bai Yan wasn't angry. She said frankly, "I know that she has to sacrifice more than I do. But she's willing, and I will never let her down."
"Incomprehensible!" Li Yining was angered instead. She frowned and turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, she turned back.
"Is it worth it?" She stared at Bai Yan. "Is it worth sacrificing your stable life for this kind of illusory and insecure so-called 'love'?"
Pointing to the tulip that Li Yining had been holding, Bai Yan asked, "Then why have you been holding that flower the whole time?"
Frowning, Li Yining snapped angrily, "Mind your own business!"
Bai Yan chuckled softly and said, "Miss Li, just like the flower in your hand, does it lose its beauty if it blooms out of season? It strives to bloom, and I am willing to do everything in my power to protect it. Even if... it eventually withers, at least I witnessed its beauty."
After a moment of silence, Li Yining didn't continue the topic. She glanced at her watch and said, "It's 8:20 now. I'll arrive at the Mu family mansion around 8:40. If I haven't shown up by 9:00, go straight in once you see the shift changers leave. I'll come here to pick you up at 9:30. If there are any special circumstances... take care of yourself."
Having said that, he turned and left.
After Li Yining left, Bai Yan slowly moved closer to the bougainvillea bushes she had mentioned earlier.
There was a wall lamp outside the greenhouse, and sure enough, she saw several maids picking flower petals under the lamp, chatting and laughing, having a lively time.
Time passed slowly, and the maids' voices gradually faded. Soon, two maids left first, followed by two others who packed their things and also departed.
Bai Yan quickly moved a few steps closer and checked her watch by the light; the hands were already pointing to 9:26.
Li Yining was still nowhere to be seen, which meant... she had not seen Mu Xing.
Suppressing her unease, Bai Yan quickly found the foundation stone that Li Yining had mentioned, and it was indeed loose. She immediately took out her scissors and began to roughly clear away the vines.
…
In the master bedroom on the second floor of the Mu family mansion, Old Madam Mu lay in a rocking chair, looking at the photo in her hand with loving eyes. She then turned to the maid beside her and asked, "Jingye, have those four families' boys been sent out yet?"
Jingye replied respectfully, "My fourth uncle just went out. The old lady gave him some instructions, and he was very happy."
The old lady nodded in satisfaction: "That's it. I remember these four boys. They were quite capable back then. It would be a waste to make them just guard the gate."
The quiet night echoed the sounds.
The old lady added, "Oh, right, those keys on the table, go and take them to Ah Xuan. I remember one of them is the key to Fu Xue's box. I'm old and can't recognize it, so take it to Ah Xuan and take it to her."
Without hesitation, Jingye took the key and headed towards Muxing's room.
"Bang!!"
Before she even reached the door, Jingye heard the sound of things being smashed coming from Mu Xing's room. Ignoring it, she took out one of the keys the old lady had given her and opened the door—only to be stopped from the inside by an iron chain.
"I told you I don't eat... Quiet Night?"
After a pause, Mu Xing put down the brass pillar head he had kicked off the bedpost, then loosened the tattered but still steadfastly secured lock on the window, and walked to the door: "What's wrong?"
Jingye handed the key to Muxing through the crack in the door, which could only be opened half a foot wide, explained the old lady's instructions, and then closed the door and stood guard at the entrance.
Shortly after, she heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
The evening breeze gently blew in his ears, and his heart pounded against the wall in his chest with each beat. Mu Xing almost suspected that his heartbeats were going to dent the wall.
Stop thinking about it, focus, focus...
Thinking this, she gripped the raised relief decoration on the exterior wall tightly, stepped on the windowsill, and took another step.
Having not eaten properly for several days, she was feeling quite weak. As a doctor, she knew very well that in her current physical condition, trying to climb into the study next door and jump from the second floor like she did when she was a child would be suicidal.
But she couldn't wait any longer.
He'll either go crazy in his room or die on his way to find Shu Wan.
An option that requires absolutely no hesitation.
"Bang!"
The moment her feet touched the ground, Mu Xing had already run towards the huge balcony on the other side of the study, where there were long American-imported water pipes that could easily withstand the force of her slide.
Mu Xing lunged onto the balcony railing, panting heavily. Just as she was about to check if it was safe, she turned her head and saw her grandmother sitting on the balcony next door.
"Ah!" She almost jumped in fright, grabbing the balcony railing. Mu Xing cried out in terror, "Grandma, Grandma!"
Her mother couldn't possibly tell her grandmother about her situation, so her grandmother didn't know she was grounded. How could Jingye have the key...?
With his brain completely shut down due to low blood sugar, Mu Xing could only grip the handrail, trying to catch his breath while rudely staring at his grandmother on the balcony next door.
The old lady remained calm, sitting in her wicker chair and smiling at Mu Xing: "Fu Xue, where are you going?"
“…Grandma, it’s me, Ah Xuan,” Mu Xing whispered.
The old lady was puzzled for a moment, then gradually realized, "Ah, Ah Xuan, it's our Ah Xuan." She continued with a smile, "Ah Xuan, where are you going?"
Perhaps it was the newfound freedom that clouded Mu Xing's judgment, or perhaps the wind was too cool and her heart too warm; upon hearing this, Mu Xing's nose tingled, and she suddenly cried out, "Grandma, I'm going to find your granddaughter-in-law! I, I'm going to find my love!"
Like a breath of stale air finally being released from his chest, Mu Xing paused for a moment and couldn't help but laugh.
The dazed old lady next door looked at her and gradually smiled. She said, "Alright, alright, go ahead, Fu Xue, go quickly."
With a sudden nod, Mu Xing shook his hands and feet, which had regained some strength, climbed over the balcony, grabbed the pipe, and slid down.
On the balcony, the old lady was still smiling.
"Fu Xue, hurry up, or you'll be too late again..."
After finally squeezing through the fence, as Li Yining had said, Bai Yan was trapped between the fence and the back wall of the greenhouse. The paths in front and behind were blocked by vines piled up all over the mountain. If they wanted to use scissors to clear a path, Bai Yan probably wouldn't be able to get out until tomorrow morning.
After wandering around for a while, Bai Yan finally found a small window behind a greenhouse. After struggling to climb over it, she finally understood why Mu Xing was so tall—he must have been practicing jumping over windows every day!
Bai Yan jumped into the greenhouse, covered in dust and dirt, and was immediately overwhelmed by the strong fragrance of flowers and trees.
The lights were all off, so she could only take out a match from her bag and light it to barely illuminate her way. It seemed this room was used to store flower petals for drying.
After a quick glance around, Bai Yan began looking for the exit.
The shelves holding the flower petals were stacked one on top of another, and the dim light was not enough to see the way. Bai Yan wandered around and around, but couldn't find the closed door for a long time. Just as she was getting anxious, she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the door!
What happened? She clearly saw the servants leave! Could it be…
Her heart clenched suddenly. Before she could think, Bai Yan frantically tried to hide, but the door was suddenly flung open and a figure rushed in. The two met face to face.
The flickering light and shadow, the subtle fragrance, all gradually revealed the appearance of the person before me.
"Who are you…"
While my thoughts were still processing, my body had already given the most honest answer.
With a "crash," the flower stand tipped over, and the petals in the winnowing basket scattered everywhere, stirring up countless fragrant dust.
"It's you..."
"...It's me."
Chapter Ninety-One
It's unclear who kissed whom first, their breaths mingling and lingering, their lips and teeth colliding fiercely, their minds completely lost in each other's thoughts. At that moment, they saw only each other; no matter how vast the world was, it contained only them.
After a long time, until they were breathless and almost drowning in each other's arms, they gradually calmed down.
"Huff...huff...Wan'er, Wan'er..." Still flustered, trembling fingers wandered over the familiar body, waist, shoulders, back, curly hair, soft neck...and finally landed on her lips.
His full, moist lips parted and closed, softly calling to her, "Ah Xuan, I'm here..."
The intense heartbeat finally returned to its peaceful state.
“…That’s it.” Mu Xing explained the events of the past few days in a few words.
Bai Yan briefly explained how Li Yining had helped her, then remembered to ask, "Now... what should we do?"
The greenhouse was dimly lit, and Mu Xing could only see Bai Yan's bright, sparkling eyes. She asked, "Wan'er, are you scared?"
Holding Mu Xing's hand, Bai Yan said, "I'm not afraid of anything, except losing you."
Mu Xing kissed Bai Yan's eyes and said, "We have to face things eventually. Even if we can escape today, we can't escape forever. I can't abandon my parents, but I will never let you down either. Why don't we face it together now, okay?"
“Okay.” Bai Yan nodded firmly, but then said, “It’s not a problem for us to face it together, but I just agreed with Miss Li to leave at 9:30. If I go to see your parents now, I’m afraid it will implicate Miss Li.”
Mu Xing bit her lip: "That's right..." She already owed Yi Ning too much, and shouldn't drag Yi Ning down with her for her own sake.
The initial surge of passion gradually cooled down. Bai Yan thought for a moment and said, "Ah Xuan, my purpose in coming here was only to confirm your safety. Now that I know the situation, I'm not in a hurry anymore. How about this, tomorrow, I'll come to your parents' house to have a formal talk, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing calmed down and thought about it, realizing that she shouldn't have pressed her so hard. Just as she was about to agree, a glaring light suddenly shone from outside the half-closed flower room door, accompanied by Dr. Mu's voice, which was barely suppressing her anger: "Ah Xuan!"
The sudden brightness of the lights almost burned their eyes. Mu Xing quickly shielded Bai Yan behind him and turned around. He saw that almost the entire family had gathered there. Mu Yiqian and his wife, who were at the head of the group, were deathly pale, their faces pale with worry or anger, and Madam Mu's eyes were red. Behind them, Li Yining wore a complex expression.
Protecting Bai Yan, Mu Xing forced himself to remain calm and said, "Mother..."
Before he could finish speaking, Madam Mu had already walked over in a few steps and suddenly raised her hand. Mu Xing was so frightened that he closed his eyes. The next second, however, he was embraced tightly.
"You scared me to death! You child!" Holding Mu Xing, Madam Mu burst into tears. "You're trying to scare us to death, aren't you?! Where do you think you're going to run off to? You don't even want your parents anymore, do you?"
After standing there dumbfounded for a while, Mu Xing belatedly put his arm around the sobbing Madam Mu.
"Mother... I didn't go anywhere, I didn't want to go..."
The lights were blinding, and the cries were deafening. Bai Yan, hiding in the shadows behind Mu Xing, looked at her weeping mother and gently released her grip on Mu Xing's hand. She took a step back, intending to disappear completely into the darkness, but before she could retract her hand, it was suddenly grabbed again.
Startled, Bai Yan looked up and saw only Mu Xing's backlit figure and his hands that never relaxed in either direction.
After they had cried enough, the group of people walked towards the main house in a grand procession.
Mu Yiqian walked ahead with his wife in his arms, while Li Yining comforted her. Mu Xing led Bai Yan behind them. With countless eyes watching them from behind, Bai Yan felt incredibly embarrassed and tried several times to let go of Mu Xing's hand. However, Mu Xing remained steadfast, holding her hand firmly as if he wouldn't let go.
Before they reached the main house, Li Yining quietly took a few steps back, walked to Mu Xing's side, and whispered, "I didn't say anything. I was about to leave when my aunt probably thought I would worry, so she suddenly asked you to come downstairs to see me off. Who knew you would do this..." She glanced at their tightly clasped hands and sneered, "You two are quite in sync, getting ready to run away together."
Mu Xing didn't say much, only saying, "Thank you, Yining."
Frowning uncomfortably, Li Yining turned her head, twirling the tulip she hadn't put down, and said in a low voice, "It's not like I helped for nothing."
As they were talking, they had already arrived at the side gate of the main house. Suddenly, Madam Mu turned around and said, "Yining, since you came to see Axuan, now that you have seen her, your aunt will not keep you any longer. You may go back now." Her sobbing voice had not yet subsided.
Knowing that this was to resolve Mu Xing's matter, Li Yining quickly put on a smile and said, "Auntie, Uncle, then I'll take my leave now. I'll come to bother you again another day, so please don't find me annoying."
After exchanging a few polite words, Li Yining turned around and hugged Mu Xing, then whispered to Bai Yan, "You two better take care of yourselves." With that, she left decisively.
As soon as she entered the living room, Mu Xing saw her uncle and aunt waiting there. Knowing that things had gotten out of hand, she didn't hesitate. As soon as Mu Yiqian helped Madam Mu to sit down, Mu Xing knelt down with a thud, and Bai Yan behind her also knelt down.
While Madam Mu was still calming down, Aunt Mu quickly stood up and pulled Bai Yan back, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Miss Bai, what are you doing? We have no relatives here, and it's not a holiday, so we dare not accept your kneeling."
Bai Yan struggled, but her knees finally hit the ground. She didn't show any signs of grievance, but calmly said, "Ah Xuan's reckless climb out the window caused my uncle and aunt to mistakenly believe that she was leaving without saying goodbye. The cause was my fault, so I naturally need to apologize."
Hearing this, Aunt Mu could no longer stop her and had to let go. Bai Yan moved over and knelt down next to Mu Xing, bowing deeply: "I apologize for causing Uncle and Aunt to worry because of me."