"…Isn't the heir going?" Yuanbao asked gingerly.
Chen Tingfeng was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered. "She doesn't want to see me. What's the point of my going? I'd only annoy her."
Yuanbao immediately fell silent and lowered his head nervously.
Oh no, he's in a bad mood again.
With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Tingfeng returned to Baiqu Courtyard on his own.
In Zhuqing Courtyard, Fu Zhen looked at the things Yuanbao had sent over and slowly pursed her lips.
There was a bowl of plum blossom noodle cakes. The dough was made with plum juice and shaped into plum blossoms with a mold. It was cooked in a chicken - broth base, mainly savory, and a little honey and sugar could be added for extra flavor.
The fragrance of plum blossoms intertwined with the freshness of the chicken broth, and it also had the medicinal value of clearing lung heat. Due to the complicated process, it was quite expensive.
It was a new product from Yongchun Tower, specially served during the New Year.
It was already quite late. Yongchun Tower was probably closed by now. She wondered how Chen Tingfeng had managed to make and send this over.
Fu Zhen was silent. Just when Biyu thought she wouldn't touch the food, she picked up a spoon and quietly ate it.
The amount in the bowl was just right for her appetite.
As the night deepened, the candle had burned halfway. The wick crackled under the heat, as if reminding the person in the room that it was time to go to sleep.
But Fu Zhen had no sign of sleepiness.
She hadn't even washed up yet. She just sat on the soft couch by the window, staring blankly out through the window.
Chen Tingfeng's love scared her.
Even though he had repeatedly declared his love for her in the ancestral hall that day, although she was touched, she still thought that perhaps his possessiveness was stronger.
In her past life, no one had shown her kindness, and she had been eager to please him, yet he had remained indifferent.
But in this life, more people were around her. Maybe this sense of urgency made him feel that his possession was about to be taken away, so he was jealous and panicked. His attempts to stop others had given rise to a veiled love.
Was this love born out of jealousy more about love or possessiveness?
She couldn't tell.
Fu Zhen lowered her eyes and gave a bitter smile.
She could never get rid of her insecurity.
The wind and snow outside had quietly subsided. It was completely silent all around. Time tiptoed into the new year.
Suddenly, there came a burst of firecracker sounds in the distance.
Fu Zhen looked up and saw a firework suddenly explode in the distant sky. It was extremely grand, almost covering half of the sky.
Then, there were a few more dull sounds. Fireworks bloomed one after another in the night sky. Their brilliant light illuminated a large part of the sky in an irresistible way.
There was a stir outside. From time to time, there were a few exclamations. Through the window, Fu Zhen saw the maids in the house coming out one by one, looking at the distant fireworks with smiling faces.
Biyu rushed into the room, her face full of New - Year joy. "Happy New Year, miss! I wish the miss good fortune and health in the coming year!"
Fu Zhen couldn't help but laugh. Before she could respond, Biyu grabbed her hand. "There are so many fireworks outside. Miss, don't stay inside. Come out and have a look!"
Fu Zhen was half - dragged out. As she stepped over the threshold, a magnificent firework suddenly exploded in the distance. She looked up and saw the firework blooming, with sparks scattering all around, like shooting stars across the sky, carrying gorgeous colors.
She suddenly remembered last year. It was also such fireworks. She had been taken to the city wall by Xie Yan, with Chen Tingfeng standing beside her. The fireworks were reflected in her eyes. Although she had only been thinking about Xie Yan at that time, she couldn't avoid seeing Chen Tingfeng from the corner of her eye.
What was Chen Tingfeng looking at then?
As she recalled, she suddenly stood still.
He was looking at her.
Her heart began to beat faster, thumping like a drum in her ears.
On this day last year, Chen Tingfeng, what were you thinking when you were looking at me?
Were you looking at the fireworks in my eyes... or were you really looking at me?
The lively scene around her faded away in an instant. The fireworks in the sky fell like stars into her heart.
Her heart beat faster and faster. Suddenly, an impulse welled up in her.
Go and see him.
Go and see him and make things clear.
She suddenly averted her gaze. Her hand tightened on her sleeve, and her eyes became brighter and brighter.
She took a step forward.
This step seemed to break all the previous constraints. Gradually, her steps quickened. In the end, she was almost running towards the courtyard gate.
Biyu was shocked. "Miss?!"
The moment she opened the courtyard gate, Fu Zhen didn't think about anything.
Only by breaking the old can the new be established.
Only at this moment did she truly see her own heart.
... Of course, she also saw the person in front of her.
Chen Tingfeng's hair was a bit messy and damp. He didn't seem to be doing well either. Compared with his previous noble and proper image, at this moment, he was almost in a sorry state.
But those eyes were still as deep and calm as before. When they landed on her, they seemed to have a magic that could suck her in.
"… Chen Tingfeng." She stared at him blankly.
Chen Tingfeng stared at her without blinking, but didn't answer.
"Chen Tingfeng!" She called out again.
His expression suddenly changed, like a stone breaking the calm surface of a lake, revealing the surging undercurrent beneath.
Redness slowly seeped into Chen Tingfeng's eye sockets. Suddenly, he moved. He pulled her into his arms with such force that it almost left bruises on her waist.
"Fu Zhen." Chen Tingfeng said hoarsely, "You're so heartless."
They had parted on bad terms that day. The two courtyards were so close, but she just refused to come out and see him.
She said she wouldn't see him, and she didn't.
She had built such a high wall around her heart and was so heartless. Even until now, she still refused to trust him completely.
It was as if once he did something to make her unhappy, she could run away thousands of miles in an instant.
Even though she was right in front of him, her heart had always kept him out.
So heartless.
It made it so hard for him to get close to her.
Fu Zhen was held in his arms after a long time. This embrace was still as broad and warm as before.
He had such a cold - natured personality, but his heart was so hot.
It was so hot that it almost burned away all her uneasiness and helplessness.
"Chen Tingfeng," she suddenly said, "Does what you said that day, that the decision is up to me, still count?"
Chen Tingfeng tightened his hold on her. He almost gritted his teeth and said, "Of course it counts!"
"Have I ever gone back on my words with you!"
Fu Zhen smiled. She struggled slightly, raised her head from his arms, and reached out to hold his somewhat cold face. Her eyes were so direct that it seemed as if she could see into his heart. "You said yourself that you could give everything to me and would never go back on your words."
"Never go back on my words." He looked at her steadily, his expression not wavering in the slightest. It was as if even if the mountains collapsed and the earth cracked at this moment, he would still not change his promise.
As if to prove his words, he suddenly held up four fingers. His voice was low but firm. "From now on, I will only be honest with Fu Zhen and will never hide anything. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and never..."
Fu Zhen suddenly reached out to cover his mouth. In his focused gaze, she slowly leaned in and gently placed a kiss on the back of the hand that was covering his mouth. Her expression was softer than Chen Tingfeng had ever seen. "Okay, I believe you."
"Chen Tingfeng, remember what you said to me today. For the rest of your life, never change."
Chen Tingfeng's eyes became brighter and brighter. Even in the face of Fu Zhen's almost threatening tone, he still looked determined.
"Never change." He said.
A firework suddenly exploded behind them.
The new year had come.