"Fu Yanci..."
As soon as Ye Li looked up, she saw Fu Yanci standing at the doorway, not coming in. She stood up and waved, "Your calligraphy must be beautiful. Co help write a few words!"
Write words?
Fu Yanci walked over to the desk, glanced at the chaos on it, and then at the round, adorable "road" written on the snowy white rice paper. He couldn’t help but chuckle, "What do you want to write?"
"Help write: ’Distance tests a horse’s strength, ti reveals a person’s heart.’ I want to mount it and give it to Brother Mu!"
Looking at her own handwriting, lacking stroke strength and elegance, resembling more of naive doodles than calligraphy, and imagining it hung on the wall for others to secretly laugh at, Ye Li decided to abandon the idea.
Fu Yanci accepted the brush, teasing as he began to write, "Didn’t they say calligraphy and painting are one family? Ah Li, your painting is so good, why is your handwriting so bad?"
Ye Li rolled her eyes at him and replied earnestly, "Maybe it’s because God opened too many doors for , and just for balance, closed one little window."
???
As his brush stroke had barely landed, he paused in surprise at her audacious words.
Feeling like this was her true personality, Fu Yanci shook his head with a laugh.
Suspending his wrist.
Lifting the brush.
Fu Yanci, taking no issue with the "road" Ye Li had already written, simply connected the rest of the poetic couplet below.
He glanced at Ye Li grinding ink.
Then at the bold characters under his hand.
After putting down the brush again, Fu Yanci pulled Ye Li into his arms, "Finally, I understand why ancient scholars liked to keep a beauty in their study."
Ye Li froze.
The man lowered his head and kissed the edge of her lips lightly, "The feeling of a red sleeve adding charm—it’s amazing!"
After speaking, his tone softened as if he suddenly thought of sothing. He gazed at Ye Li warmly, "In a few months, co stay at the temple with for a few days, alright?"
Temple?
Thinking about the rumors of Uncle Fu frequently transcribing scriptures at Wanfu Temple, Ye Li’s curiosity was piqued, "You’re not going to make copy scriptures, are you?"
"Will you go?"
"I’ll go!"
Ye Li nodded firmly, "I’d love to show my filial piety to Grandma before the Buddha. Besides, like I said before, I want to make a wish for the Bodhisattva to bless Grandma to live until 199. Although 199 is clearly impossible, an extra few years would still be good, don’t you agree?"
"Oh, right. I also want to light an eternal lamp for Dad, and one for Mom, Aunt Lan, Sister Xiao Cao, and Chu Chu. Oh, and Brother Mu..."
Ye Li counted on her fingers, "I want to ask for a peace charm for everyone I love."
The girl spoke sincerely, as if his previous trips to Wanfu Temple to transcribe scriptures had always been for Grandma.
Fu Yanci didn’t bother to explain, his gaze toward Ye Li growing even softer.
After being tasked by Ye Li to put the books she had taken down back on the shelves, Fu Yanci turned back to see her using the brush to "improve" his calligraphy.
The original characters, sturdy and forceful, had been altered by her doodling, adding a touch of whimsy but losing so refinent.
"Done!"
Characters, illustrations, and personality.
Ye Li admired it in satisfaction for a mont before pulling out a scroll and mounting her work onto it.
When Xiao Bao arrived to call them for lunch, he pushed open the door and imdiately noticed the newly mounted artwork hanging on the wall.
The morning’s confusion and unease seed to all find release. The little guy smiled brightly as he ran forward to take Ye Li’s hand.
Fu Yanci lowered his gaze, his eyes flickering slightly.
The weather in April in the Imperial City was gradually warming up.
On weekdays, Fu Yanci went to work, Ye Li attended classes, and Xiao Bao went to kindergarten.
On weekends, the three of them went horseback riding and kite flying in the countryside together.
Although Xiao Bao still showed no intention of speaking, he had beco increasingly lively, visibly maturing to resemble a typical five- or six-year-old.
Old Mrs. Fu’s face bead with smiles from morning to night.
The atmosphere inside and outside the Fu Mansion was harmonious and cheerful.
However, Lin Kerou was in no mood to feel cheerful.
Before returning to the country, she had ntally prepared herself—whether by tears or begging—that even if Fu Yanci were as cold as steel, Old Mrs. Fu was aging, and Xiao Bao was just a child. Surely, they’d soften eventually.
But to her astonishnt, after all this ti back, she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Old Mrs. Fu.
When she visited alone, the old butler greeted her with a frosty expression and an even colder voice: "The old lady will not be receiving visitors these days."
When she accompanied Aunt Yun to visit, the old butler, though not looking pleased, finally brought them inside.
She rehearsed her crying plea over and over in her mind, yet when she looked up again, Lin Kerou was dumbfounded; Du Yunshuang was also stunned.
The old butler had led them to the guest lounge typically used for entertaining external visitors.
Tea, snacks, and fruit platters—everything was abundant.
The old butler left and returned, addressing Aunt Yun, "Fourth Lady, please follow ..."
There wasn’t even a hint of intention to see Lin Kerou.
Pride is to humans what bark is to a tree. Being so blatantly ignored filled Lin Kerou with bitter hatred, though she dared not show even the slightest of it on her face.
Fortunately, patience paid off, and she finally saw Xiao Bao.
Though she didn’t know who had brought him to the alley to et her that day, the fact remained that they t.
Lin Kerou had thought it would be a major breakthrough in her relationship with Xiao Bao. Yet after that day, everything returned to the way it was.
She waited at the kindergarten gate, and though Xiao Bao spotted her,
his face showed no obvious emotion.
His steps didn’t falter even slightly.
And his eyes conveyed nothing but three bland words: "You’re here!"
Then, the Fu family’s car drove further and further away.
It was as though an apparently successful eting had been abruptly paused, leaving everything at a standstill.
Lin Kerou felt awful.
And when she thought of how Xiao Bao would disappear every weekend—after several attempts of empty waiting—Lin Kerou knew it had to be Ye Li.
She was doing it on purpose!
Not only had she snatched Fu Yanci, but now she wanted to take her son too?
Dream on!!!
After getting her class schedule from Jiang Chengcheng, Lin Kerou drove to Imperial University the next morning.
"Ye Li!"
When the unfamiliar voice reached Ye Li’s ears, she had just stepped out of the classroom.
Looking back, Ye Li saw Lin Kerou, dressed in an off-white professional skirt suit, looking every bit the image of a career woman, standing at the bottom of the steps.
Thinking of that earlier phone call.
Then of Xiao Bao.
Ye Li’s smile unconsciously faded a bit.
"Ms. Lin, if you’re here for Brother Mu, I’m sorry, I have nothing to offer."
Direct and curt, Ye Li said, "Whether he chooses to forgive you or not, and when he does, that’s entirely up to him. I won’t interfere. Don’t expect to be your advocate to persuade him. I won’t do it."
An exquisitely beautiful girl.
Her jet-black, clear eyes, however, carried an undertone of resolute rejection and aversion.
An inexplicable feeling stirred in Lin Kerou’s heart.
"Ye Li, you’re hostile toward ..."
Lin Kerou’s heart took on a flicker of hope, "Is it just because of Xiao Bao?"
???
Ye Li looked baffled, "Otherwise, who else could it be?"
Words unspoken, Lin Kerou swallowed them back down.
Her eyes reddened, her whole deanor steeped in sorrow, "Ye Li, I understand why Yanci hates , but Xiao Bao is my flesh and blood, my baby I carried for ten months. Even if you can’t convince him for my sake, can I ask you to please stop trying to take him away?"
Ye Li froze, then smiled.
"Ms. Lin..."
As if hearing the world’s most ridiculous joke, Ye Li replied, "What you can’t achieve yourself, you bla others for achieving. Your words are like a lazy farr berating hardworking neighbors. Instead of wasting ti, how about tending to your own crops, alright?"
Turning around, Ye Li walked away.
Behind her, Lin Kerou’s face turned ashen.
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