Chapter 77: By the Rockery
Having her secret thoughts, which she believed to be well-hidden, suddenly exposed, Song Hemei naturally could not acknowledge them. For one, this was not the right time for anyone to know; for another, if Fang Yiyun learned that Yu Yeqing had left her hanging for several days without a word, she would have no face left.
She put on a stern expression, believing herself to look quite serious. "Don't talk nonsense. I don't know him."
This only earned her a scoff of derision from Fang Yiyun. "Do you think I'm stupid, or that I don't have eyes? Isn't that your third brother's former study companion?"
Now it was Song Hemei's turn to be startled. "You know him?"
Her mind raced back to the past, but unfortunately, she hadn't paid much attention to Yu Yeqing in those days. Back then, her eyes and heart had been filled with so many people and matters, her days passing in endless happiness that even her younger brother's study companion—even though she had chosen him herself—could not command much of her focus.
Fang Yiyun narrowed her phoenix eyes as she studied her, seeming to find amusement in the situation. "Oh? Why so flustered?"
Song Hemei forced a faint smile and neither denied nor deflected anymore, merely waiting for her to continue.
Fang Yiyun held the round fan's handle in her hand, tapping it lazily against the table. "It was a long time ago. I saw him at your residence. With a face like his, it's harder to overlook than to notice. But I saw he was simply dressed, so I thought you were blinded by his looks and had given up on marrying into the Shao family. That made me happy for quite a while."
Song Hemei thought about it. Given their past relationship, that did sound like a thought Fang Yiyun might have had.
"And then?"
"What more 'and then' do you want? A little inquiry would have revealed the truth. It was just a wasted thrill for me. But—"
Fang Yiyun drew out her words and leaned closer. "But I thought even then that his feelings toward you were unusual. I just assumed that handsome devil wanted to eat this ugly swan, trying to climb a high branch. Later, I hoped he'd manage to change your mind, make you willingly abandon the Shao family and live a hard life with that poor boy. What a pity—another disappointment."
Song Hemei couldn't help but cough twice, setting aside those blatant comparisons from the past and those inexplicable analogies, picking only the important point to ask: "What do you mean by 'unusual toward me'?"
"See, I told you—you do have feelings for him."
Fang Yiyun's understanding was evident in every hint of her smile. This was the sort of affair—the romance of men and women—that people most loved to meddle in.
"Why do you think I believed he wanted to climb your high branch? I spotted it many times—he would steal glances at you. Or perhaps, knowing that you and I weren't on good terms, sometimes the look in his eyes when he watched me was positively chilly."
Song Hemei wasn't sure whether to believe her words, but hearing them didn't feel bad at all.
She had never considered this before. After all, they had known each other for a long time, and she was no stranger to matters of love. If he truly had feelings for her, how could she not have noticed?
Yet thinking carefully, Yu Yeqing's reserved nature might indeed have been capable of keeping it from her.
But facing Fang Yiyun, she couldn't acknowledge it. She only said, "Then you must be mistaken. He looks chilly at everyone."
"So you understand him, don't you? Was I wrong? You do have feelings for him, and just now you were pretending you barely knew him."
She seized the crucial point with a leap that was both erratic and precise.
The smile at Fang Yiyun's lips deepened. "Enough, I won't tease you anymore. All this dodging and hiding is no fun. But I think, if you've taken a fancy to him, why not give it a try? Otherwise, you're just idle all day anyway. Whatever happened between you and Shao Wen'ang, you don't want to tell me and I don't care to ask, but I know how much you once adored him. If he can make you change your heart, then he must be utterly rotten. Why keep yourself pure for his sake?"
The clatter of cups and lively chatter came from all around, and Fang Yiyun's clear, crisp words reached her ears, stirring a complex mix of emotions within Song Hemei.
She had once had many close girlfriends, but in the end, the one who understood her best and showed her the most consideration was this person who had always been her rival. Some things truly were fickle and hard to predict.
In recent years, there weren't many people she could share her heartfelt thoughts with. Jilang was one, and the other was Yiyun. She let out a soft sigh, seized Yiyun's hand, and raised her cup to clink against Yiyun's. "Say no more. It's all in the wine."
Fang Yiyun gave her an odd look, as if to shake her hand off, but Song Hemei held fast.
"Since you also think I don't need to remain chaste for Shao Wen'ang, help me think of a way to summon that Lord Yu out for a private meeting."
Fang Yiyun's eyes flew wide. She lowered her voice. "Aren't you being a bit too impatient? This is someone else's wedding banquet."
Her gaze swept behind her. Although there was a screen, it couldn't fully block the men's seating area. Through the gaps, she could see Yu Yeqing seated in a place of honor, surrounded by many people, with some approaching him one after another to speak.
But he was cold all over. His clear, bright eyes swept over them lightly, making it difficult for anyone to draw close.
Whether he sensed their scrutiny or not, his gaze crossed the crowd and landed on them, seeming to pierce through every barrier, fixing straight on a person, leaving nowhere to hide.
Fang Yiyun quickly averted her eyes. This time, not only did she lower her voice, but she also hunched down. "What kind of plan could I have? If you want excitement, figure it out yourself. I think he's even more intimidating than when he was young, and now he's an official—I wouldn't dare offend him."
Song Hemei, however, kept her eyes fixed on Yu Yeqing. She was certain—he had seen her.
She did not avoid his gaze, and neither did he. As they stared at each other, the fire in her heart flared up again. But unfortunately, they were too far apart for her to read the emotion in his eyes clearly.
Seeing she didn't answer, Fang Yiyun poked her arm. "Stop staring at him. If you keep it up, you'll draw everyone's attention."
Song Hemei didn't want to look away first, as if she were admitting defeat. Yet this strange behavior would attract too much notice. With no other choice, she turned back.
"I remember that on the way from the entrance to this banquet, you pass through a corridor with rockeries and a shallow pool beside it. That would be the perfect place for a secret rendezvous."
Fang Yiyun was dumbfounded. "I was only telling you not to pretend with me, but this is too blunt…"
"Think of something. Just make sure he hears where I am. Whether he comes or not is up to him."
Song Hemei's eyes were dark with resolve. She had made up her mind.
"Song Hemei, I think you've lost your mind!"
Song Hemei drained her cup. "If this works, I'll definitely make it up to you with the wedding wine you missed."
She truly could not wait another moment. She had to grab him and interrogate him thoroughly—what exactly did he mean?
Disappearing without a sound, then reappearing just as silently, and now that he had seen her, he showed not a hint of guilt. Anyone watching would think she was the one who had left without a word.
She ignored the look of utter disbelief on Fang Yiyun's face. That woman had plenty of tricks up her sleeve; she wasn't worried about failing to lure him out.
She stood up directly, crossed the screen, and headed for the door. Just before stepping over the threshold, she glanced toward Yu Yeqing again. Whether by coincidence or not, he happened to lift his eyes and met hers squarely.
Song Hemei shot him two long, meaningful looks. She felt her anger was plain enough. After standing still for a moment, she turned and walked away, straight out the door and toward the corridor.
On this side, people were busy attending to the guests. Although maids and servants occasionally passed along the long corridor, they were all occupied and had no attention to spare for anything else.
She found a spot and sat down, staring quietly at the sky. Only then did she realize she had taken it for granted that Yu Yeqing would come. He might still need to socialize with the other officials, or maybe he felt it didn't matter whether he saw her or not. After all, a man capable of leaving without a word might not have her very much on his mind.
Yet she also recalled that the strength of his embrace at the government office that day was not false, nor were the words he whispered in her ear.
In the end, she let out a soft sigh. She thought to herself, as long as Yu Yeqing explained himself properly, she could be magnanimous and forgive him this once—
"Come with me."
Before the thought had even finished forming, Song Hemei felt the sky above her suddenly darken. The next instant, her wrist was seized firmly, and she was yanked to her feet.
Startled, she turned her head back and saw only Yu Yeqing's broad back and his cold, stern profile.
His strength was formidable, nearly pulling her off balance. He led her skillfully into the rockery, took a few steps deeper, and then shoved her against a rock.
But just before her back hit the stone, he caught her, pulling her instead into his embrace, pressing her lightly against the rockery face. "Why?"
Yu Yeqing spoke first, catching Song Hemei off guard with the question.
This was unexpected. She looked up and saw his somber expression and the barely contained fury in his eyes.
"I gave you a chance to regret, but you didn't take it. Did you think you could escape by going back to Linzhou?"
Song Hemei's heart pounded twice. "What are you talking about? Escape from what?"
He had managed to lead her off track. But she was the one who had the right to be angry. She met his gaze, raising her chin without flinching. "I should be the one asking you. What do you mean? One day you say you'll come find me, and the next you're gone without even leaving me a message. Do you think you can summon me at will and dismiss me at will?"
A flicker crossed Yu Yeqing's brow. "But I told you that day I had official business. And I promised I would come find you."
"Is that the same?!" Song Hemei grabbed the front of his robe and pulled him closer. "Handling official business in Changzhou is the same as going to Pingzhou? How was I supposed to know what you were really thinking—whether you truly had official matters or whether you were just shaking me off?"
The subtle movement in Yu Yeqing's eyes softened some of his earlier harshness. "I really did have official business."
His Adam's apple bobbed. His breathing was heavy and rough, and the heart in his chest seemed to be pounding fiercely. "So everything you said before doesn't count? So you went back to the Shao residence?"
Song Hemei sensed something off in his tone. "Never mind me for now. Let me ask you—if you hadn't run into me here, when were you planning to come to the Song residence to find me?"
"I went to the Song residence first."
Yu Yeqing's ink-black pupils reflected her figure, as if demanding an explanation from her. "Third Young Master told me you had already returned to Linzhou. I went to the government office and Shao Wen'ang wasn't at his post. Only then did I hear about the prefect marrying off his daughter."
"It was because of you that I chased all the way here. I, too, want to know what you really mean."
His arm tightened, pulling her waist closer, and his voice carried a dark, sinister edge she had never heard before. "The one who is summoned at will and dismissed at will—that's clearly me."
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