Let’s add each other on WeChat! (Please add to your favorites)

Time seemed to stand still.

For the first time, Su Yunjin found herself unable to look at someone’s retreating figure, even wishing, for a moment, that Fu Lin would simply walk away. Yet clearly, with a family background like his, his upbringing would never allow him to leave so abruptly. Still, his status and his beliefs would not let him display vulnerability before another person.

This left Su Yunjin with a deep sense of guilt. She had refused many suitors before, but only this time did she feel her words were ill-chosen. Yet she couldn’t fall in love with him, couldn’t return his feelings, so the pain had to continue. It was like a cruel punishment, and she was the executioner—aware of her own ruthlessness, but unable to stop.

Unsure what to say to comfort the boy before her, Su Yunjin stood silently behind Fu Lin. Time slipped by, minute after minute.

After two or three minutes, Fu Lin managed to compose himself, turned around, and forced a radiant smile onto his handsome, resolute face, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth. Su Yunjin glanced at him, noticing the faint flush at the corners of his eyes. Yet this stubborn man continued to smile, suppressing his emotions, acting as though he didn’t care.

The atmosphere was quiet and tense. Su Yunjin’s heart clenched suddenly; she bit her lower lip and, filled with guilt, said, “I’m sorry…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. It’s not your fault,” Fu Lin interrupted her apology.

He forced his lips into another smile, his tone deliberately light. “Anyway, I get it now. Let’s just be friends from now on. Surely our friendship won’t be so fragile that we can’t even be friends, right? Just like you refused me before…”

His voice faded to a whisper at the last words.

Su Yunjin felt uncomfortable hearing this, and watching him so cautious, she found him foolishly endearing. Smiling, she took out her phone, “Do you have a phone? Come on, let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Previously, she hadn’t switched phones, only had QQ, not WeChat. When Fu Lin asked for her WeChat, she had refused. At the conservatory, they’d exchanged numbers, but hadn’t added each other. This time, Su Yunjin took the initiative, using her actions to tell Fu Lin that they were not just friends—they would be good friends.

“You got a new phone?” Fu Lin’s eyes lit up as he saw her take out a new device.

“Yeah, now that I'm getting famous, I have to start moving into the entertainment industry. I can't keep carrying that old relic around,” Su Yunjin joked.

Fu Lin chuckled, scratching his head, “True enough. You’re a big star now.”

“Don’t tease me. I’m no big star. Where are the real stars as impressive as me? I’m the future master of the Seven Gates, you know?” Su Yunjin teased him deliberately.

Perhaps she’d seen so much of human nature that Fu Lin’s honesty felt rare and precious. She even found herself reluctant to see him upset.

“Well now, you know everything? Isn’t a character like yours supposed to be clueless and pure as a blank sheet?” Fu Lin pouted, the gloom on his face vanishing as he bantered back.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Online, everyone says so.”

“Kid, don’t be so naive—do you believe everything you read online?”

“Of course—that’s the truth.”

“Then let me ask you, do you know you’re handsome and wealthy?”

“I’m not stupid,” Fu Lin rolled his eyes.

Su Yunjin rolled her eyes too, “So, do you think I’m stupid? You think I don’t know I’m beautiful and talented?”

As they sparred, the heavy mood was swept away in an instant.

Fu Lin hummed, muttering, “Who knows?”

She heard him loud and clear.

She spoke directly, “Hey, I’m right here—could you at least be discreet? I’m not deaf, you know.”

“Oh~”

Fu Lin acquiesced obediently.

Just as Su Yunjin wondered at his sudden compliance, Fu Lin cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Who knows?”

Su Yunjin: “…”

She knew it—he’d never be that obedient!

She felt like coughing blood, but had to admit, once things were said out loud, everyone felt much more at ease. Now, they interacted as friends, without any hidden thoughts, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

The last traces of gloom dissipated. Fu Lin, cheerful and confident, continued to lead Su Yunjin through the Fu family gardens.

Passing through the courtyard and the moon gate, they soon reached a grove of plum trees.

At this season, the plum blossoms had not yet bloomed. The bare branches looked dull, but the scene was far from monotonous. Beside the plum grove stood a cluster of osmanthus trees, their pale yellow blossoms in full bloom, filling the air with a fragrant, refreshing scent. Lower down, Icelandic poppies had been planted—red, white, yellow, and purple—making a striking display.

“Do you see that pavilion in the middle of the lake? It’s been there since the Ming dynasty,” Fu Lin said as Su Yunjin glanced at the flowers. He pointed to the pavilion at the lake’s center.

Elsewhere, pavilions were simply platforms with pillars and roofs. But at the Fu family estate, this lakeside pavilion was a true structure: below, a cool shaded area; above, an observation deck. Even from a distance, Su Yunjin could see a tea table made of stone set up on the second-story viewing platform.

“Want to go up and take a look?” Fu Lin asked tentatively.

Su Yunjin replied easily, “Sure. Honestly, I’ve never been here before. What can you see from there?”

“You’ll know when you get up there,” Fu Lin replied, keeping it a secret. Su Yunjin didn’t press him.

They walked to the lakeshore, where a small hut stood. There was someone inside. As Fu Lin approached, an elderly man immediately untied the boat’s mooring rope.

“This is Grandpa Zhang. He used to be my grandfather’s right-hand man. Now that he’s retired, he helps out around here,” Fu Lin explained as he picked up the oar.

Then he addressed the old man, who looked to be in his seventies, “Grandpa Zhang, this is Yunjin—from the Seven Gates. She’s visiting today.”

“Heh, I know. I used to go to the Seven Gates with your grandfather. Met this young lady before,” Grandpa Zhang replied, smiling as he sized up Su Yunjin.

Su Yunjin nodded politely to the old man in greeting.

In that brief moment, Fu Lin had already picked up the oar and jumped onto the boat. Standing at the bow, he turned and reached out, “Yunjin, come.”

“Thank you,” Su Yunjin said, taking Fu Lin’s hand as she boarded.

The two sat together as Fu Lin steered the boat toward the pavilion in the lake. As the boat drew further away, neither Su Yunjin nor Fu Lin realized that, at that very moment, two pairs of eyes were watching them closely.