Gu Ying had more doubts in her heart, but seeing that Zhao Changdu had no intention of speaking, she did not ask further.
She had always been someone who knew when to advance and when to retreat, who understood propriety, so she would not question her master's reasons.
She just had to listen to orders.
After washing her face, Yin Lan and Yanzhi both withdrew.
As they left, following their usual custom they put out the lamps in Gu Ying's room, "Miss, we'll go down first. If the miss needs anything, just ring the little bell over there."
Ever since Gu Ying's rebirth, the little bell had been arranged there for her to conveniently summon people.
Zhao Changdu opened and closed his mouth, but did not end up saying anything.
Only his heart kept restlessly beating, though he could not say why. The matter of Zhao Changdu asking to meet her lingered in his thoughts. Without a clear resolution, he was unable to fall peacefully asleep no matter what.
He lay in bed, fiddling with the thick brocade quilt with his hands. Through the curtains, he looked again at the light coming in through the cracks in the window lattice.
Outside it was pitch black night, with snowflakes still swirling around. But most of the Marquis Residence had already settled down, with only a few patrolling servants still moving about.
Twilight Snow Studio was relatively secluded, with few visitors.
The flower wall mentioned in Zhao Changdu's note was in the abandoned courtyard next door.
Climbing over that flower wall led to the small alley behind Moonlight Street. Many of the lower servants in the Marquis Residence would occasionally sneak out that way after the main gate had closed.
The wind-oil lamps hung high under the eaves, swaying and creaking with the cold wind, sounding unusually jarring in the depths of the quiet night.
Time flowed slowly by, and somehow tonight passed especially slowly.
When Gu Ying next looked up, it was already late night.
"I wonder if he's left yet?"
This matter kept nagging at her, not letting her fall asleep no matter what.
She finally sat up in bed, sitting blankly for a while, before finally making up her mind to go take a look under the flower wall.
The most prudent choice would have been to bring her two maidservants along for propriety's sake.
Yet for some reason she felt guilty about it, and didn't dare light the lamps either. She fumbled in the dark to take outer clothes and a fur coat off the clothes rack and put them on.
She figured Zhao Changdu wouldn't possibly still be waiting for her under the flower wall, so she felt completely carefree.
She just wanted to seek an answer, and leisurely wandered in the snow, emptying her mind and thinking of nothing, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.
After a short while, she arrived at the abandoned courtyard. Pushing open the wooden door covered in cobwebs, she went inside. The courtyard plants and trees were all withered. Only the tall black wall was covered in ivy vines that climbed upwards.
Every summer, the wall would be revived with beautiful flowers and leaves.
Although now the leaves had withered, the pure white snowflakes covering it also presented an interesting scene.
Gu Ying stood under the wall, and looked up. It was so late, with such heavy snow, there was no way he would still be waiting for her here...
But since she had come, she should still check just in case.
There was a bamboo ladder placed in the right corner of the flower wall.
She had always been proactive. After thinking for a bit, she directly moved the ladder against the wall and climbed up with effort.
She had just popped her little head up over the top of the wall and taken a look, when she saw Zhao Changdu dressed in black robes standing upright below the wall, handsome as a nobleman.
He had a tall and slender figure. Just standing there under the wall like that, he had already become a sight that no one could ignore.
Perhaps hearing movement on the wall, the man also happened to raise his head and look at her.
Amidst the swirling snow, their eyes met over the wall.
At the instant his deep dark eyes saw her, they seemed to become even more profound and unfathomable.
His gaze was as if it could ignite a fire.
Gu Ying's pupils shook. With the slippery snowy ground beneath her feet, and grasping onto the top of the wall with her hands, her body tumbled down without care.
She thought she would definitely crash into the snowy ground, but unexpectedly, the man below the wall moved and grabbed the back of her collar with one hand, easily lifting her up.
At this time she couldn't care about anything else. Flustered and panic-stricken, she hugged his slender waist tightly. Under his elegant lightness skill, she slowly descended to the ground.
After landing, she was quite silly-looking - hair in disorder, little face pressed against his chest, laughably clinging to his waist with both hands, legs completely soft.
Her legs simply couldn't stand firmly. It was only with him propping her up with a hand that she finally came to her senses in shock, straightening her body and hurriedly retreating back two steps.
Raising her eyes, she met his mocking gaze. Her little face flushed bright red.
"Don't laugh!"
As soon as she said this, she realized she had been too disrespectful to this cold and ruthless Marquis's son. Afraid he would get angry, she carefully looked up at him again, nervous and puzzled in her heart.
Why was he still here waiting for her so late into the night?
If she hadn't come today, would he have continued waiting or left?
Zhao Changdu narrowed his eyes to look at the little girl in the snow who was flustered with embarrassment.
She hadn't dressed up at all, not even combing her hair, leaving it a huge mess of thick black tresses simply tied back with a green ribbon.
After her blunder just now, most of her hair had come loose and cascaded down her back, smooth and soft as silk brocade. The contrast of her black hair made her face appear even paler, and out of shyness and annoyance her cheeks were an alluring pink hue. The fur collar of her coat was big and thick, framing her exquisite beyond compare little face that seemed as delicate as if it would break at the slightest touch. Her skin was fine and smooth, with a pair of eyes as dark and limpid as black pearls, holding a lazy, artless charm that made people like her more the longer they looked.
He wasn't angry at all, just smiling as he lifted the corners of his lips, "Why did you only come now? To avoid the maids in the residence?"
Her inner thoughts seen through, Gu Ying subtly bit her red lips. Her little face grew even redder as she stubbornly said, "No, I just thought the young marquis wouldn't necessarily come, so I had already decided not to come."
Zhao Changdu meaningfully looked at her, "Since you thought I wouldn't come, why did you still end up coming in the end?"
"I just came to confirm...not because..."
"Not because of what?"
Of course it was because she didn't want him to fruitlessly wait alone!
But Gu Ying couldn't say it out loud. She grew more and more embarrassed, completely unable to parry Zhao Changdu's overbearing interrogation. She was utterly routed, and simply closed her mouth, refusing to speak.
The cold wind howled, sweeping up snowflakes past the two.
It was Gu Ying's first time secretly meeting a man outside at night. She lowered her long lashes, only feeling the man's heavy gaze falling on the top of her head, carrying an immense sense of pressure that also contained a trace of some indescribable scorching heat as he looked her over.
She felt very unsettled, and without thinking turned to leave.
After walking two steps, she then remembered that she had fallen outside the wall, and now with no ladder on this side, how would she get back in?
