[Xie Residence · Pavilion in the Guest Courtyard]
The night was quiet. In the pavilion courtyard, the lantern light swayed faintly in the breeze.
Cangyuan sat in plain robes, a small jug of clear wine in hand. He poured himself a cup at ease. Moonlight fell across the side of his face—soft, yet edged with a lonely chill.
Xie Wenyun came on her father's orders to "attend to the guest." Her steps were neither fast nor slow, but she paused at the pavilion entrance.
"Miss Xie," Cangyuan lifted his eyes. His gaze was warm, smiling, and he raised his cup in invitation. "Care to sit? Have a small drink with me?"
Wenyun's heart gave a jump. She pressed her lips together instinctively.
—She loved wine, yet feared the disgrace that followed drunkenness. And the last ridiculous incident had already been witnessed by him…
Her cheeks warmed; even the tips of her ears flushed red.
"I…" she said softly, hesitation obvious in her tone.
Seeing her expression, Cangyuan's eyes flickered with a faint, half-amused look. He didn't force her—only added leisurely, "Just a sip. You won't get drunk."
Her mind fell into fierce conflict.
On one side was her craving for wine—the tiny bit of freedom it brought, always easing the pressure in her chest.
On the other was shame and fear—if she embarrassed herself again, the one in front of her wouldn't be her maid A-Hao, but Lord Cangyuan.
She clenched her sleeve, silently groaning, Drink, and I risk impropriety. Don't drink, and I'll seem distant.
And Cangyuan simply watched her—quiet, patient, teasing in his brows and eyes, as if waiting for her struggle to resolve.
At last, Wenyun bit down and murmured, "…Only one cup."
Cangyuan's lips curved slightly. He filled a cup for her and slid it across.
"One cup, then."
The night wind brushed past. Lantern flames trembled.
Wenyun had barely finished that single cup when her eyes began to turn hazy. Her tolerance was always shallow. Now she set the cup down and staggered to her feet.
Cangyuan had been watching calmly—until she walked straight toward him, her gaze bright, her smile wide, and declared, "This young gentleman… is really handsome!"
Alarm bells exploded in Cangyuan's mind. His hand shot up on instinct; he covered both cheeks, brow twitching.
"…Again?! That was only one cup! You're drunk already? Your tolerance is that bad?!"
He held his breath, bracing himself to be "lightly bullied" again.
But Wenyun suddenly lunged forward—not to kiss him, but to wrap both arms around him. She rested her chin on his shoulder and laughed softly.
"Let's travel together, shall we? Go see the world—those high mountains, those lakes… all the rivers and skies… I'll roam wherever I want. How free that would be!"
Her voice trembled with drunkenness, yet it was full of longing—full of sincerity.
Cangyuan froze. His hands were still stiffly covering his face, but his ears burned red.
Something struck his chest—because in those drunken words he heard an echo of his own youthful dream.
His lips twitched; his throat bobbed once. He muttered with quiet self-mockery, "So… the truest heart hides inside wine-talk."
In his arms, Wenyun's breath was soft and close. Her eyes were unfocused, but her smile was genuine. A faint jasmine scent clung to her.
Cangyuan lowered his gaze to her. He felt helpless—and yet strangely moved.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Wenyun suddenly released him with a "whoosh," turned, snatched up the wine jug from the table, and tipped it back to drink straight from the spout.
The liquor slid down her throat. She wiped her lips, eyes still misty, yet her spirit turned bold. With a bright, hearty laugh she announced, "Good wine!"
In that instant, she was no longer Xie Manor's poised eldest daughter—she looked like a carefree swordswoman from the jianghu.
Cangyuan leaned back to one side, gaze pausing. He couldn't help laughing under his breath.
This lord's daughter is truly something… One moment a dignified noble lady—one cup later and she's like a different person.
He should have scolded her for impropriety. Yet this version of her—this honesty—made it hard to look away, more than her daytime perfection ever had.
Wenyun drank again and again, bold and unrestrained, the jug tipping so far it was nearly emptied.
Cangyuan's brow creased at last. He reached out and firmly caught her wrist, pressing the jug down.
"Miss Xie," his voice remained gentle, but carried a half-amused warning,
"Keep drinking like this and you'll turn the entire Xie Manor upside down."
Wenyun stared at him, half-drunk and dazed. Then she suddenly let out a giggle and reached to snatch the jug back.
But the instant her hand touched his, she leaned in close, eyes glittering.
"You… are so good-looking. Come—let big sister give you a kiss."
Before Cangyuan could react, she cupped his face—and her lips landed perfectly on his.
For a heartbeat, the world stopped.
Cangyuan turned to stone. His mind detonated into blankness.
Her slightly tipsy breath, the softness of her lips, the lingering scent of wine—everything pressed against him at once, so close he forgot how to breathe.
He had always been good with teasing words, but no woman had ever "bullied" him this directly.
That kiss was clean and decisive—so decisive it slammed straight into his heart.
Meanwhile, Wenyun looked thoroughly pleased with herself. She flicked her sleeve in triumph, smiling, and swayed out of the pavilion—utterly unconcerned with the state of the man behind her.
Only Cangyuan remained, frozen in his seat, ears burning, fingers suspended in midair.
After a long moment, he finally muttered, voice low and rough, "…This woman… how does she cross the line every time?"
Halfway through, he jolted, clapped a hand over his mouth, ears turning even redder.
"And—she kissed me on the lips…"
The night wind passed, but it couldn't cool the turmoil churning in his chest.
Cangyuan followed silently behind, hands clasped behind his back. The breeze carried faint jasmine. Watching the swaying figure ahead, he couldn't help letting his lips curve.
This woman has poor tolerance and even worse manners, and yet she still loves to drink.
He chuckled inwardly, his gaze softening.
But when she's drunk… she's kind of interesting. Even… a little cute.
Wenyun finally wobbled back into her courtyard. A-Hao heard the commotion and rushed out, catching her at once.
"Oh heavens, my eldest miss! You ran off to drink again!"
Wenyun, eyes misty, leaned into A-Hao's shoulder and even hugged her, beaming. "Eh? Little sister is so cute—come, let big sister give you a kiss, hahahaha!"
A-Hao's face flushed with panic. She hurriedly turned her head away.
"Miss, don't kiss people at random! Every time you're drunk you act like this! Before, you only made trouble in your room—at most you'd kiss this servant a few times… But you absolutely cannot do this outside too! If someone else saw, what would it look like?!"
She supported Wenyun while scolding under her breath, full of helplessness.
Cangyuan had still been smiling—until he heard A-Hao's words: "Every time you're drunk you kiss people."
His steps halted abruptly.
Something twisted hard in his chest. He had thought that kiss might have belonged—just a little—to him.
His fingers tightened without him noticing. After a long silence, his lips lifted into a faint curve—bitter, self-mocking.
"So… that's all it was."
The night wind snapped his sleeves. He turned to leave—then stopped again.
Because what lingered in his mind wasn't her wildness… but that one drunken line—
"Let's travel together… go see the world—the mountains, the lakes… all the rivers and skies… Let me roam. How free."
The sincerity in that longing overlapped perfectly with his own youthful dream.
Even knowing the kiss might not have meant anything, he couldn't stop the tremor that rose in his heart.
Cangyuan closed his eyes briefly, throat bobbing. He murmured, "Xie Wenyun… you… are really making it impossible for me to sit still."
His emotions surged and fell. In the end he lifted a hand to cover his lips, forced the chaos down, and—after a long sigh—walked away.
After that night, Cangyuan appeared unchanged. He could still laugh and speak with ease, as if he hadn't taken any of it to heart.
Yet whenever he was with Xie Wenyun afterward, he would, without meaning to, remember that hurried kiss upon his lips—
And a wordless, inexplicable attention began to grow inside him.
To him, it was the first time he truly realized—
Xie Wenyun was not merely the eldest miss of the Xie household.
She was a woman who could make him remember the longing he'd almost buried in youth… and even stir emotions he had sealed away.
[Next Morning · Xie Residence · Boudoir / Flower Hall]
Wenyun sat alone at her dressing table, gripping her handkerchief tightly, her heart tumbling up and down.
All she remembered was Cangyuan handing her a cup of wine—cool, clear, with a hint of pine fragrance… and after that, her memory was like fog: scattered, broken.
"Oh no… I must have embarrassed myself again."
She bit her lip, heat pulsing through her chest. A-Hao had said before that when she drank, she didn't just ramble—she also kissed people at random.
Wenyun covered her face, voice so small it was barely audible.
"It can't be… Did I… did I kiss Lord Cangyuan this time?"
The more she thought, the more panicked she became. His calm brows, his composed bearing—unbidden, his face filled her mind. If she truly had "bullied" him while drunk…
"Ahhh!" Wenyun suddenly collapsed onto the table, ears burning scarlet.
She didn't dare ask. She didn't dare think too hard. If she pursued the truth, it would only confirm her own absurdity.
"No… I can't admit this. Not under any circumstances."
She pressed her lips tight and made a ruthless decision: even if she really had kissed him, she would pretend she knew nothing.
But the chaos and shame in her chest refused to settle.
Morning light was bright; dew sparkled on leaves. Wenyun, dressed in a simple elegant skirt, sat properly in the flower hall—poised, gentle, every movement perfect.
Inside, she was taut as a bowstring.
Last night's drunken incident—she would deny it to the death. As long as her expression stayed calm, it would be as if nothing had happened.
Footsteps sounded outside the hall.
Cangyuan entered in a moon-white robe, strolling easily, a folding fan turning between his fingers.
Wenyun's heart tightened. She instinctively lifted her teacup, forcing herself steady.
"Lord Cangyuan, good morning." She smiled and bowed, voice soft—without a single crack.
Cangyuan looked at her and paused slightly.
The woman before him was graceful and composed, her features clear and calm—so different from last night's drunk, unruly "heroine-dreaming" troublemaker that it seemed they could not possibly be the same person.
He smiled and nodded. "Miss Xie looks radiant. Did you rest well last night?"
Wenyun's eyelid twitched. She lowered her head to sip tea quickly. "Mm. Of course… I slept very well."
Cangyuan's gaze lingered on her expression. A faint, almost invisible probing flickered in his eyes.
His lips curved into a half-smile. "Good. The moonlight was excellent last night. If someone were to wander about drunk, it would be easy to become the butt of a joke."
Wenyun's hand jolted; the teacup nearly tipped. She forced herself calm, lifted her eyes as if puzzled.
"What does Lord Cangyuan mean by that?"
"Nothing much." Cangyuan flicked his fan lightly, yet his eyes stayed on her face, voice edged with amused interest. "Just thinking—some people look so proper and well-mannered, yet… once in a while, another side appears. It can be quite entertaining."
Wenyun's heart thumped hard. Her cheeks warmed. She looked away, pretending not to understand, and quietly took another sip of tea.
Cangyuan watched her, his gaze sinking.
—Did she truly not remember? Or was she deliberately acting as if nothing had happened?
A dull heaviness rose in him. That kiss should have stirred the heart—yet if it was merely her "habit" when drunk, what right did he have to care?
The folding fan snapped shut with a sharp 啪.
Cangyuan drew his smile back into smooth calm and said lightly, "Miss Xie truly has remarkable composure."
Only one sentence.
But to Wenyun's ears, it sounded as though it hid countless meanings beneath its surface.