Chapter 30.2: “You are at the frontier fortress, thinking of the Sovereign King, day and night, even unable to sleep?”

Ye Tianhui washed her hands and face, then sat on the balcony, enjoying the view outside while savoring the various foods.

The pastries made by the Ye family seemed no different from the ones sold outside, but once she tasted them, the flavor was distinct. Ye Tianhui ate a mango glutinous rice ball and found the glutinous rice skin soft and delicious, not sticky to the teeth. The mango flavor was great, and there were also banana cakes, bowl cakes, sesame rolls, and more, each with a unique flavor.

She thought that perhaps a family like the Ye family would always have their own cooks, carefully selected and skilled.

In her past life, the Ye family also had good cooks, but she was often away from home, so she hadn’t enjoyed them much.

She drank her milk slowly, savoring the pastries and enjoying the view outside, all of it very pleasant.

While she was eating, a knock came from outside. Ye Tianhui said softly, “Come in.”

It was Tan Ma: “Miss Ye, may I ask if you had any instructions earlier?”

Ye Tianhui didn’t turn around and said, “Please prepare new clothes for me, I need to take a bath.”

Tan Ma: “Okay.”

Ye Tianhui: “Also, don’t let those maids who don’t understand Chinese come again next time.”

Tan Ma listened and smiled as she looked at Ye Tianhui: “Miss Ye, you might not know, but the Filipino maids are from the Philippines. They all speak English and don’t understand Chinese.”

Ye Tianhui said calmly, “Oh, in my Chinese territory, in the Ye family’s residence, does not understanding English mean they are not worthy of a meal?”

Tan Ma raised an eyebrow: “But they really don’t understand Chinese.”

Ye Tianhui’s expression was calm. She looked at Tan Ma and said, “Then let the maid who understands Chinese come.”

Tan Ma was taken aback.

Ye Tianhui, though her expression was serene, had an indescribable oppressive air in her eyes, making Tan Ma feel that she couldn’t defy her.

This feeling was one she had only felt from Old Master Ye.

She had no choice but to say, “Then, I will arrange it.”

Ye Tianhui nodded.

After that, she leisurely said, “The house’s servants don’t understand Chinese, so the host and guests can only speak English. If you dare to say this in front of the Old Master—”

But she didn’t finish her sentence, just smiling as she looked at Tan Ma.

Tan Ma was momentarily speechless.

What Ye Tianhui said was right.

The Old Master was an old-school intellectual from the Republic of China era, and also a businessman. He held onto old concepts and traditions and could not stand young people speaking with a mix of English in their conversations. Although many government workers in Hong Kong now spoke a mix of Chinese and English, and ordinary people had started using some English words in their speech, the Old Master found it quite disdainful.

He believed that speaking English when dealing with the British or Americans was fine, but if Chinese people spoke English in everyday life, it was a sign of forgetting one’s roots. If he heard English spoken in his own home, he would be extremely upset.

Seeing Tan Ma’s expression, Ye Tianhui naturally knew she had guessed right.

She smiled and said, “You can go out and prepare. I want to take a bath after I finish eating.”

Tan Ma awkwardly nodded and left.

***************

When Ye Tianhui was full, a Chinese-speaking maid came in, bringing her a change of sleepwear and a towel, among other items.

Ye Tianhui took the items and went to the bathroom, enjoying a comfortable bath.

When she was in the mainland, she could only go to a bathhouse to take a hot bath. Later, when she was determined to escape to Hong Kong, suffering hardships along the way, even when she rented a place and could bathe, it was just a quick rinse while standing, always on guard due to the messy environment.

Now, lying comfortably in the bathtub and soaking in hot water, it was an indescribable pleasure.

The warm mist carried a faint rose scent, which made her feel a bit drowsy.

She stretched out her limbs and let herself float in the water, feeling a complete sense of relaxation.

Closing her eyes slightly, she thought about her previous life and her current life.

The former glory and pride, the things she once firmly held onto, the things she had fought passionately for, the things she had once been willing to dedicate her entire life to, all seemed like fleeting smoke.

Now, she was supposed to lie down and enjoy life.

She had to let herself eat well, no matter what.

After bathing, she dried her body, blew dry her hair, and changed into the sleepwear that had been prepared in advance.

This sleepwear was very soft, like mulberry silk, but not exactly the same. Ye Tianhui had never seen such fabric. She only felt it was nice, and definitely expensive.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw the Chinese maid had come again, bringing her some clothes, seemingly for daily wear, including a thin sweater, trousers, and a coat.

Ye Tianhui understood upon seeing these clothes. Now, her identity was unclear. The Old Master wouldn’t let her leave the Ye family. As for what to do, he still needed to investigate and discuss.

Ye Tianhui didn’t mind. After all, there was food and drink here, and it was comfortable. She would just enjoy it for now.

She sat at the vanity, combing her hair, and rang the bell.

Soon, Tan Ma came.

When Tan Ma entered, she saw Ye Tianhui sitting at the vanity, wearing a loose silk nightgown, her black hair falling gracefully on her shoulders, highlighting her bright red lips and fair skin.

She was somewhat surprised.

Before, when she saw Ye Tianhui dressed plainly, she looked like a girl from the north, but now, after her grooming, she turned out to be a beauty.

Ye Tianhui noticed Tan Ma had entered but didn’t say anything, continuing to comb her hair and making Tan Ma wait.

She had met many people and could tell what kind of person Tan Ma was at a glance.

There were also such people in the palace, thinking that by serving the Sage, they were an official too. They would often use their small authority to manipulate others, trying to please the Sage while being arrogant in front of other officials.

She wouldn’t be polite to such people.

After making Tan Ma wait for a while, Ye Tianhui asked, “I want to go out for a walk. Do you have any recommendations?”

Her words were ambiguous, “go out for a walk,” which could mean just the yard or outside. She asked in this way to see how Tan Ma would respond.

Tan Ma was slightly surprised, “Miss Ye, if you want to go out, we would need to send a car, and it might be inconvenient. The Old Master hasn’t mentioned it, so we can’t decide on our own.”

Ye Tianhui laughed lightly, “Look at you, thinking too much. There’s food and drink here, and people to serve me. Why would I need to go out? I’m just going to walk around the yard.”

Upon hearing this, Tan Ma understood her mistake and said, “Miss Ye, if you want to walk in the yard, that’s of course fine, but you need to be careful. Some places are off-limits.”

Ye Tianhui responded, “Alright, tell me about them.”

Tan Ma then began explaining. After all, in this large villa, some of the buildings were the Old Master’s office area, used for meeting important guests, and these places were restricted. Without permission, the servants could not go there.

Ye Tianhui nodded as she listened, then asked about other things. She soon found out that the villa was fully equipped, with several buildings. This one was for guests, and generally, guests would stay here.

The villa’s fourth floor had a gym and a library. In short, all necessary facilities were available, and the rooms also had phones, ready to be used anytime.

Ye Tianhui listened and thought it sounded good. It seemed that Old Master Ye did not intend to imprison her, and she could make phone calls.

Of course, this old man probably wasn’t worried about anything, after all, she was from the mainland, with no relatives or connections. If she called the police station, the police wouldn’t pay her any attention.

After Tan Ma left, Ye Tianhui went out to explore. The gym equipment was really boring, she wasn’t impressed, and she’d rather practice a few martial arts routines herself.

However, the library was quite nice. She looked around, picked a few books on horse racing, and brought them back to her room so she could read them when bored.

For the next two days, Ye Tianhui behaved herself, ignoring everything around her. She just asked for whatever she wanted to eat and play with. After two subtle confrontations, Tan Ma almost always complied with her requests.

She also occasionally took walks downstairs, but after Tan Ma set the boundaries, she didn’t see any other members of the Ye family. She studied the layout and found that this mansion was really large, seemingly divided into sections. The Ye family traveled to the entrance by shuttle, so unless they came out for a walk, it was not easy to encounter them.

That was fine too, to avoid any awkward meetings.

During this time, a medical team came in the morning to check her body and took her blood.

She guessed that they were probably testing her blood, maybe with some advanced technology from abroad to verify if she was really his biological daughter.

When the blood was being drawn, Ye Tianhui recalled Ye Lixuan’s expression at that time. Had he been convinced by her?

This surprised her a bit. She thought he would stubbornly disbelieve it, clinging to his refusal until the last second.

She remembered how he had previously scolded her for being so vicious, his look of disdain and rejection. A person like him, who suddenly easily believed she was his biological daughter?

It was quite interesting.

Ye Tianhui started to look forward to what kind of expression her father would have when the truth came out. Guilt? Or would he adopt the stance of “I’m your father, I’m not wrong”?

After the blood draw, she returned to her room. She felt a bit bored; the waiting process was always tedious. Now, other than the servants, she had no one to talk to.

She could only casually flip through the books.

As she flipped through, she noticed the phone on the side, and a thought crossed her mind.

She remembered Gu Shizhang. Maybe she could give him a call?

She thought about it. She did have some feelings for Gu Shizhang. On this point, there was no need to pretend to be clueless; she indeed had some feelings for him.

But she couldn’t tell where these feelings came from. Was it because his temperament and appearance resembled the Sage so much that she wanted to dare to covet the Sage?

Or was it because she was lonely and had no one, and when she encountered a man who was nice to her, she started to develop feelings?

Thinking about this, she felt a bit helpless. She never imagined that she would start to worry about a man so easily.

But she still couldn’t help herself, she couldn’t stop thinking about that rainy night in the study, the sage’s meaningful eyes, and how he looked at her with a smile.

He had indeed teased her.

This was the ruler of the world, the supreme one, but he still appeared to be a man.

A man who was disturbed by an urgent report in the middle of the night, getting up in his pajamas.

Perhaps he hadn’t woken up from his dream, losing his composure? Or had this man drunk before going to bed?

Ye Tianhui sighed lightly. In truth, she had never been able to understand him.

She couldn’t figure it out. In the end, even after sending him seven urgent letters, she couldn’t get the supplies. Was it because something went wrong in the middle, or had he developed a murderous intent towards her?

She and he could be considered as green plums and hobby horse^[1]青梅竹马 – childhood sweethearts: It means that a man and a woman have known each other since childhood, played together, and have a pure and intimate relationship without suspicion. The … Continue reading , once studied together at the Royal Academy, once practiced swordsmanship on Qinglong Mountain, but the emperor was heartless, and she didn’t dare to have any illusions.

After thinking this over, Ye Tianhui finally dialed Gu Shizhang’s phone.

She didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but the phone was answered right away.

Ye Tianhui listened to the voice on the other end, not saying anything.

Gu Shizhang: “Tianhui, is it you?”

Ye Tianhui smiled a little, then said: “It’s me.”

Gu Shizhang: “You’re suddenly calling me, is there something going on?”

Ye Tianhui: “Not really, just wanted to greet you. How’s the matter in the UK going?”

Gu Shizhang: “It’s a bit tricky, I might have to go to the U.S. I’ll probably be back in a few days. What about you? How have you been recently?”

Ye Tianhui: “Me? I’m about to get rich.”

Gu Shizhang: “Oh?”

Ye Tianhui laughed and said: “I’m about to soar to great heights and get rich. Hurry and come back, otherwise, if you come back late and I become successful, I might not recognize you as my old friend.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Shizhang laughed: “What’s going on? Did you buy a lot of lottery tickets?”

Ye Tianhui: “It’s not that, I’ll tell you when you come back!”

Gu Shizhang: “Alright, I’m waiting to hear your story.”

For a moment, he laughed again: “I have some investments here. Actually, I came over to handle investment issues. If I’m lucky, maybe I can also get rich. Once I do, I’ll invite you to eat at Zhang Lin Ji.”

Ye Tianhui: “Mm, don’t forget the gift.”

Gu Shizhang: “Got it, little money lover. How could I forget your gift?”

Ye Tianhui: “Since I’m already a money lover, I’ll remind you, you must remember to buy me an expensive gift, otherwise, my reputation as a money lover will be in vain.”

Gu Shizhang laughed helplessly: “Wait for it, I’ll bring Buckingham Palace from the UK for you to live in.”

Ye Tianhui hummed: “This kind of talk is just like saying that in my next life, I will work like a mule for you, it’s all nonsense!”

Gu Shizhang: “Even if it’s nonsense, it’s good to say it—”

His voice then took on a somewhat meaningful tone: “Otherwise, you tell me one?”

Ye Tianhui: “Tell what?”

Gu Shizhang: “Of course, something pleasant, like how in your next life, you’ll work like a mule for me, or you’ll remember me and come find me.”

His voice carried a teasing mockery, but Ye Tianhui’s heart suddenly tightened.

She tightened her grip on the phone and calmly said: “Oh, why would I remember you in my next life?”

Gu Shizhang, however, laughed indifferently: “I’m just saying, don’t you want to remember me?”

Ye Tianhui’s face flushed slightly: “Who wants to remember you.”

After she said this, the other side went silent.

Through the international call, she felt a silence that made her heart tighten.

She closed her eyes, vaguely hearing his breathing, clear and steady, rhythmic, full of magnetism, thumping against her eardrum, making her fingertips feel as if they had been electrified.

After a long time, his voice spoke again, but it was low: “It’s around three in the afternoon there, right?”

Ye Tianhui softly murmured “Mm.”

Gu Shizhang: “The time difference between us is seven hours. It’s eight in the morning here. Outside my window—”

He laughed: “From my window, I see a brick-red old castle, old-fashioned black and gold street lamps, it’s raining outside, the ground is all wet, and there’s a couple with a white umbrella, walking together on the street.”

Ye Tianhui imagined the scene, but she couldn’t quite picture it since she had never been to the UK.

Gu Shizhang: “Do you want to hear the sound of the rain outside?”

Ye Tianhui: “Can you hear it?”

Gu Shizhang: “Wait a moment.”

Then, Ye Tianhui heard a rustling sound from the other end of the phone, followed by silence.

Soon after, she heard the faint “tick-tock” sound, moist and damp, ticking one after another.

In an instant, the distant, damp mist seemed to take on a concrete shape.

She even imagined Gu Shizhang, looking elegant in his suit, holding an umbrella and strolling down the streets of London.

She smiled: “I heard it.”

Gu Shizhang: “Mm.”

His voice was smooth and pleasant: “This is the sound I hear every night recently. Now, you’ve heard it too.”