[“Send one person to go, and you won’t have to.”]

[Translator: Dragon and phoenix shoes: a traditional Chinese bridal shoe design with dragon and phoenix motifs, often symbolic of marriage]

Initially, Huo Zhenye didn’t think much of it. At his age, if he hadn’t been so disobedient, he would have been married with children, just like his fourth brother. He had no mother to arrange things and refused to be manipulated, which was why he had dragged it out until now. He didn’t even return to the Huo residence anymore, so Old Master Huo couldn’t grab him even if he wanted to— Huo Zhenye was too far away.

But when Bai Zhun asked, Huo Zhenye felt a little embarrassed: “I was tricked into going; I only had one meal.” Huo Zhenye re-read the short note. He and Miss Tao had met for that one meal, and they barely exchanged a few words. After that, the Courtesan Queen case broke out, he was embroiled in scandal, and the Tao family backed off. He had only met this Miss Tao that one time, so what could have caused her to go to such lengths, finding him from home to the police station, and then from the police station to Bai’s house?

Huo Zhenye casually put the paper slip down: “If you don’t want me to go, I won’t meet her?”

“If you want to go, go. Why are you asking me? Why wouldn’t I want you to?” Bai Zhun ate a little less than half a bowl of noodles and tossed his chopsticks aside.

“You’re my master! Shouldn’t an apprentice ask his master before going out?” Huo Zhenye dragged the bowl closer. There was only this one portion of dried noodles left in the kitchen, and he was still hungry.

He took a bite of the remaining noodles and immediately froze. He had forgotten to put salt in the noodles; both the soup and noodles were bland, and the greens and egg were tasteless. Yet, Bai Zhun, with his discerning palate, had eaten almost half a bowl. Huo Zhenye looked up at him, a smile in his dark eyes, feeling utterly helpless against this person.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Zhun noticed his gaze and shot him a look. “Someone’s sought you out. Just go see. Maybe they truly came because of your reputation.”

To refuse aid in a dire situation would harm one’s virtue.

Huo Zhenye slurped down his noodles, finishing the remaining half bowl. “Alright, then I’ll really go tomorrow.”

Bai Zhun turned and went back to his room, comfortably collapsing into the spring bed, pulling the goose-down quilt over himself. He heard Huo Zhenye cleaning up the dishes outside and slowly closed his eyes. Thinking of the slightly elongated life-incense, his brow relaxed. ‘Maybe, just maybe, it could be held onto.’

…

Huo Zhenye and Miss Tao arranged to meet at a cafe on Xiafei Road in the afternoon. He woke up early and first drove out to buy a double-layered cream cake. When Bai Zhun woke up, the cake was already on the table.

“How many candles should I put in?” He still didn’t know how old Bai Zhun was.

“Only the dead have candles for their posthumous birthdays,” Bai Zhun said, seeing that Huo Zhenye had shaved and changed his clothes. He immediately thought that this dandy was going to see Miss Tao today. ‘Has he even dressed up for her?’

“Then no candles, just eat the cake.” He cut a small slice for Bai Zhun, and one for himself, even picking the cream flower off his own slice and giving it to Bai Zhun.

Bai Zhun temporarily held his temper, appeased by the two-layered cake.

Huo Zhenye put on his suit and headed out. The little yellow finch immediately moved to follow, but Bai Zhun’s fork moved. “Come back.”

The finch circled the beam, a little bewildered. Its master clearly wanted it to follow, so why call it back? But the finch was well-behaved and landed by the red-crowned canary‘s cage. 

“Look at you, so timid. Wait till I get back—I’ll bring you a beautiful red-billed blue magpie.” With that, Huo Zhenye left.

Bai Zhun took two bites, found it sickeningly sweet, tossed his fork, and went back to his room to sleep.

The little yellow finch quietly slipped out of the courtyard and stealthily followed behind Huo Zhenye’s car.

—-

Tao Yonghua had arrived at the cafe early. Coffee and cake were on the table before her, but she had no interest in tasting them, her gaze fixed through the glass on the street, eagerly anticipating Huo Zhenye’s arrival.

Huo Zhenye pushed open the glass door and entered, walking directly to the seat opposite Tao Yonghua. He maintained his usual playboy demeanor. “Waiter, coffee.”

Tao Yonghua clutched her handbag tightly with both hands. “Mr. Huo, hello.”

“Miss Tao, what can I do for you?” Huo Zhenye yawned, completely unmasked. He draped an arm over the chair and propped up a leg, looking utterly like someone who had spent the night carousing and couldn’t wake up in the morning.

The waiter brought the coffee, and he picked it up for a sip.

Tao Yonghua had been very nervous, but seeing Huo Zhenye’s act, she actually lowered her head and chuckled softly. “Mr. Huo, there’s no need to put on such a difficult performance. I know you’re not like that.”

That day during their arranged meeting, she had already realized that this legendary Seventh Young Master Huo was not as he presented himself. 

She had initially been very disappointed that her future husband was such a scoundrel. There were many female classmates in the university. Girls from poor families had no way to attend college, so those who did were all young ladies from well-off families. Yet even with degrees, they remained bound by parental decrees, withdrawing after marriage to serve husbands and raise children.

Tao Yonghua had thought she was entering an unhappy marriage; although her husband was wealthy, he was a useless rake. She had summoned the courage to refuse such a marriage.

So, when Huo Zhenye stepped out for a smoke, Tao Yonghua quietly followed him. She wanted to refuse the marriage in person, without her parents knowing. But the moment Huo Zhenye left the private room, his entire demeanor changed. He stood by the window, lighting a cigarette, his gaze distant, as if his mind was utterly elsewhere, detached from the world. A waiter bumped into him while serving coffee, spilling hot coffee on his leather shoes. The waiter started to crouch down to wipe his shoes, but Huo Zhenye waved him off, lifted his leg to shake off the coffee, and casually wiped it on his trousers. Tao Yonghua froze. She stood there for a moment, not approaching, then returned to the private room.

When her parents asked for her opinion, she didn’t refuse; she figured even if she did, she might not find anyone better. Even after Huo Zhenye was embroiled in that scandal, her parents still had no intention of calling off the engagement. Her mother told her, “Men, they settle down once they’re married.” Her father even told her that their shipping business needed to partner with the Huo family, adding, “Your marriage is merely a guarantee between our families. You can continue your studies; he’s been abroad and isn’t against modern women. Your father has already considered everything for you.” In other families, hearing a girl went to university would be met with immediate opposition.

Unexpectedly, it was the Huo family who called off the marriage proceedings. Huo Zhenye’s eldest brother personally called Tao’s father, saying that their business would continue, unrelated to their children’s romantic affairs, and that the Huo family would also continue in shipping.

Tao Yonghua took out a folded newspaper from her handbag and placed it on the red-and-white checkered coffee table. Huo Zhenye glanced at it, and indeed, Bai Zhun’s prediction was right; Miss Tao had truly come looking for him after reading a sensationalized report. “You can’t possibly take this tabloid nonsense seriously, Miss Tao?” He picked up the newspaper and scanned it. It was today’s new issue: “Corpse Dug Up in Backyard on Rainy Day, Beautiful Woman Appears in Dream to Reveal Injustice.” This tabloid reporter had even visited the Changsan Hall.

Aside from the “corpse dug up on a rainy day” part being accurate, everything else was fabricated. They even made up a dream visitation from Xihong. She wasn’t appearing in dreams; she was stretching her neck, wanting to tear his skin off. “This is all nonsense.” The truth was far more terrifying, Huo Zhenye took a sip of hot coffee.

Tao Yonghua looked at him. “Gu Yu’yin and I were classmates—that is, Mrs. Qiao’s daughter-in-law. She’s already announced her divorce in the newspapers. She’s the one who told me Mr. Huo could communicate with the yin and yang, which is why I took the liberty of coming to you.” After Gu Yu’yin’s divorce, she and their old classmates gathered, all lamenting that she had escaped a living hell. That family could kill someone and bury them in the garden; they were simply devils. Tao Yonghua, having been on a blind date with Huo Zhenye, specifically stayed to ask her for details. Only then did she learn that Huo Zhenye possessed such abilities. No wonder he was so detached in his dealings with people and matters.

Huo Zhenye dropped his pretense and sat up straight. “Alright, what is it?”

Tao Yonghua gritted her teeth. “It’s not about me. It’s my cousin. These past few days, she keeps having the same dream.”

“Dream?” Huo Zhenye crossed his arms. “What kind of dream?”

Tao Yonghua’s face flushed slightly; she dared not look at Huo Zhenye. “She dreams… dreams of a wedding ceremony.” ‘But the person she’s marrying in the dream is a complete stranger to her.’

“Besides the dream, are there any other abnormalities with her?” ‘Is she dead? Possessed?’

Tao Yonghua shook her head. “Just the dream, but her mental state gets worse day by day. That’s why I wanted to ask for your help, Mr. Huo.”

Huo Zhenye touched his nose. ‘No death, no incident, just a dream, and she’s asking for my help?’ “Just because someone’s dreaming doesn’t necessarily mean it’s related to ghosts or spirits.” When Huo Zhenye was in England, he read Freud ^[1] Sigmund Freud, the psychoanalyst’s books. Exchange students had never seen such books before; some condemned them, while others praised them.

Tao Yonghua lowered her head, blushing. She understood what Huo Zhenye was talking about. Such books existed in universities; though there were no translated versions, people would still copy and translate excerpts.

“Please, Mr. Huo, take a look,” Tao Yonghua pleaded sincerely. She had money, but Huo Zhenye didn’t lack it, so there was no real way to make him willing to help except through earnest entreaty.

“Alright then.” Huo Zhenye, seeing her seriousness, nodded in agreement.

Tao Yonghua was immensely grateful. The two walked out of the cafe and got into the car. The car stopped in front of the Tao family villa. Tao Yonghua explained, “My father is at the company, and my mother went to see a play. No one’s home, Mr. Huo, please rest assured.” Huo Zhenye was indifferent, but the maid kept scrutinizing him. The young lady had never brought a man home before.

“Where’s Yin Yin?” Tao Yonghua asked as soon as she entered.

“The cousin young lady went out,” the maid said. “The young lady went out first, and the cousin young lady followed shortly after.”

Tao Yonghua was startled. Yin Yin’s dreams had drained her so much that she couldn’t even get out of bed this morning. How could she have gone out?

Huo Zhenye stood with his hands in his pockets. He had come all this way for nothing, but he wasn’t angry. “Miss Tao, may I leave now?” Just as he was about to turn, a young girl in an old-fashioned dress walked in from outside. She looked up, quickly glanced at Huo Zhenye, and then lowered her head again.

“Yin Yin, where did you go? You’re not feeling well, why are you running around?” Tao Yonghua reached out and took the girl’s arm. “I’ve invited Mr. Huo back.”

Yin Yin lowered her head: “I feel much better, I just wanted to go for a walk and get some sun.” As she spoke, she tried to go upstairs.

Huo Zhenye was about to turn when he caught a faint scent of blood. He paused, pulled out the copper coin Bai Zhun had given him from his pocket, and held it in his palm.

“I said it was just a dream, cousin, don’t worry about me.” The girl rushed upstairs with her head down.

Tao Yonghua’s face turned pale. She didn’t understand why her cousin had suddenly changed her mind. She apologized profusely to Huo Zhenye, bowing her head and saying sorry: “I’m sorry, we clearly agreed, there must be some reason for her to change her mind.”

Huo Zhenye, with one hand in his suit pocket, picked up the copper coin with the other and looked through its hole. Yin Yin had already reached the middle of the stairs, but nothing showed through the coin’s hole.

“It’s fine, I’m leaving.” He said goodbye and walked away.

He heard two maids gossiping: “Our master and mistress are too kind-hearted, letting such a grieving orphan girl into the house, and she even gives the young lady attitude.”

‘Grieving? But the girl’s feet are clearly wearing a pair of bright red satin shoes ^[2] These shoes often associated with traditional Chinese bridal wear. According to Chinese tradition, individuals refrain from marrying for three years after the death of their parents..’

Huo Zhenye turned to look at the Tao family villa, and the curtain in the second-floor window suddenly closed.

Tao Yonghua rushed upstairs and entered Yin Yin’s room, seeing Yin Yin walk from the window to the bed and sit down. She quickly went over: “Yin Yin, didn’t we agree?”

Yin Yin lowered her head. When Tao Yonghua pressed her, she took out a red note: “I found a medium. She said she’d set up an altar to consult the spirits for me tomorrow.”

“Yin Yin! How can you believe those mediums?” Tao Yonghua’s face turned red with anger. She felt terribly sorry for Huo Zhenye, making him come all this way for nothing.

Yin Yin’s face was pale: “I already refused. He’s a man; how could I tell a man those things?”

Tao Yonghua sat beside her and put an arm around her cousin’s shoulder: “Yin Yin, those mediums are frauds, greedy for money. But Mr. Huo is different; he lacks neither money nor knowledge. He won’t deceive us. If he says something is true, then it definitely is. Of course, we should believe him.”

Yin Yin burrowed into her quilt and covered her ears: “Cousin, I’m tired, I want to sleep for a while.”

Tao Yonghua fell silent. Yin Yin hadn’t dared to sleep at night these past few days, only resting during the day. She thought for a moment and sighed: “Alright then, get some rest. I’ll go with you to the spirit consultation tomorrow.” With that, she walked out of the room and closed the door.

Yin Yin pulled down the quilt, her eyes fixed on the door, the medium’s words echoing in her mind.

“Send one person to go, and you won’t have to.”

Yin Yin unconsciously bit her thumb, her eyes fixed on the door: “Send one person to go.”