Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may!
For the same flower that smiles today will be dying tomorrow!
The joke said on the crepe myrtle trail in Lan Feng Institute many years ago was spot-on and became the best representation of his life. He had wondered for countless times—if he had followed his heart that day, plucked that most gorgeous bunch of crepe myrtle flowers, and tied it to her hair, how would the situation play out?
And today, he did what he didn’t do then.
However, it was to bid goodbye to the past, to satisfy that thought that was buried deep within his heart.
Zhong Rufeng left.
With the date to revisit the old place, with the regret of the past, as well as the present relief, he left with the gentleman’s generosity, magnanimosity, and determination—rid of stubbornness, greed, anger, ignorance…
Zhong Rufeng did it.
Wen Xinya looked at her reflection in the hand mirror.
The red flowers contrasted and complemented her snow-white looks.
Her bare face looked radiant and the flowers looked gorgeous.
Finally, her complicated emotions turned into a long sigh as she gently removed the gorgeous flowers by her cheeks and stuck them back into the bouquet.
The door of the ward opened to Old Mr. Mo’s steady footsteps.
Wen Xinya happily placed the flowers in her hands aside. Once she saw Grampy, she couldn’t help but complain. “Grampy, I’m going to be bored to death staying in the hospital alone.”
Actually, it was an exaggeration.
Zhou Tianyu and the rest would take turns to accompany her at the hospital, Grandpa and Grampy often visited her, and Mother He and Mrs. Tan frequently made some snacks to occupy her. She was just not used to not being able to do anything.
Old Mr. Mo glanced mildly at the crepe myrtle flowers on the cupboard. “Just now, I bumped into that child—Zefang.”
Zefang was Zhong Rufeng’s courtesy name.
It symbolized the five jade-like qualities of a gentleman—gentlemanly, warm, benevolent, generous, and fair!
Wen Xinya said, “He came to the hospital especially to visit me.”
Grampy liked Zhong Rufeng very much—he didn’t address him as the lad of the Zhong Family and instead called him directly by his courtesy name.
Both men and women of literary families had courtesy names, and they could only be used by close seniors and extremely intimate friends.
Old Mr. Mo looked at her for half a second before sighing and saying, “It’s really such a pity for Zefang, that child!”
It was a pity that gentlemanliness had yet to command more respect in the literary field.
It was a pity that he was a fair man with good conduct, yet he chose to enter politics.
It was a pity that…
Actually, compared to Ninth Si, he admired Zhong Rufeng more.
Previously, he had been in close contact with Xinya. In order to fulfill his grandson’s wishes, Zhong Yifeng had treated Xinya like his disciple and did his best to teach Xinya calligraphy, wanting to create more opportunities for these two kids.
He was also optimistic about this.
However, unexpectedly, at that time, Ninth Si had already completely expressed his interest in Xinya.
Based on Zhong Rufeng’s character, he was also destined to not be the match of Ninth Si—he’d stop at nothing.
“Haha—I think he’s great. To each his own—some things can’t be forced.” Wen Xinya feigned ignorance at the meaning behind Grampy’s words.
Old Mr. Mo didn’t continue either. “How’s your health these few days?”
Xinya’s pregnancy was even slightly more difficult than Yunyao previously. Now that she was almost three months pregnant and the pregnancy had yet to stabilize, he was feeling anxious.
Wen Xinya said coquettishly, “Grampy, must you ask about this every time you come—Grandpa Du obviously said that there’s already nothing worrying about my health anymore. Don’t worry.”
The person who was really uptight about her pregnancy was Grampy.
It seemed like there was more gray hair on Grampy’s head these few days.
Old Mr. Mo felt slightly helpless. “Aren’t you feeling bored? Play a few rounds of chess with Grampy!”
Xinya was pregnant—to play chess for leisure seemed great.
Overjoyed, Wen Xinya cheered and got up from the bed. “Grampy, you’re indeed the most brilliant, knowledgeable, wise, and the Grampy who dotes on me the most most most.”
Previously, she had been busy and didn’t even have much time to keep Grampy company—it seemed like it had been a long time since she last played chess with him.
Old Mr. Mo frowned at this sight. “Watch your actions. You’re already carrying a child, stop being so rough all the time—it’s better for a girl to be more graceful and soft-spoken.”
Speaking of being graceful and soft-spoken, Old Mr. Mo didn’t feel good.
Previously, when Xinya returned to the Wen Family, he was determined to groom Xinya into a refined girl like her Granny and mother.
Initially, she was still slightly graceful.
However, over the years, she had been spoiled by Ninth Si who always gave in to her and became even more unbridled.
Wen Xinya stuck her tongue out and, ignoring Grampy’s chiding, said coquettishly, “Grampy, you’ve gotta give in to me and can’t always make me lose terribly like before.”
To play chess with Grampy was simply asking for it.
However, she still loved to play chess with him and often bugged him and tried means and ways to whine and plead with him. Grampy often had no other choice but to agree with her.
She worked hard towards the goal of being able to surpass Grampy’s chess skills one day.
Old Mr. Mo purposely put on a solemn face. “Who spoiled this bad habit out of you—what counts in chess is sportsmanship. Your skills are subpar and you still dare to ask others to give in to you so blatantly—don’t you feel embarrassed!”
Despite saying that, he was still rather impressed with his granddaughter’s skills in chess.
Although not virtuous in chess, Ninth Si had cultivated an impressive style of chess in her.
Thinking about sportsmanship, his face uncontrollably blackened slightly—her capability in stealing and swapping chess pieces, playing cute, cheating, and going back on her steps was better than her skills in chess. It was all Ninth Si’s fault.
Grampy, are you sure this isn’t inherited?
“Grampy, you’re obviously being a bully! Your chess skills are extraordinary and have reached the peak of perfection—how many people can be your match in this world? Your skills are already better than mine. If you don’t give in to me, isn’t it a case of the strong bullying the weak?”
Wen Xinya was confident in her rebuttal as she rattled on unabashedly. Her pair of huge, black eyes sparkled with wit and craftiness.
Old Mr. Mo spoke in a slightly commanding tone, “You’re misusing your idioms again—is that what the strong bullying the weak means?”
Seeing how sure she was of herself, he really didn’t know what to say.
Wen Xinya said self-righteously, “On the chessboard, Grampy is stronger than me—isn’t this the strong bullying the weak?”
Old Mr. Mo said helplessly, “Forget it, I can’t out-talk you. I’ll give you a ten-pawn advantage—when you lose later, don’t say that I’m the strong bullying the weak.”
He purposely emphasized the phrase of the strong bullying the weak and spoke meaningfully.
Wen Xinya was elated. She hugged Grampy’s arm and said happily, “Grampy is brilliant.”
Old Mr. Mo felt slightly emotional.
In the blink of an eye, Xinya had already returned to the Wen Family for more than ten years, during which many things happened.. Now that Xinya and Ninth Si were finally married, lacking just in the wedding ceremony for completion, and, many years after Yunyao’s death, those who harmed her were also going to be punished by law, he finally had no regrets in his life.