367 Xiao Ge's Budding Romance

This indirectly confirmed what Ding Xiang had said: that she had a tough time at the Sun Family Medical Hall.

Thus, love-struck, Liu Yian sharply reprimanded his Aunt for being overly domineering, then left with "poor little" Ding Xiang.

Afterward, the name 'Ding Xiang' was no longer mentioned in their home.

Zhao Zhitong learned all this from letters. She felt nothing but contempt for Ding Xiang's ingratitude.

It seemed human nature wasn't always good.

Now, with Liu Yian as her backer, Ding Xiang was living a relatively comfortable life at Lingjian Villa.

...

After a peaceful night, morning came in the blink of an eye. When everyone gathered for breakfast, Zhao Zhitong noticed her Xiao Ge was missing.

She asked in surprise, "Eh, where did Xiao Ge go?"

Her Eldest Uncle, who was always up earliest, had seen Xiao Ge leave. "Oh, Zhao Yu?" he said. "He went out early this morning. Said something about buying an orchid."

Zhao Zhitong was baffled. "An orchid? Why would Xiao Ge buy an orchid?"

Everyone else just shook their heads, indicating they had no idea.

Just then, her eldest male cousin teased, "Buying flowers? What else could it be for? Probably for some young lady."

"Ah, Xiao Ge is fond of a young lady?"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhitong became very excited. Xiao Ge's marriage had been delayed for so long it was becoming a serious concern for Zhao Dong and Sun Mei.

At the breakfast table, everyone started discussing Zhao Yu.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu, the subject of their discussion, was carefully holding an orchid to his chest as he expertly scaled the Liu Clan's wall.

He then headed towards Miss Liu's courtyard.

——

At that moment, Liu Baixue was in her courtyard, eating breakfast and chatting with her maid.

Suddenly, they both noticed a furtive figure lurking near the courtyard entrance.

The figure looked somewhat familiar.

Mistress and maid exchanged startled looks.

Seeing that the person showed no sign of entering, Liu Baixue put down her bowl and went to investigate. That's when she heard Zhao Yu muttering to himself.

"Ahem... um... I shouldn't have spoken to you like that yesterday. I've come to apologize. I hope you can forgive me…"

"No, no, that sounds too formal," he mumbled.

"Ahem... Xiao Xue... um... I…"

Listening to Zhao Yu rehearsing his apology outside the wall, Liu Baixue couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

"Miss, who is it?"

Just then, the maid's voice came from behind her. Zhao Yu, engrossed in formulating his apology, was startled. He spun around and saw Liu Baixue standing right there. His face instantly flushed crimson, and he was overcome with awkwardness.

Liu Baixue smiled. "Master Zhao, what are you doing here?"

The sudden nervousness made Zhao Yu completely forget the apology he had been rehearsing for so long.

Looking at the flustered man before her, Liu Baixue fought back a smile. Her gaze then fell on the orchid clutched tightly in Zhao Yu's hand. Pointing to it, she asked, "An orchid? Master Zhao, is this...?"

Her words jolted Zhao Yu. He glanced at the orchid in his hand and frantically thrust it into Liu Baixue's. "Yes! This is for you!"

With that, he turned and fled.

Watching Zhao Yu hurry away, Liu Baixue looked down at the orchid in her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She turned and re-entered the courtyard.

The maid approached. "Miss, Master Zhao is very thoughtful to know you like orchids. Shall we plant this one?"

Liu Baixue nodded. "Yes, let's plant it."

The maid complied and quickly fetched a flowerpot. Mistress and maid then began to plant the orchid.

The maid remarked, "Miss, Master Zhao must have clutched this orchid for quite some time. Look, it's almost wilted! These flowers are so delicate; I wonder if it can even be saved."

A sudden gust of wind made Liu Baixue cough. After a moment, she murmured softly, "My own constitution isn't much different. It's rather fitting, I suppose."

The maid's heart ached. She gently chided, "Miss, what are you saying? You're not like that at all…"

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu, who had fled, suddenly remembered he hadn't actually apologized. He hurried back and, standing just outside the courtyard wall, overheard the conversation between the mistress and her maid.

An idea struck him, and he strode back into the courtyard.

Seeing Zhao Yu, who had left and returned, Liu Baixue asked in confusion, "Master Zhao, why have you come back?"

Zhao Yu stepped forward, his voice firm. "The flower can definitely be saved! Someone in my family is an expert with flowers! I'll take it back and nurse it back to health."

With that, he reached for the orchid.

Liu Baixue, stunned, held onto the flowerpot. "But... didn't you just give it to me?"

Why would he take back a gift?

Zhao Yu gently took the orchid from Liu Baixue's grasp, calling back hurriedly as he left, "I'll bring it back once it's healthy again!"

Having said that, he ran off without looking back.

Mistress and maid watched the man dash away, both completely dumbfounded.

The maid commented, "Miss, this Young Master Zhao… he's a bit silly, isn't he?"

Liu Baixue's lips curved slightly, and she turned back to her room.

——

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong had just finished breakfast. She was about to find Qiao Muchen to discuss their next steps against Master Liu.

Just then, she saw Zhao Yu rushing back, an orchid clutched in his hand. He ran straight to her. "Sister, you're the best at growing flowers, right? Take a look—can this orchid still be saved?"

Looking at the drooping orchid, Zhao Zhitong nodded. "It probably can."

She had Spiritual Spring water from her space; a little of it would surely revive the orchid.

Hearing his sister's affirmative reply, Zhao Yu breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Sister, can you help me save it?"

Zhao Zhitong was intensely curious about who Xiao Ge intended to give the orchid to, but she didn't ask. What if her question made him too embarrassed to pursue the girl he liked?

So, she smiled and nodded. "No problem, leave it to me!"

It wasn't until much later, when Xiao Ge rushed to her carrying a woman in white and desperately pleading for her medical help, that Zhao Zhitong finally realized who her Xiao Ge was smitten with: her good friend, Liu Baixue.

Her good friend was going to be her sister-in-law! Words couldn't begin to describe Zhao Zhitong's feelings at that moment.

Previously, Zhao Zhitong had thought her Xiao Ge was a dense, straightforward guy, utterly clueless about romance. However, ever since he had developed feelings for Xiao Xue, his passion had ignited like a wildfire.

He scaled walls to deliver flowers and love poems, and even performed a princess carry when she was unwell. The aloof beauty found it hard to resist such fiery devotion.

She could clearly see there was chemistry between them, yet their relationship struggled to progress.

Even Zhao Zhitong, a novice in matters of the heart, could tell Liu Baixue had feelings for Xiao Ge. Her pulse couldn't lie.

Whenever Xiao Ge was present while she took Liu Baixue's pulse, she'd find Liu Baixue's pulse and breathing becoming noticeably agitated.

What puzzled her was Liu Baixue's hot-and-cold behavior towards Xiao Ge. To put it bluntly, she neither rejected nor accepted him, merely stringing him along.

One was her good friend, the other her own Xiao Ge; she didn't want to see either of them get hurt.