144: Chapter 144 When the Plums Ripen: Childhood Sweetheart Male Lead 22

On a midsummer night, the moonlight was like water.

The cicadas' chirping from the day had long since ceased, replaced by the rising and falling chirps of insects in the grass.

The evening breeze carried a hint of coolness, swirling with the fragrance of flowers and trees, brushing away the day's sweltering heat.

Nan Li had just finished chatting with Grandma and was walking leisurely alone along the path by the rockery, heading towards Tingyu Pavilion.

Since returning from Honglu Temple, Nan Li couldn't help but think of Meng Zhu whenever she had a free moment.

She didn't know what feelings Meng Zhu had for her, and she dared not ask.

She also didn't know what she really wanted.

She kept telling herself that the temple divination slip was fake, yet she couldn't help but recall the interpretation over and over again.

She often thought, more than once, that perhaps this was a sickness of the heart.

Indeed, there was no cure.

She was lost in thought when, unexpectedly, she bumped into a dark shadow at the corner of the path.

Her nose bumped into a warm, solid chest, and that familiar, crisp, and pleasant scent instantly told her.

It was Meng Xiujie.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably again; she quickly took a step back, her little face flushing red under the hazy moonlight.

"Brother Xiujie... you, you're back."

Meng Zhu had just returned from the company, his shirt sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows.

Seeing her startled appearance, tenderness couldn't help but ripple in his eyes.

"Mn."

He raised his hand, subconsciously wanting to check if Nan Li had hurt herself from the collision.

Nan Li's eyes darted away in surprise, yet she was reluctant to step back.

Meng Zhu's hand, halfway extended, paused, and he asked with concern instead.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"No... nothing like that."

"Is work very busy lately? Coming back so late."

Nan Li quickly changed the subject, her voice thin in the quiet night.

She just wanted to steer the topic to work, to contain her panic.

"It has been a bit busy lately, and I haven't been able to spend proper time with Zhaoyu."

Meng Zhu's voice remained gentle, as if he couldn't see Nan Li's unusual behavior.

"Have you been feeling bored in the garden lately?"

"No, no!"

This man just had to talk about things that scared her.

She quickly waved her hands, shaking her head like a rattle-drum.

"Brother Xiujie, just focus on your work; you don't need to worry about me."

She lowered her eyes, not daring to look into his deep eyes outlined by the moonlight, her voice growing lower as she spoke.

"I... I don't want to be a burden to you, and Qinghe Garden is very nice. I'm very happy every day, not bored at all."

She tried hard to appear sensible and independent, subconsciously putting away all her willfulness in front of him.

Yet in the past, he was the very reason she could be willful.

In Meng Zhu's eyes, this appearance of hers only added a bit of endearing clumsiness.

But Meng Zhu couldn't rush things now.

"You are not a burden to me, and you will not bring me trouble."

After saying this, the two were silent for a moment, with only the rustling of the evening breeze through the leaves and the clear chirping of insects.

The atmosphere became somewhat strange.

Nan Li felt her face starting to burn; if she stayed any longer, her heartbeat might drown out the insects.

"Then... then I'll head back first."

She dropped this sentence and turned to leave.

"Zhaoyu."

Meng Zhu's voice, however, came from behind her.

Nan Li stopped, not looking back, her heart pounding.

She listened as she asked in a barely audible voice, as if summoning all her courage:

"Brother Xiujie... can Zhaoyu continue to live here often in the future?"

Her voice carried a tremor she hadn't even realized.

This question was what she cared about most.

Just like how some people might suddenly realize one day that they, too, will die.

And thus begin to cherish time, living every day with meaning.

In the past, Nan Zhaoyu was the happiest treasure of Qinghe Garden; she had never thought that one day she might lose this place.

But recently, she suddenly thought of a terrifying question.

She would eventually marry, and Brother Xiujie would eventually take a wife.

She was never the eternal darling of Qinghe Garden.

After realizing she had developed feelings she shouldn't have for Meng Zhu, this was her greatest fear.

Meng Zhu was stunned upon hearing this, then let out a laugh.

He looked back at her.

"Zhaoyu, what are you overthinking?"

His voice was full of certainty.

"Qinghe Garden is also Zhaoyu's home. You can live here as long as you want; this will always be your home."

She also looked back at him.

"Really?"

"Mn, of course it's true. Qinghe Garden will always be Nan Zhaoyu's home."

Nan Li felt joy in her heart, but she tried desperately to suppress it.

"Mn... then I'm really going back!"

She dropped this sentence and turned to run again.

"Wait." Meng Zhu called her back again.

This time, Meng Zhu's tone was a bit more serious than before.

"In a few days, it will be the Zhongyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Yulan Autumn Festival. At that time, every branch of the Meng Family will send representatives back to their hometown to pay respects to the ancestors."

This wasn't a major ritual, so most would only send a representative, but Meng Zhu knew this was a prelude; things would inevitably be a bit different.

Nan Li turned back, puzzled.

"I know, Uncle Meng and Aunt Liang just called me; they are also on their way back from their trip."

Meng Zhu looked at her, his gaze appearing solemn in the night.

"At that time, if anyone in the Meng Family mentions your marriage, you don't need to pay them any mind."

He paused, his voice steady and powerful.

"I will handle everything."

Nan Li was stunned.

She thought.

This man wouldn't know that words like these no longer left her feeling indifferent as they once had.

Now, such words would always strike her heart like the heaviest drumbeat, leaving her dizzy and bewildered.

In the end, she just nodded haphazardly, squeezing out a barely audible syllable from her throat.

"I... I know."

Her mind was full of thoughts.

Was marriage that important?

If she could, she would never want to marry.

She only wanted to stay in Qinghe Garden forever, by his side.

Thinking of this, she couldn't care about anything else, turned, and ran into the night as if fleeing in panic.

"Meng Zhu is worried that the Meng Family branches are coming to cause trouble, right"

"Actually, it's not that bad; this time they are just bringing the younger generation to pay respects to the ancestors, but actually it's a disguised matchmaking session for Nan Li"

"The son of Meng Zhu's uncle-in-law, the one surnamed Lu, will also come"

"A toad lusting after swan meat"

"The original male lead starts to change from here, starting to take the initiative to attack; won't Meng Zhu do the same?"

"Are you guys stupid? In the original work, Nan Li hadn't awakened to her feelings yet, but look at the current Nan Li; it's clear she's already fallen in love, okay"

"Oh, right, right, right"

"Think about the original male lead's attacks: wall-pins, forced kisses, deliberately forcing people to retreat step by step, deliberately leaning his face right in front of them, grabbing hands at every turn; it's just disgusting"

"Indeed, this isn't flirting or being ambiguous; it's clearly sexual harassment"