TSFLIP Chapter 789

“To see Little Embroidery Ball, of course,” Fengguang said matter-of-factly, striding right out through the front gates as if she owned the world.

The guards at the entrance didn’t dare stop her—Madam had made it very clear that the young lady could go wherever she pleased, and no one was to stand in her way.

Lianzi hurried after her. “But, Miss… isn’t Little Embroidery Ball still playing with its yarn ball inside the house?”

“Who said that? It’s missing, obviously. If you don’t believe me, go check my room yourself.”

“Wait here, Miss! I’ll go look right now!” Lianzi said, spinning around and dashing back toward the Xia residence.

Is that easy to trick?

Fengguang’s lips curved into a triumphant smile. Lifting her skirts, she ran off on her short legs, making her way quickly to the front gate of Linglong Manor. The doors were still tightly shut, but the mere thought of seeing that white-haired man again made her heart race wildly.

She still couldn’t understand it—why this man held such a fatal attraction for her—but that didn’t stop her from acting on the impulse to see him.

All those earlier thoughts about needing a “proper excuse” to visit him suddenly seemed ridiculous. If I want to see him, then I’ll see him. Why overthink it?

She had just stepped onto the stairs and was about to knock when the heavy doors opened from within. A middle-aged man appeared at the threshold.

“Oh—it’s Miss Xia,” he said, momentarily surprised. “Are you here to see the young master?”

Fengguang recognized him at once—the steward of Linglong Manor. But being so bluntly exposed made her, for once, a little shy. She nodded. “I… came to see Shufeng. Is he home?”

The last question was really unnecessary; everyone in Tong County knew the master of Linglong Manor never left his estate.

“The master is sitting in the pavilion under the loquat tree,” the steward, Uncle Fu, replied kindly. “Please, come in, Miss Xia. Do you know the way?”

“I do,” she said at once. That pavilion was exactly where she’d first met Shufeng, and she remembered it clearly.

Uncle Fu smiled. “Good. I’m heading out to make some purchases, so I won’t trouble you by showing the way.”

“Don’t worry, I know how to get there.”

“Very well,” he said with a nod, then stepped outside, leaving her to wander in on her own.

Fengguang made her way through the quiet courtyard, passing a grove of blooming crabapple trees. Deeper inside stood a tall loquat tree, its lush branches rising above the rest. Beneath it sat a man dressed in white, his long, snow-white hair lifting slightly in the breeze. The pale color of his hair made his face seem even more delicate, and the wind carried toward her that faint medicinal scent she remembered so well.

He held a teacup in his slender hand, sipping slowly. Just as the rim neared his lips, he paused—sensing her presence. Turning slightly, his gaze softened, and a faint smile touched his lips.

“Ah… It’s Fengguang.”

Caught spying on him, Fengguang didn’t look the least bit guilty. She walked over and stared at him unabashedly for a long moment.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shufeng asked, setting down his cup. His head tilted slightly, and his unbound white hair slid lazily over his shoulders, a single strand falling across his chest.

He really was breathtaking.

Fengguang blinked. “Are you sick?”

“An old illness,” he said lightly, then asked, “Is Fengguang worried about me?”

She nodded. “Yes. The scent of medicine on you isn’t unpleasant, but… I still wish you didn’t have to smell like medicine at all.”

He smiled faintly. “If I didn’t take my medicine,” he murmured, “perhaps I wouldn’t be here to see you again.”