79. The Plot to Exchange Hairpins

Three days later—

Early in the morning, Gu Fei was already neatly dressed. As she opened her door, she saw You Hu leaning against a column, arms crossed, head tilted, watching her.

Today, Gu Fei wore a soft gauze dress in lake-blue, its layered hem painted with an impressionistic scene of blooming pink lotuses. Her hair was styled in a Lingxu bun, adorned on either side with plain silver flower ornaments, and a translucent magnolia hairpin sat atop her bun. Sitting in her wheelchair, her slender waist was cinched with a colorful silk sash, making her appear delicate and frail.

“Do you need me to accompany you, miss?” You Hu asked coolly, the corners of his mouth still curved in a smile, though it never reached his eyes.

Aunt Ku pushed Gu Fei out of the room. Gu Fei shook her head, “No need. Nightingale and Egret will go with me.”

You Hu rubbed the bridge of his nose, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Aunt Ku had prepared everything, even instructing Nightingale to bring a sunshade. She watched Gu Fei leave with her two maids before sighing softly.

You Hu lowered his gaze to his fingernails and remarked lightly, “If you’re worried, following along to take a look wouldn’t hurt.”

Aunt Ku paused mid-step as she turned towards the kitchen, then smiled back, “Then I’ll trouble you to cover for this old servant.”

With that, it was unclear which door Aunt Ku used—she slipped away in a flash, vanishing from sight.

The quiet Qingmo Courtyard was now left with only You Er pounding ink blanks in the ink studio, and You Hu, still leaning against the column, unmoving. The mottled shadows cast upon him gave his scholar’s robe an illusory, surreal quality.

After a long while, perhaps his neck grew sore, and he straightened up. Before he could return to his books, his ear caught Egret’s voice from outside the gate—

“Miss, they’ve gone too far!” The young girl’s voice was crisp and unmistakable.

You Hu turned towards the gate, and sure enough, before long, Gu Fei returned with her two maids. In her hand, she held an invitation—not the one she had received previously.

“What’s this?” You Hu asked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Before Gu Fei could answer, Egret spoke first. “Sir, you may not know, but those merchants from the Ink Chamber are utterly arrogant. They clearly invited Miss before, but now, right before the event, they claim the invitation was sent in error. Miss’s name isn’t on the guest list for today’s banquet at Dragon Phoenix Pavilion. They’re just making a mockery of her!”

Gu Fei and You Hu were both shrewd and wouldn’t see things as simply as Egret did. They understood that the original invitation surely had Gu Fei’s name, but something unexpected must have happened, and now Gu Fei was no longer eligible to attend.

Gu Fei handed her hairpin to Egret, no longer needing to entertain distinguished guests from the capital. For reasons unknown, she felt a subtle relief and promptly removed the magnolia hairpin from her bun, instructing Nightingale, “Make me a comfortable bun.”

She clearly had no intention of going.

However, You Hu’s mind shifted. He stepped forward and stopped Nightingale. Facing Gu Fei, he bent down, gazing into her clear, striking eyes. “I think, miss, that you should still go.”

Gu Fei twirled the magnolia hairpin in her fingers. At his words, an austere expression flashed across her face.

You Hu was not afraid of provoking her. He reached out, his fingers sliding through her loose, dark hair, lingering on its cool, smooth texture. “Have you forgotten, miss, the troublemakers from the Gu family shop? Aunt Ku said those people had the accent of Yunli. This is a perfect chance to see if any of the visitors from the capital are targeting you.”

“And, miss, you know better than I what it means to capture the leader first when dealing with trouble,” You Hu said leisurely, his fingers deftly gathering her hair into a bun.

Gu Fei’s thoughts were far from her hairstyle. Her eyes flickered, icy as frost, as she asked coldly, “How do you know that person is from the capital? Or did you learn something and fail to report it to me?”

By the end, her face, pale as snow, was etched with a fierce and violent aura.

You Hu shuddered inwardly, knowing that a wrong answer could destroy the fragile advisor relationship they had painstakingly built. He let his hands fall, and before he could secure her hair with the pin, her blue-black tresses cascaded down like a waterfall, pooling in glossy waves.

“Miss, what are you saying?” The more tense the moment, the brighter You Hu’s smile became, his handsome, almost ethereal face gleaming with charm. His lips, moist and inviting, curved temptingly, as he braced his hands on the arms of Gu Fei’s wheelchair, trapping her between the chair and his body. He looked at her with sincere intent, “I did hear some news recently—that some distinguished guests from the capital have already arrived for the Ink Chamber’s grand event. But as for who exactly, I doubt you would want to know.”

He watched as the fierceness faded slightly from her face, and exhaled in relief, straightening up to add, “As for why I’m sure the Yunli-accented person is from the capital, it’s simply because he’s a stranger—never seen in Yizhou before.”

“Yizhou isn’t big, but it isn’t small either.” You Hu smiled with utmost confidence.

Gu Fei frowned, recognizing the truth in his words. In reality, her earlier outburst was only because the prospect of meeting people from the capital unsettled her since last night. She refused to delve deeper into what exactly troubled her.

The idea of skipping the banquet had brought her genuine relief for a moment, but now You Hu insisted she must go.

She knew he meant well; if she were rational, she would agree. But some deep-rooted resistance made her feel irritable.

Sensing her unrest, You Hu moved closer, crouching to personally tidy her hair, finally removing from his own bun a black obsidian hairpin, its tip carved as a sleeping fox, the eyes marked by twin obsidian gems that sparkled with an arresting brilliance.

Gu Fei barely registered it, her attention caught by a passing gleam. By the time she looked closely, You Hu had already pinned it into her hair. Instinctively, she reached up to remove it.

He stopped her hand, pointing instead to the colorful sash at her waist. “My hairpin matches your sash better. The white jade one is too plain. If you attend the banquet, someone might claim your appearance lacks proper etiquette.”

At this, Gu Fei let the matter drop and smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt. As she closed her eyes and opened them again, her gaze was cold and detached, “Let’s go. I’ll meet them today.”

You Hu clapped in approval, signaling Nightingale to push the wheelchair. As Egret prepared to follow, You Hu blocked her path, asking for the white magnolia hairpin Gu Fei had worn earlier.

Egret dared not object, handing over the pin in silence and quickly going about her own tasks.

You Hu toyed with the hairpin, chuckling softly. He tucked it into his own hair, then hurried to catch up with Gu Fei. “I’ll go with you, miss, to keep anyone from harming you.”

Gu Fei glanced at him. Seeing her own magnolia hairpin in his hair, she paused, but said nothing, only remarking, “Harm me? There are plenty attending Dragon Phoenix Pavilion today. Only a fool would make a move now.”

You Hu narrowed his eyes in agreement, “You’re quite right, miss.”

He was suddenly so agreeable that Gu Fei couldn’t help but look at him again, her gaze drifting to the hairpin in his hair.

She had always known You Hu’s face was striking—beautiful in a way that defied gender. Normally, she was used to it, but now, with just a change of hairpin, the white magnolia glowed faintly among his dark hair, lending him an air of scholarly refinement. Though clearly a woman’s ornament, it did not make him seem effeminate in the least.

Gu Fei reached up to touch her own hairpin, wondering if she too had changed in some subtle way.

The two made their way to Dragon Phoenix Pavilion. You Hu’s sidelong glance lingered on Gu Fei, and seeing her little gestures, his smile deepened. At the entrance, he bent low, murmuring to Gu Fei, “Don’t fret, miss. With my hairpin, you look just as elegant.”

Gu Fei’s anger flared instantly. If they weren’t already at the door, she might have snatched the pin from her hair and thrown it far away.

Yet her expression was icy and calm, betraying nothing of her mood. “That goes without saying. I’ve always known it.”

Feng Lizhi was the first to spot Gu Fei’s arrival. When she did not enter immediately, he ran out to call, “Fei, what are you dawdling for? Come in!”

Gu Fei shot a cold glare at You Hu. Nightingale, quick-witted, pushed her wheelchair forward and handed the invitation to the attendant at the door. Gu Fei ignored that, turning to Feng Lizhi, “Lizhi, do you know which distinguished guest we’re welcoming today? Why didn’t I hear anything beforehand?”

Feng Lizhi laughed heartily, walking alongside her. “You’ll never guess.”

As the pair entered the pavilion, You Hu followed close behind. The attendant who had taken the invitation looked troubled when he saw the name, but quickly instructed his fellows not to neglect the guests, then hurried off to the flower hall with Gu Fei’s invitation.

Gu Fei watched the attendant leave, a mocking smile curling her lips as she replied to Feng Lizhi, “If I can’t guess, then you can just tell me, can’t you?”

Feng Lizhi seemed in high spirits, well acquainted with today’s arrangements. As he led Gu Fei upstairs to a private room, he said, “I can’t say yet. You’ll have to see for yourself. If I told you now, it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.”

“Oh?” Gu Fei raised an eyebrow. An attendant carried her wheelchair upstairs, making her the first to reach the second floor, followed by Feng Lizhi and then You Hu. “Then I’ll have to see for myself…”

“Is this the Fifth Miss of the Gu family, owner of the Fragrant Ink formula?” An abrupt voice interrupted her.

The three turned to see a tall, burly man with a black beard and dark face, his eyes slightly upturned, questioning with an air of hostility.

A cold light flickered in Gu Fei’s eyes, but she smiled politely, “That’s me. May I ask who you are?”

“He’s President Wang Huaiyuan of the Ink Chamber. No need to mind him, Fei—just a money-grubbing fellow,” Feng Lizhi interjected before Wang Huaiyuan could introduce himself, frowning.

Wang’s face flushed red. With people coming and going in the pavilion, Feng Lizhi’s voice carried clearly; everyone heard. He was like a goose with its neck squeezed, wishing to rebuke but unable to utter a word.

Nevertheless, Gu Fei said, “President Wang, the pleasure is mine.”

“Hmph,” Wang Huaiyuan snorted, flinging his sleeve. He raised his head and declared loudly, “I remember sending someone to deliver an invitation to you this morning, explaining that the previous invitation was a mistake. Today’s banquet does not include your name.”

At his words, Feng Lizhi’s expression instantly turned cold, while You Hu looked on with dawning understanding.

Gu Fei’s response was the most nonchalant—she seemed not to regard Wang Huaiyuan at all, replying coolly, “Oh? I haven’t received any invitation.”

Her indifferent tone was as if she were commenting on the weather.

Wang Huaiyuan felt as if his punch had landed on cotton, leaving him frustrated.

“President Wang, why are you still standing at the door instead of coming up?” At that moment, a deep, melodic voice rang out behind him.

Wang Huaiyuan, as if granted amnesty, turned quickly, putting on a flattering smile and bowing, “Master Le, I have been waiting for you.”

At the top of the stairs, Gu Fei, upon hearing that voice, found herself oblivious to everyone and everything around her. In that instant, it was as though only that tall, familiar figure existed in her world, etched into her vision as a lingering wound—each memory of him brought fresh pain.