After the ceremony, Lan Lan announced to everyone that Chen Shen was now her adoptive mother, asking everyone to take good care of her. The servants were moved by her generosity, recognizing her principle of repaying kindness and respecting others.
Chen Shen had been scared and uncertain until finally being found through a familiar guide. Now her situation was resolved.
Sitting in the pavilion, looking at the exotic flowers and butterflies, Lan Lan sighed, wondering about another person and when she might hear news of them.
She called Xiao Yue to bring her guqin, an instrument Ling Feng had taught her to play. She had loved music since childhood and had become remarkably skilled, with a voice like a celestial being.
She leaned against the railing, reminiscing about her time with Ling Feng. “Moonlit and Misty Birds” was one of her favorite songs, and Ling Feng loved hearing her sing it.
He would say, “You’ve sung my heart drunk with this song.” Adjusting her instrument, the piano sound accompanied her voice, filling the surroundings, and memories plunged her into that romantic emotion.
Moonlit and misty, fireflies illuminate the night sky; mountains misty, autumn insects murmuring; flowers misty, evening breeze knocking on the hazy curtain; lights misty, wishing to enter dreams together.
Long Junhao stood outside the pavilion, gazing at her, dressed in white, ethereal, playing. Sometime ago, his Lan had also acquired such melancholy. She continued singing and playing, immersed in her thoughts, not noticing him there for a long time.
Long Junhao gently approached and sat beside her, experiencing the sorrow emanating from her. His mood was sorrowful, watching her reminisce about another man, feeling helpless. The people he sent to search for Ling Feng had not returned, and he wondered where he could be.
When her hands finally felt sore, Lan put down her instrument. Turning her head, she discovered Long Junhao quietly sitting beside her, his gaze deeply and tenderly looking at her, yet not disturbing her.
Seeing Lan set down her instrument, her gaze confused, Long Junhao smiled softly, revealing white teeth. When he smiled like this, he was incredibly handsome, a pity he rarely smiled.
“Lan’er, you play so well! I didn’t know you had such talent. You must play for me often; listening to you is a pleasure,” he said, leaning against the railing with a relaxed expression.
