The Fourth Miss Has a Nice Conversation

Before Yujia could even leave the front of Lingxin, she was stopped by Yu Zixu calling out a "Little Brother Ziyang!" from behind her.

What did he want now?

She considered not stopping. At the same time though, she thought that it would be considerably rude for her to do so, and she technically did own him a favor for not exposing her in the first place.

Yujia slowly stopped in her steps, turning around, flatly saying. "You should drop this whole act of "Brother Ziyang" and all that."

"Why?" he asked, a placid smile on his face like always.

The more Yujia had to stare at him, the more he reminded her of some alternate dimension version of Wu Hao. He was always just so… calm. Unnaturally calm. The sort of quiet calmness that barely anyone had. Even when he laughed, it was just the short escape of air from his lungs, soft and hushed like how he spoke.

Only his eyes reflected back a different sort of composure, one that was more analytical, his thoughts forever concealed underneath them.

Yujia decided, at that moment, seeing his unwavering smile, that she didn't like this Yu Zixu. She didn't know what he wanted, and she didn't appreciate the fact that she could never tell what was going on in his head.

"I don't even know you!" Yujia exclaimed, throwing her hands up, palms facing the front. She didn't particularly care if anyone overheard what she was saying. It didn't matter now, anyways. "We're not brothers in any way or form. You've helped me way too much. And— and—" She struggled to think of another reason, when there should've been many. Perhaps it was because of Yu Zixu's presence, and the fact that like before, when he was watching her with that serene smile on his face, she couldn't think properly either.

He decided to finish her sentence for her. "And, the fact that you're not even male in the first place?"

Yujia froze.

Then gaped.

"How did you know?" she immediately asked. Was her disguise really that bad? And if Yu Zixu said it with such certainty, did it mean that other people were able to tell just the same?

"I generally have a good intuition," he answered, "plus a very good memory."

Memory?

Yujia thought back to the first time she met Yu Zixu. It was when she was leaving Bo Zhiyuan's courtyard, and she accidentally bumped into him and mistook him for Wu Hao. Was he talking about then? Back then, she was clearly wearing a veil. So, how could it be that he remembered her so well?

She thought back to how she reacted when she saw him for the second time, and it all came to her. Wearing the veil or not, he knew her eyes and the expression she held in them every time she saw him. It probably wasn't very likely that someone looked at him like that. Who else would be from the modern world and have an old highschool crush that looked exactly like him?

He must've remembered both her eyes and expression. That was likely the reasoning why.

Ah, Yu Zixu, why did you happen to have such a good memory? He was right. His memory was impeccable for him to remember even the slightest of details.

"And so," he continued, seeing that she realized, "I thought you were interesting enough. Seeing that Bo Zhiyuan, a close friend of mine, spoke so highly of you, I wanted to see what kind of person you really were. It's only natural that I took the approach that I did." He looked to see her expression, then kept going, "Now, about my younger brother…"

Seeing that he was getting on the most pressing topic, Yujia considered dropping to her knees and begging forgiveness for impersonating as Yu Ziyang. Though, as she thought about it, Yu Zixu certainly couldn't be too angry with her for doing so, right? She didn't have any ill intent, and if he truly were angry, then he wouldn't have helped her along in the first place.

Yujia decided on an indifferent response, finally masking her emotions. "It was merely a tactic so I could take the exam."

"My younger brother is a tactic?" Yu Zixu raised his eyebrows.

She looked him in the eye and shrugged. That statement wasn't a lie, anyways.

He stared back at her, the trace of a laugh coming from his mouth. "Alright, if you wish to say it that way." He leaned in a little closer. "Then, since I'm intrigued now, tell me, why are you so desperate to get into Lingxin Pavilion in the first place, to the point of using my younger brother as a tactic? You asked a question about selling art. Is that your true motive?"

Yujia backed away a step, replying, "You already know; why ask? Yes, it's to sell art."

"What for?"

At this point, Yujia was seriously wondering why Yu Zixu even had so many questions. She casually responded with, "Personal matters. Something to do with marriage, and I don't want to go too in depth." She shifted to the side. "If you're done with your questions, I'm going to leave now."

He stepped a step forward. "Allow me one last question. I asked you before, but you responded with my brother's name. I think we really do have some sort of fate, so what's your name?" He paused, his lips parting to ask one name while his eyes shifted to a whole other emotion.

"Yang Xiaoyi?"

Yang Xiaoyi?

Yujia turned to him with a look of disbelief. Yang Xiaoyi? Why Yang Xiaoyi? Why the Fifth Miss?

That was a very unexpected statement to come from Yu Zixu.

She thought back to what Hui'er told her about the First Young Master of the Yu Family. Yes, he was engaged with the Fifth Miss, but to come to her name as a conclusion so fast? Was it because she stated marriage as one of her reasons for selling art? Did he talk so much to her in the first place because he had suspicions that she was her sister?

Slowly, Yujia shook her head. "No," she stated just as deliberately, while on the inside, she was just very confused.

She really didn't want to stay anymore longer. Giving him a nod similar to a bow, she left before giving him another opportunity to ask another question.

She hoped that she didn't have to see Yu Zixu again.

…

Yu Zixu watched as the girl left.

She was fun to tease.

When he mentioned the name of Yang Xiaoyi, she did have a very obvious response to it, only making him a little more certain that her identity was Yang Xiaoyi. Still, there was also the chance that she wasn't, and he kept it in mind, never going too far with what he was doing.

Usually, he would've never spoken with a stranger like that for so long if he didn't think that she could be Yang Xiaoyi. But since there was the chance that she was— just as there was the chance that she was not— he might as well get to know her a little better to see who this girl that he was engaged to was like.

He smiled while he turned around, seeing Ye Yunhe walking up to him at a fast speed. When Yunhe got to him, he noticed the obvious smile on Zixu's face, asking, "What are you smiling like that for?"

"Oh, nothing," Zixu replied, tilting his head up to look at the clouds in the sky, "I was just having a nice conversation with my fiancée." Leave Yunhe to think what he wanted. Zixu didn't particularly care. He looked back at the person next to him, and said, "I thought you promised me that if I ever passed the exam of your school, you would take me to see the grandeur of the actual Lingxin Pavilion?"

"You want to go now?" Yunhe gestured ahead, ignoring his confusion about Zixu's previous statement, "I can definitely take you now since exams are over, but it's the prettiest at sunset. Plus, my master told me to go talk to him once I was finished with the registration and whatnot. I just wanted to see what you were up to since you ran out after your little brother so quickly."

Zixu waved dismissively in the air. "That's fine then. Though, since I'm a student of your academy now, do I have to attend lessons?" He forced a sheepish look to slide onto his face. This was the expression that would lower Ye Yunhe's guard if he predicted, and get him the answer he wanted.

"You? Taking lessons at this school? That would be a waste of your time, right?" Yunhe laughed, like he expected, "No, you don't have to. Just take your acceptance to Lingxin as a sort of honorary position. Come and go as you wish and enjoy perks as a student, but going to lessons is not mandatory at all. You've already scored perfectly in the exam except for the last one… and speaking about Yu Ziyang, what's the deal with that?" A puzzled look traced Yunhe's face again.

The matter with the fake Yu Ziyang and the potential Yang Xiaoyi wasn't something Zixu saw as necessary to hide from Yunhe. Yunhe wouldn't tell it to anyone either, to save the prestige of Lingxin.

"He wasn't my brother, just an imposter," Zixu answered, getting another look of shock from Yunhe.

"Why would you— nevermind," Yunhe said, keeping his question to himself. From what he knew of Yu Zixu, that was how he was, always idiosyncratic with his actions. No one could understand what he was thinking at all times.

Zixu was getting tired of talking with talking to Yunhe now. He didn't see any necessary benefit to it, so he saluted and stated, "You should go to your master now."

Yunhe agreed, responding with the same and a nod and leaving.

For a few moments, Zixu looked at the lush scenery of the academy, and then left in his own direction as well.