On the southeast side of Wuling Villa, there was a courtyard filled with blooming crape myrtles.
Curving clusters of purplish-red buds densely packed together blossomed in the night, radiating a translucent, dreamlike glow. A pebbled path wound through rockeries, emerald lakes, and small galleries, stretching all the way to a three-story pavilion in the distance.
On the first floor of the pavilion, light gauze covered the window lattice, behind which a dim candlelight glowed orange-red, warm with a hint of spring. Several magpies chirped incessantly in the trees, drowning out the quieter sounds beneath.
Inside the room.
Behind a folding screen embroidered with mandarin ducks and landscapes, a pink gauze canopy was half hidden, under which two figures embraced tightly, enjoying sweet tranquility.
"Miss me?"
Shi Xiaole asked, his chin resting on the woman's forehead.
"Not at all."