There’s a saying in China that a daughter who marries is like water poured out of the house, but it doesn’t apply to every country or family.
Mary was Duke Austen’s only daughter, and he had doted on her since childhood. Although she was now married, he could not bear to see her move far away. Before her wedding to Fitch, Austen had purchased a villa for the couple near his own estate.
Guided by a servant, Chu Yifeng and his two companions entered the drawing room. At a glance they saw Fitch and Mary seated on the sofas. Last night should have been the newlyweds’ wedding night. The two rose politely at the visitors’ arrival. Fitch seemed somewhat surprised and even cast a discreet glance at his wife.
Duke Austen came downstairs shortly afterward. Whenever Emily was present, he never made her wait more than five minutes.
Neither Austen nor Emily mentioned the passion they had displayed the previous night. Emily had not, in fact, been so drunk that she was unaware of her surroundings. Her capacity for alcohol was probably greater than Austen’s, something he had known since his youth.
“No wonder you dragged me out of bed so early and said you wanted to visit your father. So this is the real reason.” Fitch lowered his voice and spoke into Mary’s ear.
Mary’s expression remained unchanged. She paid him no attention. Her gaze kept straying to Chu Yifeng across the room and occasionally to Wang Cheng beside him. There was no telling what she was thinking.
Fitch was so angry he almost laughed. “Mary, have you forgotten that you’re a married woman now? Your eyes ought to be on your husband, not other men. And let me remind you of something else. That man was never yours, and he already has a partner.”
His final sentence finally drew a reaction. Mary’s deep-set eyes seemed willing at last to settle on the man who had only just become her lawful husband, and a faintly mocking smile tugged at her lips.
“Married couples can get divorced. Besides, they’re only dating.”
The two probably thought no one could hear them, but Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng across the room caught most of the exchange. Fitch’s reaction was understandable; Mary’s was rather odd. Fitch was the Rolle family’s heir before he was her husband, yet she seemed to consider neither fact when she spoke. Unsurprisingly, Fitch looked furious. Chu Yifeng became the target of his glare yet again.
Off to the side, Mother Emily and Duke Austen were busy being affectionate and paid no attention to any of this. After a while, Austen invited the visitors to stay for lunch, and Emily accepted on their behalf.
British food had a reputation for belonging to the darker corners of the culinary world, something even Wang Cheng had heard. Naturally, nothing of that sort would appear on Duke Austen’s dining table. The chef at the estate was said to be a junior fellow apprentice of the Aimer family’s Chef Liyin, and his cooking was excellent too.
The party assembled around the dining table. All manner of elaborate dishes had already been set out. Although there were only six diners, the table was completely covered with food.
“I’ve heard some British people don’t treat lunch as a proper meal.”
Wang Cheng sat to Chu Yifeng’s right, with Mother Emily on his own right. Mary and Fitch sat diagonally opposite. Seeing that no one was looking their way, he spoke quietly to Chu Yifeng.
“Duke Austen probably prepared all this for Mother’s sake.”
“Austen really does treat Mother Emily well,” Wang Cheng said as he enjoyed the meal. The flavors were completely different from Chef Liyin’s cooking, but everything was delicious. “Pour a little of that sauce for me.”
“No matter how well he treats her, they can never be together.” Chu Yifeng glanced at the two elders chatting happily, picked up the sauce Wang Cheng wanted, and poured some onto his plate. “Enough?”
Wang Cheng looked down. “A tiny bit more.”
Chu Yifeng added another little splash.
In contrast to their warm, easy interaction, the only legally married couple at the table might as well have been separated by a clearly marked ravine. Each kept to themselves, barely exchanging a word. Their silence made what should have been a cheerful lunch feel unusually cold and stiff.
Duke Austen did not seem to find anything strange about it. Perhaps that was because he had experienced a similar marriage himself. His late wife had also been chosen through a family alliance. From the start, they had treated each other with courtesy but without affection, and naturally there had been no passion either.
After lunch, Duke Austen took Emily for a walk in the garden.
Wang Cheng noticed that only the four younger people remained in the drawing room. Fitch and Mary were still sitting apart and minding their own business, so he asked Chu Yifeng to take a walk with him.
The rear garden of Duke Austen’s estate was enormous. Farther back, trees formed winding passages, rather like a maze. Even during the hottest days of summer, the garden’s cool greenery would offer relief. Austen and Mother Emily had already disappeared from sight.
“This place is wonderful, but it’s so huge that getting around is a pain.”
If he were alone, he would definitely get lost.
Chu Yifeng, walking a step behind, suddenly asked, “Want to see what it looks like from above?”
Wang Cheng was puzzled. “How am I supposed to do that?” The surrounding hedges were more than two meters tall. Unless he climbed them, there was no way to see over the top.
Chu Yifeng did not explain. He simply bent down and hoisted Wang Cheng onto his shoulders. Wang Cheng gave a startled cry, swayed a couple of times, and had to cling to his head. When he finally looked up, all he could see was a seemingly endless expanse of greenery. The gardeners had trimmed the hedges neatly into winding patterns that appeared to cover several thousand square meters. From a higher vantage point, the sight would probably have been even more magnificent.
“All right, all right, put me down.” Wang Cheng knew how much he weighed. Chu Yifeng couldn’t possibly carry him like that for very long.
Chu Yifeng obediently set him down.
“Have you ever been through this maze?” Wang Cheng asked.
“No. I came here once when I was in my teens, I think, but I left almost immediately and didn’t stay long.” Chu Yifeng had disliked Mary even as a child, so whenever Emily tried to bring him back afterward, he refused.
Wang Cheng draped an arm over his shoulders and grinned. “Then how about a contest? Let’s see who gets out of this maze first.”
Chu Yifeng pulled his hand down and wrapped an arm around his waist instead. Looking toward the path ahead, which had no visible end, he laughed. “That’s cheating. You’ve already seen it from above, so you know which way the maze runs.”
Wang Cheng scoffed and poked his cheek. “How much do you think I could see from that height? I could barely see past the next couple of hedges. Beyond that, everything looked like lawn laid out flat, because I was looking across it. It’s your first time and mine too. Or are you saying you’re afraid?”
“Trying to goad me? Fine, you’re on.” Chu Yifeng rose to the challenge.
Wang Cheng patted his shoulder and laughed. “Then I’ll go first!”
A moment later he vanished around a bend. A maze might have only one exit, but it had plenty of forks. If they chose different directions at the first fork, their routes could soon become so complicated that they were unlikely to meet again except by chance.
Before long, Wang Cheng realized he had lost his bearings. Jumping did not help; his field of vision was too narrow to make anything out. He could only keep walking and hope for the best. He had not expected to encounter Mary here, the one person he least wanted to see. It was her home, after all; she could probably find her way out with her eyes closed.
Wang Cheng greeted her and made to pass, but Mary spoke.
“You’d better keep a close eye on Leo. Plenty of people want to steal him away.”
Wang Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Even if I don’t watch him, he’s still mine. Miss Mary, you only got married yesterday. Don’t you think that’s a rather inappropriate thing to say to me? And would those ‘plenty of people’ happen to include you, a married woman?”
Mary apparently had not expected him to be difficult. She frowned. “Marriage doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means something to two families.” Marrying a man who loved you was a rare kind of happiness in itself. If you failed to cherish it, you might regret it someday when it was too late.
His answer seemed to strike a nerve. Mary’s previously unruffled expression finally changed, and she fixed Wang Cheng with an intense stare. “I’ve loved him for more than ten years. You’ve only known him for a year or two. Why are you the one who gets his love? Tell me why!”
Wang Cheng spread his hands helplessly. “I can’t tell you why. All I can say is you and he weren’t meant to be. You won’t be husband and wife in this lifetime. You’re an intelligent person. You could have a better life and a better future. Do you really think it’s worth clinging to someone who doesn’t belong to you?”
“I’ll decide for myself what’s worth it.” Mary’s expression darkened.
As Wang Cheng passed her, he said, “Then decide for yourself. But here’s a piece of advice: instead of chasing after someone who doesn’t love you, why not look at the person beside you? You might find a pleasant surprise.”
Mary suddenly gave a scornful laugh. “You’re talking about Fitch, aren’t you?”
Wang Cheng paused, startled.
Mary said mercilessly, “Of course I know he likes me, but what’s that got to do with me? How could someone as despicable as him deserve my love?”
“The way you’re thinking now is exactly the same as the way you think about Leo. You love Leo, but that’s your business. What does it have to do with him? What right do you have to blame him for not loving you back? I’ll offer you one more piece of advice: people need to be cherished. No one will wait in the same place forever.” Having said his piece, Wang Cheng walked away. He had no desire to play the sympathetic big brother, but if Mary came to her senses, he would at least have one fewer romantic rival.
Mary had delayed him a little. By the time Wang Cheng finally found the exit, Chu Yifeng was already waiting there, bathed in bright sunlight. That was his man.