The courtyard was quiet—bathed in warm afternoon light, the air rich with the scent of magnolia and freshly brewed tea. Gu Wenxin sat beneath the parasol tree she'd trimmed with trembling hands only a year ago. Today, those hands were steady. Her posture elegant, her eyes calm but shrewd.
Across from her sat Nalan Yanran. Teacup in hand. Spine straight.
Poised.
Yet tension clung to her shoulders like mist. A quiet storm waiting to break.
No servants.
No Xiao Yan.
No audience.
Just the two women, facing each other for the first time.
Gu Wenxin smiled faintly and poured a second cup, setting it in front of Nalan Yanran.
> "So," she said at last, her voice rich as aged wine, "you finally made good on your promise. And I see you brought the tea... and wore soft colors. "
Nalan Yanran blinked—then laughed. "You remembered?"
"I read that letter so many times I could recite it backwards. Your handwriting's hard to forget."
Nalan Yanran bowed her head slightly. "I meant every word I wrote."
Gu Wenxin's gaze lingered on her for a long moment. Then she nodded. "I know."
She took a sip, then added, "More importantly, I heard what you said when those three moss-eating elders tried to twist your visit into something petty."
Nalan Yanran's grip tightened around her cup. "I wasn't here for them."
"That," Gu Wenxin said simply, "is why I approve."
Nalan Yanran blinked. "You… do?"
Gu Wenxin set her cup down. Leaned forward, just slightly—voice lowering.
> "Do you think I care whether my son is a Dou Zhe or a mortal? Whether he wins face for the clan or not?"
> "This past year, he was broken. Mocked. Cast aside even by children who once chased him through this very courtyard. But he didn't crumble. He endured. Quietly. Without complaint. That… is worth more than any Dou Qi."
Nalan Yanran's throat tightened.
Gu Wenxin studied her for a moment longer, then smiled—this time softer.
> "And still… you came. Not as the Yunlan Sect's heir. Not as a genius. Just as a girl who refused to let go of the boy she loves."
Nalan Yanran's cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away. "I told him I'd drag him back if I had to."
A beat of silence.
Gu Wenxin leaned back, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"Well. I suppose I won't need to throw another twig at him, then."
Nalan Yanran grinned. "Good. I wasn't sure last time if I was supposed to dodge or bow."
They shared a moment of rare laughter—easy, genuine.
And in that laughter, something settled.
A bond formed.
Gu Wenxin's voice gentled again. "You'll have a hard road, Yanran. The world doesn't go easy on women who choose love over power."
"I won't leave him behind,"Nalan Yanran said, clear and calm.
Gu Wenxin smiled—truly, fully this time.
"Then welcome to the family... daughter-in-law."
Nalan Yanran turned crimson. "Too soon."
"Too fast," she muttered, hiding behind her teacup. "We skipped at least five character development arcs."
More laughter.
---
They were still sipping and talking quietly when—
Rustle.
From behind the garden wall came the unmistakable sound of something—or someone—crashing through a flowerbed.
Nalan Yanran paused mid-sip.
Gu Wenxin raised an eyebrow.
Then—
"Eeeek!"
A disheveled head popped up from the blossoms, wide-eyed and dirt-streaked.
Xiao Ranyu.
"…Hi," he said weakly.
Gu Wenxin narrowed her eyes. "Ranyu. What, exactly, are you doing in my begonias?"
"I—I was just taking a walk! Enjoying the local flora. And the, uh... under-the-table political discussions between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."
Nalan Yanran choked on her tea. "Under-the-table what?!"
Gu Wenxin smirked. "So, spying."
"I prefer the term strategic eavesdropping."
"And what were you hoping to hear?"
"Secrets. Drama. Possibly wedding plans. Definitely not tea and emotional bonding."
Just as he was brushing petals from his hair—
"Ranyu?" a calm voice called. "Where did you disappear again—"
The garden gate creaked open.
In stepped Gu Xun'er—Her long black hair flowed behind her, and a soft frown of you're testing my patience again sat neatly on her exquisite face.
"I told you not to wander off when I'm trying to—"
She stopped.
Three pairs of eyes turned.
Gu Wenxin.
Nalan Yanran.
Xiao Ranyu.
Gu Xun'er blinked. Then bowed, textbook polite.
"Apologies, madams. I was looking for... Xiao Ranyu."
Gu Wenxin arched a brow.
Nalan Yanran tilted her head. Predator-sensing-prey levels of interest.
Ranyu paled. "Xun'er, this isn't just any courtyard."
Xun'er frowned. "It's not?"
Xiao Ranyu coughed. "It's... my mother's courtyard."
Pause.
Then Xun'er went red. Instantly. Full-faced, ears steaming.
"W-WHAT?!"
Gu Wenxin chuckled. "So you're the girl who's been trailing after my youngest all these years."
"I—I—he's just—short—I mean young—he's annoying but he has potential—I didn't mean—!"
Nalan Yanran grinned. "Wow. She's actually steaming. You might be the first person in history to blush hot enough to boil tea."
"I AM NOT!" Xun'er wailed.
Xiao Ranyu stepped back. "Abort mission. We are under fire—!"
The teasing came fast.
Gu Wenxin leaned in. "So, how long have you two been 'training partners'? Five years? In some villages that's called being betrothed."
Gu Xun'er cracked. "We! Are! Not!"
Xiao Ranyu groaned, hands over his face. "This is a nightmare."
Nalan Yanran smirked. "Younger boy, older girl, secret courtyard meetings… Xiao Ranyu, I didn't know you were such a player."
Xiao Ranyu: "Now I can't clean my self even if i throw myself into the fish pond."
Gu Wenxin added sweetly, "Xun'er, you have my blessing. He's a handful, but I raised him. He's bearable with food."
"PLEASE STOP TALKING," Xun'er gasped, visibly melting.
---
Ranyu's Inner Monologue
> Laugh it up. Enjoy this moment, all of you.
But one day—
I'll get your teacher, Nalan Yanran.
That's right. Yun Yun.
I'll rewrite fate. Steal her heart. Change the script.
And you'll be the one choking on tea.
> …Sorry, third brother.
Some sacrifices must be made for literary greatness.
---
The sun slanted golden across the courtyard as the chaos calmed. Tea refilled. Laughter softened. For a rare moment, peace reigned.
Then—
"Say, Ranyu," Nalan Yanran asked, far too innocently, "what kind of girls do you like?"
Gu Xun'er blinked mid-sip.
Gu Wenxin turned with motherly curiosity. "Yes. You're old enough to have preferences. Enlighten us."
Xiao Ranyu blinked. "Girls I like?"
Gu Xun'er looked at the sky. Looked anywhere else.
Nalan Yanran leaned forward like a fox.
Xiao Ranyu put a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "Hmm. I like girls who are calm. But bold. Smart, but not smug. Pretty, but not obsessed with it. Strong, but gentle. Mysterious, but kind."
Gu Xun'er's eyes flicked toward him—just a little spark there.
Xiao Ranyu went on, "I also like girls who are fun. Maybe a little older. Playful. Dangerous. Someone who can fight beside me one day."
Xun'er blinked.
Then he ruined it.
"I like a lot of types," he declared. "Too many, honestly. I'll just marry multiple wives. Whoever fate sends, I'll manage!"
Clink.
Gu Xun'er set her teacup down. Very gently.
Her eyes lowered. Her lips pressed tight.
She stood up.
"I… I remembered I have plants to water."
Gu Wenxin gave a soft nod. "Mm."
Nalan Yanran added gently, "Go on, Xun'er."
Xiao Ranyu blinked. "You didn't even finish your tea—was it too bitter?"
She didn't reply. She bowed—and left.
Her steps calm. Her back straight.
Only the women noticed the faint sadness behind her composure.
---
Xiao Ranyu watched the gate close. "…She left really fast."
Nalan Yanran turned to Gu Wenxin. "Auntie, did you hear something?"
Gu Wenxin, dry as desert tea: "No idea. It's not like someone just stomped a fragile girl's heart with brute-force obliviousness."
Nalan Yanran turned to Xiao Ranyu. "You're a blockhead."
Gu Wenxin added smoothly, "A socially blind blockhead."
Xiao Ranyu blinked. "What did I do?!"
Without a word, both women stood, took one arm each, and—
THUMP.
Ranyu landed flat outside
the courtyard gate.
From inside, voices:
Nalan Yanran: "Stay out until you figure out what you said wrong!"
Gu Wenxin: "And write me an essay: 'Why Girls Are Not Sword Manuals You Can Collect.'"
Xiao Ranyu lay on the ground, blinking at the sky.
"…What just happened?"