After a while, Xu Mei and Su Jingyang returned and chatted with Ling Li. He hugged Ah-Xuan and even praised the little guy as handsome and cute, saying that Ling Li would become in-laws with him in the future. He also persistently invited Ling Li to open a restaurant near Full Moon Villa, so that he and Mu Jin could dine frequently.

Mu Jin and Xu Mei left invitations for their wedding. They left a few copies of them for Rong Hua. Xu Mei especially told Su Jingyang, "Mu Rong must go when they're free. Your friend is my friend! I really want to know her!"

Su Jingyang nodded and agreed. As soon as Xu Mei reluctantly left with Mu Jin, Rong Hua arrived hot on their heels. Rong Hua picked up the invitation and looked at it, she seemed to think well of it, rejoicing, "Full Moon Villa? I'm going to go, I haven't been anywhere this far!"

But when she glanced at the date, her face became a little serious and she looked back at Rong Ci quietly.

Rongcheng had sacrificial activities for the next month, and she had to attend because of her identity. Without Rong Ci, she couldn't leave.

Rong Hua couldn't go, her face was a little unhappy, she held the sweet soup made by Ling Li and sat aside eating unhappy. Fortunately, she was quickly distracted- she noticed the subtle changes whenever Rong Ci got along with Su Jingyang. She watched them in surprise for a while and finally determined that Rong Ci had confessed his heart.

Rong Hua patted her thigh excitedly; well done! Rongcheng will probably soon host happy events!

Because it took nearly ten days away to travel to Full Moon Villa, Su Jingyang decided to set off half a month early. He would have plenty of time and he could also stop by to see if there were any opportunities to collect more energy.

After Ah-Xuan went to Rongcheng for another treatment and came back, Su Jingyang and Ling Li began to pack their things, planning to leave early the next morning.

Ling Li packed up his baggage and looked back at Su Jingyang, he was in a good mood while folding his clothes, even humming a small song. After hesitating for a moment, he asked him, "Jingyang, will Yi go with us?"

Su Jingyang's face sank without thinking about it. He blurted out: "Let him go by himself, I don't want to go with him."

Su Jingyang's attitude towards Rong Ci was to avoid or retreat, but after all, they were neighbours without a dividing wall. If he doesn't see him, Su Jingyang won't come to him if he didn't need to. Su Jingyang raised his chin every time with his nostrils turned up, he didn't listen or pay attention, presenting himself as a cruel and ruthless man, but often the result was... his indifference and ruthlessness basically couldn't last long. With a few words of flirting and frowning, he would return to normal and would bicker around the same as before¹.

Every time Ah-Xuan saw the two of them arguing, he would hide in the house like he was fleeing for his life, for fear of being harmed.

When they were invited into Full Moon Villa, Rong Ci also received the invitation, still, Su Jingyang didn't plan to go with him at all. There was no need to deliberately cover up and they could just go ahead. Su Jingyang carried his baggage the next morning and walked out of the house with Ah-Xuan swaggeringly, Ling Li came out after them and locked the door.

Su Jingyang glanced at the side and found that there was no movement at all. He felt a little strange in his heart but didn't continue to think about it. Their private carriage and coachman were already waiting at the gate. Su Jingyang took Ling Li and Ah-Xuan and got to the carriage together, leaving leisurely.

When they arrived at the market, Su Jingyang remembered the candy that Ah-Xuan liked. He parked the carriage on the side of the road and went to the shop to buy some.

When he returned, Su Jingyang's face was stagnated, their coachman suddenly changed.

Rong Ci looked stern in black, holding a horsewhip in hand and sitting in the front of the carriage casually with his slender body stretched out. He looked at Su Jingyang with dark eyes and tilted his head slightly, a smile appeared on his face.

"Why are you here?!" Su Jingyang asked with wide eyes.

Rong Ci motioned to him, "Get in the carriage."

"No! I won't be with you, you walk on your single-plank bridge, I'll walk on my Yangguan Road²!"

Rong Ci's eyes darkened, but his face was still smiling. "Get on the carriage, otherwise your Yangguan Road will be more difficult to walk than a single-plank bridge."

Su Jingyang was deeply threatened and angrily scolded: "Rogue!"

Ling Li drew the curtain and looked outside worriedly, Su Jingyang let out a cold snort, he hesitated for a while and got into the carriage.

Fortunately, Rong Ci focused on driving the car, except for exchanging a few words with Su Jingyang when he was resting halfway. It was still relatively peaceful.

That day they stopped to rest and eat again. Su Jingyang opened the kettle and found that there was no water, so he volunteered to find water.

After filling the pot of water by a small stream, he turned around and found that Rong Ci had followed. Su Jingyang frowned and asked him: "Why do you leave Ah-Li and Ah-Xuan alone?"

"Ling Li said he worried about you, so he let me come and have a look." Rong Ci reached out to take the kettle in his hand and carried it. Su Jingyang followed him empty-handed.

Su Jingyang didn't know what trick this guy was playing. He was walking but his feet suddenly twisted, he insisted that he couldn't walk anymore, so he asked Su Jingyang to carry him.

Su Jingyang wasn't angry, don't show off if your acting is too bad, okay? Of course, Su Jingyang wouldn't agree, so Rong Ci snorted coldly: "How long did I carry you on the day it snowed, now that I'm injured you refuse to carry me? Su Jingyang, do you still have a conscience?"

Su Jingyang said quickly: "No!" He ran forward with his head down, and after running for a while, he stopped and looked back. Rong Ci was still standing on the same spot with his arms folded, surrounded by an air of cold disappointment.

Su Jingyang's heart throbbed, inexplicably feeling that he acted a little too much and wondering if he really hurt his foot.

Su Jingyang was suspicious for a moment, but still turned back, Rong Ci glanced at him with his dark eyes, he pressed down the corners of his mouth and said nothing.

Su Jingyang's eyes were still full of suspicion, but he still took the water bottle to him and carried him on his back.

Rong Ci looked thin, yet Su Jingyang's back was a little strained. Rong Ci hugged his neck tightly, his eyes were bent and he arched his shoulders a few times.

Su Jingyang vaguely knew that he had been fooled, but it was right. Rong Ci had carried him on his back before, now he was going to return the favour.

Su Jingyang walked with difficulty, gritting his teeth for a while and calling him: "Hey, Rong Yi³!"

He was caught off guard by the name, Rong Ci snorted, "What...what did you call me??"

Su Jingyang was flush with exhaustion, with a cold voice, he began to make an honest and well-founded analysis: "Your name! Hmph, don't think I don't know. The gangsters who set fire before and Liu Yun who all confessed to the crime, that must all be because of your ghost hands! You're from Rongcheng, and you know witchcraft. I've asked Murong quietly before. People who know this type of witchcraft are very powerful, and the Rong Clan's blood can wield the most powerful witchcraft. You're so rich, but you were also able to get Ah-Xuan a Wizard like they're some commonplace doctors. Putting this evidence together, it's enough to prove that you're definitely surnamed Rong! With the given name Yi!⁴"

His tone of "everything is under control, don't underestimate me" made Rong Ci unable to help but chuckle. After a while, he said seriously: "Yes, my name is this. Hey, why are you getting smarter?"

"Of course! I need to use all my cleverness and wit on you so that you'll have nowhere to hide!" Remembering his point, Su Jingyang asked him very seriously: "Will you give me Gu⁵ or use witchcraft to control me and force me to be in love with you?"

Rong Ci said: "Those who are easily affected are those with evil in their minds. In a mind like yours..."

Su Jingyang paused suddenly, if he said that he'd dared to fill his head with his magic, Su Jingyang would throw him down the next moment!

Rong Ci slowly continued: "There's nothing in your head. It is so pure that it's difficult for one to take advantage of it. What's more, if I needed to do that, why would I wait till now?"

Su Jingyang was somewhat relieved. Rong Ci saw that it was really difficult for him to carry him in his back huff huff huffing, he patted him on the shoulder halfway and told him to put himself down. Su Jingyang wasn't as angry as he expected, he took the kettle and walked forward by himself.

Su Jingyang found that his progress bar had slowly begun to drop to 4.1% again, indicating that system no. 2 had absorbed a lot of grievances and offset his energy. Su Jingyang wasn't discouraged, but it was still a pity in the end.

He didn't find anyone in need of help, and he didn't have the mindset to play around, so he asked the carriage to speed up a little bit and rushed to Liyang, where Full Moon Villa was based, three days before the wedding.

Although Mu Jin said at the time that they could stay in Full Moon Villa when they arrived in Liyang, Mu Jin and Xu Mei must be very really busy now. Su Jingyang didn't come to bother them. He found an inn and stayed there first, taking Ah-Xuan and Ling Li to eat and play everywhere.

Rong Ci followed, but didn't deliberately find opportunities to get close to Su Jingyang, instead, he talked more with Ah-Xuan. He had gone to Rongcheng a few times, Ah-Xuan was just a little slow in speaking long sentences. One can't see his difference from ordinary children. Excluding Su Jingyang and Ling Li, he was the most sticky towards Rong Ci.

Liyang was many times more prosperous than their town. The delicious and fun food made Ah-Xuan dazzled, and he often refused to go back at night.

Ling Li took Ah-Xuan and looked at the lamp in front of the stall. Ah-Xuan pointed to a rabbit lamp and said to Ling Li, "Daddy, we also have it."

Ling Li smiled and touched his little head, turning his eyes to look at Su Jingyang. Su Jingyang was looking in a certain direction with a sigh. It turned out that they had come to the vicinity of Full Moon Villa because of the child running around.

Su Jingyang wasn't only the only one to discover, he even suspected that he was too dazzled, because he also saw... Hao Jiasheng! He walked towards the gates of Full Moon Villa under his line of sight.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, Su Jingyang felt that it hadn't been long since but Hao Jiasheng seemed to have grown a head taller. In addition, his back was straight, his eyes were bright, and his bearing was extraordinary even while garbed in simple cloth. Compared with his insignificant and unpromising look before, he now looked like a completely new person!

At a distance from the gate, he stopped and stood still, raising his eyes to stare at the plaque of Full Moon Villa and the festive red silk. Suddenly, a strong bone-deep sadness appeared in his eyes.

While Su Jingyang felt strange, Hao Jiasheng suddenly moved again. He went forward and talked in a low voice with the guard at the gate. After doing some more movements, he put on a hat and quickly disappeared amongst the crowd.

Su Jingyang was really curious, how could Hao Jiasheng be involved with Full Moon Villa?! It happened that a person in charge of affairs popped up, the guard took care to explain the matter. Su Jingyang couldn't wait to stretch his ears over and listen to the guard explaining. Rong Ci, who was standing next to him, said, "He said that the person just now came out of admiration of Full Moon Villa's reputation, to contribute a bit to the happiness, he came bearing a gift."

Su Jingyang was puzzled but he also felt that the matter was irrelevant to him.

On the day of the wedding, Su Jingyang and the others went to attend early. Su Jingyang thought it would be impossible to see the new couple before the auspicious time. Unexpectedly, Mu Jin got an order from his new wife to take him and Ling Li to Xu Mei in a polite manner.

They went to the room where Xu Mei stayed. He was charming and beautiful, wearing a bright red wedding dress, he looked even more moving and unbelievably gorgeous. Su Jingyang couldn't help but praise him again and again, watching his face full of happiness. Su Jingyang was truly happy for him. When Xu Mei heard Su Jingyang say that Mu Rong had something and couldn't come, he was a little disappointed for a while.

Xu Mei insisted on personally pouring tea for Su Jingyang and Ling Li and couldn't be stopped. Su Jingyang accidentally caught sight of the red mole in his hand when he handed the tea cup over... the color seemed much darker than before? ! Su Jingyang held the teacup and forgot to drink it.

He knew that the pregnancy of a duo was different from a woman, there was basically no need to feel the pulse, it could be seen through the colour of the mole in five to ten days. This situation was exactly what it was displaying!⁶

Su Jingyang couldn't help admiring them for their speed, he felt very fortunate that Xu Mei now had Mu Jin who was sincere to him, instead of being stupidly held at his former husband's house and wasting his life away.

The wedding ceremony was very lavish, the guests were like clouds. Su Jingyang stood in front of the hall, looking around with bright eyes. When the couple arrived in the hall, Su Jingyang found that Mu Jin's parents were smiling. They were really happy and didn't seem to have any reservations about this being Xu Mei's second marriage, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for Xu Mei.

Rong Ci suddenly asked in a low voice next to him: "Envious?"

Su Jingyang retracted his gaze and immediately retracted the smile on his lips, resolutely saying: "I'm not envious, I'm not someone who's marrying again."

Rong Ci smiled and stopped talking. Su Jingyang just heard that the ceremony was over and his heart immediately became tense. He froze there, silently waiting for the progress bar to start exploding. When it stopped at 6.3%, Su Jingyang's eyes flashed in disappointment.

In fact, he already expected that it wouldn't be so easy to succeed.

Su Jingyang refused Xu Mei's invitation and didn't stay at Full Moon Villa. After the dinner, they all returned to the inn.

Ling Li had already gone upstairs holding the sleepy Ah-Xuan. Rong Ci suddenly pulled Su Jingyang's wrist. Su Jingyang just wanted to get rid of him, but he heard him ask, "What's wrong with you, eh? You were very frustrated."

Su Jingyang felt that he had hidden well, he didn't expect to be discovered by him. He raised his face and met Rong Ci's rarely gentle and quiet eyes. He moved his mouth and couldn't say anything, so he broke away from his hands and went upstairs.

Back in the room, Su Jingyang laid on the table, staring at the shaky candlelight for a long time, he suddenly whispered: "I really want to go home, I want to go home."

Su Jingyang felt that something was wrong and straightened up immediately, he saw that Ling Li had pushed the door and entered at some time. His eyes were watching him. Su Jingyang was stunned for a moment. He didn't know if he had heard it, but he seemed to be the same as usual. Su Jingyang felt a little relieved.

Ling Li brought him noodles, saying that he noticed that he didn't seem to have much appetite earlier. He especially borrowed the kitchen of the inn to make him a bowl of noodles.

"Thank you, Ah-Li!" Su Jingyang hadn't eaten Ling Li's craft for half a month. He picked up his chopsticks and started to eat unceremoniously. Ling Li sat next to him and watched with a smile, and yet his eyes were already filled with deep thoughts.

Su Jingyang had just eaten half the bowl of noodles when a person suddenly broke in from the slightly open door, the both of them were startled!

Su Jingyang dropped his chopsticks and stood up abruptly, pulling Ling Li behind him. As soon as the person came in, he closed the door from the inside and then looked around in a panic and finding a sheltered place to hide. He hurriedly made a begging gesture to Su Jingyang with his hands together, pleading with them to keep quiet.

Both Su Jingyang and Ling Li saw his protruding abdomen. Ling Li didn't speak and Su Jingyang was silent, but he didn't take it lightly for fear of some deceptive trap.

At that moment, very slow and very light footsteps rang from the corridor outside. The person hiding in the room became stiff and his expression became more and more ugly.

Not long after, there were some knocks on the door, a sweet and gentle voice came: "Ah-Qian, come out, don't disturb other's rest."

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Notes:

1- I'm not that sure but it should be pretty bare-boned if not in line with the context

2- Basically meaning a furnished/wide/prosperous road.

3- What Su Jingyang said is [(allow, contain, hold) (easy, simple amiable)] which overall means easy. Rong Ci means [(allow, contain, hold) (resign, discharge, take leave)]. The Yi is the same as the Yi in Ah-Yi.

4- Chinese surnames are first written and spoken before the given name. Sometimes there's a generation name where all of your generation in your family shares a prefix before the given name.

5- A venom-based poison associated with cultures of south China, particularly Nanyue. The traditional preparation of gu poison involved sealing several venomous creatures (e.g., centipede, snake, scorpion) inside a closed container, where they devoured one another and allegedly concentrated their toxins into a single survivor, whose body would be fed upon by larvae until consumed. The last surviving larva held the complex poison. Gu was used in black magic practices such as manipulating sexual partners, creating malignant diseases, and causing death. (en.wikipedia.org)

6- There's something called 'pearl pulse' that only pregnant women have, traditional doctors use it to determine the age, status, etc. of the child.

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