22

The next day Zhou Huai'an and Zhou Chuqin once again had a lengthy discussion with Nie Huanzhang and Feng Yuan again. Everything went smoothly, except for Nie Huanzhang's allocation to Zhou Chuyu, which Feng Yuan had no objections to. However, Zhou Huai'an and Zhou Chuqin were staunchly opposed. In the end, Nie Huanzhang maintained his opinion. If the Zhou family insisted on returning this shares to him, then he would stay in the Zhou family in Nie Huanzhang's name and the decision on how to handle it would be left to Zhou Chuyu. After everything was settled, Zhou Huai'an also invited Nie Huanzhang and Feng Yuan to attend Zhou Zheng's wedding. Nie Huanzhang readily agreed, while Feng Yuan, after presenting his congratulation, left Yucheng due to business matters, entrusting all affairs of the embroidery workshop to Nie Huanzhang and Zhou Chuqin.

Unexpectedly, there was a change in Zhou Chuyu's demeanor. He became quiet and noticeable saddened, often shedding tears, which were discovered not just once. There was no smile on his face even when he met Nie Huanzhang. He attended classes punctually but, upon returning home, immersed himself quietly in reading. News of his mischievous antics was no longer heard, causing everyone to feel uneasy. When asked about the reason, he gave a consistent answer: his eldest sister was getting married and he couldn't bear to part with her. However, Nie Huanzhang could sense that this was just one of the reasons. The main reason might be what happened in his room that day. Zhou Chuyu's attitude toward him had changed. He no longer stuck close to him, didn't engage in cheerful conversations, and, under the pretext of reading, avoided going to his room or rejected him entering his room. Their interactions became formal and they rarely exchanged words. So after Zhou Chuqin and Zhou Chuqi saw off Zhou Zheng to Jingdu for her marriage, Nie Huanzhang also claimed to be busy with the embroidery workshop, often leaving early and returning late. In Zhou Chuqin's absence, Zhou Huai'an took charge of selecting the location, hiring people and other matters. Nie Huanzhang busied himself with overseeing the renovation of the embroidery workshop, significantly reducing the opportunities for Nie Huanzhang and Zhou Chuyu to meet. 

On this night, Nie Huanzhang returned to home quite later. Slowly making his way towards Zhou Chuyu's yard, he noticed that the light in Zhou Chuyu's room had already extinguished while his own room was illuminated. This surprised him and he hurriedly entered the room, only to find Zhou Chuyu sitting on his bed in inner clothes. Nie Huanzhang inquired:

"You…you can't…sleep and…um…waiting for me?"

Zhou Chuyu didn't answer his question, merely lifting his eyes to glance at him. Standing up, he approached Nie Huanzhang and, reaching out, began to undress him. Nie Huanzhang was unsure of what he intended but didn't dare to stop him, fearing another emotional setback. He stared at Zhou Chuyu who was removing Nie Huanzhang's outer garments, leaving him in his inner clothes. Then Zhou Chuyu went to the washbasin, dampened a handkerchief and returned to carefully wipe Nie Huanzhang's face. Nie Huanzhang kept staring at Chuyu, captivated by his tender face, dark eyes and fair skin. Unconsciously he swallowed hard, succumbing to the allure. He was sinking in the love to Zhou Chuyu. After placing the handkerchief back in the washbasin, Zhou Chuyu took Nie Huanzhang's hand, extinguished the candle and led him to the bed. They stood there, bathed in moonlight and Zhou Chuyu looked up at Nie Huanzhang, slowly nestling into embrace. In a soft voice, he said:

"Ge, let us make love!"

Nie Huanzhang stood there as if struck by lightning, taking a long time to process what had just happened. It wasn't until he felt the soft touch of lips on his cheek and then almost on his lips that he abruptly pushed Zhou Chuyu away. Zhou Chuyu's heart sank, tears streaming down like pearls on a broken string. Taking a deep breath, Nie Huanzhang finally spoke:

"Wangshi, you're still young. Do you understand what you are doing now?"

Chuyu said expressionlessly:

"Please don't call me Wangshi anymore. Everyone likes to call me Chuyu. Mr. Nie, from now on you should call me Chuyu too. Also, I'm…I'm not younger any more."

With these words, Zhou Chuyu left Nie Huanzhang's room as quickly as possible. Nie Huanzhang He slammed his fist against the bed. He hadn't expected Zhou Chuyu to go to such lengths, essentially sacrificing himself like an offering to him, only to be heartlessly rejected. The magnitude of the hurt dawned on him. He realized the immense pain this caused Zhou Chuyu. Fueled by this realization, he rushed out of the room, reaching Zhou Chuyu's door. The room was pitch dark, the door tightly closed. He knocked and said:

"Wangshi, open the door, please. Let us talk. Please! Open the door."

Silence prevailed!

"Wangshi, please! Please listen to me, okay? I didn't intend to hurt you, trust me, please! Listen, Wangshi, I just feel that you're still young and regardless of whether you understand what happened or not, it's harmful to you. You're so young that I don't think you understand what this kind of feeling is going on. If I accept you, I'm afraid of hurting you. This isn't what I wanted. I just want you to always maintain that carefree life, to protect you properly. Do you understand? Wangshi, you're not like me. You have a family and there are people who genuinely care about you. You're not living a lonely life in this world. Whatever I do won't harm anyone but now that it is different after I have met you. I have you as my relative, my younger brother, someone to protect and care for. As long as you're safe and happy, I won't care about anything else. Just like you often say, 'I am at ease if you are happy and safe.' But it is different for you. You have your family, your parents, your little mom and your siblings. All of them love you and care about you a lot. If you do something they can't accept, they will be heartbroken and upset. I believe you don't want to hurt them, right? They have high expectations for you, hoping you'll achieve great things, getting married, having your own children and having a peaceful and secure future. Your wish is also to make up for your father's desire. But once they find out about our relationship, it will indeed hurt them and even it might affect your career and life in the future. I'm just an outsider and I don't want to disrupt this warm family atmosphere you have which I've never experienced. Wangshi, please forgive me! I know my actions today have hurt your pride deeply. Sorry! I apologize to you. It is Ge's fault. Please forgive me! If you want to hit or scold me, just do it but please don't be sad. I'm sorry, my baby!." 

As speaking to the closed door, he was crying. 

The next morning Guzi, Zhou Chuyu's servant, walked towards Zhou Chuyu's room. He was surprised to find that Nie Huanzhang was sleeping outside of Zhou Chuyu's room. He shook Nie Huanzhang awake gently:

"Mr. Nie, Mr. Nie, wake up. Why are you sleeping here?"

It was only then that Nie Huanzhang realized he had fallen asleep outside Zhou Chuyu's room. Glancing at Guzi, he awkwardly remarked:

"Oh, it's already dawn."

Guzi asked again:

"Mr. Nie, how did you end up sleeping here?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe sleepwalking. Are you here to serve your master?"

"Ah, I have no idea what got into my young Master Chuyu yesterday. He wore his inner clothes and spent the night in my second Young Master Chuqi's room. He asked me to bring him some clothes."

Nie Huanzhang was taken aback. After Guzi fetched Zhou Chuyu's clothes, Nie Huanzhang remained standing there. He then addressed Guzi, saying:

"Guzi, please tell Mr. and Mrs Zhou that I am heading to the embroidery house. There are some matters I need to discuss with the carpenter."

"Alright, Mr. Nie, please do what you want."

As Guzi walked into the room with Zhou Chuyu's clothes, he commented:

"It is truly strange that Mr. Nie slept outside your room for the night."

Sitting there in a daze, Zhou Chuyu didn't seem to hear what Guzi said. It was only when Guzi stood in front of him that he seemed to snap out of it and asked:

"Does Mr. Nie have woken up?"

"Did you not hear what I just said? I said Mr. Nie slept outside your room for the night."

Up hearing this, Zhou Chuyu sprinted towards the door, but Guzi caught him, saying:

"Sir, where are you going? You don't have finished getting dressed."

Yes, where am I going? To find Ge? Why did I impulsively want to go to Ge upon hearing that he spent a night outside my room? What to do if I find him? Wasn't it enough for me to be humiliated last night? Zhou Chuyu thought of these. So he stood there blankly, not moving, looking lifeless as Guzi continued dressing him. After putting on the clothes, he walked out of the room. 

"Sir, are you going to greet Master and Mistress?"

"Yes."

"Oh, would you tell them that Mr. Nie has gone to the embroidery house for an appointment with the carpenters and won't be greeting them. I'm going out to buy things now so it is impossible for me to explain this to Master and Mistress for Mr. Nie."

Zhou Chuyu nodded apathetically. As Guzi walked away, he muttered:

"What's wrong with my master? Did he undergo a personality change?"