Ai Mu slammed the door shut behind her, breath ragged as she leaned against the cold wood. Her heart pounded violently, and Gu Liang's final whisper—"Ai Mu"—echoed in her ears like a curse. That look, that smile… there was no doubt. He had recognized her. And worse—his suffocating pursuit had begun again, in this new world.
Fear crept up like icy vines, dragging her back to that rooftop edge, to the weightless plunge into death. No. She straightened, nails digging into her palms until pain cleared her mind. This was a matriarchal world. She was the noble Lady of the Ai household. She had power now. She would not be dragged down again.
"Qing Dai," she called, voice trembling but resolute.
"Yes, Lady." The maid entered, sensing the shift in her mistress's aura—no longer weak, no longer merely composed, but sharp, decisive.
"Dress me. I'm going to see my mother and father."
As tradition demanded, she would pay respects to the rulers of the Ai household: her mother, the formidable Ai Xuan, and her father, the gentle Consort Liu.
Qing Dai dressed her in a crimson robe embroidered with golden phoenixes and peonies, and placed the red-gold crown upon her head. In the mirror, Ai Mu saw a stranger—beautiful, commanding, no longer the fragile woman in bed.
She bowed deeply before her parents. "Forgive your daughter for causing worry. I was unfilial."
Consort Liu rushed to help her up, eyes misty. "You've suffered. Are you well now?"
Ai Xuan's gaze was sharp. "You've recovered. Good. But you must act with greater caution. This accident was partly your own carelessness."
Ai Mu bowed again. "Mother is right. I accept the lesson."
Ai Xuan continued, "That Gu boy… a victim of misfortune. A good marriage, ruined."
Consort Liu sighed. "The Minister's daughter broke the engagement cruelly. His reputation is damaged. The Gu family is desperate—likely to marry him off to an older, low-born merchant woman."
The word "concubine" pricked Ai Mu's heart. She imagined Gu Liang's face—married off to someone crude and aged. A flicker of satisfaction rose… but so did a strange ache.
He deserves it, she told herself. This is his punishment.
But another voice whispered: He hasn't done anything—yet. In this world, he's just a victim.
"Gu Gongzi… is indeed unfortunate," she said quietly, masking her thoughts.
After lunch and polite conversation, Ai Mu had a clearer picture of the household. Her mother expected excellence; her father cared for her health and future marriage.
Later, she walked through the garden with Qing Dai, taking in the grandeur of the estate. Servants bowed respectfully. This is power, she thought. A different battlefield—but still one of survival.
At a lakeside pavilion, she encountered three half-sisters—daughters of concubines. They greeted her with smiles that didn't reach their eyes.
"Feeling better, Big Sister?" asked the third daughter, Ai Wei, sweetly. "I heard Gu Gongzi came to see you. So devoted, even in disgrace."
The fourth daughter, Ai Lan, added with a smirk, "Only you would still receive him. Others would avoid such scandal."
Ai Mu's gaze swept over them. She remembered their ambitions, their subtle rivalries. Now they saw her as weakened—an opportunity.
She smiled faintly, eyes cold. "Gu Gongzi came out of courtesy. I received him out of shared misfortune. Do you suggest our household should turn away the fallen? Or that I, the Lady of Ai, should fear a man who suffered because of me?"
Her voice was soft, but carried the weight of authority. The sisters paled.
"We wouldn't dare."
"Good. In this house, words matter. Learn which ones to speak."
They bowed, chastened. Ai Mu walked past, leaving behind a chill that lingered in the air. The sisters exchanged glances—she had changed. Sharper. Stronger.
…
Meanwhile, in a quiet courtyard of the Gu residence, Gu Liang toyed with his black cat hairpin as his servant reported the latest gossip.
"They say… you schemed to fall into the lake with her. That you're obsessed. That you went to the Ai household again today… still hoping."
Gu Liang's eyes glinted with mockery.
Scheming? Obsession?
They didn't understand. Desperation wasn't weakness—it was camouflage. A disgraced man could do anything, and it would seem… reasonable.
He looked toward the distant Ai estate, toward the woman who was surely still shaken.
You think denial will protect you, Ai Mu?
In this world, she had power. But power could be a trap. As the noble Lady, she couldn't be too cruel to a man ruined by her.
He coughed softly, pale cheeks flushed. But his eyes burned with obsession.
"Keep watching the Ai household," he ordered. "Especially the Lantern Festival preparations."
The board was set. Now, he would move the pieces. Whatever it took. Whatever the cost.