I had a conversation with Cuicui in the pavilion when suddenly a charming little girl with long, delicate eyebrows came running over. She whispered something in Cuicui's ear, causing her expression to change. Then, she looked at me and said, "Aying, quickly crouch down. No matter what you hear later, do not look up."

I didn't know what the little girl said to Cuicui, nor did I know why Cuicui was so flustered. As I watched Cuicui furrowing her brows, an indescribable feeling welled up in my heart. Following Cuicui's words, I placed my arm on the table and rested my head on my arm.

Before long, I heard a series of powerful footsteps. The sound was heavy and not like the kind that the girls in the building could have made. It sounded just like my elder brother, who had been practicing martial arts for years. It seemed as though I understood the intention behind Cuicui's gesture of asking me to lower my head. With great effort, I suppressed my breathing to the smallest possible degree and painstakingly made sure not to make even the slightest sound.

I felt someone sit down on the chair next to me. I knew it was the man who had just come over, or perhaps I should say, Cui Cui's benefactor. I don't know why, but that unfamiliar feeling resurfaced in my heart – sour and bitter. It felt just like when my mother died in front of me during my childhood. It was a heart-wrenching pain that I could do nothing about in the end.

"Master Yu, I have heard of your great reputation. May I inquire as to the purpose of your visit to Cuicui?" I heard Cuicui's soft voice, which seemed to be mesmerizing, just like when she greeted the young master Lin on my behalf when I first arrived at the Lanshanlou. However, this time, she addressed the young master as Master Yu. Master Yu? As I listened to this familiar surname, my heart couldn't help but tremble. I tried to maintain a nonchalant expression, lying still on the stone table."

"Miss Zhong, I have an impolite request, I hope that Miss can agree." A man's deep voice came from not far away, and I couldn't help but widen my eyes, not because of anything else, but because his voice resembled that of my elder brother. My eyes stared straight at the pair of red satin embroidered peony shoes on his feet, while my ears remained focused on the conversation between Cui Cui and that person.

"Please speak, Young Master," I heard Cuicui's gentle voice say. I couldn't help but perk up, feeling a sense of unease in my heart. Part of me hoped that the Young Master Cuicui was referring to was my older brother, but deep down, there was a tiny part of me that hoped he wasn't. In the first few days after I arrived at Lanshan Tower, I longed for someone to take me back home. But now, I found myself reluctant to leave Cuicui. I couldn't quite put a name to the feelings I had for her, but whenever she was mistreated, my heart would ache. My heart would always feel empty when she went out to entertain clients, but seeing her would brighten my mood. Perhaps it was because Cuicui treated me like my late mother used to."

"Miss Zhong, I would like to ask when the lady who was playing the qin just now arrived at the building," the man's voice rang out again during my momentary daze. He paused for a moment, then explained, "Please don't misunderstand, Miss. I am not a lecherous person. It's just that the sound of that lady's qin resembles that of someone I used to know. If it's possible, I would like to meet that lady."

With his words, I was already certain in my heart that he was my eldest brother, the only person in the cold and heartless Shangshu Mansion who would care about me and protect me apart from my father.