Dawn and Dusk
Yes.
She had inherited all of her parents’ beauty and intelligence—bright, clever, and dazzling. It was inevitable that Xie Xunzhao, day and night, would harbor some inappropriate thoughts about her. He was only in his twenties, full of youthful energy. By reason and by feeling, it was perfectly normal.
Rong Ci approved of Xie Xunzhao’s taste.
But…
Humans and fairies were never going to have a happy ending.
There was no incense burning in this room, and the air carried the cold, empty feeling of a place that had gone unoccupied for a long time. Even though it was summer, the blankets felt cool to Rong Ci.
There was no internet.
Her heart felt cold, too.
One thing at a time.
Rong Ci opened her “memo” and began typing a little essay.
As soon as the internet came back tomorrow, she would post it in the second-generation group chat.
[First, I need to correct one misconception. My big brother is only threatening people who have criminal tendencies. If you don’t have those kinds of thoughts, then stop giving yourselves extra drama.
Second, what’s this nonsense about Buddha shrines and furnaces? You’re not allowed to use words like that to sully my big brother’s noble character anymore. This is simply the kind of fun childhood sweethearts have together, do you understand?
Lastly, I do not need any of you to be my dogs. Thank you!
P.S. Please recite this aloud: Xie Xunzhao is the most handsome, coolest, and greatest big brother in the entire world!]
As she wrote, sleepiness overcame Rong Ci. She casually shoved her phone beneath her pillow.
She had no idea that her fingertip had accidentally brushed the Send button, and…
The message had gone through successfully.
A wall away, Xie Xunzhao had just been hung up on by Rong Qingtiao. His phone, which he had only just put down, vibrated.
When he saw the message from Rong Mumu, he didn’t hesitate. He took a screenshot and sent it to Rong Qingtiao.
Xie Xunzhao didn’t care in the slightest what his brother-in-law replied. He simply turned off his phone and went straight next door and even brought the calming incense with him.
Rong Ci was already asleep.
The curtains hadn’t been closed, and the moonlight spilled into the room. Her brows were knitted together, making it obvious that she wasn’t sleeping peacefully.
Xie Xunzhao lit the incense again, and the wisps of smoke rose and slowly spread throughout the room.
There was only one blanket on the bed.
Standing beside her, Xie Xunzhao let his fingertips fall to the corner of her lips and brushed away a few stray strands of hair. But instead of pulling his hand away immediately, he slowly pressed his fingertip against her lips.
Rong Ci unconsciously pursed her lips, inadvertently catching the tip of his finger between them. “Mm…”
Xie Xunzhao withdrew his finger.
Only after Xie Xunzhao lay down did Rong Ci, following his familiar scent, inch closer. In the end, she nestled and burrowed her way into his arms, as if murmuring: “Big Brother…”
Xie Xunzhao pinched the tip of her nose. Rong Ci grumbled and buried her face in his palm. “Big Brother, stop messing with me.”
Even in her sleep, she never forgot how to turn the tables on him.
“Big Brother, I’m sorry.” After a long while, Rong Ci murmured those words again.
Xie Xunzhao, who had already closed his eyes and was preparing to sleep, turned his gaze toward the woman in his arms. Years of illness had left her face small and thin; no matter how carefully she was nourished, she barely seemed to put on any weight.
Rong Ci’s features were actually vivid and striking, but because she had so little color in her complexion, she appeared cold and aloof.
She hadn’t woken. She was sleep-talking. What had she dreamed about? And what was she apologizing for?
Xie Xunzhao actually knew very well what she was uneasy about. His expression didn’t change. He simply drew her a little closer into his arms.
~~
Monday, during lunch break, the president’s office at the Xie Group.
When Xie Xunzhao finished his meeting and pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was a slender figure sitting in his chair.
Rong Ci was dressed in a simple black T-shirt and pleated skirt, with her hair tied into a high ponytail. She looked like a high school student dropping by her parents’ office, completely out of place here.
At that moment, she was sprawled over his desk, propping up her chin with one hand while playing with his fountain pen with the other, occasionally scribbling a few strokes across a sheet of A4 paper.
Xie Xunzhao casually handed the documents to his secretary. “Make her a glass of watermelon juice.” Then he closed the door behind him.
As if making casual conversation, he asked, “Why aren’t you avoiding me anymore?”
Rong Ci, who had been on the verge of dozing off, instantly perked up. “When did I ever avoid you? President Xie, please don’t slander a model student.”
Xie Xunzhao loosened his tie. He’d been in executive meetings for several hours and looked somewhat weary. He walked over and picked up the white sheet of paper she had pinned under her arm.
She had divided the page into four panels. Every single one described him.
Panel One: He was presiding over a meeting from the head of the conference table, hands folded on his knees, wearing an arrogant expression.
Inner monologue: Let this overbearing CEO hear what nonsense you people have been talking about.
Panel Two: He had tossed a stack of documents onto the table, papers scattering everywhere, his expression cold and ruthless.
Inner monologue: Redo the entire proposal!
Panel Three: He stood with his back to the meeting attendees, both hands shoved into his suit-trouser pockets. Even from behind, it was obvious that nobody should mess with him.
Inner monologue: The negotiations are only allowed to succeed. If you fail, I’ll throw you all into the sea to feed the sharks!
Panel Four: He rested his forehead against one hand, looking nonchalant, as though deep in thought.
Inner monologue: How much should I increase my well-behaved Mumu baby’s allowance?
Every form and spirit was captured perfectly.
Xie Xunzhao suddenly let out a laugh. He simply couldn’t bring himself to be angry.
Rong Ci was good at drawing.
Back when Xie Xunzhao had shown Shen Yu her architectural designs, Shen Yu had even asked him, “Actually, Miss Rong has an even greater talent for painting. She might have an easier—and perhaps even more respectable—life as a painter. Why is she so determined to pursue architecture?”
Why?
Xie Xunzhao remembered how Rong Ci, when she was little, would play on the beach and build castles out of sand rather than draw pictures in it.
……
Rong Ci rose from her seat respectfully and gave the chair to Xie Xunzhao. Then she stood before him and gave an extremely proper salute. “Reporting to my guardian.”
Xie Xunzhao carefully slipped her new masterpiece into a document folder and placed it neatly inside a drawer. Calmly, he replied, “Speak.”
Rong Ci said with utmost seriousness, “I’d like to apply to go on a business trip.”
Xie Xunzhao’s fingers paused. His expression remained unchanged as he closed the drawer. “Where to?”
“Xuncheng.”
“How long?”
“A little over a week, probably.”
“What’s the purpose?”
“Professor Shen discovered that I have a unique appreciation for ancient architecture. She wants to take me into the field to study several traditional architectural elements.”
Since they wanted to create a landmark building, they needed to broaden their thinking. That was why Shen Yu had decided the museum should combine modern spatial art with traditional classical elements.
“Does President Xie approve?”
Xie Xunzhao said nothing. Instead, he trapped her between his legs and the desk.
Caught completely off guard, Rong Ci’s fingers, braced against the edge of the desk, tightened slightly.
“Xuncheng has spring-like weather all year round. It’s a really nice place!”
“You wouldn’t refuse, would you?”
Unable to hold herself back, she reached out and gave his arm a little push. “Can I go, Big Brother?”
Xie Xunzhao gazed at her.
Technically, she was standing while he was sitting, so she should have been the one looking down at him. Yet for some reason, the moment she met his eyes, dark and still as ink, Rong Ci had the distinct feeling that he could see straight through her.
Her long hair fell over one side of her slender neck. Rong Ci’s mood drooped. “I can’t?”
She was putting on a pitiful act.
Xie Xunzhao lightly lifted the ends of her hair and slowly smoothed them down, over and over, until Rong Ci’s scalp practically tingled. Only then did he speak as casually as if nothing had happened. “Of course you can.”
“You married me. You didn’t sell yourself to me.”
“You have complete personal freedom.”
Rong Ci’s eyes instantly lit up, then she pushed her luck. “I’d also like to apply for an additional one million in spending money for every day I’m out.”
“Five hundred thousand would work too.”
When he didn’t respond, an utterly guilty Rong Ci immediately slashed her own demand in half.
Xie Xunzhao managed his phone with one hand.
The next moment, Rong Ci received a transfer of ten million.
!!!
“You’re the most generous big brother in the entire world.”
Xie Xunzhao replied lightly, “Change what you call me, and I’ll add another zero.”
Rong Ci blinked, then considerately replied, “Big Brother works hard to make money. I’m just a college student. I couldn’t possibly spend that much.”
Not changing it, huh?
Xie Xunzhao calmly put his phone away.
Confirmed. She really had grown wings.
~~
On the third day after Rong Ci left, she was like a bird released from its cage. At first, she still reported her whereabouts to him, but later she simply started treating him as her “memo”.
Xie Xunzhao opened their WeChat conversation. Scrolling up, the chat was filled with all kinds of detailed photos of buildings.
Now and then, there were a few casual snapshots of cats, dogs, flowers, and trees along the roadside.
Not a single word.
During every meeting, his phone buzzed nonstop on the table. Because sometimes she could send dozens, even hundreds, of photos in one go.
After receiving another fifty-eight photographs from her, Xie Xunzhao finally replied—
Big Brother Isn’t Big Brother: [You’ve gone wild.]
astraia: [!]
[Big Brother, I miss you so much. Morning and night.]
[Today, I saw tea at a little teahouse by the roadside, and it reminded me of you giving me my medicine in the mornings.]
[Every night after nine, whenever I see a full signal bar, I think of you too.]
[Wuwuwu.]
[Why haven’t you replied to me yet?]
[Are you angry?]
[My Big Brother wouldn’t be this petty, right?]
[Is my Zeus okay? Did you freeze him into an ice sculpture cat?]
[Big Brother, send me a picture of yourself.]
At the end of a narrow path in the ancient city, beneath a bodhi tree, Rong Ci sat down on a clean stone bench. Beside her stood a delicate, charming glazed palace lantern, shaped like a lotus. Its petals were a tranquil pale blue, fading lighter toward the center—a unique piece of intangible cultural heritage from the region.
It complemented Rong Ci’s cool, ethereal beauty perfectly, except…
Her expression suddenly shifted. Her pupils trembled, and her face seemed to come alive with a few extra shades of color.
Rong Ci stared at the sleepwear photo that had suddenly appeared on her screen in disbelief.
Thin black silk wrapped his tall, slender body from head to toe without revealing even a hint of muscle, yet somehow gave him an almost forbidden kind of allure.
Rong Ci felt her throat grow slightly dry. She admired her brother’s beauty for a while.
No… Wait!
She wanted a cat photo, not a man photo!
And then she grew distressed.
Sigh.
Big Brother really was starved for love lately. Even from this far away, he was showing off his tail feathers.
After sending the photo, Xie Xunzhao sent another message.
Big Brother Isn’t Big Brother: [Really miss me?]
Rong Ci instinctively replied: [Of course I miss you.]
Big Brother Isn’t Big Brother: [Good.]
Rong Ci: [What does “good” mean?]
Xie Xunzhao called his secretary through the intercom.
Secretary Su came in holding a tablet and began reporting his schedule for the next few days.
After listening for several minutes, Xie Xunzhao tapped the armrest. “Do we have any business in Xuncheng?”
Secretary Su answered crisply, “No.”
“Xuncheng is known for its ancient architecture, but the market there is too small. The company has no plans—”
“Do we?” Xie Xunzhao turned his head slightly and looked at him expressionlessly.
Secretary Su’s back went tight. His brain instantly detached itself from official business, and he immediately declared in a loud voice, “Yes!”
As if.
Xie Xunzhao gave a reserved nod. “Good. Arrange a business trip to Xuncheng first.”
“Push everything else back.”
Understood.
Secretary Su went out and notified everyone, “President Xie is taking annual leave.”
~~
Xuncheng.
Rong Ci was thriving like a fish in water. She loved immersing herself in the details of ancient architecture, especially with a teacher as good as Shen Yu right there; she was wildly absorbing deeper architectural knowledge.
Today, Rong Ci and the others came to a temple. It had a thriving stream of worshippers locally, and the only reason they could book a visit today was that the paint on the painted sculpture of a deity had flaked and needed restoration.
So, for the next few days, it wasn’t receiving worshippers.
Seeing the troubled expressions on the abbot and the painted-sculpture restoration expert Chu Chengji, Rong Ci realized they were in a difficult position.
Chu Chengji hadn’t expected the statue to be so enormous, so he had come himself.
Now they were struggling to find someone to assist him. They didn’t need a professional painted-sculpture restorer—just someone with a bit of understanding to assist him would do.
But Xuncheng was too small. Where were they going to find anyone who knew restoration?
The abbot knew that Shen Yu’s team worked in architectural design, though, so on the principle that asking couldn’t hurt, he brought them over.
Everyone else, even Shen Yu included, shook their heads.
Every profession had its own specialty.
Only Rong Ci, the intern who had come along to soak up knowledge, stood there gazing up at the enormous statue. She hesitated for a moment.
But when she saw the disappointment in their eyes, she still stepped forward. “I can help.”
Shen Yu looked at her in surprise. “You know painted-sculpture restoration too?”
Rong Ci nodded. “I do. My mother is a cultural relics restorer.”
Although her specialty was calligraphy and painting restoration, she was also highly skilled at restoring murals, deity statues, and the like.
Rong Ci wasn’t afraid of heights. She climbed the ladder and lightly made her way up to the statue’s shoulder.
Chu Chengji had only graduated a few years ago and was still young, with a strong sense of curiosity. “Who is your mother?”
Rong Ci steadied herself against the statue and tilted her head. “Gu Xingtan.”
“What?! Gu Xingtan?! You mean the Gu Xingtan who restored so many extremely difficult ancient books and paintings, who has led multiple national-level cultural relic restoration projects, one of the top calligraphy-and-painting restoration experts in the country? You’re Teacher Gu’s daughter?” Chu Chengji nearly dropped his tools. Fortunately, his professional ethics won out.
Rong Ci was immensely proud. “Yes, my mother is Gu Xingtan!”
“No wonder.”
“I was wondering how your technique could nearly match that of a professional restorer like me. So, it runs in the family.”
“My mother is amazing.”
“Yes, yes, she really is.”
One of them was a straight-up daughter-fan of Gu Xingtan, the other a fan of her work. The two of them clicked remarkably well.
Rong Ci felt that she could probably stay here for a few more days.
Shen Yu, standing beneath the statue, couldn’t help laughing when she heard that. “Is your President Xie really okay with this?”
Rong Ci lifted her chin. “He doesn’t get to decide. I’m the master of the family.”
At the main hall’s entrance, Xie Xunzhao looked toward the very center from a distance.
The paint on the wrathful deity statue had peeled and flaked away, making its expression look especially ferocious and terrifying. Yet Rong Ci sat perched on the shoulder of the enormous statue, looking as though a strong gust of wind might carry her away. Whenever she turned her head to speak to someone, however, her face came alive with radiant energy.
Xie Xunzhao watched for a while. Only when he heard what Rong Ci said did he finally step into the main hall. “Mumu, whose master do you want to be?”
A clear, familiar voice rang out.
Rong Ci was startled, thinking she was imagining things. She stared in astonishment at the man approaching her.
Probably because it was a personal trip, Xie Xunzhao wasn’t dressed in his usual suit and tie. He wore a sweatshirt and jeans, his hair a little messy from the wind. Without its usual careful styling, it fell casually against his forehead, giving him a refined yet elegant edge.
Rong Ci froze where she was.
For a moment, she was reminded of Xie Xunzhao during her years studying abroad. Whenever there was a school break, he had looked just like this when he came to pick her up.
Standing beneath the statue, Xie Xunzhao lifted his eyes slightly. “Come down.”
Without thinking, Rong Ci called out in front of everyone, “Big Brother.”
Chu Chengji asked, “Is this your brother? You two look quite alike.” He remembered that Teacher Gu had a son and a daughter.
Everyone else who didn’t know the truth turned to look at them as well.
!!!
Rong Ci simply went along with it and nodded.
The next second, Xie Xunzhao opened both arms toward her, his posture casual, even a faint smile playing on his thin lips, but his eyes were forceful. “Miss Rong, do you need me to have our marriage certificate tattooed on my face?”