[Music recommendation: Butterfly Lovers - Guzheng Cover.]

The melodious sound coming whenever Bai Yunyu strummed the string in the Guzheng. Each time Bai Yunyu strummed the strings with his perfect tempo, Huang Shu felt that his heart was being caressed gently. He closed his eyes, enjoying Yunyu playing the music while they were relaxing at the lakeside in the middle of summer.

[Author Note: Guzheng - Plucked Zither.] 

Yunyu was playing Butterfly Lovers, a timeless music piece about two lovers who died tragically together and became butterflies to continue their love in the afterlife. 

After Bai Yunyu finished the song, Huang Shu clapped his hand while staring at Bai Yunyu, full of love. 

"You did so well. I almost thought that heaven sent me an angel to play the music," Huang Shu praised.

"Hmph, frivolous," Yunyu looked away. He was still frowning, but Huang Shu didn't even feel bothered with it. In fact, all he did was approaching Yunyu and sat, hugging Yunyu from behind like a harmonious couple. 

"Don't be so bitter towards me, alright? We've been like this for almost a year. It's time for you to warm up a bit for me, don't you think?" Huang Shu asked teasingly. 

…

Yunyu refused to answer it because he still had his pride. Besides, their relationship started in such a rocky step, he thought it would be a pain train waiting to crush their relationship. 

After that day, when Huang Shu threatened him using his old father, Yunyu got so angry that he refused to talk with Huang Shu. He didn't even care about their status disparity anymore. He was so cold towards Huang Shu, but this shameless Seventh Prince kept on coming and pestering Yunyu every day. 

Whenever Yunyu refused to cooperate, Huang Shu would start threatened him by saying that he could ruin his father's business.

However, both of them knew it would never happen. Yunyu realized more and more people came to his father's store, and his father was more than pleased. Since he always loved working, it made him even more lively than before. 

And it was probably Huang Shu's doing.

Yunyu didn't need Meilan to attend to him every day, so she helped his father run the store, and they ate the same thing together, more like a family of three. 

But Yunyu still disliked Huang Shu for his method to ensnare him at first, so as a punishment…

"Come on, Yunyu. Why don't you call me Shushu again? I really like it, you know…" Huang Shu said, wrapping his arms around Yunyu's waist. "It'll sound romantic if you call me with such a loving name."

"Pei! What romantic? What loving? We're not even a couple!" Yunyu denied. 

"Really?" Huang Shu raised his brow mischievously.

"I would never—"

Chu~

Bai Yunyu was stunned when Huang Shu suddenly kissed his cheek. 

"Say that again, and I will do more," Huang Shu said.

Yunyu's cheek reddened instantly, "S—Shameless! You're utterly shameless, Huang Shu! W—We're not even married, and you are kissing me freely!"

"Oh? So now, the narrative changed because I haven't married you? Well, I guess that means we are already a couple," Huang Shu said with a grin on his face.

"Ugh!" Feeling defeated, Bai Yunyu tried to get up and separate himself from Huang Shu.

"Stop struggling. Don't worry about marriage. I will think about the best time to propose, okay?" Huang Shu said.

Truthfully, he still didn't know what to do. A year had passed with him finally cultivating some good feelings with Yunyu. But he was stuck on the biggest one. 

He didn't know what to do with his mother, who was still relentlessly trying to match him with Xi Yue, who was also as persistent as his mother about it.

Crown Prince Huang Bei, his First Brother, also said to him that he would formally introduce himself soon to Bai Yunyu. 

Huang Shu was in a tough spot, but he didn't want to give Yunyu up. Because he had fallen in love so hard with Yunyu. Thinking about marrying another person and letting Yunyu go was out of the question. That was simply impossible for him.

…

[Pupa, what is Huang Shu's Fatemeter right now?]

[Pupa: Fatemeter is 75%.]

[It increases so slowly. But that's because Huang Shu was still troubled with his family.]

Yunyu sensed that Huang Shu was troubled because of the marriage, then he took a deep breath and asked, "Still troubled with marriage?"

"… yeah…" Huang Shu answered honestly. 

"Well, I have nothing much to say. But Huang Shu, you should follow what your hearts want. I don't want you to regret your future."

"If you address it like that, of course, you're the one whom I want to marry," Huang Shu replied. 

"I still don't want to get married into the Imperial Family. You can marry someone else if you keep thinking that you can chain me as the mistress of your household, solely devoting myself to serve you. I have my own goal!" Yunyu exclaimed stubbornly. 

"Just watch me doing that Annual national test next month, and I will prove that I can be the first Ger to get the first rank!" Yunyu said. 

Huang Shu smiled as he stared at Yunyu lovingly. He patted Yunyu's head. Knowing Yunyu, there was nothing to hold him back. Though, Huang Shu doubted that Yunyu could get the top rank because he wasn't from a noble family. Hence, his education media was mostly from books that he bought with his father's money and self-studied. 

'Whatever, I will keep an eye on him, so he wouldn't get hurt,' Huang Shu thought. 

'But still… what to do next? I really want to marry Yunyu, but everything seems to go against me, including Yunyu. He said he would never marry someone from the Royal Family…'

'No, I have to think of another way. I will never give Yunyu up to someone else!'

***

Lady Xi Yue sat on a red chair with a distinguished Imperial Concubine, Concubine Ai, Huang Shu's mother.

"Good afternoon, E'nie," Xi Yue paid respect to her future mother-in-law. She was dead set on marrying Huang Shu, and there was nothing holding her back except the man himself.

Imperial Concubine Ai sighed, "I'm sorry, Xi Yue. I've been forcing him to get married soon, but he never takes me seriously. He has never been interested in anyone…"

"Ah, E'nie, you don't need to worry because I already know the cause why Huang Shu never seems to be interested in anyone."

"What do you mean?" Imperial Concubine Ai asked.

"That's because Huang Shu has a secret lover, a peasant, and even worse… a Ger peasant."

Imperial Concubine Ai, who looked tired before, suddenly gawked upon the reveal, "H—How did you know?! Xi Yue, I know that he hasn't shown any positive sign to you, but you shouldn't slander him."

"E'nie, I'm not lying. I've noticed Huang Shu was often missing from his Palace, E'nie. I bribed the servant, and one of them knows that Huang Shu often leaves through the secret passage to the city."

"Today, I asked my servant to follow him to the city and found that he always has a secret meeting with a Ger man, but he is a popular one because of his appearance."

"And that dirty peasant Ger's name is Bai Yunyu."