Tang Zhelan stared at the young girl momentarily. Why was Zhao Jing asking her this? Did she misunderstand something between her and her uncle?

  "It's not like I don't like your uncle. In fact, I consider him as a good friend of mine," she answered once she recovered from her shock. Zhao Feng was one of the people who never looked down on her, who never thought she was a villainess fighting to prove herself to everyone.

  "So you and Uncle can't be together?" Zhao Jing's face fell. Just as she thought she could convince Tang Zhelan to stay with them, it didn't seem Miss Tang was interested in her uncle at all.

  "It's not that easy, Xiao Jing. Are you still worried about your uncle not being able to get married?" Tang Zhelan asked in return.

  Zhao Jing mumbled something incoherent that Tang Zhelan wasn't able to understand.

  "It would be nice if you and Uncle could be together," she said afterwards. "I won't mind having you as my aunt, Miss Tang," she told Tang Zhelan.

  Tang Zhelan sighed inwardly. Perhaps Zhao Jing was worrying too much that her mind went overboard and asked her to stay with them. It wasn't like she abhorred the idea of staying here, but she knew that it would complicate things in her life if she got involved with Zhao Feng.

  "I think you should ask your uncle what he wants before assuming anything, Xiao Jing," she told the girl. "I assure you, he didn't regret coming here and choosing to look after you. You are his family, after all."

  Zhao Jing didn't dare to say more and nodded in response. There's no way she would be able to convince Tang Zhelan if she felt nothing towards her uncle.

  The girl excused herself, saying that her grandmother must be looking for her. Tang Zhelan watched Zhao Jing leave, wondering if she could do something to help her, but she couldn't come up with anything.

  It was at that moment Zhao Feng came back with a troubled expression on his face. Tang Zhelan didn't need to ask why he was like this, as she could already tell that he overheard her conversation with Zhao Jing.

  Zhao Feng took his previous seat across from her and remained silent as if he was troubled that his niece was harboring such thoughts about him. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but his curiosity was piqued when he heard what Zhao Jing said to Tang Zhelan.

  "Xiao Jing is just worried about you. You should talk to her about it," Tang Zhelan commented, breaking the silence between them.

  "I have never thought she's worrying this much about me," he admitted with a weak smile.

  Zhao Jing never told him anything nor showed any indication that something was bothering her until now. If he hadn't overheard what she said to Tang Zhelan, Zhao Feng would never suspect that his niece was being troubled by his choices.

  "Not because she's young doesn't mean she doesn't understand what's happening around her," Tang Zhelan tried to explain. Somehow, she could see her younger self in Zhao Jing.

  Small changes often appeared to make no difference until one crossed a critical threshold. As for Zhao Jing, she understood well enough the sacrifices her uncle made for her sake.

  "Don't be hard on yourself, Zhao Feng. There's nothing a good talk can't fix between the two of you," she reminded him.

  However, it wasn't only Zhao Jing that made his mood like this. He knew for a long time that Tang Zhelan could only see him as a friend, nothing more than that. Zhao Feng had already made peace with himself and accepted this, but that didn't mean he had completely moved on from the feelings he had for her.

  He didn't want to cause more troubles than she already had by professing the feelings he had for a long time. He couldn't— not when her parents were eager to sell her off to marry a successful, wealthy man, something that Zhao Feng knew he wasn't.

  Her parents wanted her to marry regardless if Tang Zhelan agreed or not. Her pride chafed at the fact that she couldn't be a person she wanted her to be as her family's disgusting tradition was pinning her down.

  So how could Zhao Feng bear to see her face hardsh.i.p.s on her own? If it would make her feel better, if he could lessen her burden, he would rather keep everything to himself. There were times he found her alone with sadness and longing in her eyes. Sadness because she couldn't truly hate her family for troubling her, longing as she wanted to be free from all of it.

  If Tang Zhelan would notice him, Zhao Feng wanted her to find him on her own accord. He wanted to help her see what he saw in her. He wasn't like those men who wanted a young, beautiful and socially skilled wife who would look good in their arms. Tang Zhelan didn't deserve to be treated like that.

  Zhao Feng didn't dare push the issue and dropped the topic. If Tang Zhelan was curious about what his niece asked earlier, he wasn't sure. They spent their afternoon tea in companionable silence. It wasn't after another staff member came with a parcel in her hand did the two snap out of their thoughts.

  "Miss Tang, someone came and delivered this package for you." The middle-aged woman handed a slim package to Tang Zhelan and left at once.

  Tang Zhelan took it, her eyes slightly narrowing in suspicion. Just who had managed to find her whereabouts? It had been weeks since she left Shenzhen, and she cut her lines to make sure they wouldn't be able to find her. Was it her parents? She wondered.

  "Who's it from?" Zhao Feng voiced her unspoken question.

  Tang Zhelan turned the slim package and read the label.

  "It says Tang Moyu," she said in a whisper.