At dusk, after dinner, Ling'er seemed particularly cheerful. Wan Lan and Meng Yan cleared the table, carrying away the dishes and utensils before retreating. Suddenly, Ye Chen and Ling'er were the only two left in the courtyard.
Although it was still twilight, the sunset glow began to dissipate. Soon, it would disappear completely, turning gray as night fell swiftly.
Ye Chen asked, "Ling'er, is someone moving into our courtyard?"
Ling'er responded, "No."
"Then why did Cui Mengyan say she is moving to Liuye Manor?"
Ling'er felt a bit awkward and hesitantly nodded her head.
"Did she disturb you?" Ye Chen asked.
"No."
"Then why is it?"
"She can't live in our courtyard forever; she's already been here for a few days. She has to move out at some point to start afresh. Isn't that right?"
Ye Chen gave a light smile and a nod of agreement. It was a decent excuse that sounded reasonable.
However, Ling'er felt as though she had done something wrong.