Power Up, Artist Yang!

The idea was a bit strange in Yujia's mind, but it was an idea that would hopefully work well enough. 

First, she would gather the materials needed to make a down jacket: goose down and quality satin cloth. Then, in a quilting manner, she would sew pockets of the down insulation, similar to creating a long blanket. Once she had that finished, she would encase the material within two layers of thick fabric on the outside. That would mask the peculiar and puffy look of the down insulation, making it seem just like any other fur-lined cloak. Embroidery and fur decoration could also be added.

When she had all of those steps completed, wouldn't she be able to make a down jacket in the form of an innocuous cloak? It would be light-weight yet warming, certainly something Zixu could use to stay warm in the winter.

The test run with embroidery from last night proved to Yujia that she had the muscle memory for stitching. It was the assembly of stitches to beautiful stitched pictures that she had no capabilities of. As a result of that, with enough guidance, Yujia believed that she could make the cloak herself.

Now that she had this idea in mind, it was time to get her plan started. The sooner she could begin, the better.

After bidding farewell to Chef Hong and the others, Yujia left the kitchens and headed towards her courtyard. Perhaps it was because she spent so long in the cozy room of the kitchen, or perhaps it was because the sun had risen, but it was not as cold as it was in the morning. Nevertheless, she still went to her courtyard to grab a satchel of taels, her budget that she would use to buy materials to begin her gift-making with.

Once she had her taels, she was ready to leave Lingxin. The moment she stepped out of the villa, however, she saw a face that she hadn't seen in a long time. He was pacing back and forth in the villa entrance, eyes meeting her the moment she saw him.

"Bo Zhizhong!" she called out.

"I heard the news," he began, his honey-brown eyes scanning over her face. "You're… you're alright." 

"How widespread was this news?" Yujia muttered, although she remembered how many sons from influential figures went on the trip. Bandits capturing them was likely a big scandal in the capital. "But yes, I'm well. You came all the way here because you worried about me?" 

"Worry?" He immediately scowled, denying, "No, why would I walk all the way over here for just you? I just.. had some business in the area."

"Ah yes, business," Yujia grinned, totally buying into his excuse.

Truthfully, even before she went off to her trip, she had been seeing Zhizhong less. Although he was her business partner for the art supply store they shared, Three Inks, for a month or so before the trip, he had disappeared for the most part. She assumed he was busy with his own life, considering how before, when she did see him frequently, he always wore dark circles around his eyes and looked as though he could fall asleep any second. Now that she saw him standing in front of her, dark circles gone, she was glad that life eased up on him.

Except, although Bo Zhizhong looked better-rested, his expression was now weighed down with darkness. "I knew the southern regions had bandit issues. I'm sorry. I- I should've done something about it." 

"Why are you apologizing?" Yujia tilted her head, puzzled by this sudden apology from him. Ultimately, Zhizhong was just the son of a merchant family. He couldn't have had any connections with people that could stop bandits. "It's not like you could've actually done anything about it. There's no need to be sorry." 

At her response, Zhizhong fell silent for a few minutes.

He gazed at Yujia. Lips parting as if he wanted to say something, yet no sound coming out, he then closed them and swallowed. She could tell there was something he wanted to say, but in that moment, she did nothing to beckon him to do so. She, too, faltered, taken aback by the shift in his gaze.

This moment should've been nothing special. It was just a brief split in time, a second where he was at a loss of words. Except Yujia knew, somewhere deep down inside, that things weren't that simple.

When that moment passed, he looked down, a hand going up to his neck. 

"I meant," he explained, a bit quieter now, "I knew about those bandits from a business report of my family's merchants. I should've told you ahead of time so you knew. It was shocking, right?" 

"Ah." Yujia mustered a cheerful tone, replying, "It was shocking, but I'm fine now. Don't feel sorry about it; it really isn't your fault at all."

"Thanks," he mustered a response, shifting his eyes to the side. "Well," he then said, "I have to get going."

Her expression fell. "So soon? You don't want to stay for a cup of tea or anything?" 

"No, I have… things. Things to do. It was nice seeing you, though," Zhizhong declined. He turned and was about to leave. 

Something was definitely up, and Yujia wasn't going to stand by without doing anything. She went after him, catching up and moving so that she was in front of him. Zhizhong stopped in his tracks.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, eyebrows knitted. "How have things been for you?"

"Me?" Zhizhong smiled, as bright as ever. "What are you worrying about? Everything has been great for me." 

If he wasn't going to say anything, Yujia couldn't force him. However, she still added, "Are you sure? You know, even if you don't want to say right now, you can come find me anytime in the future, if you want to talk or anything. You can tell me anything. I'm here for you."

He paused. For a second, Yujia saw a flicker in his smile. And then, he said, "Thanks. I appreciate that." 

… 

She didn't know it at the time, but she should've pushed a little further. Perhaps he would've said something more, or perhaps, even despite her insistence, he wouldn't have. Perhaps regardless of all his hesitation, his lips were sealed shut from the start. 

He couldn't have told her everything, after all. There were so many things he couldn't tell her, from his identity to his feelings.

After all, to her, he was just Bo Zhizhong, a son of a merchant, her business partner, and a good friend. Fu Yushang, the crown prince of the empire, didn't exist.

She was used to the days of carefree joking with a younger-brother-like-figure. She was used to the days where he would scowl playfully at the things she said. She was used to the days of simplicity. But those days were already long gone. Long, long gone.