Power Up, Artist Yang!

"You look tired," Zixu remarked, tilting his head to see her face better.

Yujia was slumped over the table in her room that the two sat at, half of her face pressing against the cold wooden surface. "Exhausted," she replied.

Only two hours after her meeting at the Yang Villa, Zixu had arrived to visit her. Though seeing him always brought a smile to her face, this time, she was truly too weary. The things that happened at the villa drained her completely, leaving her in the current state she was in. 

She thought what had happened would bring some closure. It didn't, though. At least not at the very moment. She thought back to all the advice her master ever gave her. Closure took time. And so, though she felt so fatigued, she wasn't exactly unhappy.. This was just part of the process, wasn't it?

Zixu asked about what happened, and she gave a full recap. After her story, he nodded in thought, commenting, "I don't think the decision you made is wrong."

In agreement, she responded, "I don't think so either. So I'm not miserable over it. It just took a lot to get it over with, you know?"

"I understand." Zixu then brought up, "I ȧssume they're not invited to our wedding?"

Yujia sat up. "Ah, I haven't even thought of the guest list."

In the first place, there weren't many people she wanted to invite. Yujia preferred a smaller ceremony. She didn't think she was close enough with most of the disciples at Lingxin. Off the top of her head, the list of guests from her end only included her master, her senior brother, and people like Yufeng or Chef Hong. Perhaps she could also invite some of the ladies that she went to tea ceremonies with, like Zhou Luowei. As for the Yang Family, they certainly had no reason to be invited… but…

"My younger sister, Yang Xiaoyi. Can she come?" Yujia asked.

"Of course. I'll be sure to send an invite when the date is set." 

"That would be lovely." Yujia smiled, stretching her arms out in front of her.

It was a calm afternoon, one which added to Yujia's drowsiness with its serenity. Everything was finally beginning to simmer down. She spent some time lazily painting and sketching with Zixu that noon. Drinking some tea, making unimportant chit-chat, Yujia thought that if the days of the future progressed in a similar tranquil lullaby, she could welcome what appeared ahead.

…

Minor incidents flared up over the course of the next few weeks. 

For one, some gossip reached her ears about the Yang Household. Someone had apparently leaked a bit of news that this new "Yue Yu" originated from the Yang Family. Yujia only heard about this from her master, a matter which he only brought up briefly. Again, with the influence of Yue Ze, the matter was suppressed as quickly as it appeared. Barely anyone else in the capital found out about it, which was certainly reassuring. Gossip surrounding her was not something Yujia vied for. 

She thought briefly about how this information was even leaked in the first place, but then, she recalled her visit to the Yang Villa. The Yang's Old Master certainly told the servants to leave, but they had gained a decent bit of gossip before they left. Any ears straining from the other side of the walls must've heard the entirety of her exchange with Yang Chen as well. It was within their natures to gossip, so to think that the news originated from those servants made perfect sense. 

Talks about the army also intrigued Yujia. The Xiang Empire's military advances in the western regions had been rather successful, so much that the main army was returning to the capital. Back when she first heard about this, it was commonly predicted that the poor winter weather would delay the return of the army until spring. Except now, she heard news that the predicted return date sped up. The usual torment of blizzards was not too bad this year, allowing the troops to advance their journey. From the scarce news traveling to the capital, it seemed like they could be back home soon.

Though Yujia didn't think this news could count as an incident that affected her life, people all around the capital rejoiced. After all, many were family members to the soldiers. They would be happy to see their sons returned safely. The inevitable return also implied celebration. Despite all the cold, there was sure to be joy and festivities in the capital as a response to the military's successes.

The more the people waited in anticipation, Yujia felt like Zixu was also becoming busier. Caught up in the matters of business and wedding matters, it was difficult to see him for a period of time. Yujia herself had quite a few things to do as well. The approaching wedding, with a date set soon, landed her in a whirlwind of preparation.

So far, the most exciting part was trying on wedding robes. It was a completely different experience from when she tried on robes in the Yang Villa. This time around, she had much more control over the style of robes, the kind of fabric, and the accessories. At the end of countless appointments with a tailor, she finally finalized her wedding robes. It was a set she was quite pleased with, a set that made her anticipate the upcoming wedding even more.

And lastly, above all, Yujia also ran into Bo Zhizhong.

Well, it was less of "running into" him than it was actively seeking him out. Yujia spent many-a-days camping out in Three Inks. She was determined to see this business partner of hers, regardless of how much he liked to go missing-in-action on her.

Thinking of how stiff the energy between them was over their past few meetings, Yujia had deeply mulled over this change in Zhizhong's personality. She dared to say they were as close as siblings in the past. The sudden attitude change led to plenty of pondering on Yujia's end, though she only arrived at one answer.

Teenage angst.

It had to be that. 

When Yujia finally spotted him, he was dressed in all black, from his robes to his cloak. This further supported her theory. Now, if only he had some eyeliner or black nail polish…

The thought made her grin. Besides that, she was also truly happy to see him again, after so long. Waving excitedly, Yujia called out, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to see you. You really don't care about this store anymore, do you?"

Zhizhong was surprised to see her. The moment their eyes met, he had looked away, as if considering if he should turn and make a break for it, but he stopped in his steps, realizing that it was too late to walk off now. Once he heard what she said, his expression morphed, eyebrows knitting and lips turning up into a slight smile. 

"You were waiting for me?"

Yujia nodded, sighing in joking exasperation. "Days." She tapped her fingers against the counter she sat behind. "Though, I understand. You've been busy."

"I have." Zhizhong walked up to the counter. "So many documents to review, matters to manage. You probably can't even imagine."

"They really shouldn't pressure you with all this work. You have brothers, don't you? Shouldn't they share some of the burden?"

"Sometimes they do. Still, I end up with most of it. I have to… prove myself. To my father. I can't let him down."

"It must be tough." Yujia lowered her voice. "Hang on, alright? I know you're strong enough to get through this. And you're not alone."

His expression softened. "Thanks."

For a moment, Yujia felt like she was seeing pieces of the old Zhizhong again. Her smile brightened. "I have some good news too," she blurted.

"Good news?" He smiled back.

Yujia folded her hands on the counter. "It's what I was waiting for you for. I wanted to let you know myself." 

"What is it?"

Keeping her smile, Yuija announced, "I'm getting married."

She didn't have the exact expression she expected from Zhizhong. Surprise. Joy, perhaps. She imagined, back then, that he would be happy for her. Though they had not seen each other in so long, they were still friends, weren't they? And wouldn't friends be happy at this good news, regardless of what kinds of phases they might be going through?

However, the moment those words left her mouth, there was nothing of surprise and joy displayed across Zhizhong's look. 

His smile fell.