A Fish Longing for the Old Pond

Part 3

6

Chi Yan Chi seemed to have been burned by the term "Young Master Chi" as he abruptly withdrew his hand.

His expression was dazed, and he softly called, "Little Yu."

I smiled and blinked at him. "Yes."

I thought this calm reaction might earn me a chance to speak with Chi Yan Chi.

Unexpectedly, he sneered and said, "Your acting has really improved this time, you almost fooled me again. But I advise you to behave yourself. If you try any more tricks or harm Little Yu's body, I'll make sure the exiled Prince of Cheng pays double."

I felt a bit anxious but didn't know how to explain it to him.

From my years of reading storybooks, I could roughly understand that I had been possessed by some wandering ghost who had even impersonated me.

Chi Yan Chi seemed to have heard the "boy who cried wolf" story too many times.

Frustrated, I wanted to tug on Chi Yan Chi's sleeve, a habit from when I used to annoy him.

"I really am Chen Yu, the Chen Yu who woke up from ten years ago, I'm not lying."

But Chi Yan Chi dodged, glanced at me, and then left.

For several days afterward, neither he nor the children came again.

Even the dog hole in the corner of the yard was filled in.

I belatedly realized that "I" had been imprisoned all this time.

However, I had always been lazy by nature and didn't mind such things.

I believed that things would eventually work out.

When I used to go to the temple with my mother, the abbot even praised me for having a Buddhist nature.

7

Since no one came, I spent my days curled up in the courtyard's study, reading storybooks.

I must say, the storybooks in the study were not only new but also complete.

They were even organized by year and category.

Whoever set up this study really understood me well.

For several days, I read with great enjoyment.

Especially the book I was holding now, "The Dominant Marquis's Forced Affection." It was so captivating that it sent a shiver down my spine, making me wish I could be friends with the author.

However, the plot and character settings seemed somewhat familiar.

For example, the male lead was a perfect gentleman in the beginning but became ruthless later on.

For example, before the male lead achieved top honors, his family had fallen into hard times, and he sought refuge with a family friend.

For example, the female lead was the daughter of that family friend.

Moreover, the two circled around each other for ten years, with the male lead rising to power, imprisoning the female lead—who had feelings for the second male lead—in his mansion. They even had a pair of twins...

Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?

Authors might fabricate some plot points, but if based on real-life prototypes, significant events wouldn't deviate much.

Thinking about this, I skipped dinner and started carefully reading the events following the engagement of the male and female leads.

I kept reading until I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open and fell asleep on the desk.

When I woke up the next day, I was already lying in my bed.

In this mansion, who else but him would dare to carry me back in the middle of the night?

I couldn't help but chuckle. Chi Yan Chi, oh Chi Yan Chi, even after ten years, you are still so reserved.

8

During lunch, I tentatively requested a more lively personal maid.

Soon enough, a maid named Pu Tao was sent to me.

I knew she was likely one of Chi Yan Chi's spies, but she was exactly the messenger I wanted.

From then on, whatever request I made was handled promptly by the next day.

Except for leaving the courtyard or seeing Chi Yan Chi.

I knew Chi Yan Chi had confirmed my identity.

But I didn't understand why he refused to see me.

Standing by the filled-in dog hole, I contemplated the possibility of digging it out and crawling through.

Before I could find a suitable tool, dirt started to crumble from the wall.

I watched as a little girl with a dusty face peeked out.

It was Little Chun Yi.

She looked around, and when she saw me, she shrank back and softly called, "Mother."

Perhaps it was instinct, but a surge of affection rose in my heart. I quickly pulled her out and brushed the dirt off her clothes.

"Why are you crawling through the dog hole again? Did your father forbid you from coming here?"

She shyly smiled and bit her lip.

"Father didn't say anything, but we don't dare, so crawling through the dog hole feels safer."

Saying this, she squatted and waved to Chi Fei Wan on the other side.

I laughed. In this household, could there be anything Chi Yan Chi didn't know about?

I had Pu Tao bring some pastries, and indeed, she didn't react when she saw the children.

Chun Yi was still quite reserved, sitting upright without looking around.

Fei Wan was different. Her big eyes darted around, glancing at me one moment and at the pastries the next.

Amused, I handed them some pastries.

Little Fei Wan whispered to his sister, saying things like, "Mother has gotten better, mother has returned."

I stroked my chin and started to pry for information.

From the adapted storybook, I gathered that the wandering ghost who possessed me didn't like Chi Yan Chi but preferred the Fourth Prince.

Six years ago, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the Fourth Prince was exiled.

Chi Yan Chi used his contributions in supporting the new emperor to secure our marriage contract, forcibly marrying my body.

But what about these two children?

Knowing Chi Yan Chi, if he realized "I" wasn't really me, he wouldn't have touched her.

"Was I very mean to you before?" I asked.

Little Fei Wan pouted and was about to speak, but Chun Yi nudged him and said, "It's alright, Mother. Father told us that the one who was mean to us wasn't our real mother. Our real mother would return someday."

"Did you often come to see 'me'?"

From their well-honed dog hole crawling skills, it seemed they visited frequently.

Fei Wan nodded. "We missed you, we wanted to see when you'd come back."

Chun Yi also nodded in agreement.

I sighed, my heart aching, and quickly bent down to kiss their little faces in comfort.

It really felt like someone else had slept with my man and beaten my children.

Just thinking about it made me feel aggrieved.