The 'inn' was owned by Ouyang Ye. The dirty-faced man, who always liked to 'guard' A Chu from outside, was very familiar with the inn's regular customers, especially Ouyang Ye.
Their meeting was a matter of 'destiny'. One festival day, the dirty-faced man, wanting to see A Chu in the 'inn', joined the crowd and stopped outside its door. Due to his unsightly appearance, he was quickly reported and then driven away by the women inside. It was then that Ouyang Ye appeared behind him. Just as he was about to give up and leave, Ouyang Ye, without any hint of disgust, took his arm and led him inside, right in front of the women.
That night, he saw A Chu up close for the first time.
Although Ouyang Ye paid him no mind throughout the process, the dirty-faced man had never forgotten Ouyang Ye's 'kindness' from that day on.
Ouyang Ye's current attitude was within his expectations, so he felt nothing and even smiled, "Who I am is not important, but I know you."
"I seriously suspect you're trying to get close to me," Ouyang Ye said coldly.
The dirty-faced man smiled.
Hearing the sound, Mu Anxiao was finally drawn by the voice behind her. After confirming that the girl wouldn't attack suddenly, she turned to look at the dirty-faced man who was foolishly smiling at Ouyang Ye, and was stunned. "You're being too deliberate." She strongly suspected that the dirty-faced man was trying to find a way out for himself by ingratiating himself.
"I know him," the dirty-faced man replied excitedly, showing no impatience.
Ouyang Ye frowned.
Seizing the opportunity, Mu Anxiao quickly glanced back at the girl and continued, "You know him, go..." She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering the dirty-faced man's connection to the 'inn', and smiled.
Ouyang Ye looked confused. "What are you smiling about?"
"I think, what does it have to do with you," Mu Anxiao said, glancing at Ouyang Ye, then back at the dirty-faced man, guessing, "Did he help you."
"Yes," the dirty-faced man nodded.
As soon as the dirty-faced man said this, Mu Anxiao revealed a look of disdain. "How did you meet? Can you tell me?" she asked, involuntarily conjuring up various scenes in her mind.
Ouyang Ye looked at Mu Anxiao, who had started to fantasize, with a helpless expression. "You'd better retract those irrelevant... fantasies of yours." He saw through Mu Anxiao's thoughts at a glance.
Mu Anxiao: "..." She ignored Ouyang Ye and continued to stare at the dirty-faced man.
The dirty-faced man didn't understand Ouyang Ye's words either and replied to Mu Anxiao without much thought, "He took me in to see A Chu."
"That's it?" Mu Anxiao was clearly disappointed. She had expected something akin to a romantic encounter between them, but it turned out to be so mundane.
The dirty-faced man nodded with a smile, "Yes." Then he looked at Ouyang Ye, "Noble people forget easily; I understand you."
"Do you like A Chu?" Ouyang Ye was only concerned about this.
Hearing Ouyang Ye's direct question, the dirty-faced man gave an awkward laugh. "Yes, but she doesn't like me." He said, looking dejected.
Conversely, Ouyang Ye had no interest in the dirty-faced man's feelings. "Is that so?" As he spoke, he suddenly had the idea of setting up A Chu and the dirty-faced man. He paused, then asked, "Does she know you?" He considered it a rotten peach blossom.
"She knows, but..." The dirty-faced man thought about his 'encounter' with A Chu, then smiled wryly, "but I think she's probably like you, noble people forget easily."
"Not necessarily," Ouyang Ye said faintly. His idea of matchmaking grew stronger with each passing second.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao saw the 'wickedness' in Ouyang Ye's mind and deliberately said, "A forced melon isn't sweet; you'd better have some self-awareness." Her words were not just for the dirty-faced man, but also for Ouyang Ye.
"..." Ouyang Ye understood Mu Anxiao's meaning and immediately shifted his gaze to her face, deliberately saying, "There's a kind of affection called love at first sight, but there's also one called love that grows over time. Do you understand these?" He raised an eyebrow at Mu Anxiao, then turned back to the dirty-faced man.
"A Chu already has someone she likes," the dirty-faced man said softly.
However, this was precisely what Ouyang Ye wanted to hear, because only then could a true 'rotten peach blossom' be formed. Looking at the dirty-faced man, his heart suddenly stirred. "Really? I think you're mistaken." He became serious.
The dirty-faced man fell silent.
Mu Anxiao looked helplessly at Ouyang Ye, who was still trying to play matchmaker while stirring up trouble, and sighed. She then turned to look at the girl staring at her, frowning.
Ouyang Ye set aside all extraneous thoughts and looked at the suddenly silent dirty-faced man, puzzled. "Why did you stop talking? Do you think I'm wrong?" He didn't want the matter to just fade away and deliberately pestered the dirty-faced man.
Following that, the dirty-faced man raised his head and stared at Ouyang Ye for a few seconds, saying, "I think you're mistaken. At first, I thought everything would be beautiful, but the result..." He gave a bitter smile, "was so tragic. I still believe that a forced melon isn't sweet."
"You..."
"Your kindness, your help to me, I will always remember it, but I cannot..." the dirty-faced man said in a low voice, his entire demeanor becoming self-deprecating, "I cannot ruin A Chu's life."
"Truly devoted," Ouyang Ye commented casually, sighing.
At that moment, the girl over there started to cry.
Mu Anxiao looked at the girl, who was alternating between smiling and crying, and sighed. Then, while she was lost in thought, the girl conjured pebbles and threw them at her.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. Just as she was about to swiftly counter, Ouyang Ye suddenly stepped forward and made a move before her.
The dirty-faced man stared, stunned, at Ouyang Ye's swift action.
The next moment.
Ouyang Ye placed one hand on Mu Anxiao's shoulder and held a handful of pebbles in the other, glaring furiously at the girl, who was intimidated by him. He coldly said, "You have quite the nerve." Then he threw the pebbles at her again.
The girl quickly dodged. However... she was eventually hit by one of the pebbles and fell to the ground.
Mu Anxiao watched the scene unfold, swallowed, and then looked down at her shoulder, which was being held by Ouyang Ye, sighing again. "I didn't ask you to help me." With that, she pushed away Ouyang Ye's hand.
Ouyang Ye was not angry; instead, he chuckled and said, "I knew you would be like this." As he spoke, his gaze fixed, and he reached out to pinch Mu Anxiao's cheek.