Wan'er said, "We're about to leave. My mistress asked me to bring you something, my lord."
Hu Xiaotian nodded.
Wan'er handed him a rolled painting. "My mistress said you might have thrown away her previous gift without even looking at it, so she asked me to bring you another painting. She also told me to remind you that you mustn't lose this one."
"Don't worry. Tell Miss Huo I certainly won't lose it," Hu Xiaotian said with a smile, accepting the scroll.
Wan'er added, "My mistress also asked whether the promise you made to meet in a year's time still stands."
Hu Xiaotian nodded. "It does. Of course it does!"
Wan'er smiled. "My mistress said that although the promise still stands, the appointed time has already passed. Azure Cloud is so far away that she couldn't get there anytime soon. Why not choose another time and place?"
Hu Xiaotian's eyes lit up. "Where does Miss Huo want to go?"
"The Misty Waters Pavilion again, on the seventh day of the seventh month next year."
"At what hour?" Hu Xiaotian asked.
Wan'er smiled. "That will depend on fate and fortune!" She turned and left, waving to Hu Xiaotian without looking back.
Hu Xiaotian unrolled the painting and examined it by lamplight. It depicted a young gentleman whose expression, brows, and eyes bore a striking resemblance to his own. Huo Xiaoru had actually given him a portrait of himself. An old-style lyric accompanied the painting-One missed chance: longing, yet never meeting; alone I watched a city veiled in mist and rain. A soft sigh for our slender bond, nothing but bewildered yearning. Two missed chances: turning away, we nearly brushed shoulders. Looking back, we stood as far apart as immortal mountains. Geese flying north and south, love written on a page, eyes