小道亦见月明如水，
夜色清凉，故而操弄丝桐。
远辱尊听，实切惶恐！
While restlessly strolling through the gardens one evening, Pan hears Chen Miaochang singing a melancholy song on a zither. Pan approaches her and expresses his appreciation of her music making. They each perform a short melody for the other -- reflecting on their loneliness. When Pan's presses her on her feelings, she becomes nonplussed. She timidly threatens to report him to his Aunt and refuses to show him the way back to his quarters. Pan pretends to leave in order to see what she will say. Believing she is alone, Miaochang admits to herself that she is attracted to Pan. Suddenly she notices that Pan is trying to eavesdrop and runs away in horror. The rebuffed Pan is convinced that Miaochang is attracted to him and begins to contemplate an illicit romance and future marriage.