Chapter 31:
Xie Yanyu chuckled lightly: “When have you ever understood him?”
“We’ve grown up together since childhood, after all…” Xie Wanning refuted somewhat unhappy, but halfway through her words, she felt her elder brother was right.
She truly had never understood Lu Ziyan; previously, she thought although he was cold, he should have some feelings for her.
Later, after having those dreams, she realized everything was her self-assumed delusion.
A person so heartless and ruthless not only had no romantic feelings for her at all, but not even the affection from growing up together since childhood.
In the dream, her final outcome of spitting blood and dying could be considered punishment for her self-assumed delusion.
Thinking of this, Xie Wanning said listlessly: “Forget it, let’s not talk about him. Whatever he’s like, I don’t want him anyway.”
She had long decided on this marriage, and she also had a clear plan for how to shake off Lu Ziyan who had inexplicably become obsessed with the wedding, and she fundamentally did not want to rack her brains over him anymore.
With that time, it would be better to…
Xie Wanning tilted her head to look at her elder brother beside her, propping her cheek and smiling at him: “Not only did I bump into Lu Ziyan, I also saw Princess Pingning blocking Elder Brother and not letting him leave.”
What she said was direct, making Xie Yanyu stunned for a moment. He glanced at her and said without good humor: “Since you saw it, why didn’t you come out to help me out of it, but hid and peeked instead?”
“Help out of what?” Xie Wanning smiled sweetly as she poured tea for her elder brother, saying obediently: “I was afraid that if I rashly came out, it would embarrass both the Commandery Princess and you.”
This reason of hers was not wrong at all; after all, a young lady has thin skin. No matter how bold Princess Pingning was, having someone catch her blocking a man would still make it impossible for her to show her face.
Xie Yanyu said no more, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then heard the mischievous one beside him say mysteriously: “Elder Brother really doesn’t like her at all?”
Xie Yanyu paused slightly, raised his eyes to look: “A young lady’s reputation is important; you must not spread this matter outside, no matter who it is.”
“Got it, got it,” perhaps due to the remaining alcohol influence, Xie Wanning continued to persistently ask: “So, do you have any intentions toward the Commandery Princess or not?”
Xie Yanyu slowly savored his tea from the teacup, having no intention at all of resolving the little drunkard’s confusion.
Just as Xie Wanning was waiting anxiously, Er Qing happened to come in with sobering tea. Xie Yanyu set down his teacup, slightly lifted his chin, and said: “Drink it.”
“You answer me first, then I’ll drink.”
Her little appearance shaking her head with her hand covering her mouth was just like someone was going to force tea down her throat.
Xie Yanyu couldn’t help but find it amusing, took the sobering tea from Er Qing’s hand, gently blew on it, and when the temperature was right, handed it over, saying: “Drink it, and I’ll tell you.”
Her elder brother, though steady, serious, and fond of lecturing, had never deceived her.
Thinking this way, Xie Wanning held the teacup and drank it down sip by sip, with an air of being well-behaved and lovable.
Seeing this softened Xie Yanyu’s heart, he rubbed her little head and said: “I don’t like her.”
Afraid she would continue asking, after saying that, he stood up and instructed Er Qing: “Take good care of your young lady, let her rest early. It’s getting chilly at night, don’t let her catch a cold.”
Er Qing curtsied in acknowledgment.
After everyone had gone far away, Xie Wanning finally reacted, feeling greatly bored as she tossed down the teacup.
She got up and entered the inner chamber, having Er Qing help remove her makeup and hair while wondering: “Elder Brother is too cold-hearted. Xuan Jie Jie is so beautiful, with a forthright personality, and has true heart for him, yet he doesn’t like her. Is he planning to find an immortal fairy?”
Hearing her ask this, Er Qing couldn’t help laughing: “The Young Lord is not cold-hearted at all. This maidservant sees that there is no better elder brother in the world than him.”
The Young Lord was truly indescribably good to this younger sister; even if he occasionally nagged a few extra sentences, it was all out of deep love and strict discipline.
…………
The next day upon waking, even after using sobering tea, her body from the hangover was still somewhat sore and weak.
Xie Wanning lay flat on the bed to recover a bit, recalling the memories from yesterday after getting drunk.
In the carriage, she hadn’t slept dead away; now sober, she could clearly remember it all.
Clearly, the teahouse encounter wasn’t their first meeting, so where exactly had she seen that person before?
Why was there not the slightest impression?
After a long while, she sighed faintly and called the maidservant from the outer room to come in and serve her in washing and dressing.
After the birthday banquet at the Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate, a summer rain fell continuously for three days; the lotus flowers in the pond quietly formed buds, and the temperature rose higher and higher.
On the fourth day, the weather cleared, and Lu Ziyan came to the door again to request a meeting. This time, the Xie Family opened the main gate and welcomed him in.
Madam Zheng and Xie Shu did not appear; Xie Wanning, taking advantage of the clear weather, accepted her good friend’s invitation and went to a poetry gathering, not in the estate.
Lu Ziyan was personally hosted by Xie Yanyu; for the entire afternoon, no one knew what they talked about. When Xie Wanning returned to the estate, she happened to bump right into him.
One person at the door outside, one inside the door; their footsteps both halted at the same time.
Xie Wanning inwardly cursed this fateful connection and stood under the eaves without speaking, wanting him to pass by.
After several days without seeing her, with her standing so prettily in front of him, Lu Ziyan’s heart stirred somewhat.
Before she threw this temper tantrum, he had never known that wanting to see this young lady once would be so difficult.
He steadied his emotions and walked toward her step by step, looking at the girl who was still coldly stubborn, trying to soften his voice: “Where did you go to play?”
Xie Wanning frowned and countered instead of answering: “Are you here to break the engagement?”
Lu Ziyan’s expression darkened somewhat; he reached out to hold her shoulder, but after she dodged, he didn’t force it, only saying in a low voice: “Wanwan, can we talk for a bit?”
His voice carried softness, a rare pleading attitude, where was the cold-faced Young Lord image praised by all for devising strategies and being a master of warfare?
But Xie Wanning’s brows furrowed even tighter: “The answers I wanted, that day at your estate, you already told me all of them. Now, there’s nothing for us to say.”
With that, she turned her head away to walk past him inside, but her wrist was firmly gripped by him: “I regret what I said that day. Ask again, and I’ll talk properly with you, not disregarding your feelings or casually brushing you off.”
I regret what I said that day…
Xie Wanning blinked, never imagining that one day she would hear the word “regret” from his mouth.
What did he regret?
Regret these years of growing impatient with her, increasingly cold, addicted to bullying her?
She was silent for a moment, lowered her head to look at his hand gripping hers, and said word by word: “But I don’t want to ask again. Lu Ziyan, I don’t want to make things difficult for you anymore.”
Lu Ziyan recalled that day under the rose bush, his impatient words “You’re making things difficult for me,” and his heart sank as his hand suddenly tightened.
Xie Wanning frowned: “Let go, you’re hurting me.”
Lu Ziyan dazedly recalled, what else had he said?
He seemed to have said a lot of nonsense, hurting her heart so much that she refused to marry him anymore.
What was he thinking at the time, why did he say those words?
Vote~~
