Even more so, he should not have brought Gu Qing back to the manor without Lanyin’s consent— nor should he have chosen Gu Qing over Lanyin.
Back then, he had blamed Lanyin for taking a concubine on his behalf, had questioned her love for him. But if he had given her enough security, would she have ever resorted to such measures?
Thankfully—
It was not too late. Lanyin had given him a chance to make amends.
Xiao Ye’s expression held gratitude, relief, and an affection he could no longer hide. He thought that once he brought Lanyin back this time, he would treat her well. Wherever she wanted to go, he would accompany her. He would never again take for granted the sacrifices Lanyin made for him. He would make up for everything he owed her.
With such thoughts in his heart, Xiao Ye made his way toward his room.
Along the way, the servants who saw him all bowed in greeting as usual. But since he was in a good mood, he nodded back at them. This sight left the household staff utterly stunned.
They had all seen what the young master had been like these past days. Although the young master had always been a man of few words, he had never been as terrifying as he had been lately— exuding such an oppressive and gloomy aura that no one dared approach him.
But today…
A few bolder servants stole a glance at him and were surprised to find that, for the first time, the young master seemed like a spring breeze.
No one knew what had happened, so they could only stand there in confusion, watching as he walked away.
Xiao Ye paid no mind to what they were thinking. He simply continued in his good spirits until he arrived at his room. The maid at the door took his sword from him and was just about to inform him that Lady Fang had come to visit, but Xiao Ye, still smiling, had already stepped inside.
He had intended to instruct the servants to tidy up the room and have Lanyin’s quarters cleaned as well— but then his gaze landed on Gu Qing, who was seated inside.
The moment he saw Gu Qing, Xiao Ye’s smile froze.
But before he could speak, Gu Qing had already stood up with a smile. She did not notice the change in his expression. Holding onto the table for support as she rose, she called out to him in a gentle voice, “Ah Ye, you’re back!”
Her face was as bright as ever. Her leg injury had just healed, and upon hearing that Ah Ye had been in a bad mood these past few days, she had prepared food and come to see him.
Now, seeing that there was still a trace of a smile at the corner of his lips, she smiled as well. The anxiety that had been weighing on her heart finally eased completely.
It seemed that Ah Ye had finally come to terms with things.
She was truly happy.
At first, she had worried that Ah Ye was still thinking about her elder sister. But now, it seemed that he had only been lost in his thoughts for a while. She didn’t mind— Ah Ye was a sentimental person. After spending three years with her sister, even if there was no love between them, there was at least the bond of companionship.
If Ah Ye had not shown any reaction to her sister’s departure, she would have been happy, but also afraid.
She feared that one day, Ah Ye would treat her the same way.
So even though Xueya had been whispering to her about Ah Ye and her sister these past few days, and even though she had felt sadness and heartache, she also felt a sense of relief— relief that Ah Ye was still the same Ah Ye she had always known. Only such an Ah Ye was worthy of the years she had spent thinking of him.
She was not worried.
Even if Ah Ye still thought about her sister now, as long as she remained by his side, in time, he would forget her.
After all, from beginning to end, the one he had always chosen was her.
With a bright smile, she walked toward Xiao Ye.
“I made bamboo leaf rice dumplings for you. Come and try them— see if they taste like the ones we had in the countryside.”
As she spoke, she reached out, intending to take Xiao Ye’s hand, just as she had always done in the past.
But when Xiao Ye saw the hand Gu Qing reached out, his eyelid twitched. Without even thinking, he instinctively avoided it.
It was an unconscious reaction.
By the time he realized what he had done, he saw Gu Qing’s hand still frozen midair, stiff and motionless, and her eyes staring at him in stunned disbelief— even carrying a trace of hurt.
In the past, Xiao Ye would have comforted her immediately.
But now—
Looking at the hurt in Gu Qing’s eyes, Xiao Ye’s lips pressed into a thin line. He bit down slightly, but in the end, he did not offer any words of comfort. However, remembering her health, he did not dare to let her be too upset, so he could only say, “I just returned from the training grounds today, covered in dust. I don’t want to dirty your hands.”
He did not dare to think whether Gu Qing believed him or not.
He only averted his gaze as if escaping, then stepped forward, pretending as though he were truly hungry. “Just in time, I’m starving. Let me try the bamboo leaf dumplings you made.”
Gu Qing watched his tall and imposing figure, her eyes glistening. How could she not sense Ah Ye’s growing distance? She didn’t know the reason, but she also dared not ask. She could only take advantage of the moment when Ah Ye turned away to quickly wipe the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, then forced a smile and followed after him.
She sat beside Xiao Ye and personally unwrapped the bamboo leaves for him.
“I know you don’t like sweet things, so I made a few meat dumplings and a few plain rice ones. You can dip them in soy sauce for better flavor.” She knew that dumplings were not easy to digest, so she made them small, just bite-sized, so they wouldn’t be uncomfortable to eat even in larger portions.
“But the soy sauce here still isn’t as good as the one we had in the countryside back then.”
Hearing her gentle tone, seeing that she wasn’t upset or hurt by his earlier action, Xiao Ye secretly let out a breath of relief. Then, as she spoke of the past, a faint smile appeared on his face. “If you like it, I’ll have Zhou An send someone to buy some from there.”
“That’s too much trouble.”
Gu Qing said that, but her smile brightened considerably. The sadness from Xiao Ye’s earlier coldness disappeared in an instant.
She knew it— Ah Ye still cared about her.
As she watched Xiao Ye start eating the dumplings, she rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought for a moment. Then she looked down at his shoes, intending to ask if they were comfortable. If they were, she planned to make a few more pairs for him. Ah Ye had large feet and walked a lot. Back in the countryside, the thing she made for him the most was his shoes.
But the tenderness on her face suddenly froze when she saw the boots on his feet.
The boots Xiao Ye was wearing were not the ones she had made.
“Ah Ye…”
She called out to him.
“Hm?” Xiao Ye had no idea what she was thinking. When he heard her, he responded as usual, “What is it?”
Looking at his calm expression, the words Gu Qing had wanted to blurt out got stuck in her throat. She swallowed several times but, in the end, did not dare to ask.
“It’s nothing, I just wanted to ask if it tastes good.” She told herself that it had been a few days— maybe Ah Ye had simply changed into another pair for today.
But even as she reassured herself, she still did not dare to ask.
She was afraid…
Afraid that the answer would not be the one she wanted.
“It tastes just like before. Your cooking skills are still excellent,” Xiao Ye praised.
But as he spoke, a memory of Lanyin’s cooking suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Lanyin’s cooking was actually very good as well.
When they had just gotten married, she had cooked for him once. At the time, he had praised the food without realizing it. Lanyin had said nothing in response, but her maid, Shi Yu, had laughed and said, “My lady spent the whole afternoon making it. She was worried you wouldn’t like it, so she didn’t even let us tell you.”
He had been surprised— surprised that his wife, a noble lady from an esteemed family, was willing to enter the kitchen and cook for him.
After that, as long as he went to Lanyin’s place for a meal, he would always be able to eat dishes she personally made. Even if he couldn’t make it due to other matters, Lanyin would still have someone send the food over to him.
But when did Lanyin stop cooking?
Xiao Ye thought for a moment and realized he could no longer remember. He had never paid attention to these things before. The first time his wife cooked for him, he might have been surprised, but over time, as it happened more often, he simply grew accustomed to it. Eventually, whether it was she who cooked or the manor’s chef, it made no difference to him.
It hadn’t seemed like anything significant before, but now, it felt like another thing he owed her.
Lanyin was also a daughter of a noble family. Not only did she have to manage household affairs every day, but she also personally prepared meals for him. Yet, he had taken it for granted, never once offering a word of gratitude for her hard work.
“Ah Ye?”
Gu Qing saw Xiao Ye sitting stiffly in his chair, his eyes lowered, lost in thought. Unable to help herself, she called him softly.
When Xiao Ye returned to his senses, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Ye shook his head, but when he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse.
“…Nothing.”
He cleared his throat and took another bite. Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, he said, “Teach me sometime.”
“What?” Gu Qing didn’t quite react in time.
When she realized he was talking about making rice dumplings, she couldn’t help but laugh. “If you want to eat them, you can just tell me. Besides, you’re a man— how can you go into the kitchen?”
Xiao Ye had never entered a kitchen before, but he didn’t think that being a man meant he couldn’t. Hearing Gu Qing’s words, he simply replied, “The Dragon Boat Festival is coming up soon. Your sister likes rice dumplings. I’ll make some for her to try.”
His tone was calm and natural.
But Gu Qing’s face instantly turned pale.
The smile on her lips disappeared entirely.
The room was brightly lit, and the May night was warm, the breeze gentle— yet Gu Qing felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She sat stiffly in her chair, staring at Xiao Ye beside her. Her delicate fingers tried to grasp the fabric of her dress over her knees, but she failed several times before finally holding on tightly.
She clenched her clothes and, doing her best to keep her voice steady, asked, “Is Sister coming back?”
“Yes.”
At this moment, when Xiao Ye spoke of Lanyin, his brows and eyes were filled with a soft and tender smile.
He did not notice Gu Qing’s reaction. His voice remained warm as he continued, “She asked to meet me two days later at Qingfeng Pavilion.”
“If she’s willing to see me, it means she’s no longer angry with me.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Gu Qing’s pale face and knew what she was thinking. Xiao Ye hesitated slightly before putting down his chopsticks and saying to her, “Don’t worry. Since I gave you my word, I won’t drive you away.”
“When your sister returns, I will explain everything to her. From now on, she and I will take care of you together.”
But Gu Qing did not feel reassured by his words.
On the contrary, Xiao Ye’s calmness made her eyes instantly redden.
She wanted to question him— did he truly not understand her feelings for him?
But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
She feared that if she did, she wouldn’t get the answer she wanted, and then, even the concern Xiao Ye still had for her now would be gone.
They stared at each other for a long moment.
In the end, it was Gu Qing who looked away first.
Holding back her tears, she lowered her head and choked out, “…I understand.”
“I’ll take my leave now.”
She stood up as she spoke.
As she walked away, she deliberately slowed her steps, but even as she reached the door, she didn’t hear Xiao Ye call her back.
Gu Qing knew then— Xiao Ye had truly made his decision this time.
She could no longer hold it in.
With red-rimmed eyes, she ran out.
Xiao Ye watched her retreating figure, his expression slightly complicated.
He wasn’t unaware of Gu Qing’s feelings for him.
But some things, once missed, were simply missed.
He had never intended to marry her in the past.
And now that he had finally sorted out his own heart, he could not allow Gu Qing to continue having false hope.
He knew that Gu Qing would be in pain now.
But rather than letting the pain drag on indefinitely, it was better to end it quickly. She was still young— one day, she would find what she truly wanted.
When that time came—
He and Lanyin would give her their blessings together.
Thinking of Lanyin, the complicated expression on Xiao Ye’s face gradually softened, turning into a smile.