“Xiao Mingchuan, my loathing for you did not form overnight.”
“It was built up, little by little, over these three years—over a thousand days and nights. From your indifference, your disregard, your constant blame, day after day, piece by piece.”
“You think that if Gu Qing had never appeared, if none of this had happened, I wouldn’t have left you?”
Looking at his reddened eyes, at the pleading in them, Lanyin’s voice suddenly softened.
But the gentler her tone, the more her words pierced Xiao Ye’s heart.
“No.”
“Even if this had never happened, I still wouldn’t have been able to stay with you. Xiao Ye, we are impossible—long since impossible. Perhaps you should ask your mother. That day when she came to see me, I told her that over the years, I have regretted marrying you more than once.”
Her final words shattered Xiao Ye completely. He let out a choked, pained cry.
“No…”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s not like that.”
Before anyone could react, he grasped Lanyin’s arm—just like a drowning man desperately clutching onto the last piece of driftwood. He held onto her hand with all his strength, his grip filled with pleading, hoping she would take back what she had just said.
“I know you’re lying to me. You’re still angry at me, aren’t you? I know I was wrong—I’ll change, Lanyin, I’ll change! From now on, I’ll listen to you. However you want me to be, I’ll be! But please, don’t say things like that, alright?”
“Don’t say that.”
Before today, Xiao Ye had never imagined that he would one day become this pathetic.
He humbled himself, his voice even carrying a faint tremble. He could not find any other words—he could only repeat over and over, gripping Lanyin’s arm tightly, “Don’t say that. Don’t say that…”
If she had always felt this way, then what did their three years together mean?
During the time when he thought they were in love, when he had even looked forward to having their own child together, she had only been filled with disgust, thinking only of how to escape.
He refused to believe it.
He refused to believe it was true!
She must be lying to him!
Yes, she was lying to him…
“What are you doing?!”
Shi Yu, seeing him clutch onto their mistress’s arm like a madman, immediately rushed forward to pry him off. Song Yue and the others also stepped in, but Xiao Ye, as if drawing strength from some unknown source, remained unmovable. His grip on Lanyin’s arm was unyielding, like an immovable mountain, and his bloodshot eyes were locked onto her.
As if, in this world, only the two of them remained.
Until a long, strong hand landed on his arm.
Xiao Ye lifted his eyes and was met with a pair of cold, pitch-black eyes, as deep as a dark pool.
The moment he saw those eyes, his first instinct was to lash out in rage. But he was being restrained by Song Yue and the others, and since he refused to let go of Lanyin, he could not move his arms freely. He could only glare fiercely at Qi Yubai until he heard him say—
“You’re hurting her.”
Xiao Ye’s expression froze.
It was as if he had not fully grasped the situation until he suddenly heard a faint whimper. Then, he snapped back to his senses.
Seeing Lanyin’s delicate brows tightly furrowed in pain, Xiao Ye finally sobered up. He hurriedly let go. But when he saw the clear red mark encircling her previously fair wrist—left by his grip—his pupils trembled, his eyes widened abruptly.
He wanted to step forward, but afraid that Lanyin would scold him, he could only stand stiffly in place.
His pale lips moved several times, and in his hoarse voice, he murmured barely audible words, “I didn’t mean to…”
But no one paid him any attention.
Song Yue and the others, fearing he might act out again, continued to restrain him, preventing him from moving recklessly. Yet, Xiao Ye’s gaze remained fixed on Lanyin’s wrist, as if he had forgotten to struggle.
“Master, are you alright?”
Shi Yu, seeing the red mark on Lanyin’s wrist, was so distressed that tears welled in her eyes.
Lanyin was about to shake her head when she heard a familiar male voice beside her.
“Does it hurt?”
His voice sounded as cool and composed as always, but Lanyin still heard the suppressed anger in it.
Turning her head, she was met with a pair of deep, dark eyes. Those eyes—like a cold, still lake—were fixed on the red mark on her wrist.
She could feel that he was angry.
In truth, it did hurt a little. But Lanyin did not want him to worry, so she smiled and said, “It doesn’t hurt. It’s fine.”
Afraid that he wouldn’t believe her, she added, “Really. It’s just how my body is—even the lightest touch can leave a mark. It looks bad, but it’s nothing serious.”
Qi Yubai remained silent, watching her.
Of course, he knew her body’s condition. He knew that even a light grasp could leave red marks on her skin. But he also knew—she was lying when she said it didn’t hurt.
If it didn’t truly hurt, with her temperament, she would have endured it without making a sound.
But in the end, he said nothing.
After silently meeting her gaze for a moment, he asked, “Do you want to go inside first?”
Lanyin shook her head. “I’ll speak with him a bit more. Once he leaves, I’ll go in.”
She still wanted to handle this herself.
She did not want to trouble Qi Yubai, nor did she want to drag him into unnecessary trouble. He and Grandmother Qi had already helped her enough—she didn’t want to cause them more problems.
“My lord should go in first,” she said to Qi Yubai.
But he merely glanced at her and did not agree.
He did not leave, nor did he say anything further—he simply stood to the side, allowing her to handle it as she wished.
Lanyin hesitated for a brief moment, pursing her lips. Realizing that he would not leave, she said nothing more and turned back to Xiao Ye.
When she saw him standing there, his arms twisted and restrained by several people, his expression lost and bewildered, she frowned slightly and said to Song Yue, “Let go of him.”
“Master!”
Shi Yu was the first to protest.
Lanyin reassured her, “It’s alright. He… shouldn’t hurt me again.”
Until now, Xiao Ye had barely reacted to anything. But upon hearing these words, he suddenly lifted his head.
He looked at Lanyin, his eyes turning red again.
Even though they were only an arm’s length apart, he felt as though an entire galaxy lay between them.
He looked at her, and all the resentment and unwillingness from before had vanished.
Now, his heart was filled with nothing but endless regret.
He looked at her and murmured, “Lanyin…”
Lanyin did not acknowledge the remorse in his voice. She only gazed at him in silence for a moment before speaking.
“I once loved you.”
Zhusheng had just finished dispersing the onlookers when he returned and happened to hear this sentence. His expression shifted slightly, and his first reaction was to glance at his master.
But his master remained standing quietly behind the mistress, completely still, without even furrowing his brows. He seemed entirely unaffected by those words.
Zhusheng let out a small sigh of relief but dared not speak. He simply lightened his footsteps and silently stood aside.
On the other hand, when Xiao Ye heard those words, the darkness in his previously lifeless eyes suddenly lit up, as if two sparks had been rekindled in the ashes. Like a man lost in the abyss who had finally found his torch, his entire being seemed revived with energy.
His eyes filled with hope as he looked at Lanyin.
But that hope lasted only for a moment.
Because very soon, he heard Lanyin continue.
“Before Gu Qing appeared, I wholeheartedly wished to marry you. At that time, I lived at my grandmother’s house but never felt a sense of belonging. Later, when I returned home, that feeling only deepened. Back then, I thought that perhaps once I married you, everything would be fine. That once I married you, you would be my husband for life, that we would grow old together in harmony, that we would build our own little family.”
Even though, from childhood, she had already seen signs that Xiao Ye might not be the right person for her, at the time, aside from him, she had no other choice.
Lanyin spoke slowly.
She had thought those memories had long since faded, but upon recalling them now, she realized they were still there.
However, they were merely memories.
As she spoke of the past, her expression remained calm, as though she were merely a bystander narrating someone else’s story, without a single ripple of emotion.
“When I heard that you had gone missing, I was worried. I sent out everyone I could, and I even thought about going to look for you myself. Later, when they said they had found you, you don’t know how happy I was. I couldn’t wait to see you, to ask if you were alright. But you…”
Lanyin did not continue.
But Xiao Ye’s face had already changed.
He knew what she was going to say.
At that time, his mind had been filled only with Gu Qing. He had just learned of her true identity and had been worried about whether she would be able to adjust to life in the marquis’s residence. How could he have spared a thought for Lanyin?
“I’m sorry…”
He murmured his apology.
Lanyin shook her head, feeling no need for it.
She only continued in her same calm tone, “Later, when I discovered what was going on between you and Gu Qing, I was sad. But I thought that if you truly wanted to be with her, it wouldn’t matter. But then, you told me you wanted to marry me. I believed your promise. I married you as planned. I thought that since you had already made your choice, I would no longer concern myself with those matters and would simply live a good life with you.”
Xiao Ye’s face turned even paler.
The light in his eyes extinguished once more.
But this time, his dark eyes were filled with guilt.
Overwhelmed by shame and unable to bear facing her any longer, he averted his gaze.
He wanted to tell Lanyin to stop speaking.
But when he opened his mouth, no words came out.
All he could do was shake his head.
Lanyin looked at him and sighed softly.
In the end, she did not continue speaking about the past.
Instead, she simply sighed and said, “Xiao Ye, I once loved you. That is true. But now, I no longer love you. That is also true… I am living well now. If you truly care for me, then please do not disturb me again. Can you do that?”
She finished speaking, but when Xiao Ye did not answer, she did not wait for his response.
Instead, she turned to Qi Yubai beside her and said, “My lord…”
She wanted to apologize.
But Qi Yubai seemed to know what she was about to say. Before she could even speak, he said first, “There is no need to apologize.”
“This has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to apologize.”
After repeating himself, he lowered his gaze and looked at her wrist.
When his eyes landed on the red marks there, his fingers, which had been idly rolling his prayer beads, paused.
His gaze darkened.
His thin lips pressed together tightly once more.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
“Remember to apply medicine when you go back.”
“And don’t worry—Zhusheng has already taken care of those people.”
Hearing this, Lanyin finally let out a breath of relief.
She had truly been afraid of rumors spreading. If it were just her being gossiped about, it wouldn’t have mattered, but if Qi Yubai got dragged into it as well, she would have no idea how to face the Qi family’s grandmother and grandson in the future.
Now that she had his reassurance, she smiled at him and replied softly, “Alright.”
However, she did not leave immediately. Instead, she looked at Qi Yubai, intending to wait for him to go first before returning to the residence.
Qi Yubai knew what she was thinking. Under her gaze, he said nothing more, nor did he spare Xiao Ye a glance. He simply turned and led Zhusheng toward the manor.
Lanyin watched him leave, and the tension in her heart finally eased a little. She glanced at Xiao Ye, who was still bowing his head, murmuring something to himself. Ignoring him, she simply instructed Song Yue, “Keep an eye on him. If he stays like this for too long, have someone from the Xiao family come to fetch him.”
“Yes,” Song Yue responded.
Lanyin said nothing more and turned to leave with Shi Yu.
However, Shi Yu spoke up, “Mistress, you go in first. I have something to say to Song Yue.”
Lanyin assumed she was worried that Song Yue might have been injured during the earlier struggle. Thinking nothing of it, she nodded and stepped toward the Gu residence.
Almost the moment she moved, Xiao Ye snapped back to his senses.
Seeing her leaving, his expression changed, and he instinctively reached out toward her again. He wanted to stop her from leaving.
But people stood in his way.
The guards and servants of the Gu residence immediately blocked his path, preventing him from taking another step. Knowing he was in the wrong, he did not dare to use force against Lanyin’s people. He could only watch helplessly as she disappeared inside.
Just then, Shi Yu spoke up.
“Young Lord Xiao, you had best not seek out the mistress again in the future. You are about to get married—spare your next wife the humiliation.”
Xiao Ye frowned.
He turned to Shi Yu, confused.
“What did you say?”
“What do you mean, I’m about to get married? Who am I marrying?”
“Oh?”
Shi Yu stood on the stone steps, smiling brightly as she looked at Xiao Ye’s face, which still bore the imprint of the slap. Her dimples were deep, and she appeared pure and innocent. But her words were as cold as a blade.
“The Young Lord doesn’t know? But your mother, Lady Cheng, said it herself.”
Xiao Ye’s expression changed drastically.
For a long moment, he stood frozen.
Then, his face darkened, and without another word, he turned on his heel and strode away.
Shi Yu watched as he mounted his horse and rode off.
She let out a sharp “Tch!” in annoyance.
“Disgusting.”
The smile she had worn moments ago was completely gone.
Once she saw that Xiao Ye had truly left, she exchanged a few words with Song Yue before turning and heading into the residence as well.