At this moment, Gu Jianli suddenly felt a sense of tranquility. With one hand, she lifted her sleeve, and with the other, she picked up the plate of fish in front of Wujing and placed it in front of herself. As she scooped a small bowl of shredded fish porridge and placed it in front of Wujing, she gently said, “Fifth Master, please have this first. I’ll remove the bones.”
Her voice was soft, but due to a cold, it was somewhat hoarse and carried a slight nasal tone. To Ji Xuanke’s ears, it sounded as if she had cried until her voice was hoarse, filled with grievances.
Marquis Guangping spoke up, “Xuanke, come and sit.”
Ji Xuanke stood motionless, his gaze fixed on Gu Jianli’s back, watching her straight waist and back as she carefully removed the fish bones.
In the hall, the eyes of the masters and servants were filled with various subtleties. With a few exchanged glances, countless pieces of gossip were already communicated.
Second Master and Second Madam felt embarrassed and awkward. Even with a large family gathered, and regardless of the strong bond between brothers, there was always some comparison, and no one wanted to be a laughingstock.
Second Madam gave a look to her youngest daughter, Ji Yuezhen.
Ji Yuezhen quickly stood up, hooked her arm around Ji Xuanke’s, and pouted, “Brother, you’ve been away for more than two months. You saw father and mother yesterday when you came back, and this morning you went out with Second and Fourth Brother. You haven’t spared a thought for your little sister at all!”
She slightly squeezed Ji Xuanke’s arm with the hand hooked around it.
Ji Xuanke’s gaze remained fixed on Gu Jianli’s back, not looking at Ji Yuezhen. Without averting his gaze, he slowly pushed Ji Yuezhen’s hand off his arm and said, “Yuezhen, go back to your seat.”
“Brother…” Ji Yuezhen looked at Ji Xuanke’s expression and realized he was truly angry. She stepped back but did not return to her seat. She glanced at Wujing and Gu Jianli, then turned to look at Second Madam. Second Madam was anxiously and worriedly watching Ji Xuanke, not looking at her younger daughter.
Ji Yuezhen bit her lip and cast a pleading glance at her cousins, Ji Xuanmin and Ji Xuankeng. Among the five brothers in the Marquis Guangping household, the eldest, Ji Xuanshen, was serious and already married with children, the only one of the five married. The fifth brother, Ji Xuanyue, was only fourteen and did not usually interact much with his older brothers. The second eldest, Ji Xuanmin, was the same age as Ji Xuanke at seventeen, and the fourth brother, Ji Xuankeng, was sixteen. The three brothers, being close in age, had studied together since childhood and were always together.
Ji Xuanmin and Ji Xuankeng immediately stood up and walked to Ji Xuanke’s side. Ji Xuankeng put his elbow on Ji Xuanke’s shoulder and said with a grin, “Third Brother, come on. I’m starving, and I can’t start eating without you!”
Ji Xuanmin also grabbed Ji Xuanke’s forearm, smiling, “Didn’t we agree to visit Mr. Liu this afternoon? We need to hurry up.”
The two brothers exerted subtle force, trying to pull Ji Xuanke away.
“Let go.” Ji Xuanke’s voice was calm but firm.
Ji Xuanmin and Ji Xuankeng exchanged a glance. Ji Xuanmin lowered his voice and spoke more sternly, “Third Brother, we haven’t even started drinking, and you’re already acting drunk!”
Ignoring their warnings, Ji Xuanke took a deep breath, staring at Gu Jianli’s back, and finally asked, word by word, “Did they force you?”
Gu Jianli’s fingertips trembled, and the chopsticks in her hand fell, making a crisp sound as they hit the plate. She lowered her head, staring at the mashed fish in the white porcelain plate, her heart pounding.
He… doesn’t know?
She had mustered the courage and made many preparations, thinking she could face his abandonment with an impassive expression. But now, meeting him again, she realized he truly didn’t know…
Though her back was to him, she could feel his gaze. Hearing his voice, she could visualize his face.
In an instant, memories of their time together—riding horses in the mountains, celebrating the Lantern Festival—flashed before her eyes. That one voice, “I am Ji Shao,” suddenly echoed in her ears, like a warm spring breeze gently brushing past a young man beneath the willows.
Then, she saw the flames flicker before her eyes. The letter she had read countless times was now reduced to a pile of ashes in the dancing fire.
All those past scenes abruptly came to an end.
Gu Jianli’s eyelashes fluttered slowly. She bent down to pick up the fallen chopsticks and handed them to the worried Jixia. Then, she finally turned around, facing Ji Xuanke calmly.
Looking into Ji Xuanke’s familiar bright eyes, she wore a proper, faint smile and said, “It’s cold today, Third Master. If you don’t sit down soon, we’ll all have to eat cold food.”
No one could persuade him, but looking into Gu Jianli’s eyes, which were as gentle as a clear stream flowing in early spring, Ji Xuanke wavered.
His gaze gradually darkened and dimmed, defeated by her distant look.
Ji Xuanmin breathed a sigh of relief and tried to pull Ji Xuanke away again.
Suddenly, Wujing chuckled.
The collective sigh of relief in the hall was instantly suspended again.
Gu Jianli’s heart tightened for a moment. Her hands, resting properly on her knees, trembled slightly. Ji Xuanke, who had been watching Gu Jianli closely, noticed her subtle movements, and his eyebrows knitted once more.
The old lady gave Marquis Guangping a look, and Marquis Guangping cleared his throat and had to speak again, “Everyone, don’t just sit there. Let’s start eating.”
Wujing, with one hand propping his cheek, looked lazy. He held two chopsticks in the other hand, tapping them rhythmically against the bowl.
“Clang clang, clang, clang clang…”
The Zhao family’s girl, who was about to pick up some food, froze. She looked around, seeing everyone else too scared to move, and awkwardly withdrew her hand. It seemed today’s lunch would definitely be eaten cold. She decided to just sit back and watch the show…
Ji Xinglan blinked, feeling a bit scared.
Ji Xinglou looked around, vaguely understanding something, his brows furrowing, a few traces of uncharacteristic fierceness appearing on his face.
Wujing’s eyes were downcast, hiding the emotions in his fox-like eyes. Only the near-demonic beauty mark at the corner of his eye was visible. His pale face bore a faint, elusive smile, exuding arrogance and weariness. Such an expression would look twisted and ugly on anyone else, but his natural good looks turned it into a strange, captivating beauty.
Ye Yunyue was mesmerized. How had she not noticed Wujing’s extraordinary, otherworldly handsomeness in her past life?
The usually silent eldest master, Ji Wuzheng, finally spoke, trying to change the topic: “Fifth Brother, seeing your health improve day by day makes me very happy!”
Wujing raised his eyelids and glanced at him, causing Ji Wuzheng’s face to flush as he awkwardly looked away.
Wujing drawled lazily, “I originally thought that old man Gu Jingyuan had encountered some trouble, and you took advantage by marrying off his youngest daughter to me as a good luck charm. Tsk, it turns out that old man’s mistake wasn’t minor, and you were worried that marrying such a granddaughter-in-law would bring trouble.” He turned his face slightly and coughed twice before continuing, “I didn’t die, and you’re all disappointed, aren’t you?”
He sneered sinisterly, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the hall with a look of unfathomable amusement.
The three-year-old young master, who was sitting on his mother’s lap, was frightened and burst into tears. Ji Xuanshen glared at his wife, who quickly covered their son’s mouth.
Wujing’s expression instantly turned cold. He threw down his chopsticks and said icily, “Let’s go.”
Gu Jianli shivered at the sight of the chopsticks Wujing discarded. She hurriedly stood up and walked behind Wujing to push his wheelchair. The nearby Nanny Lin and Jixia also rushed over, taking Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan with them.
As Gu Jianli pushed Wujing past Ji Xuanke, she kept her head down, not daring to look at him. But she saw it—the jade clasp tied at Ji Xuanke’s waist. The same snow-white jade clasp she had painstakingly chosen as a birthday gift for him. Her eyes reddened at the sight. She bit her lip, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill.
Ji Xuanke restrained himself with great effort, his hand hanging at his side, barely managing not to reach out and stop Gu Jianli.
However, as Gu Jianli passed by, Ji Xuanke noticed the back of her neck. His eyes filled with shock as he saw the bite marks and a large bruise on her otherwise pristine white skin.
Ji Xuanke stood frozen, not daring to imagine what his beloved had endured. He knew how cruel and ruthless his fifth uncle was. His beloved was only fifteen, and even if he married her, he wouldn’t have hurt her in the slightest; he had planned to cherish and pamper her for a couple of years.
From the fall of her family, to the humiliation of a forced marriage, to suffering abuse from Wujing—how much had his beloved endured! Why had he been so foolish to leave her?
A sharp pain pierced his heart, making it hard for Ji Xuanke to breathe.
The maid opened the hall door, and a cold wind rushed in. The sky, once clear, was now filled with heavy snowfall.
Just as they stepped outside, Wujing, hit by the cold wind, couldn’t help but cough. Already suffering from a cold, Gu Jianli shivered as well. She gripped the wheelchair handles tightly, lowering her head as she pushed Wujing away. Whether it was the awkward atmosphere or the harsh weather, she just wanted to return home quickly.
Ye Yunyue grabbed a thin blanket she had prepared and hurried after them. She ran in small steps to Wujing, squatting down to carefully drape the blanket over his legs, and gently said, “Fifth Master, please don’t catch a cold.”
Wujing tilted his head, scrutinizing Ye Yunyue.
Ye Yunyue blushed and, trying to maintain her composure, met Wujing’s gaze and smiled warmly.
“Who are you?” Wujing croaked.
Ye Yunyue’s smile froze. She quickly composed herself and smiled gently again, saying, “Fifth Master, you don’t remember me? I am Ye…”
Wujing looked at her with disdain, pinching the corner of the blanket with two fingers and flinging it over her head.
Ye Yunyue was startled, hurriedly pulling the blanket off her head.
Wujing’s eyes were cold and his voice sinister, “I already have one fool in my courtyard. I don’t want to see another.”
Ye Yunyue’s movements froze, and the blanket that covered her head also hid her blushing face.
Though Ye Yunyue hadn’t finished saying her name, that single “Ye” was enough for Gu Jianli to guess her identity. Gu Jianli found it hard to believe. Could this woman be the same Ye family girl who had once loudly annulled her engagement with Wujing?
Suddenly, a cry of surprise interrupted Gu Jianli’s thoughts. She turned her head in astonishment.
“Fifth Uncle—” Ji Xuanke, lifting the front hem of his tea-colored long robe, knelt in the snow. The heavy snow, like a barrier of a thousand mountains and rivers, separated him and Gu Jianli with an insurmountable chasm.
Ji Xuanke, tears brimming in his eyes, looked longingly at Gu Jianli and choked out in a loud voice, “Fifth Uncle, I beg you to let her go…”
“He had planned to cherish and pamper her for a couple of years.”
So after, say five years, you would have abandoned her?! Then she’ll be happier with our Wujing. 😤