An Jiu dodged Hua Rongjian and glanced back.
Chu Diangjiang’s skills had improved rapidly. If he intentionally concealed himself, An Jiu could no longer pinpoint his location as clearly as before. However, just now, she had vaguely sensed his presence nearby.
“What are you looking at?” Hua Rongjian followed her gaze but saw nothing unusual.
An Jiu’s mood suddenly dampened.
“Was it Chu Diangjiang?” Hua Rongjian asked.
“I don’t know,” An Jiu replied.
“Ah Jiu, do I look a lot like him?” Hua Rongjian chuckled wryly. “When I was a guest at the Yu family in Yangzhou, I once had a drunken dream about a person who claimed to be me. But he didn’t resemble me at all. Instead, his build was more like my elder brother’s.”
An Jiu said, “You’re better suited to be a carefree young master.”
“There’s no going back. Once you know certain things, you can’t pretend not to know,” Hua Rongjian gazed at the lantern-lit river. “Ah Jiu, do you know why I wanted to marry you back then?”
“Because I’m good-looking,” An Jiu stated the fact calmly.
Hua Rongjian laughed heartily. “I’ve never met a girl like you! I wanted to marry you because your purity made me feel at ease. Of course, your looks were also a factor.”
“Purity?” An Jiu didn’t think she had any connection to the word “pure.”
“Yes. When we first met in the graveyard, your face clearly said ‘Stay away,’ and your eyes were full of killing intent. There was nothing else – just pure and transparent,” Hua Rongjian glanced at her. “I may be frivolous, but I’m not foolish. You’re different now from back then, more human-like.”
His handsome profile was illuminated by the lanterns, his eyes filled with a smile but tinged with bitterness as if he stood alone amidst the clamor.
Somehow, An Jiu was suddenly reminded of Chu Diangjiang. His loneliness was more profound than Hua Rongjian’s.
“I’ve enjoyed years of wealth and status. Would it be too affected if I said I hated Chu Diangjiang and everyone who manipulated my fate?” Hua Rongjian asked.
“You don’t need to think that way,” An Jiu paused before telling him, “Actually, you’ve always been quite affected.”
Hua Rongjian furiously raised his leg to kick her. “You bastard, would it kill you to say something comforting?”
An Jiu didn’t dodge, and the kick landed squarely on her calf.
Hua Rongjian was stunned. “Why didn’t you dodge?”
“Marrying Mei Ruyan is a bit unfair to you,” An Jiu said sympathetically.
This was probably one of the reasons he hated being manipulated. All along, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry; he just knew clearly that he had no say in who he married. Given that, he’d rather enjoy a few more years of freedom alone.
“Mei Ruyan?” Hua Rongjian asked, “An Shun?”
“She’s Mei Fifteen,” An Jiu said.
“That doesn’t seem right. She doesn’t have the beauty of the Mei family girls,” Hua Rongjian smiled nonchalantly. “You mean she has someone else in her heart, right?”
“You know?” An Jiu was surprised. They had only been married for three days.
“Who do you think I am? The dashing young master who ‘passes through a forest of flowers without a leaf sticking’! Everyone in Bianjing knows me. I can tell at a glance whether there’s love or not,” Hua Rongjian seemed to read her thoughts. “Even if the person in her heart is already dead, let alone alive, she can only stay obediently in the mansion. Otherwise, I won’t need to deal with her myself.”
How could the Hua family tolerate an unchaste daughter-in-law?
People around them who overheard this kept turning to look at him.
Hua Rongjian smoothed his sideburns, appearing quite pleased with himself.
“I wasn’t planning to say anything to discourage you since your mood is already not good…” An Jiu hesitated.
Hua Rongjian glanced at her. “Hah, go ahead and say it. You were born to discourage others. You’ve done plenty of mean things before. What’s one more?”
“The people of Bianjing have always treated you as a topic of amusement in their idle chatter,” An Jiu had sat in teahouses a few times and often heard gossip. Anything related to Hua Rongjian was rarely serious. He probably knew this himself, but he always remained cheerful. “You’ve been able to face all this calmly. Why now…”
To put it nicely, Hua Rongjian was open-minded, optimistic, and easygoing. To put it bluntly, he was a carefree fool.
The people around who heard An Jiu’s words quickly averted their gazes, fearing Hua Rongjian’s anger.
Unexpectedly, his reaction was very calm. He even seemed to be considering An Jiu’s words.
However, the reason he could be this way was that he had always lived smoothly. When the head of the family was no longer that family, could he remain so carefree?
“Ah Jiu,” Hua Rongjian’s expression turned serious as he faced her. “I just learned today that you never had any romantic feelings for me. Even so, I still want to marry you even now.”
The reason he hadn’t put in much effort was that he knew his elder brother had already married a Mei family woman. He and An Jiu could never be together, even if An Jiu was willing to be a concubine.
Just like Hua Rongjun’s childhood sweetheart engagement, hadn’t it changed due to the greater circumstances?
“Exposing yourself like this, are you stupid or foolish?” An Jiu said. “You just said you could tell at a glance whether there’s love or not.”
“The one involved is often blind. I’ve always been pragmatic; you can call it cowardice or incompetence,” Hua Rongjian said casually. He leaned in and quickly kissed her forehead. “But no matter what, I wanted to tell you what’s in my heart.”
When An Jiu came to congratulate him on his marriage today, he got angry. Firstly because of the Chu Diangjiang matter, and secondly because he realized she had no feelings for him at all.
Hua Rongjian’s action was like pouring cold water into a hot oil pan. The onlookers who had been secretly watching exploded into chatter. Some even shouted, “Young master, give her a hug!”
An Jiu’s face darkened. He always managed to cause a commotion effortlessly. An Jiu was used to hiding, and being surrounded by onlookers felt like being stripped naked in public.
Hua Rongjian seemed oblivious, grinning happily.
“I’m leaving,” An Jiu said curtly and turned to go.
Hua Rongjian didn’t follow. He watched her figure disappear into the crowd, then slowly walked along the riverbank.
The lights gradually faded into the distance.
Without realizing it, Hua Rongjian arrived at Wu Lingyuan’s wonton stall.