"Xiang 'er, mother has let you down." Old Madam Zhu sat on the edge of the bed sadly, her hand gently caressing Xi Xiangyuan's haggard face.
That day, she heard from the servants that after her son and daughter-in-law quarreled, Xiang 'er fell ill. However, Yutang happened to be in the south to settle the accounts, so he could not explain the ins and outs of the matter clearly.
Humph! Needless to say, she knew that it must have something to do with that vixen. She heard that Yutang had a fight with that vixen, and that vixen was so bold as to slap her master. It was all because Yutang spoiled him too much that he thought he had a high status in this family.
"Don't be sad. I heard from the servants that Yutang has lost interest in that vixen. This time, he had a fight with that vixen before he went south. He didn't inform them when he went south.”
Xi Xiangyuan smiled bitterly. These things didn't mean anything. It wasn't said by her husband himself, and she didn't see it with her own eyes. Even if it was the truth, it was only seen by a group of people who were biased.
She had seen the expression on Yutang's face that day. She knew that even if it wasn't love, Lian 'er's position in his heart was irreplaceable.
"I know you feel wronged. I will definitely think of a way to deal with that vixen.”Yutang wasn't around this time, and there was a crack in their relationship. God seemed to have given her the best chance.
"Mother, what are you doing?" She couldn't win her husband's heart because she was incompetent. It was God deliberately teasing her. It wasn't that she didn't hate Lian 'er, but she knew that the situation wasn't what that person wanted, so she couldn't blame him.
"Think of a way to chase that vixen away.”
"Mother, this won't do." She didn't want to harm him.
"Silly child, kindness won't do anything. Mother knows that you have a good heart, but you have to think about it. If that vixen has always been by Yutang's side, Yutang will always remember him. You don't want Yutang to be laughed at for having a broken sleeve, right?”Silly child, really a silly child. He was already in such a difficult situation, yet he still had to worry about the safety of that vixen. Only a son would be so stupid as to not see such a good child.
" Of course I don't want to, but…"
The hand on her forehead gently covered the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
"No buts, child. It's not like Yutang doesn't have feelings for you, right? Mother saw how well Yutang treated you previously. Yutang still has feelings for you. If it weren't for that vixen, the two of you would have been a pair of happy children.”
She recalled how well Zhu Yutang treated her and his gentle kiss. She thought that he did dote on her. Wasn't it because of his gentleness that she was now deeply immersed and unable to extricate herself?
" I know what you're saying…" But what did that mean? Yutang would not allow them to make the decision to let Lian 'er leave.
"You don't need to worry. Mother will definitely think of a way.”
"What do you want to do?" She didn't want Lian 'er to be hurt.
"Mother hasn't thought of it yet. When Mother thinks of it, Mother will tell you.”
That vixen was stubborn. If it wasn't for Yutang personally chasing him away, he would never have left. Was there any way to make Yutang ask that vixen to leave?
She remembered that in a few days, the wangye's wife would come to visit. The wangye's wife would definitely know more than her. Perhaps she could ask, or…
"Mother?" Xi Xiangyuan looked worriedly at Madam Zhu's solemn expression. He felt that it was better for them not to interfere in this matter. Otherwise, not only would they not be able to obtain Yutang's sincerity, they might even make Yutang hate them.
His mother would definitely not show him mercy.
Lowering her eyes, Matriarch Zhu calculated in her heart. Even if she had to resort to unscrupulous means, she had to make that lowly official leave the Zhu family. She had worked hard to maintain the reputation of the Zhu family for decades. She could not let it be destroyed in one day.
The place where Lian 'er lived was the quietest part of the Zhu residence, and it was quite a distance away from the noisy streets.
Behind the tall walls was a small alley. Other than the residents, there were very few people walking around. Thus, Lian liked to move the zither and play in the quiet courtyard. There were very few servants in this courtyard, and the servants in the Zhu family's main courtyard were not willing to be contaminated with his vixen scent. Therefore, he could have Hong Yu and the others play the zither without any scruples. He danced, not for anyone.
However, he was the only one who knew that the dance he practiced was harmful to his body. However, because she had been dancing too much recently, her ankles and waist hurt badly, which was why Hong Yu and the others noticed.
"You don't tell me anything." She applied the medicinal wine on his smooth waist and repeatedly applied it on the injured area until it became hot. Hong Yu was very angry at Lian 'er's injury. Because they were so greedy to see that graceful dance, they ignored his discomfort.
"It's just a backache. What's there to say?”Lian 'er's eyes were half-closed. She was so sleepy that she didn't even know where to look.
He hadn't been sleeping well these days. He felt that something wasn't right without the arm hugging him. In the past, although Zhu Yutang was not by his side most of the time, he had never been so empty. It was just that he was missing the words," I'm leaving, take care of yourself." It was as if a part of his soul was missing in his heart. He could not eat or sleep.
"Hongyu, tell me,'I'm leaving, please take care of yourself,' okay?”He muttered sleepily.
The beauty, who was already furious, became even angrier when she heard him say that. "I'm leaving. Please take care of yourself.”
The gnashing of teeth was met with a chuckle from Lian 'er. "Not at all. You make it sound like an enemy.”Hong Yu's voice was not like Yutang's. His voice was low and hoarse, and every word seemed to be able to tickle people's hearts.
"Lian 'er, let's leave this place, what do you say?”He didn't want Lian 'er to continue staying here. If she continued to stay, he could already foresee the outcome.
Lian 'er opened her eyes, which had lost their sleepiness, and looked straight into Hong Yu's serious eyes. She carefully got up from the bed without hurting her waist and walked out of the room without even putting on a robe. Her long hair was casually combed, her slender body was straight, and her unlined garment revealed her flat and fair chest. Other than her gentle and beautiful posture, she also had a masculine aura.
"Hong Yu, you guys can leave! I can't leave anymore."
"You know we won't leave if you don't.”Their hearts were on Lian 'er, and they stayed here for her. It could be family or friendship, but they couldn't let go either.
He shook his head helplessly, but he would not persuade them to leave again. Others could not persuade him, so why should he persuade others to leave?
"More than a month ago, he forgot his promise to protect me forever. Seven days ago, he learned how to hurt me. Six days ago, he even forgot to say goodbye to me. Did you forget to write a letter to tell me that you're safe? No longer miss my face? One day, he will forget that I was once by his side.”He walked to the courtyard where the flowers were blooming and began to pick up flowers meaninglessly. Every time he picked up a piece, he would ask himself a question. As he asked, he found that he could not ask any questions, but there was no answer.
Hong Yu couldn't bear to see him start his meaningless behavior again. She went forward and grabbed his hand, bringing him into the pavilion.
Holding his hand, Lian 'er insisted on stopping on the muddy ground filled with countless flower petals. "Hongyu, I don't think I'll live to a hundred years old.”He suddenly said this and laughed as he spoke. His smile was ethereal.
"You don't have to tell me, I know." He wouldn't lie to him, nor would he lie to himself that the figure in front of him that seemed to disappear at any moment was just an illusion.
Lian 'er's body was weak, and her temperament seemed gentle, but she was actually more stubborn than anyone else. With these two traits of being too soft and too hard together, wanting to live a long life was simply a joke.
His words made Lian 'er's eyes widen. "Hong Yu, you really surprise me." She knew that he was straightforward and mean, but she didn't expect him to be so harsh.
"There's nothing to be surprised about. I only think about dying happily every day. I never planned to live long. However, if you continue to stay by that heartless person's side, you won't even be able to enjoy your death.”
Zhu Yutang was passionate but also ruthless. When he bought them back then, they had already seen through him. Beneath his unrestrained appearance was the shackles of secular morality. Even if he really fell in love with Lian 'er one day, he would definitely deny it. This person was so arrogant that she would not believe that she could fall in love with a man.
There were always people who thought that they could withstand the test of any storm. In fact, they could indeed help others withstand the storm, but once the storm came to their heads, they did not know what to do.
"There's no difference. You can see nothing but this body of mine. Leaving his side or staying by his side and being forgotten by him is the same to me. How can I care if I die quickly or not?”
She recalled the time when he had smiled gently at her. In the few years before they went north, their smiles were indeed carefree. Other than being together, he had never considered any other issues. As long as he was happy, there was no need to say anything about love or not.
She liked all the boring actions when they were together. He liked to spread his hands, starting from his thumb to his thumb, then his index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and finally his pinky finger. He closed his palms bit by bit, not even letting go of the small gap between the palms. In the end, he was surprised to find that he could also feel the pulse in his palm. Could it be that ten fingers could be connected to the heart?
She was lost in thought again.
Hong Yu hugged the body that only reached the tip of her nose. A unique fragrance entered her nose. This indescribable smell was unique to Lian 'er.
He had never hugged a woman before. In his memory, he had only been hugged by a man, so he did not understand Zhu Yutang's thoughts. To him, being able to hold the tiny body in his arms for the rest of his life, he would smile even when he was asleep.
"Comfortable?" In Hong Yu's embrace, Lian 'er laughed softly. Deep in her sorrowful heart, she still yearned for another pair of arms far away.
"It feels good. I know you must be thinking about that heartless person again.”
"That's right! I was thinking about him."
"Aren't you tired?" She was constantly thinking about a person she could not see.
"Tired, of course tired. In the next few days, you will see that I can't help but think about him and tire myself out. Then, my body will become thinner and thinner day by day.”Lovesickness makes people thin, so this is the taste.
"Don't worry, I'll get the chef to prepare more food these few days so that you can fill your stomach at any time.”
"Haha! Idiot." Who was the fool? It was you? Was it me? Or…him?
He came to Hangzhou city in a daze.
It was not an exaggeration to say that he was muddle-headed. Although he still went south according to the plan and there were no mistakes in the journey, he had always been thinking about Lian 'er, who was still in the capital's Zhu family.
He did not say goodbye to him.
That day, before he left the house, he couldn't even step into the familiar path. His eyes were fixed on the elegant archway, and in the end, he left without saying a word.
Along the way, he told himself that Lian 'er was still sleeping. Lian' er had always been a light sleeper, and it was not good to disturb him when she finally fell asleep.
Excuses, they were all excuses.
In the past, he would leave when Lian 'er was asleep, but he always remembered to say goodbye to her before leaving. Only this time did he forget to tell her to take care.
"Young master, are you writing to young master Lian 'er again?”
Fu Lu was Zhu Yutang's attendant. He had never objected to Lian 'er's existence, but he had never approved of it either. Liking a man was something he could not accept. If it wasn't for the fact that Young Master Lian 'er was so disgusting, he probably would not have been able to control himself and put on a disgusted face.
"Yes!" He casually replied. He held the pen in his hand and was still thinking about how to write.
Fu Lu rolled his eyes. He couldn't stand his young master's habits. Every time he went to a place, he would write a letter to Young Master Lian 'er. Every time he wrote, it would be something like,"I'm fine, you have to take care too." However, before he started writing, he could eat a meal.
Actually, he felt that writing was useless. Everyone knew how much Old Furen hated Young Master Lian 'er. Even if the letter reached home, it would not reach Young Master Lian' er. It was really unnecessary.
"Why, you came to Hangzhou so soon? Are you tired of that Lei Ji?”A pleasant baritone voice came from outside the window. The tone was full of laughter, making people feel that the person who came was not an honorable person.
He turned around and saw a white figure hanging by the window. Half of her body was outside the window. Although this place wasn't high, it was still two stories high. Falling down would still cause injuries.
"You're the fifth young master of the Murong family, Murong Yueyan!”He had only met him twice, but no matter who it was, the Murong family would always be remembered and forgotten. "So Young Master Murong has a habit of climbing through windows.”
Zhu Yutang was extremely baffled by the way he appeared. It was clearly the window on the second floor, and he had never informed anyone that he had arrived in Jiangnan. How could he suddenly appear in front of him? Unless the Murong Fifth Young Master had a fetish for leaping over roofs and climbing walls.
Murong Yuexing unfurled her fan, completely unbothered by the sarcasm in his words. She sized Zhu Yutang up from head to toe with her beautiful eyes.
"Sigh! Poor little fellow, meeting such a rotten person.”He quite liked that little thing. It would be a good thing if he could put it in his room to admire it. However, Ruthless might not like it. He always felt that it would be embarrassing to let others watch him do it.
"What do you mean?" Even if she didn't understand what he meant, she still felt angry.
" Nothing much. If you don't want your little thing, just tell me. It doesn't matter if it's dead. I have a way to preserve it. You don't really care about it anyway…"
"Nonsense." Lian 'er was fine, how could he not want her? It was even more impossible for him to let anything happen to Lian 'er. The two of them would be together for the rest of their lives.
"No way! Are you thinking of spending the rest of your life with that little thing?”Murong Yuexuan looked surprised, but her eyes were still filled with mockery. "He's a man! How could men spend their entire lives together?”He recited it as if he was singing a play.
"This is my Zhu family's business, you don't have to worry about it.”This person was really baffling.
"The two of you can't be together forever. The reason is you, not that little thing. Because of you, the two of you can't be together forever.”He never meddled in other people's business. He just liked beautiful things. He thought that if he didn't want them, he could take them. Just as he said, it didn't matter even if they were dead. He had a way to preserve them.
" Yue Tan…" A tall figure dashed into the room, his deep voice filled with helplessness. They were out on business, but the person beside them disappeared in the blink of an eye. After looking for a long time, they found that he had come to provoke others again. "Young Master Zhu, I'm sorry to disturb you."
With a snort, Murong Yuexing reached out her arm and wrapped it around Wu Qing's neck without any hesitation. Her red lips were right in front of her tightly pursed lips. "Are you done?"
"It's done. Let's go!"
"No, I want to go to Flower Street to play." She kissed the thin lips that had seduced him for a long time and deepened the kiss under everyone's surprised gazes.
"You two?" Even though he often did this to Lian 'er, he was still shocked by how she expressed herself in public without any scruples.
"It's just a kiss. What's there to be surprised about? Just because he didn't dare to do it didn't mean that others didn't dare to do it either.”
As he spoke, he kissed Wu Qing again. Although Wu Qing's face was red and helpless, he did not object.
"Young Master Zhu, although we only met once, I saw the youth in your arms very clearly at that time. He is very suitable for you. You must know how to cherish him. I'm not afraid to tell you that Yue Tan and I, the young master and my young master, will never have a wife in this lifetime. Although I don't like it, if Yue Tan wants me to do these intimate things on the streets, I won't object. Because we know in our hearts that what others think of us is not as important as how they think of us.”Wu Qing sincerely told Zhu Yutang that he had understood it a little late, but he still knew what the Young Master and Yue Tan had meant back then.
In short, Zhu Yutang's debauchery was still within the social norms. He could pamper a man and not care about what others thought of him. He could watch two men love each other for a lifetime and not mind at all. However, once he became one of them, he would be the first to retreat.
Zhu Yutang only remembered how well Lian 'er treated him, how much she relied on him, and how he interacted with her. He did not forget the silly things that they would do whenever they were speechless. Sometimes, even if they did not say a word and just put their hands together and snuggled together in a daze, he felt that it was not bad to live like this for the rest of his life.
Don't forget me…
How could I forget you?
It was a promise.
He had never asked to be with her forever, and Lian 'er had never asked him to do so.
He slapped the vase beside him, shattering the white porcelain on the floor. The transparent water stains on the wooden floor deepened into a dark brown color. Fu Lu, who was standing at the side, was so scared that his face turned pale. He sighed heartlessly. Murong Yuechan snorted coldly and once again saw through his thoughts.
Lian 'er had long known his cowardice and knew that he didn't have the courage to take responsibility. That was why she had never asked him for anything. Every time, he would only say, Don't forget me, remember me forever.
"You! It was rare for him to say so much, but he was talking to a hopeless person.”Murong Yue glared at Wu Qing.
Looking at Zhu Yutang who was still lost in his own thoughts, she pulled his hand mercilessly. "Don't say that. Let's go! Let him think about it."
"There's nothing to think about. As far as I can see, which person in this world doesn't know how to cherish something after losing it? He's just one of them.”
Obediently and emotionlessly, he held his hand and left. It was unknown if Zhu Yutang heard what he said. On the other hand, Fu Lu was still staring blankly at the two people who had left. He could not recover from the scene he had just seen and was also caught up in the words he had left behind.
Hearing such shocking news, one should have felt something. However, Lian 'er's heart did not waver at all when she heard that Zhu Yutang had wandered around Flower Street and bought a new gigolo. Then, she learned that Xi Xiangyuan was pregnant, but she did not feel anything.
What was next?
The only doubt in his mind was this question. What was next?
When reality went exactly as he had expected, he would feel as if he was putting on an act, as if everything was not real.
"Lian 'er, enter the room! You're burning up! Don't let the wind blow anymore." Meng Xuan tried to persuade Lian 'er, who was sitting on a stone chair in the courtyard in a daze.
He had been running a high fever for three consecutive days. Young Master Zhu had been gone for more than two months, and there was no news at all during this period. Finally, he received the news that he had bought a new official position in Love Sleeve Square.
Was Lian 'er not good enough?
Why did he still want to buy a gigolo?
When he heard the news, he cried. Instead, Lian 'er, who should be crying, came to comfort him with a smile. However, he didn't want to see his smile. He had seen that kind of smile too many times. In the past, Lian 'er had also smiled like this when she faced the customers at Love Sleeve Lane.
"Lian 'er…"
"Don't be like this! The wind outside is comfortable. Just let me stay a little longer. Don't chase me away!”Her soft voice sounded as if it would be blown away by the wind if she didn't pay attention.
"But you're still burning up. Look at you. Even I can easily carry you now.”Without any explanation, Meng Xuan bent down in a fit of pique and picked up the weight that was not even as heavy as a twelve-year-old child.
"The fever will subside. Put me down quickly!”
"No, go back to your room and drink your medicine! If you continue to be sick, what will happen to you? Look at you, you don't have any flesh at all.”Tears streamed down his face again. He couldn't remember how many times he had cried these past few days. He was most angry at the indifferent Lian 'er.
A clear laughter came from his arms. She looked down and saw that her haggard and sickly red face was smiling unhappily.
" It's been a long time. I haven't been hugged like this for two months. It's so nice…"
"Lian 'er!" Meng Xuan, who rarely got angry, was really angered by him and threw him on the bed without caring about anything else. "Are you done? If you're sad, aren't we sad? Do you know how uncomfortable it is for us to see you like this? Even Yanting was crying. Yesterday, when you had a fever and fell asleep, he was the one who took care of you. He wrung a towel to wipe your sweat while tears kept flowing. Because you don't cherish yourself. If you're sad, just cry! If you're afraid of losing face, we'll cry with you.”Just as she said that, her tears flowed even harder.
Lian 'er was at a loss. She rolled up her sleeves and helped him wipe the tears off his face.
After a long, long time, Lian 'er's empty eyes finally absorbed a little soul. "I'm not sad. I'm not crying because I'm afraid of losing face, nor am I holding it in on purpose."It's because I don't want to cry at all. There are no tears in my eyes that can fall…" He spat out the words lightly, his faint tone like a lost child. "When I saw you cry before, I asked myself if I cried too much in the past, so my eyes couldn't shed tears. Is it because I'm not sad at all that I don't want to cry? But shouldn't I be sad? The person who said that he would wait for me for a lifetime is no longer around.”
He thought that his heart would be in great pain. He thought that even if he tried his best to hold back his tears, they would still flow uncontrollably. The problem was that his heart did not feel anything, and there were no tears in his eyes.
Was it because he wasn't sad? Was it because he wasn't sad?
Hearing his words, Meng Xuan's lips turned pale, and his teary eyes were filled with pain. Lian 'er had no heart. His heart was all on Zhu Yutang. A soul without a soul would not know how to be sad.#
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]