Chapter 8 It was she who misled others.

He was dressed in a black round-neck casual suit, looking capable and upright, yet also dashing. Perhaps he had rushed too much, for a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, and even his breathing was unsteady.

But Ji Jinghe is Ji Jinghe; his chest heaved very little, and every breath he took was filled with restraint.

Yu An looked up at him, her gaze unwavering, trying to find a trace of care and affection for her in his eyes, but even if she searched the heavens and earth, she couldn't find a single bit.

He said he had business to attend to today, that he had ridden from the palace to the outskirts of the city to find Xu Jingshu.

Xu Jingshu: "Why did you arrive so early? I thought you would arrive close to dark."

Yu An suppressed her bitterness and, like a deserter, reluctantly looked away, taking a step back to distance herself from Ji Jinghe and Xu Jingshu. No matter how much she cared, she intentionally distanced herself from them.

Xu Jingshu chuckled softly and handed over a handkerchief with familiarity. "Yu'an and I were just talking about you, and here you are. What a coincidence."

Ji Jinghe didn't take it, but simply nodded slightly to her before shifting his gaze to Yu An.

What are you doing here?

Yu An was almost numb, but when she looked up at his slightly furrowed brows, her chest still ached unexpectedly, as if someone was ruthlessly trampling on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

She paused for a moment, just about to explain, when she heard Xu Jingshu's maid shout from the side, as if she had predicted it.

"Young Master Chu was playing archery by the roadside when his arrow missed the target, startling the carriage and breaking the orchids that Miss was going to give you," the maid said, lifting the carriage curtain to show Ji Jinghe.

The orchid that was growing so well now has a broken pot and broken leaves. Even if it's replanted, it probably won't survive.

Ji Jinghe glanced at it, his expression darkening further. Xu Jingshu hurriedly explained, "There's more than one orchid in your household. I'll have someone send you another one later. It's no big deal..."

"But this is something Miss has carefully cultivated for three months..." the maid said, still resentful.

Yu An awaited Ji Jinghe's reprimand, and sure enough, after he spoke, ...

"Since your archery skills are not good, you should not show them off so easily. Do you know that everyone here is an ordinary person and that no one will dare to hold you accountable even if you are injured, so you have no worries?"

He spoke each word clearly and deliberately, especially in front of Xu Jingshu, which made Yu An even more caught in a dilemma, leaving her unsure of how to respond.

Upon hearing Ji Jinghe's words, Chu Zhuoan couldn't help but say, "Brother-in-law, this matter was caused by me and has nothing to do with my sister. Besides, my archery skills used to be very good. I don't know why I failed today. Maybe the stall owner was afraid of losing money, so he tampered with the bow and arrow. What happened today was definitely not intentional."

Hearing that Chu Zhuo'an was about to step forward to argue, Yu'an quickly reached out to stop him, taking the blame for the matter as soon as possible.

“This is my and my brother’s fault. Zhuo’an is still young and doesn’t know how to be considerate. I blame myself for not thinking things through and not advising him earlier, which caused the carriage to be startled.”

Before Ji Jinghe could respond, Xu Jingshu spoke first.

"Jinghe is just too cautious. We're all family, why be so harsh on him..."

"Calamities often accumulate from small oversights. If we don't correct our mistakes now, are we planning to make them bigger later?" Yu'an interrupted, essentially saying what Ji Jinghe wanted to say in advance.

She didn't know how important Xu Jingshu was to him, or whether his anger today was because she and her brother had disturbed Xu Jingshu's carriage and smashed the orchids that belonged to him, or because the arrow had missed its target and might injure the people on the street.

But for now, besides being scolded, she has no other way to make amends.

Rather than tearing off one's face and becoming a laughing stock in front of outsiders, it's better to admit it outright, end it sooner, and suffer less.

When his gaze fell upon those slightly reddened eyes, Ji Jinghe suddenly found himself unable to utter the words he had intended to say.

Yu An: "I am ashamed of what happened today. I never expected that my unintentional actions as siblings would lead to such a disaster. I'm sorry, Miss Xu. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."

Before Yu'an could even lift her foot, Xu Jingshu immediately grabbed her. "What happened today is also my fault, not entirely yours. Please don't let this damage your relationship as husband and wife. I'm just recovering from a serious illness, and after I go in to offer incense, I need to go back and rest early. You two don't need to pay attention to me. I heard that the peach blossom spring nearby is quite famous, why don't you two go and have a look?"

Yu An forcefully pulled her hand away from Xu Jingshu's and said with feigned composure, "No need. Don't you have something to discuss? I won't disturb Miss Xu and Master Xu."

After saying that, Yu An left without looking back. Chu Zhuo'an bowed to Ji Jinghe and then chased after him.

Ji Jinghe turned to look at the figure in the distance, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. The tenderness that should have arisen within him was ultimately swallowed up by reason.

Why did this perfectly normal person suddenly become so temperamental today?

"What did you say before I came?" he asked.

Xu Jingshu's smile faded slightly, and she said gently, "It was just some old news, reminiscing about our past." Ji Jinghe asked, "What did she say?"

As far as she knew, Ji Jinghe never paid attention to such trivial matters, so his repeated inquiries today surprised her greatly.

Xu Jingshu paused for a moment: "She didn't say anything... She probably misunderstood when the old things were brought up."

She carefully observed the changes in Ji Jinghe's expression, and an ominous feeling welled up in her heart, just like losing a game of chess due to miscalculation, making her uneasy.

*

Yu An sat silently in the carriage the whole way. Chu Zhuo'an looked at her dejected appearance, and after offering a few words of comfort to no avail, he chose to keep quiet. He blamed himself for being careless today and causing such a mess.

But only Yu'an knew in her heart that today's incident had little to do with the arrow missing the target, nor with the potted orchid that had been smashed. The real issue was that the arrow missing the target had startled Xu Jingshu's horse, almost putting someone he cared about in danger. That was all.

Ji Jinghe and Xu Jingshu had known each other for a long time, and he had kept that sandalwood bead for so long that he wore it close to his body every day, so long that even the silk ribbon on it had faded.

The Deer Cry Qin originally belonged to Xu Jingshu. So, it seems that if the Xu family hadn't run into trouble, it would have been Xu Jingshu, not her, who married Ji Jinghe.

No wonder everyone in the household ignored her after she married into the family. Compared to Xu Jingshu, she was indeed inferior in every way.

With her unremarkable appearance and mediocre talent, how could she compare to the most talented woman in the capital?

It turns out that everyone knew they were a perfect match, except for her.

She, however, misled others.

"Sister, I've gotten myself into big trouble today and angered my brother-in-law. What should I do?" Chu Zhuo'an asked helplessly.

Yu An gradually came to her senses and said in a hoarse voice, "It's okay. He's just someone who's always cold-faced. He might not be really angry. Don't take it to heart."

Chu Zhuoan: "What if he takes his anger out on you? How can I make it up to him..."

Yu An patted his arm to comfort him, forcing a weak smile. "It's not as serious as you think. He won't hold a grudge against me. He's just worried about us in case something happens to us. When I get back, I can just buy him a pot of orchids. It'll be fine."

Chu Zhuo'an was half-believing and half-doubting, and was about to explain his solution when Yu'an, having already guessed his intentions, stopped him.

"Don't tell Dad. You'd better keep this to yourself, or I won't take you out to play next time."

Chu Xingjian is constantly burdened by official duties, and the troubles he faces in politics alone are countless. Why should he be distracted and worried by her trivial matters?

Yesterday at home, she could see clearly that Chu Xingjian was more worried about her marriage than she was, fearing that she would not be doing well.

That's why we can't let him know.

After sending Chu Zhuo'an home, Yu'an returned to the Ji residence to report to Shen Qiulan without lingering.

After returning to Banmu Courtyard, Baozhu was surprised that she had come back so early. Logically speaking, she should have had a good time with her young master before returning home.

Just as he was about to ask if the journey had been smooth, a sense of foreboding washed over him when he saw Yu'an's expression. Was Shen Qiulan scolding someone again?

"Miss, why do you look so pale?" Baozhu took the outer cloak that she had taken off, and when she turned her head to look again, the listless figure had already walked towards the window.

Yu An looked at the orchid she had been cultivating for a month, feeling nothing but emptiness in her chest. When she first married into the family, unable to see Ji Jinghe, she constantly sought information about him from Shen Qiulan.

He liked orchids, so she grew one and is now giving it back to him.

"Baozhu, take this orchid to the son-in-law's study."

Baozhu was stunned. "Why are you giving him away now when he's perfectly healthy?" It was clearly agreed that they would wait until he had been cared for for a year before giving him away.

"Pay him back." Yu An turned away resolutely and walked towards the bedside. "I'm tired. I want to sleep for a while. I won't eat dinner."

Before Baozhu could answer, Yu'an had already gone to bed.

Baozhu didn't know what had happened today, but she was certain that the young lady and her fiancé had another falling out, and they couldn't skip a meal...

After thinking it over, Baozhu first took the orchid to the study, and then told the kitchen to keep meals ready at any time.

Just after dusk, Ji Jinghe returned.

Looking at the closed doors and windows, Ji Jinghe hesitated outside the door. Baozhu, with her sharp eyes, quickly explained, "Madam went to bed after returning home and didn't eat dinner."

"How long have you been resting?"

"It has been an hour."

Ji Jinghe sighed inwardly, "Go to the kitchen and bring dinner. Madam and I will eat together."

Baozhu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly agreed and left.

Ji Jinghe pushed open the door and entered cautiously, then lifted the curtain after approaching the bed.

Yu An was lying face outwards, her hair still in its bun and her clothes still on. Because of this, she was probably not sleeping comfortably, which caused her to break out in a light sweat.

That fair, oval face was no longer calm; her brows were tightly furrowed, as if the irritating things she had experienced while awake were still haunting her mind even after she fell asleep.

Now that you're awake, will you sleep tonight?

He patted her shoulder a few times, but there was still no response. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for a while. He then reached out and wiped the dampness from her temples. In a moment, the person on the bed opened her eyes and woke up, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion, as if she was still trying to determine whether the person in front of her was real or not.

Just as Yu An was about to ask a question, she heard that dull, hard, and monotonous voice.

"Get up and eat."

A note from the author:

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Don't abandon the story, don't abandon the story.

Immediately, immediately! [bursting into tears]