Chapter 79 Ignoring her

"Xingzhu?" Gu Qingsu raised her eyes, her gaze filled with concern as she looked at Ruan Xingzhu, who was slowly stepping down from the carriage.

Seeing her get off the carriage, she knew that Ruan Xingzhu was probably going to compromise with Gu Yun'an.

Ruan Xingzhu flinched slightly, glancing timidly at Gu Yun'an, who was seething with anger. Then, she took a deep breath, trying to compose her chaotic emotions, and turned her gaze to Gu Qingsu.

She forced down the surging fear in her heart and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Fifth Sister, I'd better not go to the Yi residence. I've been in the Gu residence for so long and I've gotten used to everything here. I'm really worried that I'll feel uncomfortable if I go to the Yi residence."

Gu Qingxu could not easily believe her words. She knew very well that Ruan Xingzhu must have seen that she was being harassed by Gu Yun'an and couldn't bear it, so she changed her mind at the last minute.

"Xingzhu..." Her voice was urgent, yet also tinged with deep helplessness.

Seeing Gu Qingxu's stubborn appearance, Ruan Xingzhu was afraid that if Gu Qingxu continued to hold a stalemate with Gu Yun'an for her sake, the situation would become increasingly uncontrollable.

She bit her lip, pretending to be indifferent, and instead gently comforted Gu Qingxu: "Fifth Sister, don't worry, I'll be fine."

After speaking, she gently lifted her skirt and slowly walked towards Gu Yun'an, then obediently stood beside him.

However, she never dared to glance at Gu Yun'an. Her slender body seemed close to him, but in reality, she was trembling with fear.

When Gu Yun'an saw Ruan Xingzhu walking towards him so obediently, the tense aura that had been suppressing his anger seemed to dissipate slightly as if blown by a gentle breeze.

He glanced at Gu Qingxu, who still looked stubborn, and, not wanting to continue the stalemate, ignored her.

He stretched out his long arm and lifted Ruan Xingzhu onto the horse's back. Then he spun around and mounted the horse, his strong arms encircling her. He then cracked the whip and spurred the horse to gallop away.

Gu Qingxu stood there, stunned, watching the two figures gradually disappear into the swirling dust, the sound of horses' hooves echoing in the distance, pounding at her heart.

The horses galloped swiftly along the path, their bodies jolting and the dust kicked up by their hooves billowing like smoke.

Ruan Xingzhu nestled tightly in Gu Yun'an's arms, feeling the horse's violent jolting. She felt like a small boat adrift in turbulent waves, afraid to move. She could only grip the hem of Gu Yun'an's clothes tightly with both hands to try and maintain her balance.

The man seemed to still be angry, completely disregarding her fear, and kept raising and lowering the whip, the sound of the whip cracking like muffled thunder in Ruan Xingzhu's ears.

Before long, the horses came to a steady stop in front of the Gu residence.

Ruan Xingzhu was lifted off the horse by Gu Yun'an in a daze, but after sending her back to Huaiju, Gu Yun'an left in a hurry due to urgent official business, leaving Ruan Xingzhu alone in front of the house, her figure appearing particularly lonely.

Gu Yun'an returned home, travel-worn, as dusk approached.

However, after returning, he went straight to the study without even glancing at Ruan Xingzhu, let alone speaking to her.

Ruan Xingzhu sat quietly in the room, looking at the table of food prepared in advance. The exquisite dishes were unappealing to her at the moment, and she had no appetite at all.

However, she was also timid and dared not take the initiative to seek out Gu Yun'an, fearing that her actions would anger him again.

Thus, Ruan Xingzhu did not go looking for him, and Gu Yun'an also ignored Ruan Xingzhu.

However, every night when all was quiet and Ruan Xingzhu was sound asleep, Gu Yun'an would always wake her up. Whether it was to punish her or for some other reason, she was always disturbed and unable to sleep in the middle of the night.

For several days in a row, Gu Yun'an's resentment remained unabated, and he ignored her. Meanwhile, Ruan Xingzhu's fear grew day by day, and she didn't even have the courage to speak up or act coquettishly. Only when she could no longer bear it would she silently shed tears and beg for mercy in a low voice.

The sweltering heat dissipated, the weather gradually turned cooler, and the air of late summer carried a hint of chill.

Since returning from her homecoming, Gu Qingxu has been preoccupied and seems to have lost her soul.

Yi Mingyu saw this and felt very sorry for her. He thought that she had gone home and was feeling homesick, so he racked his brains every day to try to make her happy.

Today, he had carefully prepared the snacks that Gu Qingxu loved to eat, and even arranged an elegant courtyard banquet, but Gu Qingxu still couldn't muster any interest.

Yi Mingyu couldn't help but say softly, "If Madam really misses home, then I will accompany you back home after I finish my shift."

Gu Qingxu was preoccupied with the troubles surrounding Ruan Xingzhu and Gu Yun'an when she suddenly heard Yi Mingyu say this, and a look of doubt appeared between her brows and eyes.

She frowned slightly and asked in return, "When did I miss home?"

Putting aside the fact that the Gu residence and the Yi residence are not far apart, even if the journey were long, given her personality, she could simply go home if she missed it; there was no need for such a fuss.

"Since returning to her parents' home, Madam has been preoccupied. Is it because she misses home?"

Yi Mingyu's eyes were full of confusion. In his opinion, apart from homesickness, he couldn't think of anything else that could make Gu Qingsu so worried.

“I’m not homesick, it’s because…” Gu Qingxu almost blurted out the worries in her heart.

"Why?" Yi Mingyu asked, his eyes full of concern, as she swallowed her words.

Gu Qingxu hesitated, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

After all, she hadn't even dared to reveal a word about this to her own mother, Cheng Shi. Besides, if this were to be told, it would definitely damage Ruan Xingzhu's reputation. Thinking of this, she felt it was best not to say anything.

After hesitating for a moment, she made up a reason on the spot: "Because my mother told me to control my temper and to be careful about my words and actions at the Yi residence."

Yi Mingyu's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected that Gu Qingxu would receive such instructions from her mother after returning home. For some reason, a pang of heartache welled up in his heart.

He gently took Gu Qingxu's hand, his expression serious, and said in a measured tone, "Madam, you don't need to take these words to heart. You can do whatever you want while you're at the Yi residence..."

As he spoke, his expression became slightly unnatural, and his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels: "I really don't want my wife to be constrained by these trivial matters just because she married me."

Yi Mingyu's sudden tender words made Gu Qingxu feel a little nauseous, and her cheeks involuntarily flushed red.

In fact, Cheng hadn't said a single word to her, but seeing Yi Mingyu's sincerity, she couldn't help but blush and nod hastily.

With the quiet arrival of autumn, most of the once vibrant lotus flowers in Huaiju have withered, revealing a few fish.

Ruan Xingzhu had been feeling stifled in Huaiju for quite some time, but Gu Yun'an remained cold and indifferent towards her, not even deigning to utter a single word to her.

Feeling really bored being alone, she decided to go out for a walk to get some fresh air.

Without Gu Qingxu's company, Ruan Xingzhu felt utterly listless as she walked the streets. Finally, she stopped in front of a pastry shop, bought some of her favorite pastries, and prepared to go inside.

Just as she paid the money and was about to turn and leave, she saw Liang Yejing, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

He was arguing with the pastry shop owner, looking embarrassed: "I left in a hurry today and forgot to bring my purse. I'll bring it over as soon as possible, okay?"

“Young master, our small business really can’t afford to extend credit. How about you leave some items as collateral so that our shop can feel at ease?” the shopkeeper said with a troubled expression, genuinely worried that the young master before him might never return.

Looking at the pastries that had been wrapped according to his instructions, Liang Yejing reached out and searched his pockets, only to find that he didn't have anything of value on him. For a moment, he looked somewhat troubled.

Just as he was struggling with this dilemma, a melodious and clear voice suddenly came from behind him.

"How much silver? I'll pay."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Liang Yejing felt a pang of uncertainty and slowly turned his head to look. When he clearly saw that it was Ruan Xingzhu, a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He knew all too well what he had done; he had treated her that way, yet she was still willing to help him. Even if it was all forced upon her, now, thinking back, Liang Yejing was filled with guilt and gratitude.

Ruan Xingzhu didn't look at him much, but calmly paid the money and then turned to leave.

Liang Yejing felt extremely embarrassed and quickly thanked her, saying, "Thank you so much, Miss Ruan, for your kind help. If you would like to wait a moment, I will go back and get the money to return to you."

Ruan Xingzhu looked up at the sky and thought to herself that she couldn't stay out for too long.

She refused without hesitation: "No need, it's just a little money, Young Master Liang, you don't need to worry about it."

Hearing Ruan Xingzhu's resolute refusal, Liang Yejing couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, and his expression revealed a hint of loneliness.

Ruan Xingzhu looked at him with a dejected expression, as if she had taken advantage of him.

In the end, the reason he was threatened by Gu Yun'an was because of himself. In the end, he even earned a reputation for being a womanizer in order to deceive himself.

Thinking this, she spoke with a hint of apology in her heart: "Young Master Liang was threatened for no reason because of me, so I apologize to Young Master Liang. I am truly sorry."

After speaking, Ruan Xingzhu hurriedly turned and left, leaving Liang Yejing standing there in a daze, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

When they returned to Huaiju, it was already dark. Ruan Xingzhu spotted Sheng Que standing outside the courtyard from afar.

With a vague guess in mind, sure enough, as soon as I entered the room, I saw the usually busy Gu Yun'an sitting upright in his official robes.

Holding the pastries she had just bought, Ruan Xingzhu walked in slowly and hesitantly.

However, as always, Gu Yun'an ignored her completely, as if she were air, not even bothering to give her a glance.

Ruan Xingzhu looked up and quietly watched his cold and indifferent expression, letting out a sigh of frustration.

Only when it was late at night would Gu Yun'an speak a few words to her, but that was all.