Jiang Shaoxing remained silent, but everything was understood without words.
Fu Zhi was indignant, her brows furrowed as she tried to explain, but before she could open her mouth, she saw Jiang Shaoxing's indifferent expression.
He was exceptionally handsome, with exquisitely beautiful features, and because of his deep scheming, even his eyes exuded a chilling aura. Although he achieved success at a young age, he was aloof and reserved, without the slightest arrogance or pride. He always carried an air of cold indifference that kept people at a distance, making him completely different from the pampered sons of the capital.
Fu Zhi chased after him for over a month, but fearing he would find it annoying, she never dared to pester him too much. She only dared to timidly greet him when they bumped into each other, or to collect some new and ingenious trinkets, finding rare treasures, thinking that she could give them to him.
From beginning to end, all she wanted was to be closer to him; she never thought of anything more.
She thought that even if the renowned Lord Jiang of Yujing looked down on her and wouldn't even be her friend, he wouldn't think too badly of her.
Only now did Fu Zhi finally understand that Jiang Shaoxing had always been like a magnolia blossom under the moon, aloof and serene. As for her, to him, she was nothing more than dust on his feet, a light rain in his sleeve, something he didn't need to care about at all.
Explaining was useless; he wouldn't even glance at her.
Fu Zhi pursed her lips, lowered her head, and tears streamed down her face.
“Yes,” she said almost fiercely, “I am a shameless and scheming woman. Now that you know, I won’t pretend anymore.”
"But don't worry, since you're avoiding me like the plague, I won't bother you anymore. I, Fu Zhi, don't need you, Jiang Shaoxing!"
Jiang Shaoxing watched her calmly as she finished speaking and turned to leave. After standing silently for a while, he also turned and went back into the garden.
After leaving the Jiang residence, Fu Zhi ran all the way out of Dekang Lane. After returning to the carriage, she hugged her maid and burst into tears.
She shouldn't continue to like people who don't like her!
He's just Jiang Shaoxing! What's so great about him!
...
"Where is Miss Fu?" Madam Jiang sat on the stone bench. Seeing her son return, she put down her needlework and asked with a smile, "Did you send her back safely?"
Jiang Shaoxing remained silent for a long while before finally humming in agreement. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "If Mother has nothing else to say, then I will take my leave now."
Madam Jiang looked him over for a while, feeling that he was in a somewhat depressed mood, but she couldn't see anything different from usual. She could only wave him away and tell him to take care of himself.
In the evening, the nanny who served Madam Jiang went to Jiang Shaoxing's courtyard to bring him a bowl of ginseng soup.
Jiang Shaoxing looked at the ginseng soup and sighed: "The paperwork is not as troublesome as Mother thinks."
The old woman smiled and said, "Even so, young master, you cannot disappoint Madam's kind intentions. But speaking of which, today's ginseng soup is stewed with black-boned chicken. Miss Fu said that stewing it this way makes it taste better than ginseng soup boiled alone. Young master, please drink some and tell this old woman if it's true or not. Or which one do you prefer?"
Jiang Shaoxing took the ginseng soup and was about to drink it when he heard the old woman's words. He paused and asked, "Did Fu Zhi teach you this too?"
She really went to any lengths.
He lowered his eyes and heard the old woman say, "It's not really about teaching. It's just that when I was talking to Madam about this ginseng soup, Miss Fu overheard and said a few words. Speaking of which, we are very grateful to Miss Fu today. This morning, I accompanied Madam to the temple to offer incense. On the way back, the carriage broke down. Fortunately, Miss Fu is kind-hearted and sent her maid to ask if we had encountered any trouble. After learning the reason, she gave us a ride."
"If it weren't for Miss Fu, I don't know when my wife and I would have been able to return!"
Jiang Shaoxing suddenly recalled the girl's slightly hoarse voice. He glanced at the ginseng soup in the bowl and subconsciously frowned: "Is that so?"
Perhaps his voice was too soft, because the old woman didn't hear him. But as she spoke, she remembered another incident from that day, so she told her young master about it: "Later that evening, when the lady went to the street to buy spices, she met Miss Liang. The lady immediately turned around and left, and Miss Liang's face instantly turned ugly."
This Miss Liang, whose full name is Liang Qixia, has been in love with Jiang Shaoxing for two years. She had also thought about trying to please Madam Jiang so that she could take advantage of her proximity to him.
However, although Madam Jiang was not usually sociable, she was not easily fooled. On the contrary, she was very perceptive and quickly discerned Liang Qixia's true intentions. She said to her directly, "Miss Liang, if you are interested in my Ah Xing, you should work on him. I will naturally like the person Ah Xing likes. But he may not like the person I like."
From then on, although Liang Qixia still harbored designs on Jiang Shaoxing, she dared not appear before Madam Jiang again. Madam Jiang, in turn, would leave whenever she saw her, refusing to be seen with her.
Jiang Shaoxing also knew about this. A hint of annoyance finally appeared on his usually cold and indifferent face.
He realized he had misunderstood Fu Zhi. If Fu Zhi had approached his mother for his sake, his mother would have seen through it long ago, and wouldn't have given her a kind look.
Why didn't she explain?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang Shaoxing couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He recalled her heartbreaking and resolute words.
Well, it's all for the best. Although it was a twist of fate, she was ultimately disappointed in him. From now on, they can go their separate ways, and he won't have to worry about her indecisiveness causing trouble for herself anymore.
...
Fu Zhi saw Jiang Shaoxing again in June.
June brings increasing heat, but also frequent rain.
She picked lotus flowers from the villa outside the city and returned home. Finding the carriage ride too hot, she asked the driver to take the carriage back first. Fearing it might rain later, she took an umbrella and walked along the road, just in case.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com