Shu Yao glanced at him with a half-smile, but ultimately couldn't suppress the bitterness in her heart. She raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "Nothing has changed? Is that right?"
Her raised voice turned into a sharp hook, piercing deeply into Huo Jingsha's heart.
With a soft sigh, Shu Yao got up and walked back to the dressing table. She picked up the wooden comb again and began to comb her hair calmly, but secretly she despised herself for almost letting his sweet words stir up her heart again.
She gazed at him in the mirror and said, "Sir, you should go and see him as soon as possible, lest you leave with regrets and then blame me for being petty."
Huo Jingsha clenched her fists, and after a struggle with herself, she finally left Biyue Residence.
Turning around, Shu Yao looked at the closed door and smiled faintly. Why is he so stubborn? Doesn't he know that he'll argue no matter what?
Whether it was because she had a premonition in her heart or because Dr. He was a skilled doctor, after drinking several bowls of herbal soup, her weakness disappeared and her sleep gradually improved.
When she was awake each day, she would stay in her room with Xiao Bao, chatting and laughing with the maids. The time passed without her feeling lonely, and she tried her best not to think about those messy things, so as not to affect her mood while recuperating.
Huo Jingsha seemed to be competing with Shu Yao. During the day, he would go to the Commander's Office as usual to carry out his duties, leaving Xu Chang to guard the gate. At night, he insisted on staying at Biyue Residence. He would only go to Cuifeng Tower to see Luo Wenpei for a short time after returning from the office, unless Luo Wenpei was too sick to get out of bed and made a ruckus all night long.
However, there was a doctor named He in the manor. A few needle pricks could keep her at ease for several days. Without a reason, Luo Wenpei could not win over Huo Jingsha. In addition, with maids and servants in charge, they would get whatever Cuifeng Tower needed, and Huo Jingsha would not have a chance to take care of it.
This made Luo Wenpei restless. She thought she had won Huo Jingsha's favor and that he was going to elevate her to the status of a concubine, disregarding the feelings of the first wife. She thought her days of loneliness, poverty, and destitution were about to end, but she never expected things to stall halfway. Moreover, Huo Jingsha never stayed overnight in her room, and even when he did, he would sit properly at the table. At this rate, when would she be able to get pregnant and gain a foothold in the Huo family? What was most infuriating was that You Shuyao had already given birth to a son, far ahead of her.
These past few days, she had tried every means to feign illness, partly to increase the time Huo Jingsha spent in her room, and partly to try to evoke his pity and guilt towards her. But she never expected that he had no interest in her at all and stayed at Biyue Residence every night.
I heard that You Shuyao is in poor health and has been bedridden for several days. Huo Jingsha is young and vigorous, how could he resist such a delicate beauty?
A few days ago, she was finally able to get out of bed and thought she would take a stroll in the garden. When she arrived at the entrance of Biyue Residence, she heard bursts of laughter coming from inside. It turned out that several maids were playing with Xiaobao using a quilt. The child laughed and the maids laughed along with him, looking very happy. She peeked through the crack in the door and found that Shu Yao was laughing even more happily, not at all like a resentful woman who had lost her husband.
What made her even more jealous was that You Shuyao was dressed in fine silks and satins. Whether it was the gold hairpin in her hair, or the earrings, necklace, and bracelet, everything was a priceless, top-quality item. Her expensive Jiangnan silk dress made her secretly marvel at how generous Huo Jingsha was to his woman.
Looking at Biyue Residence, it has all the features of artificial hills and ponds, as well as a pavilion for moon viewing. It looks both elegant and grand, and it is only a few steps away from Huo Jingsha's main courtyard. In contrast, his own Cuifeng Tower is much more shabby, and it is located in the most remote corner of the front yard.
Everyone was truly surrounding You Shuyao, like a star being surrounded by the moon, making Luo Wenpei extremely envious, yet he was filled with jealousy and hatred... but there was nothing he could do.
Shu Yao has indeed been cooperating with everyone's wishes lately, eating well, sleeping well, and being happy every day. At first glance, she seems no different from before, but those around her can still sense that something is wrong because every time she smiles, the smile never truly reaches her eyes.
She knew perfectly well that Huo Jingsha was trying hard to prove that all his promises were not empty words, but he forgot that making a vow or a promise is not difficult; what is difficult is being able to keep it and consistently doing so. He could control himself, but he couldn't control the person who was thinking day and night about how to cause trouble for no reason.
Shu Yao was certain that Luo Wenpei's acceptance of the situation wouldn't be long.
Every night, Huo Jingsha would hold her as she fell asleep, or let their son lie between them. The usually taciturn man would suddenly find himself talking a great deal. He would talk about interesting things happening in the court, how cunning the criminals they had caught that day were, and how there was a little princess in the palace who was only thirteen years old and was about to be sent by the emperor to a vassal state for a political marriage. Fortunately, their little treasure was a boy, so they could just bring him home to marry.
A marriage alliance... She felt a pang of sadness; she was only thirteen, still just a child. But escaping the cold, indifferent palace and starting over in another place might not be such a bad choice.
Almost every night, she would fall asleep to Huo Jingsha's rambling, which made her think of the night she was kidnapped by Qi. He had escaped from prison alone and kept talking like this, saying that he understood her true feelings and that even his identity as an assassin could not affect anything, because he had eyes and could see for himself, trying to stop her tears with words.
He must have thought that talking would win her empathy, so he kept finding topics to try and bridge the gap between their hearts, which had grown so far apart.
She really wanted to tell him, "Don't work so hard. No matter how much you say, it won't soothe the wounds in my heart."
Because of her assassin nature, she is more rational than emotional compared to most women, and she has higher demands on men than many women. She is not the type to compromise with a few sweet words of coaxing.
Although she had learned from a young age how to use her feminine advantages to seduce men, her increased experience had also led to greater suspicion. She understood her own selfishness and even somewhat fastidious nature when it came to love, making her incapable of being virtuous and magnanimous. Once she decided to let go of the past and stay, she was destined to endure for the rest of her life a woman standing between her and Huo Jingsha, something she could never tolerate.
Shu Yao never said it outright, but she had already admitted defeat in her heart.
When she got married, she gambled that "after nine lifetimes, this life will definitely be different." Now that the gamble has come to an end, she is certain that she has no chance to turn things around. It is a stroke of luck that she has managed to save her life and fortune.
She had already experienced Huo Jingsha's goodness, his infatuation, and his tenderness. Although the Yellow River had already flown by and could not be turned back, should she still risk her life to hold onto him even at the cost of her life? No! She was smart enough to know when to stop. If she continued to act recklessly and get stuck in the mire, she would never see the way back, and that would be such a tragic thing.
In my previous lives, if I hadn't stubbornly fought to see a certain path through to the end, why would I have lost my life time and time again in vain?
This rebirth taught her not to be too stubborn in everything, and to let go when it's time to let go, leaving herself some room to maneuver. Otherwise, she would have wasted her life and could only blame herself for being foolish and blindly following her own way.
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