Bai Yujing pursed her lips slightly, but she was unwilling to accept this fact easily.
He held out his hand, his tone resolute: "Give me the hairpin."
Xie Wenying showed slight resistance, took two steps back, and argued, "Cousin Yujing, although this hairpin was a gift from you to my second cousin's wife, she has now given it to me. My second cousin's wife herself doesn't mind, so why do you insist on taking it back?"
"I can give away any other items, but I absolutely cannot let go of this jade hairpin."
"Why!" Xie Wenyin questioned angrily.
"Give it back to me first, and I will compensate you with other valuable items later."
Having said that, Xie Wenying, though unwilling, had no choice but to take off the hairpin and hand it to him.
"But it's a deal, next time you have to buy me a more exquisite hairpin!"
Bai Yujing did not respond, but held the jade plum blossom hairpin tightly and fell into deep thought.
Xie Wenying was unconvinced. She pouted, picked up a book from the table, and gently clapped her hands, her tone carrying a hint of coquetry: "Cousin Yujing, are you going to agree or not? Since you took my things, you should give me an explanation, right?"
Suddenly, a page silently slipped from between the pages of the book and gently floated to the ground.
Xie Wenying hurriedly bent down to pick it up, intending only to put it back between the pages of the book, but her eyes inadvertently swept over the paper and she discovered that it was an exquisite portrait. So she carefully unfolded it to take a closer look.
The painting depicts a young and unfamiliar woman with a beautiful and refined appearance.
"Who is this?" Xie Wenying felt a surge of curiosity and couldn't help but turn to the inscription next to the portrait.
Although Xie Wenyin never received a formal education, she moved into the Bai family at the age of nine and grew up with Bai Yujing. As a result, she learned to read and write some characters through her daily life.
She read the inscription on the painting aloud in a soft voice.
Suddenly—
The painting is inscribed with "holding hands," and the woman in the painting is named Shuqin.
Xie Wenyin's memory flashed like lightning. She remembered that the Jiang family's daughter, who was previously engaged to her cousin Yujing, also happened to have the character "Shu" in her name.
Could the person in the painting be her? Xie Wenying's eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment.
"It's her? Cousin Yujing, so the person you admire is the daughter of the Jiang family. Then why did you agree to the Jiang family changing their choice?"
Xie Wenying's shocked expression caught Bai Yujing's attention, and he looked at the painting with some confusion.
His gaze fell on the painting, and he couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Why is this painting here?"
He had been searching for this painting for a long time, but he never expected that he would accidentally slip it into this book.
Xie Wenyin was in turmoil, her heart in turmoil. She didn't know whether she should be overjoyed or heartbroken.
She had always harbored a deep resentment towards Jiang Huaiyu, feeling that this woman had stolen away her beloved cousin Yujing. However, when she saw this painting, her resentment gradually melted away. She realized that her cousin Yujing had no feelings for Jiang Huaiyu; someone else already resided deep within his heart.
Otherwise, why would he have inscribed the words "holding hands" on the painting?
Bai Yujing glanced at the portrait briefly before gently putting it away. "I originally intended to burn it, but I couldn't find it. I never expected to come across it today."
Xie Wenyin was stunned. "Why do you want to burn it?"
"Time flies, the past is gone, what's the use of keeping it?" Bai Yujing said in a flat tone, as if he were narrating something insignificant.
Xie Wenyin was shocked and couldn't believe it. "But didn't you love her deeply? You couldn't marry her, and now all that's left is this portrait. Are you really willing to burn it?"
Bai Yujing frowned slightly. "Who said she's my true love?"
“Isn’t that right? Cousin Yujing, I recognize your handwriting. The inscription on this painting was clearly written by you. Look, ‘Holding hands’…”
Bai Yujing raised her hand slightly, interrupting her with a hint of helplessness.
“I painted this picture at that time because I was already engaged to Miss Jiang, and I thought she would become my partner. It just so happened that I was having a happy gathering with my classmates and drinking. In my drunken state, I was inspired to write a poem, and that’s how this painting came about. I originally planned to give it to her as a gift after we got married.”
"But what about the poem inscribed on the painting?"
Bai Yujing slowly said, "The poem describes my longing for my future partner, not a specific person."
If he had known beforehand that marriages could change hands so easily, he certainly wouldn't have painted that picture, lest it lead to misunderstandings. After becoming engaged to Jiang Huaiyu, he originally intended to burn the painting, but after searching for a long time without success, he had no choice but to give up.
Fortunately, Xie Wenyin witnessed it today; if Huaiyu had found out, the misunderstanding would have been far-reaching.
Xie Wenyin was skeptical. "So, you really haven't had any connection with her?"
Bai Yujing frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness in her expression.
In fact, he and Jiang Shuqin were not entirely unrelated.
That day, he happened to step in and help Jiang Shuqin out of a predicament, and afterwards, the two embarked on a journey to the capital together. Throughout the trip, he was strict and self-disciplined, always maintaining appropriate etiquette towards her.
However, just as they were approaching the capital, Jiang Shuqin suddenly confessed her feelings to him.
This happened so suddenly that he was both surprised and at a loss. Fortunately, the two arrived in the capital soon afterward, and after Jiang Shuqin returned to the Jiang residence, the two never saw each other again.
His relationship with Jiang Wenyuan grew closer, and day by day, the distance between them gradually shortened.
One day, Jiang Wenyuan unexpectedly proposed to marry his daughter Jiang Shuqin to him. Given their past kindness, he could not refuse outright, thinking that the two had known each other for a long time and that this marriage could be considered a good match.
On that day filled with emotion, he was inspired and, based on the image of Jiang Shuqin in his memory, he wielded his brush and ink to create this lifelike painting.
However, in the end, he was too hasty.
Bai Yujing remained silent for a moment before finally speaking: "My relationship with Miss Jiang is completely innocent. This painting is superfluous to begin with, and I will burn it immediately."
Xie Wenyin's eyes lit up, and she immediately came up with a plan, quickly stopping him.
“Cousin Yujing, why trouble yourself with such trivial matters? Since it’s all a misunderstanding, and I was just heading to the kitchen anyway, why don’t I help you by burning the portrait to destroy it?”
"I'll do it myself."
Xie Wenying's cheeks flushed with anxiety. "Cousin Yujing, if you just want my hairpin back, that's fine. But I'm trying to help you out of kindness, and you still don't trust me. Have you forgotten the deep friendship we have from growing up together?"
Seeing her teary eyes and pitiful appearance, Bai Yujing sighed helplessly.
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, cousin Wenyin."
He handed the painting to Xie Wenyin.
Xie Wenying stood tall and proud, and assured him firmly, "Cousin Yujing, you can rest assured, this is nothing more than a small favor!"
After she left, Bai Yujing gently hid the jade hairpin in her bosom and then immersed herself in books.
About an incense stick's time later, Jiang Huaiyu returned with light steps. Knowing that Bai Yujing was alone in his study, she personally carried a cup of tea and pushed open the door to enter.
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