Old friend
The room was quiet, which made his voice sound exceptionally clear. For some reason, Jie Xiangsi felt a sense of impending doom welling up from the bottom of her heart.
She glanced down at the gauze wrapped around her wrist, then looked up and met Zhou Yanzhi's slightly somber gaze, nodding gently, "Mm."
There was no intention to explain anything.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi didn't say anything more, but just glanced at her before getting up and walking away.
Gazing at his back for a moment, Jie Xiangsi lowered her eyes.
He must be angry, right?
A sharp pain shot through her left wrist, mixed with a slight itch. Xie Xiangsi couldn't help but frown, and a sudden urge to tear off the gauze arose in her mind.
But just a second before her right hand touched the gauze, a steady footstep approached.
"Don't move."
Zhou Yanzhi sat down by the couch with a bowl of congee in his hand. He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and handed it to her. Meeting her slightly surprised gaze, he calmly said, "You've just woken up, have some congee first."
Looking at the porridge still steaming in front of her, Jie Xiangsi said somewhat awkwardly, "I'll do it myself."
After saying that, she reached out to take the bowl from Zhou Yanzhi's hand, but Zhou Yanzhi gently avoided her, raised his chin at her left hand which was wrapped in gauze, and said in a deep voice, "Do you think your left hand can still hold a bowl?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi's outstretched hand froze, and then she slowly withdrew it.
"Then cousin, you can leave it for now, I'm not hungry yet."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi frowned slightly, his lips opened and closed repeatedly, but in the end he didn't say anything to comfort her, after all, what she did was really infuriating.
Her cut was extremely deep, almost severing the tendons in her hand. Her entire hand was nearly ruined, and even with proper care, she still experiences excruciating pain on rainy days.
She showed no mercy; she cut her wrists with the determination to die.
Thinking of how she looked like she was about to die at any moment last night, Zhou Yanzhi felt a wave of fear wash over him again.
He remained silent for two reasons: firstly, he genuinely couldn't say anything nice; it was impossible for him not to be angry that she had put herself in such a state; secondly, he was truly exhausted after watching over her all night without closing his eyes.
He held the spoonful of porridge out to her again, as if he would keep holding it up until she ate it.
Paired up, Jie Xiangsi was the first to give in, bowing her head and drinking the spoonful of porridge that had already cooled down.
The porcelain spoon was retrieved, and the bowl was stirred a few more times. Zhou Yanzhi then scooped up another spoonful of congee and brought it to Jie Xiangsi's lips...
Spoon by spoon, the porridge in the bowl was soon emptied.
The clattering of bowls and spoons ceased, and the room became eerily quiet, like the calm before a storm, causing Jie Xiangsi's heart to pound wildly for no apparent reason.
Seeing Zhou Yanzhi put the bowl aside, she couldn't help but shrink back, trying to create as much distance as possible between them.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Jie Xiangsi's hand, hidden under the blanket, trembled slightly. A part of her heart felt as if it had been gently touched, and she felt a strange pang of sadness. She said softly, "Cousin, I want to sleep."
This is a subtle way of telling someone to leave.
Normally, Zhou Yanzhi would have been embarrassed and left, but now, he seemed not to have heard her at all, sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her without moving.
He didn't move, so Jie Xiangsi didn't have the courage to say it a second time. She just stared blankly at the patterns on the brocade quilt.
After a long silence, Zhou Yanzhi suddenly spoke up, "Cousin, don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she gently shook her head, seemingly unconcerned by longing.
There's not much to say, it's just what he saw: she wanted to die.
If she hadn't saved He Yun and taken him into the Marquis's mansion, the mastermind behind the scenes wouldn't have been able to set up a scheme within the mansion, the Emperor wouldn't have summoned her father and brothers back to the capital, and the Xiao family members wouldn't have died tragically on the way.
It all started because of her; she is a sinner against the Xiao family.
Seeing her half-dead state, a pang of heartache flashed in Zhou Yanzhi's eyes. He said, "Didn't you say you wouldn't seek death anymore?"
Jie Xiangsi said softly, "I'm sorry, I broke my promise."
The moment she closed her eyes, she could see the faces of the Xiao family members, surrounding her, questioning her, scolding her, and resenting her…
Her actions yesterday were excessive. The Xiao family has not yet been exonerated, and she cannot go down to see her clansmen. Even if Zhou Yanzhi were not here today, she would not attempt suicide again.
But she really couldn't stay alive after everything was over.
If you are a sinner, you should atone with your death.
Zhou Yanzhi closed his eyes weakly, then opened them again, stared at her for a moment, and nodded. "Okay, I understand."
Then, as Xie Xiangsi's eyes widened slightly, he moved a small couch to the bedside and set it up. Meeting her shocked gaze, Zhou Yanzhi slowly sat down, his eyes calm.
"Cousin, I know you won't change your mind anytime soon, but since I've fallen for you, my feelings won't change either."
He continued, "I will do everything you want to do, and I want to live a peaceful life with you."
He spoke with unwavering conviction, his gaze burning with undisguised admiration, as bright as starlight leaping from the water.
Unable to resist, Jie Xiangsi was forced to turn her head away. Her heart pounded like a drum. She whispered, "Cousin, you will surely meet a woman better than Xiangsi in the future. Why bother..."
There will be no one else.
Zhou Yanzhi interrupted her, looking at her and saying, "In my life, Zhou Ce'an will only love you and will never love another woman."
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi's long eyelashes trembled slightly. He did not refer to himself as his cousin; he used his courtesy name—Ce'an.
According to etiquette, a man's courtesy name is used by his elders and his future wife. Similarly, in front of his elders and wife, a man usually refers to himself by his courtesy name.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhou Yanzhi pursed his lips, as if he had made up his mind, and continued softly, "Besides, cousin, I don't believe you have no feelings for me at all."
On the day Yang Qu embraced her, which was considered inappropriate, she clearly felt a moment of attraction.
Upon hearing this, a faint blush slowly appeared on Jie Xiangsi's pale profile.
She did have a bit of a crush on him.
She couldn't help but like someone who always stood firmly by her side and kept her in his heart at all times.
After a long silence, Xie Xiangsi turned her head and slowly said to him, "Cousin, I do... like you a little."
Seeing the joy that burst forth on his face in an instant, Xie Xiangsi pursed her lips and continued, "But it's only a little."
She had to avenge her family, kill the villains, and atone for her sins—all of which weighed more heavily on her than her love. Therefore, she would not abandon her own beliefs for him.
Zhou Yanzhi couldn't hear her inner thoughts, he just smiled happily, "It's okay, as long as you have a place for me in your heart."
Jie Xiangsi remained silent, only glancing at him before lying down and burying herself in the blankets, trying to calm her racing heart.
No matter what he thinks, she won't change her mind.
Meanwhile, after confirming that his beloved also liked him, Zhou Yanzhi slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she now yearns for death, thankfully, there are still things she loves in this world. He wondered, if he could help her resolve all her difficulties, would she be willing to stay in this world for him?
This young nobleman, who had always had a smooth life, was now hoping for the pity of others for the first time.
...
"Knock knock—"
A gentle knock sounded on the wooden door. Zhou Yanzhi, who was on the small couch, frowned and slowly opened his eyes, still looking sleepy.
He glanced at Xie Xiangsi, who was still sleeping peacefully on the opposite couch, then gently got off the couch and turned to walk towards the door.
Ji Feng, who was outside the door, paced back and forth with a thick stack of letters in his hand. When Zhou Yanzhi opened the door, he couldn't help but look inside. "Sir, Miss Zhou..."
He was still reeling from the memory of last night. How could such a beautiful young lady have resorted to suicide by cutting her wrists?
“She’s alright.” Zhou Yanzhi raised his eyelids, his gaze falling on the letter in his hand. “Any progress on what I asked you to investigate yesterday?”
Upon hearing this, Ji Feng quickly replied twice, "Oh, here."
After saying that, he handed everything in his hand to Zhou Yanzhi and lowered his voice to say, "After Lord Jie passed away, his official position was taken over by Judge Zhang Xu. Yesterday, it was he who led people to Miss Biao's old room."
Before Zhou Yan could ask, Ji Feng continued, "That person used to be from the Marquis of Jin'an's residence."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi couldn't help but frown. "You've found out?"
Ji Feng nodded, "What I said is absolutely true."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi nodded and said, "I understand. You can go and rest now."
After Ji Feng left, Zhou Yanzhi returned to his room with the things in his hands, sat down quietly in the armchair, and looked at the stack of documents on the table with a headache.
How did they get involved with the Marquis of Jin'an's mansion?
He glanced at it twice, and when he saw a certain word, his pupils narrowed slightly.
Xiao Yan?
This person is Xiao Yan's man.
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