Chapter 9
Chen Xuanqing's gaze, however, remained fixed on Gu Jinchao's back.
She was holding Madam Ji's arm as she slowly walked into the hall, her skirt sweeping across the blue brick floor, leaving a light, graceful arc.
He quietly clenched his hands on his knees, his fingertips almost digging into his palms.
In that instant, he was filled with impulse, wanting to immediately get up, grab her, and say all the words he had kept hidden in his heart for so long: he loved her and longed to be with her, instead of being able to only look at her from afar through the crowd like this.
But just as he was about to take a step, reason poured down his throat like cold water.
He slowly released his hand, his knuckles turning a faint white—what good would it do to tell her? There were still many things to settle. He had neither prepared a betrothal gift worthy of her nor found a suitable opportunity to express his feelings to the Gu family. To confess now would only add to her troubles and might even lead her into gossip.
It would be better to wait. Once he has arranged everything, brings a generous dowry, and makes a grand entrance to propose marriage, allowing her to marry into the Chen family in style, then he can express his heartfelt feelings to her. That way, he won't have let her down, nor will he have betrayed his own feelings.
Once he made up his mind, the lively atmosphere at the banquet no longer caught his attention.
Chen Xuanqing picked up the wine glass in front of him and downed the strong liquor in one gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the melancholy in his heart. He stood up, straightened his robes, and bowed slightly to Gu Dezhao, who was seated at the head of the table. His voice was calm but carried an undeniable firmness: "Thank you for your hospitality today, Lord Gu and Madam Ji. Xuanqing has important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
Upon hearing this, Gu Dezhao quickly put down his wine cup and tried to persuade him to stay: "Young Master Chen, are you leaving already? The banquet is only halfway through. Please stay a little longer and try the new pastries made by the kitchen."
Aunt Song chimed in, her face beaming with a warm smile: "Yes, Seventh Young Master Chen, the pastries from the Gu family's kitchen are delicious."
Chen Xuanqing simply shook his head, his determination unwavering: "Thank you for your kind offer, but the matter is urgent and cannot be delayed. I will visit you another day to apologize."
After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards the door. His back, illuminated by the candlelight, showed a hint of loneliness, yet also a sense of certainty about the future.
As dusk fell, the blue bricks of the small garden turned a deep gray, and the evening breeze sent rose petals fluttering down onto the bluestone slabs, like scattered snowflakes.
Gu Jinchao stood alone under the trellis of magnolia flowers, the wind lifting a corner of her plain skirt, revealing fingertips that still carried the scent of medicine from when she helped her mother.
She didn't turn around, but she heard very light footsteps behind her.
Gu Xi tightened her grip on the embroidered handkerchief, her gaze falling on her sister's straight back.
In the past, Gu Jinchao was always flamboyant and smiling, but today she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow under her eyes, and even her shoulders revealed an undisguised loneliness.
Gu Xi felt a tightness in her chest. She wanted to go forward and say something comforting, but her tongue seemed to be tied in knots. She only dared to stand three steps away and even breathed softly.
Just then, a clear, melodious tinkling of jade pendants approached, accompanied by a maid's deliberately raised voice announcing, "The Second Miss has arrived—"
Gu Lan, dressed in a light red silk dress, with gold bracelets jingling on her wrists as she walked, was followed by two maids carrying food boxes. Their faces showed just the right amount of concern. As soon as she entered the garden, she called out, "Sister, why are you standing here alone in the wind? Be careful not to hurt yourself."
Upon hearing the voice, Gu Xi instinctively took a half-step back.
She caught a glimpse of Gu Lan approaching out of the corner of her eye, and quickly gave up her spot, twisting her embroidered handkerchief between her fingers, not daring to raise her head.
Gu Lan acted as if she hadn't seen Gu Xi, and walked straight to Gu Jinchao's side, reaching out to grab her arm, but Gu Jinchao subtly avoided her.
She wasn't angry, but sighed, her voice full of indignation on behalf of her sister: "Sister, I was furious when I heard at the banquet that Young Master Chen Qi was already engaged! Since he was already engaged, why was he so attentive to you in the first place? He clearly treated your feelings as a joke!"
She paused deliberately, and seeing that Gu Jinchao's eyes were still downcast, she continued, "But sister, don't be too sad. Our Gu family isn't exactly poor. When Father returns in a few days, I'll definitely put in a good word for you with him and make him choose a husband for you who is ten times better than Chen Xuanqing in terms of family background and looks. Then Chen Xuanqing will see what a wonderful girl he missed, and he'll know that our Gu family's daughters are not to be trifled with!"
Her words seemed to be defending Gu Jinchao, but they also emphasized that "Chen Xuanqing was engaged" and "her father was choosing a good son-in-law," as if she was afraid that others would not know that Gu Jinchao had once been interested in Chen Xuanqing, and as if she was deliberately reminding Gu Jinchao that she was now the one who had been "betrayed".
Gu Jinchao finally slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Gu Lan's "concerned" face, his voice calm and without a ripple: "Thank you for your concern, Second Sister. I don't need you to worry about my affairs."
Gu Lan's fingers, hanging by her side, curled slightly, and a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes.
That's exactly the kind of composed demeanor Gu Jinchao is looking at.
Since her previous "concern" hadn't touched a nerve with Gu Jinchao, she took another step forward, seemingly oblivious to the growing coldness in Gu Jinchao's eyes, and continued to speak in her soft, gentle tone: "But speaking of which, with your outstanding looks, sister, aren't there plenty of young masters in the capital who fall at your feet? Just look at how Young Master Chen looked at you earlier; he was clearly deeply in love, only held back by the engagement."
She paused deliberately, glancing at Gu Xi, who was pale with fright, before slowly adding, "Why don't I try to persuade Father? Given the prestige of our Gu family, it would be good for my sister to marry into the Chen family as a concubine—at least she could be by her beloved's side, which is worse than marrying into an ordinary family in the future."
"Gu Lan!"
These two words seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, carrying a chilling coldness.
Gu Jinchao's hands, which had been hanging down, suddenly clenched, her knuckles turning pale. Her feet, beneath her plain skirt, firmly stomped on a fallen rose petal. The petal's juice slowly seeped through the cracks in the blue bricks, much like the turbulent emotions she was experiencing at that moment.
When she looked up, the calm in her eyes had shattered, replaced by barely suppressed rage, and even her voice trembled almost imperceptibly: "Do you know what you're saying?"
Gu Lan was startled by the stern shout and shrank back, but when she saw that Gu Jinzhao was really about to get angry, she immediately put on a panicked expression.
She quickly covered her mouth with her embroidered handkerchief, her eyes reddening rapidly, as if she had just realized she had said the wrong thing. Her voice was tinged with aggrieved sobs: "Sister, please forgive my slip of the tongue... I... I was just worried that you're having trouble finding a good man, so I made a mistake."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Gu Jinchao. Seeing that his face was still unpleasant, she hurriedly lowered her head, twisting her handkerchief with her fingers and whispering her explanation: "I just think that it's better for Seventh Young Master Chen to have feelings for you than to marry someone unrelated... If you don't like it, just pretend I didn't say anything. Please don't get upset."
Gu Xi, standing to the side, was already trembling with fear, her hand clutching the embroidered handkerchief so tightly it almost tore. She glanced at the furious Gu Jinzhao, then at the feigning grievance of Gu Lan, her lips moved, but she didn't dare utter a single word of reconciliation. She could only take another half step back, wishing she could hide herself in the shadow of the rosewood flower stand.
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