Chapter 4
Golden sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, bathing the vegetation along the official road in a soft, warm hue. The distant mountain ranges were clearly outlined by the sunlight, their bluish-gray peaks undulating like waves, while the sky was a clear, unblemished blue.
Inside the carriage, light filtered through the gauze curtains, dappling Gu Jinzhao's sleeves. Tiny dust particles floated in the beams of light, like a silent snowfall.
Chen Xuanqing rode alongside the carriage. Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, lifting the carriage curtains and revealing a corner of the interior. He glanced sideways—
She tilted her head slightly, letting the sunlight caress her cheeks, making even her eyelashes appear almost transparent.
Chen Xuanqing's lips unconsciously curved upwards, and the gloom that had been hanging over him for days finally faded from his eyes. As if infected by the fine weather, even his brows relaxed a bit.
In his past life, he always thought Gu Jinchao was a poisonous rose with thorns. Her charming smile was seen as a scheming scheme in his eyes, and her lively eyes were interpreted as a cunning test.
Back then, he avoided her like the plague, responding coldly to every attempt she made to speak to him, and even when she turned away with red eyes, he felt only a sense of relief and annoyance. But now, looking back, weren't those gestures of kindness he scoffed at just the clumsy sincerity of a young girl?
It turns out that when she looks at something intently, her eyelashes flutter gently like butterfly wings; it turns out that when she frowns from the swaying of the carriage, the tip of her nose unconsciously wrinkles into a small arc. These subtle details, which he had completely overlooked due to his prejudice in his previous life, are now like pebbles thrown into a lake of his heart, rippling out gentle waves.
As if sensing his overly focused gaze, Gu Jinchao suddenly turned his head.
The moment their eyes met, Chen Xuanqing clearly saw his reflection in her pupils. There was no calculation in her eyes, only pure surprise and shyness.
Her cheeks flushed crimson at a visible speed, spreading from her ears all the way down to her neck, like rouge spreading on fine rice paper.
With a soft "whoosh," she hastily pulled down the carriage curtain, cutting off any eye contact.
But Chen Xuanqing's heart skipped a beat for no reason. The shyness in that fleeting glance was like a piece of candy coated in honey, slowly melting in his heart.
He couldn't help but chuckle. It turned out that from a different perspective, those sharp edges that were once considered malicious had become adorable charms.
A warm breeze blew past the window. Chen Xuanqing leaned against the window, his fingertips gently tapping the carriage wall, eagerly anticipating the next time the curtain was lifted, hoping to see her blushing face again.
As dusk crept over the carriage windows, bathing the carriage in a somber orange hue, the mauve curtain remained unopened.
Chen Xuanqing's gaze at the curtain held no trace of disappointment, but rather a growing sense of warmth and determination.
The creaking sound of lanterns being hung by shopkeepers came from the side of the official road, casting dappled light on the back of his hand.
Those fragmented images suddenly surged up, yet they carried a hazy, blurry quality. He didn't know if these could be considered memories of a past life; they were more like a long and vivid dream.
In my dream, I was in the warm pavilion on the west side, with a charcoal fire burning brightly and a faint sandalwood scent filling the air.
He stood before her, his throat tightening, and asked in a low voice, "You clearly liked me before, so why don't you like me anymore?"
He remembered that she was stunned at the time, her eyes, which were always smiling, were full of astonishment. After a long while, she whispered to him that her admiration for him was just youthful ignorance and should not be taken seriously.
She also said that she was already his stepmother, and their relationship was settled, so he shouldn't have said such things.
The word "stepmother" pierced his heart like a needle chilled to the bone. He wanted to argue, to question, but before he could even open his mouth, his father walked in with a cold face, his gloomy gaze sweeping over the two of them with an unyielding authority.
He couldn't remember what happened after that, only that no matter how strong the charcoal fire was that night, it couldn't warm the coldness in his heart.
"Heh," Chen Xuanqing chuckled softly, his laughter carrying a sense of bewilderment and self-mockery regarding this hazy past.
As the carriage crossed the stone bridge, splashing water, he reached up and placed his hand on his heart, where it was beating steadily, more vibrant and powerful than ever before. Whether it was a past life or a dream, at least at this moment, his feelings were incredibly real.
Reborn into this world, fate finally gave him a chance to make amends.
He took out a plain silver hairpin from his sleeve, the head of which was carved with delicate peach blossoms. He had bought it this morning when he passed by a jewelry shop.
His fingertips traced the cool hairpin, and he carefully planned in his mind: After returning to the capital, he would first go to the Yu family to clarify the annulment of the engagement, and he would never back down even if he had to face the rebuke of the elders and the criticism of relatives and friends. Then he would prepare generous gifts and go to the Gu family to propose marriage, to marry her in a grand and glorious manner, to make her his, Chen Xuanqing's, only wife, and never have to suffer any more grievances.
Just as he was pondering, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar. The guard in front reined in his horse, rode up to Chen Xuanqing's side, and said respectfully, "Seventh Young Master, it is getting late, and the road ahead is difficult to travel at night. Why don't we find an inn to stay for the night and set off again tomorrow?"
Chen Xuanqing was overjoyed; this suggestion was exactly what he wanted.
He had been secretly thinking about how to spend more time with Gu Jinzhao, and the guard's words were undoubtedly an opportunity delivered to his doorstep. He suppressed his excitement and kept his face calm, but the smile in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
He nodded slightly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of lightness: "Okay."
After receiving the order, the guards rode off to investigate.
Chen Xuanqing's gaze unconsciously fell on the lotus-colored carriage curtain again.
He imagined Gu Jinchao inside, perhaps gazing out the window at the night, or perhaps quietly turning the pages of a book.
The thought of spending a whole night with her under the same roof, even if they were only a few rooms apart, made his heart race.
He coughed lightly, trying to make his tone sound natural, and said towards the direction of the carriage curtain, "Miss Gu, the guards ahead said it's getting late, so we'll rest at the inn ahead tonight and continue our journey tomorrow. Is that alright?"
There was a moment of silence inside the carriage, then Gu Jinchao's gentle voice came: "We will follow Young Master Chen's arrangements."
The sound carried the tranquility of the night, gently caressing Chen Xuanqing's heart like a feather, making him even more eager for the time he would spend at the inn.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com