Chapter 167 What's the Jealous Miss doing here?
"What did you say?"
After Ye Miheng finished explaining his purpose, Yue Yining looked astonished: "...My master has come to Yanjing?"
"Yes. I only received the letter today. My master said in the letter that Venerable Qiu has handed over all the miscellaneous affairs of the temple to the Grand Celestial Masters and went down the mountain alone. It takes at least three days for a letter to travel from Yingchuan to the capital. I suppose she should be almost there by now."
Ye Miheng said enviously, "That's wonderful! I also want my master to come to Yanjing to see me. Qingyun Temple is right in Jinling, which is much closer than Yingchuan."
“I asked her, and she said she couldn’t come. I think she finds it too troublesome to come to the capital. Venerable Qiu is different. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She keeps saying that she will no longer recognize you as her disciple, but she still cares about you in her heart.”
Ye Miheng talked for a long time without getting a response. When he looked up, he found that Yue Yining was in a daze.
Yue Yining sat stiffly, her ears ringing, her mind a jumbled mess.
If there is one person in this world who is most important to her, it must be Qiu Wuzhu.
Without Qiu Wuzhu, she wouldn't be who she is today. Even though her master no longer wants to see her and no longer acknowledges her as his disciple, she still can't remain calm and indifferent when it comes to Qiu Wuzhu.
“…No, that’s not right,” Yue Yining murmured. “Master didn’t come to see me.”
"Besides you, Venerable Qiu, what other reason could you possibly have to come to the capital? It's not easy to come all the way from Yingchuan, and the journey must have been arduous. If there wasn't a compelling reason for you to come, who would come?"
“...You don’t understand her.” Yue Yining sighed, and finally said nothing more. She looked up at him, “But thank you anyway. You even made this special trip to deliver these messages for me.”
Ye Miheng's face suddenly turned red, and his eyes darted around.
He coughed twice: "...Who said I was just here to deliver a message?"
Yue Yining was taken aback for a moment, then he said hesitantly, "Couldn't I have come to see your new home and, by the way, you? You've been living outside the Princess's residence for so many days now."
Ye Miheng was waiting for Yue Yining to invite him to her house, but after several days, there was still no sign of her. He realized that she had never thought of him.
Ye Miheng was initially very angry, so angry that his nose was crooked, but after a few days he managed to calm himself down and swallowed his anger as he took the initiative to visit.
Although Yue Yining didn't know exactly what he was thinking, she could guess pretty much from his expression.
Yue Yining tried to make amends: "That's true, I've been too busy these past few days and forgot to invite you."
“I didn’t know until I came to see it. Your house is quite exquisite. You must have started preparing it a year ago, right?” Ye Miheng looked at the bamboo forest and pine forest in the distance, then looked away and raised an eyebrow at her. “Leaving aside the materials and furnishings, the garden design, just the fact that this house is located in the center of the capital and yet still manages to be quiet amidst the hustle and bustle is something that money alone cannot achieve.”
"The princess is really good to you, she's gone to great lengths to arrange such a place for you to stay."
Yue Yining didn't reply. She shook her teacup, the little tea left inside bobbing up and down.
She hesitated, carefully choosing her words, and even Ye Miheng, who was usually oblivious to hidden meanings, noticed this. He paused, "Wasn't this house a gift from the Princess?"
"Who is that? The Third Prince? You know a third minister with this ability?"
"It's Xie Qingyu."
As soon as Yue Yining finished speaking, the courtyard, which had been bathed in the spring breeze, instantly turned so cold it was almost frozen.
Ye Miheng's face turned extremely ugly, as if he had swallowed a lump of feces.
"...Xie Qingyu?" Ye Miheng repeated each word slowly and deliberately, still incredulous. "Why would he suddenly give you something so valuable? What does he mean—no, putting that aside, why did you accept it so readily?"
Yue Yining glanced at his expression, sighed inwardly, but knew that a swift and decisive action was the best course of action, so she hardened her heart.
She coughed twice: "...I have something to tell you, but don't be angry."
Yue Yining edited and revised her current relationship with Xie Qingyu, removing details that could easily drive people crazy, and gave a rough and general account.
But it was only a rough outline. After hearing it, Ye Miheng almost overturned her tea table.
Yue Yining looked at Ye Miheng, who was pacing back and forth like a headless fly in front of her, clearly on the verge of madness, and mumbled, "I already told you not to be angry after you hear this—"
"How can I not be angry?! Huh?!" Ye Miheng roared, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at her. "I just don't understand! Why do you like him?!"
"I'm a lecher, didn't I say that?"
Ye Miheng didn't believe it at all. He knew Yue Yining and knew she was serious this time.
It was precisely because he knew this that he couldn't understand or accept it: "Are you crazy? He's the eldest son of a powerful family, the head of the Xie family, the most prestigious family in the capital! Do you know what this means?"
"Do you really want to marry him? To spend your days at home managing his household affairs, coordinating the relationships of that large family, locked up in a high-class mansion, with even a long trip a luxury? Is this the life you envision? Or do you think he would give up his high position, his brothers and sisters, the entire Xie family and all the power he has now, to wander the world with you, travel and enjoy life as a pair of illicit lovers? Huh? Do you think that's realistic?"
Yue Yining knew he was getting angry, so she didn't argue with him but just listened quietly.
Ye Miheng, panting heavily, launched into a long speech, then slammed his fist on the table, causing two celadon teacups filled with water to jump. "Say something! What are you thinking?!"
"I haven't thought about it much," Yue Yining replied. "I don't always weigh the pros and cons of everything; I only do things after I have a foolproof plan."
“I can be shortsighted and superficial, only caring about what’s in front of me, and I can also be impulsive and arrogant, not caring about the consequences. I’ve thought about all of these things you’ve mentioned, but I don’t care anymore.”
There are many reasons why Yue Yining cannot tell Ye Miheng, such as Xie Qingyu not being the real eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Qingyu being willing to risk his life for her, and her not knowing if she will have a future.
Perhaps she will be the one to betray this relationship first, and she will pass away before him.
She knew that accepting his love was a selfish decision. This was also her greatest guilt towards Xie Qingyu.
She could feel Ye Miheng staring at her, his gaze burning intensely. His chest heaved violently before her eyes. Yue Yining dared not look up at him, but suddenly a few drops of water fell in front of her.
Yue Yining was stunned.
A suppressed sob reached his ears, a mixture of hatred and resentment, a powerful emotion choked in the boy's throat: "Why...why him? What's so good about him? What do I lack...?"
"Ye Miheng!" Yue Yining stopped him, not letting him finish speaking.
The air suddenly became still.
After a long while, Ye Miheng gave a self-deprecating laugh: "...So you already knew."
"Yeah, you probably think I'm stupid and overestimating myself." He clearly likes her, but he never knows how to express it frankly, like a child who hasn't grown up.
"I don't think so." Yue Yining sighed. This was the third time she had sighed today. She couldn't bear to see him like this, so she softened her voice, "Please don't cry, okay?"
Ye Miheng complained, "You've already rejected me, can't I even cry?"
"...That's not what I meant." For the first time, Yue Yining felt tongue-tied. She scratched the back of her head, unable to squeeze out another word.
Ye Miheng sat silently in front of her, crying to himself. The man who had always lived a life of fierceness and would rather bleed than shed a tear was now red-eyed, as if he had been punched in the eye and was about to cry out all the tears he had in his life.
"Look at you like this, people will think I did something to you." Yue Yining was completely at a loss. "I'm not that great either. There are plenty of good daughters in the world. You'll meet someone better and more worthy of your love in the future. Don't be sad."
"...No, it won't happen again." Ye Miheng said softly, his voice hoarse and nasal. "There will never be anyone better than you."
Yue Yining was stunned for a moment. After Ye Miheng finished speaking, he raised his hand and wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, finally stopping his tears.
He looked at her with his big, red eyes and said, "Forget it. I'm not the kind of person who clings on relentlessly. I'm just a little unwilling to give up."
He was unwilling to accept defeat, having lost to someone who arrived so much later than him.
"Seven days from now, Hengbo Lake will be holding a spring lake tour," Ye Miheng said in a hoarse voice. "...Yue Yining, you will come with me."
"I came here to invite you, but before I could even say it, it turned out like this." His voice lowered, almost pleading, "...Please say yes."
"This is the last time. Just let me give up."
Yue Yining had already softened a bit from his crying and had no choice but to agree readily: "Okay, it's settled then."
Once the agreement was made, Yue Yining took it to heart.
But to her surprise, just two days later, Xie Qingyu came to her residence and brought up the matter as well.
"Do you have any plans for the afternoon of the first day of the third month?" Xie Qingyu asked. "I've been quite busy lately, and I was thinking that I'd like to take a walk with you that day, Miss."
"It's early spring in Beijing, and the markets are bustling with activity. There are many interesting little things to see and do, and it's quite fun to stroll around and play."
“Sure,” Yue Yining readily agreed. However, she remembered her invitation to Ye Miheng that day. “But I can’t make it on the first day of the lunar month. I have other plans.”
"Let's go on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Do you have official business on the second day?"
"No. Then let's go with the second year of junior high."
Yue Yining assumed Xie Qingyu's whim was just a passing fancy and didn't think much of it, so she buried herself back in her work.
Xie Qingyu, who was sitting to her side, remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.
After a while, he slowly spoke again: "...I heard that on the first day of the month, Hengbo Lake will hold a spring lake tour party. At that time, painted boats will gather and tourists will flock to the lake. It will surely be a rare and magnificent sight."
Yue Yining paused writing, then heard Xie Qingyu say leisurely, "It's rare to see the capital so lively; I'd really like to go and take a look."
Alarm bells rang in her mind, and she quickly asked, "Are you going?"
The mere thought of such a possibility made Yue Yining break out in a cold sweat.
Heavens! She didn't even dare to think about what would happen if she and Ye Miheng went together, and they bumped into Xie Qingyu by the lake or on a pleasure boat...
Forget about what will happen to those two, she's going crazy first.
"No, that's not it." Xie Qingyu comforted her, smiling gently. "I just wanted to go to the grand event with Miss. Since Miss can't get away that day, it would be boring for me to go boating on the lake alone."
Yue Yining immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
This means I won't go.
Hearing Xie Qingyu's words, Yue Yining felt inexplicably guilty and ashamed.
She pondered for a while and realized that she was somewhat like a wife about to have a secret rendezvous with her lover, while Xie Qingyu was an oblivious and as gentle and considerate husband as ever.
...Wait, what is all this about? It's all a mess!
She wasn't looking for a heartless man to have fun with, and Ye Miheng had already said this was the last time.
This is also why Yue Yining didn't tell Xie Qingyu. If she did, Xie Qingyu would definitely be unhappy again, and she would have to go through all the trouble of explaining. Anyway, it's the last time, so once she goes, that's it, and she can find another opportunity to explain to Xie Qingyu later.
Despite thinking this way, Yue Yining hesitated for a while.
A voice inside her was telling her that it was best not to hide it from him.
After much hesitation, Yue Yining nearly split the calligraphy brush in her hand. Finally, she stammered, "Xie Qingyu..."
"Hmm?" Xie Qingyu, who had been looking down at the account books, looked up at her again, her expression as usual. "Miss, what's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing."
Yue Yining still didn't say it.
The first day of the third lunar month has arrived, with a rainbow stretching a thousand feet across the clear sky and a verdant screen extending for ten miles. The grand event has just begun, and several painted boats leisurely sail away from the willow-lined banks. The vast expanse of Hengbo Lake is shrouded in mist, and the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments accompany the clamor of tourists, lingering in the air. They ripple on the warm breeze above the shimmering golden light, like clouds floating on water, an inverted sky.
Ye Miheng had clearly dressed up carefully today. His eyes lit up when he saw Yue Yining, and he led her onto an extremely magnificent three-story pleasure boat.
This pleasure boat, named "Hua Chong Shan," is the most lively, expensive, and renowned large pleasure boat on Hengbo Lake.
"I finally managed to book a private room on the second floor. The location is superb, with a panoramic view. It's surrounded by windows on three sides, offering a complete view of the lake. Plus, it's very quiet, unlike the crowded and noisy main hall downstairs." Ye Miheng's tone carried a hint of unintentional boasting, and a touch of pride. "What do you think?"
"It's fine." Yue Yining said somewhat absentmindedly.
Her gaze swept over the group of guests chatting and laughing in the hall, and the boats lining the windows. A vague unease in her heart swayed like water plants growing on a lake, gently rocking with the slight movement of the painted boat.
Ye Miheng, unaware of her unusual behavior, enthusiastically led her into the private room.
From the moment he boarded the ship until he took his seat, Ye Miheng chattered incessantly, describing the scenery outside the window, the room's furnishings, and the snacks and tea he had carefully prepared, as if reciting a familiar story.
His enthusiasm and thoughtfulness were like an invisible, airtight net, making Yue Yining feel a little breathless.
The inexplicable panic and anxiety not only did not subside, but intensified.
"I...I feel a bit stuffy." Yue Yining finally couldn't help but stand up, interrupting Ye Miheng's excitement. "I'm going out for some fresh air and I'll come back later."
Ye Miheng was taken aback for a moment: "Huh? Okay, then go and come back quickly."
Yue Yining practically fled the private room.
Only after closing the door and shutting out the sounds inside did she seem to regain the ability to breathe.
I don't know what's wrong with me today. I've been feeling uneasy ever since I left the house, and my heart is beating faster than usual.
...Could it be that you didn't sleep well last night?
The long corridor on the second floor of the painted boat was deserted, and Yue Yining walked slowly forward.
As she reached a corner, she was distracted and didn't pay attention to what was ahead, nearly bumping into an embrace that carried a faint, cool fragrance.
She managed to stop in time, but almost fell. Fortunately, the other person quickly grabbed her wrist.
Yue Yining steadied herself and subconsciously looked up to apologize, "I'm so sorry..."
The last word "住" (zhu, meaning "to live") got stuck in his throat and he couldn't spit it out.
The first thing that catches the eye is a snow-white brocade robe with cloud patterns, covering a tall and slender figure, its radiance rising and falling with the person's soft breathing. Above that, a jade crown binds long, jet-black hair, and beneath a pair of bright, pearly eyes and a high, straight nose, two pale pink lips are slightly pursed.
Yue Yining was dumbfounded.
The person she almost bumped into was Xie Qingyu.
He was dressed in his finest attire today, and his radiant appearance almost dazzled her.
Xie Qingyu held her wrist, and seeing that she had regained her footing, he did not immediately let go. The light and shadow cast by the carved wooden window cast a soft halo over his profile, making him appear elegant and noble, unlike anyone else in the mortal world.
Yue Yining's mind went blank, and she stared at him blankly.
Xie Qingyu recognized the person who had arrived, and a perfectly timed look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
He spoke, a hint of hesitation in his voice: "...Miss?"
"What are you doing here?" Xie Qingyu asked softly. "...Didn't you say there were already arrangements for today?"
Yue Yining's heart skipped a beat. His voice was gentle, yet it struck like a thunderbolt.
"I...I..." She opened her mouth, her mind a complete blank. She hadn't even considered why Xie Qingyu was there. For the first time, she was so flustered that she couldn't speak coherently. "Listen to me, I am..."
Just then, Ye Miheng's voice suddenly came from behind her:
"Yue Yining! Slow down, I'll go with you—"
Before Ye Miheng could finish speaking, he had already appeared around the corner.
A tall figure suddenly burst into the small space, abruptly cutting off the words he was about to say.
Ye Miheng was caught off guard and came face to face with the two of them. He saw Yue Yining and Xie Qingyu standing together, and her hand was on Xie Qingyu's sleeve.
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Yue Yining didn't even dare to look at Xie Qingyu's expression.
A chilling sensation rose from the soles of my feet and instantly spread throughout my body.
That's it. That was the only thought in her mind.
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Author's Note: This shady jade has been secretly watching Ningning all along... He knew Ye had gone to see Ningning and had been waiting for her to speak to him, but she hadn't. He even extended an invitation, trying to squeeze out Ye, but in the end, it was Ningning who turned down his invitation. [Please!]
Yu Yu's expression: (Gentle) What are you doing here, Miss?
Yu Yu's inner thoughts: Why did I come out with him? Why didn't he tell me? Why, why, why? (crawling in the shadows) (crazy jealousy) (crying loudly) (pouncing on Ye Miheng and tearing at him) (pouring ten catties of laxative into Ye Miheng's tea)
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