Chapter 196 I Shouldn't Have Suspected You
Shen Qingyuan smiled, "I hope you and Azhi will be happy. If you need anything related to Western Region medicinal herbs in the future, feel free to contact me anytime, and I will try my best to help."
"Okay, I'll have to trouble Miss Chen again in the future." Ye Wanning nodded emphatically, gripping the letter even tighter.
Sitting in her study that evening, Ye Wanning's guilt grew heavier and heavier. She remembered that day on the street corner, when Pei Zhi was so eager to explain, but she coldly said, "It has nothing to do with me." How hurtful those words were! How aggrieved Pei Zhi must have felt at that moment?
No, she had to apologize. Ye Wanning got up and walked quickly towards the door.
Seeing her anxious look, Chuntao couldn't help but ask, "Miss, where are you going?"
"I'm looking for Pei Zhi," Ye Wanning said urgently. "I have something to say to him."
She soon arrived at the entrance of the Pei residence, where a guard respectfully asked, "Madam Ye, are you looking for Lord Pei?"
"Yes, is he at the manor?" Ye Wanning nodded, her heart pounding.
"Lord Pei is in his study. I'll go inform him right away." The guard said and ran inside.
A moment later, Pei Zhi hurried out and, seeing her, asked with a mixture of joy and suspicion, "Wan Ning, what brings you here? What happened?"
Ye Wanning blushed, somewhat embarrassed: "Pei Zhi, I...I have something to tell you, can we go inside and talk?"
"Of course you can." Pei Zhi stepped aside to let her in, wondering what was wrong with her.
Entering the study and seeing the familiar furnishings, Ye Wanning became even more nervous. She took a deep breath, turned to face Pei Zhi, and mustered her courage to say, "Pei Zhi, I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?" Pei Zhi looked at her in surprise.
“That day on the street corner, I misunderstood you and Miss Shen and said a lot of hurtful things.” Ye Wanning choked up a little. “I shouldn’t have suspected you without knowing the facts, and I shouldn’t have denied your love because of the past.”
“Miss Shen came to see me today and showed me her fiancé’s letter, explaining your relationship. Only then did I realize how wrong I had been.”
She looked up at Pei Zhi, her eyes filled with apology: "Pei Zhi, I'm sorry, I've made you suffer."
Pei Zhi looked at her reddened eyes and felt only heartache. He stepped forward and took her hand: "Wan Ning, I don't blame you."
“I know you didn’t mean it, you were just scared,” Pei Zhi said. “The hurt from your past life has made you afraid, I don’t blame you. As long as you understand now and don’t misunderstand me, that’s fine.”
Ye Wanning's tears still fell: "But I was really awful, so cold to you, and I said hurtful things to you..."
"Don't cry." Pei Zhi reached out and wiped her cheeks. "Seeing you cry makes me feel bad too. And the fact that you took the initiative to apologize shows that you care about me, and that's enough."
The warmth of her fingertips made Ye Wanning's cheeks flush and her heart race. She didn't pull away; the guilt in her heart was replaced by sweetness.
“Pei Zhi,” Ye Wanning said earnestly, “I will no longer make wild guesses about you. I will trust you and forget the shadows of the past.”
Pei Zhi's eyes lit up: "Wan Ning, are you serious?"
"Yes." Ye Wanning nodded emphatically. "I want to live a good life with you and don't want to hurt each other because of misunderstandings."
Pei Zhi smiled, his voice trembling slightly: "That's wonderful, Wan Ning, that's wonderful."
He gently pulled her into his arms. Ye Wanning stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and leaned against him.
Pei Zhi's embrace was warm and firm, and the sandalwood scent inexplicably reassured her. Listening to his strong heartbeat, her defenses crumbled, leaving only dependence and love.
Pei Zhi leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for believing in me. I promise I will treat you well for the rest of my life, never betray you, and never let you suffer."
The warm air made her cheeks tingle, and Ye Wanning blushed even more. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest. She softly hummed in agreement and buried herself in his arms to feel the warmth.
The study was quiet, with only the two of them breathing and their heartbeats, and the ambiguous feelings between them grew stronger.
After what seemed like an eternity, Pei Zhi gently released her, his eyes filled with tenderness: "Are you hungry? The kitchen has made your favorite red bean paste cakes and millet porridge. Let's eat together."
Ye Wanning nodded, blushing and not daring to look at him: "Okay."
Pei Zhi helped her to the dining room, where food and red bean paste cakes were already laid out on the table. Ye Wanning felt a warm glow in her heart as she watched him serve her food, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.
"By the way, how's the promotion of the remedy for smallpox going?" Ye Wanning asked while eating.
"Progress is very fast," Pei Zhi said. "After you made the secret recipe for cultivating purple gromwell public, people started growing it. There is no shortage of purple gromwell, and the price has dropped. Many people can afford the medicine, and the mortality rate from smallpox has decreased significantly."
He paused, his tone worried: "However, the pedantic officials in the Imperial Medical Academy are unhappy. They feel that you, a folk doctor, are overshadowing them, and they have joined forces with Dong Tianliang's remaining followers to impeach you, trying to obstruct the implementation of the effective prescriptions."
Ye Wanning's eyes turned cold: "These people are really stubborn. As long as it benefits the people, I am not afraid of their impeachment."
"Don't worry, I'm here." Pei Zhi held her hand, his eyes firm. "If they dare to impeach you, I will definitely argue in court and I will never let them succeed."
Looking into his determined eyes, Ye Wanning was deeply moved: "Thank you, Pei Zhi."
"Why are you being so polite with me? Your problems are my problems." Pei Zhi smiled. "We'll face any difficulties together."
Ye Wanning nodded, feeling more confident. With Pei Zhi by her side, she dared to face any storm.
After dinner, Pei Zhi accompanied Ye Wanning for a stroll in the Pei residence's garden. The garden was bursting with spring blossoms, a riot of colors. The two walked side-by-side on the stone path, exchanging smiles from time to time, their eyes filled with tenderness and unspoken understanding.
Ye Wanning was in a good mood, and a relaxed smile finally appeared on her face. She suddenly asked, "Are you planning to attend Miss Shen's wedding?"
“Qingyuan and I have been friends for many years, so I’ll definitely go to congratulate her on her wedding,” Pei Zhi said. “I’ll take you with me, okay?”
Ye Wanning nodded: "Okay. We should send them a gift to wish them a lifetime of love."
“I’ve already had them prepared; they’re a pair of jade bracelets from Hetian in the Western Regions. Qingyuan will like them,” Pei Zhi said.
The two chatted for a while, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the garden entrance. Ye Wanning stopped and said, "It's getting late, I'm going back."
"I'll take you," Pei Zhi said.
"No need, I can go back by myself," Ye Wanning said. "You still have a lot of things to take care of, don't waste your time."
Pei Zhi's eyes were full of reluctance: "Then be careful on your journey, and send someone to tell me if anything happens."
"Okay." Ye Wanning nodded and turned around.
"Wan Ning," Pei Zhi suddenly called out to her.
Ye Wanning turned around: "What's wrong?"
Pei Zhi stepped forward and gently took her hand, his eyes tender: "I'm so happy to hear you say you believe in me today."
Ye Wanning's cheeks flushed, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips: "Me too."
Pei Zhi looked at her smile and couldn't help but lower his head to gently kiss her forehead. The warm touch carried the scent of sandalwood, and Ye Wanning's body stiffened, her face instantly flushed, and her heart raced.
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