The sky was overcast and a wind picked up in the afternoon. Li Yu unfolded his dark cloak and draped it over his master. Hongli left the Fifth Prince's residence, got into the carriage, and kept thinking about what Hongzhou had said to him—pretending to be sick.
This tactic is far too crude; it's a trick usually used by women in the inner quarters to gain a man's attention. It seems inappropriate for a grown man to use such a method.
Hongli hesitated for a long time, wondering whether he should give it a try.
Before he could make up his mind, he returned to his residence and was told by a servant that the Second Young Master Su had come to see him, accompanied by Miss He from Baozhen Tower. The two seemed to have had a falling out and asked him to make the decision.
Hongli was somewhat impatient, thinking to himself that his conflict with Su Yushan had not yet been resolved, so how could he have the mind to uphold justice for others?
But then he thought again, the person who came was Yu Shan's younger brother. If Yu Shan ignored him, she couldn't possibly ignore her own brother.
It seems that Su Jiafeng's arrival was perfectly timed, giving him a convenient excuse to invite Su Yushan over.
Upon learning of her brother's arrival, Su Yushan pondered for a moment and guessed that the two had probably had a conflict because of Xin'er's return.
Hongli had no time to concern himself with such trivial matters, yet he sent someone to fetch her, his purpose quite obvious.
She was reluctant to see Hongli, but since it concerned Su Jiafeng, as her older sister, she couldn't ignore it. Helpless, she got up to change her clothes and then went to the front hall.
When she arrived, she saw that Su Jiafeng and He Yuning had already entered. Judging from their voices, it seemed that He Yuning wanted to break off the engagement.
Su Jiafeng anxiously clarified, "I did not spend time alone with her. I did bring Xin'er to the Fourth Master's residence that day. Because I was waiting for a result, I stayed here for two hours. If you don't believe me, you can ask the Fourth Master. He can testify for me."
Hongli responded calmly, "That is indeed true."
Glancing at him, He Yunning scoffed, "Su Jiafeng, stop trying to evade the issue. Why don't you mention what happened before? I saw you two hugging each other perfectly clearly!"
Upon hearing this, Hongli frowned and looked at Su Jiafeng, thinking to himself, "Could this kid be trying to have his cake and eat it too?"
After having this thought, he suddenly remembered the maids in his backyard and suddenly lost the confidence to question them.
Hearing this from outside, Su Yushan could no longer contain herself and stepped into the room. "Jiafeng, what exactly is going on? You're about to get married, so why are you still entangled with Xin'er?"
Su Yushan hadn't spoken to him for two or three days, and Hongli was pleasantly surprised to hear her long-lost voice. It was just a pity that she was talking to her younger brother, not to him.
While she was thinking, Su Jiafeng said, "Sister, I'm innocent! It was Xin'er who hugged me that day. I quickly pushed her away and told her about my upcoming marriage. There was no conflict between us."
Recalling that day, He Yuning sneered and bluntly exposed, "She asked you if you didn't like me and were only marrying me out of a sense of responsibility, and you didn't deny it at all! Since you're unwilling in your heart, I will never force you to marry me, and this marriage will be called off."
"Jiafeng, a real man should be decisive. You need to make a decision about which one to choose." As soon as he finished speaking, Hongli caught a glimpse of Su Yushan's scrutinizing gaze and immediately looked away guiltily.
He has a lot of women in his backyard, so he really has no right to criticize Su Jiafeng.
Hongli coughed lightly and picked up his teacup to cover his embarrassment.
He Yuning knew that he had always been fond of Xin'er, and now that Xin'er was back, he would naturally choose her. It was an obvious matter, so why ask further? Being chosen by someone else was the saddest thing, and if a man hesitated, it proved that his feelings were not firm.
Raising her head slightly, He Yunning said coldly, "I don't care what choice he makes. I don't want him anymore!"
After uttering those harsh words, He Yuning turned to leave, but Su Jiafeng grabbed her wrist, her voice filled with anxiety, "You didn't even let me finish speaking, how could you sentence me to death?"
Even Su Yushan, an observer, was getting anxious. "When Xin'er asked you, how did you respond?"
After thinking it over carefully, Su Jiafeng said truthfully, "What I told her at the time was that the matter between Yun Ning and me was rather complicated and could not be explained in a few words."
That's really infuriating. "Even if it's Yun Ning, it makes me angry. What exactly is this 'complexity' you're talking about? Jia Feng, a man must be responsible. You need to be clear about your own feelings and not be ambiguous."
With things having escalated to this point, Su Jiafeng could no longer hide anything. She steeled herself and spoke her mind directly, "Actually, when I first came to Baozhenlou, I was indeed attracted to Yun Ning. She is beautiful and kind-hearted, and she has the courage to do things. Who wouldn't admire a girl like that?"
But she was, after all, the daughter of Baozhenlou, of noble status, while I was just a poor young man who had just arrived in the capital. I could only admire her and dared not have any improper thoughts.
Later, I saw a scholar deliver a letter to her, but she tore it up in front of him and scoffed at him for having neither money nor official rank, so why should he have any designs on her?
I thought she looked down on poor people, so after that I deliberately distanced myself from her and dared not approach her again.
Su Jiafeng actually witnessed that? He Yun Ning was speechless and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"A scholar? Don't assume someone is a scholar just because they dress well. You have no idea what kind of person he is. He often writes to me, and at first, out of respect, I opened and read them. But what he wrote about—the goddess of Wushan—was vulgar and obscene. What kind of scholar is he? Should I respect someone like that? Cursing him is too lenient!"
Upon learning the truth, Su Jiafeng was shocked. "So you're a refined scoundrel! Then... then I misunderstood you?"
As a fellow man, Hongli understood Su Jiafeng's thoughts all too well. "You mistakenly thought that Miss He was a materialistic woman who cared about money, so you extinguished that glimmer of affection. Coincidentally, Xin'er came to Baozhen Tower, and you felt that you and she were both ordinary people with unfortunate lives, so you could talk to each other and gradually grew closer to her?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
