After Ji Zhuo left, Lin Xihe was extremely anxious and hurried towards the west courtyard.
Upon entering the west courtyard, only Xu Qi was in sight; Mu Ruoyan was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Mu Ruoyan?" Lin Xihe asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.
Xu Qi was filled with displeasure and really didn't want to say another word to Lin Xihe. But after all, she was someone her master cherished, so she could only reply indifferently, "I'm leaving."
"Gone?" Lin Xihe was startled upon hearing this. She clearly remembered asking him to wait a moment so she could explain things to him.
"Yeah, I'm leaving." Xu Qi's response was extremely perfunctory. He was annoyed, looking at Lin Xihe and recalling how intimately she and Ji Zhuo had been earlier, hugging and embracing each other—it was truly an eyesore. He couldn't stand it anymore, which was why he had returned to the West Courtyard first.
Lin Xihe was filled with anxiety, desperately wanting to explain things to Mu Ruoyan. She hadn't intentionally broken the agreement; she simply wanted to make a clean break with the past. But most importantly, she was afraid that Mu Ruoyan, in her anger, would make things difficult for Ji Zhuo again.
"Do you know where he went?" Lin Xihe pressed.
"Reporting to Miss, she should have returned to her residence." Xu Qi had also learned of Mu Ruoyan's whereabouts a few days ago.
Their master went to have bloodletting and take a medicinal bath to recuperate. He disappeared for a few days because he was afraid of frightening Lin Xihe.
Who would have thought that upon returning, he would find her in her wedding dress, intimate with another man? Now heartbroken, she naturally wouldn't stay at the Lin residence.
The master was not one to frequent brothels, so in the dark, he must have gone back to his residence.
“Then let’s go there right now,” Lin Xihe said firmly.
"Miss, are you going to hurt my master again?" Xu Qi stared warily at Lin Xihe. He knew it was inappropriate for a subordinate to question her like this, but he couldn't bear to see his master suffer both physical and mental torment.
Lin Xihe understood Xu Qi's wariness and quickly explained, "No, he just misunderstood something. I'll go and explain it to him."
Xu Qi said nothing more, but simply gestured for Lin Xihe to enter.
The two houses were not far apart. After changing into men's clothing, Lin Xihe walked there with Xu Qi.
Upon arriving at the Liu residence, they saw a carriage parked there. Judging from its decorations, it was clearly a woman's carriage. It was almost dusk, and the night was already late. Why would a woman come to visit at this hour? The only master in this residence was Mu Ruoyan; if this woman wasn't here to see him, who else could she be seeing?
Seeing that Lin Xihe was staring at the carriage, Xu Qi couldn't help but ask, "It seems there are guests at the moment. Are you still going, Miss?"
"Go." Lin Xihe's tone was resolute.
She recalled Mu Ruoyan's angry expression when he saw her and Ji Zhuo earlier, and now, seeing this woman's carriage, she couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in her heart.
Isn't he the same?
Lin Xihe recalled that she had only learned that this was Mu Ruoyan's residence a few days ago, but now it seemed that she was not the only one who knew about it.
Her thoughts drifted back to the scene she had witnessed in the teahouse, where Mu Ruoyan was chatting and laughing with others.
The smile on his face at that moment was so relaxed and joyful, completely different from how he looked when facing himself.
Lin Xihe always felt that it was wrong for her to get involved with these people, but wasn't Mu Ruoyan doing the same thing?
It seems that both of them have a hidden side.
Even though she and Mu Ruoyan are destined to be bound together by fate in the future, how they should get along seems to depend on the specific circumstances.
She didn't want to compete for favor with anyone, and if there were others, she didn't need to care about Mu Ruoyan.
Upon seeing Xu Qi, the guards immediately greeted him respectfully and led them inside.
Xu Qi knew that his master had guests present, but his master had specifically instructed him that whenever Lin Xihe came to see him, no matter what the circumstances, he must take her to meet her.
The two walked toward the courtyard where Mu Ruoyan was. Just as they reached the gate, they bumped into a row of servants carrying wine jars as they filed into Mu Ruoyan's courtyard.
Seeing this, Xu Qi stopped one of them and asked in confusion, "It's so late, why are you sending so much wine over?"
"Seventh Master, this is the master's order, and I dare not disobey it."
In Mu Ruoyan's residence, all the servants had undergone years of rigorous training and were highly skilled. They were not ordinary people who only knew how to serve tea and water, so they all referred to themselves as subordinates.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xihe felt a surge of displeasure.
He drinks and makes merry with others late at night, yet he has many demands on himself. This double standard is truly infuriating.
As the two approached the courtyard, Lin Xihe was stopped by the guards outside: "Seventh Master, please enter alone."
It wasn't that the guards were deliberately making things difficult for Lin Xihe; it was simply that there were guests inside, and under these circumstances, no one except those of the Xu generation was allowed to approach.
Xu Qi naturally sensed Lin Xihe's anger. On one hand, he felt that Lin Xihe had brought this upon herself, as she herself had failed to treat her master wholeheartedly. On the other hand, he secretly wondered how his master, who was usually so composed, could have a secret rendezvous with a woman in the middle of the night.
This will only make the already tense relationship between him and Lin Xihe even more strained.
If the two of them were to separate, that would be fine. But if they couldn't separate, wouldn't I have to watch my master get hurt all the time? They might even start arguing all the time!
"Miss, should I go in and announce your arrival?" Xu Qi looked at Lin Xihe and asked softly.
"go!"
Lin Xihe spoke firmly; she wanted to see who was inside the room.
Xu Qi responded and walked into the courtyard.
Lin Xihe stood still, and inadvertently noticed Xu Jiu standing at the door.
She couldn't help but let out a sneer, thinking that as soon as this woman appeared, Xu Jiu showed up. Mu Ruoyan's actions were truly laughable; he arranged for Xu Qi to be himself, but assigned Xu Jiu to someone else.
Where are Xu Yi, Xu Er, Xu San, Xu Si, and Xu Wu?
Since everyone is just like that, why pretend to be all lovey-dovey in front of her!
Xu Qi entered the room. He had been away from Mu Ruoyan for a long time and naturally did not recognize the girl sitting in the room. He avoided the girl and quietly reported to Mu Ruoyan about Lin Xihe's visit.
However, Mu Ruoyan was filled with anger at the moment, and upon hearing this, she only coldly replied that she would not see him.
Xu Qi walked out of the house helplessly. Lin Xihe saw his hesitant expression and immediately understood that Mu Ruoyan did not want to see her.
She had previously felt guilty for hurting Mu Ruoyan, but now, her anger was so intense that she could hardly breathe.
Just because he's with another woman, does that mean he can ignore her? Coming to him herself is completely pointless!
Without saying a word, Lin Xihe turned and left, and Xu Qi quickly followed.
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