The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 29

Two days quickly passed by after that. 

The sky was clear today. The rain that had been falling intermittently for the past ten days had finally ceased. However, the temperature after the downpour was even more stifling and hot, almost unbearably so. The servants of the marquis’ residence had downcast expressions on their faces, and they worked sluggishly, as their hands couldn’t move as quickly as they usually could due to the suffocating heat. 

The weather was extremely hot. That day, many words of anger and complaints were heard in the marquis’ residence because of it.

In such hot weather, even the normally energetic children wouldn’t have any desire to play. Madame Gu was busy with something, so she left Gu Huailang alone in the room to entertain himself. The room had an ice container, so it was still somewhat cool. He sat quietly and played with some trinkets on the couch.

Several maidservants had gathered in the room. Since no one else was around, they decided to hide in the inner chamber to cool off. If anyone asked, they would simply claim they were there to look after the young master.

The maids began chatting.

“Have you heard? Miss Jiang is going to be betrothed soon.”

Someone nearby responded, “Of course, I’ve heard. The Jiang family has been making quite a stir lately. I hear she’s been in frequent contact with the young master of the Fang family. It looks like they’ll announce their betrothal soon.”

“Ah, I wonder what they’re thinking. The Fang family is only a sixth-rank family; it really doesn’t seem fitting for her to marry into a family like that.”

One of the maids sneered and said, “Well, she’s not even really their daughter, is she? When a child’s not truly part of the family, they’re bound to be treated a bit less seriously. Now that the real eldest daughter of the Jiang family is back, of course, they’ll just marry her off to some random family.”

The other maids didn’t respond to her remark.

They actually liked Miss Jiang quite a bit. In the past, Jiang Jingchun often came to the marquis’ residence. Sometimes she came to visit Gu Huaisheng, but he was often away, so she would sometimes spend time with Gu Huailang. There was one occasion where, like today, they were hiding in the room to cool off when Jiang Jingchun came in.

At first, the maids thought she might scold them, but instead, she just smiled at them and chatted with them. Moreover, when she left, she didn’t reveal anything about them lounging around and being lazy. 

When they heard someone say something bad about her, none of them felt any inclination to reply in agreement.

The maid who had been speaking unkindly grew more confident when no one replied. She said, “She was always so annoying, making a fuss, complaining constantly. Now that she’s recognised her place, it’s finally quiet.”

Ever since Jiang Jinghui had returned, Jiang Jingchun had never come to the marquis’ residence again. None of the maids knew what had truly happened, but they assumed she had realised she wasn’t the real Jiang family daughter and was too embarrassed to come back.

The other maids couldn’t bear hearing the other maid speak so unpleasantly about Jiang Jingchun anymore, so one of them said to her, “What’s with your rude words? She never caused you any trouble, did she?”

“I’m just speaking the truth. Why are you getting so worked up over her?”

Just as it looked like a fight was about to break out between the maids, Gu Huailang, who had been sitting quietly on the couch, suddenly came over to them.

He stood barefoot in front of them, then pointed his finger at the maid who had spoken badly, and said, “You’re not allowed to stay here. Get out.”

As his small figure stood in front of them, his face showed irritation and his eyes flashed with anger.

He had clearly heard everything they said.

The maid was unwilling to leave and was about to say something else, but Gu Huailang continued, “Why aren’t you going out? Is it because you want your fellow maids to go with you as well?”

Despite his childish voice, the words he spoke carried an authority unbefitting of his age.

He told her that if she didn’t leave, he would make the others follow her out.

These other maids had been comfortably hiding inside to cool off, but now they were being unjustly dragged into the situation and were at risk of being driven out of the room as well. How could they not resent her for it?

This child…

He may be young, but his mind is already so sharp.

The maid, hearing his words, dared not argue any further and left with a sullen face.

She stood outside the door, while Gu Huailang climbed back onto the couch and continued playing with his trinkets.

However, the things they had said earlier still lingered in his mind. He suddenly remembered that it had been quite some time since Cousin Jiang last visited.

He fiddled distractedly with the things in his hands. Not long after, he heard the sound of people greeting outside.

“Greetings, Young Marquis.”

It was the voice of the maid Gu Huailang had just sent out. Her voice, which already sounded somewhat sharp to begin with, now sounded even more grating, as if it was squeezed out of her throat.

The maids hadn’t expected Gu Huaisheng to come at this time. They were caught off guard and stayed still, as they were unsure whether they should stay or leave. They had been lazing around, and he’d caught them red-handed.

They held their breath and prayed, inwardly, that Gu Huaisheng wouldn’t get angry. To their surprise, he didn’t say anything and walked straight into the room to see Gu Huailang.

Gu Huailang heard the noise and looked up at him. His dark pupils filled with confusion. It was clear he hadn’t been expecting his elder brother to come looking for him.

Gu Huaisheng sat on the edge of the couch, and Gu Huailang scooched over to make space for him.

“Why did you come, Brother?” Gu Huailang asked.

Gu Huaisheng answered him with other questions.”Are you bored at home? Do you want to go out?”

Gu Huailang pursed his lips. He was clearly uninterested in his brother’s offer. He said, “It’s too hot outside.”

After the heavy rains stopped, the summer heat began to intensify, and the sun grew fiercer every day. Soon, the dog days of summer would arrive, and the warmth was showing that. The sticky humidity in the air also made it hard for Gu Huailang to even think about stepping outside.

Gu Huaisheng could see that Gu Huailang wasn’t exactly eager to go out. He tried again, saying, “It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your Cousin Jiang. Don’t you want to go see her?”

“Go see Cousin Jiang?” Gu Huailang blinked in surprise. Then, he asked, “Now?”

The heat was unbearable, and he still didn’t seem too willing to go.

“Wasn’t it you who told me to be nicer to her before? Why is it that now you’re unwilling to see her yourself?”

Gu Huaisheng’s tone was calm, but his words carried a subtle hint of persuasion. He gently convinced Gu Huailang to go with him.

Sure enough, Gu Huailang’s eyebrows twitched slightly. It seemed like Gu Huaisheng’s words had convinced him. He shifted on the couch. Recently, for some reason, she never came to see his elder brother anymore, so indeed, he hadn’t seen her in quite a while.

Gu Huaisheng picked up a pair of shoes and socks from his side and helped Gu Huailang put them on while saying to him, “It’s you who wants to go there today, so don’t say it was me who took you there. Do you understand?”

Today, he had to keep an eye on Fang Zhiping. He couldn’t appear like he’d gone there because he wanted to himself; being too obvious would make it seem like he was behind the scenes manipulating things.

It was just that… That person was really slick with his words. If Gu Huaisheng didn’t watch him, he feared the man would twist the truth and turn things upside down.

At that point, there might be some pulling and dragging, and who knew what would end up coming out of it?

Gu Huailang found it strange hearing Gu Huaisheng’s words; it was clear that Gu Huaisheng was the one who wanted him to go. He hadn’t asked to go.

He was young, not stupid…

However, this was also the first time that his elder brother had ever taken the initiative to seek him out. He even personally put on his shoes for him. As such, Gu Huailang reluctantly decided to follow his elder brother’s wish.

Once Gu Huaisheng finished putting on his shoes, he helped him off the bed, and the two of them went outside together.

Just before leaving, Gu Huailang tugged on the sleeve of Gu Huaisheng’s clothing, as if he had something to say. Gu Huaisheng bent down slightly.

Gu Huailang whispered something into his ear.

After leaving the room, Gu Huaisheng glanced at the maid standing by the door. His eyes swept over her briefly. Then, he said, “There’s no need for you to stay and serve your second young master anymore. I’ll speak to my mother about it.”

If Gu Huailang grew up with someone who had such ill intentions around him, he would only end up eventually being misled.

The maid wanted to say something, but when she saw Gu Huaisheng give her a cold look, any of her words of defence or hesitation were instantly stifled in her throat.

Gu Huaisheng’s words were final. Once he’d spoken, there was no room for argument.

She watched the two of them walk away towards the end of the corridor. The sunlight filtered through the eaves, casting a glow on his figure. In the morning light, Gu Huaisheng’s posture appeared even more upright.

She didn’t end up saying anything, and could only look at the direction in which Gu Huaisheng and Gu Huailang had disappeared while stomping her feet in frustration.

When Gu Huaisheng and Gu Huailang arrived at Chongming Hall in the Jiang family residence, Lady Li and Jiang Jingchun were talking inside.

Lady Li was asking her how things had been going with Fang Zhiping lately, and if she had been happy spending time with him, and other similar questions.

Jiang Jingchun sat at Lady Li’s side and gave her brief responses. After all, the engagement was already decided, so discussing this now seemed pointless. She just answered Lady Li’s questions without putting much thought into her answers.

Not long after they had begun talking, they heard the sound of servants greeting someone outside.

It turned out that Gu Huaisheng and Gu Huailang had arrived.

Jiang Jingchun remained seated for a moment. She thought to herself that Gu Huaisheng had truly become quite idle lately. Why did he keep coming to the Jiang family residence these days? 

However, she also understood that they were, after all, connected by family ties, so their encounters were inevitable. Still, the way that she kept leaving whenever he arrived made her feel like she was doing something shameful and needed to hide from him.

But… Gu Huaisheng hadn’t paid her much attention in the past, and after that incident, when the two of them had fallen out, it seemed best for them to leave each other alone. 

He shouldn’t bother her, and she wouldn’t bother him. After she married, there would be no chance to meet again. Neither of them, or anyone else, would bring up her past infatuation with him again. It was best if they went their separate ways starting from this point on.

After she married, she would leave the Jiang family and have a new life of her own.

As she thought about this, Jiang Jingchun didn’t notice that Gu Huaisheng and Gu Huailang had already entered the room.

The two of them first greeted Lady Li.

Lady Li was a bit confused by Gu Huaisheng’s sudden visit. She asked, “Fuyan, why have you come today?”

Gu Huaisheng replied calmly, “Xiaolang said he was bored at home, so he wanted to come play with his cousin.”

Lady Li immediately understood.

Children were indeed fond of playing, especially when they were at Gu Huailang’s age. When they got bored at home, they would always want to go out. It was admirable of Gu Huaisheng that he’d accompany his brother out in such hot weather.

Gu Huailang remembered what Gu Huaisheng had told him before they left the house, so he nodded to that. He walked up to Lady Li and said, “Aunt, I came today because I wanted to see Cousin Jiang.”

He glanced at Gu Huaisheng and pouted while he said, “I asked Brother to bring me here.”

Gu Huailang was very clever; whatever Gu Huaisheng told him to say, he would say.

Gu Huaisheng remained silent and tacitly agreed with Gu Huailang’s words.

Lady Li smiled when she heard this and gently pushed Gu Huailang towards Jiang Jingchun. “Good boy, go ahead and play with your cousin.”

Jiang Jingchun looked at Gu Huailang, and a smile appeared on her face. She reached out to him and brought him closer, then playfully pinched his cheek.

Gu Huailang furrowed his eyebrows and scrunched up his little face. He said, “Cousin, why do you keep pinching my face?”

Jiang Jingchun had always liked to pinch his face when he was younger. She enjoyed watching his face wrinkle up in displeasure, and even now, she still did it.

However, even though he said this, he obediently stood there and allowed her to pinch him.

Jiang Jingchun noticed that his face was already drenched with sweat, and even tiny beads of sweat were appearing on his nose and upper lip. She took a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped his sweat. “Why are you out in this hot weather? Your face is drenched with sweat. Aren’t you hot?”

Gu Huailang shot Gu Huaisheng a resentful glance.

He wasn’t too keen on going out, either, but his brother had insisted. He let Jiang Jingchun wipe his sweat without saying anything but looked over at Gu Huaisheng, who appeared fresh and comfortable. Why wasn’t his brother wasn’t sweating at all?

They had walked under the same sun, so how was it that his brother didn’t seem to be affected by the heat?

As he thought this, Gu Huailang’s mouth puckered even more. No wonder his brother didn’t mind going out in such hot weather—it was because he wasn’t bothered by the heat.

Gu Huaisheng had already sat down across from them and was now engaging in casual conversation with Lady Li. He watched Jiang Jingchun through his peripheral vision but still didn’t really acknowledge her presence.

In the middle of their conversation, Gu Huaisheng suddenly mentioned Jiang Jingchun’s betrothal. He asked in a calm voice, “I heard that Cousin is about to be engaged?”

Jiang Jingchun paused for a moment. A frown appeared on her face.

What was he trying to do? Didn’t he already know? Why was he bringing this up now?

Gu Huaisheng noticed the twinge of resentment in her gaze.

He casually rested his hands on the arms of his chair. His posture was relaxed as he sat in his seat. He ignored her look and continued to focus on Lady Li.

Lady Li replied, “Yes, that’s right. It seems like they’re fated to be. He is a student of her maternal grandfather. He’s a decent person, and his family background is clean. They’ve met a few times recently, and things seem to be going well. If nothing goes wrong, their betrothal should happen in a few days.”

Lady Li didn’t think much about why Gu Huaisheng suddenly asked about this matter. Since he was curious about her cousin’s marriage, she just answered honestly.

Jiang Jingchun said she had let go of him, and Lady Li believed that she must have truly moved on. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t be willing to spend time with Fang Zhiping.

Now, they were just ordinary cousins.

Unexpectedly, after Gu Huaisheng heard her answer, he asked, “Aunt, do you know much about this person? Isn’t this betrothal a bit rushed?”

Gu Huaisheng’s words seemed like a simple reminder. It didn’t sound like these words came out with any personal emotion attached to them.

Lady Li was somewhat puzzled by his comment. She studied Gu Huaisheng’s expression, but couldn’t figure out the meaning behind his words. She was momentarily confused.

Just as she was about to ask him, a servant’s voice came from outside the hall.

The servant reported that Young Master Fang—Fang Zhiping, had arrived.

Lady Li found it a bit strange. What a coincidence! One after another, Gu Huaisheng and Fang Zhiping came here today.

However, she didn’t overthink it and just had Fang Zhiping brought inside. She turned to Gu Huaisheng, then said, “Look, what a coincidence! Young Master Fang is here. He’s a fine young man. You can judge him for yourself when you see him.”

Gu Huaisheng didn’t respond and only nodded in acknowledgement of Lady Li’s words.

However, Jiang Jingchun, who was sitting by their side, began to feel a sense of unease upon seeing Gu Huaisheng’s actions.

Was it really a coincidence that he came today?

Soon, Fang Zhiping was ushered into the hall. He had spent the past two days thinking about how to politely end his betrothal with Jiang Jingchun.

To be honest, he wasn’t too eager to break it off, but he had no other choice. Gu Huaisheng had pressured him, and if he didn’t agree, he would offend him—and that would give him even more trouble in the future. 

Moreover, it was indeed better for him to end things on his own terms, rather than have Gu Huaisheng expose everything himself.

He had come up with a good excuse, but when he arrived at the Jiang family’s house, he found that Gu Huaisheng was there, too.

He froze when he saw Gu Huaisheng sitting at the side. For a moment, he couldn’t react.

Why was he here!?

After seeing Gu Huaisheng, Fang Zhiping’s face turned unnatural, and he seemed as though he had swallowed an insect. He also began to break out in cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Gu Huaisheng’s gaze lightly landed on Fang Zhiping. He remained calm throughout it all. His eyes seemed to contain only indifference and nothing else as he looked at Fang Zhiping.

By comparison, Fang Zhiping’s reaction seemed a bit odd.

Lady Li pointed at Gu Huaisheng and told Fang Zhiping, “This is the young marquis of the Gu family. He is Jingchun’s cousin. What’s the matter? Have you met him before?”

Jiang Jingchun’s previous infatuation for Gu Huaisheng had indeed caused quite a stir, and Fang Zhiping might have heard of it. However, Gu Huaisheng was a man of integrity who was always clear-headed and only regarded Jiang Jingchun strictly as his cousin. He had never crossed any boundaries with her. Therefore, when Lady Li introduced Gu Huaisheng to Fang Zhiping now, she did so with ease and no hesitation whatsoever.

Strangely, though, Fang Zhiping looked as though he had seen a ghost upon seeing Gu Huaisheng.

By the time Fang Zhiping had collected himself and was about to respond to Lady Li, Gu Huaisheng had spoken first.

“We did meet briefly at the waterside pavilion here, when I happened to seek shelter from the rain and thus encountered Young Master Fang.”

Upon hearing Gu Huaisheng’s words, Fang Zhiping didn’t dare to bring up the other time they’d met and merely echoed his words. “Yes, I did meet the young marquis briefly at the waterside pavilion.”

Lady Li noticed his pale complexion and asked with concern, “Then why do you look so unwell?”

Why else would it be if not because of Gu Huaisheng? How could he look fine when Gu Huaisheng was here?

Fang Zhiping quickly made up an excuse and said, “It’s nothing, it was just the heat on the way here.”

Lady Li, who was still puzzled, said, “You’ve come all the way here, is there something important you need to discuss? It’s almost the hottest time of the year, and you’ve gone through the trouble of coming here.”

Fang Zhiping hesitated upon hearing this. He was unsure of how to begin.

Before coming here, he had already prepared his words, but upon seeing Gu Huaisheng here, he realised he could no longer use the excuse he had planned, as it might anger Gu Huaisheng and cause Gu Huaisheng to make trouble for him again.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lady Li kindly suggested, “You can sit and take a breath. You don’t need to hurry.”

Fang Zhiping was more than willing to take her advice. He naturally headed towards Jiang Jingchun’s side to sit, but just as he was about to take the seat next to her, Gu Huaisheng’s younger brother—Gu Huailang, took it instead.

At first, Fang Zhiping didn’t recognise the child, but when he saw the child’s resemblance to Gu Huaisheng, he realised this child must be the second young master of the Gu family.

Fang Zhiping stared at the child, who was now occupying the seat he wanted to take, and they locked eyes. He felt a bit speechless.

The child just sat there, innocently blinking his big eyes. He didn’t seem to realise that he had done anything wrong at all.

Seeing this, Fang Zhiping felt a lump in his throat and cursed under his breath. He wondered how the child could be so similar to his elder brother.

Jiang Jingchun was also puzzled by Gu Huailang’s behaviour. He’d been fine sitting somewhere else earlier but had suddenly decided to claim the seat.

Before she could figure it out, Gu Huaisheng’s voice came. He said, “Gu Huailang, don’t be rude.”

Gu Huailang obediently got up.

He moved over to Jiang Jingchun’s other side. He made space for Fang Zhiping to sit and stood there quietly.

Seeing Gu Huailang’s obedience made Fang Zhiping feel awkward. Now it looked like he’d been fighting with a child over a seat.

Sure enough, Lady Li saw this and said, “It’s just a seat. If Xiaolang wants to sit there, let him. Young Master Fang, you can sit next to Fuyan.”

Since the situation had reached this point, Fang Zhiping didn’t think it appropriate to continue arguing, so he reluctantly sat down next to Gu Huaisheng.

With such a strong presence beside him, Fang Zhiping felt even more uneasy, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t until Lady Li asked him again about his purpose for coming that he finally spoke.

He didn’t know how to excuse himself, so he spoke in a half-truth, half-lie. “Madame, I came to discuss the betrothal…”

He didn’t dare to look at anyone and kept his head lowered as he spoke.

Seeing Fang Zhiping’s expression, Jiang Jingchun’s heart skipped a beat. Her instincts told her that something wasn’t quite right.

Sure enough, she heard him say, “I have a cousin. Her family had a business, but both of her parents tragically passed away in an accident while travelling for business some years ago. Seeing how pitiful she was, my mother brought her into the Fang family to care for her. Since then, she’s lived with us. I’ve always seen her as a cousin, and because I felt sorry for her loss, I took good care of her. But… I never imagined that, because of this, I ended up fostering some inappropriate feelings in her.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Li’s expression stiffened. She asked, “Explain yourself clearly—what do you mean by that?”

Fang Zhiping lowered his head in deep shame, almost to the point that it was touching the floor. “When my cousin found out that I was planning to propose to Miss Jiang, she threw a fit. I never expected this. I had always thought we were just cousins… When I realised what she was thinking, I sent her back to the family in Huiyang in the hope that she’d take some time to calm down. But, she cried and caused a scene, and after returning to her family, she even tried to take her own life. I had no choice but to intervene—after all, we’ve known each other for so many years. I couldn’t just watch her die…”

By the end of this, his voice was barely a whisper, and he dared not say more.

The room fell into a heavy silence, and finally, Jiang Jingchun broke it. She turned to Fang Zhiping and asked, “So what does that mean?”

What was he trying to say?

Her voice sounded light and soft, and her face was emotionless. She looked at him without revealing if she was angry or not.

Fang Zhiping didn’t dare to meet her gaze. He continued, “I’m sorry. I’ve known my cousin for years. I can’t just ignore her like that. I never wanted to deceive you. I’ve promised not to take a concubine… but I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep my word.”

Gu Huaisheng, who was standing nearby, listened to his half-truths but didn’t expose him. As long as the betrothal was broken off without any further complications after this, he was fine with it.

Lady Li had fully understood Fang Zhiping’s intentions now. She realised he wanted to break the betrothal.

She sneered. She looked at him and spoke with a voice that was drenched in venom as she said, “So, was that the first time you’ve realised that your cousin can’t live without you?”

He was entangled to such an extent with his cousin, yet still had promised himself to another woman. Now, when things had reached an impasse, he suddenly started talking about their deep, youthful feelings and his inability to watch her do something drastic to herself.

Was his cousin’s love for him really so sudden and inexplicable? Did he not know about her feelings from the start? Yet, he still went ahead with the betrothal arrangement. Now that everything had reached a point where it could no longer be contained, he was trying to break his promise.

Lady Li could see through his intentions clearly. Up until he decided to break his engagement, he was trying to climb up the social ladder while being unwilling to part with his dear cousin. How could he have been so good at pretending? How could she not have realised this before?

Lady Li was furious, to the point that her hands were trembling. She wanted to lash out, but then, she saw Jiang Jingchun stand up. 

Jiang Jingchun looked at Fang Zhiping and said, “Come with me. I have something to say to you.”

Compared to before, her voice now carried a bit of anger.

At this point, it was clear that he was backing out of the betrothal. Anyone would be angry if they were in Jiang Jingchun’s position.

No one spoke, and they all watched as the two of them walked out together.

The two stood in the corridor outside, and their voices were faintly audible inside.

Jiang Jingchun looked at Fang Zhiping. She suppressed her emotions and said, “So, you’ve always had feelings for her, haven’t you?”

He spoke as if everything had come as a surprise, but there must have been clear signs all along. Surely, his feelings for his cousin hadn’t appeared out of nowhere—it must have developed over time. The interactions they shared surely had planted seeds of affection in his heart, as it did in hers, long ago.

Fang Zhiping tried to deny it. “No, I never knew…”

Even at this point, he was still trying to deceive her with sweet words. Jiang Jingchun couldn’t take it anymore and cut him off. She said, “You liar! Stop lying!”

Her once calm eyes now revealed her fury, and her voice grew louder.

She had gotten her hopes high for nothing. She had been convinced that he was someone she could spend her life with. She thought that by marrying him, she could escape the Jiang family and start anew. She didn’t know that she had only been walking towards another hell.

In the past, she had only focused on leaving the Jiang family, so she didn’t see him clearly for who he truly was. But now, after hearing Fang Zhiping’s words, she realised that he was nothing but a complete hypocrite.

“Since you can’t let her go, why did you come after me? What do you think of me? A naive fool who’s easy to deceive?”

Fang Zhiping couldn’t even look her in the eyes when she asked him that question.

She was so angry that even the people inside could hear her clearly now.

Jiang Jingchun stared at him in both anger and resentment. She had thought everything would be fine. She’d have a new life and could leave everything behind. But now, she was back to square one—why had he given her hope in the first place?

Her whole body trembled with anger, and she sounded as if she would cry. 

But what was she even angry about? She wasn’t sure anymore. 

Why was she so upset over someone so despicable?

Her eyes seemed to widen because of the anger in them. Fang Zhiping couldn’t help but notice the tears forming in her eyes, and he felt guilty. But could he really be blamed for this? If it weren’t for Gu Huaisheng’s pressure, he wouldn’t have done this to her.

He finally said, “I never wanted this. I had no choice, either…”

He had barely spoken when someone came out from the door. It was Gu Huaisheng. Fang Zhiping quickly shut his mouth and swallowed his words.

He had done what he promised and had broken the betrothal. There was no point in staying at the Jiang family residence any longer, so he just cupped his hands and said, “Miss Jiang, everything is my fault. I can’t excuse myself, but please don’t be angry. From now on… take care.”

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

‘Take care’?

After everything, he still had the nerve to say that.

Jiang Jingchun trembled with rage as she watched him leave.

Well, this was her own fault. In her hurry to find a way out, she had been foolish and had trusted him.

The sunlight streamed into the corridor and shined on her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips were pressed tight, and there was sweat beading on her forehead. Her eyes were filled with tears. She looked utterly furious and distressed at the same time.

Gu Huaisheng looked at her from her side. Seeing the sweat on her forehead and the redness in her eyes, his gaze grew dimmer.

He had always told himself that he understood her as well as he knew the back of his hand. After all, she was rather naive and easy to read. However, things had changed, and slowly, he’d found it harder to understand what Jiang Jingchun was thinking.

For instance, he couldn’t understand why, at this moment, she needed to cry over that worthless man. Why must she be so heartbroken over him?

Shouldn’t she be grateful that she had gotten out before it was too late?

Had she fallen so deeply for him in just the short amount of time that she’d known him, that now she was this upset?

Gu Huaisheng couldn’t help but think back to the past. His cousin really was a simple woman, and when she loved, she loved deeply.

She was simple enough to think everyone was good and affectionate enough to never hate anyone who showed her a shred of kindness.

Even though he knew she must really hate to see him now, he still couldn’t resist stepping forward to stand in front of her.

He lowered his head slightly and looked at her eyes, which were red like peaches.

How pitiful.

How terribly pitiful.

Those eyes looked so pitiful that he wanted to cover them with his hand.

In the end, he restrained himself and just stared at her eyes. 

He asked, “Do you like him that much?”