Destined

Liu Yu Ru was completely stunned inside the bridal sedan. When she lifted her red veil, she hadn't actually expected Ye Shi'an to really return. She had calculated the timing—he had just finished the provincial examination and should have rested for a few more days before coming back.

His appearance here at this moment left her mind in disarray.

Why had he returned early?

Could it be... could it be...

A seemingly impossible thought suddenly crossed Liu Yu Ru's mind, but she immediately suppressed it. She had always been a calm and self-possessed person, and this notion was far too dangerous. Taking a deep breath, she forcibly pushed the thought down.

Lowering her eyes and keeping the veil in place, she arrived at the entrance of the Gu residence amidst the clamor of music and celebration.

She forced herself not to think about anything, accepted the red silk from Gu Jiusi, and followed him inside. Surrounded by the ceremonial announcements of the officiant, the crackling of firecrackers, and the congratulatory shouts of those gathered at the Gu family's gate seeking red envelopes, she stepped over the threshold of the Gu family home amidst the festive music and entered the hall.

Then she and Gu Jiusi bowed to heaven and earth.

There was none of the anticipated shyness or nervousness she had once imagined, and it felt entirely different from the wedding she had once dreamed of. At this moment, her heart was calm yet bewildered, as if this were merely a ritual and there was nothing left for her to ponder.

After the ceremony, someone escorted her to the bridal chamber. She waited there alone, sitting properly with her veil untouched, not moving a muscle.

Only Yin Hong remained inside to keep her company. The stark contrast between the noise outside and the silence within the bridal chamber was palpable. Yin Hong brought some pastries and said to Liu Yu Ru, "Miss, you haven't eaten anything since morning. Would you like to have a bite?"

"No," Liu Yu Ru replied, adding, "The veil must be lifted by the groom. If it accidentally falls, it would be inauspicious."

Hearing this, Yin Hong was taken aback. She set down the plate and sighed softly.

Having grown up with Liu Yu Ru, she knew exactly what her mistress had given up. Hearing Liu Yu Ru resign herself to this marriage, Yin Hong felt an inexplicable sadness.

"Earlier, when I was outside," Yin Hong hesitated before continuing, "I saw Young Master Ye. You were in such a hurry... Do you think he..."

"Be careful with your words."

Liu Yu Ru cut her off as a warning.

Yet Yin Hong's words struck a chord within her. Like Yin Hong, she too felt a stir of emotion.

But reason held her back. She said calmly, "Now that I have married into the Gu family, I am a member of the Gu household. Let the past be buried with yesterday. Do not speak of it again, lest others hear and cause trouble."

Yin Hong knew Liu Yu Ru was right. Reluctantly, she acknowledged with a "Yes" and fell silent.

The banquet lasted well into the night, and Gu Jiusi had yet to return. Footsteps eventually approached from outside, and shortly after, the sound of the door opening was heard. Then Ye Yun's voice rang out as she addressed the others, "Madam Gu asked me to keep the bride company. You may leave."

Surprised by Ye Yun's arrival, Liu Yu Ru maintained her composure. After everyone else had withdrawn, Ye Yun stood at the doorway, hesitating for a moment before sitting down beside Liu Yu Ru. She sighed and said, "There's no one else here now. I've come to keep you company. You can take off your veil for a while and put it back on later.""Rules cannot be disregarded," Liu Yu Ru replied respectfully. "It's perfectly fine for us to speak like this."

"You," Ye Yun sighed helplessly, not pressing the matter as she sat down. "You're always talking about rules and propriety, yet your heart is wilder than anyone's. With such inconsistency between your words and heart, you'll face hardships in the future."

Listening to Ye Yun speak, Liu Yu Ru felt as if they were back in their pre-married days. Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed over her. For reasons unknown, she particularly wanted to ask Ye Yun about Ye Shi'an, yet she knew it was inappropriate. So she said nothing of the sort, merely asking, "What brings you here?"

"I was attending the banquet in the front hall," Ye Yun explained. "Madam Gu came to find me, saying you've been waiting alone in the room for quite some time. She was worried you might be bored and asked me to keep you company."

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru felt warmth in her heart. Jiang Rou was a good mother-in-law, and she remembered all her kindness toward her.

"Madam Gu is very thoughtful."

"Isn't she?" Ye Yun sighed while cracking melon seeds. "Sometimes I wonder whether your marriage into the Gu Family is for better or worse. Although my grandmother likes you, she truly couldn't treat you as well as Madam Gu does. As for my mother, let's not even mention her - it's already good if she doesn't cause you trouble. Though given how proper you always are, she probably can't find much to nitpick."

Though Ye Yun's words were somewhat inappropriate now, Liu Yu Ru didn't stop her. Knowing Ye Yun's temperament well, she let her continue. Ye Yun casually added, "Oh, my brother has returned. You know that, right?"

Liu Yu Ru was taken aback. She remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "Wasn't he supposed to return later? Why is he back so soon?"

"He came back early after hearing about your engagement to the Gu Family."

After saying this, Ye Yun hesitated before finally speaking: "Yu Ru, please don't blame my brother for this."

Liu Yu Ru found herself momentarily speechless. Ye Yun continued slowly: "Before you came of age, grandmother wrote to my brother asking about engagement with you. My brother said he would follow the family's arrangements. Later when the Gu Family came to propose... grandmother just let it be. After all, the Gu Family isn't easy to deal with, and you know grandmother's temperament..."

Though Ye Yun didn't elaborate, Liu Yu Ru understood perfectly.

In prestigious families like the Ye Family who valued reputation so highly - not only would they never let their eldest young master marry a woman already engaged to another family, but even if they were to compete with the Gu Family, they would never do so for an ordinary girl like Liu Yu Ru.

Liu Yu Ru knew this clearly, so she had never placed her hopes on the Ye Family from the beginning.

Seemingly worried that Liu Yu Ru might resent Ye Shi'an, Ye Yun explained further: "But my brother didn't think that way. After learning about your engagement to the Gu Family, he wrote home saying Gu Jiusi isn't a good match. Since there was already an understanding with you, a gentleman should keep his promise, and the Ye Family should approach the Gu Family to clarify matters. Master Gu is reasonable and wouldn't bully others with his power. That's why he rushed back this time..."

"But it's already too late," Liu Yu Ru said calmly.

Her voice betrayed no emotion, yet she knew that beneath her wedding veil, her tears had already begun to fall uncontrollably.

She suddenly felt grateful that she hadn't removed the red head covering, sparing Ye Yun from seeing her in such a disheveled state.Although Ye Yun didn't know Liu Yuru had already been crying, she understood that Liu Yuru couldn't possibly be happy at this moment. She sighed and comforted her, saying, "Since things have come to this, marrying Gu Jiusi might not actually be so bad. At least Gu Jiusi likes you, which is better than my brother. My brother may seem decent, but he's actually cold-hearted and indifferent, completely focused on his official career. Being his wife would be very difficult."

"Gu Jiusi is good - though he may be unreliable, his family has power and influence, so you could live extravagantly your whole life without worry. Most importantly, he likes you and cares for you. Look, he bought all the rouge from an entire shop just to give you one box. Everyone is extremely envious of that. Yuru," Ye Yun took Liu Yuru's hand and said gently, "don't hate my brother, and don't be sad. You'll have a good life from now on, alright?"

Liu Yuru didn't speak. After a long while, she suppressed her voice and said softly, "Don't worry, I understand things clearly."

"That's good then."

Ye Yun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly added, "You don't know - these past few days, I've barely been able to sleep because of this matter. I was afraid you'd hate my family, hate my brother, afraid you wouldn't have a good life, afraid you'd ignore me. We grew up together - you're closer to me than any of my sisters. Please don't let this matter create distance between us."

"I won't." Liu Yuru sighed and said gently, "A Yun, I'm a bit tired. Let me rest for a while, alright?"

"Of course, of course," Ye Yun said quickly, "you rest. I'll go out now."

After bidding her farewell, Ye Yun went out, leaving Liu Yuru alone in the room. Finally unable to restrain herself any longer, Liu Yuru began to sob quietly.

If she had never gotten it in the first place, perhaps it wouldn't matter. But the person she wanted most had been so close to being with her - it turned out that the eldest Young Master Ye had wanted to marry her too. How could she be content with this outcome?

She felt her emotions rising and falling like waves. She hated the Gu Family for destroying years of her efforts, hated Gu Jiusi for his childish and reckless behavior. Yet she had to admit that facing Jiang Rou's kindness and Gu Jiusi's occasional thoughtfulness, she couldn't bring herself to hate them completely. She didn't know who to blame for her fate, and could only hide beneath her wedding veil, silently swallowing her tears.

After crying for a long time, she finally stopped. Taking advantage of having no one around, she got up to fix her makeup, then returned to sit on the bed. When the voices outside had all dispersed, she heard the commotion outside, followed by the door being kicked open with a "bang." Someone fell into the room, and then the door was slammed shut with a "clang."

Immediately after, she heard Gu Jiusi's angry voice: "Let me out! Gu Langhua, if you have any guts, let me out! The wedding's done, what else do you want? Are you going to keep forcing me? Do you have to push me to death?!"

"Shut up!"

Gu Langhua's furious voice came from outside: "Lock the windows too! If he dares to step out of this room today, break his legs!"

"Bah!" Gu Jiusi cursed angrily at Gu Langhua, "You old swindler! You said everything would be fine once we were married! Why are you locking me up now? You don't keep your word! Let me out! Otherwise, I won't let this go!"

This time Gu Langhua didn't respond. He had people nail the windows and door shut, left guards outside the courtyard, and left with his people.

Gu Jiusi sat by the door cursing, while Liu Yuru sat by the bed, quietly listening beneath her wedding veil.Gu Jiusi cursed for a while until he grew tired. He got up from the ground on his own, found some water, and took a sip. Only after drinking did he notice Liu Yu Ru still sitting upright on the bed, startling him so much that he took a step back. After collecting himself, he stammered slightly from the fright, "You... why are you sitting there with that veil on? You haven't slept?"

"You hadn't returned," Liu Yu Ru forced herself to think of nothing, replying in a numb, respectful tone. "The wedding veil hasn't been lifted, so Yu Ru didn't dare to sleep."

"Couldn't you have lifted it yourself?" Gu Jiusi found it baffling, but he still walked over, snatched off Liu Yu Ru's wedding veil, and then returned to the table with his water cup.

Liu Yu Ru sat calmly on the bed. Gu Jiusi glanced back at her and frowned when he saw her motionless. "The veil's off, yet you're lying there stiff as a corpse? Stop scaring people in the middle of the night—hurry up and wash up for bed."

"The groom hasn't shared the ceremonial wine with me yet."

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi's hand trembled in shock.

He widened his eyes and turned to look at Liu Yu Ru sitting on the bed. Her expression was unreadable, neither happy nor angry, like a stagnant pool of water—lifeless and devoid of the vivacity he had seen during their first meeting.

He quietly watched her for a long moment before suddenly asking, "Did you truly marry me of your own free will?"

Liu Yu Ru didn't answer. She lifted her gaze to meet his.

Gu Jiusi gripped his wine cup, nervous and stumbling over his words. "Actually, I know none of the well-bred young ladies in Yangzhou City think much of me. Apart from having money and good looks, I have nothing. It's normal for people to look down on me, and I never expected anyone to think highly of me. All my life, I've just wanted to marry a girl I genuinely love, who genuinely loves me too, so we can live together in harmony."

"And so?"

Liu Yu Ru didn't understand what he was getting at. She watched as Gu Jiusi seemed to ponder, then poured a cup of tea. He ingratiatingly hurried over, sat on the chair in front of her, and handed her the tea.

Liu Yu Ru held the tea without a word, listening as Gu Jiusi, with a flattering expression, said, "Miss Liu, I know you're a clear-minded and very intelligent woman."

Liu Yu Ru looked up at him, signaling him to continue.

Gu Jiusi smiled and went on, "So, I'd like to discuss something with you. I know you don't really like me as a person. How about this: from now on, you can manage the household, and you can even use my family's money to make your own. Once you've established yourself and earned a lot of money, if you find someone you like, or if I find someone I like, we can divorce peacefully. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru's eyes widened in shock and horror as she stared at Gu Jiusi.

Gu Jiusi, lost in his beautiful vision of the future, earnestly laid out his plan: "I've thought it through—the reason women care so much about their reputation is to marry into a good family, and marrying into a good family is to live well. But if you can ensure your own well-being, then you won't need to marry into a good family. And if you don't need to marry into a good family, what others say won't matter anymore, right?""A person only has a few decades in this lifetime. No one should wrong themselves, merely drifting through this world in vain. Miss Liu, in the future, you'll become a renowned female merchant and meet someone who truly loves you. If he genuinely loves you, he'll naturally marry you. Spending a lifetime with someone who adores you—that's what I call a real life. If you don't find love, living alone isn't so bad either."

"As for me, I'll also meet a girl I like. Of course, if I don't, that's fine too—I could spend my whole life fighting crickets and be perfectly content. But if I do find her, I want to build a good life with her. Since I'd love her, I could never let her suffer. So I've thought it through: sooner or later, we'll have to go our separate ways. I'm not that noble—I can't sacrifice my entire lifetime for yours. I know it's hard to accept right now, but please consider my words carefully. We have plenty of time; think it over slowly. When you understand, you'll realize my plan is actually quite good."

Liu Yuru didn't speak. Her entire body was trembling.

She couldn't comprehend why she had encountered such a person. Her teeth were chattering, her heart filled with terror. Clenching her jaw, she demanded, "Since... you don't love me, why did you marry me?"

"That's what I should ask you," Gu Jiusi replied with utter bewilderment. "Since you don't love me, why did you marry me?"

"You agreed to this marriage, leaving us both trapped. If I didn't marry you, you'd kill yourself. But by marrying you, I'm ruining my entire life. I can't just sit back and accept this fate. Let's discuss this properly," Gu Jiusi said with complete seriousness. "I believe someday you'll come to accept my idea of a peaceful separation—"

Before he could finish, Liu Yuru, unable to endure any more, slapped him hard across the face.

Gu Jiusi was stunned by the blow. Then he heard Liu Yuru's explosive sobbing.

"Get out! Get out of here!"—

Author's note:

Gu Jiusi: "What do you think about the separation idea?"

Liu Yuru: "No! I refuse!"

Several years later, when Liu Yuru had amassed immense wealth—

Liu Yuru: "What do you think about the separation idea now?"

Gu Jiusi: "No!!! I ten thousand times refuse!!!!!!"

Liu Yuru: "But I'm enormously wealthy now. If I separate from you, I could marry ten young gentlemen like you."

Gu Jiusi: "No, you couldn't."

Liu Yuru: "Why not?"

Gu Jiusi: "You'll never find a man more handsome than me."

Gu Jiusi: Using my looks to win favor—I'm proud, I'm boastful.