"Come in," Chu Dingjiang said.
Hua Rongjian pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that Chu Dingjiang showed no intention of rising, he walked to the bedside himself and stood there for a long moment before uttering a deliberately provocative remark: "Since you can't protect A Jiu properly, let me take over."
Chu Dingjiang swept a cool glance over Hua Rongjian. He might despise his own inadequacies, but that didn’t mean just anyone could presume to lecture him—let alone try to take what was his.
Hua Rongjian gazed at this somewhat familiar man with a complicated expression. "I only regret not being more attentive. Otherwise, Shi Si wouldn’t have ended up like this today."
Hua Rongjian’s words weren’t mere arrogance. If An Jiu had been with him, at the very least, she would have been safe. Setting aside the vast influence of the Hua Clan, he would never have allowed his woman to charge headlong into danger.
Chu Dingjiang understood his meaning. Yet even without the Hua Clan, given An Jiu’s abilities, she wouldn’t die unless she deliberately sought death. But now, Chu Dingjiang couldn’t be bothered to argue with him and simply stated a plain truth: "This is the path she chose for herself. I can indulge her—you can’t."
How could the Hua Clan ever tolerate their daughter-in-law engaging in assassination? After all, this was still a world where normal people made up the majority.
Hua Rongjian sighed as he looked at An Jiu’s pale, gaunt face. He liked her very much, but it was hard to say how much of that affection was tangled up with other emotions. He had plenty of frivolous friends, but true confidants numbered only a handful. Being with An Jiu felt different from being with others. To put it kindly, she was a pure soul; to put it bluntly, she was single-minded. He could act as childish and shameless as he pleased, yet she remained a trustworthy friend.
What a pity that Chu Dingjiang had taken all of this away!
Chu Dingjiang had killed Hua Rongjian’s birth mother. An Jiu, knowing the truth, had chosen Chu Dingjiang over him and lied to him.
Hua Rongjian couldn’t accept this.
Objectively speaking, being raised as the legitimate heir despite being the son of a concubine had been a boon for Hua Rongjian. Even if his birth mother had lived, she would have remained nothing more than a concubine. A man only had one true mother. Yet there was something in a man’s pride—something inexplicable—that Hua Rongjian couldn’t yet reconcile with.
Seeing Chu Dingjiang in this state, all his earlier schemes now seemed like a joke. Suddenly, he wanted to know if the man had ever regretted it. "Do you regret it?"
Chu Dingjiang remained silent. He was out of place in this world. His pursuits, his ideals—they seemed far too naive to the people of today. No one could understand. If he said he didn’t regret it, others would likely dismiss it as stubborn pride. Better to say nothing at all.
Hua Rongjian didn’t jump to conclusions when he received no answer. "Was it worth it? Abandoning your family and status to become someone who can’t show his face, unable to even protect the woman you love?"
Chu Dingjiang truly felt that Hua Rongjian was fated to be his nemesis—every word struck straight at his heart.
But Hua Rongjian still underestimated Chu Dingjiang’s resilience. To him, even if the heavens collapsed, he would only laugh it off.
"Whether it was worth it... that’s my life to live."Chu Dingjiang's calm remark made Hua Rongjian grit his teeth in frustration. What he hated most in life was having his path dictated by others, leaving him no choice at all. He once asked An Jiu if such thoughts made him seem overly sentimental—after all, he lived a life of luxury and freedom that few in the entire nation could rival. Yet upon learning of past grievances, he began to resent it all! If given the chance to exchange, countless people would gladly trade places with him.
But Hua Rongjian was a man who valued emotions deeply. Some might sacrifice a concubine for status and prestige—he would not. Some might forsake a true friend for a lifetime of carefree indulgence—he would not.
"You are inferior to a woman," Chu Dingjiang remarked, easily guessing his inner turmoil.
Hua Rongjian frowned but didn’t rush to anger. "I’d like to hear your reasoning."
"Do you know of the Lou family?" Chu Dingjiang asked.
Hua Rongjian paused. "I do."
"The Lou family was nearly wiped out by the Liao people. The second daughter of the Lou family swore vengeance." Chu Dingjiang held An Jiu’s hand as he succinctly recounted Lou Mingyue’s story. "She and Miracle Doctor Mo were childhood sweethearts, their bond deeper than most. Yet when faced with an impossible choice, she resolutely severed ties with Mo Sigui. Whether her decision was right or wrong, she acted decisively. Meanwhile, you struggle even to make a choice—how can you compare? If you came seeking revenge against me, perhaps I’d respect you more."
There are always people in this world who wish to offend no one, striving only for perfection in all things. If an ordinary person had such a temperament and some skill in handling affairs, they might exhaust themselves to earn a reputation for harmony—but nothing greater.
By the time Chu Dingjiang was Hua Rongjian’s age, he already held the fate of his entire clan in his hands, decisive in judgment and action.
"A temperament like yours makes it no surprise you lost A Jiu." Chu Dingjiang knew that Hua Rongjian had been close with An Jiu long before he met her himself. He was also aware that Hua Rongjian had once loudly proclaimed his intent to marry her. Yet given his character, Chu Dingjiang had never considered him a rival. In his eyes, Hua Rongjian’s competitiveness didn’t even measure up to Gu Jinghong or Wei Yuzhi.
It must be said that men understand men best. Chu Dingjiang never sensed from Hua Rongjian the determination to claim An Jiu at all costs. Setting aside Gu Jinghong, who was long dead, there was Wei Yuzhi—outwardly gentle and unassuming, yet inwardly resolute. Chu Dingjiang hadn’t missed a single one of his encounters with An Jiu and knew this man had truly placed her in his heart.
Hua Rongjian had been the first to take an interest in An Jiu, but his approach was inefficient. For one, beyond romantic feelings, their bond was more that of friends. Moreover, having grown up in a stable environment, he subconsciously harbored reservations about her identity as a female assassin.
The seemingly unrestrained Hua Rongjian was, in truth, bound by many invisible chains.
"Indeed." Hua Rongjian chuckled lightly.
Hearing this, Chu Dingjiang studied him carefully and noticed a significant shift in his demeanor—the sunny youth was long gone. "It seems you’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately."
Had he found clarity—or fallen into obsession?Chu Dingjiang, a man born in turbulent times, could never comprehend the notion of mediocrity. He believed that people should have passion and the drive to pursue their dreams. No matter how Hua Rongjian changed, he always saw it as a good thing.
A man ought to have some spirit.
At this thought, Chu Dingjiang paused slightly. After all, what did Hua Rongjian’s transformation have to do with him?
"A Jiu, when you wake up, fight me again," Hua Rongjian said, reaching out to touch An Jiu’s face.
Yet, when his fingers were still an inch away, Chu Dingjiang seized his wrist.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
In the past, Chu Dingjiang had never considered Hua Rongjian a threat, but now was different. (To be continued...)
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