Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Regardless, Yun Wenfang's words were meant to advise her, so she nodded and said, "Thank you."
Yun Wenfang's expression did not soften at her thanks. He didn't look at Ren Yaoqi either, instead lowering his gaze slightly as if lost in thought. For a moment, the entire tea room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Fortunately, this awkward situation didn't last long. The female shopkeeper soon returned with several attendants carrying trays of hair ornaments and jewelry. Women have always had little resistance to such things, and even Yun Qiuping and Yun Qiufang, who never lacked for finery, were no exception. As they began selecting and examining the ornaments, the atmosphere in the room finally returned to normal.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Yun Wenfang, who sat there with a cold expression, remaining silent. She wondered about his purpose in coming here. Could it be that he was simply accompanying his two younger sisters to pick out jewelry? Ren Yaoqi naturally didn't believe that.
But if he had come for her sake, why would he be so quiet, given his usual temperament? In truth, when Ren Yaoqi went out, aside from the Leshan and Leshui sisters who always accompanied her, there were undoubtedly many guards hidden in the shadows. If Yun Wenfang made even the slightest inappropriate move, the hidden guards would likely intervene. However, Yun Wenfang was now sitting there like any ordinary customer, so no one could touch him.
Ren Yaoqi breathed a sigh of relief.
Before long, Xiao Jinglin and Yelü Sage arrived. As soon as Xiao Jinglin entered and saw Yun Wenfang, she couldn't help but frown. Yelü Sage's gaze also lingered on Yun Wenfang for a moment.
Yun Wenfang merely glanced at them, his expression unchanged.
With the arrival of the Commandery Princess, everyone present naturally rose to pay their respects. Xiao Jinglin was always aloof toward others, and even when it came to the Yun sisters, who were related to her by marriage, she merely nodded in acknowledgment.
"Shall we go back?" Xiao Jinglin walked up to Ren Yaoqi, adopting a protective stance as she subtly blocked Yun Wenfang's line of sight, even though he wasn't looking in their direction.
Ren Yaoqi no longer wished to stay there either. Although Yun Wenfang hadn't said anything or made any improper moves that day, she still felt uncomfortable sharing the same space with him, her mind uneasy. So when Xiao Jinglin asked, she nodded and said, "We've been out for quite some time now. It is time to return."
Upon hearing this, Yun Qiufang smiled and said, "Commandery Princess, why leave so soon after arriving? Although the materials used in Duobao Pavilion's jewelry aren't the finest, the designs are truly first-rate. Since you're here, why not pick a few pieces?" She then turned to Yelü Sage, who was examining a gold hairpin, and added, "If the Princess likes these ornaments, why not choose some to take back?"
Yun Qiufang was not like Yun Qiuchen. This girl seemed to carry thorns all over her, never one for warm hospitality, yet now she was smiling and urging them to stay.
Unfortunately, Xiao Jinglin was not swayed by her tactics. Seeing Yelü Sage holding a gold hairpin, she casually pointed to the nearest tray of jewelry and said to the shopkeeper, "I'll take all of these."Yelü Sage glanced at Xiao Jinglin with some surprise, seemingly not expecting her to like such flashy trinkets. Xiao Jinglin, however, said calmly, "If you like them, they're yours. It's getting late today, so let's head back to the estate first. We can come again another time."
Yelü Sage happily expressed her thanks, and upon seeing this, the shopkeeper immediately had someone bring out some high-quality gift boxes to pack the jewelry.
Yelü Sage followed the female shopkeeper to the front of the store first, while Xiao Jinglin took Ren Yaoqi's hand to leave as well.
"Wait." Yun Wenfang suddenly spoke up.
Yun Qiufang, who had been talking to Yun Qiuping, paused briefly, then, as if trying to cover something up, suddenly raised her voice to continue speaking with Yun Qiuping, seemingly trying to draw the attention of onlookers to her side.
From the moment Yun Wenfang spoke, Xiao Jinglin cast a cold gaze toward him, shielding Ren Yaoqi by her side and blocking Yun Wenfang's path.
Yun Wenfang, however, stood up as if he hadn't noticed, walking step by step toward them.
Xiao Jinglin snorted coldly and was about to take action when Yun Wenfang stopped about three steps away from them.
Hidden from the view of others, Yun Wenfang looked at Ren Yaoqi.
Xiao Jinglin had grown somewhat impatient with Yun Wenfang's persistent pestering and was considering whether to knock this oblivious fool down first. But when her gaze met Yun Wenfang's eyes, she couldn't help but frown and refrained from acting.
In Xiao Jinglin's eyes, Yun Wenfang had always been flamboyant, proud, and arrogant, perhaps with a bit of skill and a fearless spirit. Though not particularly likable, he was a capable subordinate in the Yanbei Army who could get things done.
But at this moment, Yun Wenfang, though not saying a word and still wearing that annoying expression of flamboyance, pride, and arrogance, allowed a trace of sorrow to be glimpsed in his eyes. It was like a small beast that had suffered a heavy blow and was on the brink of death.
However, Xiao Jinglin was not the type to be overly sympathetic, so she remained firmly in front of Ren Yaoqi without moving an inch.
Ren Yaoqi looked at Yun Wenfang, feeling nothing but sighs.
In her heart, the grudges from her past life with Yun Wenfang had long since dissipated with her rebirth. In this life, the two of them were little more than strangers, and she truly couldn't understand where Yun Wenfang's obsession came from.
Ren Yaoqi no longer resented Yun Wenfang. She was very satisfied and content with her current life, so she hoped Yun Wenfang could let go of his obsession and live his own life well.
Yun Wenfang had also changed quite a bit. At the very least, his once reckless and flamboyant nature would always tone down in front of Ren Yaoqi. In the past, he wouldn't have cared who stood in his way—if someone blocked his path, he would simply act. But now, even with Xiao Jinglin standing in front of him, he remained expressionless, neither losing his temper nor taking action. He simply treated Xiao Jinglin as if she weren't there.
Yun Wenfang looked at Ren Yaoqi for a while before suddenly speaking softly and seemingly out of nowhere, "Ren Yaoqi, whether you believe it or not, I have never intended to harm you, nor have I truly harmed you."After saying this, Yun Wenfang took one last deep look at Ren Yaoqi, then walked past both Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin without turning back as he left the tearoom.
No one knew what Yun Wenfang was feeling at that moment.
Xiao Jinglin glanced suspiciously at Yun Wenfang’s retreating figure, finding his sudden words rather baffling.
Ren Yaoqi, however, stood there in a daze.
What did Yun Wenfang mean by that? If Ren Yaoqi did not have memories of her past life, she might have been as confused as Xiao Jinglin by Yun Wenfang’s words. But with the memories of her previous life, Ren Yaoqi sensed something more in his statement.
Thinking back to the time Yun Wenfang spoke of the recurring dream he had since childhood… Could it be that he had remembered something again?
In her past life, she had suffered humiliation at the hands of Eunuch Lu because of him, and at that time, she had hated Yun Wenfang to the bone. Yet now, Yun Wenfang claimed he had never intended to harm her and had never truly harmed her.
Ren Yaoqi was not one to easily show her emotions, so although Yun Wenfang’s words left her puzzled, she did not let it show on her face, preventing Yun Qiufang, who was secretly observing from a distance, from noticing anything amiss.
Xiao Jinglin, however, gave Ren Yaoqi an inquiring look.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head softly and whispered, “Let’s go.”
Xiao Jinglin nodded without further questions and walked out of the tearoom with Ren Yaoqi. Outside, there was no sign of Yun Wenfang; he must have already left. Yelü Sage was waiting for them, holding several exquisite boxes in her hands. When she saw them emerge, a bright smile spread across her face.
“By the way, was that young man just now a son of the Yun Family?” Yelü Sage suddenly asked with a smile after they boarded the carriage.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at Yelü Sage and replied calmly, “He is the Yun family’s second young master.”
Yelü Sage frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then shook her head with a smile. “He looked somewhat familiar to me, as if I’d seen him somewhere before. But since he’s the Yun family’s second young master, I must have mistaken him for someone else.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinglin’s eyes flickered briefly before she turned her gaze away and began speaking with Ren Yaoqi. Yelü Sage did not bring up Yun Wenfang again.
Throughout the journey, Ren Yaoqi found herself pondering the words Yun Wenfang had spoken before leaving. However, she only dwelled on it for the duration of the ride. Once the carriage entered the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, she set the matter aside and thought no more of it.
Regardless of what Yun Wenfang meant by his words or whether he had recalled events from their past life, it no longer mattered.
Whether he had harmed her in her past life was something she no longer cared about, nor did she intend to dig deeper into it.
What good would it do to uncover the truth? It was better to let it pass and remain uninvolved.
In fact, it might be for the best if Yun Wenfang remembered. The entanglement and grievances between them in the past were far from pleasant, so perhaps knowing the truth would help him break free from his obsession.
What Ren Yaoqi did not realize, however, was that if she was indeed Yun Wenfang’s obsession and fixation, how could he possibly break free so easily?
The next day was the day the Yun Family was to fetch the bride from the Meng Family.
Yet, as the auspicious hour approached, the groom—the Yun family’s second young master—had still not appeared.The entire Yun family was thrown into a panic, sending people in all directions to search for Yun Wenfang. At first, they conducted the search discreetly, keeping it hidden from the Meng family and the guests who had come to the Yun residence. However, after combing through the entire Yun family estate and even the whole of Yunyang City, they still found no trace of Yun Wenfang. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. Even Yun Wenting, the Yun family's eldest young master, who had always known how to locate the second young master, ultimately failed to find him.
As the time for the wedding procession drew nearer, how could the groom’s disappearance possibly remain concealed?
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