Tao Ziyi whipped her head around, snatched the comb from her hand, and hurled it at Jiang Xueting's forehead. Her face flushed with rage as she shouted, "Jiang Xueting, who gave you the audacity to criticize my father at the assembly? You ungrateful wretch! Without our Tao family, would you have achieved what you have today?"
Jiang Xueting was taken aback. Before he could react, Tao Ziyi grabbed powder jars and foreign perfumes from her dressing table, pelting them at him one after another. He retreated all the way to the door, but she showed no sign of relenting, lunging forward to grab him. Jiang Xueting watched her coldly, and after a long pause, he uttered, "Have you had enough? For a lady of noble birth, you're acting like a common shrew!"
She sneered, "This is who I am! Don't forget, it was you who begged to marry me. Did you really think I would have married someone like you otherwise...?"
Before she could finish, Jiang Xueting cut in icily, "It seems I misjudged you back then. If you're unwilling, we might as well part ways." Tao Ziyi froze in shock. Without another word, Jiang Xueting slammed the door and strode out. Her face burning crimson, she chased after him barefoot, heedless of her appearance, yelling, "Jiang Xueting! Jiang Xueting!"
By the time Jiang Xueting reached the downstairs hall, the entire mansion had been stirred by the commotion, yet no one dared approach. Tao Ziyi stood on the upper floor, shouting down at him, "Jiang Xueting, stop right there!"
Jiang Xueting paused briefly and glanced back at her. Tao Ziyi trembled with fury, her face flushed red. She had never expected him to treat her this way—he had always been so accommodating. Stamping her foot, she cried, "If you leave, then leave! Don't you dare come back!"
Jiang Xueting let out a cold, disdainful snort, his gloomy expression sending chills down the spine, and walked out without looking back. Xue Zhiq hurriedly followed with the guards in tow. Tao Ziyi stood stunned on the upper floor, watching him depart, too enraged to speak. She turned, seized an orchid pot from a nearby stand, and hurled it straight down the staircase!
Late at night, rain began to fall. Pingjun heard the droplets pattering against the French windows. She forced down a few bites of the apples she had hidden earlier, but her throat burned with unbearable thirst. Staggering to the table, she picked up a teacup and hobbled to the window. As soon as she opened the repaired French window, a gust of rain-laden wind rushed in. Unable to keep her balance, she collapsed against the window frame, her head resting on the glass as she gasped for breath. She stretched out the cup to catch the falling rain, but before it could fill, the sound of a key turning came from the door.
She turned her head to see Jiang Xueting enter, with Ruixiang following behind to relock the door. His icy gaze swept over her pale face. Suddenly, he stepped forward and pulled her away from the window. She had no strength left; the teacup slipped from her hand, and she could only let him drag her, her feet scraping limply across the floor. The moment he released his grip, she slumped silently onto the carpet, her long hair disheveled like a butterfly with broken wings.Outside, the rain poured noisily, and a cold wind blew in, making one shiver uncontrollably. He turned to close the window and casually drew the dark green curtains. In the room, a red-shaded tassel lamp was lit, casting its glow on her face, which looked utterly haggard. She had grown so thin that the snail bones on her wrists protruded sharply. Tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes as she choked out a plea, "Xue Ting, I beg you, for the sake of our past affection, let me go."
"When you were with Yu Changxuan, did you ever think of our past affection?" He looked at her, suddenly smiled faintly, and whispered, "You still talk to me about our past affection? Back when we were together, how wonderful it was. I truly miss those times, but you actually went with Yu Changxuan..."
Her breathing was labored, each breath scalding hot. "I did it to save you back then."
He flared up in anger, "I would rather have died in prison than be saved by you like that!"
She gazed at him in despair, tears falling in streams onto the thick carpet. "Even if I was wrong, is that not enough? I beg you, stop tormenting me."
He stared at her, then suddenly stepped forward, pulled her up from the carpet, and held her in his arms. His voice softened, almost like a dreamy murmur, "Pingjun, let's start over. Do you remember how happy we used to be? You wore such beautiful double crow buns, pinned the jade hairpin I gave you in your hair—it looked so lovely. You were always quick to anger and so eloquent, leaving me no way to argue. When we were young, I caught grasshoppers for you, picked flowers for you... We can always start over again."
She struggled weakly in his embrace, tears trembling in her voice, "It's impossible, it's truly impossible for us."
His mood shifted unpredictably. Suddenly, he gripped her shoulders fiercely, pulling her close to him, and glared angrily into her tear-filled eyes. "Do even you look down on me?! Do you also think I'll never measure up to Yu Changxuan?!"
In utter despair, she replied, "I don't."
He sneered coldly, his voice filled with bitterness, "Then stop telling me it's impossible. I've said it before—even if I have to let you die by my hand, grind your bones to dust, I will never let you and Yu Changxuan see each other again!"
She was at her weakest, barely able to breathe. He suddenly leaned in to kiss her face. Desperately, she struggled to break free, fought him frantically, even bit him, but it was all in vain. He pinned her down firmly, kissing her while murmuring incoherently, "Pingjun, now everyone is pressuring me. Life is so hard for me. I don't want anything else—I only want you."
Instantly, her face turned deathly pale. She grabbed the short sword hidden on her person and thrust it at him, but he seized her arm, wrested the sword from her hand, and tossed it aside. Then, he began tearing violently at her clothes. She pushed against him with all her might, crying out, "Jiang Xueting, you are not human!"He ignored her scratching and crying, caring not at all, only greedily demanding. All her resistance was as futile as a mayfly trying to shake a tree. He madly invaded her, finally feeling the warmth within her body—a warmth that seemed to seep into his very bones, making him unable to suppress a muffled sigh, "Pingjun…"
He heard her desperate weeping beneath him. Afraid of harming the child in her womb, she strained to curl her body, not daring to struggle too hard, only emitting faint, fragile sobs as delicate as a thin thread.
He wished he could shatter her to pieces right then, if only to keep this warmth from leaving him. Ever since losing her, he had always thought it was no big deal—that he could find someone better. Yet, he simply couldn't. The whole world had betrayed him, mocked him. He had endured too long, groveled too long—he had long had enough. Only in this moment did he finally understand the joy and satisfaction of taking control, of acting as he pleased. Even if it meant tearing her bloodily from Yu Changxuan's world, even if she were to die the next moment, he would achieve his goal now.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the rain poured relentlessly. The sound of the heavy downpour was like that of the jujube tree outside the home she once lived in. One morning, as she leaned against the door watching him leave, the tree's branches rustled above her head. She had smiled at him, the scarf around her neck fluttering gracefully in the wind—so beautiful.
He remembered it. He had always remembered.
Outside the window, the rain gradually ceased. The night receded, and a hint of blue emerged at the horizon.
She felt as if she had been shattered and then clumsily stitched back together, so every part of her body was wounded. Her chapped lips were cracked and bleeding, her throat burning with fever. She didn't even have the strength to stand, laboriously crawling bit by bit toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
She pushed the window open a tiny crack. The soft little pom-poms on the curtains brushed against her face. The cup was still outside, filled with cold rainwater. Clutching the cup with both hands, she trembled as she drank the water. The cool liquid felt like sweet dew, soothing her painful throat.
Jiang Xueting's breathing was somewhat hurried. "For the sake of his child, are you really willing to throw your life away? What's the use of sacrificing yourself for him like this?! I'm afraid he's long since forgotten about you!"
She didn't even glance at him, just lay there, her disheveled hair softly clinging to her pale cheeks. She raised her eyes to gaze at the distant sky, her lips trembling slightly. Scalding tears streamed down her entire face. In that moment, she seemed like a fragile wisp of smoke, as if she could vanish at any instant—utterly vulnerable.
He finally turned his head away, refusing to look at her any longer, the corner of his mouth twitching silently. "I won't touch your child again, as long as you live."The Yu Army and the Fusang forces had long been eyeing each other with hostility, tensions escalating like a lit fuse ready to ignite at any moment. After securing an alliance with the Xiao Family north of the river in early spring, they formally declared war on the Fusang army. By late March, the commander of the Ninth District, Yu Changxuan, was urgently dispatched to the eastern front. A man of decisive action, Yu Changxuan swiftly constructed a line of defensive fortifications stretching from Cloud Province to Chumen upon arrival, firmly suppressing the Fusang troops attempting to advance northward from the south.
The battle was naturally fierce and brutal. Yu Changxuan personally took charge at the front lines, refusing to retreat even after being grazed by cannon shell fragments on his left chest. The intense exchange of fire and stalemate persisted for three months until the International League intervened, proclaiming mediation. Only then did the joint resistance by the Jinling Government and the Xiao Clan Warlords against Fusang temporarily cease.
In late June, within the official residence of the Yu family in Jinling, vibrant pomegranate blossoms bloomed brilliantly, dazzling under the afternoon sun. Qixuan, dressed in a moon-white satin robe, hid beneath a pomegranate tree in the courtyard. From his father Yu Zhongquan’s study, an angry voice echoed through the window lattice: "For a woman who’s already dead, he’s throwing his life away like this! I have no such son—it’d be cleaner if he were dead!"
Madam Yu retorted with equal fury, "Never mind why he’s risking his life like this—he still won a battle for you! You’ve been gloomy all day, and you haven’t even visited him once during his long coma. What kind of attitude is that?!"
Hearing his parents argue, Qixuan’s face clouded with gloom. Suddenly, someone called softly from behind, "Qixuan, what are you hiding here for?" Turning around, he saw his second sister standing there and hurriedly waved, running over to say, "Second Sister, Father and Mother are quarreling." Jin Xuan glanced toward the study and reassured him, "Don’t worry, Mother will find a way."
Qixuan nodded, and Jin Xuan added, "Your Fifth Brother just woke up again briefly. Let’s go see him quickly." Qixuan eagerly agreed, and Jin Xuan led him to the main hall, upstairs to Yu Changxuan’s room. Inside, a British doctor was packing his medical kit, while sister-in-law Minru and Jun Daiti attended to the bedside. The British doctor, specially invited from the missionary hospital, was highly skilled. Jin Xuan approached to ask a few questions. Qixuan rushed to the bed and exclaimed, "Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother, how are you?"
Yu Changxuan had been struck by cannon shell fragments in the chest. Combined with the poor medical conditions at the front and his reckless disregard for his own life, the wound had become severely infected and inflamed, nearly festering. He fell into a coma and was carried back to Panling from the front lines, surviving by a hair’s breadth. Only through meticulous care had he recently begun to improve.
Lying in bed, he smiled faintly at Qixuan’s anxious expression and said, "You little rascal, always causing a fuss. Don’t worry, I guarantee I won’t die. Otherwise, when you get married someday, who’ll look out for you if you’re bullied without a brother around?"Qixuan pouted and said, "How annoying. I've been so worried about you, and yet you still tease me. You have no idea how anxious I was." Yu Changxuan chuckled, "Alright, dear sister, I know I was wrong. Next time we bicker, I'll let you win, how about that?"
OpenNovel