Chapter 108: Just a Taste
Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Just a Taste
Liang Wan closed her eyes, her heart filled with despair.
Lu Xiu let go of her, cupped her face, and forced her to meet his gaze. "You heard me right. Yuan Shaoyu is my Father."
’Why did he have to say it?!’
Liang Wan clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and glared at him with hatred.
Lu Xiu acted as if he didn’t see it. "Are you blaming me?"
She didn’t have the courage to say that she blamed him, so she could only sigh and ask, "Why did you tell me?"
His eyes were dark, yet they held a soft glow. "I am your husband. The one closest to you. I can’t deceive or hide things from you."
It felt as if a colossal weight had slammed into her heart, tearing open a huge gash. Emotions buried deep within her erupted, threatening to consume her.
Liang Wan gasped, instinctively wanting to pull away from his grasp.
She had only known Lu Xiu was a hunter, but she never realized he was an expert snake catcher, striking right at her weak spot!
Unable to escape his grip, Liang Wan gritted her teeth and avoided his gaze. She absolutely could not look into those bewildering eyes again.
’He’s Lu Xiu!’
’The cold-blooded, ruthless Lu Xiu who would watch someone die without lifting a finger!’
’Everything he says and does stems from a loneliness he can share with no one, and more than that, an obsession with Yuan Shaoyu!’
’They had a three-year agreement. Once the three years are up, she can just pack her bags and leave!’
...
The storm in her heart eventually calmed.
When Liang Wan looked at him again, she had composed herself.
’Lu Xiu can tell me all this so openly, which means he’s known about it for a long time.’
’Awen only took me to Yuan Shaoyu’s burial place... Was he thinking that after I married Lu Xiu, I would bring him here?’
The more Liang Wan thought about this Yuan Shaoyu, the more confused she became. The one who exposed him now mourned him, and the one who killed him was raising his child... What a truly remarkable man!
She suddenly remembered how nonchalant Lu Xiu had looked when she was about to dispose of Yuan Shaoyu’s letter. Who would have thought that Yuan Shaoyu’s son was being raised in the Grandmaster’s Mansion, doted on like a precious pearl...
A flash of insight struck her.
Liang Wan started, then slowly looked at Lu Xiu. ’So is this why he claims to despise power, yet monopolizes it all for himself?’
Liang Wan shook her head. ’Something still doesn’t feel right...’
But her head, still held by him, couldn’t shake as she intended.
Lu Xiu dropped his hands, his face displeased. "You’re distracted."
Liang Wan snapped back to reality, fidgeting uneasily. "Husband, when did you find out? This is a matter of life and death. The Grandmaster must be the only one who knows, right?"
"Perhaps," Lu Xiu said calmly.
Liang Wan nodded, feeling a little insecure. "My husband truly trusts me, to dare and tell me such a heaven-shaking secret."
Lu Xiu squeezed her soft, boneless hand and fixed his eyes on her. "Of course. You are the person most intimate to me."
Liang Wan looked awkward and didn’t want to continue the topic. She changed the subject, "The dead are gone. Husband, why must you—"
She stopped mid-sentence. She felt it was pointless. *You can’t advise others to be good without having experienced their suffering.* She couldn’t even let go of her own hatred, so what right did she have to console someone else?
In fact, she could understand that kind of hatred all too well...
Seeing the glimmer in the dark pupils on Liang Wan’s pale little face, the way she pressed her red lips together to cut off her words, and the hint of regret in her expression—Lu Xiu took in every subtle change and couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips.
He leaned in. "My dear, you truly understand me."
Their eyes met, their breaths mingling. Liang Wan was startled by the meaning in his eyes and leaned back to avoid him, but he was faster, seizing the nape of her neck.
In her shock, his cool, soft lips were already on hers.
Perhaps because of last time, it was clearly very different.
It was just a light touch, and before she could raise a hand to push him away, Lu Xiu had already pulled back.
Liang Wan wanted to lash out but could find no reason to. Suppressing her anger, she averted her eyes.
’Even Gou Jian endured hardship to achieve his revenge. I’ll just consider this "tasting the gall"!’
Liang Wan was in no mood to say anything else and simply sat in silence.
Lu Xiu glanced at her sitting ramrod straight, then stretched out a long arm and effortlessly pulled her into his embrace, guiding her head to rest on his shoulder. "Rest for a while."
「In front of the Grandmaster’s Mansion.」
Perhaps because he had teased and provoked her in the carriage, Lu Xiu acted completely out of character. Ignoring the presence of Yuan and his guards, he unprecedentedly placed his hands on her waist and lifted her out of the carriage, though his expression quickly returned to its usual indifference.
’I suppose my worldliness is still lacking. Except for me, everyone else kept their eyes fixed on the ground. Not a single glance at what they shouldn’t see, not a single sound they shouldn’t make.’
Lu Xiu took her hand and was about to walk on, but Liang Wan tugged his sleeve, pointed at his lips, and gestured insistently with her eyes.
Lu Xiu frowned, not understanding.
Liang Wan decided to just use her hand, intending to wipe off the lipstick that had just smudged onto him.
Her fingertip touched his lips—soft and gentle. Liang Wan gave a quick wipe and hurriedly pulled her hand back. A moment ago his lips had been cool, but now, for some reason, they felt scalding hot to the touch.
Liang Wan didn’t look at him. She turned, her arm stiff, and walked toward the gate as if her finger had been touched not by lipstick, but by a burning ember.
Her steps faltered.
In a corner not far from the gate, two women were clearly standing there—one dressed as a maid, the other looking like a common married woman.
The two of them seemed to be discussing something and hadn’t noticed her.
A smile touched Liang Wan’s eyes as she walked forward. "Sister-in-law."
It was Qiuxi and Yao Jinse.
No wonder Qiuxi had been so elusive lately.
Seeing Liang Wan suddenly, both of their faces turned pale with shock. When they saw the cold figure standing not far behind her, their eyes filled with terror.
"Liang Ji."
"Sister-in-law."
Liang Wan glanced back. The entire group was waiting for her.
’Make Lu Xiu wait for me? Better not.’
Liang Wan only told Qiuxi to lead the woman to a side room in the front courtyard.
In the side room, Yao Jinse sat obediently with her head lowered. The teacup on the small table before her remained untouched.
Liang Wan had specifically gone back to her courtyard to change into casual clothes before coming over at a leisurely pace.
Hearing the sound, the woman sitting with her head down looked up. After a moment of daze, she quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. "Liang Ji."
Liang Wan glanced sideways. Even though the standards of the Grandmaster’s Mansion were high, she was still just one of Lu Xiu’s concubines. There was no need for such a formal bow.
Yao Jinse had always been overly polite and formal.
A smile hung on Liang Wan’s lips as she carefully studied Yao Jinse.
Her long hair was tied up in a simple, neat bun. She wore only a dark red commoner’s dress, and the exposed skin was no longer delicate and fair, but tanned a dark reddish-brown. Her once-delicate frame had become much sturdier.
She looked like any common woman you’d see on the streets and alleys: the kind who squats by the river to wash clothes, stands on the street to sell goods, or pinches a naughty child’s ear while scolding them...
Liang Wan lowered her gaze and sat in the seat of honor. A maid brought a cup of hot tea and placed it on the table.
She still remembered the day she had run into Yao Jinse at the East Market Treasure Pavilion—how she had been pampered, surrounded by a crowd of maids and servants.
Before Liang Wan could even look up, Qiuxi walked straight to the front and knelt with a THUD.
Liang Wan frowned. "Why are you kneeling all of a sudden? If you have something to say, you can say it standing."
Seeing this, Yao Jinse was even more at a loss. She stood up stiffly and stared blankly at Qiuxi.
"Qiuxi, get up." Liang Wan shook her head with a small smile. "You’re making our sister-in-law so nervous she doesn’t know whether to stand or sit. It wouldn’t do for the others in the mansion to see this."
Qiuxi touched her forehead to the floor. "I have failed Liang Ji’s trust!"