Chapter 22: Living for Hatred
Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Living for Hatred
"It’s the Fourth Lady!"
Qiuxi’s voice was tinged with anger.
Liang Wan glanced sideways. "Right now, aren’t I the one everyone in the mansion should be scorning?"
Qiuxi shook her head. "I can’t control what others think, but I know the truth in my own heart."
As they spoke, Liang Jiao approached them. She seemed to have something to say but held her tongue with Qiuxi present.
Liang Wan gave Qiuxi a look, signaling for her to wait off to the side.
Once Qiuxi was a short distance away, Liang Wan spoke. "He agreed to marry you?"
Liang Jiao nodded sheepishly.
’This was the outcome she’d known from the moment they hatched their scheme.’
’She knew exactly what kind of person Wang Tingyue was. Under those circumstances, he would take responsibility, no matter the reason.’
’He was the only good person in that family, yet she had targeted that very goodness.’ Liang Wan’s lips curled into a self-mocking smile.
"Don’t forget what you promised me."
"I’ve already achieved my goal. What could you do even if I backed out now?"
Liang Wan’s eyes curved into a slight smile, her tone as cool as the night wind. "Then we’ll just have to see if you make it to your wedding day."
Her voice was light, but her words were utterly certain.
Liang Jiao raised an eyebrow and sneered, "What, are you going to have your Grand Commandant ruin my wedding?"
"There’s no need to trouble him with such a trivial matter," Liang Wan said, shaking her head nonchalantly. "You know what they say—a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. If you want to be as ’famous’ as I am, I don’t mind having the company."
"The Grand Commandant doesn’t care that my reputation is in tatters, but what about you? Can Wang Tingyue be so unconcerned?"
"You—" Liang Jiao glared at her, fuming. "Despicable!"
"Despicable?"
Liang Wan nodded with a faint smile. "It is despicable, isn’t it? Forcing him to marry you this way. I just wonder, will everyone still pity you once they learn the truth?"
With that, she walked past Liang Jiao without a second glance at her expression.
Liang Wan was dressed simply in a plain, loose robe. Her glossy black hair was tied back loosely, fluttering in the wind, giving her a cool, detached air.
Though her face was still red and swollen, she didn’t look pitiful in the slightest. On the contrary, she seemed utterly disdainful of everyone around her!
Normally, Liang Jiao would have hurled an insult before letting it go, but now, watching that retreating figure, she found herself murmuring, as if possessed, "You’re really different now."
Liang Wan stopped but didn’t turn back. She simply gazed at the path ahead, shrouded in the gentle night, and smiled faintly. ’Of course I’m different. This is a new life. After everything I’ve been through, who could possibly remain the same?’
She lowered her gaze. "Actually, our uncle was right about one thing. I will stop at nothing to achieve my goals. So, don’t you dare provoke me!"
’Compared to those who must pay with their lives, someone like Liang Jiao, who just kicks people when they’re down, could be spared—as long as she knew when to stop.’
Liang Jiao was stunned. ’Is this still the gentle Third Lady of the Liang Mansion? Has she become this arrogant just because she’s latched onto a man?’
She glared hatefully at Liang Wan’s back. "Lu Xiu will never marry you!"
Liang Wan turned her head back. "Is that so?"
Seeing she had her attention, Liang Jiao continued, "Think about it! If he truly admired you and wanted to marry you, how could he be so reckless? Today, he showed no consideration for how his actions would damage your reputation! It’s obvious he doesn’t care about you at all!"
"Besides, even if he is interested, how could a man as favored by the heavens as him ever have eyes for only one woman?"
"So, how long can you rely on him? How long can you be so smug? The higher you climb, the harder you’ll fall! I’ll be waiting to see the day you come crashing down!"
Liang Wan raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.
’Honestly, it was a little surprising that Liang Jiao could say something so astute. But then, considering she had set her sights on Wang Tingyue, it wasn’t so strange after all.’
Liang Wan smiled faintly. "I don’t care."
’Feelings and love? They don’t exist for me.’
’In this life, she was destined to live for hatred.’
With that, she started walking forward again.
At bedtime, Qiuxi helped her lower the bed curtains but then lingered by the bedside, hesitating to leave.
Liang Wan was slightly amused. "What is it you want to say?"
Qiuxi wrung her sleeves, her brows nearly knitted together. After much hesitation, she finally said, "I think... I think the Fourth Lady has a point."
’That’s it?’
Liang Wan closed her eyes and let out a soft laugh, a rare look of amusement on her face. After a moment, she said, "She does have a point."
Qiuxi blinked. "Then why won’t you listen to her advice, Mistress? It’s rare—" Her gaze darted to Liang Wan’s face, her tone especially earnest. "It’s rare for the Fourth Lady to say something so honest to you!"
Liang Wan propped her head up and studied Qiuxi intently. ’This girl might seem timid, but she’s truly sharp-eyed and clear-hearted.’
She lowered her gaze in thought before asking, "If you had a bag of millet, would you cherish only a single grain?"
Not understanding the deeper meaning, Qiuxi answered honestly, "I would love every grain."
The answer made Liang Wan laugh out loud. After calming down, she said, "That’s not the answer I expected, but the meaning is close enough. To love every grain is to love none of them."
’Wouldn’t loving them all mean you love them even more?’ Qiuxi didn’t understand.
Liang Wan didn’t explain. She just lay back down. "There is no room for any woman in the Grand Commandant’s heart."
Qiuxi’s eyes widened. "Why?"
She was completely baffled. Her Third Lady was the most beautiful woman in all of Jinye City. Even before she’d come of age, many sons of nobles had sent matchmakers to the mansion, but the Family Head had turned them all away, claiming she was too young.
Thinking of this, Qiuxi felt a pang of regret. If he hadn’t sent them all away, if they had chosen a suitable match back then, her mistress would be peacefully awaiting her marriage now. How could she have ended up being offered as a gift to Wang Sikong by the current Family Head?
As for this Grand Commandant, she had asked around about him and heard nothing good. The more she thought about it, the more her heart sank.
Liang Wan closed her eyes, not answering.
’In her previous life, she hadn’t known much about Lu Xiu. After all, how could someone like Cui Hao ever hope to associate with a man of such noble birth and immense power? As for herself, Lu Xiu had never even given her a proper look.’
’If she remembered correctly, the one betrothed to him had been... from the Cao Family.’
’A pity he had no interest in women.’
’But based on their two encounters, while he might not be interested in women, she hadn’t seen him show any interest in men either.’
Liang Wan’s thoughts began to drift.
’Power, status, beautiful women, wealth... He seemed to have everything, to want for nothing.’
’So, after living a life like that for so long, it was only natural for him to lose interest in everything, wasn’t it?’
She sighed silently.
’Thinking about it this way, she really didn’t have much time.’
’She had to become independent quickly, before he grew tired of her.’
’Relying on him was only a temporary measure...’
Perhaps because of the previous day’s exhaustion, she slept dreamlessly through the night. It was broad daylight when Liang Wan finally sat up.
Once she was dressed and ready, she leisurely made her way outside.
As she walked, she noticed that in just one night, the way people looked at her had completely changed.
"Third Lady, um, that... that person is here!"
A young maidservant ran up, panting for breath.