Chapter 623: Chapter 215 Wounded Lover_3
The flower rack isn’t as lush as it is in summer, devoid of blossoms, its branches and leaves look forlorn, presenting a somewhat desolate appearance.
"Actually, before, I never had the assurance that she would choose me."
He mocked himself with a smile, "After all, Ji Xun is a gentleman, and I am a scoundrel."
"If the Lu Family hadn’t suffered those incidents, the person who should be matched with her now would probably be someone like Ji Xun."
These words carried a tone of melancholy.
"Snap out of it," Xiao Zhufeng said indifferently, "Since when have you become so cowardly?"
Pei Yunmeng just smiled and said nothing.
Xiao Zhufeng looked at him, "Didn’t you say before that even if she truly liked Ji Xun, you would break them apart? Now you’re just going to hand her over to that guy?"
Pei Yunmeng snorted, "What do you mean ’hand over’? She’s not an object."
Xiao Zhufeng disliked his current state and said sarcastically, "So what are you going to do? Drown your sorrows in drink here and wait for them to happily marry before you step in when they’re vulnerable? You don’t even want a proper status?"
"Are you the kind of person who is willing to quietly retreat into the background?"
Pei Yunmeng remained silent.
The night wind blew, making the tall parasol trees rustle.
Pei Yunmeng broke the silence, "Xiao Er, do you still remember my horse?"
Xiao Zhufeng was startled.
Pei Yunmeng once had a red colt.
A birthday gift personally selected for him by his maternal grandfather, lively and handsome, it later died from accidentally ingesting poisonous grass.
"I really liked that colt."
"Because I liked it too much, I couldn’t help but show off, causing my brothers in the family to fight fiercely over it. I was very saddened when it died."
He said calmly, "Later, I found out that the colt didn’t die from eating poisonous grass. It was my father who personally ordered it to be poisoned to death."
Xiao Zhufeng paused.
This was the first time he heard Pei Yunmeng speak of the true circumstances, he asked, "Why?"
Pei Yunmeng smiled, a smile colder than an autumn night.
"Because he believed that such a thing harmed brotherly affection, it was better to cut it off at the root."
Pei Yunmeng said, "I don’t want her to become that colt."
Xiao Zhufeng was silent.
Half a year ago, Xiao Zhufeng would never have believed he would see this side of Pei Yunmeng.
The Princely Heir, accustomed to luxury, would wait for someone from day to night without a single complaint and then demean himself so low after being rejected.
"Doctor Lu seems like someone who would renounce worldly attachments and become a monk at any moment, it’s hard to imagine her falling for you." Xiao Zhufeng comforted his friend, "Maybe you don’t truly love her that deeply; it’s because you’ve spent too much effort on her that you can’t let go."
"You seem to have forgotten that at first, you were out to catch her in the act."
Pei Yunmeng managed a bitter smile.
Initially, he had wanted to catch her slipping, but in the end, it turned out he was the one who was tightly ensnared.
He had always been carefree, able to pick up and let go as he pleased, but when it came to Lu Tong, he was always worried, always unable to let go.
Xiao Zhufeng tilted his head back and drained the tea in his cup, then sighed.
"Is it that the Palace Marshal’s Mansion has bad feng shui, or is there something wrong with our horoscopes – not just horoscopes," he mused, "including our teacher, the three of us, fated to difficult love affairs, always unrequited."
Pei Yunmeng was speechless.
Indeed, even the Peach Blossom Talisman from Blind Man He hadn’t brought any good fortune, but rather made things worse.
"If you really can’t let go, just be friends with her," Xiao Zhufeng poured another cup of tea, lifting it, "Who knows, maybe one day she’ll change her heart."
Pei Yunmeng: "..."
"How can I be friends with her when I like her?" Pei Yunmeng retorted, "You must think everyone can endure like you, through all eternity."
Xiao Zhufeng made an "Oh" sound, "Then don’t endure. Tomorrow’s festival, set Ji Xun’s face on fire with a single flame, without his face, let’s see how he can still bewitch your Doctor Lu."
Pei Yunmeng was shocked, "You’re vicious."
"Are you saying you’re not tempted even a little?"
Pei Yunmeng: "..."
Xiao Zhufeng scorned, "Hypocrite."
The pot of bitter tea on the table reached its end, and a few more lamps in the distance were extinguished.
"Enough, if there’s anything, we’ll talk about it after tomorrow’s festival." Pei Yunmeng put down the liquor cup and stood up, saying, "It’s getting late, you should go back too."
Xiao Zhufeng dissatisfied, "I’ve been comforting you all night, don’t you know how to say ’thanks’?"
The young man took a few steps back, looked at the man before him, and said with a forced smile, "Your comfort is much appreciated, no need for it next time, thanks."
...
Mist rose in the night.
The thick fog, like an enormous net, slowly surged from the ground, from the distance, creeping silently into the house, infusing the lonely autumn night with a cold and eerie dampness.
In the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, the sound of a woman’s crying suddenly pierced the air.
Qi Qing awoke startled from his sleep, heard the noise, and quickly got up from his bed, dressing himself.
He was getting on in years, a light sleeper by nature, and demanded absolute silence in the mansion at night, where one could hear a pin drop. He had never been woken up in the middle of the night like this before.
The sound was coming from the inner room.
The closer he got, the more hysterical it became. Qi Qing walked through the door and saw a person lying on the bed, surrounded by midwives. A strong scent of blood mixed with the smell of medicine hit him, amidst the chaos.