Chapter 109 -
Outside, the rain had temporarily stopped, leaving behind a sharp, biting chill that seeped right through Yueqing’s silk nightgown. The damp stone floor echoed with her rushed footsteps as she made her way toward Wenzhe’s courtyard. Dark, heavy clouds hung low in the sky, threatening another heavy downpour at any moment.
She held the white fur coat tightly against her chest, her hands numb from the cold air.
[He better appreciate this,] she grumbled inside her head, trying to ignore the cold wind. [I’m only doing this so he doesn’t catch a fever on the battlefield. A sick hero can’t properly execute a villainess!]
When she finally reached the entrance of his courtyard, the usual bustling activity was strangely quiet. Only two guards were standing near the main doorway, looking unusually tense.
Yueqing walked up to them, smoothing down her skirts. "Where is Wenzhe? Is he still inside?"
The two guards immediately froze. They exchanged a quick, extremely uncomfortable glance, their eyes darting away from her face.
"Answer me," Yueqing said, her eyebrows pulling together.
The taller guard hesitated, swallowing hard before answering in a strained, awkward voice. "Y-Yes, Madam... The Young Master is inside his chamber."
Yueqing found their strange behavior completely suspicious. Normally, the servants and guards were quick to announce her arrival or bow respectfully, but right now, they looked like they were standing on hot coals.
[What’s up with them?] Yueqing thought, her inner alarm bells ringing. [Why are they acting like they just saw a ghost?]
Without waiting for them to announce her, she marched up the wooden steps. There were no maids waiting near the doors to call out her presence, so she simply reached forward, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and stepped into Wenzhe’s room.
"Wenzhe, you block of wood, I—"
The words froze in her throat.
The soft white fur coat slid out of her arms, dropping onto the floor with a quiet thud.
Inside the dimly lit room, Wenzhe was sitting on the edge of the low couch. But he wasn’t alone.
Sitting directly on his lap was a woman, her small hands resting on his broad shoulders. Their faces were buried close together, their lips pressed firmly in a deep, tight lock.
The entire room went dead silent, save for the faint sound of thunder rumbling far off in the distance.
Wenzhe sprinted through the chilly courtyard, his boots splashing through the freshly formed puddles. Just as Yueqing reached the covered corridor leading back to her quarters, he caught up to her, his chest heaving.
"Yueqing, wait!" Wenzhe rasped out, his hands reaching toward her. "It isn’t what it looked like!"
Sue Yueqing stopped in her tracks. She raised a single hand, her palm facing him, instantly shutting down his words.
"Why are you running after me?" Her voice was steady, flat, and completely devoid of its usual fiery spark. "The last time I checked, we have nothing to apologize to each other about. I don’t care what rubbish you have going on with your little white lotus."
She tossed the white fox coat right into his chest. Wenzhe caught it on instinct, feeling the surprising, gentle warmth radiating from the fine fur.
"I only came to give you this," Yueqing said coldly, looking down at the coat for a fraction of a second before lifting her chin. "Have fun."
She spun on her heel to leave, but Wenzhe reacted before his brain could even process the movement. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, his grip firm yet careful not to hurt her.
Wenzhe was thoroughly confused. His body was moving on its own, driven by a sudden, terrifying panic that if he let go of her right now, something between them would break forever.
"Listen to me," Wenzhe demanded, his throat tight as he stared down into her distant eyes. "I am a blunt person, and I don’t lie. If anyone had asked me two weeks ago who I loved with all my heart, I wouldn’t waste a single second and say her name. But now..."
Before the rest of the sentence could leave his lips, Sue Yueqing cut him off, a sharp, bitter scoff escaping her mouth.
"Then go to her!" Yueqing snapped, jerking her wrist violently out of his hold. "You don’t need to stand here giving me a whole speech about your change of heart! Go fight your battle at the border and leave me out of your messy love story!"
"I don’t want to hear your pathetic excuses!" Yueqing sneered, her voice dropping into a tone so icy and venomous it cut straight through the freezing wind.
She took a slow step closer to him, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated hatred.
"I hate you, Wenzhe," she spat out, every word dripping with poison. "I hate your face, I hate your stupid honor, and I can’t wait for this absolute disaster of a marriage to finally end. Do you want to know the absolute truth? If news comes back from the border tomorrow that you were impaled on a sword and died in a ditch, I will be the happiest person on earth. I’ll pop open the finest wine in the capital and celebrate!"
Wenzhe felt as if a physical blade had just been plunged directly into his chest. His fingers twitched around the soft white fur coat, his breath catching in his throat.
Yueqing didn’t stop there. She threw a dismissive, disgusted glance back toward his lit bedchamber, a wicked, cruel twist settling onto her lips.
"And don’t worry about being lonely out there," she added, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "The second you march out of these gates, I’ll make sure that little white lotus maid of yours is packed up and sent right behind you as your escort maid. That way, our brave Grand General won’t have to be sex-deprived while fighting on the front lines!"
With those last vile words ringing through the empty courtyard, Yueqing yanked her dress up, turned around, and walked away into the darkness without a single glance back.
Wenzhe remained rooted to the spot, holding the warm white coat, utterly speechless as the cold rain finally began to pour back down.