Chapter 58: Behind The Rumors
The golden rays of the setting sun quietly stretched across the stone pathway.
The once bustling Xie Residence had gradually become calmer as servants began lighting lanterns beneath the corridors one after another.
A cool evening breeze gently swept through the courtyard.
Neither Wang Gege nor Xie Rong spoke.The only sound accompanying them was the soft rustling of leaves beneath the ancient trees.
Wang Gege’s thoughts remained occupied by Chuntao’s words.
"Can Young Madam save my younger sister?"
The pleading voice lingered within her mind. She unconsciously lowered her gaze.
Somehow, she could not bring herself to ignore those desperate eyes.
Just then, Xie Rong’s calm voice broke the silence. "Still thinking about the servant?"
Wang Gege looked up before giving a small nod. "I can’t stop thinking about her younger sister."
After a brief silence, Xie Rong quietly replied, "Actually... We had already ensured her younger sister’s safety."
Wang Gege blinked, "What?"
Xie Rong continued walking at his usual steady pace. "Mo Yan found her several days ago and the physician has already examined her. There is no immediate danger to her life."
Wang Gege stopped walking, "You—You already rescued her?"
Xie Rong nodded faintly, "We merely did not inform Chuntao."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Why?"
The evening breeze gently brushed past them, carrying with it the faint scent of blooming flowers.
Xie Rong remained silent for several breaths before answering, "Because at that time... I did not know whether she truly wished to tell the truth." His calm voice echoed softly beneath the dimming sky. "If she learned her younger sister was already safe... She would have had nothing left to lose."
Wang Gege quietly listened.
Xie Rong continued, "Someone who is prepared to sacrifice everything may no longer have any reason to speak, but... If her younger sister remained the person she cared about most..." He paused for a few seconds, "She would reveal her true intentions sooner or later."
Wang Gege lowered her gaze thoughtfully. "So... You were testing her."
"It was necessary." His answer was as concise as ever.
She couldn’t help but smile bitterly, "And here I thought you were being heartless."
Xie Rong’s footsteps came to a gradual halt. "I never said I would ignore an innocent person." His tone remained as calm as always. "Her younger sister has committed no crime. She should not bear the consequences of another’s choices."
Wang Gege looked at him quietly, "Husband is not as bad as I thought..."
Her sincere thoughts slipped from her mouth and caused him to turn his head looking at her, "What kind of person... did Furen think I was?"
Wang Gege was slightly taken aback. She had not expected him to ask that.
After thinking for a moment, she answered honestly. "When I woke up after... ahem... being poisoned, I didn’t even know I was going to marry Husband."
She smiled sheepishly.
"I only overheard my eldest sister mentioning a few things." Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the blindfold covering his eyes.
"She said Husband was cold... ruthless... and..." She hesitated for a moment before awkwardly scratching her cheek. "That husband’s sight is no longer the same..."
Xie Rong remained silent, quietly waiting for her to continue.
"And then we met." A helpless smile slowly appeared on her lips, "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid." She let out a soft chuckle. "After all... The very first time we met, Husband stopped my bridal sedan with a drawn sword."
She shook her head lightly, "I don’t think anyone would call that a particularly fateful first meeting."
"Perhaps the apology comes too late..." Xie Rong said calmly. "But what happened that day... was beyond my control."
She raised both hands and waved them lightly. "It’s alright... I understand." A gentle smile lingered upon her lips as she looked at him.
Although life in this world had been far more chaotic than anything she had ever experienced, it somehow felt much more interesting than her previous life, where every day had passed exactly the same until she no longer knew whether she was living... or merely repeating the same routine.
As for the family she had left behind... thinking about them only brought exhaustion rather than longing, making it surprisingly easy for her to embrace this second chance at life.
"Furen..." Xie Rong’s calm voice gently pulled her back from her thoughts.
Wang Gege blinked before looking up. "Hm?"
After a brief silence, Xie Rong quietly asked, "What made Furen smile?"
Wang Gege was slightly taken aback. "Was I smiling?"
"Mm." Xie Rong bobbed his head lightly.
She unconsciously touched the corner of her lips before letting out a small laugh.
"I was merely thinking..." She looked ahead at the lanterns that had gradually illuminated the corridors, "that my life has become much more interesting recently."
Xie Rong tilted his head slightly. "Interesting?"
She smiled.
"A month ago, I never imagined I would be married, shopping in the marketplace, arguing with someone in a restaurant..." She paused before laughing softly, "and helping Husband investigate a poisoning case."
She shook her head lightly, "Thinking about it now... It sounds rather unbelievable."
Her words caused Xie Rong to fall silent for a brief moment. Only then did he quietly ask, "What was Furen’s life like before marrying into the Xie Residence?"
Wang Gege was slightly taken aback. She lowered her gaze thoughtfully before a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"It wasn’t particularly interesting." She spoke calmly, as though recalling someone else’s story. "I rarely left the Shen Residence. Most days, I simply stayed in my courtyard, reading when there were books to read, helping with embroidery when there was work to do, and keeping to myself."
In truth, Wang Gege possessed none of Shen Taotao’s memories. Everything she knew about the timid young woman had been pieced together over the past four days from Qing’er’s words, the servants’ conversations, and the rumors she had quietly overheard within the residence.
Although she could never know whether every detail was true, one thing seemed certain, Shen Taotao had lived a quiet life, unnoticed by almost everyone around her.
The path ahead gradually grew quieter.
Only after they had walked a considerable distance did Xie Rong quietly ask, "Were you happy?"
The unexpected question caught Wang Gege slightly off guard. She turned to look at him, "Hm?"
"Before marrying into the Xie Residence." His tone remained calm as ever, "Were you happy?"
Wang Gege lowered her gaze. For a brief moment, she found herself unable to answer.
Was Shen Taotao happy?
She did not know... But judging from everything Qing’er had told her, the servants’ whispers, Shen Yurou’s treatment and from the way everyone had looked down upon the timid Second Miss...
She already knew the answer.
A faint smile slowly appeared on her lips, "I don’t think she was."
Xie Rong’s footsteps gradually slowed. "She?"
Wang Gege smiled faintly.
"The me before marrying into the Xie Residence." She lowered her gaze as her voice softened. "Sometimes... it feels as though she and the current me are two completely different people."
She looked up again with a helpless smile, "Perhaps that’s why I unconsciously referred to her as ’she.’"