Chapter 131: The Blind Young Master
"Why?!"
"Why?!"
The voice was so loud that the lively chatter throughout the marketplace came to an abrupt halt.
Even the merchants standing outside instinctively turned toward the silk shop.
"What happened?"
"Did someone start a quarrel?"
Several curious passersby began gathering outside the entrance, stretching their necks in an attempt to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside.
Xie Rong’s brows immediately furrowed.
That voice... It sounded familiar.
Inside the silk shop, Shen Yurou stood breathing heavily, her elegant hairstyle no longer as immaculate as when she had entered. Several loose strands had escaped their pins, while the sleeve she had used to seize Wang Gege moments earlier was visibly creased.
Not far from her, Wang Gege’s hair ornaments had shifted from their original place, a few loose strands falling around her cheeks. Qing’er remained protectively at her side, one arm slightly extended in front of her mistress, her own breathing uneven after trying to separate the two women.
The shopkeeper looked as though he wished to intervene, yet seeing the identities of those involved, he dared not step forward.
Only Shen Yurou’s trembling voice continued to echo through the hall.
"Why?" She stared fixedly at Wang Gege, her eyes already reddened. "Why has everything changed?"
No one present understood what she meant. Only Shen Yurou herself knew.
She had chosen differently this time. She had willingly married Lu Wenyuan. Everything should have unfolded exactly as she remembered.
She clearly remembered...
Around this time, Lu Wenyuan should have caught the attention of a respected scholar in the capital. Impressed by his literary talent, the scholar had personally written a letter of recommendation, allowing him to study under several renowned officials. That single opportunity had become the first step toward the brilliant future Shen Yurou had witnessed.
But this time... Nothing. The recommendation never came. The invitation never arrived.
Even the scholar had reportedly left the capital weeks before Lu Wenyuan was supposed to meet him.
It was as though the future she remembered had simply vanished.
Shen Yurou’s fingers tightened into fists.
"No...This isn’t how it was supposed to happen..." Her gaze suddenly snapped toward Wang Gege.
Shen Yurou’s trembling fingers pointed directly at Wang Gege. "It was because of you... It had to be you!"
Her eyes had long lost the composure expected of a noble young lady.
"I changed it! I already changed everything this time! I gave you Xie Rong! I even..." Her voice caught in her throat. "I even made sure you..."
She suddenly stopped, her pupils shrinking.
The entire silk shop fell silent.
Wang Gege’s eyes narrowed.
Shen Yurou hurriedly shook her head as though trying to erase the words she had almost spoken.
"No... No... I..." Her breathing became increasingly erratic. "I only wanted everything to return to how it was supposed to be! You were supposed to marry Xie Rong. You were supposed to remain trapped inside the Xie Residence. You were supposed to suffer! So why... Why has everything changed?!"
Her voice gradually broke into sobs. "I gave up everything! I gave up becoming the Young Madam of the Xie family! I married Lu Wenyuan! I’ve tried so hard to change my fate... So why... .why has fate changed instead?"
Without another moment of hesitation, Xie Rong stepped through the gathering crowd and entered the silk shop.
The moment his gaze fell upon Wang Gege...
His expression darkened.
Several strands of her carefully arranged hair had escaped from beneath her hairpins, falling untidily around her face. The outer layer of her robe had become noticeably wrinkled, one sleeve hanging lower than the other as though someone had forcefully seized it only moments earlier.
Beside her, Qing’er’s appearance was no better.
The young maid stood protectively at Wang Gege’s side, her own sleeves creased from struggling to pull someone away, while her breathing remained uneven.
Xie Rong’s eyes slowly swept over the two of them. He did not need anyone to explain what had happened.
The sight before him was explanation enough.
The temperature within the shop seemed to drop.
The murmurs among the customers gradually faded as one after another, they instinctively made way for the Young Master of the Xie family.
His footsteps were neither hurried nor loud. Yet every step carried an invisible pressure that caused the surrounding voices to disappear completely.
Only when he stopped beside Wang Gege did he finally speak.
His voice was calm... Far too calm.
"Who touched my Furen?"
Shen Yurou laughed bitterly.
"So what if I laid my hands on her?" Her reddened eyes glared at Wang Gege. "She stole everything that should have belonged to me! If she had simply remained obedient... If she had simply lived the miserable life that belonged to her... None of this would’ve happened!"
Shen Yurou’s trembling finger remained pointed toward Wang Gege as tears continued streaming uncontrollably down her face.
"Father only brought you back to bear my misfortune!" she cried hysterically. "You were never supposed to have anything of your own. Everything that happened to you was meant to happen. You were supposed to suffer in my place, so why..." Her voice gradually broke apart as she shook her head repeatedly. "Why did everything become like this?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere inside the silk shop changed.
Until that very moment, Xie Rong had remained calm despite Shen Yurou’s repeated accusations. Although his expression had grown colder with every passing moment, he had still maintained the composure expected of the Young Master of the Xie family.
Now... That composure finally disappeared.
No one knew whether it was because Shen Yurou had admitted that Shen Taotao had merely been a substitute for her misfortune, or because she had spoken of Shen Taotao’s suffering as though it were only natural. Whatever the reason, the gentleness that had always accompanied Xie Rong’s elegant bearing vanished without leaving the slightest trace.
His face remained expressionless.
Yet everyone standing inside the shop instinctively felt an invisible pressure descend upon them.
Xie Rong slowly lifted his head and looked toward Shen Yurou. There was no longer the slightest warmth within his eyes.
He had spent years concealing his thoughts behind an indifferent expression, allowing others to believe that very little in this world could stir his emotions.
But at that moment, even those who knew nothing about him could clearly tell.
He was angry... Truly angry.
The silence became so heavy that even Shen Yurou’s ragged breathing sounded unusually loud.
Only then did Xie Rong begin walking toward her.
His footsteps were neither hurried nor forceful, yet each measured step echoed clearly across the wooden floor, causing Shen Yurou to unconsciously retreat until her back struck one of the carved wooden pillars behind her.
"You had everything..." Xie Rong’s voice remained frighteningly calm, "and yet you still believe that my Furen, who had nothing, should suffer in your place?"
Shen Yurou instinctively swallowed. She stared at the silk blindfold covering his eyes.
For years... Everyone had believed the Young Master of the Xie family could not see.
But at this moment, standing before him felt as though she were the one being completely seen through.
Xie Rong slowly raised his hand. His slender fingers gradually closed together as they reached toward her. It was not quick or threatening.
Just the terrifying calmness behind that single movement caused Shen Yurou’s breathing to become uneven.
She wanted to retreat but the wooden pillar behind her had already cut off every path of escape.
His hand drew closer until... only a small distance remained between them.
At that very moment, Wang Gege’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She had never seen Xie Rong like this before. He was no longer simply angry, he had genuinely lost control.
Without thinking further, she hurriedly stepped forward and caught his raised arm.
"Husband." Her voice immediately broke the suffocating silence inside the silk shop.
Xie Rong’s movement stopped.
Wang Gege gently tightened her grip around his sleeve before taking half a step closer. To everyone else, it looked as though she was merely guiding her blind husband.
Only Xie Rong heard the whisper that followed.
"Husband..." Her voice was so soft that it could scarcely be heard. "You’re supposed to be blind."