Chapter 103 - 92: The Play 3
"I never thought you were this kind of person... I... I was wrong about you."
Jiang Ran was momentarily speechless. He subconsciously took two steps back and exhaled softly:
"It’s my fault, Lady Ye. It’s all my fault, a thousand times over. I... I’ve wronged you...
"You... you should just kill me."
He lowered his head, offering his neck for the blade.
Hearing this, Ye Jingshuang finally realized what the crux of the issue was. She immediately threw off the covers, reached for her sword, and with a CLANG, the longsword was in her hand, its tip aimed straight for Jiang Ran’s heart.
Jiang Ran didn’t move an inch. Just as the longsword was about to strike a vital spot, it suddenly veered aside.
The blade grazed past his shoulder, subtly pointing toward Tong Wanli.
Tears welled in the corners of Ye Jingshuang’s eyes:
"I won’t kill you...
"You’ve saved my life several times. My debt to you is as heavy as a mountain... I... I was even willing to pledge myself to you.
"But you... you shouldn’t have used your drunkenness to assault me...
"Go. I... I never want to see you again."
"Lady Ye..."
"Go!!!"
Ye Jingshuang flicked her longsword, and a stream of Sword Qi shot past Tong Wanli’s ankle, striking the wall to the side.
Tong Wanli jumped in fright.
’Never in a million years did I think I’d almost be struck down by Sword Qi from Ye Jingshuang’s fit of rage.’
Jiang Ran, meanwhile, took off his outer robe and draped it over Ye Jingshuang, sighing softly:
"Fine. You... it’s only right that you don’t want to see me. I... I’ll leave now... Lady Ye, take good care of yourself."
With that, he picked up the bundle that was sitting to the side.
He glanced at Tong Wanli and cupped his fists.
"Senior, take care."
"Hmph!"
Tong Wanli turned his head away, unwilling to look at Jiang Ran, as if another glance would soil his eyes.
Jiang Ran sighed and departed, the picture of desolation.
Watching his retreating back, Ye Jingshuang found herself feeling genuinely sad, even though she knew this was just an act the two of them had orchestrated for Tong Wanli’s benefit.
But in that moment, Ye Jingshuang realized she truly couldn’t bear to see that young bladesman driven away in such a manner.
Forcing down the discomfort in her heart, she turned away so she wouldn’t have to watch. A single tear traced a path from the corner of her eye.
As it turned out, this reaction perfectly matched the heartbroken state she was supposed to be in.
Seeing this, Tong Wanli sighed:
"Jingshuang, you... don’t be upset. For him to drink a little and... and behave that way, it’s just... *sigh*... If you’re still angry, you can tell your uncle. I’ll find a way for you to vent."
"Uncle Tong."
Ye Jingshuang turned to look at Tong Wanli:
"Can you... can you promise not to speak of what happened today to anyone?
"He did save my life, after all. By not killing him today, and by not ruining his reputation, I will consider my debt to him repaid.
"Besides, after something like this... I don’t want anyone else to know."
"Yes, yes, of course."
Tong Wanli nodded repeatedly. "My dear niece, you can rest assured. As for what happened today, I’ll take this secret to my grave. I absolutely won’t breathe a word of it to anyone."
"Then thank you, Uncle Tong."
Ye Jingshuang looked weary. "Uncle Tong, please leave for now. I... I want to rest for a bit."
"Alright."
Tong Wanli nodded and turned to leave.
Only when the footsteps outside the door faded away did Ye Jingshuang finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
’Will he really not spread it around?’
’After all, if Tong Wanli really wants me to marry Tong Yan, this one act is far from enough.’
’His best move would be to use this incident to ruin my reputation, making it impossible for me to ever find a good match in the future.’
’Then, Tong Yan could show his resolve by declaring he doesn’t care about my past, only our future. That might actually give him a chance.’
She shook her head lightly and turned to sit back down on the bed.
She mentally reviewed the lines Jiang Ran had just spoken, feeling that their performance was more or less complete.
So she wiped away her tear tracks and actually lay down to rest.
...
...
She rested for the entire afternoon.
When evening came, she finally composed herself and came out of her room.
Just as she stepped out, she heard Mingyue’s voice shouting:
"I don’t believe it! I absolutely won’t believe it!
"My benefactor is a good person! He gave me food! He would never do something like that! You... you must have framed him!
"I’m going to find my cousin! I need to ask my cousin what really..."
Just as she said this, she saw Ye Jingshuang.
Ye Jingshuang’s expression was indeed frosty. She gave Mingyue a complicated look and gently patted her on the head.
"Let’s eat."
Mingyue froze. It was as if Ye Jingshuang had said nothing at all, and yet, had said everything.
The little girl couldn’t help but bite her lower lip:
"You... you’re all lying to me!"
After saying this, she ran past Ye Jingshuang and darted into Liu Wenshan’s room.
She then chased Zhou Wang, who had been standing guard inside, out of the room.
Tong Wanli sighed. Ye Jingshuang glanced at him and shook her head gently:
"Mingyue is still young. Uncle Tong, please don’t take it to heart."
"Don’t worry."
Tong Wanli shook his head. "Seeing her like this, this old man’s heart aches as well."
"Yes. Let’s eat first."
Ye Jingshuang said, heading downstairs first.
Tong Wanli followed behind her, his expression unreadable.
For Ye Jingshuang, the meal was as tasteless as chewing wax—she was, after all, staying in character.
After all, if she’d been happy and feasting heartily in the evening after experiencing such a traumatic event, she would have seemed far too carefree.
After they finished eating, Ye Jingshuang told Tong Wanli she was going to stand watch over Liu Wenshan.
Tong Wanli offered to take her place, but Ye Jingshuang refused.
Unable to dissuade her, he could only agree.
The night grew deeper... Inside the room, Liu Wenshan lay quietly, while Mingyue, draped over the bed, had long since fallen asleep.
She hadn’t wanted to leave Liu Wenshan’s side, but she also refused to speak to Ye Jingshuang, being incredibly stubborn.
In the end, however, she couldn’t fight off her drowsiness and had fallen into a deep sleep.
Ye Jingshuang sat to the side, quietly watching the two of them. Suddenly, her gaze shifted as the window was pushed open with a CREAK.
A figure burst in from the night and stood before Ye Jingshuang.
Ye Jingshuang’s eyes lit up:
"Young Master."