Chapter 4

Liang Zhiyan returned sooner than I had expected.

The first thing he did was come to see me.

He had a letter brought inside. Outside, rain was pouring down, yet he insisted on standing beneath the eaves and would not leave.

When I went out with an umbrella, his clothes were already drenched.

Gone were the splendid robes he used to wear. Today he wore a plain gown without so much as a pendant.

“Why did you give me money for the journey?” His voice was low, the question slow. He seemed to be waiting for me to speak first and offer him a graceful way out.

I laughed softly. “I wanted to see how long the two of you would last with me no longer standing in your way. I’ve been looking forward to finding out.”

His eyes dimmed, as though he could not bear to discuss it further.

In my previous life, he had searched the world for her and lavished her with unparalleled favor, even poisoning me with his own hands to clear her path. I had thought such love could withstand the world’s hardships, its doubts and suspicions.

I had never imagined it would crumble so quickly.

All he had truly been obsessed with was the Zhao Lingyi of his memories—the woman he had wanted and could not have.

Once he had her, she was nothing so extraordinary after all.

I knew why he had returned to the capital. He had caught Zhao Lingyi weeping on the wealthy young man’s shoulder.

“It turns out I was wrong,” he said without prompting, his voice subdued.

“Qining, would you still be willing…to give me another chance?” He ventured the question cautiously.

I spoke at my leisure. “You should never have asked that. You humiliated me the moment you brought Zhao Lingyi home. Then you eloped with her and made me an object of ridicule. Now she’s broken your heart, so you’ve come back to me. Am I worth so little that I should settle for being your second choice?”

Panic showed in his eyes. Only after a long silence did he mumble, “I know I can’t expect you to take me back so easily. I’ll do whatever it takes to satisfy you.”

He turned and walked away into the downpour.

In the days that followed, he came again and again.

Everyone said the prodigal had reformed. I had no desire to see him, so I pleaded illness and sent him away.

What he did next astonished everyone.

There were nine thousand nine hundred steps beneath Xiangshan Temple. He knelt on every one to pray for me, forcing himself all the way to the summit.

For three days he knelt before the Buddha, praying that I would recover and enjoy lasting health and happiness.

Before the shrine, he vowed that he wished to marry me and remain by my side until we were old and gray.

My mother told me he was clever. With his own hands, he had built me a path back to him.

He knew I was pretending to be ill to avoid him. He also knew how deeply I resented the humiliation he had brought me.

And so, with this display, he restored my dignity before everyone.

But I went to see Luo Jinyan. Some matters could wait no longer.