Chapter 177
Chapter 177
Gu Yan watched Shen Si’s carriage gradually disappear into the distance. Only then did he ask, his throat tight, “Where did you and Lord Shen go, Cousin Yi?”
Ji Hanyi did not know how to explain, so she avoided the question and asked instead, “What brings you here at this hour, Cousin Yan?”
Gu Yan naturally noticed her evasiveness. He gave her a long look before saying, “Let’s go inside and talk.”
Ji Hanyi nodded and entered with him. On the way, Gu Yan said, “I recently acquired some fine paper for painting and came especially to bring it to you.”
As he spoke, he looked at Ji Hanyi again, his gaze fixed intently on the delicate tip of her fair nose. “There’s also some good news I wanted to share with you.”
Ji Hanyi paused and looked at him curiously. “What good news?”
Gu Yan smiled. “I pulled a few strings. The current County Magistrate of Wei County happens to have reached the end of his term, so I can take over the post. I never expected everything to go so smoothly. It’s happening sooner than I anticipated, and the position is better too.”
“I originally thought it would be wonderful if I could merely secure an assistant post there. I never imagined they would appoint me County Magistrate.”
“Someone from the Ministry of Personnel told me that, if all goes quickly, I may be able to set out by the end of next month, or early the month after. Wait for me, Cousin Yi. When the time comes, we can make the journey together.”
A hint of barely concealed excitement entered Gu Yan’s expression. “Cousin Yi, once I’m County Magistrate there, I’ll be able to protect you better.”
Ji Hanyi stared blankly at his excited, joyous expression, suddenly at a loss for words.
She was no longer going to Wei County.
She had not expected Gu Yan to truly succeed in using his connections to secure a post there.
Ji Hanyi parted her lips but said nothing.
When Gu Yan saw her staring at him in silence, his fingertips almost tingled with the urge to touch her. He stepped closer, his eyes filled with fervent anticipation and a desperate longing for her approval. With anxious care, he asked, “Cousin Yi, are you happy?”
Only after a long moment did Ji Hanyi answer softly, “Of course I’m happy for you, Cousin Yan, but I may not be able to travel with you after all.”
The smile on Gu Yan’s face froze instantly. He stared at her in a daze. “Cousin Yi, are you lying to me?”
At the sight of his expression, as though something had cracked beneath his usual gentleness, Ji Hanyi inexplicably took a step back and shook her head. “I’m not lying to you. For the time being, I truly have no intention of leaving.”
She had barely finished speaking when Gu Yan seized her shoulders. Startled, Ji Hanyi looked up in shock at his bloodshot, almost savage eyes.
His grip was so tight that it hurt.
Gu Yan’s low, urgent voice reached her ears. “Cousin Yi, do you find me so unbearable? Are you deliberately avoiding me?”
Ji Hanyi hurriedly shook her head. “You’ve misunderstood. I’ve never thought that way.”
His eyes bloodshot, Gu Yan asked hoarsely, “Then why…? Why aren’t you going anymore?”
Ji Hanyi had meant to tell him about marrying Shen Si, but nothing had been settled yet, and she did not know whether circumstances might change. This was hardly the right time to tell Gu Yan. Yet faced with his current state, she still said softly, “Let go of me first. I’ll explain everything slowly.”
Only after Gu Yan released her did Ji Hanyi tell him that she intended to remain in the capital for the foreseeable future. She also told him that she might marry Shen Si, then added, “The fact that you were able to secure the post of County Magistrate in Wei County proves how capable you are. I also believe you have a brilliant future ahead of you.”
“But if you truly don’t want to go, Cousin – if you don’t want to leave the capital-I’m also willing to ask Lord Shen to help you stay.”
Gu Yan stared blankly at Ji Hanyi. He did not hear a single word she said after that. All he heard was that she would remain in the capital for good – just when he had been ready to give up everything and go to Wei County for her.
It felt as though a sledgehammer had struck his heart, leaving his entire body weak.
His fingers gradually loosened. Dazed, he gazed at Ji Hanyi’s gentle upturned face. She was still as delicate and lovely as ever, still possessed of that ethereal beauty. She was the person he had loved since childhood, yet in the span of a few short days, she was telling him she might marry someone else.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably. At that moment, Gu Yan could no longer contain his emotions. He murmured, “He asks to marry you, and you agree. But I was willing to give up everything for you, and you kept refusing me. Am I truly so inferior to him in your eyes?”
Ji Hanyi hurriedly shook her head. “In my heart, Cousin Yan is family – the family I’ve trusted since I was a child. Lord Shen has shown me great kindness. Without him, I might still be suffering at the Xie Family’s hands. I also promised Lord Shen that if he ever needed me one day, I would help him.”
Gu Yan’s hands fell limply to his sides. He stumbled back several steps, his expression vacant. His eyes abruptly reddened, and his face went deathly pale. Without another word, he turned and walked out.
Ji Hanyi watched his retreating figure with concern. She hurried after him, only to see his carriage racing away in a cloud of dust. Remembering the red streaks in his eyes, she could not help feeling upset as well.
Cousin Yan had treated her well since childhood, and every bit of his kindness had been sincere.
After returning inside, she looked at the drawing paper Gu Yan had brought her, and her heart grew even heavier.
After some thought, she wrote Gu Yan a letter. He had chosen to go to Wei County because of her. Now that she was no longer going, she did not want him to disrupt his original plans on her account. If he truly did not wish to go, she would certainly find a way to help him.
At noon, Shen Si really did have a great many dishes delivered, enough to cover the entire table. Ji Hanyi was momentarily stunned by the sight.
Madam Gu was equally taken aback. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed such a lavish meal.
That evening, Ji Hanyi stood in the courtyard, her mind weighed down with worries as she looked across the way. She wanted to see whether Shen Si was there so she could ask if there was still any room to reconsider Gu Yan’s situation.
But even if Shen Si was home, it seemed rather inappropriate to visit him at night. In the end, she abandoned the idea and went back inside to bathe, deciding that speaking to him tomorrow would be soon enough.
She had been tense the entire time she was with the Grand Princess that day, terrified that she might make a mistake. Now that her taut nerves had finally relaxed, she felt especially sleepy. Soaking in the warm, comfortable bathwater, she rested against the rim of the tub and gradually began to doze off.
Shen Si stood on the upper floor, watching the silhouette cast upon her window as he listened to Wen’an report that Ji Hanyi had repeatedly looked in his direction that evening.
Of course Shen Si knew why she had been looking for him. Since Gu Yan wanted to go to Wei County, then he could remain outside the capital for the rest of his life. As long as he behaved himself and stayed there obediently, Shen Si could help advance his career if he truly possessed talent. He simply must never return to the capital.
Shen Si tapped his fingers against the railing as he watched the graceful silhouette in the window. He recalled the softness of Ji Hanyi’s palm in his grasp earlier that day, and heat stirred in his heart. Lowering his gaze to the earring in his hand, he imagined it still carried the soft warmth of her touch.
He wanted to see her again.
So this was what it meant for a single day apart to feel like three years. At last, he understood it himself.