Chapter 65

Chapter 65

After hearing his mother out, Xie Yuheng’s frown deepened.

He drew a long, deep breath. He had never known Ji Hanyi had been covering so many of her own expenses in her courtyard.

Yet she had never mentioned it to him, not even once, nor had she ever asked him for money.

Then where had she gotten the money?

After a moment of silence, Xie Yuheng said quietly to Madam Lin, “I’ve never given her any money, and she’s never asked me for any.”

All these years, Xie Yuheng’s salary had been kept in his own accounts.

He also had considerable private wealth. As the sole legitimate son of the Xie Family’s eldest branch, his mother had managed numerous shops and estates for him since his youth. He had never lacked money.

Nor had he ever needed to concern himself with household expenses. But now that he thought about it carefully, Ji Hanyi likely had very little money of her own.

The two loads of dowry she had brought with her were filled with inexpensive bedding and household items. She owned only one shop, and it was not even in a bustling district. How much income could it possibly bring in?

The more Xie Yuheng thought about it, the tighter his chest became.

Not only had he never given Ji Hanyi any money, he had never even bought her a single thing.

He did not really know what had been wrong with him. Perhaps it was because Ji Hanyi never asked him for anything, or perhaps because he had once disliked certain aspects of her temperament. There was also the fact that, for reasons he could not understand, he often found himself unable to summon any desire for her in bed. Gradually, he had grown distant from her.

In truth, Xie Yuheng had been troubled by it at times. He clearly wanted to be close to Ji Hanyi, yet his body would not cooperate. In bed, he often could not become aroused even after a long while, and on many other occasions, he finished far too quickly. He had secretly consulted physicians, but his condition came and went. Over time, perhaps because of his wounded pride as a man, he had begun to distance himself from her without even realizing it.

Now, guilt welled up inside him.

Madam Lin was taken aback by what Xie Yuheng had said.

Unable to believe it, she asked him again, “You truly never gave her any money?”

For once, a trace of impatience showed on Xie Yuheng’s face as he answered his mother. “No, I truly never did.”

His brow furrowed again. “Second Aunt is always gossiping about such things behind people’s backs. Does Mother actually believe her?”

Madam Lin froze, momentarily lost in thought.

She had not expected this either. All these years, she had believed that Ji Hanyi had come to them with the marriage agreement because she coveted the Xie Family’s wealth and status. The matter had always been a thorn in her heart.

If Ji Hanyi had not appeared with that agreement back then, Madam Lin could have arranged a marriage between her son and Li Mingrou. She would not have been left with this lingering regret.

But no matter how she looked at it now, Ji Hanyi had not taken advantage of the Xie Family at all.

For a moment, Madam Lin did not know what to say. Her emotions were in turmoil.

Xie Yuheng could not help saying, “Mother, treat Hanyi better from now on. Don’t keep suspecting her like this.”

Madam Lin looked at Xie Yuheng. “Even if she didn’t take anything from the Xie Family to support the Gu Family, isn’t everything she uses now still provided by the Xie Family?”

“Everything sent to her courtyard is of fine quality, including the bolts of cloth. What hardship has she ever suffered in the Xie Family? If she had married into another household, would she be enjoying such a comfortable life now?”

“When all is said and done, these are things she ought to do.”

“It’s good that the investigation has proved she didn’t do it. That only means she has fulfilled her duty.”

Xie Yuheng listened with a deep frown. Suddenly, he wondered how much resentment and humiliation Ji Hanyi had endured while waiting on his mother all these years.

He shot to his feet and looked down at Madam Lin, displeasure written across his face. “Even if she had taken some of the Xie Family’s things to the Gu Family, so what? Could we not afford to spare them even that little?”

“Who was the one betrothed to her in the first place?! Why make things difficult for her now?”

Madam Lin stared at him in shock. She could hardly believe Xie Yuheng was actually defending Ji Hanyi.

In the past, no matter how much she criticized Ji Hanyi in front of him, Xie Yuheng had never said a word. What had come over him now? Why had he suddenly started speaking up for Ji Hanyi?

She could not help retorting, “Why are you getting upset now? This was never about whether we could afford it!”

“It’s a question of character!”

Xie Yuheng no longer wanted to argue with his mother. His brow remained tightly furrowed. “She never did any such thing, yet Mother still suspected her of it. Wouldn’t that hurt her?”
“She wants to divorce me now. What could she possibly still want from the Xie Family?”

Xie Yuheng’s words stunned Madam Lin all over again. Almost believing she had misheard him, she stared at him in shock. “What did you say?”

Xie Yuheng merely took a deep breath. Without another word, he turned and hurried out.

Staring after him in disbelief, Madam Lin asked the older maidservant beside her, “What did he just say? Ji Hanyi wants a divorce?”

“She has the nerve?”

The older maidservant hesitated, not daring to confirm that the Eldest Master had indeed said exactly that.

Relatives had come to visit today, so all the women in the residence had to gather in the flower hall to entertain them, dine together, and keep the Old Madam company.

Ji Hanyi had been busy all morning. When everyone gathered to chat that evening, she left early as usual. She was never much of a talker, so no one noticed her departure.

But when she returned, she found Xie Yuheng blocking the door to her study.

The study door stood open. Clearly, Xie Yuheng had already gone inside.

There was not a single servant in sight. It seemed he had sent them all away.

Ji Hanyi quietly regarded the man standing in the darkness. His face was still as refined and aloof as ever, yet at that moment, she could not understand why she had once wanted to spend the rest of her life with someone like him.

Xie Yuheng looked at Ji Hanyi standing far away from him. Her fair, lovely face peeked out from a pink, gold-flecked rabbit-fur cloak, while a few strands of her thick hair had slipped free from her hood. The faint chill of the night breeze brushed her cheeks, tinting the tip of her delicate nose pink.

The cloak enveloped her petite, graceful figure, and he suddenly missed the feeling of holding her in his arms.

But now, whenever he took a step toward her, she retreated a step.

Her eyes were full of wariness.

Bitterness filled Xie Yuheng’s face. He had never imagined that things between them would one day come to this.

He spoke with difficulty. “Did Mother make things hard for you before? I’ve already explained everything to her. You never asked me for money, and I never gave you any.”

“Everything in this courtyard has been paid for out of your private funds.”

“I’ve placed all the money I’ve owed you over the years on your desk, along with the jewelry I bought you. Just keep it all.”

Ji Hanyi frowned and was about to shake her head, but Xie Yuheng continued, “And about Mingrou — she’s been confined to her courtyard these past few days. I haven’t pleaded with Grandmother on her behalf again.”

“Once Grandmother’s birthday is over the day after tomorrow, I’ll have her sent to the countryside in Grandmother’s hometown and married off there.”

After saying this, Xie Yuheng fixed his dark eyes on Ji Hanyi. “Hanyi, she’ll never come back again.”

“I’ve also arranged to have the pear tree in the courtyard cut down.”

At this point, Xie Yuheng looked at Ji Hanyi with rising emotion. “Hanyi, tell me. What else do you want me to do?”

The cold wind howled through the already deserted rear corridor. The past few days had been especially frigid. Though it had not snowed today, it felt even colder than when it did.

Ji Hanyi could not make sense of the regret written all over Xie Yuheng’s face.

She was even beginning to find him tiresome.

Yes. She was growing tired of Xie Yuheng.

Ji Hanyi shook her head again and repeated the same words. “Eldest Master, I don’t need any of this.”

Her voice was perfectly calm, yet her words pierced him like a sharp sword.

Xie Yuheng’s eyes abruptly turned bloodshot as he closed in on Ji Hanyi. Tall and slender, he reached her in just a few long strides. His hands clamped tightly around her shoulders. Like a silent lion driven mad, he bent over her and demanded almost frantically, “You were never this heartless before.”

“I don’t believe you could have suddenly become like this.”

“Tell me the truth. Have you found someone else?”

“Now that I think about it, there was something very suspicious about your cousin being rescued.”

His eyes grew even redder. Staring into Ji Hanyi’s eyes, he gave a scornful laugh. “I finally understand why you’ve become so heartless. Have you been carrying on with another man behind my back all along?”

He shook her hard by the shoulders again. “Hanyi, tell me. Is that it?”