Chapter 7
Chapter 7
In the past, whenever Ji Hanyi saw Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou together, she would feel a faint stab of pain in her heart.
She was clearly Xie Yuheng’s wife, yet she always felt like an outsider watching from the sidelines as he and Li Mingrou showed just how well suited they were.
Every time, it made her painfully aware that she was the unnecessary one.
But now, Ji Hanyi’s heart was as still as water.
Perhaps she had never loved him that deeply. Or perhaps the man she had loved was the Xie Yuheng who had once solemnly promised to marry her.
Steam continued to rise from the warm bowl in her hands, the bitter scent of medicine lingering beneath her nose. Ji Hanyi lowered her head, drained the medicine, and set the empty bowl aside.
Before she could say anything, Xie Yuheng frowned and rebuked her, “Mingrou is talking to you.”
Ji Hanyi glanced at Xie Yuheng. The way he looked at her was always cold, and whenever Li Mingrou was around, he would invariably frown and blame her.
As if nothing she did could ever please him.
She frowned back at him. “I was taking my medicine.”
Xie Yuheng paused.
Ji Hanyi had no desire to spare him another glance. She turned to Li Mingrou instead. “What is it?”
Smiling, Li Mingrou came over and sat beside Ji Hanyi, linking her arm through hers. “I came to look for a few books in Brother Heng’s room. You don’t mind, do you, Cousin-in-law?”
“I was worried that you’d say I was being thoughtless again if you found out later, so I came to tell you first. Please don’t be angry with my cousin.”
“And I misspoke earlier today and upset you. Please don’t be angry with me either, Cousin-in-law.”
Her voice and expression were pitiful, and tears even shimmered faintly in her eyes.
Xie Yuheng looked coldly at Ji Hanyi. “Mingrou came to borrow some calligraphy copybooks from me. Don’t be so petty about it.”
“Even if she did say something wrong, you’re her cousin-in-law. You should be more magnanimous.”
Ji Hanyi felt exhausted. She had not even said a word, yet he had already branded her petty.
When she turned and met Li Mingrou’s gaze, she saw that those seemingly gentle eyes held smug arrogance whenever they rested on her, along with a trace of contempt.
Ji Hanyi frowned at Xie Yuheng. “Petty? Weren’t the two of you the ones who came to me?”
“I haven’t said a single word. Please watch what you say in the future.”
Then Ji Hanyi looked at Li Mingrou. “Besides, you’re only borrowing a couple of calligraphy copybooks from your cousin. What would I possibly mind? Why go out of your way to tell me?”
“From now on, when you go see your cousin, there’s no need to report it to me.”
“The two of you being close is a good thing. It shows that the household is harmonious. I’m happy to see you spend more time together. I certainly don’t want to be called petty for no reason again.”
Xie Yuheng stared at Ji Hanyi. The flash of impatience in her eyes just now, along with her tone, almost made him wonder if he had imagined it. His brows drew together again.
Though Ji Hanyi had occasionally made a fuss over trivial matters in the past, she had always been gentle and compliant. Today, however, she seemed different.
Whenever anything involved Mingrou in the past, Ji Hanyi would always pick on her. Yet today, she had actually said it was a good thing for him and Mingrou to be close.
She had always blamed him for being too close to Mingrou before.
Li Mingrou pressed her lips together and stared intently into Ji Hanyi’s eyes. Her act of calm indifference was certainly convincing.
Her eyes brimming with grievance, she said, “If you mind, Cousin-in-law, why say things you don’t mean?”
“You always used to say I clung to my cousin. But we grew up together, and I’ve always depended on him for everything. It’s not what you think.”
“I also know you’ve had a cold these past few days, so I specially made you some medicinal soup. They say it’s good for colds. It’s a token of my sincerity — you wouldn’t refuse it, would you?”
With that, Li Mingrou had the maid beside her bring over a bowl of chicken soup. She took it herself and held it out before Ji Hanyi. “Cousin-in-law, I made this with my own hands.”
Ji Hanyi looked at the bowl of chicken soup in Li Mingrou’s hands, then raised her eyes to meet Li Mingrou’s gaze.
Their eyes met through the steam rising from the soup.
This was not the first time such a scene had played out.
On the second day after Ji Hanyi married into the Xie Family, Li Mingrou had come to offer her tea. The moment Ji Hanyi reached out to accept it, the teacup fell, spilling scalding tea all over Li Mingrou’s hand.
That day, Xie Yuheng had anxiously carried Li Mingrou away. It was also the day Ji Hanyi became branded as jealous and petty in his eyes.
No matter how desperately she tried to explain, he had never believed she had done nothing of the sort.
That misunderstanding remained unresolved to this day, simply because he refused to believe her explanation.
Now that the same situation was unfolding again, Ji Hanyi would not accept the bowl herself, regardless of whether Li Mingrou intended to pull the same trick.
She gestured for Rongchun to take it instead.
But Li Mingrou looked at Ji Hanyi with tears brimming in her eyes. “Does Cousin-in-law truly dislike me so much that she won’t even accept it?”
“I made this especially for Cousin-in-law. I spent the entire afternoon preparing it.”
Xie Yuheng frowned at Ji Hanyi. “This is Mingrou’s heartfelt gesture. You’re her cousin-in-law. When will you learn to be as considerate as Mingrou?”
Only then did Ji Hanyi raise her eyes to Xie Yuheng, her voice as cold as the bitter wind outside the window. “Aren’t you afraid I might accidentally spill the soup on Mingrou again?”
Xie Yuheng froze.
Ji Hanyi had no interest in seeing how he reacted. She merely turned back to Li Mingrou, bent close to her ear, and whispered, “You truly disgust me. I’ve had enough of these despicable tricks.”
“Now, you almost make me pity you. How pathetic must you be if these sordid schemes are all you have?”
Li Mingrou’s face went pale.
But she quickly replaced her expression with one of sorrow, then rose and turned toward Xie Yuheng behind her. Tears trembled in her eyes as she said softly, “It seems Cousin-in-law is still unwilling to forgive me. I should leave.”
Xie Yuheng caught Li Mingrou by the arm, then looked sternly at Ji Hanyi. “Hanyi, apologize to Mingrou.”
Ji Hanyi glanced at Xie Yuheng without saying a word. Bracing herself against the armrest, she rose, turned, and walked back into the inner chamber with her back perfectly straight.
Their fate as husband and wife had ended long ago. There was nothing left to say.
Nor did she wish to waste her energy arguing with Xie Yuheng over right and wrong, much less trying to prove her innocence.
He was fair to everyone except her. He had never once treated her fairly.
A man like that could never truly be her husband.
Rongchun stood stunned for a moment when Ji Hanyi turned away. In the past, the Young Madam had always been the first to yield at times like this. Never before had she simply turned and left.
When the Eldest Master turned cold toward the Young Madam, he could be cold indeed.
But Rongchun hesitated for only a moment before hurrying after Ji Hanyi.
Xie Yuheng watched Ji Hanyi’s retreating figure with an icy expression, his frown deepening.
Li Mingrou looked at him aggrievedly. “Cousin-in-law is angry. You should go in and comfort her, Cousin. I’ll be fine.”
Her eyes filled with tears again as she continued, “I shouldn’t have come today. I made this chicken soup especially for her, but it seems she won’t drink it now.”
Only then did Xie Yuheng withdraw his gaze and look at Li Mingrou. He pressed his lips together as a complicated feeling rose within him, then took a deep breath. “It’s best to let her calm down.”
He added, “You should come here less often from now on. She is your cousin-in-law, after all, and she is my wife. She’s been ill for some time, so her emotions are bound to be unsettled. Don’t hold it against her.”
Li Mingrou stared at Xie Yuheng with wide eyes, wondering if she had misheard him.
Brother Xie had always stood up for her before. Yet today, Ji Hanyi had simply walked away, and Brother Xie was actually defending her.
Li Mingrou was about to speak, tears trembling in her eyes, when Xie Yuheng turned away first. “Let’s go. I’ll walk you back.”