Ning Zhi shook his head. “Fei’er, you’re not thinking of matchmaking me with the Second Young Master again, are you?”
Fei’er placed the bronze mirror on the table and looked at the tired Ning Zhi. “Don’t you dislike the First Young Master?”
Ning Zhi’s grip on the warm stove tightened. “I don’t like the First Young Master, but that doesn’t mean I’ll like the Second Young Master.”
Fei’er was speechless. Ning Zhi added, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll just live my life like this.”
Fei’er’s eyes turned sour; she wanted to persuade Ning Zhi not to be so bleak but couldn’t find the words.
The young master always smiled brightly in public but secretly curled up in dark corners, lonely and licking his wounds.
On that windless night, Jin Mo felt guilt towards Yun Mei. Wanting to see Ning Chi, who was equally pitiful, he noticed the deep wounds on Ning Chi’s body, knowing that the client from the previous night had been rough. Jin Mo asked the madam to allow him to rest for a few days without entertaining clients. That night, Ning Chi did not return to his room but leaned against the corridor pillar, gazing at the pitch-black sky, wishing to escape this cruel world of courtesans.
His eyes were filled with sorrow and despair, with a hint of resentment. The moonlight scattered on him, accentuating his heartbreakingly beautiful appearance.
Jin Mo’s heart ached, wondering if Yun Mei knew she was sacrificing him and treating him cruelly, would she be as desperate and resentful as Ning Chi? Though her feelings for Yun Mei were not romantic, she had always been fond of him. Yet, compared to her elder sister and Xu Yi, Jin Mo ultimately chose to sacrifice Yun Mei.
That night, Ning Chi leaned against the corridor pillar, quietly gazing. Jin Mo stood in the darkness all night, leaving only at dawn.
Jin Yu learned that Jin Mo and Yun Mei had visited Su Xi, who then followed Yun Mei to the Jin residence. Despite sending her own people to protect Su Xi, anxiety drove her to rush back.
From a distance, she saw the housekeeper approaching with an anxious expression. Jin Yu interrupted her, asking, “Where is Su Xi now?”
