Xiao Lian glared inside, clutching her clothes tightly. It was broad daylight, and she had brought another man here, lying on the bed with him in front of her brother. Shameless.
Su Xi stood silently to the side, expressionless, his face extremely pale. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes occasionally trembling. Xiao Lian pulled at him, and he finally reacted, raising his head to give her a forced smile, his eyes full of melancholy, staring blankly, as if seeing nothing.
Suddenly, he fell into a familiar, warm embrace. Su Xi came to his senses, surprised, looking at Jin Yu, “You’re not inside…”
Jin Yu kissed a mark on his neck, smiling softly, “What did you think I was doing inside?”
When Jin Yu saw the worried expression on Su Xi’s face, he knew he was thinking about Xu Yi’s incident. Although the words were light, they still put Su Xi at ease. He leaned into Jin Yu’s arms, “Thank you.”
He and Xiaolian had lived in this flower and willow lane for over two years without encountering any bad people, but suddenly seeing a stranger with torn clothes made him wonder who could help them. Besides Jinyu, he couldn’t think of anyone else. Jinyu had long been their only reliance.
Jinyu naturally embraced the proactive Suxi, stroking his fine hair, “The hairpin suits you well. You should wear it often.”
Suxi responded with an “En”, feeling sweet inside. When his hand touched the place on Jinyu’s body dampened by tears, he was worried and about to speak, but Jinyu held his delicate hand, speaking gently as usual: “No need to change, it’s fine.”
Later, he learned that on that day, his father went to the Xu family and couldn’t even enter, let alone see the woman who had heartlessly abandoned him years ago. His father stood under the scorching sun for hours, ultimately leaving in despair, fainting on the road, and fortunately encountering the young lady of the Jin family.
Later, on his deathbed, his father said he had no regrets and still loved that woman. Xu Yi cried for a day and a night, unable to understand why, despite being deeply hurt, he still loved her. Was he so foolish to still love that heartless woman?
His father was his mother’s first husband, her legitimate spouse. Years ago, for money, his mother divorced his father and married another man. At that time, his father was already pregnant with him but was expelled from the Xu family for not being a dutiful husband.
His father left Shi Li Town with this reputation, pregnant and struggling to survive, not daring to return. His health grew weaker until this year when he finally returned with his ten-year-old son.
Xu Yi’s eyes were swollen from crying. After burying his father, that woman came, unable to see his last moments, only able to look guiltily at his father’s memorial tablet. She wanted to take him back to the Xu family. He didn’t want to go at first, but when his mother embraced him and wept, he unknowingly agreed to return.
He heard that his mother was fickle, quick to tire, having even played with his father before expelling him.
After Xu Yi returned, his mother changed significantly, no longer taking concubines and treating previous fathers with children well. However, feelings had shifted. Some things, once lost, could never be regained.
Back at the Xu family, Xu Yi had food and shelter but often faced ridicule and criticism, which didn’t bother him as long as he could be close to that woman.
While accompanying his mother, he encountered a boy nearly starving on the street, around his age. At Xu Yi’s urging, his mother agreed to save the boy, named Hua Yan.
Xu Yi, who rarely ventured outside, tried to gather information about the Jin family’s young lady, with whom his family had connections. His eldest brother already had a marriage arrangement, and his second brother was set to marry her. However, to inspire him, his mother arranged for Xu Yi to marry the Jin family’s young lady. He was so excited that he couldn’t sleep for several nights, discussing her and the marriage with Hua Yan. Memories of his joy filled his heart, overshadowing his troubles.
His elder and second brothers were naturally dissatisfied with this arrangement, being sons of the legitimate husband.
Before his father conceived him, the man who would later marry his mother had already ruined his reputation. After his father was expelled, that man married in.
Time passed, and four years went by. The woman’s appearance had blurred in his memory, leaving only a shadow. But he remembered the neighborhood’s words: “She’s the Jin family’s young lady, very kind, possibly the future master of the Jin family.” The master was Jin Yu, the young lady he had silently admired for four years. Though others often mocked her, he never shared their views; to him, she was his hero.
As the wedding approached, he sewed her wedding clothes, hoping to marry her one day.
One day, he heard that the Jin family’s young lady had invited him for a lake outing. He was so excited he couldn’t sleep, carefully preparing his attire. Arriving on the boat, he saw her at the bow, her appearance deeply etched into his heart. She looked around, seemingly searching for someone, her gaze passing over him. He was thrilled, his heart racing, face burning with embarrassment.
Though her previous appearance had faded, he always remembered the amazement in his eyes and her brightness.
Now, that amazed gaze was fixed on another man, the young master of the Cloud family, Cloud Mei. Upon learning that Xu Yi was from the Xu family, her eyes filled with disgust and contempt, piercing his heart.
What followed was public humiliation. She declared she would only want Cloud Mei, promising to always be good to him, while labeling Xu Yi an impure bastard, unworthy of her.
That day, every word she spoke on the boat deeply wounded him.
Xu Yi’s face grew pale. This was not the date he had meticulously prepared for; he had spent sleepless nights in excitement and changed outfits to meet his beloved, only to be shamed publicly. Her intention was clear: to humiliate him while declaring her love for another, stepping on his heart to pursue Cloud Mei.
What hurt him most was not the surrounding whispers or humiliation, but her declaration that she would only want one person in her life, and that person was not him.
He had long known of the Jin family’s young lady’s love for the Cloud young master. He thought if she could love another so deeply, she might eventually love him too. His mother’s promiscuity, which destroyed his father’s happiness, was what he most hated.
So for her, even though she loved another, he loved her more, falling deeper and deeper.
A gentle voice entered his ears, “Do you love my sister so much?”
Xu Yi looked up to see a woman with a faint smile. “I’m Jin Mo, the second young lady of the Jin family. My elder sister is Jin Yu.”
He glanced at the woman at the bow of the boat trying to please young master Yun, then back at Jin Mo. He had heard about Jin Yu’s sister but had always focused on one person.
Xu Yi’s face turned slightly red, showing the shyness of a young boy. “Yes, I really like her.”
Jin Mo’s eyes dimmed, her voice soft. “But you just heard that she doesn’t like you.”
Xu Yi’s face paled again as he turned away awkwardly. “It doesn’t matter. As long as I like her, that’s enough. We have a marriage arrangement, and I’m still going to marry her.”
“Even if she doesn’t like you, you still want to marry her?”
“Yes, I won’t marry anyone else except her.” Xu Yi’s eyes were determined. Jin Mo looked at him deeply and left in disappointment. She had been excited to meet him but now felt dejected.
His gaze had never lingered on her, and he hadn’t looked at her before she approached him.
