Chapter 18

Pei Jian coldly watched as the two lingered at the Wen residence’s entrance, reluctant to part. Within him, an inexplicable anger burned relentlessly in his chest and abdomen. He tried his best to suppress it, reminding himself that he was no longer truly nineteen years old; this momentary feeling of being unwilling to let go had merely taken control of him.

Pei Jian repeatedly told himself this. Until Nianxi led Gu Ci into the side gate, his expression changed drastically at that moment.

Pei Jian stared intently at the side gate of the Wen residence as if a sharp blade had pierced straight into his heart.

Did she actually take Gu Ci through the side gate? She really took Gu Ci through the side gate!

In Pei Jian’s life, pursuing power and gains occupied most of his time. Among his meager memories, the small garden behind the side gate was a rare paradise. Back then, when he first entered the bureaucracy, the Ministry of Revenue kept him busy, leaving him little time to see her. Their planned meetings were often canceled due to various reasons. For the first time, Nianxi sulked and told him never to bother her again.

When he finally coaxed her into forgiveness, Nianxi led him through that side gate and said, “It doesn’t matter how late you finish your duties in the future. Aunt Wang’s youngest daughter is staying with me. No matter how late it is, you can still come.”

Her cheeks turned crimson as she said to him, “I want to see you.”

He remembered vividly—it was the season of golden osmanthus blossoms. Unable to resist, he held the girl in his arms as the fragrant flowers fell, perfuming them both.

The flutter of his heart at that moment—no matter how many years passed, whenever he recalled it—felt like it had just happened yesterday.

It’s easy to imagine how much the garden behind the side gate meant to him, how important it was. Like a harbor amidst the tempest of courtly battles and political storms, no matter the obstacles ahead, that place was always a refuge.

In his previous life, it had taken Nianxi over half a year of knowing him before she brought him through that side gate!

Gu Ci has only known her for two months. What right does he have?

What right does he possibly have?!

Pei Jian stared at the door, frozen like a clay statue.

What should have been his encounter with Nianxi had become Gu Ci’s first meeting with her. The talisman of good fortune Nianxi had given him was now handed over to Gu Ci. And the memories of the side gate, which were uniquely his, now had another man standing there.

Everything was misaligned.

What were they doing now?

There was no moment as unbearable as this one. When everything was no longer his, would Nianxi be with another man the way she had once been with him?

This thought stabbed Pei Jian so deeply that his eyes ached. The fury in his chest roared like a rampaging beast, screaming to tear apart the thief who had stolen everything from him. Before completely losing control of his emotions, he turned away and strode out of Yiqiao Street. His heart burned with fierce flames, yet his hands and feet were cold, freezing his entire body, blood, and breath. He was tormented between fire and ice until the thread of reason finally snapped.

Gu Ci—what gave him the right to be there?

Pei Jian turned back.

Gu Ci had already left.

When Pei Jian mentioned the name “Ying Guo,” the doorkeeper Aunt Wang reacted as though she’d seen a ghost. Pei Jian laughed in satisfaction. He wasn’t lying; those were indeed words that Nianxi had once said to him.

“Why are you here?” Nianxi thought Gu Ci had returned, never expecting to find Pei Jian waiting there instead.

In those final years, she had even less interaction with Pei Jian. Occasionally, she would catch him reprimanding his subordinates, exuding an intimidating aura. Without raising his voice, he would sit in silence, unmoving, radiating a chilling authority that made others quake. A single raised eyebrow was enough to make his subordinates collapse to their knees.

At this moment, Pei Jian gave her that same familiar feeling. With an air of chaos and unreadable emotions, though standing still, he seemed to be advancing step by step toward her.

Nianxi stepped back cautiously. “How did you get in here?” she asked warily.

The evening sky darkened as stars appeared, and four or five lanterns faintly illuminated the garden in a dim, muted light.

Only the two of them remained.

“I saw Gu Ci leaving from here.” His voice was cold and deep like icy jade submerged in a frigid pond devoid of any warmth.

Gu Ci was entirely different. He was passionate and fiery. When speaking to her, he always smiled, leaning slightly to accommodate her height, his profile elegantly defined as he tilted his head to listen attentively.

It had been a long, long time since Nianxi had been looked down upon like this by Pei Jian. Perhaps she had never truly understood Pei Jian. How else could he say something so audacious and shameless as having seen Gu Ci leave from here?

How did he see? Spying? Following?

Never in her wildest imagination had she thought Pei Jian would one day be associated with such words.

“I will tell my father.”

The night breeze swept away the day’s heat, bringing a coolness that made the world fall silent.

Nianxi did not want to stay there with him. After speaking, she turned to leave.

Pei Jian stepped forward, striding up to her, forcing her to retreat step by step until her back pressed against the osmanthus tree. She could retreat no further, and only then did he stop.

Nianxi suppressed her panicked heartbeat with great effort and looked up at his tightly pursed lips. “I really should let my brother see how you look right now,” she said.

“Maybe then he’d stop picking on Gu Ci all day long.”

Pei Jian heard the protective tone in her words. After a moment of silence, he lowered his gaze to look at her. “It’s only for your brother’s sake that I’m here to give you some advice. Listen carefully—”

The two stood so close that Pei Jian seemed to catch a trace of the rich osmanthus fragrance he remembered from years ago.

Nianxi refused to look at him and turned her head aside.

From Pei Jian’s angle, he could see her thick, dark eyelashes trembling slightly, casting a beautiful arc in the shadow of her eyelids.

Pei Jian did not bother to hide his imposing stance. His voice was cold and heavy. “I don’t know what your relationship with Gu Ci is, but I advise you to think carefully. Duke Zhen’s family has defended the northern frontier for generations. It’s a responsibility and duty that Gu Ci cannot escape.”

“If one day the northern frontier falls, and the Duke’s family has no one left but Gu Ci, he will have to go north to quell the chaos and restore the family’s honor. He may never return to the capital. What will you do then?”