Chapter 32 : Destruction

“What’s going on?”

“Who is that person inside?”

“Isn’t that the young marquis of the Wen family?”

“What is the young marquis doing in someone else’s house? Is he occupying a private residence?”

Song Ying and Wen Jun seemed completely oblivious to what the crowd was saying. To them, this was a battlefield.

Wen Jun maintained a gentle expression, a smile playing on his lips. He waved his hand as if calling over a pet, “Song Ying, be obedient and come here.”

Song Ying shouted in front of the bystanders. “If Young Marquis Wen likes my house, I can sell it to you at a low price. It’s not expensive, just one thousand taels of gold. But please, don’t resort to robbery.”

Wen Jun smiled and pointed at her, “You… you’re so greedy for money.”

Song Ying pretended not to hear. “What? You think my house is worth more? You want to give me two thousand taels? Sure, I don’t think that’s too much.”

Passerby 1: “Two thousand taels of gold for such a rundown house? The Marquis’s Mansion must be swimming in money.”

Passerby 2: “Who’s robbing who now?”

Passerby 3: “They say Young Marquis Wen is cynical, but now he’s doing foolish things just to make a beauty smile.”

Passerby 4: “Men are most charming when they can’t get what they want.”

As the smile gradually faded from Wen Jun’s face, Song Ying led the crowd in the direction of the Marquis’s Mansion. “Let’s go back and let the young marquis reconsider.”

“Song Ying!”

Faer anxiously grabbed Song Ying’s hand. “Miss, he’s angry.”

Song Ying turned around and said, “There’s a teahouse up ahead, want to go?”

Wen Jun: “At your house.”

Song Ying shook her head. “Teahouse. Forget the house.”

Wen Jun held back his anger. “Fine. But they’re not allowed to follow.”

Faer shook his head. “Miss, please don’t agree.”

Song Ying patted Faer’s trembling hands and said, “If we don’t agree today, we’ll only have to deal with him later. He won’t dare do anything to me in public. You and Xiaomi wait outside. If I throw something out, come in immediately.”

Faer: “Yes, I understand.”

The second floor of the teahouse was cleared. Wen Jun sat across from Song Ying, tapping the table with one hand. “Why so timid now?”

Song Ying: “I’m getting old. I cherish my life.”

“Cherish your life? Did you think about that when you caused me to be mauled by a bear?”

Song Ying knew this grudge would stay with him until his dying breath.

“If you hadn’t pushed me into the bear den, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“So it’s my fault?”

Song Ying nodded. “Yes.”

Wen Jun sighed. “Song Ying, you say you cherish your life, but every word you say to me is a death sentence. But don’t worry, I won’t kill you…”

He raised his hand and traced her face with his index finger. “I just want to see your other expressions.”

Song Ying: “That’s not so hard. I can cry, laugh, get angry, and act scared right now…”

Wen Jun: “You think I can’t tell when you’re faking.”

What he wanted was the look she had that day…

Song Ying truly didn’t understand. “Is that what you came to tell me?”

Wen Jun placed his palms face-up on the table. “Of course not. Didn’t I say I want to marry you?”

Song Ying: “Really?”

Wen Jun: “Of course.”

Song Ying: “As your legal wife?”

Wen Jun: “As my noble concubine.”

Song Ying: “Why don’t you marry into the Song family instead? I’ll give you the position of legal husband.”

Wen Jun: “Sure, then I’ll become a widower on our wedding night.”

Song Ying: “I can be a widow too.”

Wen Jun chuckled and withdrew his hand. “Yue Shaozhi really had no idea how wonderful you are. You’re so interesting. I truly want to marry you. Don’t worry, you’ll be my legal wife.”

Song Ying sighed. “If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back.”

Wen Jun: “Okay, I’ll come see you tomorrow. We can have tea and chat.”

Song Ying: “Are you that free?”

Wen Jun: “I’ve resigned from all my official positions. From now on, I’ll come see you every day. How about that? Touched? Want to marry me?”

Song Ying stood up and said, “I won’t disturb Young Marquis Wen from his sleepwalking. Goodbye.”

Wen Jun followed her and watched as she went downstairs. “Song Ying, if I pushed you down right now, would you never be able to get up again?”

Song Ying took a deep breath, paused midway on the stairs, and turned to look at him.

Wen Jun stood at the top of the stairs, gazing down at her, meeting her almond-shaped eyes.

Her eyes could have been brighter, but when she looked at people, they always seemed like a pool of stagnant water, lifeless.

Even now, though she was clearly scared out of her wits, when she looked at him, she appeared fearless.

Wen Jun grew irritated. He wanted to destroy those eyes. They looked too fake.

Outsiders called her gentle, virtuous, and kind-hearted but that was all bullshit.

Song Ying was a complete liar.

“Miss, are you okay? Guard Yu is here.”

The tense moment was broken. Song Ying quickly descended the stairs. Without even looking at Yu Liang, she took Faer’s hand and said, “Let’s go home.”

Yu Liang only cast a brief glance at Song Ying and the others as they rushed past like a gust of wind. He then turned back and said to Wen Jun, “Young Marquis, the prince wants to see you.”

Wen Jun withdrew his gaze and said, “Let’s go.”

—

Back at Xiaohanju, Faer tried to persuade Song Ying. “Miss, why don’t we return to the Marquis’s Mansion? Even if the young marquis comes again, he won’t jump over the wall and barge in like he did today.”

Song Ying seriously considered it and said, “No. I won’t go back.”

The more she avoided Wen Jun, the tighter he would cling.

What happened today had been very public. By now, it must have spread, and with how fast gossip moved in the capital, Wen Jun’s father would hear about it soon. That should hold him back for a while.

Faer fumed: “This young marquis is so annoying. We haven’t provoked him, why does he keep bothering you, Miss?”

Song Ying rested her head on one hand and said quietly, “It was all because of my youthful recklessness.”

Faer: “?”

—

The next day, Wen Jun didn’t show up.

On the third day, he still didn’t show up.

Faer and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

—

On the fourth day, the weather was clear. Song Ying sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun, holding a list of goods sent by various shops.

Due to the border war, many imports had been halted.

The rest didn’t matter, but what worried Song Ying the most were the medicinal herbs. Several varieties couldn’t be sourced within Yinchao and could only be purchased from abroad.

Song Ying pinched her brow, thinking she should go ask Mister Yu if there were any alternatives.

Click.

A familiar figure appeared from the corner.

It was Huo Zhen, whom she hadn’t seen in a few days.

Song Ying: “You escaped again?”

Huo Zhen carried a box about half a foot wide and placed it on the stone table. “This is for you.”

Song Ying: “What is it?”

Huo Zhen handed her a key. “Open it and take a look.”

Inside were stacks of contracts.

Huo Zhen explained one by one: “These are deeds for houses, land, shops from various families, and…”

Song Ying: “Why are you showing me these?”

Huo Zhen: “They’re for you. I’ve taken care of everything. All you need to do is sign your name and leave your fingerprint.”

Song Ying looked closely at the notes and saw that all the formalities had indeed been completed.

Song Ying: “Are you crazy?”

Huo Zhen replied sincerely, “You may not trust my promises, but these things are real. If I ever make you unhappy in the future, you can take them and leave.”

Only dead things never betray, that was the guarantee he gave her.

Song Ying closed the box. “I don’t want it.”

Huo Zhen pushed the box back toward her. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t want it. These things don’t belong to me anymore. You can do whatever you want with them. This is everything I have, I didn’t keep a single thing for myself.”