Chapter 127

Xu Wanxin had always believed that there would always be a place for her in Pei Jian’s heart. After all, she had been Pei Jian’s mother’s favorite girl while she was alive. Even if Pei Jian disregarded her, surely he wouldn’t disregard his mother’s wishes?

“Cousin, have you forgotten that Aunt wanted you to take care of me for a lifetime?”

Xu Wanxin’s face was pale as paper, but her eyes were terribly red. She could no longer keep up her pretense. Her lashes trembled imperceptibly as she stared at him, her lips quivering. “Just because of Wen Nianxi, you’re going to sever our over ten-year relationship?”

Pei Jian’s expression remained indifferent, and his voice was cold. “Relationship? When did we ever have one? I never made any promises to you, and my mother was never your shield.”

Pei Jian’s words were as cold and sharp as steel nails, delivered with an unyielding calm that pierced through Xu Wanxin’s defenses, shattering her long-held delusions. The phrase, “Your affection is something I very much dislike,” was the ultimate rejection, cutting deeper than anything she could have anticipated.

Her lips, now turning pale, trembled as her hands balled into fists at her sides. His cold indifference drained all hope she had harbored over the last ten years, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

For so long, Xu Wanxin had suppressed her feelings, terrified of the outright rejection she now faced. Broken, she stammered, “Cousin, how cruel you are.”

Pei Jian’s distaste for entanglements was evident. The very thought of having been ensnared in such a convoluted dynamic with another woman disgusted him. He firmly believed that lingering in such situations for decades had been a mistake he could no longer tolerate.

With his final words spoken, Pei Jian turned away, his robes sweeping behind him, and left without sparing her another glance. Xu Wanxin, for all her schemes, had failed to anticipate his unrelenting coldness. For her, his indifference and complete disregard were far more devastating than anger or reprimand—they were a negation of her very existence.

It was as if, in his eyes, she was nothing more than a lifeless object, not a living, breathing person.

“Is Wen Nianxi really that great?” she lashed out, losing all composure under the strain of her fury. “Forget about the unclear relationship between her and Gu Ci! Even after Gu Ci went off to war, there was no shortage of people at her side! Gu Ci treats her so well—why couldn’t she stay faithful to him? Every day, she flirts with one and entangles herself with another!”

“Cousin, wake up! A woman so fickle and wanton—what about her is worthy of your love?!”

Finally, a wave of disgust rippled through Pei Jian’s otherwise calm gaze. He turned his head and looked at her face, now contorted with malice and jealousy, devoid of the pitiful tenderness it once seemed to hold. At that moment, Pei Jian suddenly realized—this was her truest self.

Stripped of all pretense, she was merely a wretched, ugly figure filled with hatred and spite.

“Because she is genuine,” he answered.

Pei Jian lowered his gaze, his eyes filled only with disgust. “Everyone has desires. She has never hidden or pretended.”

When he spoke of Nianxi, his tone noticeably softened. “Nianxi’s love and hate are clear-cut. She is passionate and beautiful, even in her resentment.”

Nianxi’s love was always unwavering and wholehearted. In her previous life, when she loved him, she never gave even the slightest response to Zhou Yanli. She gave him complete security. And when that love was ultimately exhausted, she let go and turned away without hesitation.

It was the same with Gu Ci. In front of him, she never hid her kindness toward Gu Ci, repeatedly warning him not to harm Gu Ci. Her gaze had never lingered on anyone else.

Xu Wanxin’s eyes instantly filled with tears. Seeing the tenderness in Pei Jian’s voice when he spoke of Wen Nianxi, she was consumed by rage and hatred. Trembling, she spat out her words, one by one: “She’s a harlot.”

She thought her anger would erupt in a loud voice, but instead, it came out quieter than usual—a desperate scream squeezed from her chest. “I’m the one who’s always been devoted to you!”

Pei Jian’s expression grew colder, bit by bit. He stepped toward Xu Wanxin.

The air around them seemed to freeze, and the sound of his footsteps echoed loudly as if stomping on hearts. The maid hiding to the side was too frightened to breathe, while Xu Wanxin, standing at the center of the storm, tried to meet his gaze but couldn’t control her trembling body.

“In this world, women are already treated harshly enough, yet there are still people like you—humiliating another woman for the sake of a man. This doesn’t make you look loyal; it makes you look like a pitiful creature, desperate for love.”

Xu Wanxin felt as though Pei Jian’s words were slicing her apart, each one a blade. Her heart ached so much she wanted to die, yet her body remained painfully alert. She wanted to make him stop, but no words came out. Her chest felt tight as if she were suffocating. She gritted her teeth and endured, trying once more to salvage the situation. Raising her tear-filled eyes, she pleaded, “Cousin, I said the wrong thing. Please don’t be angry with me, alright? I was wrong—I spoke out of grief and without thinking.”

Pei Jian stared at her.

Her face was a mix of pale and flushed, her eyes filled with deep hatred and unwillingness, yet her expression had returned to one of pitiful fragility.

She felt unfamiliar to him.

Who was Xu Wanxin, truly, in this life and the last?

“You didn’t insult me,” he said coldly. “And the person you owe an apology to is certainly not me.”

Pei Jian’s words, cold and indifferent, were as though directed at a stranger: “I am not your cousin. Do not appear before me again.”

Xu Wanxin’s lips trembled, turning pale with a bluish hue. The coldness she felt was sharper than the chill of the winter itself. She struggled to keep herself from collapsing, unable to believe Pei Jian’s ruthless detachment.

“Don’t play tricks. I am no gentleman and will show no leniency to women.”

With that, Pei Jian didn’t spare her another glance. He turned and walked back toward the house.

Xu Wanxin could no longer hold herself up and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Shortly after, Steward Li approached, holding the food box she had brought. Looking down at her, he said, “The Lord has instructed that Miss Xu is no longer permitted to enter Pei Residence.”

…

As night fell over the capital, the lively scenes of song and dance abounded, unbothered by the tumult elsewhere.

The host had reserved the entire Yanyu Pavilion. Tingfeng Hall, located in the most tranquil part of Yan Yu Pavilion, offers the most picturesque and romantic scenery by the pond and waterside pavilion.

As soon as Lu Wensheng stepped out of the carriage, he was ushered inside.

At that moment, in the center of the elegant room, a dancer dressed in a light and revealing outfit was singing softly and dancing gracefully. Upon his arrival, the dancer cast him a flirtatious glance, her brows and eyes brimming with charm. She poured a cup of wine and gracefully offered it to him. Beneath the sheer red veil, her jade-like skin was faintly visible, making her complexion appear as pure and smooth as white jade.

Xiao Xun, seated at the head of the table, smiled at Lu Wensheng and said, “Uncle, you’re late today. You should punish yourself with three cups of wine.”

“I was delayed by some matters,” Lu Wensheng replied.

With her alluring figure, the dancer noticed that Lu Wensheng did not take the cup. She leaned forward again to offer it, but his nearby guard intercepted her. “The lord has a weak stomach; drinking on an empty stomach isn’t good. I’ll accept His Highness’s kind gesture on his behalf.”

With that, the guard tilted his head back and downed the wine in one gulp.

The dancer dared not resist and turned her gaze toward the head of the table.

Xiao Xun’s expression darkened slightly before he smiled again. “Uncle doesn’t care for brothel women. This one is newly trained and brought here today, especially to entertain Uncle. Since Uncle has no family in his household, why not indulge a little?”

Lu Wensheng raised the wine cup in his hand slightly, the light from the corner lanterns further highlighting his refined and gentlemanly demeanor. He smiled and said, “I’m tired today.”

The refusal was clear.

But Xiao Xun was unwilling to let it go.

The Empress had once instructed him to listen to his uncle, and he had been close to him. However, as he grew older, he began to have his own calculations. Relying on his noble lineage, he gradually became more presumptuous in front of Lu Wensheng.

Young and impulsive, Xiao Xun’s recklessness was evident, and he often prided himself on his cleverness—though recently, this had led to several foolish decisions.

The corruption case involving salt permits remained unresolved. The salt fields in the Lianghuai region were a tangled web of complications. Pei Jian, seasoned and shrewd as an official, had been adept at patching the loopholes, but even so, the matter had left Lu Wensheng with days of relentless headaches.

“Xiang Fu,” Xiao Xun called out to the dancer before Lu Wensheng. His thin smile carried a chill, and his gaze was sharp as a blade. “Try harder.”

Among the men of the influential families in the capital, who didn’t indulge in romance and fleeting pleasures?

Yet Lu Wensheng kept himself remarkably clean, living a solitary and spotless life. Time and again, when invited to banquets, he would decline as often as he could. When he could no longer refuse, he would attend quietly, drinking peacefully, his gaze never lingering on the women present.

Xiao Xun thought his uncle’s moral conduct was nothing more than a façade of false righteousness.

All men are the same—who among them is truly noble?

Today, I’ll ensure this enchanting Xiang Fu breaks his resolve.