Chapter 45 : I Apologize to You

Before Jiang Yu could speak, Duan Yuzhen suddenly heard He Tingyue’s voice not far away.

“When did I agree to an engagement with you? Why has no one informed me?”

He Tingyue approached with a cold expression, stopping behind Jiang Yu, as if standing up for her.

Duan Yuzhen’s face changed instantly, alternating between pale and flushed, like a color palette.

The proud look on her face vanished in an instant, and she awkwardly dug her toes into the ground.

“Brother He…”

He Tingyue interrupted her, his tone serious “I’ve told you many times, either call me by my full name or by my title. I am not your brother.”

In the past, out of respect for their shared residence and for Old Master Duan, he had given her some leeway.

It seemed now that Duan Yuzhen didn’t need any.

Duan Yuzhen was almost in tears but didn’t receive a single soft word from He Tingyue.

Jiang Yu suddenly felt a sense of balance; it turned out he treated all women this way.

Duan Yuzhen sniffled, “I was just afraid she would cling to you, so I said that to make her give up.”

But He Tingyue didn’t give her an out, he asked instead, “What position do you have to say such things? When have I ever said that Jiang Yu is clinging to me?”

Jiang Yu was astonished, was he defending her?

His current attitude was entirely different from before, which left her incredulous.

But for Duan Yuzhen, his words were very harsh. She eventually covered her mouth and ran away in tears.

Jiang Yu thought about it and figured he was probably just looking out for He Feiyan, so she didn’t mind.

She didn’t thank him and simply turned to leave.

But He Tingyue called out, “Jiang Yu.”

She almost thought she had misheard and turned back uncertainly.

“You were calling me?”

He Tingyue nodded, pondering how to explain himself.

Jiang Yu studied his stern face, guessing what he might want to say.

Given his expression, it probably wouldn’t be anything nice.

Jiang Yu bit her lip. Just because she liked him, did she have to keep being humiliated? Was she that desperate?

“I know what you want to say.”

He Tingyue was taken aback; he was never good with words and hadn’t figured out how to start. How did she guess?

Jiang Yu gave a cold smile, “Comrade He, my friendship with He Feiyan is based on mutual understanding, and it has nothing to do with you. I am not getting close to her for your sake, so you don’t need to come and warn me.”

He Tingyue: “?”

Jiang Yu’s face was tense. “I’ll try to avoid coming to the courtyard to see her in the future, or I’ll stay away from places where you are. Is that alright?”

He Tingyue was almost amused by her words, was he being wronged? He hadn’t said anything at all.

“If that’s not enough, then I can’t do anything about it. If you really don’t want to see me, you might as well poke your eyes out.”

Jiang Yu turned to leave, clearly not wanting to say another word to him.

She didn’t want to hear it, but He Tingyue felt he had to say something otherwise, he might not know how badly he would be ridiculed.

“Jiang Yu.”

Upon hearing his call, Jiang Yu walked even faster.

He Tingyue had no choice but to reach out and grab her wrist.

Her skin was warm and delicate.

He glanced down, her wrist looked just like jade.

But in an instant, he met Jiang Yu’s furious gaze and quickly released her.

“I still have something to say to you.”

Jiang Yu scoffed, “Didn’t you already say everything before?”

He Tingyue felt a bit helpless. “I didn’t say anything earlier.”

Jiang Yu, keeping her patience, asked, “What do you need to add?”

“It’s not an addition, it’s a correction.”

He was overturning the assumptions Jiang Yu had made and starting fresh.

He Tingyue met her gaze, his expression still neutral, but his eyes were sincere.

“I apologize to you, I’m sorry.”

Jiang Yu was stunned, feeling completely caught off guard.

At that moment, she even doubted if He Tingyue had been possessed.

“Why are you apologizing to me?”

Looking into her clear eyes, He Tingyue couldn’t avoid the truth, nor did he try to justify himself. He explained all his misunderstandings regarding her.

Jiang Yu stared in disbelief; was this why he had rejected her?

“You think I’m a vain, gold-digging woman, so you turned me down.”

It was indeed true, but hearing those words from Jiang Yu’s lips made He Tingyue feel a pang in his chest.

No, she wasn’t that kind of person.

But Jiang Yu laughed, feeling a bittersweet ache inside.

“Actually, it’s not entirely wrong. I am that kind of person. I came to my aunt’s house to marry someone from the city. After being rejected by you, I’ll just find another, there will always be someone from the city who will find me attractive.”

Jiang Yu wasn’t just being petty. Knowing the reason for his rejection made her feel a bit better, even if she was still hurt.

It was fine, she had aimed too high.

He Tingyue’s gaze darkened as he watched her leave.

If only Jiang Yu would scold him a bit, it would make him feel better.

Her reaction only confirmed that she had completely given up on him.

On the other side, Jiang Yu returned to her aunt’s house and quickly vented about this incident to Yao Xiangling.

“I want to marry someone from the city. I don’t want to be treated like a commodity by my family. Am I wrong?”

Yao Xiangling comforted her, “You’re not wrong! Don’t doubt yourself because of what others say. Marriage is a mutual choice. You choose him, and he chooses you, which means there’s something about you that he likes.”

Everyone has their motives, why should others be called vain?

Is it necessary to marry a man who has nothing, someone who doesn’t care about money, looks, or status, just to end up being a servant?

“You just like to overthink,” Yao Xiangling said, tapping her forehead gently.

But then she considered He Tingyue’s attitude and found it intriguing.

“Why would he explain himself to you out of the blue?”

On the way back, Jiang Yu had been too focused on her grievances to think much.

Now that Yao Xiangling pointed it out, she began to reflect.

“Maybe it was for He Feiyan’s sake.”

Yao Xiangling was sharp and experienced, and she disagreed.

“If it were for He Feiyan, why wasn’t he more tactful when he rejected you last time? If you ask me, he definitely has some feelings for you.”

Jiang Yu widened her eyes, “Auntie, I think you’re overthinking it!”

With how decisively He Tingyue had rejected her, she couldn’t believe he had any feelings for her.

Yao Xiangling chuckled, “You’ll know if that’s true in the future. Don’t pay attention to him. Just keep up with the matchmaking. Live your life as you see fit, it’s not you who’s in a hurry.”

Jiang Yu shook her head, “And it won’t be him either.”

Did He Tingyue like her? Jiang Yu found it impossible to believe.

But that thought lingered in her mind, bothering her and causing her to lose sleep over He Tingyue again.

The next day, she remembered that she had promised He Feiyan to help her revise her article.

Only when writing could she focus completely, pushing aside all those annoying thoughts.

At that moment, Jiang Yonghua and Wang Meili reappeared.

Naturally, they were still there concerning Jiang Hao’s situation.