Chapter 26: Did She Really Fall for Him?

One sentence, and Jiang Yunhe’s nose stung—she almost burst into tears.

Seriously, what kind of nonsense was he saying?!

But still, she was in a bad mood and didn’t want him to notice.

Chu Peihan, on the other hand, was quite open-minded about it. Things were already like this—no point in stressing over it. Better to spend that energy… figuring out when to marry her properly.

Jiang Yunhe gently persuaded him, “Chu Peihan, you have to believe that science and technology are always advancing. Medical progress is ongoing. It’s entirely possible your condition can be cured. So, we should still go get it checked.”

At least in her previous life, ten years later, he met a miracle doctor.

When they reunited, Chu Peihan’s eyesight had completely recovered!

Jiang Yunhe was certain: if his eyes could recover later, it meant his blindness was only temporary—it wasn’t irreversible.

So as long as she tried hard enough, he could definitely be healed.

“Chu Peihan, did you feel anything different last night?”

“Hm?” A flicker of confusion passed through Chu Peihan’s eyes, and then… as if something occurred to him, the tips of his ears flushed red and the color slowly spread across his cheeks—he looked embarrassed.

He couldn’t exactly admit that, after coming back, he was so excited that his blood rushed and he couldn’t sleep. So he got up and… went to catch a chicken for her!

Or… could it be that she had the same thoughts as him?!

“Ahem, Jiang Yunhe, overthinking is bad for your health.”

“What?” Jiang Yunhe didn’t catch his meaning and blinked, confused. She had only meant to ask whether drinking the spiritual spring water had caused any special reaction in his body.

If it worked well for him, she could keep giving it to him!

After all, there was no downside, right?

But somehow, what Chu Peihan said and what she meant—definitely weren’t the same thing.

“Chu Peihan, your mental state…”

“Full of energy, brimming with fighting spirit,” Chu Peihan replied seriously, looking like he meant every word. That kind of attitude—who could compare?

“That’s great! That’s great!” Jiang Yunhe quickly said, “It’s almost noon, I’ll go cook now. After we eat, I’ll take you into town to get checked.”

“But…” Chu Peihan felt he had already made his refusal clear. Her stubbornness caught him off guard.

“Just pretend you’re accompanying me, okay?” Jiang Yunhe softened her voice, speaking sweetly. “I was planning to go into town anyway, but I’m kind of scared to go alone.”

Scared, her foot!

Any ghost that saw her would probably take a detour.

Hongli, hiding in her spatial realm, rolled its eyes at her nonsense and slapped its tail in frustration, wishing it could shake the nonsense right out of Jiang Yunhe’s head.

But Chu Peihan—he believed it!

With her soft, sweet voice, he didn’t even hesitate—just nodded.

He seemed utterly cooperative.

Jiang Yunhe was satisfied. She lit the stove and started cooking chicken.

“Chu Peihan, do you want soup or meat?”

“Soup,” he said, crouching by the iron stove to tend the fire. He might not be good at many things, but this—this he could manage. Still, moments like this made him feel useless and deeply frustrated.

If only his eyes were fine, she wouldn’t have to cook at all.

He had tried cooking before, but the food he made… was truly inedible.

The seasoning was always wrong.

Jiang Yunhe noticed his mood and quickly changed the subject. “On the way back, I ran into someone.”

Chu Peihan raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

Jiang Yunhe: “…”

She suddenly hesitated. Seriously.

Was it okay to bring this up?

But hiding it from him felt even worse.

Chu Peihan noticed her silence and perked up. She was usually blunt and straightforward—especially with him. She never hid her true feelings.

Why the hesitation now?

Jiang Yunhe cleared her throat. “Chen Yu’an. Have you heard of him?”

Chu Peihan: “I’ve heard of him. Educated youth from the capital.”

Heard of him? That was an understatement.

He had once accidentally overheard a conversation between Jiang Yunhe and Chen Yu’an. That was how he realized she was struggling… and also, that she seemed to like that guy…

Who wasn’t even anything special.

That was what made Chu Peihan start thinking about proposing. But he hadn’t expected her to actually give up on Chen Yu’an—and choose him.

Jiang Yunhe glanced at him when he didn’t respond. But the sun was directly behind him, casting his face in shadow. She couldn’t read his expression.

Her heart started pounding.

She knew people in the village gossiped about her and Chen Yu’an—maybe not a lot, but still… Who knew if those rumors might reach his ears?

There were some things she preferred he hear directly from her.

“No guessing,” she thought.

“Before…”

“You had a thing with him?” Chu Peihan’s lips barely moved. He paused, then said, “If you’re doing this just because of your current difficulties, you don’t have to… make such a big sacrifice. I’ll help you—no strings attached.”

“What are you talking about?” Jiang Yunhe snapped. “There was no ‘thing.’ I just had poor judgment when I was young. Someone gave me a candy and I thought they were a saint.”

She chalked her youthful crush on Chen Yu’an up to having had crap smeared in her eyes. Who hasn’t misjudged someone before?

“Hm?” Chu Peihan was visibly stunned—his palms even started sweating from the tension.

“I’ll admit, I did think Chen Yu’an was okay back then. Thought he was responsible or something. But now I see clearly—he’s just a two-faced hypocrite. A petty man. Not worthy of my feelings.” Jiang Yunhe said it bluntly and even added, in case he didn’t believe her, “Chu Peihan, I’ve moved on.”

“Chu Peihan, I’ve moved on.”

That one sentence made Chu Peihan’s mind go completely blank. He couldn’t hear anything else. Her words just echoed endlessly in his head.

Maybe she wasn’t talking about him.

But… she had agreed to marry him.

Jiang Yunhe was a bit nervous too—afraid he might reject her—so she added quickly, “I just wanted to let you know in advance, so if you hear gossip later, there won’t be any misunderstandings.”

Chu Peihan: “You…”

Too blunt. This isn’t good, this isn’t good!

He had to hold back—he couldn’t ask!

Jiang Yunhe, feeling awkward, said, “Anyway, just remember I’d never go for that kind of scumbag. That’s all that matters. As for everything else, hehe, it’s not important. Totally not important!”

Chu Peihan: “…”

So…

Did she fall for him or not?!