The second time it happened was when Ning Mo invited her out for an outing. Yan Jingshuang dressed up carefully and even dug out a set of elegant scholar’s robes that she normally disliked wearing, thinking that she would look more compatible with Ning Mo that way.
Yet Ning Mo was a full two hours late.
It was the coldest day of the year in Hangzhou, and heavy rain had fallen in the meantime.
The place where Ning Mo and Yan Jingshuang had arranged to meet was a mountain pavilion outside Hangzhou’s moat. The pavilion was completely exposed on all four sides, and the cold wind tore through it like sharp blades.
Huajia, who had accompanied Yan Jingshuang, only knew a little martial arts and was shivering violently from the cold. Yan Jingshuang therefore removed her white brocade fox-fur cloak and draped it over Huajia.
Although she herself possessed martial arts skills, by the time Ning Mo finally arrived, the backs of her hands had already been frozen purple.
When Ning Mo stepped into the mountain pavilion, Yan Jingshuang instinctively hid her frostbitten hands behind her back.
Ning Mo’s eyes were filled with apology. “Jingshuang, this is truly my fault today. I didn’t know the weather would be so unpredictable. I shouldn’t have asked you to meet me in a place like this, and I shouldn’t have been so late. It’s all my fault.”
Ning Mo then explained that he had encountered an old woman who had collapsed on the road and stopped to help her, which was why he had been delayed in coming to meet Yan Jingshuang.
Yan Jingshuang had always trusted Ning Mo from the bottom of her heart. Ning Mo would never be late without a reason. So after hearing his explanation, the little doubt in her heart completely disappeared.
She had just been about to say that it was fine when those lines of text floated across her vision again.
【He did encounter someone who had collapsed, but it wasn’t an old woman. It was his beloved white moonlight. He’s right beside her bed, staying there for two whole hours. If his white moonlight hadn’t pretended to be magnanimous and urged him to come, he wouldn’t even have been willing to leave.
Oh, right. Ning Mo also thinks Yan Jingshuang looks terrible in those scholar’s robes that don’t suit her. He privately thinks the clothes would look much better on his white moonlight. Hahahaha, this male protagonist is something else.】
Yan Jingshuang’s gaze abruptly froze. Once again, she was stunned.
And then there was the third time, the fourth, the fifth……
Yan Jingshuang could no longer remember how many times she had seen those strange characters appear before her eyes in recent days.
At first, she had found them so absurd that she could hardly believe them. But as she obtained more and more information from those strange characters, her curiosity and suspicion became impossible to suppress. She wanted to verify them.
Thus, one day, after seeing another strange line of text float across her vision, she decided to follow Ning Mo.
She had never expected that that decision would cause everything she had once believed to undergo a tremendous upheaval.
……
Like a silent undercurrent in a nighttime sea, huge waves churned beneath the seemingly tranquil surface.
Yan Jingshuang pressed her lips tightly together, suppressing the complicated emotions hidden within her memories.
From the corner of her eye, she quickly swept across the guests, all of whom were staring in shock, before her gaze settled on Ning Mo’s equally stunned face.
She heard Master Ning’s rising voice.
“Jingshuang, this…… this must be some kind of misunderstanding. Has Ning Mo done something recently to make you angry? An engagement is a lifelong matter. You can’t treat it like a child’s game.”
Without even looking, Yan Jingshuang knew how nervous Master Ning must be. In the past, both outsiders and Yan Jingshuang herself had believed that Master Ning was a kind and loving elder who placed great importance on her.
But now, a comment floated across her vision together with Master Ning’s voice.
【Old Man Ning still isn’t willing to give up, huh? He’s willing to trade his own son’s lifelong marriage for a bright future. Yan Jingshuang is so stupid. She still doesn’t know that Old Man Ning is using her.】
There were especially many comments like that today.
Ning Mo had specially prepared mutton buns for Ming Chuxue, who loved mutton……
The Ning family’s exploitation of her……
The guests’ sympathy toward her……
The disdain and mockery of the women and noble young ladies……
Including the fact that Ning Mo had agreed to this engagement only so Ming Chuxue could enter Guixu Academy……
All of it had appeared one after another in the bullet comments.
Yan Jingshuang slowly closed her eyes, the hand at her side gradually tightening into a fist.
At the same time, Master Ning, convinced that Yan Jingshuang was merely throwing a tantrum, hurriedly signaled Ning Mo with his eyes, telling him to get up and coax her.
There was an unmistakable warning in Master Ning’s gaze.
If Ning Mo’s engagement with Yan Jingshuang fell through, Ming Chuxue could forget about entering Guixu Academy.
A faint layer of anger gathered in Ning Mo’s eyes. But in a situation like this, he could not openly confront or argue with his father.
The humiliation of being forced by his father to coax a woman he did not love made his hands tremble slightly at his sides as he rose.
When he walked over to Yan Jingshuang, the gazes of the people around them made him feel as though countless needles were pricking his back.
Ning Mo had been exceptionally talented in literature since childhood. Although his family background was inferior to Yan Jingshuang’s, as the foremost scholar of Jiangnan, he had been accustomed to being the center of attention.
When had Ning Mo ever been subjected to such humiliation in front of so many people? And Ming Chuxue was even among them.
He had to let the woman he loved watch him coax another woman……
Ning Mo seemed to see the tears welling up in Ming Chuxue’s crystalline eyes.
By the time Ning Mo stopped in front of Yan Jingshuang, the gentleness had already faded somewhat from his expression. His gaze toward her unconsciously contained a trace of resentment.
He lowered his voice, “Jingshuang, this isn’t an occasion for jokes. Have I done something recently to upset you? I’ll apologize to you first, but the engagement between us cannot be canceled so casually.”
Standing so close, Yan Jingshuang could sense the contradictory emotions emanating from Ning Mo. His entire body was clearly resisting her, yet for Ming Chuxue’s sake, he was still lowering himself to say words that went against his true feelings.
The bullet comments instantly filled with another wave of sympathy for Ning Mo and Ming Chuxue.
【Look how hard Momozi is clenching his fists. His hands are literally red! If Yan Jingshuang wants to break off the engagement, fine, but why embarrass him like this?! Poor Momozi even has to play nice with that ugly woman! Couldn’t she do this in private instead of publicly humiliating him? She has zero consideration for anyone, proof that she was raised without a mother and has no manners at all!】
“Shut up!” Yan Jingshuang suddenly snapped, her face turning cold in an instant.
Ning Mo, standing closest to her, felt the force of it most keenly. He was stunned at first, but quickly realized that Yan Jingshuang had actually scolded him.
His expression immediately became even more unpleasant.
“Jingshuang, I just gave you a way out and lowered myself to apologize, coaxing you nicely. But I, Ning Mo, can honestly say that I haven’t done anything to offend you. Why do you have to humiliate me in front of everyone?”
Although Ning Mo still kept his voice low, he had rarely been treated this way before, much less by Yan Jingshuang, who had always been obedient toward him. Shock and anger surged through him, and some of his genuine emotions inevitably leaked into his words. His voice was slightly louder than before, loud enough for the nearby tables to hear.
Master Ning nearly wanted to throw a cup at Ning Mo’s head.
A great man should know when to bend and when to stand firm. If he could not even endure this little grievance, how would he ever accomplish anything great or support the Ning family in the future?
However, someone else acted even faster than Master Ning could.
Ning Mo felt something soft strike the side of his face. The scent of orange reached his nose. He stared at the orange juice that had splashed across his clothes, his face flashing with disbelief.
Yan Shouyi’s lazy voice rang out, “What? Are you accusing my sister of making trouble for no reason?”
Before Ning Mo could answer, Master Ning hurriedly took over, stepping around the host’s seat and walking to Ning Mo’s side. “Of course not. Ning Mo, apologize at once.”
Perhaps because Yan Jingshuang had just scolded him in front of everyone, Ning Mo’s pride was too easily wounded. He kept his eyes lowered, pressed his lips tightly together, and stubbornly refused to speak.
He looked as though he had truly suffered some enormous injustice and humiliation.
Seeing his son’s expression, Master Ning was furious yet could not help wondering. His son had always been gentle in his conduct. It really was difficult to imagine him getting into a conflict with Yan Jingshuang.
After thinking for a moment, Master Ning put on a false smile.
“Jingshuang, have you misunderstood something? If you break off the engagement for no reason, our family can accept it, but it will seriously damage your reputation.”
Although Yan Jingshuang came from an excellent family, there were other circumstances behind the scenes. The established aristocratic families whose status matched hers would never consider marrying her.
Moreover, because she had practiced martial arts since childhood and had spent most of her time surrounded by men, she lacked the appearance expected of a proper young lady. None of the prestigious families in Hangzhou would consider her either.
Although Master Ning intended to make use of Yan Jingshuang, he was still proud in his heart. In his eyes, his son Ning Mo was practically doing Yan Jingshuang a favor by marrying her.
If Yan Jingshuang really broke off the engagement on a whim, she would not be able to find a better fiancé than his son anywhere in Hangzhou, or even throughout Great Liang.
Yan Jingshuang had unexpectedly disrupted his carefully laid plans.
Master Ning’s face showed concern, but inwardly he cursed her repeatedly, thinking that she was utterly ungrateful.
And Master Ning, wearing that hypocritical smile, had no idea that every thought running through his mind was being displayed word for word before Yan Jingshuang in the bullet comments.
Yan Jingshuang’s sharp gaze swept over him, and her expression became even colder. She gave a cold snort. “Is Master Ning genuinely considering what is best for me, or do you think I’m simply ungrateful?”
Master Ning was rarely caught off guard, but he froze. Why had the thought that had only just flashed through his own mind come straight out of Yan Jingshuang’s mouth?!
Master Ning wanted to argue, but Yan Jingshuang had no intention of listening. “Since I am the one who proposed breaking off the engagement, I naturally have my reasons.”
Yan Jingshuang paused, then her gaze slowly settled on Ning Mo.
At this moment, Ning Mo still wore an expression of grievance and unwillingness, feeling that Yan Jingshuang had humiliated him terribly.
Yan Jingshuang looked at the man she had loved for so many years.
During these days, the bullet comments had reminded her again and again just how foolish her former self had been, and how terribly she and her family would suffer in the future because of her love for Ning Mo.
After nearly a month of being tormented by the comments, Yan Jingshuang had gone from her initial shock and fear to something approaching numbness.
It was as though a tightly stretched string existed within her mind.
But in this very moment, she caught sight of the resentment in Ning Mo’s eyes aimed right at her.
Her former self suddenly felt like a total joke.
Yan Jingshuang lowered her eyes and spoke slowly, one word at a time.
“Ning Mo, you haven’t offended me, nor have you done anything to wrong me— you simply betrayed me.”