“Hmph! So you finally remembered this young master?”
The young man before him wore a lavish brocade robe, a golden crown, and a jade belt. He was as elegant as jade and as striking as a painting, a peerless nobleman… that is, as long as he kept his mouth shut.
“Sit,” Gu Jing’an said, pouring him a cup of tea.
There was no such thing as free kindness. When someone acted too attentively, it usually meant trouble.
Jiang Yan glanced at him with amusement, a teasing smile curling his lips. “Go on then. What do you want from me?”
Gu Jing’an replied seriously, “How do you make a young lady like you?”
“What did you say?” Jiang Yan froze for a moment, then shot up from his seat and yelled.
Gu Jing’an, unwilling to waste words on him, directly threw out his trump card. “An imperial exam notes compilation.”
Qingqing was still waiting for him at home.
“Hey, that’s a bit embarrassing,” Jiang Yan said, instantly softening. Back then, he had relied on Gu Jing’an’s notes to pass the imperial examination and become a recommended scholar.
“With a face like yours, you don’t even need to pursue anyone. The women would just throw themselves at you.”
Gu Jing’an raised a hand to his own face. Qingqing didn’t seem to like his appearance that much… She seemed to prefer his voice more.
“She’s a little afraid of me. I always feel like I can’t quite hold onto her.”
This was the first time Jiang Yan had ever seen such a defeated expression on Gu Jing’an’s face. In his eyes, Gu Jing’an had always been a proud son of heaven. Aside from his slightly complicated family background, his looks and talent were all top-tier. He had never admired anyone in his life, and Gu Jing’an was the first.
Jiang Yan reached into his sleeve and pulled out a book that looked like it had been flipped through to the point of falling apart.
“Since we’re brothers, I won’t hide it from you. This Marriage Pursuit Manual is my treasured secret copy. I don’t even let most people touch it. Just follow what’s written inside, and with your face alone, no woman will be able to resist you.”
Gu Jing’an patted Jiang Yan’s shoulder, took the Marriage Pursuit Manual, and left without the slightest hesitation.
“Hey, you’re leaving just like that? I even skipped my studies at the academy to keep you company!” Jiang Yan complained. Truly, once there was a woman, he forgot his brother.
Gu Jing’an waved without turning back. “Qingqing is waiting for me at home.”
Knock, knock, knock—
“Coming!”
Didn’t Gu Jing’an say he would be back later?
When she opened the door, Luo Qingqing frowned immediately. “You’re back… why is it you?”
She instinctively tried to shut the door again, but Shen Qiyu had already placed his arm against it. The difference in strength was too great, and she had no choice but to give up.
Shen Qiyu was the nephew of her stepmother’s maternal family. He had been weak since childhood, and needed someone with a strong fate to balance his health. Coincidentally, Luo Qingqing’s fate was strong enough, so an engagement had been arranged when she was only eight years old.
At first, things were peaceful. Shen Qiyu treated her quite well.
But as he grew older, his health improved, and he even passed the imperial examination to become a scholar. His mother began to look down on Luo Qingqing, and her stepmother also felt she was unworthy of a scholar like him. Yet Shen Qiyu himself had fallen deeply in love with her.
So her stepmother used a banquet as an excuse to drug Luo Qingqing, intending to frame her for being with another man. She then brought Shen Qiyu to catch them in the act.
But something went wrong in the process. The aphrodisiac turned into a sedative, and the “man” she was supposed to be caught with turned into Gu Jing’an. In the end, the two of them only lay on the same bed, fully clothed.
Still, Shen Qiyu insisted on marrying her. His mother took a step back and said he could marry her—but only as a concubine, not as his official wife.
Luo Qingqing was unwilling to suffer such humiliation. The Luo family could not afford to lose face either, so she was forced into marrying Gu Jing’an instead.
“Qingqing, aren’t you going to invite me in to sit?” Shen Qiyu said gently.
A mama’s boy like him… sit? Sit your head. He couldn’t even protect the woman he claimed to love. What kind of man was that? And his voice wasn’t even one ten-thousandth as nice as Gu Jing’an’s.
“My home is too simple. That won’t be necessary. Do you need something, Young Master Shen? If not, please leave,” she replied coldly.
“Qingqing, must we be so distant? So what if you are a concubine? Even if I marry a proper wife, I will only dote on you.”
Just listen to that. Did that even sound human?
One still had dignity, even if it was small. A tree still had bark. But this man had neither.
“I, Luo Qingqing, will never share a husband with another woman. Shen Qiyu, you truly disgust me.”
Shen Qiyu’s eyes turned dark and fierce as he roared, “What about Gu Jing’an? When he enters officialdom in the future, do you think he won’t take other wives?”
Just then, a calm voice rang out.
“My Gu Jing’an is fortunate beyond measure to have Qingqing by his side. In this life, one person is enough.”
Gu Jing’an strode forward and shielded Luo Qingqing behind him.
Seeing her tightly clutching his sleeve, looking utterly dependent on him, Shen Qiyu’s jealousy almost drove him mad.
“I’ve known Qingqing since childhood. She’s just angry with me right now. Once she calms down, she will naturally return to me.”
What an absurdly overconfident man. Luo Qingqing felt like she had truly seen the world today.
“I won’t go back,” she said firmly. “I was young and ignorant before, easily deceived and unable to distinguish people’s true nature. But now, by my side stands the finest man in this world. I will never be with you again.”
After speaking, she quickly hid back behind Gu Jing’an, clinging to him with complete reliance.
To him, her words meant everything: she called him the finest man in the world, she refused Shen Qiyu, and that meant she had chosen him.
Enraged, Shen Qiyu reached out to grab her.
Before his hand could touch her, Gu Jing’an kicked him away, slamming him into the wall.
“Is she someone you’re allowed to touch? If you don’t want to die, get lost.”
Gu Jing’an’s gaze was sharp and cold, carrying an oppressive authority that made one instinctively lower their head.
Shen Qiyu was thrown out the door, landing face-first in a thoroughly miserable state.
Luo Qingqing looked at Gu Jing’an with concern. “Are you alright?”
“I’m not a powerless scholar,” he replied calmly. “The last time with Shen Huaiyu was an accident. I had just recovered from my cold poison and hadn’t regained my strength yet.”
“Are you worried about me, Qingqing?”
“I am not.”
The soft, sweet voice of the young woman stirred something in his heart. He took her hand and interlaced their fingers tightly.