“He’s not… I’m not…”
But Han Sheng gave her no chance to explain. He grabbed her by the wrist and led her away.
Several women from the town spotted Han Sheng holding Ruan Qingli’s wrist and eagerly followed behind, trying to eavesdrop. One of them deliberately struck up a conversation.
“Constable Han, you’re buying groceries too? Oh! The young lady beside you looks familiar. Could she be…?”
Han Sheng cut them off before they could start gossiping.
“From now on, A’Li will be helping out at my house. I’d appreciate it if everyone could look after her. And one more thing—I’m protective of my own people. I don’t like hearing anyone gossiping or speaking ill of them. Understood?”
There was an unmistakable warning in his tone. Combined with his status in Liu Town, the curious women immediately fell silent.
Still, after thinking it over, they concluded that Ruan Qingli could never possibly marry someone like Han Sheng.
Han Sheng was handsome, respected, and held an official position. How could a man like him possibly fancy a divorced woman? Surely he was only kindhearted enough to take pity on her.
Some of the women even envied Ruan Qingli’s luck. They wondered how much she earned working at Constable Han’s house. Everyone knew Han Sheng paid generously. If only they could work there too.
Han Sheng had purposely accompanied Ruan Qingli to the market to stand up for her. Before, when she had been bullied, he had no legitimate reason to interfere. Now he did.
Within a few days, almost everyone in Liu Town knew that Ruan Qingli was working as a maid for the Han household.
Before, people had dared to bully her because even the Fang family mistreated her. But now that Han Sheng openly protected her, everyone suddenly became much more restrained.
Even those who had once treated her coldly began trying to curry favor with her.
“A’Li, out buying vegetables again? Want a few winter melons? I’ll give you a good price.”
Ruan Qingli smiled and shook her head.
“No, thank you. My young master doesn’t like winter melon.”
Another woman asked cheerfully,
“A’Li, how much does Constable Han pay you every month?”
Ruan Qingli answered honestly.
“Three hundred copper coins a month.”
The woman’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Oh my! That’s a lot! When I worked for Master Li’s family, I only earned two hundred copper coins a month, and they didn’t even provide meals or lodging. Compared to yours, I was terribly underpaid! A’Li, if you ever leave Constable Han’s household, don’t forget to recommend me.”
“Of course.”
After that, Ruan Qingli continued shopping. Once she had picked out the vegetables Han Sheng liked, she headed home.
She had been living comfortably at Han Sheng’s house these past few days.
Han Sheng wasn’t a man of many words, but he never made things difficult for her.
He also wasn’t picky about food. Whatever she cooked, he ate. Even when there were dishes he didn’t particularly like, he never complained. He simply ate a little less than usual.
Unlike Fang Shubai.
He could always find fault with her cooking. It was either too salty or too bland. Sometimes, before she had even taken her first bite, he would make her put down her chopsticks and cook everything all over again.
Just as Ruan Qingli reached the entrance of the Han residence, she noticed a slender figure standing there.
She recognized him immediately.
It was Fang Shubai.
The moment she saw him, anger coursed through her entire body.
Seeing that she had returned, Fang Shubai hurried toward her.
“A’Li!”
Ruan Qingli stopped, looked at him with cold indifference, and walked past him.
Fang Shubai grabbed her arm.
“A’Li, listen to me. About Brother Zhao… I truly didn’t know anything. It was all my mother’s doing… I was deceived too.”
Ruan Qingli looked at him coldly.
“So?”
“A’Li, come home with me. Let’s pretend none of this ever happened. And I have good news—I passed! I earned my xiucai degree. In the future, I’ll become a juren, then an official. You’ll be the wife of a government official.”
Ruan Qingli shook off his hand.
“Who cares?”
“Fang Shubai, I honestly can’t understand you anymore. Since you’ve passed the imperial examination, you’ll have your pick of wives. Why are you still pestering me? Or is there still something about me that you think you can use?”
Fang Shubai raised his hand toward the heavens.
“A’Li, believe me or not, but there’s no room in my heart for any woman but you. In this lifetime, Fang Shubai will only ever love you.”
His words were earnest, yet Ruan Qingli couldn’t tell what scheme he was plotting.
Falling into the same trap once was unfortunate.
Falling into it twice would simply mean she was foolish.
Fang Shubai was far too calculating. She knew she was no match for him.
Although she had already been bitten by the dog once, she had no intention of lowering herself to bite it back. It would be better to demand something tangible instead.
After a moment’s thought, she asked,
“So you really still have feelings for me?”
“I swear it’s true.”
“Fang Shubai, words alone prove nothing. Show me with your actions.”
“A’Li, what do you want me to do? As long as you’ll come back to me, I’ll do anything.”
She looked him straight in the eye.
“Then publicly clear my name. Tell everyone in town that you and your mother framed me. And return the ten taels of silver you got from selling my adoptive father’s house.”
Neither demand was something Fang Shubai could fulfill.
If he publicly admitted the truth, his carefully built reputation would be ruined.
And ten taels of silver was no small amount. There was no way he wanted to give it back.
Seeing him stand there in silence, Ruan Qingli finally saw him for who he truly was.
How had she ever been fooled by his sweet words?
He had never been willing to do anything for her, yet she had believed he loved her deeply.
How foolish she had been.
Fortunately, she had woken up before it was too late. Otherwise, she would have spent the rest of her life dancing to the tune he played.
“A’Li, what happened really was my mother’s and my fault. We misunderstood you. Please forgive me this once. I’m a man—I have my pride. If I publicly admit I was wrong, how could I ever hold my head up in Liu Town again? You’ve always been considerate of me. Can’t you endure this one last grievance for my sake?”
“No.”
“Fang Shubai, I’m not that pathetic, nor am I as foolish as you think. Since you can’t meet a single one of my conditions, stop standing in front of me spouting empty words.”
“Fang Shubai, good dogs don’t block the road.”
She turned to leave.
But Fang Shubai suddenly pulled her into his arms.
The instant he embraced her, he felt an unmistakable reaction stir within his body.
Overjoyed, he exclaimed,
“A’Li! Didn’t you always want to bear my child? As long as you come back with me, I’ll make sure you get pregnant.”
Ruan Qingli struggled desperately, but she was far too weak to break free.
Seeing her resistance, Fang Shubai began dragging her away by force.
Before he could take more than a step, a powerful force suddenly seized him and flung him aside.