Jiang Fu lit calming incense in the evening and pored over medical books until her vision blurred. Only when she could no longer force herself to stay awake did she ask Bai Xing to prepare the bed.
She silently prayed not to dream of Xiao Jing, but it seemed the Sandman hadn’t heard her plea.
Jiang Fu fell into a dream once more.
This time, she was on water, still dressed in her daytime attire, though the outer layer of her gauzy gown was soaked, clinging to her body in a hazy, ambiguous manner.
She lay across Xiao Jing’s lap, the vast dragon boat holding only the two of them. The calm lake from the day now churned with waves in her dream, rocking and swaying.
Afraid of water, Jiang Fu tightly shut her eyes at the sight of the turbulent surface. Too scared to look around, she clung to the only stable point she could find.
When Xiao Jing opened his eyes, he saw her in this utterly pitiful state.
The young girl’s figure was faintly visible through her damp clothes, and even through the fabric, he could feel the softness against his knee.
From his angle, he could not only see her trembling head but also the pale, soft curves that seemed to glow.
Xiao Jing’s throat felt dry as he leaned down and pulled her into his arms, patting her back gently to soothe her. “Don’t be afraid.”
He knew she feared water but hadn’t expected her dream self to share the same trait.
Before Jiang Fu could recover from her fear, she was startled pale by Xiao Jing’s voice.
Trembling, she looked up, biting her lip in panic. “You… how can you speak!”
In over a year of dreaming about him, this was the first time she had heard him speak.
Something felt wrong to Jiang Fu.
“Not allowed to speak?”
Unaware of the girl’s thoughts, Xiao Jing shifted her position, closing his legs around her.
Jiang Fu was lifted and then dropped, the sensation of weightlessness making her wrap her arms tightly around the man’s neck. Her rosy lips brushed against his ear as she whispered urgently, “Don’t speak! I’m scared!”
She was terrified of the real Xiao Jing, and though she feared the dream version too, at least he couldn’t speak, allowing her to escape if he bullied her.
But now Xiao Jing had spoken.
Jiang Fu trembled, realizing that even the dream version of Xiao Jing was beyond her control.
Sensing her desire to flee, Xiao Jing tightened his grip, his hand nearly crushing her waist.
Panicked, Jiang Fu twisted his arm and, heedless of the fact that they were on a dragon boat surrounded by rushing water, pushed the man away with all her strength.
“I don’t want to dream of you anymore!”
“Jiang Fu!”
…
The Xiao Residence.
Xiao Jing’s eyes snapped open, the girl’s resolute words still echoing in his ears.
Didn’t want to dream of him?
Hmph.
His eyes darkened with intensity.
Urgent knocking sounded at the door.
“Third Master, the eldest young master is here.”
Xiao Jing frowned, exhaling a heavy breath of frustration, his voice tinged with the anger of unfulfilled desire.
“What does he want?”
“Third Uncle, you lied to me!”
As soon as the door opened, Xiao Yuzhang barged in impatiently.
The young man’s handsome face was filled with the fury of betrayal, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. If not for the fact that he was no match in a fight, he would have already thrown a punch.
“Third Uncle, you told me that Sister Ah Fu was ugly and plain, but she’s… she’s so beautiful! You lied to me!”
Xiao Jing wore only his sleeping robes, yet his imposing presence made Xiao Yuzhang unable to meet his gaze directly.
“Here to demand answers?”
His tone was calm, but Xiao Yuzhang lost the courage to press further, his shoulders slumping.
“If you had told me the truth, I wouldn’t have broken off the engagement with Sister Ah Fu…”
“Was it not you who readily believed Jiang Fourth was ugly and plain? Did anyone force you to break off the engagement? Did anyone stop you from going to the Jiang residence?”
Xiao Yuzhang was left flushed and stammering, unable to speak for a long time under Xiao Jing’s three consecutive questions.
He knew full well that breaking off the engagement with Jiang Fu was entirely his own fault, but why hadn’t Xiao Jing stopped him back then?
Moreover, “When I asked Third Uncle whether Jiang Fu was ugly and plain, why did he nod?”
As if he had caught Xiao Jing in a mistake, he roared with reddened eyes.
“Hah!”
Xiao Jing sneered, his eyes filled with disappointment.
“Did I ever explicitly say she was ugly?”
Xiao Yuzhang carefully recalled their conversation that day. He had asked Xiao Jing whether Jiang Fu was ugly and plain, and timid as a mouse, and Xiao Jing had only nodded.
He thought Xiao Jing was agreeing that Jiang Fu was ugly and timid, never imagining it was only the latter.
Xiao Yuzhang staggered, his entire being as if he had lost his soul.
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
“Would it have mattered?” Xiao Jing’s brows furrowed, the chill around him growing heavier.
“You didn’t even have the courage to personally go and break off the engagement. What good would knowing the truth have done? Since the engagement has already been broken, there’s no turning back now.
If you want to be a son of the Xiao family, stay away from Jiang Fourth. Don’t make me look down on you!”
“Third Uncle!”
Xiao Yuzhang hadn’t expected Xiao Jing’s tone to be so harsh. He knew he was weak, but that was Jiang Fu—the one who should have become his wife. It was all his fault for believing the rumors and giving up on her.
“I won’t let go! If the engagement is broken, we’ll just form it again. I insist on marrying Sister Afu!”
The night wind rose, causing the candle flames to flicker. The servant standing nearby, seeing his master’s face darker than the night, secretly broke into a cold sweat for Xiao Yuzhang.
Wasn’t the eldest young master seeking death by saying such things? Jiang Fourth was now the one his master had his heart set on. If the eldest young master wanted to change his mind, it was probably too late.
“Get out!”
Xiao Jing had no patience left to argue with him and coldly snapped.
Xiao Yuzhang was both angry and afraid, clenching and unclenching his fists several times before finally steadying his emotions.
“Fine, I’ll go! Even if Third Uncle looks down on me, I’m still going to marry Sister Afu!”
“Young Master?”
Xiao Yuzhang’s figure disappeared outside the door, leaving the servant with a worried expression.
His master usually doted on this nephew the most, yet now they were at odds over a woman.
What charm did Jiang Fourth possess to captivate the two most outstanding men in the capital?
“Guard the door well. From now on, no one else is to be let in without my permission.”
Was he distancing himself from the eldest young master?
The servant looked at Xiao Jing’s cold, stern face and suppressed all the distracting thoughts in his mind.
How could he possibly guess his master’s thoughts? It was better to just obediently carry out his duties.
…
“Smash!”
The commotion from the third branch reached the first branch. Upon hearing that her son had gone to confront Xiao Jing over a woman, the Heir’s Wife, Lady Wang, was so furious she smashed a crystal bowl.
“That unfilial son!”
“What are you doing, madam?”
Xiao Heir had been dozing off but was awakened by the sound of the shattered bowl.
“Your son is going mad over a woman, and you can still sleep?”
“What woman?”
Xiao Heir’s mind was still muddled, unable to grasp the meaning of Lady Wang’s words.
“Who else but Jiang Fourth? I don’t know what kind of bewitching potion that woman gave Zhang’er, but ever since he returned from outside, he’s been muttering about regretting breaking off the engagement and even… even saying he wants to marry Jiang Fu. How can this be?
Breaking off the engagement already left us open to criticism. Now he wants to take it back—what will others think of us? Isn’t this like tearing off our own face for others to trample on?”
Lady Wang cared most about face. She would rather die than admit she was wrong.
But Xiao Yuzhang paid no heed to this and now even dared to confront Xiao Jing to demand an explanation.
Wang Shi was so furious she felt like vomiting blood.
“I thought it was something serious. How much is face worth anyway? If Zhang’er likes her, just take her in as a concubine.”