Xie Yunye had already asked this question once tonight, but for some reason, he hadn’t felt any nervousness earlier, nor was he afraid of Meng Jinyue’s refusal.
But now, it felt different.
In the silence of the dark night, quietness seemed amplified.
During the time Meng Jinyue remained silent, Xie Yunye felt as though time passed extremely slowly.
Finally, he couldn’t help but break the silence: “Aren’t you worried that after I marry your second sister, I might tell her some of the things you’ve said in the future?”
“As long as you marry me, you’ll never have to worry about that again.”
“Besides, she’s always bullied you before. Don’t you want to make her furious just once?”
Xie Yunye’s tone was enticing.
“If you marry me, not only your second sister but also your stepmother will likely be angry.”
Meng Jinyue lowered her gaze, tightly closed her eyes, and finally took a deep breath before refusing: “No.”
“I… we cannot do this.”
Her voice was very soft.
“Although I have some grievances with my second sister, you are already engaged to her. I cannot take away the person she loves.”
“I cannot bring myself to ruin someone’s marriage.”
After saying all this in one breath, Meng Jinyue tightly closed her eyes again.
Xie Yunye felt a pang of disappointment. “Really not possible?”
“Mm, please don’t bring this up again in the future.”
She would only accept when the favorability value approached seventy.
“I understand.”
His voice was low, but he wasn’t surprised by her response.
She said she endured because she was weak.
Xie Yunye knew that was only part of it; more importantly, it was because she was kind-hearted.
Because she was kind-hearted, even after suffering much bullying, she would still repay grievances with kindness.
Just like now—if she had agreed to his proposal, she could have taken a small revenge on Meng Jinrong, but she still didn’t.
“I’m sorry.”
Meng Jinyue apologized softly.
Though disappointed, Xie Yunye still comforted her: “You haven’t done anything wrong. There’s no need to apologize.”
Meng Jinyue said nothing more, and the conversation ended there for the night.
She checked the favorability value—it had already reached fifty-nine, just a little short of affection.
It wasn’t in vain to have stayed up so late talking to him. She was exhausted.
The next day, Xie Qingzhi received the news and hurried to Cloud Celebration Temple.
“Yao Yao, you said in your letter that you missed me?”
Meng Jinyue pulled Xie Qingzhi into her room.
“Brother!?” Xie Qingzhi widened her eyes in disbelief. “Brother, why are you at Yao Yao’s place? Weren’t you away on official business?”
Xie Yunye shook his head. “I ran into some trouble. Fortunately, the Third Miss saved me.”
“I called you here today to help me leave. Later, I’ll disguise myself as your guard and leave with you.”
Xie Qingzhi nodded. “Oh, I thought Yao Yao missed me.”
“I was also thinking of staying at the temple for a few days and sharing a room with Yao Yao. It seems I’ll have to wait until next time.”
Meng Jinyue took her hand. “A Zhi, you can come back in a few days and stay longer then.”
Xie Qingzhi replied, “Alright.”
“A Zhi, be careful on the road.”
Just as they thought everything was going smoothly, a familiar voice appeared again.
“Wait, Sister A Zhi.”
It was Meng Jinrong.
Xie Qingzhi nervously clutched her handkerchief.
If Meng Jinrong found out that both she and her brother were at Yao Yao’s place, she would surely overthink it and might even cause trouble for Yao Yao.
“Sister A Zhi, here to see my third sister again?”
Isn’t it obvious? Xie Qingzhi thought to herself, but on the surface, she remained obedient. “Yes.”
“Why is Sister Rong here too?”
There were her mother’s people at Cloud Celebration Temple, so it was natural that she had come after receiving the news.
Knowing Xie Qingzhi was here, she had deliberately come to intercept her.
“I came to visit Third Sister, but I happened to run into you.”
“Let’s head back together.”
Xie Qingzhi was taken aback. “Ah, Sister Rong, aren’t you going to speak with Yao Yao?”
“No.”
Meng Jinrong couldn’t even be bothered to come up with an excuse.
She even made a move to board the carriage directly, a smile on her face, but her attitude was firm and unyielding. Xie Qingzhi had no choice.
The entire journey was agonizing, as she once again listened to Meng Jinrong’s seductive words and persuasion, all aimed at convincing her that Yao Yao had ill intentions.
Finally, when they reached the entrance of the Meng residence, Xie Qingzhi let out a deep sigh of relief in her heart.
“Sister Meng, we’ve arrived. Let’s make plans another time.”
Meng Jinrong said, “Why not stay at the residence for a day or two?”
Xie Qingzhi nearly lost her composure, waving her hands repeatedly. “Maybe next time.”
Meng Jinrong didn’t press further.
However, as she stepped out of the carriage, Meng Jinrong’s peripheral gaze unconsciously swept over the last person among the guards. For some reason, he looked familiar.
She wanted to take another look, but the man had already lowered his head.
Even as Xie Qingzhi’s carriage disappeared into the distance, Meng Jinrong kept staring at that man’s back.
“Miss, it’s about to rain,” the maid beside her reminded, noticing Meng Jinrong’s distraction.
Meng Jinrong murmured to herself, “Something’s off. One of the guards just now looked very much like Brother Xie.”
All the way back to her own quarters, Meng Jinrong couldn’t stop thinking about that figure from earlier.
“I thought I might have been mistaken, but the longer I stared, the more familiar he seemed.”
The maid didn’t dare to speak, but the old nanny beside Meng Jinrong spoke up. “Could it be that the young lady misjudged?”
Meng Jinrong sneered coldly. “No! That was Xie Yunye. Otherwise, why would he lower his head so quickly when I glanced over?”
“And Brother Xie’s back—I’d recognize it even if it were burned to ashes.”
Meng Jinrong clenched her fists so tightly that her palms began to bleed.
“Oh, my dear young lady!”
The old nanny hurriedly took Meng Jinyue’s hands, seeing the bloodstains on her palms, and quickly tried to console her.
“This old servant knows you’re upset, but you mustn’t harm yourself.”
Meng Jinrong remained silent for a long time before gritting her teeth and saying, “You’re right, Nanny. I should direct my anger at that shameless wretch instead.”
“Meng Jinyue must have seduced Brother Xie through her connection with Xie Qingzhi, making him sneak off to the temple to see her!”
The more she spoke, the more hatred swelled in Meng Jinrong’s heart. Her expression turned dark and gloomy. “Today, I happened to be there and discovered their disgraceful affair. Who knows how many times they’ve met in secret when I wasn’t around?”
“That wretch might have even climbed into his bed!”
The old nanny knew Meng Jinrong had lost all reason, seeing her so enraged she was on the verge of fainting.
She quickly tried to comfort her. “Young lady, although Third Miss is despicable, General Xie’s character shouldn’t be so easily swayed.”
“How could he not be? That wretch is beautiful. If she stripped naked and climbed into his bed, what man in this world could resist?”
The more Meng Jinrong spoke, the more convinced she became that it might have already happened.
“Nanny, come with me. I must go see Mother!”
Meng Jinrong had always gotten whatever she wanted since childhood. She was the daughter of an official from the Ministry of Personnel, and her maternal grandfather’s family was the emperor’s own kin.
Such prominence also made Meng Jinrong’s temperament spoiled and unable to bear grievances.
“You are always so impatient. When will you become as steady as your eldest sister?”
Madam Meng looked at her youngest daughter and couldn’t help but sigh.
“Mother!” Meng Jinrong said with dissatisfaction in her tone.
“Losing your composure over such trivial matters, crying and wailing—have you forgotten everything I taught you before?”
Meng Jinrong’s eyes turned red, sobbing and choking back tears: “Mother, this is no trivial matter. That wretched woman is trying to steal the man I love again. First, it was Su Lie, and now it’s Brother Xie. Over and over again—how could I possibly stay calm?”
Meng Jinrong screamed, her face covered in tears.
Ultimately, her heart ached for her daughter, and Madam Meng couldn’t bear to say more.
She simply held Meng Jinrong’s hand to comfort her: “Enough, I understand now. I will make the arrangements. Just wait for the news.”
Meng Jinrong froze. “Really? Mother!”
Madam Meng nodded and patted her head. “Yes, she is not worth you losing your composure like this. So don’t cry anymore. Leave everything to me.”
“I won’t let you suffer grievances. Anyone who stands in your way, I will help you remove them.”