When her eyes met his, Ji Hanyi’s heart trembled. She took a step forward, then instinctively retreated.
She hadn’t expected to run into Shen Si here.
Shen Si remained silent. No matter how much the shopkeeper beside him bowed and scraped, he didn’t spare the man even a sidelong glance. He stood with his hands behind his back, his face as cold as ice, devoid of any discernible emotion. His stature was elegant, like a lonely pine or a piece of fine jade, making everyone around him seem like they belonged in the dirt.
Ji Hanyi knew that Shen Si was born with this coldness. He was so detached that it seemed he possessed no feelings, no emotions, and not even personal likes or dislikes. Many sought to curry favor with him, but none ever succeeded; he always kept everyone at a distance.
Within a few steps, they met on the narrow staircase. Shen Si’s cold eyes did not linger on her. Aside from that initial moment of eye contact, he didn’t look at her again.
She retreated to the edge of the stairs. As he passed, a high, cold fragrance drifted from him, his pace never faltering.
In that instant, a flurry of thoughts raced through Ji Hanyi’s mind. She wondered if he had seen her letter. For a man like him, would he even bother to look at it, or would he simply cast it aside even if he did? After all, they were worlds apart now. Whatever meager childhood connection they once shared was likely beneath his notice.
Her gaze involuntarily followed his figure as he ascended. As he drew near, she couldn’t stop herself from speaking. “Lord Shen…”
The moment she spoke, she felt a brief sense of disorientation. She remembered that when they were children, she used to call him Brother Shen.
The year her father took the imperial examinations, the old Senior Grand Secretary Shen had been the chief examiner. Naturally, the successful candidates of that year regarded the elder Shen as their mentor. Her father had been the *Tanhua*, the third-place scholar of that year, and was highly regarded by the old Senior Grand Secretary, becoming his most esteemed student.
She vaguely remembered following her father to the Shen estate to visit the old man. Even then, she couldn’t help but gravitating toward Shen Si. She had never seen anyone so handsome. Though his face was always icy and he never paid her any mind, he never chased her away when she followed him into the study to watch him practice calligraphy.
From her earliest memories, starting when she was seven and he was eleven, she had been a shadow in his life. Later, her father told her that she was the only person who had ever been allowed to stay in Shen Si’s study without being kicked out.
Her memories were fragmented. Shen Si was a favored son of heaven, born into the spotlight, and she had only seen him a handful of times. As a child, she hadn’t understood the weight of noble status, thinking of him as no different from a neighbor’s brother. She only understood the truth as she grew older.
Shen Si’s pace didn’t falter for a second. His attendant, Wen An, caught his master’s expression and knew the Marquis had no intention of responding. Countless people wanted to see the Marquis; this woman was likely just another fool who had read too many stories, dreaming of catching the Marquis’s eye and achieving a meteoric rise through love at first sight. They all thought they were special just because they had a bit of beauty.
*Hmph. Wishful thinking,* Wen An thought.
Ji Hanyi stared blankly as his back disappeared around the corner. After all these years, he was still just as cold and detached, refusing to grant her even a single look. Perhaps he had long since forgotten her.
She stood frozen for a moment, thinking that he might be busy and simply had no time for her. She silently turned and walked down the stairs.
From the corner of his eye, as Shen Si reached the landing, his cold gaze shifted slightly, landing on the fleeting glimpse of a hibiscus-embroidered sleeve.
Ji Hanyi didn’t leave immediately. She sat in her carriage, waiting quietly.
She waited until the hand warmer in her lap grew cold and the sky darkened. On this bustling street, some shops had already begun lighting their lanterns.
Hearing Ji Hanyi’s faint cough, Rong Chun couldn’t help but whisper, “Perhaps Lord Shen left through another exit.”
Ji Hanyi’s fingers stiffened slightly.
It was possible. Baoshan Gallery had several back doors. A man like Shen Si, who detested crowds, would naturally avoid the main entrance. Perhaps he had left long ago, yet she had clung to a sliver of hope, waiting for a chance to see him.
Her fingertips were chilled. She whispered, “Let’s wait a little longer.”
Shen Si was the only person she could think of who might help. She only hoped he might remember even a fraction of their childhood friendship.
A cold wind rose, fluttering the hem of Shen Si’s robes as he stood on the upper gallery. He looked down silently at the carriage below. A light glowed inside the carriage, casting the graceful silhouette of the woman within.
Deep, thick emotions swirled in his ink-black eyes, nearly imperceptible in the darkening twilight.
His attendant, Wen An, held a long box containing a new painting by the hermit Shi Lan. He looked down, following his master’s gaze, but saw only an unremarkable carriage. He couldn’t understand why his master would waste a glance on it.
Just as he was about to ask which gate they should bring the carriage to, he saw his master turn and walk toward a different back exit.
Wen An hurried to follow. His master always preferred quiet; wherever he went regularly, a special entrance was always prepared, or the path was cleared in advance, with the carriage waiting exactly where it needed to be.
Ji Hanyi waited until nightfall, but Shen Si never appeared again.
Her heavy heart felt like a branch weighed down by snow. After a long silence, she finally ordered the carriage to leave. It was true—a man like him was no longer someone she could reach.
As the carriage rumbled toward the Xie estate, Rong Chun saw Ji Hanyi leaning her head against her knees. “Madam, you did your best,” she said sadly.
Ji Hanyi only stared blankly at nothing, realizing that no matter what, she had to keep moving forward.
Back at the Xie estate, a servant at the front gate came to help with the carriage step. He whispered, “Third Young Madam, the Eldest Young Master just returned a moment ago.”
Ji Hanyi merely nodded. She no longer felt anything for Xie Yuheng.
The courtyard was brightly lit, indicating that Xie Yuheng was indeed inside. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the house, unfastening her cloak as she went.
A maid brought warm water. It was only when she soaked her frozen hands in the copper basin that her body began to thaw.
Entering the inner room, Ji Hanyi saw Xie Yuheng sitting on a chair in the small parlor, looking down at a book. When he saw her enter, he closed the book and set it aside, his gaze falling on her face.
Her pale cheeks were flushed with a faint pink from the warmth of the room. She was naturally beautiful, with a hint of alluring charm; though she usually dressed plainly, even a little color in her face made her look radiant.
He suddenly remembered that he had been so busy lately that he hadn’t been intimate with her in a long time. Recalling his mother’s words from this morning and his misunderstanding of her the previous night, Xie Yuheng’s expression softened. His voice lacked its usual coldness as he asked, “Where did you go?”
Ji Hanyi paused. In the past, Xie Yuheng never cared where she went. He rarely asked about her affairs, and likewise, he didn’t like her prying into his.
She walked further in, simply stating that she had gone to see her mother.
Xie Yuheng replied, “It has been a while since you last went back. It’s only right to visit.” He paused, then added, “Next time I am free, I will accompany you to see your mother.”
Ji Hanyi stopped as she was about to pull back the curtain to the bedroom. She turned to look at the expression on Xie Yuheng’s face. His dark eyes met hers, looking as if he weren’t merely making idle conversation.
In three years of marriage, he had never visited her mother once.
She didn’t know why he was acting this way today, and she had no desire to parse his meaning. She gave a low “Mhm” in response and went behind the curtain to retrieve the Divorce Agreement she had already written.
Since Xie Yuheng happened to be here, Ji Hanyi knew that if she didn’t speak to him now, she didn’t know when the next opportunity would be.
Fearing he might leave again, she turned to go back out, only to find that Xie Yuheng had already lifted the curtain and walked in. He stood before her, searching her face. “Is your cold better?” he asked softly.
Ji Hanyi was startled. She nodded. “Much better.”
She took a step back and looked at Rong Chun, signaling for her to tell the other maids to leave the room.
Once they were alone, she looked at Xie Yuheng. “Eldest Young Master…”
Xie Yuheng raised an eyebrow as the maids left, then looked back into her eyes. Under the candlelight, they seemed to hold a shimmer of water, making her look innocent and fragile.
He pursed his lips, and his recently softened expression gradually turned cold again. He frowned at her. “Hanyi, regarding your cousin’s matter—he broke the law. No matter what punishment he receives, I will not help you.”
“There is no need to beg me.”
Ji Hanyi gave a bitter smile. She remembered the first year of their marriage when her maternal grandmother had written to her, asking her to bring Xie Yuheng back to visit her mother. He had rejected her with that same cold tone. Since then, she had stopped asking him for anything. She had learned that if Xie Yuheng didn’t want to do something, no amount of begging would change his mind.
She took a soft breath and shook her head, looking him in the eye. “That isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”
With that, she held out the Divorce Agreement to him. “Let us divorce.”
“This is the Divorce Agreement I wrote. I intended to give it to you yesterday.”
Her gaze was calm as she met his eyes. “It won’t take much of your time. Once you have signed and sealed it, I will take it to the yamen.”