In the past, whenever Ji Hanyi saw Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou together, she always felt a slight sting in her heart.
That sting came from the fact that despite being Xie Yuheng’s wife, she was like an outsider, forced to watch how well he and Li Mingrou matched. Every time, it made her feel acutely aware that she was the redundant one.
But now, Ji Hanyi’s heart was as still as water.
Perhaps she hadn’t loved him that much to begin with, or perhaps she had only loved the version of Xie Yuheng who had once earnestly promised to marry her.
The warm medicine bowl in her hand still steamed, its bitter scent lingering at the tip of her nose. Ji Hanyi lowered her head, finished the medicine in one go, and set the empty bowl aside.
Before she could speak, Xie Yuheng was already frowning at her, his voice carrying its usual tone of reproach. “Mingrou is speaking to you.”
Ji Hanyi glanced at him. The look in his eyes was always cold when he looked at her; whenever Li Mingrou was present, he always frowned and blamed her. It was as if no matter what she did, she could never please him.
She also frowned as she looked at Xie Yuheng. “I was taking my medicine.”
Xie Yuheng paused.
Ji Hanyi didn’t want to spare him another glance. She turned to Li Mingrou. “What is it?”
With a smile on her face, Li Mingrou came over and sat beside Ji Hanyi, taking her hand. “I came to find a few books in Brother Heng’s room. Cousin-in-law won’t mind, will she?”
“I was afraid that if Cousin-in-law found out later, she would say I was being inconsiderate again, so I came to tell you first. Please don’t be angry with Cousin because of this. Also, if I said something wrong today and upset you, please don’t be angry with me either.”
Her voice and expression were pitiful, and her eyes even shimmered with unshed tears.
Xie Yuheng looked at Ji Hanyi coldly. “Mingrou only came to my study to look for some rubbings. Don’t be so petty.”
“Furthermore, even if she said something wrong, you are her cousin-in-law. You should be more magnanimous.”
Ji Hanyi felt a wave of exhaustion. She hadn’t even said a word, and he had already labeled her as petty.
She turned slightly to meet Li Mingrou’s eyes. In those eyes, filled with a soft light, there was only a sense of triumphant pride and even a hint of contempt when looking at her.
Ji Hanyi looked at Xie Yuheng. “Petty? Didn’t the two of you come to my room?”
“I haven’t said a single word. In the future, I suggest you watch your tongue.”
Having said that, Ji Hanyi looked at Li Mingrou. “Furthermore, you’re just borrowing two rubbings from your cousin. Why would I mind? Why did you feel the need to come specifically to tell me?”
“In the future, when you go to see your cousin, there’s no need to inform me.”
“It’s a good thing that the two of you are close; it shows that the household is harmonious. I’m actually happy to see you two spending time together. I have no desire to gain a reputation for being petty out of thin air.”
Xie Yuheng stared at Ji Hanyi. The flicker of annoyance in her eyes and the tone of her voice made him wonder if he had misheard her. He frowned again.
In the past, although Ji Hanyi would fuss over small things, she was always submissive and gentle. Today, she was different.
Previously, whenever anything involved Mingrou, she would target her. But today, she actually said it was a good thing that he and Mingrou were close. In the past, she had always complained that they spent too much time together.
Li Mingrou bit her lip, staring intently into Ji Hanyi’s eyes. This calm, indifferent expression was a very convincing act.
She looked at Ji Hanyi with eyes full of grievance. “If Cousin-in-law cares, why say such insincere things?”
“In the past, you always said I was pestering my cousin. But we grew up together, and I’ve always relied on him for everything. It’s not what you think. I also knew you’ve had a cold these past few days, so I specially brewed some medicinal soup for you. It’s supposed to be good for a cold. Surely Cousin-in-law won’t reject my good intentions?”
As she spoke, Li Mingrou gestured for a maid nearby to bring a bowl of chicken soup. She personally carried it to Ji Hanyi. “Cousin-in-law, I brewed this myself.”
Ji Hanyi looked at the bowl of chicken soup in Li Mingrou’s hands, then back at the girl.
Through the rising steam of the soup, their eyes met.
This was not an unfamiliar scene.
On the second day after she had married into the Xie family, Li Mingrou had come to offer her tea. The moment Ji Hanyi reached out to take the cup, it fell, and the scalding tea spilled onto Li Mingrou’s hand.
That day, Xie Yuheng had frantically carried Li Mingrou away. From that day on, Ji Hanyi had been branded with a reputation for being jealous and narrow-minded in his heart. No matter how desperately she tried to explain, he never believed her.
That misunderstanding remained unresolved to this day because he refused to believe her explanation.
Now that a similar scene was playing out again, Ji Hanyi wasn’t going to touch it, regardless of whether Li Mingrou intended to pull the same trick.
She signaled for Rong Chun to take the bowl.
However, Li Mingrou took on a look as if she were about to cry. “Does Cousin-in-law dislike me to this extent?”
“I spent the entire afternoon personally brewing this for you.”
Xie Yuheng frowned at Ji Hanyi. “This is Mingrou’s goodwill. You are her cousin-in-law. When will you ever learn to be as sensible as she is?”
Ji Hanyi finally looked up at Xie Yuheng. Her voice was as cold as the biting wind outside the window. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll ‘accidentally’ spill the soup on Mingrou again?”
Xie Yuheng froze.
Ji Hanyi didn’t care about his reaction. She leaned in and whispered in Li Mingrou’s ear, “You truly disgust me. These cheap tricks are more than enough. Now you even make me feel pity for you—pity that you’ve been reduced to using such low tactics.”
Li Mingrou’s face turned pale.
But she quickly shifted her expression to one of sorrow. She stood up and looked at Xie Yuheng behind her, her voice thin and trembling. “It seems Cousin-in-law refuses to forgive me. I should just leave.”
Xie Yuheng caught Li Mingrou’s arm and looked at Ji Hanyi with a stern expression. “Hanyi, apologize to Mingrou.”
Ji Hanyi looked at him but said nothing. She supported herself on the armrest to stand up, then turned and walked into the inner chamber, her back perfectly straight.
Their fate as husband and wife was already over; there was nothing left to say.
She didn’t want to waste energy trying to argue right from wrong or prove her innocence to Xie Yuheng. He was fair to everyone else, but he had never once been fair to her.
Such a man was not her husband.
Rong Chun was stunned when she saw Ji Hanyi turn away. In the past, the Third Young Madam would always be the first to lower her head. She had never just turned and left like this.
When the Eldest Young Master became cold toward her, the atmosphere truly became freezing.
But after only a moment’s hesitation, Rong Chun hurried after Ji Hanyi.
Xie Yuheng watched Ji Hanyi’s retreating figure, his frown deepening.
Li Mingrou looked at him aggrievedly. “Cousin-in-law is angry. Cousin, you should go in and coax her. I’m fine.”
Tears welled up in her eyes again. “I shouldn’t have come today. I specially brewed chicken soup for her, but it seems she won’t be eating it.”
Xie Yuheng finally withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Mingrou. He pursed his lips, a complex swirl of emotions rising in his heart. He took a deep breath. “It’s fine to let her calm down.”
He added, “You should come here less often in the future. She is your cousin-in-law, my wife, after all. She has been ill for some time, so it’s inevitable that her emotions are unstable. Don’t blame her.”
Li Mingrou’s eyes widened as she looked at Xie Yuheng, thinking she had misheard him.
In the past, Brother Heng would always take her side. Today, Ji Hanyi had just walked away, yet he was actually speaking up for her.
Just as she was about to speak, on the verge of tears, she saw Xie Yuheng turn around. “Let’s go. I’ll see you back.”