Jiang Yufeng opened his mouth slightly. This man, who seemed untouched by worldly affairs, probably had friends who maintained relationships as light and pure as water.
Ye Ximeng’s repeated mentions of “green hats” and “a touch of green on the head” left him somewhat unsettled.
It took a while for Jiang Yufeng to find his voice again. “Alright, as you said, we’ll add a clause that I also won’t give you a…”
Clearly derailed by the conversation, Jiang Yufeng pursed his lips and fell silent.
“I mean I will remain chaste. I’ll go to the study to add the clause you mentioned. Please wait a moment.”
Jiang Yufeng left, his steps slightly hurried.
Watching his retreating figure, Ye Ximeng couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.
Spending three years with such a “Buddhist monk” shouldn’t be too difficult.
Ye Ximeng didn’t wait long before Jiang Yufeng returned to the living room with freshly printed documents.
Two copies of the agreement were pushed toward Ye Ximeng.
“Take a look. If there are no issues, please sign,” Jiang Yufeng said.
Ye Ximeng carefully reviewed the document once more. The clause she had requested was added, with no other changes.
In the signature section, Jiang Yufeng had already signed his name. His penmanship, a lean and elegant style of cursive script, was vigorous and powerful, much like the man himself—cool and detached.
Ye Ximeng thought to herself, “The handwriting truly reflects the person.”
She picked up a pen and swiftly signed her name in a flowing, cursive style—bold and unrestrained, a skill she had deliberately practiced in her previous life.
Jiang Yufeng was visibly taken aback by Ye Ximeng’s signature, likely not expecting her to possess such a high level of calligraphic skill.
At that moment, Ye Ximeng looked up, and their eyes met.
Ye Ximeng blinked. She could guess the reason for his surprise, but she said nothing and didn’t look away. Instead, she smiled openly and brightly at Jiang Yufeng.
A radiant, unaffected smile.
Ye Ximeng was beautiful, and her smile made her even more dazzling.
Perhaps it was the sheer beauty and purity of that smile that stirred something in the heart of this “Buddhist monk,” touching a desolate corner that had never been explored before.
For a brief moment, a flicker of confusion appeared in Jiang Yufeng’s cool eyes, but it vanished almost instantly, replaced once again by his usual detached demeanor.
He handed Ye Ximeng another document. “This is the divorce agreement. The effective date is set for three years from now. Sign it, and on this day three years later, the divorce agreement will take effect, and the property transfer agreements under my name will also come into force.”
With all the agreements properly signed, Ye Ximeng was in an excellent mood.
This grand villa and an entire commercial street would be hers in three years. How wonderful.
Jiang Yufeng tidied up the signed documents.
Two copies—one for Ye Ximeng, the other for him to file away.
As he did this, his expression remained cool and detached, though there was a faint hint of relaxation in his demeanor.
Truthfully, he had never intended to marry.
He had even prepared to take monastic vows during the next ordination ceremony at Pudu Temple and follow Abbot Du’e in his spiritual practice.
But when he mentioned his intention to become a monk, his mother, Wen Tonghua, exploded on the spot.
All the carefully prepared arguments and comforting words he had rehearsed were useless.
Wen Tonghua threatened to take her own life, declaring that if he refused to marry, she would immediately rush into the street and let a car run her over.
With no other choice, Jiang Yufeng had no choice but to compromise and agree to the arranged marriage.
However, he also made a three-point agreement with Wen Tonghua: if after three years he still remained devoted to Buddhism, unbound by marriage, then Wen Tonghua could no longer hinder his faith and pursuit.
While Jiang Yufeng was lost in thought, his phone chimed with a notification of a received email.
It was a rejected resignation letter.
Immediately after, the phone rang.
It was a video call from his colleague and fellow Buddhist friend, Gu Xingze.
“Yufeng, are you free tonight?”
“What’s the matter?” Jiang Yufeng asked.
“Oh, it’s about the other day when we took the senior students to Sichuan Province’s Bodhi Ancient Temple for Lodging and Study. Remember when we discovered a few rare wild spices in the mountains?
The spices we brought back have already been blended into incense by Miaoyin.
She said it’s a type of incense that can calm the mind and soothe the spirit, especially suitable for Buddhist worship and meditation.
Hao Yu and I are both at Miaoyin’s place. Do you want to join us? We’re setting up a tea gathering to discuss Buddhism and appreciate incense.”
Jiang Yufeng looked out the window, his gaze tinged with a hint of loneliness. “You guys go ahead. I have something to attend to today, so I won’t be joining.”
“Hey, come on! Discussing Buddhism, appreciating incense, and drinking tea—aren’t those your three great joys in life?
Come join us. Without you, the level of this gathering will drop a notch.”
Jiang Yufeng ignored Gu Xingze’s teasing and replied in a detached, cool tone, “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
“Wait, don’t hang up! There’s something else!”
Jiang Yufeng’s finger, hovering over the end call button, paused.
Gu Xingze knew Jiang Yufeng’s temperament well and understood that if he didn’t get straight to the point, the call would be ended immediately.
He spoke quickly, “Dean Chen will also be coming tonight. You sent him a resignation letter without a word, and Dean Chen has been furious about it for days. He must have rejected your resignation letter, right?
Whether you’re leaving or staying, you can take the opportunity tonight to talk it over with Dean Chen.”
Jiang Yufeng lowered his gaze, seemingly pondering for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll come over later.”
Ye Ximeng was sitting right beside Jiang Yufeng.
He hadn’t avoided her while taking the video call, so she had heard almost the entire conversation.
After hanging up, Jiang Yufeng turned to look in Ye Ximeng’s direction.
Ye Ximeng hadn’t had time to avert her gaze, and their eyes met unexpectedly.
Jiang Yufeng’s expression remained cool and detached, but not sharp.
Ye Ximeng, caught peeking, showed no guilt. Instead, she smiled at him calmly.
“That was my colleague, also a fellow Buddhist,” Jiang Yufeng said.
Ye Ximeng nodded. Although the term “fellow Buddhist” was somewhat unfamiliar to her, it was easy to understand from the context.
“If they invited you to a gathering, you can go. There’s no need to explain anything to me.
As we agreed in the contract, we won’t interfere with each other’s lives or beliefs.”
“Mm, I’ll head over later.” Jiang Yufeng’s gaze swept around the bridal suite before he continued, “I usually won’t be staying in this bridal suite.
You can rest assured about the security at Qian Shui Wan. If you need it, I can hire some bodyguards and housekeepers to come over.”
Ye Ximeng shook her head and said, “No need. I prefer peace and quiet. Living alone is just fine.”
Jiang Yufeng left.
Finally, a genuine smile appeared at the corner of Ye Ximeng’s lips.
The process of marrying Jiang Yufeng in this lifetime was far smoother than the wedding in her previous life.
At the wedding, the conduct of the Jiang family elders was far superior to that of the Lu family.
Among them, the one who surprised and delighted her the most was Jiang Yufeng.
In her previous life, most of her impressions of Jiang Yufeng came from Ye Xiaorou’s complaints.
They were all remarks like “he’s incompetent,” “he’s weird and stubborn,” or “he doesn’t understand others and can’t communicate.”
She had also heard from others that Jiang Yufeng was aloof and difficult to befriend.
But now, after truly interacting and communicating with him, she realized that Jiang Yufeng was actually this kind of pure, sincere, and untainted aloofness.
At least she felt that such a clear and transparent man was hard not to be moved by.
Yes, moved.
Perhaps because she had seen too much filth in her previous life.
Now, she particularly liked clean and pure things. The moment she saw Jiang Yufeng’s eyes, which were as innocent and untainted as a child’s, she was captivated.
She wanted this man.
A three-year agreement period, a divorce agreement that would take effect after three years.
What did it matter? Who knew if she would still like him three years later?
Her previous life was so bitter—how could she not seize the joy in this one?
Grasping this current feeling of being moved, having a carefree, relaxing, and responsibility-free romance over these three years seemed… not bad at all.