Recently, Lady Liang Jiu from the General’s Residence often visited the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion to see the Eldest Young Madam.
Every time she came, she would always run into him, and they would exchange a few words.
At first, Qing Jian didn’t think much of it, but Danruo and Qing He would often tease him about it, saying that Lady Liang Jiu had taken a liking to him.
Qing Jian remained indifferent. “Oh, is that so?”
On this particular day, Liang Qingluo came again, so Qing Jian simply slipped out of the courtyard and found a rooftop to bask in the sun.
The gentle spring sunlight of March streamed through the thin clouds, flowing down tenderly and warming one’s body to the core.
Just as he was enjoying himself, he heard Danruo’s voice below. “Qing Jian, Qing Jian, the Eldest Young Madam is looking for you…”
Qing Jian got up and leapt down. “Why is the Eldest Young Madam looking for me?”
Danruo whispered, “I don’t know, she just said for you to come over.”
“Has Lady Liang left?”
“Not yet.”
Qing Jian’s brows furrowed slightly, but he still followed Danruo back to Junzhi Courtyard.
As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Liang Qingluo sitting close to Shen Youran, talking. When she saw him enter, her eyes lifted and fell, and the corners of her lips drew a shy smile.
Not a good sign.
Shen Youran got up and called him aside first. “Qingluo Meimei’s feelings for you, I’m sure you’ve noticed as well. It’s not good to let things remain vague. It’s better to clarify things early—whether it works out or not, we can’t keep delaying her…”
Shen Youran only realized that Liang Qingluo liked Qing Jian after being reminded by Danruo and Qing He.
No wonder Qingluo always came running to her over every little thing; so it was just like the saying, ‘the one who feigns drunkenness cares not for the wine’.
Now recalling, Shen Youran thought of something. When Pei Huai’an entered the Imperial Academy, Old Madam hosted a flower-viewing banquet, intending to choose a wife for him. Back then, she’d heard that Pei Huai’an liked lively and charming girls, and Liang Qingluo’s temperament fit perfectly. Shen Youran had wanted to play matchmaker for them.
But on the way to introduce Liang Qingluo to Pei Huai’an, Qingluo disappeared halfway. Shen Youran hadn’t noticed at the time, and since Meng Wanxin had also caused a commotion by falling into the water, Shen Youran ended up falling in too. Later, Qingluo came to apologize, saying she’d gone to find Qing Jian and hadn’t kept up.
At the time, Shen Youran hadn’t thought Qingluo liked Qing Jian. Thinking back now, she found herself really slow—how could she have missed something so obvious?
Now that she knew the girl’s feelings, it was best to help them break through this layer of ambiguity soon. After all, the difference in their statuses was large. If they did have feelings for each other, she and Pei Huaijin needed to plan ahead. If Qing Jian didn’t feel the same, then they shouldn’t let Liang Qingluo waste her time on him.
Shen Youran left the hall to the two of them and went to the study to continue the account books she hadn’t finished yesterday.
In the hall, Liang Qingluo’s face was flushed as she shyly confessed her feelings to Qing Jian. “Qing Jian-gege, you probably knew already. I like you…”
Qing Jian, who had expected this, remained unmoved and rejected her expressionlessly. “Sorry, Lady Jiu, I can’t accept your feelings.”
Liang Qingluo had always hesitated to confess, knowing he would refuse. “I know, you must be refusing me because of our different statuses, right? I don’t care about that…”
“It’s not that.”
“Ah?”
“It’s not because of our difference in status,” Qing Jian’s voice was calm and cold, “It’s because I don’t like you.”
If it were any other girl, hearing such words would have been unbearable, but Liang Qingluo was from a military family, with an unyielding spirit. Even though he had plainly refused her, she stubbornly asked, “Then do you dislike me?”
“I do.”
This time Liang Qingluo was truly stunned: She had thought for sure he would say he didn’t dislike her—if he didn’t dislike her, she might still have a chance. She hadn’t expected him to show her not even a shred of mercy.
“You dislike me?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you dislike me?”
Qing Jian remained silent.
Liang Qingluo didn’t believe it. Since she was young, everyone praised her for being lively and lovable. She had never heard anyone say they disliked her.
“If you can’t say why you dislike me, then I’ll take it as you’re lying. You don’t really dislike me; you’re just saying that to refuse me.”
Qing Jian didn’t really dislike her—he just thought that since he had to refuse, he might as well make it thorough. Either way, it was impossible for him to like this Lady Jiu.
Seeing he couldn’t give a reason, Liang Qingluo became even more convinced he was lying.
“Why would you say that? If you don’t like me, just say so—why must you say you dislike me? Do you know how much that hurts?”
“I said I didn’t like you, but you insisted on continuing.”
Liang Qingluo stared at his cold, distant handsome face, choking back tears as she shouted at him, “Then I hate you too!”
With that, she picked up her skirt and ran out.
Danruo in the courtyard saw this and hurried to stop Liang Qingluo.
At this moment, Liang Qingluo only felt utterly embarrassed and didn’t want to see Shen Youran, nor did she want the maidservants to see her off. She ran out by herself.
Shen Youran, upon hearing that Lady Liang Jiu had run out crying, guessed she must have been rejected by Qing Jian.
When Shen Youran ran out to look for her, Liang Qingluo was already nowhere to be found.
Only then did she realize that Qing Jian’s words had been ruthless and had driven the girl to tears.
She blamed herself for not considering it thoroughly. Recently, she’d actually forgotten just how sharp-tongued Qing Jian was when they first met.
After running out of Junzhi Courtyard, Liang Qingluo could no longer hold back her tears.
Being rejected by someone she liked was bad enough, but to think that the person she liked actually disliked her—then what were all her hints over the past days? Was it all just harassment?
How could she bear it?
She cried as she walked, fat tears streaming down her face no matter how hard she wiped them away. Her face was covered in tears, and when she wiped it with her hand, it picked up rouge and blackened eyebrow powder…
She had dressed up meticulously today—she had come looking exquisite, but now she was as disheveled as could be.
Just as she was crying so hard she couldn’t see, a clear, gentle voice suddenly called out, “Miss Liang…”
She lifted her face, her tear-filled eyes looking over as she sobbed, “Seventh Young Master Pei…”
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying,” she didn’t want to lose face in front of others, so she lowered her head, rubbing her eyes, “There’s just something in my eye.”
Unexpectedly, she was spot on—there really was something in her eye now; it hurt and itched.
Pei Huai’an watched her rub her face into a mess and kindly invited her to his courtyard. “Come inside and wipe your face.”
Liang Qingluo also realized her face was a mess from crying. If she walked down the street like this, she would draw stares for sure, so she didn’t refuse his kindness. “Thank you.”
Pei Huai’an had been on his way to Chunxuan Hall and hadn’t expected to encounter her weeping like this just as he left the courtyard.
His Gengyun Courtyard was near Junzhi Courtyard, and he knew she often visited Shen Youran lately, but he didn’t know why she was crying today.
Could something have happened between her and Shen Youran?
He invited her in to wipe her face, partly out of curiosity.
Pei Huai’an had someone bring warm water for her. Liang Qingluo washed her face, but still couldn’t stop crying, so she pretended her eyes were irritated. “I can’t get whatever’s in my eye out. Can I cry here for a bit? Maybe the tears will flush it out…”
Pei Huai’an saw through her excuse and sent the maidservant out to the courtyard. Seeing that her handkerchief was already soaked, he handed her his own. “Then cry as much as you want.”
Liang Qingluo finally had a reason to let herself go. She clutched his handkerchief and cried loudly, sobbing and wailing.
Big, round tears rolled down her face like a string of pearls breaking.
Pei Huai’an sat quietly by her side, keeping her company. She was the second girl to cry so openly in front of him.
The first was Shen Youran, but back then she was still young—only four years old, bawling with her mouth wide open. At the time, he was the same age, and seeing her cry, he cried along with her. Both had just lost their loved ones—one cried for her father, the other for her mother.
Most memories from childhood were blurry, but this one he remembered clearly.
Thinking of those days, Pei Huai’an couldn’t help but chuckle. The sudden laugh interrupted the girl who was crying her heart out.
Liang Qingluo glared at him through her tears, hardly able to believe it.
“Sorry,” Pei Huai’an quickly said, “I wasn’t laughing at you.”
If he wasn’t laughing at her, who else could it be?
Liang Qingluo wiped away her tears and stopped crying by force, tossing the handkerchief back at him. “Here, I won’t cry here anymore.”
“Wait, Miss Liang,” Pei Huai’an apologized sincerely, “I really wasn’t laughing at you, I just thought of another girl who used to cry a lot…”
“Who?”
“Youran, my current sister-in-law.”
“Did Sister Youran cry a lot before?”
“Yes, her eyes were ruined from crying so much.”
“Then why are you teasing her about it?”
“I’m not teasing her. Back then, I cried along with her.”
“Why did you cry too?”
“It’s a long story. Sit down, I’ll tell you slowly…”
Liang Qingluo was drawn in by his words. Instead of staying angry, she sat down, curious to hear stories about him and Shen Youran’s childhood.
Pei Huai’an had tea served and chatted with her for quite a while. Once she had let her guard down, he gently asked, “Did you have a fight with Youran? Why were you so upset?”
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