Chapter 21 [VIP] The Jianghu Saga (Part 2)

Chapter 21 [VIP] The Jianghu Saga (Part 2)

Nanyan sorted out the plot, lying on her bed lazily playing with a round fan in her hands.

It was precisely the time for Xie Yu to break off the engagement at Mingyue Villa, signifying that he had fallen for the female lead, Su Mo.

No wonder the original owner of the body was crying so bitterly, her eyes red from sorrow. Truly pitiable.

As for Xie Yu, just yesterday he was severely whipped by his father, bruised and battered, and now he was being treated for his injuries in a separate courtyard of Mingyue Villa.

Calling off the engagement was out of the question. Xie’s father considered his son's actions a momentary lapse of judgment, punishing him before going to his old friend to apologize and make amends.

The elders of both families dismissed the incident as youthful exuberance and a temporary falling out. After all, the two had been close since childhood, so the matter was quickly brushed under the carpet.

As for the targets of this mission, one is the fickle childhood friend Xie Yu, and the other is the elusive and eminent healer Xiao Guanxue.

Neither of them are particularly commendable, and the original character's demise is inextricably linked to both.

In the story, after learning of Xie Yu's change of heart, Gu Nanyan became clingy and tearful, sticking to him like glue. She followed him everywhere, never leaving his side, preventing him from interacting with other women, and frequently badmouthed the woman he was interested in...

These actions only intensified Xie Yu's dissatisfaction. When did his gentle and considerate childhood friend change like this?

She became increasingly irritable, jealous, petty, narrow-minded, and mean-spirited, always assuming the worst in others and using harsh words to slander his beloved.

How could Xie Yu tolerate this?

Even if he was at fault, it was his issue alone. He was the one who wronged her, and she should have directed her grievances at him alone.

What did all this have to do with Su Mo?

How could he not be angry when his beloved was being maligned?

Under these circumstances, Gu Nanyan exhausted the last bit of guilt and pity her childhood friend had for her, eventually being ruthlessly abandoned.

……

Nanyan reflected on her approach, realizing she still needed to cling but perhaps change her tactics.

She first sat in front of a mirror to redo her makeup. The swelling around her previously red eyes had subsided, leaving them slightly moist and reddened at the corners, which she gently touched up with makeup.

The girl in the mirror was strikingly beautiful, elegant without losing softness. Her rosy lips, fair skin, and the stark contrast highlighted her ethereal and extraordinary demeanor.

After making all the necessary preparations, she took the medicinal herbs and went to the separate courtyard where Xie Yu was staying. At that moment, Xie Yu was lying on the bed, immobile and in pain, most notably lacking even a single servant to attend to him.

It seemed his father was truly angry this time, punishing him severely and not even allowing anyone to bring him medicine. Furthermore, he was confined there, not permitted to leave until he apologized to Nan Yan and promised not to call off the engagement.

This left Xie Yu feeling extremely restless. He was worried about Su Mo; would she be angry if he couldn't leave for a long time? But what worried him more was how to handle the matter of calling off the engagement.

He already had someone he liked; how could he possibly marry another woman?

As he was furrowing his brows, pondering how to escape this situation, he suddenly heard someone pushing the door open.

The person who entered was Gu Nanyan, coming alone, holding some gauze and medicinal herbs in her hands.

When Xie Yu looked up and saw her, he felt a bit embarrassed. After all, he hadn't even greeted her and had unceremoniously sought to break off the engagement, a move that was quite face-losing.

Moreover, there wasn't a complete absence of affection between them. In his memory, the little girl before him was a very gentle and compliant young woman. Even if they couldn't be husband and wife, he genuinely cared for her as a sister.

Xie Yu observed Nan Yan's face; she appeared to have just cried, with the corners of her eyes still showing traces of redness. Her complexion was somewhat pale, looking quietly gentle, but there were no signs of anger.

"I've come to apply medicine for you."

Nan Yan took the medicine and sat down beside the bed.

This attitude surprised Xie Yu; he had thought Nan Yan would come to cry or accuse him, especially since he had indeed wronged her, and his words had been quite harsh.

Seeing Xie Yu's posture on the bed, Nan Yan realized he must have been whipped on the back. He was wearing only a thin shirt, which would need to be lifted to apply the medicine.

This made Xie Yu even more uncomfortable, especially under these circumstances of being alone in the room with a woman. It had been fine before, but now that he had someone he loved, he was even more wary and instinctively wanted to maintain a distance.

He frowned and turned his face away, saying, "No need, just give the medicine to a servant. It's improper for men and women to have such contact."

Nan Yan paused for a moment, her face showing a brief flicker of disappointment, but this expression lasted only briefly.

She glanced at him, her tone not overly angry, "Now you speak of such proprieties. What about when you stole a kiss from me back then? Didn't you think about the impropriety of men and women touching?"

Hearing this, Xie Yu also remembered, and his face flushed red. But that was such a long time ago, and wasn't he ignorant about these matters back then?

"Don’t talk nonsense, that was ages ago, and we were both just kids. You were crying nonstop, and I just..."

Just what? He was embarrassed to say it out loud. It was indeed a long time ago. She was only twelve and he was fifteen. On the Lantern Festival, he had sneaked her out to play, and almost lost her. Terrified, she hid in the bushes crying. When he found her, exhausted and panting, she couldn’t stop crying. He had kissed her just to make her stop, gently patting her back. As he kept kissing, her cries eventually ceased.

Then, the little girl looked up at him with her red eyes, dazedly licking her lips, asking why he kissed her?

Back then, he was naive too, blushing and saying that they were betrothed since childhood, he kissed her because he liked her, and only he could kiss her, no other boy.

Clearly, the little girl took his words to heart, regarding him as her future husband ever since.

But now things were different; he already had someone he loved.

Seeing his distracted look, Nan Yan couldn’t resist adding, "And what about you peeping at me bathing? Was that also just childish ignorance?"

This remark successfully snapped his thoughts back to the present.

Xie Yu’s ears turned red, "Nonsense! Peeping? That was clearly you insisting on bathing outdoors, getting scared by a snake and throwing yourself at me. I told you not to go there, but you didn’t listen, and then blamed me for taking advantage of you..."

"You even slapped me afterward. How is that fair?"

Xie Yu glared at her irritably.

Thinking about it still made him angry. How was that his fault?

He had painstakingly guarded the entrance, not letting even a rabbit through. She got scared by a snake while bathing in the river, crying so loudly that he thought something terrible had happened, only to get slapped as soon as he rushed in...

Fortunately, he was magnanimous and didn’t hold a grudge against this young woman.

Xie Yu snorted coldly, deciding it was best to leave these old stories in the past.

The atmosphere between them unexpectedly eased up, the initial awkwardness dissipating. Nan Xuan then reached out to pull away his quilt, revealing the blood-stained undershirt and the bruised back beneath.

Xie Yu was startled, instinctively grabbing her hand, "What are you doing?"

"Applying the medicine, of course..."

Upon seeing the extensive whip marks and swelling on his back, Nan Yan's tears fell instantly.

Her eyes were filled with pity, not crying aloud, just silently shedding tears, like a pear blossom in the rain, evoking deep compassion.

"How... did it get so serious?"

"Does it hurt a lot? Why did your father go so far this time?"

Her crying left Xie Yu unsure of what to do. She cried endlessly, tears falling like beads off a string. He had always been unable to bear her crying, so he let go of her hand, clumsily raising his sleeve to wipe her tears.

"Alright, alright, it's just a minor injury. It looks worse than it feels... Don't cry, why don't you apply the medicine? It won't hurt once you do. You came to treat me, right? Why are you crying now?"

His words seemed to bring her back to her senses. Nan Yan then stopped crying and carefully sprinkled the medicine powder on his wounds, meticulously wrapping them up.

Her technique was quite skilled, which again rendered Xie Yu silent.

In the past, he often returned from the training ground bruised and beaten by his senior brothers, and she was always the one to dress his wounds. Over time, she had become increasingly adept at it.

Xie Yu felt a sense of guilt towards her. He had once thought of marrying her; after all, they were childhood sweethearts with strong feelings for each other, and it would have been a natural decision.

But life is full of surprises, and meeting Su Mo was one such unexpected turn – perhaps even destiny.

It was destined that he would fall for Su Mo.

He had always thought he preferred gentle and caring women, not realizing it was only because he hadn’t met the one he truly loved. Su Mo wasn't gentle or considerate, and sometimes even quite unreasonable, but he just liked her.

He was struggling with how to broach this subject with her...

Nan Yan carefully wrapped his wounds with gentle movements, her focused demeanor creating a hushed atmosphere around them.

Just as Xie Yu was hesitating and about to speak, he suddenly heard her soft voice.

"Do you really want to call off our engagement?"

Xie Yu remained silent, not uttering a word.

Nan Yan pursed her lips, her voice slightly hoarse, "Can you tell me... what is her name?"

Xie Yu was taken aback, looking up at her.

Nan Yan had stopped her actions, holding the bottle, her gaze fixed quietly on him.

It was then that Xie Yu realized she already knew the reasons behind the broken engagement. Pressing his lips together, he turned his face away and replied, "Her name is Su Mo."

"Is it because I'm not good enough? Or does she look prettier than me?"

"No, it's not for that reason, it's not about appearance," Xie Yu slightly furrowed his brows, explaining, "Both of you are wonderful. It's me who's at fault. It's a feeling... do you understand? She's different from you."

"She doesn't like reading or writing, nor does she like embroidery. She's neither gentle nor considerate, always wielding swords and spears, and when she gets angry, she could chase me down three streets with a broken sword."

"She's often fierce, but sometimes childish, even acts unreasonably. I've never seen a woman like her. Initially, I didn’t like her, but after spending time together, I realized she really is..."

As he was about to continue, he suddenly noticed that the girl opposite him had been silent for a while. Looking up, he saw her eyes reddening again and knew it was time to stop talking.

Well, he didn't mean to do it on purpose.

It's just that when he talks about her, he seems unable to stop, as if he has endless things to say.

"Do you really... like her that much?"

The voice of the young woman before him was soft and tremulous.

Xie Yu turned his face away, silent for a long while, but his eyes were very firm, "Yes, I like her."

"What about me?" Nan Yan’s gaze shifted towards him, her voice even softer than before, faintly trembling, "What about all these years of our relationship?"

Mentioning this issue, Xie Yu felt inexplicably uncomfortable, even somewhat annoyed inside, "I made it clear the day we broke off the engagement. I've always seen you as a sister, and no matter how many times you ask, my answer will be the same."

"You might not understand, but real affection is definitely not like our bland and uninteresting interactions. Perhaps when you truly like someone, you'll understand how I feel now."

Having said this, he felt a bit irritated. Why do they always ask the same questions he's already answered time and again?

Why does a childhood friendship have to turn into love? Isn't cherishing her like a sister just as good?

He was about to say more but paused, noticing her fingers gripping the bottle had turned white. The rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

He owed her an apology; he was willing to make it up to her, even if it meant being indebted to her for a lifetime.

But marrying her was truly impossible. From the moment he met Su Mo, it was destined that there could be nothing more between them.

Nan Yan, observing the change in his expression, gradually calmed down, "In that case, let's call off our engagement."

Call off the engagement?

Xie Yu was taken aback, not expecting her to agree so easily. But then he wondered, did she have any other demands?

Nan Yan, seeing his thoughts, lifted her head. She was smiling at him, but a tear uncontrollably traced down her cheek.

"I've liked Brother A-Yu since I can remember. Even though you're not always the best-tempered, you were always the most patient with me. You'd carry me to the fields to see wildflowers, make little grasshoppers for me, and sneakily hide candied haws for me... I remember all these things, very clearly. I really like you..."

She rambled on, her memories swirling as if she was lost in them, speaking whatever came to mind.

Xie Yu listened quietly, his head bowed, his expression solemn.

There were indeed many beautiful memories between them, but it wasn't love. Those feelings were completely different from what he experienced after meeting Su Mo.

Nan Yan's eyes, smiling, misted slightly, "You say I don't understand, but I do. I understand that feeling, so I can't bear to see you unhappy. I want you to be happy, even if... it's not with me."

Towards the end, she smiled again, a smile as gentle and pure as in his memories, her eyelashes still wet with tears, "Let's call off our engagement, Brother A-Yu. I don’t want to make you unhappy..."

Xie Yu opened his mouth, suddenly feeling incredibly unfair. He would have preferred her to be accusatory, even hateful or resentful, but she was so gentle, obedient, and pitiable.

His lips moved slightly, his throat feeling dry, "Are you really willing to call off our engagement?"

"Yes..." Nan Yan slightly turned her face away, her lashes lowered, not wanting him to see her face, "But you know, Father Xie is still angry. If we talk about breaking off the engagement now, they certainly won't agree. So, can we wait until their mood stabilizes before discussing our situation?"

"I understand."

"But you don’t need to say it. I’ll take responsibility for it when the time comes."

He wasn’t cowardly enough to let a woman bear the consequences of calling off the engagement.

Xie Yu well knew his father's temperament—conservative, stubborn, valuing loyalty and appearances. Unilaterally breaking off the engagement was already a loss of face for his father. If he let her, a vulnerable woman, take on this burden, his father would not only disagree but become even angrier.