Chapter 256: The Last Concubine

Chapter 256: The Last Concubine

Du Ruo trudged back, utterly dispirited.

She bumped into Cheng Yunshuo, who was rushing back.

Having heard that Bi Nai had come to the Marquis's Mansion, Cheng Yunshuo had hurried back.

They crossed paths in the hallway, where Du Ruo's hollow and complex eyes locked onto Cheng Yunshuo.

She couldn’t describe her feelings at that moment. Lu Lingyun’s words had just delivered a stinging slap, forcing her to face the harsh reality.

But when she saw Cheng Yunshuo again, that gut-wrenching pain was still overwhelming.

She couldn’t quell the burning resentment gnawing at her insides. It tore her apart, and she longed to pounce on Cheng Yunshuo, tear into him, and rip out his heart to understand the man he truly was!

She loved him so much—how could he betray her like this? Did Cheng Yunshuo have no heart at all?

Cheng Yunshuo met Du Ruo’s hollow and complicated eyes. He blinked, then silently walked past her.

He headed straight for Lu Lingyun’s courtyard.

Their shoulders brushed, and Du Ruo erupted into sobs.

The cry was so heart-breaking that anyone who heard it could feel her nearly desperate pain.

“A’Ruo,” Cheng Yunshuo finally relented, stopping and frowning at her. “What are you crying about now?”

Crying... why?

Du Ruo couldn’t stop crying.

Cheng Yunshuo reached out to comfort her, and Du Ruo, as if grabbing a lifeline, held onto him tightly. “Master, Master.”

“I’m here.” Cheng Yunshuo gently held her in his arms, comforting her.

In this fleeting warmth, Du Ruo felt a spark of hope. Like before, she sniffled, “I don’t want that woman coming into the mansion. Please don’t let her in, okay?”

The hand holding her stilled, and a voice spoke above her head.

“A’Ruo, why are you still so immature?”

Cheng Yunshuo pushed her away, his expression icy.

At that moment, Du Ruo finally faced the truth.

The truth that Cheng Yunshuo never loved her.

Love wasn’t supposed to be like this. She had seen how he treated Xing Dairong, getting frustrated with her unreasonable demands but ultimately giving in. He would even be tormented because of Xing Dairong’s pressure.

But he had never been like that with her.

When Cheng Yunshuo was in a good mood, he gave her whatever she wanted, but once she touched a bottom line, he immediately turned cold and ruthless.

He didn’t care about the embroidered sachets or socks she made for him, nor the grievances over the snuff bottle, much less her tears and pain.

He never truly loved her; it was just a form of indulgence.

But... she loved him with all her heart!

"Cheng Yunshuo! Among all the women in the Marquis's Mansion, I am the only one who truly loves you! Lu Lingyun doesn't love you, Qiu Ling doesn't love you, Ling Long doesn't love you, and even Bi Shuo, whom you've been protecting, doesn't love you!" Du Ruo glared at him with red eyes. "How can you keep hurting me for those women who don’t even love you!"

She shouted fiercely, like a knife stabbing into Cheng Yunshuo’s heart.

She was starved for love and craved it desperately. In her eyes, he would surely regret betraying someone who loved him so deeply. If she couldn't be happy, then he would never have peace in his life!

However, what Du Ruo couldn’t understand was that after hearing her heartfelt words, Cheng Yunshuo's face showed no ripple of emotion.

"Is that all?" Cheng Yunshuo looked at her coldly.

He was utterly indifferent to Du Ruo's so-called knife.

A man who had been pampered since childhood simply didn’t care if others loved him. He only cared about the person he loved.

The person he loved was his everything, his whole world.

He wasn’t the kind of man who would be moved by a woman's love for him and love her back equally or even more.

To him, Du Ruo’s deep love was utterly meaningless.

He didn’t care at all.

He only pursued his own love, deeply passionate yet ruthlessly heartless.

Cheng Yunshuo’s cold indifference was the final arrow that shattered the defenses Du Ruo had built around herself.

In that moment, she felt like a drowning person, overwhelmed by a sea of bitterness.

All her deep feelings were worthless in his eyes.

She stared at him for a long time, then laughed.

She laughed through her tears.

In that moment, what came to her mind were Lu Lingyun's words.

She didn’t have the courage to face reality.

Yes, she had sensed it long ago, but because facing reality was too painful, she avoided it, always rebelling against it. But now, whether she wanted to or not, she had to face it.

The bloody and undeniable truth.

She saw through Cheng Yunshuo completely.

She covered her face and fled from the mansion.

As she left, Cheng Yunshuo simply ordered, "Send someone to follow her and make sure she doesn’t get into trouble."

"Yes!"

Cheng Yunshuo went directly to Lu Lingyun's place.

Now that the situation had unfolded, it was time to address it.

He planned to bring Bi Shuo into the household as a concubine.

Lu Lingyun saw Cheng Yunshuo return almost immediately, and upon hearing his request, she fell silent, simply gazing at him.

She was testing the significance of Bi Shuo to Cheng Yunshuo.

Cheng Yunshuo met Lu Lingyun's eyes, pondered for a moment, and then assured her, "Lingyun, I will only take Bi Shuo as the last concubine in my life, and I will never take anyone else into the household again."

After these words, Lu Lingyun fully understood the weight of Bi Shuo in his heart.

He truly regarded Bi Shuo as a substitute for Xing Dairong.

She took a sip of tea and said, "Since you've made your request, I'll go along with it."

Hearing Lu Lingyun's consent, Cheng Yunshuo looked at her with only gratitude.

Extremely grateful.

Throughout this, Lu Lingyun never gave him any trouble or deliberately made things difficult.

He respected Lu Lingyun immensely and assured her, "Lingyun, rest assured, no one will ever overshadow you."

Lu Lingyun smiled faintly upon hearing this.

Lu Lingyun detailed the plans for bringing Bi Shuo into the household. Given that Bi Shuo was a kept woman and there had recently been some gossip, it was impossible for her to enter openly. Lu Lingyun told her to wait outside for a while, until things settled down and the rumors died down, after which she could discreetly enter through a side gate.

Cheng Yunshuo agreed and promised not to visit Bi Shuo during this period.

He had no intention of arguing further; once Bi Shuo entered the household, he would leave her discipline entirely up to Lu Lingyun and stay out of it.

In his heart, no one could surpass Lu Lingyun.

About a week had gone by.

Du Ruo returned to her aunt's house and stayed there, not going out again.

Her aunt's health was getting worse every day.

Since that day when she fully understood Cheng Yunshuo’s true character, she had become subdued.

No more lively or frivolous.

After returning to her aunt's house, she stayed by her aunt's bedside day and night, serving her, having matured all at once.

Her aunt was heartbroken seeing her like this.

"A'Ruo, what happened to you?"