Chapter 752: This Is My Fiancé to Whom I Am Betrothed

Chapter 752: This is my Betrothed

The middle-aged man surnamed Jin handed back the travel papers.

Yu Yonggui took them and put them away, while Pang Jinkang blurted out, “Brother Feng, who is this…?”

He gazed hungrily at Xingxing and the man beside her.

For some reason, just seeing the two of them standing together made him feel visibly agitated.

Yu Yonggui coldly sneered, “Who he is has nothing to do with you, Pang.”

Pang Jinkang grew anxious. “Brother Feng…”

Yu Yonggui raised a hand. “No, Pang, don’t call me that. I wouldn’t dare let you get the wrong idea again—as if I, Feng, were the kind of spineless worm who would send his own betrothed sister to be someone else’s concubine!”

Pang Jinkang’s face flushed red. He stammered helplessly.

Wei Shiyan was hearing this for the first time, and his expression instantly turned cold.

Jin suddenly glanced over, but seeing nothing unusual, puzzled, he rubbed his temples.

Just now, he had clearly sensed a piercing murderous intent…

Had he been too tense these past few days, imagining things?

Jin shook his head.

“Brother Feng… don’t be angry. I—I just wanted Miss Feng to have a better life,” Pang Jinkang muttered, his face still red. “After all, Miss Feng is… *just* a merchant’s daughter. But don’t worry, Brother Feng, if she marries me as a concubine, I’ll treat her with the same honors as a wife. I’d never let her suffer…”

Yu Yonggui’s face contorted with rage!

His hand twitched—he wanted nothing more than to draw the flexible blade at his waist and slice this scum in half right then and there!

But his reason held him back—if he acted here, they’d all be dead men.

Xingxing suddenly stepped forward, pressing Yu Yonggui’s hand down. Then, with a coy smile, she turned to Wei Shiyan and spoke softly, “Pang, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is my betrothed.”

Pang Jinkang was stunned!

In fact, not just Pang Jinkang—even Yu Yonggui was stunned!

Only Wei Shiyan, after a slight tremble in his hand, remained calm and composed as he nodded curtly.

Xingxing looked at Pang Jinkang. “My fiancé and I are deeply in love. So please, don’t *ever* say that again.”

Pang Jinkang was crushed, his face ashen.

Perhaps even the heavens sensed his sorrow, for the wind suddenly picked up, and the sky darkened.

Rain poured abruptly.

Still far from the main city, Xingxing and her companions had no choice but to hole up at a roadside post station.

Wei Shiyan shielded Xingxing with an umbrella as the two stepped down from the carriage together.

Yu Yonggui: “…”

*Sigh.* Fine. He snatched his own umbrella and followed them out.

...

Pang Jinkang stood in the rain, staring blankly ahead as Jin Jian held an umbrella for him, inwardly clicking his tongue in silent disdain at the Young Master's lovesick behavior.

"Young Master, stop looking," Jin Jian said. "They've already gone inside. Let's go in too."

Pang Jinkang, like a lost soul, allowed Jin Jian to push him forward as he followed step by step into the inn.

Xingxing and her group had clearly gone upstairs already. The main hall of the inn was filled with people taking shelter from the rain. Pang Jinkang scanned the room but found no trace of Xingxing; his face fell with despair.

Jin Jian just curled his lip in disdain again.

Yet, both the prefect and the Magistrate's Wife had specifically instructed him to take good care of this precious young master.

After coaxing the spoiled young master into his room and seeing him still looking like a walking corpse, Jin Jian clicked his tongue and offered a suggestion: "Young Master, if you really like that Miss Feng, here's an idea. Later, just arrange for her family to encounter bandits—let that sickly intended of hers be killed by the outlaws."

Pang Jinkang was startled back to his senses and immediately refused in a panic, "No, no, no, no! That won’t do, absolutely not... Miss Feng would be devastated."

Jin Jian grew even more impatient. "Then what do you want, Young Master? Even if you pine away to death here, that Miss Feng is still going to marry someone else."

Pang Jinkang's eyes reddened.

Jin Jian took a deep breath.

Having once served in the military, he had no patience for such maudlin nonsense.

"Alright, Uncle Jin, I know you mean well," Pang Jinkang murmured dejectedly. "Please leave me alone for now. I need some time to myself."

Jin Jian gave Pang Jinkang a curt bow and left.

Alone in the room, Pang Jinkang recalled how he had never seen Miss Feng and her fiancé together before. He had deluded himself into thinking that taking her as a concubine was for her own good—better to be the concubine of a noble than the wife of a merchant.

But now, having seen the two just standing there together—even without speaking or exchanging glances—their mere presence together made it seem as though they were destined to be.

This realization shattered Pang Jinkang.

He was in agony.

That very night, he came down with a raging fever.

The servant attending to Pang Jinkang was terrified and rushed to fetch Jin Jian. Seeing the prefect's precious heir burning up, Jin Jian immediately summoned a physician in the middle of the night, and they were up all night with it.

The next day, Jin Jian continued leading his men to inspect the roads, dark circles under his eyes.

He could only scorn Pang Jinkang for pining over some girl.

Since they weren’t too far from Anjiang City, despite the rain, he sent a messenger on horseback to deliver a letter to the Magistrate's Wife, Luo Shi.

By the evening of the next day, the rain still hadn’t stopped, but Luo Shi had already hurried over with her entourage.

Pang Jinkang showed little reaction when he saw his mother arrive. "Mother, you're here."

Luo Shi was furious. She swatted his arm and said coldly, "Look at what you’ve done to yourself over a woman! Aren't you ashamed before your father and me?"

Pang Jinkang quickly defended himself, "No, Mother, my illness has nothing to do with Miss Feng..."

"Still taking her side!" Luo Shi snapped. "That Feng Yongyong really puts on airs! A mere merchant's daughter—you, the only son of the prefect, deigned to take her as a concubine! That was charity enough for her! Does she really think she’s so noble?"

Pang Jinkang flinched. "Mother, please don't speak of her so."

Luo Shi stood up in anger, "It's been raining these past few days. Is she still at this post station? I'll have someone bring her here immediately. I want to see for myself what she has to say for making my son so ill!"

Pang Jinkang tried to stop Luo Shi, but she cut him off sharply, "You stay right there and don't say a word!"

Unable to defy his mother, Pang Jinkang could only watch in frustration as she ordered the maid to "invite" Xingxing over.

The maid returned quickly—alone.

Pang Jinkang let out a small sigh of relief, though he also felt a twinge of sadness.

Luo Shi was furious, "Where is she?"

The maid knelt on the ground, trembling, "Miss Feng said... her fiancé is unwell, and she needs to take care of him. She fears she might carry the illness and doesn’t want to risk infecting you, Madam, so she won’t be coming to see you."