Chapter 238: Not Arguing with Fools

Chapter 238: No Use Arguing with Fools

"A Chao, must you speak to me like this?" Gu Huai lowered his eyelids, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath them.

Lu Mingchao massaged her forehead.

No, was Gu Huai out of his mind?

She was reasoning with him, and he was talking about feelings?

She truly felt the frustration of talking to a brick wall.

Lu Mingchao simply closed her eyes; ignorance is bliss.

Gu Huai instinctively reached for the teacup on the small table, but his hand trembled, accidentally knocking it over, spilling the tea all over his clothes.

He couldn't pinpoint why he felt so flustered.

Did he do something wrong?

Since childhood, his mother had told him that there was an inherent barrier between noble families and commoners, no different from the relationship between the butcher and the lamb.

Do the lives of the insignificant still matter?

The more he thought, the more flustered he grew.

In his fluster, he felt compelled to speak.

Gu Huai reached out and tugged at Lu Mingchao's sleeve.

"What do you want now!" Lu Mingchao, being pregnant, was overwhelmed by drowsiness.

Gu Huai: His A Chao was as stern as his mother's housekeeper.

"A Chao, if it pleases you, after I return to the capital, I'll have my servants discreetly deliver some funds to the villagers of Changxi Village."

"It won't harm them, truly."

"I know what I'm doing."

Lu Mingchao couldn't even be bothered to open her eyes.

No matter his words, Gu Huai would never concede his faults.

Even if a flicker of self-awareness sparked within him, he would habitually use his deep-seated beliefs to suppress it, repeatedly convincing himself of his innocence.

"Slap..."

Lu Mingchao brushed off Gu Huai's hand, turned her head to the other side, gently stroked her belly, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Soon, the sound of steady breathing filled the carriage.

Gu Huai looked up. In the lantern's glow, A Chao appeared to be lost in a pleasant dream, her brows curved, her lips slightly upturned, her cheeks, like polished jade, shone with a soft luminescence.

This was the A Chao he remembered.

Gu Huai's expression turned somewhat nostalgic.

Upon reflection, his relationship with A Chao had never been one-sided.

He was five years older than A Chao.

The first time he saw A Chao was at her one-month celebration.

A Chao had a fair complexion, with a tender, chubby face and big eyes that resembled autumn grapes or the precious gems on his father's antique shelf. She was quiet and never fussed.

When he poked A Chao's cheek, she would laugh and blow bubbles.

In truth, many details were hazy to him.

But his grandfather said he had been quite fond of A Chao as a child.

A Chao first saw the Lantern Festival lights when she was seven.

He was twelve.

The Yongning Marquis Madam was very strict with A Chao, who seldom had the chance to go out.

Before that, A Chao had never experienced the sight of thousands of trees blossoming on an east wind night or the bustling scene of stars falling like rain.

Seemingly tireless, she walked from one end of the long street to the other.

By solving riddles, she won two lanterns.

One was a koi lantern, and the other was a rabbit lantern.

A Chao gave him the koi lantern, which he hung in his bedroom.

How could he not feel close to A Chao, who was as soft and adorable as a dough ball?

When did it change?

Was it when the children of noble families teased him, calling A Chao his little bride since childhood?

Was it when he accidentally overheard the Yongning Marquis Madam telling A Chao to win his favor and keep him close?

Or was it when A Chao saved his grandfather, prompting the Yongning Marquis couple to demand a marriage contract in return?

Or was it when A Chao started to resemble the Yongning Marquis Madam more and more, with her cautious flattery laced with calculated interest?

Or perhaps...

There were too many moments of distance between him and A Chao.

If he really thought about it, he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment.

But he had never considered breaking off the engagement.

He had watched A Chao grow up, endured years of teasing from others, and knew that A Chao's only future was to marry him.

He always thought he would wait until A Chao was more dignified and virtuous before marrying her.

Who could have known that the scandal of the true and false heiresses would erupt?

At that time, he believed the Yongning Marquis household was wealthy enough to support her, and since A Chao loved him deeply, she would never leave.

The next news he heard of A Chao was that after she woke up from hitting the wall, she resolutely said goodbye to the Yongning Marquis Madam, leaving him without a single word.

Gu Huai looked at the plum blossom mark on Lu Mingchao's forehead, his eyes growing dark.

Was it because of the scar left after hitting the wall that you tattooed petals to cover it?

If he hadn't been too ashamed to act and chose to stand by, would the outcome have been different?

Gu Huai raised his hand, wanting to touch Lu Mingchao's forehead.

Lu Mingchao suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and cold, overflowing with intense vigilance.

"I suggest you, Gu, stick to being a gentleman and avoid sneaky moves."

Gu Huai awkwardly withdrew his hand, his regret deepening.

With a slight frown and a light laugh, he said, "With A Chao's intelligence, surely you know the purpose of me bringing you back to the capital?"

"A mistress?" Lu Mingchao, feeling drowsy, pinched the bridge of her nose and lazily replied.

"Or maybe a maid or a concubine?"

"You know, if the Lu Mingchao who once adored you were still here, how pitiful, laughable, and sorrowful she would feel hearing these words."

"Luckily, I've come to my senses."

The smile on Gu Huai's face stiffened. "A Chao, you are in my heart; titles are just superficial."

Lu Mingchao was nearly laughing at Gu Huai's shamelessness.

"If titles don't matter, why did your mom run off with your dad, make a big show of coming back to the capital, and snag his fiancée spot?"

"Your dad could've just set her up in a fancy house with no official title."

"After all, they were in love, and your dad's heart was hers."

"Lu Mingchao!" Gu Huai banged the table, glaring at her. "Have you been hanging out with lowlifes so much that you've forgotten how to respect your elders?"

Lu Mingchao thought: One sentence insulting two people, no wonder Gu Huai is seen as cultured.

Lu Mingchao pretended to be confused, frowning. "Isn't this what you think?"

Gu Huai coldly stated, "My mom's the real deal, from the Wu Xing Shen family, born to run a noble house."

"Yeah, yeah," Lu Mingchao said dismissively.

"What's your mom's status, and what's mine, that I should compare to her?"

"No comparison."

"In Gu's eyes, your mom was born to run a noble house. Me? I'm just lowly, should be thankful for any scraps of pity."

"So, Gu, are you happy now? Can you just shut up?"

Lu Mingchao rolled her eyes. "Enough talk, let's each do our own thing."

Gu Huai was pissed.

He was mad at Lu Mingchao for dissing his mom and mad at himself for losing his cool.

"A Chao, it's not like that..."

Lu Mingchao raised her hand. "Let's be clear, even if you came with a truckload of betrothal gifts to make me your main wife, I'd still say no."

"If you can shut up, then shut up; if you can't, then get off the carriage."

The original owner had been trying to win over Gu Huai's cold heart for so many years, and Gu Huai had always been sparing with his words. Now, he suddenly became talkative.

How absurd.

Gu Huai felt stifled and uncomfortable from being rebuffed, his breathing becoming rapid.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingchao had already covered her ears and closed her eyes.

No use arguing with an idiot.

Gu Huai: He was absolutely livid!

Lu Mingchao: I wonder how the fire in Changxi Village is progressing.

He was aware of everything.