Yu Huiyan's heart suddenly tightened.
Her eyes changed from full of expectation to aggrieved and shocked.
Liang Yuzhou picked up the sachet. A sneer flashed across his pitch - black eyes.
"Huiyan, do you want to marry me that badly?"
His tone was cold, without a hint of tenderness.
"Cousin, you know my feelings for you. I've been determined to marry you since I was ten. I'd even be willing to die just to stay by your side..."
"Smack!"
Her heartfelt plea was abruptly interrupted. Without any warning, Liang Yuzhou threw the sachet into her face.
The sachet wasn't heavy, but Liang Yuzhou threw it with great force. It hit the tip of her nose hard and bounced off.
It landed in a corner of the carriage, becoming a worthless item no one cared about.
Yu Huiyan felt as if her heart had been thrown out along with the sachet.
Cousin had never laid a hand on her before, but this time, he broke the rule.
Throwing her feelings in her face was more embarrassing than being slapped in public!
"Huiyan, just because I've protected you doesn't mean you can overstep your bounds. You seem to have lost sight of your own position. Wan Chu is my wife. You're not allowed to lay a finger on her now, and in the future, no matter which family's mistress you become, you still can't harm her!"
Yu Huiyan woke up as if from a dream and realized that Liang Yuzhou wasn't indifferent to what she had done to Song Wanchu.
He just left her a bit of face in front of the Princess Chang and the Princess Lingyang.
He was clear - cut about his likes and dislikes and would surely take revenge for any grudges.
The tip of Yu Huiyan's nose stung painfully, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She wanted to defend herself, but she knew exactly how excessive her words had been at Cuining Tower.
Liang Yuzhou's angry gaze was like an invisible hand, squeezing her throat. She didn't dare to speak, and even breathing became extremely difficult.
"Cousin, I..."
She barely managed to squeeze out a few words from her throat when Liang Yuzhou's cold and merciless voice interrupted her.
"Do you remember what I said?"
The overwhelming pressure bore down on her, more than she could bear.
Her tears flowed even more uncontrollably, and her body shook violently.
Her vision was already blurred by tears. This time, she didn't wait for Liang Yuzhou's silk handkerchief.
A tall, dark figure suddenly flashed in front of her eyes. The carriage curtain was lifted, and a gust of wind rushed into the carriage. Rain splashed on Yu Huiyan's face.
Liang Yuzhou left.
...
When the carriage reached the gate of the Qi family, the rain still showed no sign of stopping. Wen was extremely worried. She personally led the servants to greet them at the gate.
As soon as Song Wanchu got off the carriage, Wen pulled her under her umbrella.
Wen scolded her for not coming home earlier while instructing the maids to prepare hot water for a bath.
"Sweeping the tomb shouldn't take so long. Where did you go?"
"On my way back from visiting my father, I felt thirsty, so I went to Cuining Tower for an iced tea."
Song Wanchu didn't dare to tell Wen about meeting the Princess Chang and being humiliated and harassed by her.
If Wen knew, she would only worry more.
After taking a bath and changing into dry clothes, Wen brought her a cup of hot ginger tea and urged her to drink it to ward off the cold.
Song Wanchu didn't like the taste of ginger. She frowned and took a few sips perfunctorily, then put it aside, claiming it was too hot.
"Wanchu, in just twenty days, you'll get the concubine - release letter. Most of your shops have been sold. You should take back the things you left in the Duke's Mansion."
Most of her dowry was still stored in the warehouse of the Duke's Mansion.
Many of them were relics left by her mother, so she must get them back.
"Wanchu, if you don't want to go back, I'll go with your uncle to see the old lady. Once she gives the order, we can surely get your things back smoothly."
The betrothal gifts had been returned, so the marriage between the two families was null and void.
The Duke's Mansion hadn't said anything, which seemed to be a silent acknowledgment.
Right now, they were happily preparing to welcome the new bride. Who would care about Wanchu?
Thinking of this, Wen's eyes welled up with tears. But it was a happy thing that Wanchu had finally turned a new leaf and got rid of Liang Yuzhou.
Song Wanchu accepted Wen's suggestion. She didn't want to go back to that sad place.
"By the way, there's one more thing."
Wen said hesitantly, "Three days from now is the old lady's seventieth birthday. The old lady sent an invitation to our family in her personal capacity."
Song Wanchu rubbed her forehead. Her slender white fingers pinched the bridge of her nose.
How could she forget the old lady's birthday?
Back then, when she first married Liang Yuzhou, the old lady gave her the power to manage the household and solemnly said that when it came to her seventieth birthday, she would hand everything over to her to handle.
At that time, she had vowed that she would surely make the birthday celebration grand and beautiful for the old lady.
The old lady trusted her so much, but she broke her promise.
"Wanchu, if you don't want to go, just say you're not feeling well and need to rest. Then send a sincere gift over."
Wen could see Song Wanchu's hesitation.
There were too many people and things in the Duke's Mansion that she didn't want to face.
Especially since Yu Huiyan was about to marry into the Duke's Mansion. If she and Yu Huiyan appeared at the old lady's birthday banquet at the same time, it would only make her situation more embarrassing.
"The old lady is a reasonable person. She'll surely understand your difficulties."
"Aunt, let me think about it."
Just sending a gift over was too perfunctory.
The old lady was the only one in the Duke's Mansion who had truly been kind to her. She had let the old lady down. Before leaving, she should bid a solemn farewell to her.
Once she left, she might never see the old lady again in this lifetime.
At night, the heavy rain still didn't stop. The raindrops hitting the window lattice made a crackling sound, which was really annoying.
Song Wanchu tossed and turned in bed. Burdened with heavy thoughts, she couldn't fall asleep.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
The shadow outside the door quickly responded.
Song Wanchu's body suddenly stiffened, and her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. "Liang Yuzhou, are you crazy?"
He had protected Yu Huiyan and left at Cuining Tower, and now he was knocking on her door on this rainy night?
"Yeah, I'm crazy. If you don't open the door, I'll have a fit right here."
Song Wanchu had an urge to curse.
There must be something wrong with Liang Yuzhou's head. He must be out of his mind.
She was determined not to get involved with him anymore. She pulled the quilt over her head.
She tried to block out the sound of the rain and the sight of the figure outside the door.
She hid in the small, dark space for a quarter of an hour.
She finally threw off the quilt when it became hard to breathe.
Her eyes involuntarily looked towards the door.
Liang Yuzhou was still there, standing straight like a pine tree, steady as a bell, not moving an inch.
It seemed that he was determined to stand there until he died if she didn't open the door.
Song Wanchu frowned impatiently and helplessly. "Liang Yuzhou, what on earth do you want?!"
He was about to have a new love. Why did he still have to pester her, an old flame?
Moreover, she was the old flame he didn't like, didn't care about, and even despised.
"You owe me something."
What could be so important that he had to come and ask for it on this rainy night?
All Song Wanchu wanted was for him to disappear quickly. She angrily and helplessly opened the door.
The man in front of her was already soaking wet.
Raindrops kept dripping down his well - defined jawline. His deep phoenix eyes were like they had been washed, shining with a dark light.
In his hand, he tightly held a sachet.