lcionline Chapter 395 Affections Surge, Heart in Turmoil
Chapter 395 Affections Surge, Heart in Turmoil
The night outside the window was deep, with only a few intermittent chirping sounds from insects.
Song Ruyan stared at the tassels on the top of the tent with her eyes open, but her mind was in turmoil.
Dr. Qian's face flashed before her eyes again and again: first astonishment, then unbelievable ecstasy, and finally, a furious rage that seemed to spit fire, along with a deep, piercing look of disappointment.
She sat up abruptly, scratching her hair in frustration.
"What did I say wrong?" she muttered, but the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became of her point.
"Try things out, and if you don't get along, just part ways. Isn't that normal?"
Are we really going to stick to this path to the bitter end, only to find it's not right and then cry and wail?
Song Ruyan always liked to do things decisively and efficiently.
Hanging herself on him? That's not her style.
"How can a grown man be so petty!" she couldn't help but complain again. Recalling his livid face and the words "toying with me," she felt a little resentful.
How did she tease him? She was clearly making a very serious suggestion!
But his wounded gaze was like a thorn stuck in her heart, making it impossible for her to let go.
That look in his eyes didn't seem fake.
Are her words really that hurtful?
Song Ruyan hugged her knees, her brows furrowed.
She has always prided herself on being open and honest, and is extremely impatient with these convoluted schemes.
"Sigh..." She let out a long sigh and slumped back onto the bed.
Forget it.
He looked rather pitiful.
Song Ruyan wasn't an unreasonable person.
"I'll apologize to him tomorrow... I'll just turn over and bury my face in the pillow," she thought sullenly.
At worst, I'll just be more careful with my words in the future.
What a hassle.
As night deepened, thick as ink, Gu Junze remained wide awake.
He gently tucked the blanket around Chu Ruohan, gazed at her peaceful sleeping face for a moment, and then turned and left the inner room, entering the study.
Inside the study, the dim light illuminated his sharp features.
On the table, a secret letter from a shadow guard lay open.
Gu Junze's knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned slightly white. The tenderness he had shown while interacting with his wife and children had long since faded, replaced by a cold and solemn expression.
“Qingmo Valley…” he murmured the name, his voice carrying a hint of killing intent.
The contents of the secret letter weighed heavily on his mind.
He never expected that this long-dormant force would have extended its tentacles so far.
The clues uncovered by the Shadow Guards indicate that many officials in the capital, whether openly or covertly, are connected to Qingmo Valley.
This seemingly peaceful capital city is like a deep pool of water, calm on the surface but turbulent beneath, ready to unleash a monstrous storm at any moment.
Gu Junze frowned deeply, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the table, producing a dull sound, one tap after another...
These woodworms must be removed as soon as possible.
Yuling didn't need to keep watch at the madam's place today, as Haitang was there to watch over her. She rubbed her sore neck and was about to go back to her room to rest.
As she passed by the study, she saw Gu Junze's furrowed brows and solemn expression, and her heart tightened.
The general is busy with countless affairs of state, and now his wife is nearing her due date, causing him great anxiety about the midwife.
Yu Ling recalled the midwives she had met in the past few days; they were either slick and slippery or clumsy and rough, and none of them could truly put her and her wife's minds at ease.
She secretly resolved to take even better care of the lady and not let these trivial matters bother her and the general any longer.
She had to share the burdens of her mistress and ensure the safety of her mistress and the unborn child.
On the other side, the pharmacy door was slammed shut with a bang.
Dr. Qian felt a tightness in his chest, as if a huge rock was pressing down on him, and each breath was heavy and labored.
Song Ruyan's cheerful, even somewhat江湖气 (jianghu qi, meaning a kind of chivalrous spirit) tone echoed repeatedly in his mind, each word turning into a sharp blade, slowly torturing his expectations.
How could she do that?
How could she speak of the affection between a man and a woman, and the promise of a lifetime, so lightly and so frivolously!
He had secretly imagined a future with her, a future where her laughter and her presence would dispel his years of loneliness in this small medicine hut.
He mustered the greatest courage of his life to yearn for that sliver of warmth that might exist.
But all she gave him was a simple "Give it a try."
It's like tasting a dish; if it suits you, you eat it; if it doesn't, you discard it like worn-out shoes.
This thought was a hundred times more bitter than any bitter herb he had ever tasted.
He slumped down on a bench, his shoulders and back collapsing. The initial surge of anger gradually subsided, leaving behind only boundless bitterness and coldness.
It's not just anger.
It is also a deep disappointment, a stinging pain of being completely misunderstood and having one's sincerity trampled upon.
He valued her, appreciating her straightforwardness, her uninhibited nature, and even her occasional recklessness.
How could he not be hurt by her careless treatment of the sincerity he had so carefully offered?
He raised his hand and wiped his cheek with his slightly trembling palm.
He cannot see her.
At least not now.
If she were to appear now, he didn't know what he would say or do.
The raw, bleeding wound in my heart needs time. It needs to be licked alone, and it needs to slowly scab over.
He needs to be alone for a while.
He needed to calm his turbulent emotions and rediscover his composure and self-control.
Dr. Qian slowly stood up, his movements slightly stiff.
He had to sort the medicinal herbs, grind them into powder, and prepare the decoction.
He wanted to wrap himself up in the mundane routines of daily life, isolating himself from the outside world and from the heart-wrenching emotions he felt.
For now, he has to avoid her...
Deep inside the dark and damp dungeon.
Guo Yunzhou huddled in the corner, his once luxurious silk robe now stained and tattered.
His whole body ached as if his bones were falling apart. "Water...give me water..."
No one answered.
There was only cold silence and that despairing ticking sound.
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place!
If not for excessive greed and arrogance, how could he have ended up in such a state!
Mrs. Guo, who was a few steps away from him, was in no better condition.
"It's all your fault! It's all your fault, you good-for-nothing!" she wailed, pointing at Guo Yunzhou. "If you weren't so incompetent, how could we have ended up like this!"
"What's the point of saying all this now!" Guo Yunzhou growled irritably.
"I don't care! I want to get out! I can't stand it for another day!" Madam Guo pounded on the cold iron bars, her fingernails scraping against the rust, making a harsh sound.
"Your sister is heartless too. She said she wouldn't care about us anymore, and she really meant it..."
Madam Guo cried until she was exhausted, then collapsed to the ground, only able to whimper softly.
They complained bitterly and regretted their actions, but in this prison, no one cared anymore...