Lu Hanxing snorted before leaving.
As Fu Yin looked at the pillow in her hands, she felt that Lu Hanxing was evil. Lu Qi usually shouted and ordered Lu Hanxing. Lu Hanxing would always try to avoid him whenever possible. But now he had come and pretended to show good intentions. Something was fishy.
She sat on the couch. “Lu Qi, hurry and wake up. I am afraid of Lu Hanxing. I am very afraid. He does not seem to harbour good intentions. Only you are able to keep him in control.”
Lu Qi did not react at all.
Fu Yin sighed and held onto his hand. She lay her head beside him as if that is the only way for her to calm her uneasiness.
Lu Hanxing walked through the corridor as he spat, “Peh, she is just a servant that has been in bed with Lu Qi before. How dare she be pretentious? When Lu Qi dies and I inherit the Duke Chen’s title, I will make you regret it thoroughly.”
The Housekeeper walked out from the courtyard and came up to him to congratulate him.
Lu Hanxing froze. “What is there to congratulate?”
The Housekeeper said that someone had come from the Zhao Residence and was currently discussing when Lu Hanxing and the Zhao family’s daughter's marriage should take place. They wanted to bring good luck to Lu Qi.
Lu Hanxing’s eyes bulged out. “What? They want to use me to bring good luck?!”
Chapter 47.2: Ephemeral
Fu Rou had been locked up for an entire day. She had tried to leave but Yan Zifang had locked the windows. She could not open it no matter how she tried. Now, she was stomping on the floor of the house, thinking whether it was possible to dig a hole and escape.
All of a sudden, the sound of the lock being unlocked could be heard. She ran back to the table to take a seat.
Yan Zifang walked in carrying meat and vegetables. Fu Rou asked, “How long are you going to keep me locked up?”
Yan Zifang placed the meat and vegetables into the kitchen. He then walked out to set up the bowls and chopsticks on the table. “I thought you were no longer talking to me.”
Fu Rou’s expression was bland. “I thought I made myself clear.”
“Even if I released you, you can only return to the Royal Palace.” Yan Zifang looked at Fu Rou. “Could it be that you prefer to stay in that hellish place? Don’t forget that Grand Prince Liang is a prince. The Empress will not offend anyone for your sake. There is no one on your side.”
“I don’t like the Royal Palace, but…” Fu Rou paused.
“But you don’t like staying with me even more because you are not the same Fu Rou as back then.” It was only his unrequited longing.
“We are not enemies nor nemesis. There is no need to speak harshly to one another.” She just wished that he could let it go.
“I remember when we were young...you always carried this Longevity Pendant with you. You treated it as if it were your baby. You were willing to share everything with me except this Longevity Pendant. You did not even allow me to touch it. You said that this was left for you by your grandfather. However, on the night that your mother chased me out of the Fu Residence, you ran in front of me, crying and asking me not to leave. You gave the Longevity Pendant to me. This was the warmest thing I have held. When I was shot by Lu Yunji’s men and fell into the river, the river was icy cold. Only the palm of my hand remained warm because I was holding your Longevity Pendant. Even if I die, I will not let go of it.”
“Fu Rou, you don’t know how I managed to survive all these years. On the ocean, where storms could happen at any time, I was surrounded by pirates who killed without blinking. As a young brother, I had to worry that any of my older brothers would kill me when they did not like me. When I became the leader, I had to guard against any ambitious subordinates who could stab me in the back. All these years, I did not dare to come on land, I did not dare to meet you. I did not know how pretty you would have grown up to become. I did not know anything. However, one thing I knew was that I had a wife-to-be that I had yet to marry. At the end of the ocean, there would be a woman waiting for me on land. When I found out that you liked Sheng Chumu, you would never be able to understand how I felt.” To her, it was the past. However, to him, it was like yesterday, today and the following day.
Fu Rou fell silent for a while before saying, “Sorry.”
Yan Zifang laughed bitterly, “You don’t have to apologise because I don’t accept this fate. You are my wife and nobody can change that.”
Fu Rou was impatient. “You are being unreasonable.”
“Yes, I am unreasonable.” Yan Zifang held tightly onto the Longevity Pendant. “On the day that you placed this in my hand, I gained the right to be unreasonable!”
Fu Rou suddenly reached out to snatch the Longevity Pendant. Yan Zifang was not willing to let go. She was annoyed and scratched his face, causing a line of blood to form.
Yan Zifang touched his wound and looked at the fresh blood on his fingertips. “Rou’er, are you really this cruel?”
Fu Rou forced herself to be firm. “Feelings cannot be forced. I feel guilty towards you but I cannot force myself.”
“I gave up the ocean and came onboard to land. I bear with the attitudes people in Chang’an gave me all because of what you said. Now, you are telling me not to force it. I am sorry, Fu Rou. This time, I cannot listen to you.”
Yan Zifang took big strides out and locked the room.
Fu Rou sat in the house alone for an unknown amount of time. Her emotions were all over the place. The memories from her childhood replayed itself in her head. It made her sigh and grieve. However, there was nothing she could do.
Dum dum dum!
Fu Rou pulled herself back to reality as she saw a shadow reflected on her window. Soon after, a hole appeared in the window.
Yan Zifang was completely drunk. He thought about it and decided that he could not give up so easily this time. He returned to the wooden house. He wanted to tell Fu Rou that he was sincere.
The room was pitched black. His legs were unsteady and he fell to the ground. All of a sudden, a delicate hand stretched out in front of him.
“Rou’er?” He hesitated before reaching his own hand out. He felt the warmth of the other person transfer to him through his palm. He was delighted and immediately scooped the other person up in his arms.
The faint moonlight could not illuminate the small room. He could only see a head of black hair, falling like a waterfall, buried in his arms. He was overjoyed and was extremely gentle as he placed a kiss on her head. He walked towards the wooden bed.
“I swear that I will not let you down.”
He lay over her, kissing her hair gently before moving to her face and finally her lips. He hugged her tightly as if he wanted to merge together with her.
After that emotional night, he had a good dreamless sleep. The sunlight lit up the place. Yan Zifang opened his eyes. As he saw someone with black hair sleeping beside him, he blissfully let out a breath. He pushed her hair away and saw her features clearly. Then, he jumped out of the bed in shock.
“Lu Yingying?!” He did not know what was happening. “Yesterday night...it was you?”
Lu Yingying blushed but maintained a smile. “It was me.”
She had originally wanted to ask him about the Zhenzhu Life-saving Pill but saw that he left his residence alone. She then followed him up the mountain out of curiosity and found Fu Rou, who had been locked up. Therefore, she freed Fu Rou and wanted to take the opportunity for herself.
Yan Zifang was in disbelief. “You are a noble lady. Do you know what are the consequences of such an unscrupulous act?”
Lu Yingying did not reply. Instead, she grabbed Yan Zifang’s hand and looked at him earnestly. “Can we be husband and wife just for a day?”