20demayo Chapter 1352 Longing
Chapter 1352 Longing
She spoke with great enthusiasm, her eyes full of anticipation.
Zhan Mu felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He looked at her flushed cheeks and the light shining in her eyes. The words "Zhiyu, I'm afraid I have to break my promise" stuck in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to say them.
He could only nod stiffly, his voice low and hoarse: "Okay."
Rong Zhiyu didn't notice his strangeness and continued talking to herself: "Actually, I don't think recuperating is that hard, it's just..." She paused, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Her voice lowered as well, "I'm just afraid of what people will say. After all, I'm just a young lady who took an arrow for you and spent so long recovering from my injuries at the Marquis's residence!"
Zhan Mu's heart sank. He knew that Rong Zhiyu, though seemingly carefree, was actually very perceptive, and she must have heard those rumors.
He clenched his fists, his fingertips icy cold. After a long silence, he finally spoke with difficulty: "Zhiyu, why did you leave the Marquis's mansion? Was it because you listened to those people's gossip?"
Upon hearing this, Rong Zhiyu's pretty face turned pale. She lowered her head, fiddling with the tassels on her cloak, and muttered softly, "No, I didn't hear those gossips. The Lady of the Marquis was very good to me. It was my own fear of tarnishing your reputation that led me to ask to leave!"
Zhan Mu felt his eyes well up with tears as he looked at her self-reproachful expression.
He's the one who made her suffer!
He's not a responsible, good man!
He longed to tell her that he would not only take responsibility, but also marry her and protect her for the rest of his life. But his grandfather's words were like an invisible shackle, binding him tightly.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.
The two were silent for a moment, only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the chrysanthemums echoed gently in the courtyard.
Rong Zhiyu seemed to sense something. She looked up at his tense profile, and the smile in her eyes gradually faded: "Brother Mu, is something on your mind?"
Zhan Mu snapped back to reality, met her concerned gaze, hurriedly looked away, and shook his head: "No."
Rong Zhiyu frowned slightly. "Brother Mu, don't I know you? You seem very strange today. Did you hear something?"
She finally asked.
Zhan Mu felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe.
He looked into Rong Zhiyu's clear eyes, which reflected his image and were full of anticipation.
He could no longer hold back, a metallic taste rising in his throat, his voice hoarse beyond recognition: "I'm sorry, Zhiyu. I went to ask my maternal grandfather to grant us a marriage, but he refused."
These words, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a thousand waves.
The color drained from Rong Zhiyu's face little by little. She stared blankly at him, the light in her eyes dimming slowly, like a candle flame extinguished by the wind.
"I disagree!" she murmured repeatedly, her voice as soft as a breeze. "That's right. As an orphan who came to the capital disguised as a man, how could I be worthy of the heir of the Marquis of Zhanyi's mansion?"
Her tone was calm, so calm that it made Zhan Mu's heart race. Looking at her forced composure and her slightly trembling body, he felt like a sinner.
He spoke urgently, wanting to explain, "No, Zhiyu, it's not that you're not good enough for me, it's that my maternal grandfather said that my marriage is related to the rise and fall of the Marquis's family!"
Rong Zhiyu interrupted him: "That's enough!"
She raised her head, looking at the drifting clouds on the horizon, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible sob, "Zhan Mu, I understand."
She understood. She understood that what separated them was never a simple "I like you" or a promise of responsibility, but a world of vastly different family backgrounds, the rise and fall of the Marquis's mansion, a chasm she could never cross.
Zhan Mu felt his heart break as he watched her struggle to hold back her tears. He reached out to take her hand, but she gently avoided it.
Rong Zhiyu stood up, curtsied slightly to him, and gave a graceful but distant bow: "I appreciate Prince Zhan's kindness. I was willing to do anything to save my life, so there's no need for you to hold it against me. From now on, we should have no further dealings!"
She paused, then finally hardened her heart and uttered those cruel words.
She seemed to have used up all her strength, and when she turned around to leave, she staggered.
Zhan Mu reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her tightly into his arms.
He spoke with difficulty, "Zhiyu, don't say such things. Aren't you stabbing me in the heart? How can you distance yourself from me when you're like this?"
Rong Zhiyu's tears fell in a stream, and she sobbed sadly, "Brother Mu, I didn't want this either, but I'm so helpless now. I have no relatives or friends in the capital. What can I do?"
She huddled in Zhan Mu's arms, trembling, looking like a broken doll, which was heartbreaking.
Zhan Mu's eyes turned bloodshot in an instant. For some reason, an uncontrollable surge of resentment welled up in his heart.
He hated his mother and his maternal grandfather.
He despises everyone who tries to stop him from marrying Rong Zhiyu!
Rong Zhiyu noticed his change, and a mocking smile flashed across her lips.
She knew her Soul-Separating Powder was working; she deliberately sprinkled it in her hair to control Zhan Mu's thoughts and put him under her control.
A moment later, Zhan Mu uttered a harsh statement: "Zhiyu, let's elope. Only when we've made it a fait accompli will they have no reason to object!"
Rong Zhiyu feigned admonition: "Brother Mu, no, how can we do such an unfilial thing? That would make your maternal grandfather and mother sad!"
Zhan Mu felt even more heartbroken: "You still care whether they're sad or not, but they don't even care about you. Zhiyu, how can you be so kind?"
Rong Zhiyu said considerately, "Brother Mu, we are going to spend our lives together. We can't do something unfilial and get criticized just because of temporary difficulties. Even if we can be together as we wish, these past events will always be criticized by them!"
Zhan Mu hugged her tightly, his eyes lowered, and he didn't say a word.
She couldn't help but whisper, "Brother Mu, could you loosen your grip a little? I'm having trouble breathing!"
Zhan Mu took a half-step back somewhat awkwardly, then let out a long breath and said, "Let's think of a way to get your mother to willingly accept the fact that you're marrying me!"
Zhan Mu couldn't help but sigh: "My mother is very stubborn. In fact, even my father and my maternal grandfather listen to her. As long as she agrees, there will be no more obstacles to our relationship!"
Rong Zhiyu bit her lip in grievance: "But I've already left the Zhanyi Marquis's mansion. If I want to go back, I'm afraid the people there will look down on me!"
Zhan Mu reassured her, "No, I'll persuade my mother to come and take you back herself!"
Having achieved his goal, a fleeting glint of cunning flashed in Rong Zhiyu's eyes.