“I’m not entirely sure of the details, but I know your birth mother expressed such a wish,” An Jiu said. Even if she wanted to improve Chu Dingjiang’s image, she wouldn’t resort to lies.
Hua Rongjian understood her, yet still scoffed coldly, “And we’re supposed to just believe whatever he says?”
“To be honest, he has no reason to lie to gain your favor. Even if there’s a deep blood feud, he can bear it,” An Jiu replied.
She always focused on objectivity, never mincing words. Hua Rongjian, already deeply depressed, suddenly flared up at her words. “Since when do you not speak the truth? Yes, I’m an insignificant insect, and he doesn’t need to care about me. But can you guarantee he’s not saying this to maintain his good image in your eyes?”
“You think he’s a good person?” An Jiu asked, surprised.
“He’s not good at all!” Hua Rongjian angrily retorted.
“If even you can see he’s not a good person, I’m not blind,” An Jiu said, thinking he was indeed going mad, his logic becoming confused. “So why do you think he’s wasting effort maintaining some image?”
Hua Rongjian replied, “I think he’s not good because we’re enemies, but he might not be bad in your eyes. If he were bad, why would you be with him?”
“He’s good to me, but does that prove he’s a good person?” An Jiu countered.
Hua Rongjian was at a loss for words and could only roll his eyes, ignoring her.
An Jiu asked curiously, “How does someone like you manage the Bounty List?”
“What kind of person am I?” Hua Rongjian snapped.
“Childish.”
The carriage halted, and a servant’s respectful voice came from outside, “Young Master, we’ve arrived.”
An Jiu immediately glared at him. They could have walked the short distance in the time it took to get in and out of the carriage!
Seeing her displeasure, Hua Rongjian grinned.
Wu Lingyuan, having recently placed third in the imperial examinations, hadn’t yet been assigned an official post and was temporarily staying in a small courtyard next to the Hua residence.
An Jiu noticed that while the entire street was lined with mansions of wealthy families, this small courtyard seemed out of place. She was curious.
Observing her reaction, Hua Rongjian explained, “Our residence follows the Jiangnan style of courtyard layout, without formal walls separating each courtyard. This small courtyard used to be part of our property but was separated to prevent tutors from accidentally encountering the women of the household.”
However, after Hua Rongtian’s generation, the family line had thinned, with only one legitimate daughter. They usually hired a female tutor, and occasionally Grand Councilor Hua and Hua Rongtian would teach her themselves when they had time, eliminating the need for male tutors. Thus, this courtyard became available and was given to Wu Lingyuan.
An Jiu said, “People are already saying Wu Lingyuan placed third because of the Hua family’s manipulation. Aren’t you worried about appearances by letting him stay here?”
“If someone wants to investigate, they’ll uncover the truth no matter how well we hide it. It’s better to be open about it,” Hua Rongjian smiled. “I asked my elder brother to take Lingyuan as his disciple.”
Hua Rongtian had achieved the third-highest rank at a young age, being the dynasty’s only prodigy. With Wu Lingyuan as his disciple, his sudden rise wasn’t so surprising.
While they were talking, the servant had already knocked on the door. Hua Rongjian entered with An Jiu without waiting for an announcement.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, they saw Wu Lingyuan hurrying over. Upon seeing Hua Rongjian, he stopped and bowed from a distance.
“What are you doing, Lingyuan?” Hua Rongjian strode forward to help him up.
Given everything Hua Rongjian had done for Wu Lingyuan, even kneeling in gratitude wouldn’t be excessive.
Although he had come to view many things with detachment, Wu Lingyuan cherished this opportunity to showcase his talents and ambitions and was grateful to the person who had given him this chance.
Hua Rongjian said, “This is the female benefactor you’ve been talking about. How come you can’t recognize her now that she’s in front of you?”
“Ah!” Wu Lingyuan finally dared to look at An Jiu.
Earlier, seeing Hua Rongjian enter with a beautiful woman, he thought she must be someone close to him and didn’t want to stare rudely. Now, up close, he caught a glimpse of jade-like, shimmering eyes. Looking more carefully, he saw only pitch-black pupils, deep and cold, wrapped in a murderous aura, with no trace of that momentary brilliance.
“Benefactor!” Wu Lingyuan came to his senses and bowed deeply again.
An Jiu looked down at him, “You don’t need to do that. Today, I’m here to collect my debt with interest.”
Her words left Wu Lingyuan no room for refusal.
Hua Rongjian felt a bitterness on his tongue, envying Chu Dingjiang even more. He understood An Jiu somewhat; although her words were harsh, she wasn’t one to speak without thinking. She considered Wu Lingyuan’s wonton shop one of the few places of tranquility, occasionally going there to eat and find a moment of relaxation. She rarely said anything sharp, but today she spoke so decisively because Wu Lingyuan had chosen a side – his side – and he was Chu Dingjiang’s enemy.
Wu Lingyuan wore a gentle smile, as refreshing as a spring breeze. His once empty, blind eyes now had spirit, adding to his charm. “If there’s anything I can do, I’ll give it my all,” he said.
An Jiu glanced at his still calm and smiling face and couldn’t help but ask, “Even if I asked you to die?”
“Benefactor wouldn’t,” Wu Lingyuan said with certainty, as if stating a confirmed fact.
An Jiu didn’t know where his confidence came from and didn’t want to waste time investigating. If there was a chance to go to Hejian together in the future, there would be plenty of time to understand him.
Though small, the courtyard was complete with a study, guest room, and kitchen.
The three went directly to the study to discuss matters.
Knowing An Jiu wasn’t fond of talking, Hua Rongjian first gave a general overview of the situation, then turned to her and asked, “Have I missed anything?”
“That’s about it,” An Jiu nodded.
“I agree,” Wu Lingyuan answered almost without thinking.
Hua Rongjian reminded him, “Lingyuan, surely you’re not just doing this out of gratitude?”
“Not at all,” Wu Lingyuan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Given the current situation, if I stay in Bianjing, I’ll at best end up with a sinecure. I’ve been wanting to be posted near Hejian, but I was worried that without any fighting skills, I might not return. Perfectly, the Benefactor has come! Benefactor is truly my guardian angel.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll leave the rest to you,” An Jiu glanced at Hua Rongjian.
If Wu Lingyuan wasn’t there, he would have wanted to shout, “Why do you act so matter-of-fact about this?”
But on second thought, Wu Lingyuan was the first person he had recruited, so he should indeed handle this matter. After all, he wasn’t losing out either.
“Now that we’ve agreed, let’s go eat,” Hua Rongjian secretly signaled Wu Lingyuan not to come along.
Wu Lingyuan said, “I should treat Benefactor to a meal, but I have urgent matters to attend to today…”
“What could keep a sidelined third-place scholar so busy?” An Jiu said coldly, then glanced at Hua Rongjian, “So much fuss over a meal! How feminine.”
With that, she turned and left.
The first half of her comment was directed at Wu Lingyuan, while the latter half was clearly because she had noticed Hua Rongjian’s little gesture. Two sharp daggers stabbed at both their hearts.
For a moment, both men were speechless.
“You’re the real man here!” Hua Rongjian said resentfully as he hurried after her.
Wu Lingyuan hesitated for a moment before following them.