This guy was glib-tongued, acting coy after getting an advantage.
Wei Caiwei said: “The rumors haven’t just blocked your romantic prospects – they’ve hindered mine too. In others’ eyes, I’m just a widow, already the most disadvantaged in marriage matters. Now with these scandals surrounding me, I’m even harder to marry off. I haven’t asked you to take responsibility. If I can’t marry in the future, will you take responsibility and marry me?”
Wang Daxia repeated that phrase: “That’s not impossible either.”
“You—” Wei Caiwei finally understood Wang Qianhu’s difficulties. This boy’s mouth was too clever – no matter what you said to him, he came out ahead.
Wei Caiwei began shooing him away: “How old are you, already thinking about taking a wife? Didn’t you always say you’d definitely marry a noble lady from a prestigious family in the future? I’m neither from a noble family nor a virtuous lady – just a little widow from a humble household. I couldn’t possibly reach so high as to marry someone who’ll inherit a thousand-household rank passed down through five generations.”
These were indeed Wang Daxia’s original words, spoken to Wei Caiwei more than once. When he thought Wei Caiwei saw him as a substitute for her deceased husband – after she saved him, helped him climb walls to escape home, and even risked her reputation by letting him stay overnight – he acutely sensed that Wei Caiwei had feelings for him (she really did; his intuition wasn’t wrong). So he directly warned her:
Don’t be madly infatuated with me. We have no future. I won’t marry you. I must inherit my family’s rank and will definitely marry a noble lady of equal standing.
You must not fall in love with me!
However, in less than three short months, after sharing life and death together and spending nearly every day in each other’s company, he gradually forgot the vast difference in their social positions. Her every smile and frown tugged at his heart. The insurmountable barriers of status and position disappeared like a paper tiger. He saw her interesting soul and beautiful body – he liked it all, wanted it all.
So when his father warned him that if he continued associating with the little widow, his reputation would stink and no noble lady would marry him in the future, his first reaction was actually happiness?
Such good fortune!
But when Wei Caiwei threw his previous words back at him, Wang Daxia regretted it deeply, regretting until his intestines turned green. How could I have said such heartless words back then?
Those words were too absolute – now it was hard to handle.
Wang Daxia worked hard to salvage the situation: “Times change. Back then I wasn’t familiar with you and thought you were really a widow who treated me well and seduced me because you saw me as your deceased husband’s substitute. Though I’m a wastrel, I wouldn’t take advantage of someone’s vulnerability, so I cruelly rejected you to prevent you from harboring illusions about me. But now it’s different—”
Wei Caiwei interrupted: “Now that you and I have rumors and you can’t marry a noble lady, you’re settling for second best? Marriage isn’t about two people making do because there are no other options.”
Wang Daxia hurriedly said: “I’m not making do. I actually—”
“Look at you – in less than three months you’ve changed your mind at least three times. You’re still young with an unstable temperament, still very immature, thinking marriage can be decided with a joke.” Wei Caiwei spoke while pushing Wang Daxia toward the door:
“Though I’ve never truly married, I feel that if I marry in the future, he must be someone who can share both wealth and hardship with me. No matter how the world changes – rich or poor, even if physically… disabled – we would never abandon each other. Both he and I could die for each other and also work hard to make each other happy. Until death, we’d never regret having loved. How could marriage be decided by a casual jest?”
In their previous life, she and her deceased husband lived exactly this way for a lifetime.
Wei Caiwei pushed Wang Daxia out the door and shut it with a snap. Wang Daxia tried to rush back in and nearly got his nose caught in the door.
Wang Daxia banged on the door: “You know me – I always speak this way. I’m not treating marriage as a joke. I truly… have feelings for you. Every night I shamelessly come to your house to freeload meals, not for the food – I just want to see you. Seeing you makes me inexplicably happy. I think I must have fallen in love with you.”
She hadn’t expected her deceased husband to confess at fourteen. This made Wei Caiwei’s heart race behind the door – it was too unexpected. Her young husband was too easily stirred, like a hornet’s nest that exploded at the slightest provocation.
It’s my fault. I’ve suppressed myself too long. Tonight, suddenly pretending to be lovers, I momentarily lost control and recklessly poured out emotions accumulated over a lifetime, turning fake into real. Though I spoke otherwise, my eyes and brows were full of affection, stirring him into emotional chaos, hence his words “that’s not impossible either.”
The grapes have just formed fruit, still very green and unripe. How can I ruthlessly crush green grapes and pluck them before they’re ready?
Wei Caiwei said through the door: “I’m not angry with you. You’re only fourteen with an unstable temperament. Tonight, to fulfill the rumors, I acted as lovers with you, overdoing the performance. You’ve gotten too deep into character, unable to separate person from role. After the scene ended, you haven’t taken off your costume yet – you’re somewhat possessed, hence these words. Go back and calm down. When you wake up tomorrow, you’ll change your mind. I’m very tired and need to rest upstairs. Commander Lu and the others are waiting for you – don’t be late.”
Finished speaking, Wei Caiwei walked toward the stairs, deliberately stepping in place to make sounds from heavy to light, as if really going upstairs.
Wang Daxia first banged on the door: “I’m fourteen, not four. I can tell the difference between acting and sincerity. Don’t underestimate me – what I just said wasn’t a jest…”
Wei Caiwei sat on the stairs, hugging her knees. Since her rebirth, her goals had been revenge and preventing the Wang family tragedy, so Wang Daxia wouldn’t castrate himself and live with lifelong regret like in their previous life.
But would Wang Daxia without castration still be the same deceased husband Wang Daxia?
Though Wei Caiwei had deliberately avoided this question, deep down she knew clearly that Wang Daxia without castration had a completely different personality from her deceased husband. He would walk a path entirely different from the previous life.
The body was the same person, but the soul was different – actually not the same person at all.
The Wang Daxia before her wasn’t the Wang Daxia she had deeply loved, just Wang Daxia’s past.
Moreover, she had taken advantage of Wang Daxia’s youthful passion and first awakening of love. Because of her transferred affections, she unconsciously used methods from their previous life to flirt with him – this was also taking advantage of his vulnerability.
The relationship between them was unequal, like an experienced teacher flirting with a naive student. The student’s mind wasn’t settled. When he grew up and matured, understanding what love and marriage meant, the mature Wang Daxia might not still like the person who made his young heart flutter.
The mature Wang Daxia might regret it. I can’t interfere with his future choices.
And me – do I only have transferred feelings for Wang Daxia, or have I fallen for the current Wang Daxia?
If I like the current Wang Daxia, am I betraying my deceased husband from the previous life?
Or can one person simultaneously like two souls?
…
Wei Caiwei fell into deep thought. She couldn’t even understand her own feelings, her mind in complete chaos.
Outside the door, Wang Daxia heard the stair sounds gradually fade and thought Wei Caiwei had really gone to rest. It was past the third watch – he couldn’t loiter here disturbing her. He went to the safe house where Lu Ying and others were located to discuss how to close the net on the White Lotus Sect.
This safe house was very close – at the intersection of Sweet Water Alley and West Drum Tower Diagonal Street, the tea shop that also sold watermelons that Lu Ying had opened to monitor Ding Wu.
The shop had never been withdrawn and had gained some fame for its delicious watermelons.
Lu Ying was making plans: “…we can delay Boss Wang for another five days. Within five days, the tunnel must be completed, and we must thoroughly investigate all the clerks and managers of Ten Thousand Goods Trading Company – where does each one live? At least five people watching one person. There are too many people during the day, so we’ll close the net at night, breaking them down individually, arresting people simultaneously, trying to take them alive.”
“Also, who stays overnight in the shop for night duty? Where do they sleep? This must also be clarified. We must capture them all in one sweep, closing the net together – we can’t let even the small fry slip away.”
Lu Ying was meticulous, distributing several Western telescopes to subordinates monitoring from the medicine shop: “Observe carefully, don’t miss a single detail. Success or failure lies in these details.”
Wang Daxia entered. Lu Ying said: “Perfect timing. You were born and raised in North City, most familiar with the environment here, and you have the North City Military Commissioner as backing. The task of investigating every person’s residence in Ten Thousand Goods Trading Company is yours.”
“Here’s the roster.” Ding Wu handed Wang Daxia a small booklet. “Captain Wu got this from the trading company under the pretext of investigating the fake banknote case. Many people in here definitely aren’t White Lotus Sect, but just in case, we must arrest everyone first.”
Disappointed in love, he could only channel his grief into work. Wang Daxia roughly flipped through the roster – from Boss Wang to ordinary porters and cleaners, over fifty people total.
Wang Daxia said: “Too many people. Let me prioritize first. Those who are single or have family in other places are most suspicious, followed by temporary workers from other places. Multi-generational Beijing locals are least suspicious. Focus on investigating the most suspicious first. However, we don’t have enough manpower – five people per person requires at least 250 people.”
Lu Ying said: “Tomorrow morning, I’ll report this to Lord Lu, and he’ll assign more personnel.”
Wang Daxia looked at the roster’s contents and saw there were cooks and two assistant cooks, knowing Ten Thousand Goods Trading Company cooked their own meals and had a cafeteria.
Wang Daxia, full of cunning ideas, said: “I think arresting people at night works for those living outside – just climb walls and grab them. But those keeping night watch in the shop could cause accidents. If they wake up with firearms hidden nearby, mutual destruction would cause big trouble.”
Lu Ying tapped the table: “Old rule – anyone raising objections must prepare an alternative plan they think is feasible, otherwise we’ll discuss until dawn without results.”
Wang Daxia said: “How about this division: proceed with the original plan for those living outside. For those working in the shop, we use drugs.”
Wang Daxia pointed to the cook’s name: “Everyone needs to eat and drink, right? We’ll drug their dinner to make them sleep deeply at night, so we won’t worry about anyone desperately using dangerous firearms to harm our people. What do you think?”
Ding Wu said: “I think it’s workable. Head Strip Alley has no wells – porters carry lake water from Jishui Lake to fill each household’s water tanks. Along the way, we can easily tamper with the water buckets.”
Lu Ying said: “We need someone who understands medicine to provide sleeping drugs – preferably colorless and tasteless.”
Lu Ying and Wang Daxia both looked at Ding Wu.
Ding Wu quickly said: “I don’t know how – I can only fill prescriptions.”
Lu Ying and Wang Daxia said in unison: “Doctor Wei knows how.”
Author’s Note: Banxia: If I like the current Wang Daxia, am I betraying my deceased husband from the previous life? Can one person simultaneously like two souls?
Daxia: Only children make choices – you can have both!