Zhu Yan had initially thought that Yunque’s constant attachment to Shen Du was due to her affection for him. She expected Yunque would be pleased to hear about their potential separation. However, to her surprise, Yunque’s face immediately darkened, and she glared at Zhu Yan with displeasure.
“What do you mean by separation? Are you blind? A man as good as the Grand Commander – you want to leave him? You truly can’t see what’s right in front of you,” Yunque scolded angrily.
Stunned by Yunque’s outburst, Zhu Yan was at a loss. Who was this woman? Why was she defending Shen Du so vehemently and calling him a good man?
It seemed the one who couldn’t see wasn’t herself, but Yunque! In all the days she had lived in the Shen residence, had Zhu Yan ever seen Shen Du’s good side? Just moments ago, he had walked in with a sour face demanding she cook for him. How could such a person be called good?
This woman must have some misunderstanding about what makes a good person…
Zhu Yan remained silent, simply regarding Yunque with an odd look. She was quite pretty, with a lively and cheerful personality, but why were her eyes so useless?
She recalled what Jing Lin had told her about Yunque’s background – wrongfully accused, yet unable to even identify the true culprit, mistaking Lai Luozhi for Shen Du. It was already ridiculous enough, but Zhu Yan had been somewhat skeptical. Now it seemed this woman truly had some problem with her vision.
Having realized this, Zhu Yan let out a light chuckle and shook her head helplessly. “What a lovely young lady. It’s a pity her eyes don’t work properly.”
Hearing this, Jing Lin couldn’t help but laugh softly. Yunque, catching the implication, was filled with confusion and indignation. “Whose eyes don’t work properly? What did I say wrong? The Grand Commander is talented and handsome, more than worthy of you. I can’t believe you’re so ungrateful, thinking of separating from him.”
Zhu Yan ignored most of what Yunque said. But her description of Shen Du as talented and handsome made Zhu Yan unconsciously examine the man again.
At that moment, Shen Du was gazing at her intently. Their eyes met, and an inexplicable feeling seemed to spark between them.
Talented and handsome… she wasn’t wrong about that.
Zhu Yan inwardly sighed. This man’s appearance was truly flawless, but his temperament was a bit strange and cold. If he could be a little gentler and easier to get along with, he wouldn’t be a bad choice for a husband.
Jing Lin and Yunque didn’t notice the change between the two. Yunque still looked at Zhu Yan with a complaining expression.
Jing Lin shook his head and chuckled lightly. This woman was truly unable to recognize a gem when she saw one. She thought that having read a few books gave her enough understanding of the Grand Commander, not knowing the dark history of the White King of Hell. She was truly a naive woman.
Yunque noticed Jing Lin’s soft laughter and, thinking he was mocking her, said defiantly, “What are you laughing at? Don’t tell me you also think the Grand Commander isn’t good enough for the Commander’s wife?”
Hearing this, Jing Lin was startled. He quickly waved his hands and said, “You can eat carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly. Saying such things could cost lives. We have no part in this, we should leave quickly.”
“What’s going on? Why won’t you explain it clearly to me?” Yunque persisted.
As Jing Lin half-pushed, half-coaxed her to the door, he sighed helplessly and looked at the distant sky. “Storytellers truly mislead people. Didn’t you think you were so knowledgeable? Go back and think it over carefully.”
Whatever Yunque said afterward faded as the two of them left, their chatter growing distant. The two people left in the room remained silent.
Zhu Yan quietly gazed at Shen Du, as if reminiscing about their childhood. After all these years, had he truly not changed at all?
For the first time, Zhu Yan was surprised by her thoughts. Despite her many grievances against Shen Du, the idea of separation felt strange in her heart.
After some time, Shen Du broke the silence, “What’s wrong? Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
“Figured out what?” Zhu Yan asked, puzzled. She felt Shen Du was teasing her again.
“Are you thinking that Miss Yunque has a point, and now you’re reluctant to separate from your husband?”
Sure enough, this man was indeed mocking her.
All the previous good feelings instantly vanished. Zhu Yan felt annoyed and shot Shen Du a fierce glare before turning to leave.
Shen Du had assumed Zhu Yan went to the kitchen to cook, but when the meal was served, it turned out to be prepared by the cook.
“Where’s my wife?” Shen Du suddenly asked, startling the cook. “I… I haven’t seen her.”
Hearing this, Shen Du became impatient and waved his hand. “You may go.”
“Yes, sir,” the cook responded and retreated.
Shen Du figured Zhu Yan must have gotten angry again over what happened earlier and skipped dinner. Fine, if she wasn’t eating, he could eat his fill alone.
Thinking this, Shen Du picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat. However, after a few bites, he found the food as bland as plain water. His mind kept drifting to thoughts of Zhu Yan.
What was happening? He seemed to be increasingly concerned about that woman, and he kept thinking about the food she cooked.
Finally, unable to resist his thoughts, Shen Du picked up the dishes and walked towards the room.
But when he reached the door, he found it tightly shut with no one inside.
Only then did Shen Du realize something was amiss. He set the food aside and questioned a servant, “Where is my wife?”
The servant who was sweeping the courtyard was equally clueless, shaking his head repeatedly. “This lowly one doesn’t know.”
Shen Du hurried to the entrance of the Shen residence. The old steward informed him that Zhu Yan had left before mealtime, saying she was returning to the Zhu family for dinner and not to wait for her.
Shen Du was filled with helplessness, his fists clenched tight. Had he gone too far today? Why had this woman left for her maiden home without a word again?
Unable to understand, and with night falling, Shen Du began to worry about Zhu Yan’s safety. He hastily left the Shen residence.
At the Zhu residence, the family was having dinner. Seeing Zhu Yan return, they quickly added another set of bowls and chopsticks.
Zhu Yan felt the warmth of her family, and her unhappiness gradually dissipated. Looking at her father and mother, she said, “The food at home is still the best. I’ll come back often in the future. Father, Mother, please don’t find me bothersome.”
“How could we, how could we?” Zhu Kuo hurriedly said. “Although you’ve married the Grand Commander, you’re still our daughter of the Zhu family. If you want to come, just come. Don’t worry, none of us will find you bothersome.”
Zhu Kuo completely missed the look in his daughter’s eyes and casually agreed. Mrs. Jin, however, noticed something different about her daughter.
She stepped on Zhu Kuo’s foot under the table and turned a concerned gaze towards Zhu Yan. “Xiao Liu, did you have another disagreement with the Grand Commander?”
At these words, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked questioningly at Zhu Yan.