Ye Jingchuan ultimately still went to find Song Chuyi once. Calculating from the time Song Chuyi rejected him in Jinzhong, the words he had spoken with Song Chuyi were truly limited—perhaps all added together could be counted on ten fingers. It was just those few exchanges on the boat, and afterward he had been burning with high fever and nearly lost his life.
Standing before Song Chuyi, he felt as always that he unconsciously fell short by a measure. This falling short didn’t mean he felt unworthy of Song Chuyi anywhere—it was truly that he felt Song Chuyi stood somewhere beyond his reach.
Old Madam Song privately sighed to Song Jue: “Actually, the Ye family’s second son is truly as good a child as could be. When I had people go to Prince Zhennan’s residence to deliver gifts, my heart felt terrible.”
Song Jue had also previously thought Ye the Second was quite good. Most importantly, though the person wasn’t outstandingly clever, he was genuinely an upright gentleman. He listened to what people said, respected his elders, and had no traces of wastrel habits. Such a person would be more than sufficient for living one’s life together. But he was a good person—Song Chuyi just didn’t like him. He could see clearly that Song Chuyi truly had something different in her feelings toward Zhou Weizhao. Though he didn’t want Song Chuyi to live too hard a life, the prerequisite was that Song Chuyi herself was unwilling to live too hard. If she herself found such hardship sweet as honey, then as her elder brother, he naturally had nothing more to say.
Moreover, he hadn’t immediately felt that Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao were well-matched. Though he had already discussed this matter with his grandfather before, after the Grand Heir and Song Chuyi returned to the capital, he still called Wangfeng over to thoroughly question him once more. After hearing that Zhou Weizhao had jumped into the water to save Song Chuyi, even this last bit of doubt and hesitation completely dissipated.
Honestly speaking, Song Jue wasn’t even as close to his biological elder sister as he was to Song Chuyi. He had essentially watched this little girl grow up bit by bit. How she had grown, he had seen it all. In his heart, there wasn’t much difference between Song Chuyi and his own daughter. As long as Song Chuyi liked something, if she was willing to brave mountains of blades and seas of flames, he would do everything in his power to make it happen for this little sister—for having protected this family countless times, he absolutely had to make it happen.
Therefore, hearing Old Madam Song say this now, he advised her: “Each person has their own fate. No matter how good he is, if Xiao Yi doesn’t like him, what can be done? Rather than feeling distressed over this, Grandmother should worry more about Xiao Yi’s future matters. Also Mingzi—Mingzi should also have someone sent to bring her back.”
Speaking of which, Xiang Mingzi and Chen Jinxin had become good friends. The two got along well in conversation. Perhaps because both had lost their parents and could especially understand each other, through their comings and goings they got along very happily.
Old Madam Song was pleased to see Chen Jinxin become friends with Xiang Mingzi. For no other reason—Chen Jinxin was truly a pitiful person. This lifetime was already ruined. Old Madam Song thought, being able to make her live more happily was always better than letting her live in melancholy. This time Chen Jinxin had fallen ill, and Old Madam Song had specially asked Xiang Mingzi to go keep her company. Who knew Chen Jinxin’s illness would last over a month. Xiang Mingzi had already sent the steward back several times asking whether Song Chuyi had returned. Thinking of this, Old Madam Song couldn’t help but nod: “What you say is very right. This little girl has probably missed Xiao Yi terribly. Yet after Xiao Yi returned, she truly hasn’t had any time free. Tomorrow I’ll send someone to fetch her.”
Ye Jingchuan had come to speak clearly with Song Chuyi. He felt he hadn’t spoken clearly enough before—Song Chuyi had also seemed unwilling to hear him say it, but if some words weren’t said clearly, he felt uncomfortable.
“Miss Six, I’ve wanted to marry you as my wife since I was fourteen.” He stared earnestly at Song Chuyi, his amber pupils slightly dilating. “I was still young before, reckless. I didn’t consider many things carefully enough. I only cared about my own feelings and forgot to ask whether you were willing to accept my affection. That was truly my fault.”
That Ye Jingchuan could say such words truly shocked Song Chuyi. She didn’t like Ye Jingchuan, truly because she felt they couldn’t talk about things together. Yet Ye Jingchuan still felt such deep affection for her. She felt she couldn’t repay this deep affection and feared that Ye Jingchuan’s ardor would eventually be exhausted one day. But people ultimately would grow up, and Ye Jingchuan had now grown up.
Since Ye Jingchuan was no longer that reckless youth who wished he could carve open his heart and dig it out to show her, the tension and pressure in her heart lessened considerably. She gently shook her head: “This matter probably comes down to fate.”
Ye Jingchuan smiled. He truly had matured considerably, no longer having that youthful vigor of pointing and critiquing freely. He had become as steady as his elder brother. He looked at Song Chuyi and said: “You’re right. That you don’t like me isn’t your fault. No matter how capable a person is, they cannot force another person to like them.”
He paused, looking at Song Chuyi: “I came to find you because I truly felt I needed to tell you my feelings once more. This way, in the future there will be nothing to regret.”
He had once so earnestly liked a young lady. Though that young lady didn’t like him and ultimately they didn’t have the fate to be together, he had tried his best to fight for it, so there was nothing to regret. What Father and Elder Brother said was right—nine out of ten things in this world don’t go as hoped. People who are too calculating cannot live well.
This level of enlightenment was truly not something Qing Zhuo could understand. He scratched his head and later sighed to Qing Yīng: “I don’t know how Second Young Master Ye suddenly became enlightened and learned to speak this way.”
Qing Yīng glared at him. She still quite liked Second Young Master Ye. However, in such matters, of course it was still their young mistress who had the say. Therefore she only secretly shook her head once and left it at that.
Song Chuyi, on the other hand, felt a great weight lifted from her heart. Though she didn’t like Ye Jingchuan, she genuinely considered Ye Jingchuan a friend and sincerely wished him well. Now that they could speak openly and bear no grudges toward each other, even if in the future they couldn’t be as they were in childhood, it was still good.
She felt much more relaxed in her heart. Returning to Ningde Courtyard, she told Old Madam Song about Ye Jingchuan’s purpose for coming.
After hearing this, Old Madam Song inevitably sighed again, feeling that Second Young Master Ye was truly such a good child. What a pity her family had no suitable young lady to match with him. She simply brought up happy matters with Song Chuyi: “Tomorrow send someone to bring Mingzi back. That girl misses you terribly. Just yesterday she sent the steward back asking why she hasn’t been called back yet.”
Song Chuyi smiled: “I was also just about to ask you to bring Sister Mingzi back. Not seeing her for so long, I truly miss her.”
As the two were speaking of this, the First Madam, who had gone to the palace to see the Consort and had returned to change clothes before coming to pay respects, also joined in the laughter for a while before saying: “Old Madam, Her Ladyship said we should be mentally prepared. Most likely in these next few days, Her Majesty the Empress will summon Xiao Yi to enter the palace.”