Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither spoke.

Seventh Miss glanced beyond the forest and, seeing that everything was utterly silent without a trace of human voices, gradually felt her heart settle.

Jade Rain Pavilion was already tucked away in a corner of Hundred Fragrances Garden, with its entrance further concealed by rockeries. Since she had moved in, apart from a limited few senior stewardesses, hardly any idle persons dared to come disturb her.

As long as Xu Fengjia was careful when entering and leaving, he shouldn’t be discovered.

She slowly exhaled a long breath, fearlessly meeting those cold eyes.

It was rather amusing, really—when Xu Fengjia had been full of passionate determination to marry her, Seventh Miss had felt somewhat at a loss facing him.

Now that fondness had transformed into loathing, she felt more composed instead.

“If the marriage drags on any longer, the in-laws will become enemies instead,” she echoed Xu Fengjia’s words in a soft, gentle voice.

Xu Fengjia’s gaze darkened further.

The young man’s height hadn’t yet reached its full growth, but in just half a year he’d grown a bit taller, already showing the imposing bearing of a young man standing tall and upright. This focused gaze released a gloomy, oppressive aura from his entire being.

“Has the wealth of the Imperial family actually moved your heart?” he asked softly.

When clever people speak, they often don’t need to spell everything out.

Seventh Miss immediately recalled the fury that had flashed in Xu Fengjia’s eyes when he’d returned to pay his respects that day.

She couldn’t help finding it somewhat amusing. Though she tried to suppress it, mockery still appeared at the corners of her eyes and brows.

Xu Fengjia immediately denied it softly, “No… you’re not that kind of person.”

If Seventh Miss would be moved by the Imperial family’s wealth, she would naturally also be moved by the Duke of Pingguo’s mansion’s wealth. Before news of the Crown Prince’s bride selection had spread, she would have likely already agreed to Xu Fengjia’s proposal.

The atmosphere seemed to relax somewhat, so Seventh Miss took advantage of the moment to slip away from Xu Fengjia’s restraint, circling around to the shaded side of the pear tree.

But Xu Fengjia followed just as quickly, pressing forward again and planting one hand beside Seventh Miss’s face, trapping her against the tree.

The pear tree trembled, and unopened buds, half-opened blossoms, and fully bloomed white flowers all tumbled down in succession, as if a small rain of petals had fallen. A faint, delicate fragrance suddenly filled the grove.

“Then, why?” Xu Fengjia’s gaze remained cold and hard, each word seeking to pierce into Seventh Miss’s very heart.

Looking at this version of Xu Fengjia, Seventh Miss couldn’t help but sigh as well.

“What were you originally planning to do?” she asked him softly. “I assume Third Maternal Aunt has already allowed you to choose one of the sisters as your wife?”

Xu Fengjia paused. “You and I are different.”

He lowered his voice.

“Whatever I want, I’ll fight with everything I have to pursue it… and I will definitely obtain it! The Xu family and Yang family must form a marriage alliance, but as for who marries over—that’s still for me to decide.”

Just looking at his attitude, one could tell that this autonomy was also something Xu Fengjia had worked hard to secure.

Seventh Miss gazed deeply at the young man’s handsome features and slowly acknowledged this.

“I could have—given the current situation, if I proposed you as my wife, all that talk about following birth order, all that about Fourth Maternal Aunt not agreeing… it’s all empty. Fourth Uncle would definitely work hard to bring about this marriage. You know this in your heart.”

Having reached this point in their relationship, there were no excess recriminations. Every word Xu Fengjia spoke was fact.

Seventh Miss slowly nodded.

If Xu Fengjia merely wanted to marry her as a person, dragging the marriage proposal until now had already achieved his goal. Regardless of which daughter he proposed for, the Grand Master would certainly agree to this marriage now.

Of course, the Grand Madam would rebound, would be furious, might even transfer her anger onto the proposed target, but this marriage would absolutely come to pass.

Compared to when Xu Fengjia first arrived in Suzhou, the marriage between them was actually just one step away—the step Xu Fengjia needed to take.

Just looking at his methods in this matter, one could tell this person truly had the confidence to say “As long as I want it, I will definitely obtain it.” Just a delaying tactic, yet Xu Fengjia had managed to delay for so long, so steadily, withstanding the pressure the Xu family must have applied, dragging it to this current state.

Honestly, Seventh Miss was quite surprised he hadn’t made his move.

“What was your original plan?” she asked him in a low voice, her attitude still calm. “Changes in the political situation aren’t something you or I can control. What did you originally intend to do?”

Xu Fengjia hesitated briefly, then admitted frankly, “Fifth Cousin has someone in her heart… If it weren’t that Young Master Feng was truly… I would definitely have helped her achieve her wish.”

With him manipulating things behind the scenes, Seventh Miss truly didn’t doubt he could successfully facilitate Fifth Miss’s marriage to her sweetheart.

What came next was naturally straightforward.

“However, even if I can’t intervene in Fifth Cousin’s marriage, I still have means to bring about the marriage between us. The only difference is—” Xu Fengjia’s tone grew increasingly cold.

They drew closer and closer, until Seventh Miss could almost feel his body heat through layers of clothing.

A scorching heat.

“The only difference lies in your Fourth Aunt’s attitude,” Seventh Miss finished for him in a low voice.

“No.” The denial came quick and sharp. “The only difference is whether you actually want to marry me or not, Yang Qi!”

Though they were so close, they were like mortal enemies. There wasn’t a shred of tenderness between their gazes—only speculation and cold hostility.

Yet Seventh Miss felt a great sense of relief in her heart.

The young man’s pride had ultimately influenced Xu Fengjia’s decision.

He could scheme, could arrange, could withstand the pressure from both the Xu and Yang families to drag the marriage proposal to this point—even if the relationship between the two families might be affected—all because of his own desires.

But he absolutely wouldn’t accept that the wife he’d schemed so hard to marry had no place for him in her heart.

From the day he arrived in Suzhou, Xu Fengjia had continuously tried to probe her feelings. After the incident at Drooping Willow Study, he’d grown even more certain… perhaps from that time on, he’d already considered her part of the Xu family.

And if Seventh Miss were just an ordinary ancient gentlewoman, having been seen by him, no matter how unhappy the Grand Madam was, she would have no choice but to marry into the Xu family. Any estrangement from her natal family she would simply have to endure.

But she kept persistently saying no.

When a lie is told a thousand times, it becomes truth. Moreover, matters of the heart are inherently subtle, and Seventh Miss wasn’t exactly a crystal-clear stream.

After all the twists and turns, this marriage ultimately still depended on her word.

Seventh Miss examined the face before her carefully, as if wanting to etch this person’s features into her heart, to remember this stubborn, arrogant youth as fierce as fire.

“If I wanted to marry…” she said softly.

Xu Fengjia’s entire face lit up. “Uncle Xiao is only waiting for one letter from me—he could come propose tomorrow!”

It seemed two letters were ready, just waiting for her answer.

Xu Fengjia must have reached the point where he couldn’t wait any longer.

Only then did Seventh Miss finish her sentence. “If I wanted to marry… I wouldn’t have been coyly saying no. Cousin, I truly don’t want to marry you!”

As the words left her mouth, she felt a kind of extreme, painful relief in her heart.

Xu Fengjia froze.

The light on his face dimmed little by little, making the young man look somewhat weathered.

A few scattered raindrops drifted from somewhere, landing on Seventh Miss’s nose. She looked up and realized the sky was dark with approaching rain. Gray traces already dotted the distant blue-tiled eaves.

She tried to move, but Xu Fengjia pressed even closer. His nose nearly touched hers—though they didn’t make contact, it felt more intimate than an embrace. His gaze swept across her face inch by inch, as if trying to see into her heart.

“Then you… why don’t you want to marry me?!”

He finally lost that composure that had constantly accompanied him, his words revealing a trace of anguish.

The rain grew heavier. Spring thunder rumbled behind the clouds. From far away came the sound of young women’s laughter and footsteps—the maids working in the garden were seeking shelter from the rain. Pear blossoms spiraled down as Xu Fengjia’s face became covered with a shimmering veil of water.

Yet he didn’t move, only stubbornly gazing at Seventh Miss, like a drowning person who’d grasped a final straw and refused to let go no matter what.

This must be the most desperate moment in this person’s previously smooth-sailing life.

“The match is too unequal,” Seventh Miss could only repeat softly. “Cousin, it’s truly that simple. With your intelligence, how could you not understand the complications involved… your family’s wealth is too hot to handle. I’m truly afraid I can’t bear it.”

Xu Fengjia’s gaze gradually lost focus.

From its substantial probing quality, it transformed into a blank bewilderment.

This was the first time this boy had exposed his vulnerability so completely and without defense.

He lowered his head, letting wet strands of hair fall before his eyes, blocking his expression.

Seventh Miss opened her mouth but couldn’t find words.

She was like a wrung-out sponge, completely desiccated. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to say more—she truly couldn’t speak anymore.

From the direction of Jade Rain Pavilion came Lixia’s soft call: “Miss, the rain is getting heavier…”

Someone had come looking for her.

Seventh Miss gave Xu Fengjia one deep look, then turned toward the approaching person.

She’d barely taken a few steps when, accompanied by an angry low curse, she was pulled back into Xu Fengjia’s embrace.

This embrace was hot as fire, clinging to her back despite the dampness, locking around her waist, pulling her back to the pear tree.

“Then have you… ever liked me at all?!” These words were as low as dream-talk, nearly sliding past her ears, but the choking emotion in them couldn’t be missed.

Seventh Miss couldn’t hold back any longer.

She should say no. She should steel her heart and deny it. But she was still human after all—she had her breaking point too.

Tears mixed with rainwater dripped from her trembling lashes. She closed her eyes and nodded haphazardly, then began to struggle again.

The arms holding her tightened further, embedding her firmly against Xu Fengjia’s body. All her efforts were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot before these arms.

“Just because you fear your birth can’t support my family’s status, because you fear your legitimate mother won’t support you, leaving you isolated and helpless in the Xu family… just because of these things, you won’t marry me?”

Seventh Miss nodded again, biting her lip and refusing to speak.

Xu Fengjia fell silent.

The strength in his arms gradually, bit by bit, relaxed.

Seventh Miss didn’t dare move. Only when he’d completely released her did she step forward a few paces, then turn to face Xu Fengjia.

A few scattered strands of hair were soaked by rain, plastered to his forehead, making his features appear even more clear and bright.

He also stared fixedly at Seventh Miss.

Gradually, his original dejection was replaced by disdain. His back straightened again.

“Then, rest assured. From now on, you won’t be troubled by this matter.”

His words regained Xu Fengjia’s usual confidence and commanding tone.

“I just never imagined your affection could be so cheap.”

That boy who controlled every situation had returned, except the gaze he turned on Seventh Miss no longer held any of those emotions it once had.

Tenderness, fondness, attraction, confusion, dejection… all were passing clouds. Now they seemed to have returned to the starting point, with Xu Fengjia above, looking down on her with contempt.

Touched by this scorn, her self-respect naturally rebounded, making Seventh Miss instinctively straighten her spine and swallow the lump in her throat.

“Then I thank you very much, Cousin.”

Her expression was calm, her voice sweet and crisp.

Xu Fengjia snorted angrily, spun around and kicked the pear tree fiercely, then rapidly disappeared into the curtain of rain.

Pear blossoms cascaded down in response, fluttering and swirling, covering Seventh Miss’s head and face.

She simply stood in the rain, letting the warm spring rain slowly soak through her embroidered silks, watching these gentle yet merciless raindrops beat the fallen pear blossoms into the mud.

Only after a long while did an umbrella appear above Seventh Miss’s head.

“The rain has grown heavy.” Lixia’s unhurried voice sounded behind Seventh Miss. “Miss should return inside to rest.”

Seventh Miss stood there a while longer before slowly turning around and walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Lixia toward the house.

“Did you see everything?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she was startled by the nearly exhausted, depleted quality in her own tone.

Lixia’s expression didn’t change. “This servant saw nothing.”

She looked at Seventh Miss with concern, tightening her grip on the arm supporting her. “As soon as the rain started, all the maids and women went inside to avoid it—everyone thought you’d gone to Moon Arrival Pavilion to talk. Only I thought Miss seemed to be strolling in the pear blossom grove, so I came out to look…”

Seventh Miss should have felt relieved.

But she didn’t even have the energy for that relief. She only responded softly, “I understand.”

She entered the house, changed clothes, bathed, then watched as Lixia bustled about preparing Taiping formula medicinal decoction. She drank the medicine, then went to bed for a brief rest.

Her thoughts remained clear—she didn’t fall into a feverish daze. After lying down for a while, she had Lixia bring her a book to read.

While agreeing, Lixia arranged things with Shangyuan. “Miss has been caught in the rain and might develop a fever. I’ll take the night watch tonight and swap shifts with you…”

With her managing everything, Seventh Miss truly didn’t need to worry about anything.

She simply read until lamplight time.

Both Shangyuan and Qiqiao had left the room. Seventh Miss had always disliked having nannies stay overnight, so typically only one senior maid remained to attend her.

The room finally quieted down.

Lixia trimmed the candle wick for Seventh Miss, then naturally sat down beside her.

Seventh Miss found this interesting. “Why the dejected face? As if someone’s wronged you.”

Lixia hesitated.

Thinking of how the two of them, mistress and servant, had supported each other from South Side Courtyard, step by step reaching today… Seventh Miss’s constant trust and care.

She finally spoke boldly.

“Miss… are you afraid you can’t command respect at the Duke of Pingguo’s mansion, and that’s why you declined the Young Master’s goodwill?”

Seventh Miss stopped turning the pages and looked at Lixia.

This girl was two or three years older than her—now seventeen or eighteen years old.

Yet the eyes looking at her still held clarity.

In this matter, everyone had their own position, their own thoughts. Speaking to them would be casting pearls before swine.

Only Lixia would, from beginning to end, stand only on her side.

She set down the book and sighed softly.

“Many common sayings have their reasons.”

Lixia didn’t speak, listening quietly.

“If Fifth Sister had another good marriage prospect today, and Cousin came to propose, and Mother agreed, I wouldn’t fear being unable to hold my ground at the Duke of Pingguo’s mansion. But now it’s obvious—Madam values Cousin as a potential fifth son-in-law. A last-minute substitution, no matter how many reasons there are, certainly won’t sit well with Mother. In the past, she definitely wouldn’t have agreed.”

“Even if Father pressures from above, or other methods are used to bring about the marriage, the inner courtyard is still ultimately under her control. Dowry, proper treatment, accompanying servants, post-marriage relations… having natal family support versus not having it are completely different matters. Father can provide my dowry, but these other things are beyond his power.”

“Fine, even if my natal family and I are estranged, and my in-laws look down on my birth, I can still establish myself firmly in the Xu family. It’s just that the first few years would require walking on eggshells, enduring my mother-in-law’s moods… I can bear it.” Seventh Miss murmured. “As long as Cousin’s heart holds affection for me, I’ll eventually rise to the top. I’ve endured hardship for over ten years already—enduring a few more years doesn’t matter. Time reveals people’s hearts. The Xu family will eventually be mine to control.”

Lixia couldn’t help opening her mouth.

Weren’t Seventh Miss’s words exactly what the Young Master was thinking? Wasn’t this precisely the Young Master’s plan? But then why—

“I know this is exactly what Cousin thinks,” Seventh Miss lowered her head with a laughing sigh. “As long as I hold him in my heart and he holds me in his, no matter how much grievance we suffer outside, behind closed doors the couple can encourage each other. The most difficult years can still pass.”

“But Cousin is, after all, a male. His world is vast and broad, while my world is narrow and small. When he suffers grievances, he has the limitless sky outside to soar through. My world was only as large as a well opening to begin with. If I marry into the Xu family, I’ll have nothing left—I can only rely on his affection.”

“If it were you, wouldn’t you worry about what you’d have left once that affection fades?”

Her expression was calm as still water. “It’s not that I look down on Cousin’s sincerity, but Lixia, you must remember this principle: once a woman can only rely on ethereal affection to establish herself and make her living, she will certainly feel uneasy in her heart. The weight of harsh reality might cause that affection to deteriorate… and if any such possibility occurs, for a woman, she’s already lost everything, yet the man will still have his whole world… Rather than reaching that point and having nothing to say to each other, better to be heartless now and leave some room for fond memories in the future.”

Lixia froze.

She couldn’t help but chew over Seventh Miss’s words in her heart. The more she chewed, the more substance she found.

Seventh Miss also smiled faintly at Lixia.

Her heart lake grew even more still as stagnant water, without a ripple.

What was so terrible about one heartbreak? Life still had to go on. Even if sorrow rose like the tide, that tide would eventually recede.