Through her observation, she felt they were a pair of ill-fated lovers. To her surprise, she was wrong.
Yun Shu smiled and nodded, "You were mistaken."
Gu Zhiruo spread her hands, unconcerned. "It doesn't matter. However, if they weren't a pair of ill-fated lovers, then Miss Wu might be heartbroken. I can sense Miss Wu's hostility towards me."
She had anticipated some trouble before arriving, but not this much.
Now, Wu Xuewei, a romantic rival, had appeared.
Wu Xuewei had only arrived at the Ruan residence a couple of days ago.
"If you find her too bothersome to deal with, tell Ruan Xi. Ruan Xi has always been good at handling women. Let him deal with her. Sometimes, a woman's jealousy can be very frightening. You must not underestimate it," Yun Shu advised.
Those associated with the Ruan family were no ordinary people.
Gu Zhiruo nodded earnestly. "Alright, if I don't want to deal with her, I'll let Ruan Xi handle it. Besides, this is the Ruan residence. No matter how jealous she is, she wouldn't dare do anything rash. And Ruan Xi and I have already agreed to return to the capital in a while."
"You've agreed to divorce after returning?" Yun Shu asked.
Gu Zhiruo hummed in affirmation. "We'll have the wedding first, and then divorce after some time. Yun Shu, you must write to me. Perhaps one day, I'll come to stay with you for a while."
Thinking of their impending separation, Gu Zhiruo's eyes reddened.
Yun Shu felt a pang in her heart. Having transmigrated here years ago, she had developed deep affections for the people here.
Family, friends.
"All feasts must end, but there are also times for reunion. We will meet again," she said softly.
Gu Zhiruo broke into a tearful smile, nodding repeatedly. "Yes! We will meet again. Yun Shu, please take good care of yourself, even if..."
She stopped herself abruptly.
She wouldn't entertain that hypothetical scenario.
Yun Shu understood what Gu Zhiruo had held back. Her smile faltered slightly. "Even if Prince Ye truly wronged me, I certainly won't fail to take care of myself. I still have family."
Gu Zhiruo felt a sharp pain in her heart. She had experienced the pain of being deceived by Qu Shujie and knew how deeply betrayal could hurt. Therefore, she could truly empathize with Yun Shu's situation. Yet, Yun Shu kept everything hidden, as if her calm exterior meant no injury or pain.
But how could there be no pain? How could there be no suffering? xxs1
It was simply that Yun Shu didn't speak of it.
Gu Zhiruo tightly grasped Yun Shu's hand. "Shall we have a drink tonight? We won't sleep until we're drunk. Please accompany me, won't you? Here, no one can drink with me. Even if I can have a cup or two with Ruan Xi, he's not truly engaged. Will you drink with me?"
A hearty, unrestrained drink.
Speaking freely.
She felt Yun Shu needed to vent her emotions.
Yun Shu's lips curved. "That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Half an hour later.
Under the moonlight, the two women clinked their cups in the pavilion, speaking their minds freely. Jar after jar of wine was emptied.
Not far away, Ruan Xi watched this scene, utterly stunned.
The two of them were terrifyingly formidable!
"With their drinking capacity, I wouldn't dare claim to be able to drink! I never expected Gu Zhiruo to have such a tolerance for alcohol. No wonder every time we drank, she looked a little disdainful. So, she was looking down on my poor drinking skills." Ruan Xi only realized this in hindsight.
Jing Heng shot him a cold glance. "Your drinking capacity was never good to begin with."
"I'm a good man, I don't fight with women. Otherwise, you think my drinking capacity is really that bad?" Ruan Xi would never admit to having poor alcohol tolerance.
Jing Heng, having known Ruan Xi for many years, was well aware of Ruan Xi's cunning ways and merely let out a snort.
This snort was filled with utter mockery.
Ruan Xi's mouth twitched in anger. "Why are you snorting? Don't you believe me? Want to compete and see who has the better drinking capacity?"
"I won't compete with you. I still need to protect the master," Jing Heng refused coldly.
Nothing was more important than protecting the master.
Ruan Xi was speechless. "This is the Ruan residence. No spies or assassins can sneak in. Yun Shu won't be in any danger. Besides, your martial arts are no match for Yun Shu's. It's not certain who is protecting whom."
"Nonsense," Jing Heng retorted with a roar.
Ruan Xi roared back, "Jing Heng!"
The two met each other's gaze.
A murderous intent flared between them.
However, Ruan Xi suddenly remembered something. "I heard you've been getting close to A'Cha recently? I just saw you two exchanging glances. Have you fallen for A'Cha? If I were to walk past A'Cha a few times and give her a few suggestive looks, do you think she'd be mesmerized by me?"
He aimed for Jing Heng's weak spot, believing these words would surely provoke him.
A killing gaze flashed from Jing Heng as he narrowed his eyes. "Say that again."
Ruan Xi was somewhat intimidated by Jing Heng's glare.
He had always known Jing Heng to be emotionally detached, and they had never been close. He genuinely feared that Jing Heng, in a fit of anger, might beat him half to death. With a chuckle, he said, "Now I see it! You truly like A'Cha!"
"Do I need you to tell me that? Don't go bothering A'Cha, or I will personally kill you!" Jing Heng threatened in a cold voice.
Ruan Xi rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright! I have so many women, all of them beautiful as flowers. Why would I fight you for a woman!"
Jing Heng's expression finally softened.
Ruan Xi's eyes darted, and another mischievous idea struck him. "You've never been good with women. Want me to teach you a few tricks? I guarantee A'Cha will be devoted to you. Let me tell you, your killer aura is likely to scare women away. If you want a woman to stay by your side, you need to make some changes! And A'Cha suffered so much in prison; she probably dislikes people who are always talking about fighting and killing."
This speech was incredibly persuasive.
A hint of hesitation flickered in Jing Heng's eyes.
Did his aura truly scare A'Cha?
Ruan Xi, being incredibly astute, noticed Jing Heng's hesitation and knew he had found Jing Heng's vulnerability. He continued to tempt him with a smile. "So, what do you say? Want to learn a few tricks from me? You know me, any woman I fancy, if I want her, I can make her fall madly in love with me!"
This was no exaggeration!
Jing Heng suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked coldly at Ruan Xi. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to! It's better to ask the master than to ask you. Can you understand women better than the master?"
Ruan Xi's mouth twitched fiercely again. "You're getting smarter, aren't you? Fine! Then ask Yun Shu. However, even if you want to ask her, shouldn't you wait until things are settled with Prince Ye? Speaking of Prince Ye, what's going on with him? I sent people to investigate, but they couldn't find anything."