Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

Jiang Xing listened quietly to her words, then looked at Chu Zhihe with a calm, almost indifferent gaze.

She seemed to understand why this so-called second young lady was hostile towards her; it turned out to be because of this.

"Miss Chu."

"I came to the Pei residence today at the invitation of Madam Pei. My dealings with Lord Pei are aboveboard and there is nothing to hide. If Miss Chu is worried about Lord Pei, she should ask him, not me."

Chu Zhihe's expression changed: "Stop pretending to be confused..."

"I haven't finished speaking yet." Jiang Xing interrupted her, his tone nonchalant: "Miss Chu said so much just now, nothing more than fear that I would steal your fiancé. But has Miss Chu ever thought that if Lord Pei has you in his heart, I can't take him away no matter what I do; if Lord Pei doesn't have you in his heart, even if you drive away all the peasant girls in the world, it won't make a difference."

These words seemed to strike a nerve with Chu Zhihe; her face turned pale instantly, and her chest heaved rapidly.

"Shut up!" Her voice suddenly rose, shattering her dignified demeanor completely. "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to say such things? You're from the countryside, you can't even get used to the food in the capital, you've never even seen perfume, what makes you think you can compete with me?"

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened, and her voice trembled uncontrollably: "I grew up with Jing Shi since I was little. I know everything he likes and dislikes."

"I remember his birthday every year and start preparing gifts a month in advance. But no matter how much I do, he never even looks at me. He never uses the things I give him, and he never replies to the letters I write to him. I thought he was like that with everyone, and I thought he was just a cold person."

Her voice suddenly choked, and tears welled up, splashing onto her clothes, one drop after another, leaving dark spots on her light purple dress.

"But then you appeared, and the way he looked at you... he's never looked at me like that before. Even because of you, Brother Jingshi wanted to break off our engagement. Why? Why did you do nothing to steal his attention?"

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, taking a step forward and raising her hand: "You shameless person! You knew he had a fiancée, so why did you come? Why did you even show up in front of him...?"

The slap, carried by the wind, came slapping Jiang Xing across the face.

Jiang Xing stared speechlessly at the crazy woman in front of him, preparing to block the slap that was about to fall. A hand reached out from the side and firmly grasped Chu Zhihe's wrist.

Pei Jingshi had somehow appeared behind Jiang Xing. His face was as dark as a frozen lake, and his gaze, fixed on Chu Zhihe's face, was so cold it sent chills down one's spine.

"Chu Zhihe." He called her by her full name, his voice low but each word sharp and forceful: "What are you doing?"

Chu Zhihe froze. Her mouth was open, tears still streaming down her face, and her raised hand was held in mid-air by Pei Jingshi, leaving her unable to move forward or backward.

"Brother Jingshi..." Her voice trembled violently, "I..."

Pei Jingshi released her wrist swiftly and decisively. He took a step back and stood beside Jiang Xing, his gaze never leaving Chu Zhihe's face.

"I heard what you just said."

He paused, his tone turning even colder: "So you were determined to come to the Southwest just to flaunt your status as the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion? I'd like to ask you, A-Yu, what tricks does your mansion have that I don't know about?"

Upon hearing Pei Jingshi mention Chu Yu, Chu Zhihe instinctively shuddered; her greatest fear was of her older brother.

Chu Zhihe's tears fell in a steady stream, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word. She looked at Pei Jingshi, her eyes filled with panic, helplessness, and the pain of being misunderstood.

Pei Jingshi took one last look at her, then turned around and looked at Jiang Xing.

The moment his gaze fell on Jiang Xing's face, the coldness vanished, replaced by gentleness: "Are you alright?"

Jiang Xing took two steps back without making a sound and shook his head.

"I'll have someone take you back," Pei Jingshi said to Chu Zhihe, his tone less than friendly.

He then stepped aside to clear the exit of the pavilion, waiting for Jiang Xing to leave first.

Jiang Xing glanced at Chu Zhihe, who stood there with tears streaming down her face. Her arrogant demeanor from before had been completely shattered, leaving her looking disheveled and embarrassed.

Jiang Xing didn't say anything, but turned around and walked out of the pavilion first.

The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance along the covered bridge. Chu Zhihe stood alone in the pavilion, listening to the sound disappear little by little on the water. Suddenly, as if all her strength had been drained away, she squatted down, covered her face, and cried silently.

At the end of the covered bridge, Pei Jingshi walked beside Jiang Xing in silence for a long while.

He finally spoke, his voice much gentler than before, but still carrying a hint of lingering heaviness: "You don't need to take her words to heart."

Jiang Xing glanced at him and saw that his jawline was taut and his gaze was fixed straight ahead.

She looked away, her tone indifferent: "I didn't take it to heart. I can understand Miss Chu's hostility towards me. Anyone would be unhappy to see their fiancé being polite to a complete stranger. But her hostility is really unnecessary."

She said this with genuine indifference, even with a hint of helpless smile, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

Pei Jingshi suddenly slowed down.

Jiang Xing took two steps forward, then noticed that he had fallen behind. He turned around and looked at him: "What's wrong?"

Pei Jingshi stood there, the lantern light from the corridor casting a half-light, half-shadow on his face. He looked at her, his lips moved, as if something was stuck in his throat, and after a few struggles, he finally managed to squeeze it out.

"You're right, her hostility was unnecessary." He paused, his voice lowering so much it was almost drowned out by the night wind: "But the reason she treated you like this today, in the end, is because of me."

Jiang Xing frowned slightly: "Lord Pei..."

"You're in my heart."