After Gong Chen left, Lin Zhiyi leaned against a pillar, lost and devastated. The vast expanse of snow outside reflected her bloodless complexion.
She supported herself on the pillar and moved forward, under the newly hung red silk satins.
They danced in the wind, but she alone was as still as death.
Returning to her courtyard, Lin Zhiyi lay uncomfortably on the guest room bed with the new bedding providing no sense of security.
Eventually, she closed her eyes in a daze.
...
Gong Chen sat on the sofa, his fingertips resting against his forehead, his long lashes half-closed, hiding the emotions in his eyes.
"Third Young Master, you’ve returned."
Sang Ran approached joyfully, and upon seeing his coat draped over the sofa, she immediately, with a hint of wifely virtue, picked it up to smooth out the sleeves.
"I’ve tidied up the cloakroom. Shall I hang it up for you?"
"Mm."
Gong Chen responded absentmindedly.
Suddenly, his fingertips paused, and he quickly rose to go upstairs.
Sang Ran, a bit perplexed, turned to follow Gong Chen, struggling to keep up, "Third Young Master, slow down, I can’t walk that fast."
Once in the cloakroom, Sang Ran saw Gong Chen standing in front of a cupboard.
"What’s wrong?"
"Where is the red scarf in the cupboard?"
Gong Chen didn’t even realize that he had suddenly raised his voice.
Sang Ran went stiff for a moment, then explained, "I saw it was torn, so I had the servants put it back in the box to keep it tidy, it’s just in... it seems that the servants have taken the boxes down to throw them out, I’ll go—"
Before she could finish, the figure before her had vanished into the stairwell.
By the time Gong Chen got there, two maids were by a garbage can, setting a fire.
"Disgusting, I don’t want anything she’s touched, it reeks."
"Keep your voice down."
"What’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t the old master also insinuate something about her character? Could the old master be wrong?"
The maids mocked as they threw the scarf into the flames.
As the fire licked the scarf, a hand, regardless of burns, reached directly into the fire to snatch the scarf back.
But one corner was still singed.
He lifted his eyes to the maids, his face expressionless, yet a terrifying darkness lurked in the depths of his eyes.
"You’re dismissed."
"Third Young Master, I..." The maid went pale, trying to plead.
"Get out."
Gong Chen’s knuckles tightened on the scarf as he turned and left.
...
Back in the room,
When Sang Ran saw Gong Chen’s slightly reddened hand, she anxiously lifted it.
"Third Young Master, are you alright? It’s just a scarf, if you like, I can buy several more for you."
Gong Chen calmly withdrew his hand, his tone cold, "I don’t like others touching my things."
Sang Ran froze in place, her heart suddenly aching.
She pressed her lips together and said, "Sorry."
"Mm."
Gong Chen wasn’t angry.
But Sang Ran saw in his eyes an emotion more frightening than anger, unsettling to the core.
Gong Chen walked past her, hanging the damaged scarf back in the cupboard, next to the one his mother had knitted.
As he closed the cupboard door, he happened to see a tube of ointment on the low cabinet.
"What’s bothering you?"
Sang Ran’s spirits, previously low, instantly revived.
He still cared about her.
She picked up the ointment and explained, "I got it out for Zhiyi. She’s allergic to the jasmine fragrance; she scratched her arms until they were raw. I forgot to give it to her just now. I’ll have someone send it over later."
"Allergic?" Gong Chen frowned.
"Yes, her arms are all scratched up; it looks quite severe, like she doesn’t know pain at all."
Sang Ran’s words reminded Gong Chen of Lin Zhiyi’s earlier throat-scratching gesture.
As if out of her control.
The pain made Lin Zhiyi subconsciously withdraw her hand. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
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