Chapter 11: Encountering the Scoundrel Again
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On the day Dantai Jing returned to the academy, the sunlight was bright but not harsh. To celebrate her rebirth, she had deliberately chosen a goose-yellow, cross-collared vest in a slightly warmer shade. No sooner had she stepped down from the carriage than she saw Wang Ziyu.
Her good mood sank at once, but only for a moment. Dantai Jing quickly recovered her smile and gazed at Wang Ziyu with sparkling eyes.
Wang Ziyu wore an ice-blue robe with a moon-white leather belt. His attire was plain, yet he looked fresh and spirited. In her previous life, this was precisely what Dantai Jing had liked about him. Though he was a poor scholar, he had never belittled himself because of his circumstances. Instead, he carried with him the upright air of one steeped in books.
It was a pity that, now that she looked at him again, he had long since become an entirely different person.
Every step Wang Ziyu took had a purpose. Every gesture, every movement, every article of clothing was meant to please her. In her previous life, Dantai Jing had never seen through him. At the time, her fifth younger sister, Dantai Xuan, had also pursued Wang Ziyu relentlessly, yet he had never been willing to spare her more than a glance. Dantai Jing had therefore believed that he truly loved her and would remain faithful forever.
In the end, it had all been a joke.
They had been married for barely a month when Suyue climbed into Wang Ziyu’s bed—and Wang Ziyu had even considered it perfectly natural.
As Nanny Xu had said back then, Wang Ziyu was nothing but an ungrateful white-eyed wolf with a tail as long as his face.
Dantai Jing drew in a quiet breath. A ring of pines and cypresses had been planted outside the academy, and mingled with the morning dew, their fragrance was especially refined and pure. She silently buried the memories of her previous life and waited for Wang Ziyu to speak, her smile still bright.
Wang Ziyu observed proper etiquette. Only after Dantai Jing had stepped down from the carriage did he come forward to salute and ask anxiously, “Has Third Miss recovered? You still look rather pale to me. You should have rested a little longer before returning to your studies. With your exceptional talent, missing a few days would hardly matter. If you truly missed any lessons, I can help you make them up.”
Dantai Jing stared at Wang Ziyu for a long moment.
Madam Ding was incapable of keeping anything to herself. She must have seen Wang Ziyu yesterday, which meant he certainly knew that Dantai Jing had become mute. But now…
Dantai Jing did not believe for a moment that Wang Ziyu truly did not care. If he had not cared whether she was mute or not, her previous life would never have been so wretched. And yet he could still treat her with such eager attentiveness…
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Dantai Jing gave Wang Ziyu a deep look. He truly was no simple man. Had she not lived more than ten years longer than him, she might well have fallen into his hands all over again.
At that moment, Dantai Jing was intensely curious. She wanted to see exactly where Wang Ziyu’s bottom line lay—and why he was so determined to cling to her.
With that thought, Dantai Jing abruptly shook off Suxin’s hand and began gesturing frantically at Wang Ziyu. She placed one hand before her chin and made a clawing motion with the other. She was in such a hurry that she looked just like a little beggar by the roadside. Paired with her small, delicate features, the sight was absurdly comical.
Even though Wang Ziyu had been prepared, Dantai Jing’s appearance startled him.
Suxin had never expected her mistress to choose such a method. Had she not always communicated by writing before? Even without brush, ink, or paper, she could have written on Suxin’s palm and had her convey the message to Young Master Wang.
Suxin could not bear to see her mistress suddenly transformed from a gentle and graceful Third Miss into a foolish, crazed little girl. She hurried forward to stand before Dantai Jing and said with an especially mild smile, “Young Master Wang, please forgive us. My mistress is asking whether you have had breakfast.”
The flicker of surprise on Wang Ziyu’s face had not escaped Dantai Jing’s notice.
Just as she had thought, Wang Ziyu had approached her with an ulterior motive from the very beginning. There had never been any profound affection or devotion between them.
Now that she understood the truth, Dantai Jing made up her mind to shake off this scoundrel today. No matter what happened, she would never allow the tragedy of her former life to repeat itself.
Wang Ziyu concealed his earlier surprise. With refined grace, he stepped forward and opened the oiled-paper umbrella in his hand. Painted upon it in ink wash was an orchid—the pure and elegant style Dantai Jing had always favored.
“I have already eaten. Third Miss, do go inside. You have not yet fully recovered, and it would be unwise to expose yourself to the summer heat again.”
Dantai Jing lightly gathered her skirt and climbed the steps. Her head was slightly bowed, allowing the tassel hairpin threaded with tiny purple millet pearls to sway beside her temple. Her mind, however, was occupied with other thoughts.
Before their wedding, Wang Ziyu had always maintained the elegance of a noble young master. Because of that, Dantai Jing had continually reminded herself, “Never despise a young man for being poor.”
The result…
At the same time, Wang Ziyu was thinking over his own affairs. The previous day, he had just left the academy when he saw Madam Ding waiting outside. He had hurried over, only to be subjected to a furious torrent of scolding. After finally understanding what had happened, he had managed to persuade her to leave, then slowly digested everything she had told him.
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Wang Ziyu had devoted considerable effort to studying Third Miss Dantai Jing. He knew that, with his own abilities, he would probably never have the chance to leap from obscurity into prominence. But a marriage that could help him would change everything.
Just look at the people in the academy. How many of them possessed any genuine talent or learning? Merely because they had been born with silver spoons in their mouths, they could squander their youth and amuse themselves as they pleased, never having to worry about whether they would have white-flour buns for their next meal.
Originally, the daughter of a prefect was someone he could never have dared dream of. But after Third Miss’s birth mother died, everything had gained a turn of fortune. The current Prefect’s Madam, Madam Ye, was no pushover. She had quietly paved quite a few roads for him, all because she wished to be rid of Dantai Jing.
It was not that he disliked Fifth Miss. Compared with her elder sister, Dantai Xuan was more delicate and radiant. But Wang Ziyu knew perfectly well that Madam Ye would never marry Fifth Miss to him.
The only one he could hope to reach now was Third Miss Dantai Jing. If he could not win over even Third Miss, then he would have no connection whatsoever to the daughter of the prefect.
Therefore, whether Third Miss Dantai Jing was mute, deaf, or crippled, he would cling to her without letting go. She was only a woman, after all. At worst, he could take concubines later.
What he wanted was Dantai Jing’s family background—and the resources that stood behind her.
With these thoughts in mind, Wang Ziyu became even gentler. He lowered his voice and said to Dantai Jing, “The tutor has not covered anything particularly important during the days you were absent. I recorded everything he taught in detail. If you do not mind, Third Miss, you may take my notes, so that you will not miss any of your lessons.”
Dantai Jing was furious.
She had assumed that once Wang Ziyu learned she was mute, he would give up. She had never imagined that he would become even more clingy than before. She had already fallen into such a state, and if Wang Ziyu still refused to abandon her, Madam Ye would have an even greater opportunity to marry her off to him.
No. She could not let that happen.
Dantai Jing suddenly raised her head—and saw a pomegranate-red silk skirt embroidered with peonies enter her line of sight.
It belonged to Fifth Miss Dantai Xuan, who was glaring angrily at the two people walking side by side beneath the umbrella.
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