Favoring a Hidden Mistress? Engagement Broken-Chapter 86 - 82:

Xie Wanqing always knew that Lu Ziyuan’s hands were beautiful—long fingers, wide palms, exuding a sense of security.

But this time, his outstretched left hand was covered in blood, flowing from the wounds on his arm, sticky and red.

This hand unhesitatingly gripped her skirt, slowly staining her clothes.

He kept uttering obsessively, "Come home with me."

Looking at the man kneeling before her, drenched in blood, Xie Wanqing didn’t know what expression she wore, but she knew she felt troubled inside.

She once thought, the Lu Ziyuan in her dreams treated her so poorly, even if he died in front of her, he deserved it.

She would absolutely not shed a tear for him.

Yet now, with him before her, bloodied and on his knees, she didn’t feel the satisfaction of revenge; instead, her heart twisted, faintly aching.

The love from growing up together couldn’t be fake. Even if she wanted to sever ties with him, she somehow couldn’t bear to see him so humble and disgraced, fallen from grace.

How could Lu Ziyuan be weak and beg others? He should stand proud in the world, imposing.

Xie Wanqing blinked, holding back tears, and remembered the lifeless eyes of Lu Ziyuan from her dreams, staring at her worn-out clothes.

...Did she really make a mistake?

Perhaps she shouldn’t have rushed into marriage, at least leaving him some buffer time until their feelings were entirely severed before moving on.

But if it weren’t for his constant pressure, how could she have...

Silently observing her skirt clutched in his hand, Xie Wanqing slowly squatted down to meet his gaze.

No sarcasm, no impatience, her eyes calm, as if facing a familiar friend.

"Lu Ziyuan," she softly called his name, her tone gentle, "I don’t understand why you suddenly became so fixated on me. Over the years, you haven’t cared much about our marriage contract, but we can’t go back. Accept reality."

"I did care, I always cared," his hand moved from her skirt to her wrist, Lu Ziyuan explained in a trembling voice: "I just had too much pride, didn’t want people to think I was entangled in sentimental pursuits... I was wrong... I won’t hold onto my pride anymore."

He seemed extremely aggrieved, abandoning the spear he’d been holding with a clatter.

Both hands clasped the woman’s hands, brought them to his lips, kissed them, and with a voice filled with accusation said, "In the days before the wedding, I counted every day, yet you casually called off the engagement."

Xie Wanqing’s fingers curled, instinctively wanting to pull away, but she was stunned by his latter words.

Suddenly, she recalled that day in the back gardens of the Wuyuan Marquis Mansion, by the rose wall, when after hearing of her desire to break the engagement, Lu Ziyuan coldly scolded that marriage wasn’t a game, and that their wedding was only fifty-one days away, telling her not to be capricious.

At the time it didn’t seem significant, but now, under his words, she finally realized.

Perhaps he was being truthful, perhaps he really did count down the days, eagerly awaiting the marriage.

...What kind of situation is this?

Even though he liked her too, cared about the marriage, having no other women, he could still say such cruel things, utterly freezing her once fiery love.

She remembered the chill in her heart when she discovered the dreams were reality and heard his relentless questioning.

If it was youthful pride, ignorance in pleasing one’s lover, then why could she unhesitatingly, openly acknowledge her feelings, striving wholeheartedly for the one she loved?

Once the marriage was set, she never cared about others’ views.

She was even two years younger than him.

The long-forgotten sourness crept back in, Xie Wanqing sniffed, shook her head, and said: "It’s too late, I’m already married to someone else."

"It’s not too late," Lu Ziyuan held her hand, face burrowed into her palm, his voice muffled: "As long as you come home with me, it’s never too late."

His warm breath and stubble pricked her palm, a bit itchy, causing Xie Wanqing to frown. Just as she was about to speak, she felt liquid flow from her palm to her fingertips...

Her fingertips trembled; realizing what it was, her lips parted and then paused, dryly stating, "Pei Yuqing and I have completed the marriage rites."

Lu Ziyuan merely sent a small sound of acknowledgement, "It doesn’t matter, I don’t care."

"But I care," Xie Wanqing said: "The ceremony is complete, we bowed to heaven and earth and our parents, drank the wedding wine, all ritual steps of a newlywed couple have been fulfilled. I am already, rightfully, Mrs. Pei. What home do I have to go back to with you?"

...What home to go back with you?

"Mrs. Pei?" Lu Ziyuan locked his jaws, quickly raised his eyes, tightly clasping the nape of her neck, meeting her gaze for a few silent breaths, and coldly laughed: "Have you forgotten what you once said?"

He gritted his teeth: "You once said you wouldn’t marry anyone but me, Lu Ziyuan. You said it three times. Need I remind you under what circumstances?"

"..." Xie Wanqing pressed her lips, silent. She truly meant it each time she said it; how could she possibly forget?

The first time was at fourteen, during that year’s spring hunt, Lu Ziyuan caught a completely white fox, its fur so splendid that even the empress wanted it for a scarf, yet he didn’t give it away.

The pelt of that white fox was later made into a pair of warm gloves for Xie Wanqing.

She was never one to hide her feelings, and upon receiving the gift, she praised him with a smile.

At that time, Lu Ziyuan had just started leading troops, the air of command not yet as heavy, nor was he as cold as later. Hearing her words, still half-smiling, he asked: "How good?"

Xie Wanqing replied, "So good that if I can’t marry you, it would be a major regret of my life."

Back then, the Xie and Lu families frequently visited each other, a friendship of generations, their marriage contract set for four years, rock solid.

Yet upon hearing her words, Lu Ziyuan became serious, admonishing her not to say such things recklessly.

Xie Wanqing, however, didn’t mind, laughingly said: "Brother Ziyan, I’ll never marry anyone but you in this life."

As for the second time...

Xie Wanqing closed her eyes, not wanting to recall further. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Throughout the years, there certainly were tender moments between them. If it weren’t for his hot-and-cold demeanor, the on-and-off warmth, how did she end up falling deeper and deeper?

If he had remained cold as ice, never giving her any special treatment, she would’ve given up long ago, wouldn’t have adamantly believed he held feelings for her in the dream, insisting on marrying into the Lu Family, and ended up with a tragically pitiful end.

In all their entanglements, she was never untrue to him.

Perhaps in their past life, in the dreams, he wronged her, caused her death, and for self-preservation, she took another path. What was wrong in that?

On what grounds did he adopt the tone of being betrayed to judge her!