Chapter 14: You Mustn’t Overthink

Upon hearing this, Yun Qing waved her hand and said, “I’m just kindly reminding you. If you’re willing to marry her, then go ahead.”

Earlier that morning, she had calculated that the bond between these two was completely severed. If they insisted on clinging to each other, defying fate would only bring them harm. The sooner they let go, the less misfortune they would endure.

She didn’t try to persuade him further. If he was destined for bad luck, it was none of her concern. After all, he had been blind before; she only intended to watch the drama unfold quietly.

With that, she picked up the pastries placed before him and began to eat without hesitation.

Ye Jincheng glanced down at the girl eating the pastries, silent. Then he looked at the distance between them and quietly shifted back to his original seat.

Yun Qing caught the movement at the corner of her eye and the faintest smile curved her lips, though she said nothing.

Seeing she didn’t stop him, Ye Jincheng felt a surge of disappointment and unwillingness. He asked, “If I marry her, won’t you be sad?”

If Sheng Jintang could truly use her identity to climb higher, she would be a thousand times unwilling. Yet everything was part of her plan; sooner or later, she would ruin that impostor’s reputation.

But in last night’s dream, Sheng Jintang had ultimately gained a good reputation and married the Second Prince—not Ye Jincheng.

The failure of her engagement with Ye Jincheng must have had only one reason.

She turned her head to look at him, raising an eyebrow as she asked, though inwardly certain, “You don’t like Sheng Jintang anymore, do you?”

Ye Jincheng faltered, his handsome face reflecting an unfathomable confusion. How could she know his thoughts?

Knowing she had received the true teachings of Daoist Yun Sheng, perhaps she truly possessed abilities beyond ordinary people. He lightly pressed his thin lips, still stubbornly denying, “Did I ever say I didn’t like her?”

The carriage fell into silence for a moment.

Yet having no destined bond didn’t mean a cursed bond was impossible...

Yun Qing was stunned, gripping his collar tightly with furrowed brows. “You still like her?!”

Though their fate was shallow, that didn’t mean she could accept his affection for her!

Even if it was a cursed fate, that impostor was too cheap!

“Whether I like her or not is none of your concern,” Ye Jincheng’s breath grew uneven as she drew closer. “Let go, don’t cling to me!”

“You can’t like her!” Yun Qing clenched her hands tighter, speaking through gritted teeth.

Seeing her closing in step by step, Ye Jincheng’s mind suddenly heated. “If I don’t like her, then who should I like? You?”

“Is that not allowed?”

Hearing her reply, Ye Jincheng stared at her, his obsidian eyes gleaming with a difficult-to-read light.

Yun Qing’s cheeks flushed. Before she could regret it, a ray of light slipped inside.

“Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the Marquis residence,” Pei Xuan called from outside the curtain, already pulling it aside.

Both turned their heads to find the carriage had stopped steadily in front of the North Town Marquis’s mansion.

At that moment, Yun Qing was seated on Ye Jincheng’s lap, her face very close to his.

Ye Jincheng’s robe was loose, the collar slipping off by an inch, presenting a posture that stirred the imagination.

Pei Xuan, a pure-hearted young man, had never seen such a scene. He immediately put down the curtain, turned away with his head lowered, his face flushing red. Clearing his throat, he repeated, “Your Highness... we’ve arrived at the Marquis residence.”

Sheng Yukun and Sheng Jintang had been waiting at the gate for some time. Seeing the scene inside the carriage through the curtain, they were shocked. Sheng Yukun stood there dumbfounded, speechless for a long while.

Sheng Jintang’s face flushed with anger at their intimate posture, her nails digging into her sleeve in distress.

Sheng Yukun only hesitated briefly before lowering his head swiftly, a sinister gleam flashing in his eyes.

The Ye King brought a woman here; this engagement was likely doomed.

Yun Qing jumped up as if struck by lightning, awkwardly coughing as she touched her hair and clothes.

Then she grit her teeth and shot him a glare, “Don’t say nonsense!”

Ye Jincheng frowned, irritated. “You don’t get to think nonsense either!”

After calming their emotions, Ye Jincheng stepped down from the carriage. Sheng Yukun greeted him with a smile, “Your Highness the Ye King, we have awaited you long.”

Sheng Jintang bowed, “Your Highness.”

The young woman in the carriage lifted the curtain and followed Ye Jincheng down.

Seeing this fair-faced young lady, Sheng Yukun’s smile froze, and cautiously asked, “Who is this?”

“A friend,” Ye Jincheng replied coldly, then walked into the mansion.

“Greetings, Marquis. I am Yun Qing, a doctor from the Three Lives Hall. Please take care of me,” Yun Qing said playfully, hands clasped behind her back, fingers twining as she smiled mischievously at Sheng Yukun.

Upon hearing the name Yun Qing, Sheng Yukun’s expression darkened immediately. Hum humming a tune, Yun Qing glanced carefully at Sheng Jintang, who shrank back, sweating nervously, then turned and cheerfully followed Ye Jincheng into the mansion.

Sheng Jintang’s legs nearly gave way, and Sheng Yukun quickly caught her, comforting, “Don’t be afraid, Tang’er. Uncle won’t allow her to bully you.”

Sheng Jintang nodded pitifully, tears welling in her eyes.

Sheng Yukun watched, heart aching. Glaring at Yun Qing’s retreating figure, he ground his teeth and said, “Daring to approach the Ye King—this is an insult to the Marquis residence itself.”

Yun Qing gazed at the vast mansion looming nearby, memories flooding back vividly.

Though in dreams she still lived with her father in the former Marquis’s estate, seeing it with her own eyes evoked a strange blend of familiarity and estrangement.

Stepping over the threshold, she looked at the neatly laid bluestone slabs, as if seeing her small childhood self—hair tied in twin buns, running with a pinwheel, followed by nervous maids and guards who feared she might fall and be scolded by Sheng Yuting.

Sheng Yuting, blindfolded, laughed heartily as he chased her in the front yard. Her mother sat at the stone table, smiling kindly, waving at her, feeding her pastries.

Now, things had changed: the peonies by the rock garden replaced by paeonies, the stone table and chairs rearranged, a new pavilion built in the distance, white lotuses in the pond replaced by pink ones, and her favorite swing removed.

Her eyes reddened slightly; she clenched her fists, overwhelmed by an indescribable sorrow.

Is this still her home?

“What’s wrong?” Ye Jincheng asked, noticing her melancholy.

She didn’t seem like a first-time visitor. Every blade of grass and tree stirred emotions. Unlike her reckless wandering in the prince’s mansion—getting lost in the garden or bumping into maids carrying food—this felt like a deep, lived connection.

Yun Qing blinked and said, “You’ll understand someday.”

Sheng Yukun led them into the main hall, where tea was served with courtesy.

Knowing Sheng Jintang had not left a good impression on Ye Jincheng recently, Sheng Yukun dared not mention the engagement. He gave Sheng Jintang a knowing glance, and she nodded knowingly, fetching a plate of exquisite pastries and placing it before him.