Luo Cuiwei tightened her arms around his waist, looked up at him with a blushing face, her expression utterly serious and resolute. "No."
"If someone were to offer you... something even more than I could..."
He seemed to have some deep-seated problem.
"Shut up," Luo Cui said with a soft laugh, pressing her forehead to his lips to seal his mouth. "I was born with the best tongue, so other people's sweet talk can't fool me."
"Mmm."
She added, "My Luo family's treasury is overflowing with gold and jade. I've grown up surrounded by money since I was a child. Even if someone moved a mountain of gold to me, it wouldn't dazzle me."
"Mmm mmm mmm."
“Although the Luo family is wealthy but not noble, they are, after all, a branch of the bloodline that separated from Luo Jinnan, the tutor of the founding emperor. Though a collateral branch, they still retain their integrity,” Luo Cuiwei continued. “Now you have entrusted me with half of a golden seal…”
She slowly raised her head and released the seal on his lips. "So I lack nothing, and no one can sway me with anything."
Don't be afraid, I'm always here, waiting for you to come back.
Yun Lie felt that he was really pathetic in front of this woman. He had been made to have tears welling up in his eyes by her, which was really not impressive at all.
He calmed the surging emotions in his heart before jokingly complaining, "But you didn't mention beauty just now."
"What beauty?" Luo Cuiwei stared at him in confusion.
"If some noble and handsome young man were to seduce you, would you run off with him?" he grunted through gritted teeth.
After Luo Cuiwei kicked him from below, causing him to chuckle, she said resentfully, "I'm unlucky. I just happened to fall for an idiot who can't even tell if I'm wearing makeup or not."
Actually, she had many things she wanted to ask him, and many things she hadn't had a chance to tell him yet.
But with his departure for war imminent, she couldn't show too much reluctance or longing at this time.
At times like these, she must remain calm and composed so that he can focus on what he needs to do without any distractions or worries.
She didn't even say a word like "Come back safely."
Because she firmly believed that he would be safe and would definitely come back.
When the midnight watchman's drum sounds, it is the fifth day of the third month.
When Yun Lie left, as agreed between the two, Luo Cuiwei did not get up to see him off.
She remained lying on her side on the couch, in the darkness and silence of the room, feeling the scent of another person beside her gradually fade.
****
On the sixth day of the third month, Luo Cuiwei returned to the Luo family mansion, ready to continue dealing with the pile of household affairs with Luo Fengming.
At times like these, she can only keep herself so busy that she won't have the energy to overthink things or worry about things she can't help with.
That day, as Xiahou Ling and Luo Cuizhen stepped into the covered walkway side by side, they encountered Luo Cuizhen running towards them.
Ever since that time in February when Luo Cuizhen went to Xu Yan to persuade her behind her back, she hadn't spoken a single word to Luo Cuizhen.
"Sister, you're back," Luo Cuizhen said with a cautious smile on her round face, her breath slightly uneven as she spoke. "What...what do you want to eat for lunch? I'll go ask the chef to make it for you!"
"No need, thank you for your kindness, little sister." Luo Cui smiled indifferently, her politeness sending chills down one's spine.
After saying that, he took another step forward.
Xiahou Ling was unaware of how Luo Cuizhen had angered Luo Cuiwei, and seeing this, she dared not say anything more and quickly followed Luo Cuiwei's footsteps.
Tears welled up in Luo Cuizhen's eyes. She quickly turned around and chased after her, reaching out to tug at her elder sister's sleeve.
"Sister, I was wrong..."
Luo Cuiwei stopped and turned to look at her. "If you want to cry, go back to your own courtyard and close the door to cry."
This was the first time in her life that Luo Cuizhen had been treated so coldly by her elder sister.
She was truly panicked, and hurriedly wiped away the tears streaming down her face with her other sleeve. "No, I wasn't crying. Sister, I admit my mistake. Please don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"
“It’s been almost half a month since the incident. If I hold a grudge against you, people will say I’m bullying a child,” Luo Cuiwei said calmly, looking at her younger sister and interrupting her in a low voice. “But if I don’t hold a grudge at all and suffer this injustice from you for no reason, then that’s not fair.”
Luo Cuizhen shook her head violently, gripping her sleeve even tighter: "I didn't bully you. What do you think I need to do for you to forgive me?"
Sunlight shone on the eaves of the covered walkway, casting small, slanted shadows.
“You don’t need to do anything until you figure out why I’m angry,” Luo Cuiwei said, standing in the shadows of the corridor, as if she were wearing a suit of golden armor. “It won’t make a difference.”
"A-Ling, take the Third Miss back to rest, and have Luo Fengming come to my study."
After giving her instructions to Xiahou Ling, she pulled her sleeve from Luo Cuizhen's hand and left without looking back.
****
After carefully reviewing many accounts and business information with Luo Fengming, it was nearly noon.
Luo Cuiwei let out a long sigh, clasped her hands together and raised them above her head, then moved her aching neck.
Luo Fengming quickly poured a cup of warm fruit tea and handed it over. "Oh, by the way, sister, Xu Yan has sent several invitations. It seems he has something urgent to see you about."
Seeing Luo Cuiwei frowning, he quickly explained, "I know you don't want to see him, so you've been keeping it to yourself. You can imagine he wouldn't be looking for you for anything important."
Luo Cuiwei took a sip of fruit tea, rubbed her temples, and smiled, "This time it might actually be a serious matter. Let me see the invitation."
She had already exposed Xu Yan's plan to arrange a marriage between them, and upon returning, she swiftly finalized her marriage with Yun Lie. It's unlikely that Xu Yan would be foolish enough to bring up the past again.