Favoring a Hidden Mistress? Engagement Broken-Chapter 38:

Born noble and achieving success early, Lu Ziyuan has never needed to explain himself to anyone over the years.

Yet today, with such heartfelt words like a woman of the inner chamber holding back shame to speak of her innocence, he was rejected by the other party’s three casual words, instantly stiffening his expression.

His voice was cold and solemn: "A true man dares to take responsibility. If I had been with another woman, I would never deceive you."

A grown man, really takes the issue of his own innocence seriously.

This should be something laughable, but there wasn’t a hint of amusement on Xie Wanqing’s face as she looked down at him, speaking in a bland tone: "You want me to say it clearly before you agree to break off the engagement, right?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Lu Ziyuan’s heart sank a little: "Speak, tell me all the reasons why you are determined to break off the engagement."

At least let him know where he erred, to make her so resolute, without leaving any room for negotiation.

"Alright, since you insist on stripping things down before letting go, let me tell you." Xie Wanqing nodded slowly and sat back down.

The hall was silent for a long time.

She began to speak: "Supposing what you said earlier was true, then why didn’t you tell me the truth when Liu Manrou called me sister on the day you returned to the Capital?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Lu Ziyuan’s breath stalled, momentarily speechless at her question.

Yes, it’s not some family secret. Ultimately, it’s just the bloodline his second uncle left outside. Even if it gets out, it’ll only cause a few sighs, affecting only his aunt.

She’s not the type who can’t keep a secret, so was there really a need to keep this from her?

If the truth was revealed sooner, would knowing Liu Manrou was his cousin’s concubine make her petty enough to deny him the title of concubine’s room?

Lu Ziyuan felt a heaviness in his chest as the scenes from that day flashed endlessly before his eyes.

Under the rose tree, she pointed at Liu Manrou, anxiously inquiring, "Who is this?"

He responded impatiently.

Her expression was stubborn, seeking an answer, "Can you promise to be like my father forever, taking no other wife but me?"

He laughed at her naivety.

Choked with emotion, her voice trembled as she still wanted to know if he had been intimate with Liu Manrou.

From beginning to end, he ignored her, not taking her feelings seriously at all.

What was he thinking at that time?

He only felt her questioning was aggressive, lacking her usual gentle reliance.

He...

"Unable to answer it?" Xie Wanqing glanced at him lightly, "Let me say it then."

She spoke unhurriedly: "Because from the bottom of your heart, you’re sure I can’t leave you, so whether you keep a maid or take concubines, you needn’t care about my feelings. The truth of Liu Manrou’s identity needn’t be explained, inevitably I would like you as if enchanted regardless."

"No!" Lu Ziyuan’s usually indifferent voice quivered lightly: "Wanwan... it’s not like that."

"Yes, it’s not just that,"

Xie Wanqing suddenly turned her eyes, looking at him with a gentle smile, saying: "I guess you perhaps feel I’m not obedient enough and dare to question you like that, so you use your ways of managing subordinates, deliberately suppressing my temperament, making me learn to compromise, obey, and be loyal to you bit by bit."

Over these years, isn’t that what he has done?

A daughter from a noble family adored and protected by her parents and brothers, with genuine proud disposition, but once entering the Marquis Mansion’s gate, she involuntarily learned to restrain herself and became his gentle and understanding fiancée.

She was very considerate, always feeling he had spent all his energy in court, unable to bear him worrying about her in any way; whenever she was unhappy, she would counsel herself.

Once she soothed herself, she would circle around him again.

Over the years, the emotional energy she invested was too much, too much to afford, too much to lose, too much that she never thought of leaving him despite his indifference.

Wasn’t she determined to marry him in the dream?

If the dream hadn’t been so tragic, marking total defeat, where could she have had such great awakening now?

Lu Ziyuan’s face turned ghostly pale, losing all blood, feeling as if dropped into an ice cellar, gripping her hand forcefully with a strained pardonable smile: "Is this really how you think of me?"

His smile was terribly ugly that, with just one glance, Xie Wanqing turned her head away, placing her focus on their interlocked hands.

Throughout those years revolving around him, he never proactively held her hand, nor embraced her.

In fact, back then, her infatuation was so intense; her every thought was centered around him. If he wanted to get closer before the marriage, she might not have refused.

But most of the time, she was the one who initiated holding his arm, leaning closer, and at most, he cast a faint glance her way, allowing her to join him for a meal without further breach of etiquette.

Now however, at the verge of breaking the engagement, with every meeting involves inevitable physical contact.

Having trained in martial arts long term, his palms bore a thin layer of calluses at the base of his thumbs, but it didn’t affect the hands’ attractiveness.

Long finger bones, large palms, one look showing good strength.

Different from the noble sons in the Capital, his skin tone wasn’t fair, contrasting starkly against her delicate, pale fingers, creating a dazzling color difference.

She stared for a long while, murmuring: "Where am I wrong in thinking? You’ve never cared about my feelings; what you want is your absolute authority, my obedience and sensibility."

After leading troops for long, such absolute nature seems to have developed.

Or perhaps...

"Lu Ziyuan, is there another reason you didn’t plan to tell me Liu Manrou’s true identity..."

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him: "As you said, you were always going to take a concubine; Liu Manrou was merely the precursor. Whether she was your woman doesn’t matter, what matters is you’ll have other women in the future e, thu naturally, of course, there’s no need to explain specially to me for a concubine."

Saying this, she chuckled slightly: "I guess you worry that if you seriously explain her identity to me, it might hinder later when you actually want to take a concubine."

In the dream, with Liu Manrou paving the way, later Er Xia was taken as a concubine seamlessly, without any objections.

After all, it wasn’t the first time he took a concubine. Having one surely means having two; what’s there to be surprised about?

She dreamt only of two years, had she not passed away, continuing on, he might have gotten a third concubine, a fourth...

Thinking of her foolish self in the dream, Xie Wanqing murmured softly: "I won’t ever be this foolish again."

Her words, each one like a sharp sword, could pierce, penetrate Lu Ziyuan.

His rigid, upright back wavered slightly, yet he was speechless.

Not even able to speak a word of explanation.

At this moment, whatever he said would only seem futile.

He asked himself silently too, is this how you think?

...Did you really not think so?