A Stolen Romance - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: A New Kind of Inspiration

After returning from the Duke’s estate, it rained for two consecutive days, and the air was damp. Shi Yuning hadn’t left her room during this time. Apart from her morning and evening greetings and her three daily meals, she spent her days sketching.

Tu Chunhua just assumed her daughter was frustrated by recent events and was finding an outlet for her emotions, so she let her be. Not only that, she even took a hundred taels from her private savings and gave it to Shi Yuning to spend as she pleased. Her heart ached for her daughter, whose future marriage prospects now seemed so difficult.

Shi Yuning’s heart was aching too, but for a different reason. She’d been tricked. She looked at the masks on her desk, which were completely different from what she wanted! Her request had been for something that would be “breathtaking at a glance, whether it was an ancient mythical beast or a ghost or demon, as long as it had a captivating aura.” But what had they sent her? She had made a mistake; she shouldn’t have gone to a jewelry store. Each of these masks was incredibly flimsy, with some even having pearls embedded below the eyes. What kind of aura was that? Wearing one to kill someone would look like you were going to flirt.

Shi Yuning was frustrated. She had wanted to give a new mask to Xie Zhaoran, but these were far less impressive than the one Xie Zhaoran already had. She still remembered that night, the first time she saw Xie Zhaoran wearing a mask. The thrill she felt, the peculiar beauty of that ferocious mask combined with her perfect lower face. She thought that no one else in the world could ever fuse those two seemingly incompatible qualities. It was just like Xie Zhaoran herself. There was probably no other young lady who possessed her level of martial skill, nor that unique sense of unreality she always gave off. One moment, she was so beautiful that she could captivate you just by sitting there, and the next, she was so strong that equestrian skills, archery, and martial arts were all a piece of cake.

Xie Zhaoran was truly the most special person Shi Yuning had ever met. She felt that anything she gave her couldn’t be ordinary; it had to be special too.

Carefully, she held her brush and slowly sketched the image she had in her mind onto the paper. Shi Yuning had just ruined another sheet when Xiaoliu came to deliver a message.

“Miss, Madam Lu and Young Master Lu have arrived. The madam wants you to come over.”

Hearing that it was Auntie Lu and Lu Wenzhou, Shi Yuning’s eyes lit up. Lu Wenzhou was a master of both calligraphy and painting, so maybe she could ask him for help. “Go tell my mother I’ll be there right away.” Shi Yuning got up to wash her hands, which were covered in ink stains, making her unfit to meet guests immediately.

The Proposal

In the Hall of Brocade, Tu Chunhua’s heart swelled with joy after hearing Lu Xiuhe’s intentions. Holding Lu Xiuhe’s hand, her eyes turned red. “You’re too kind.”

Lu Xiuhe was a little embarrassed. “We are the ones reaching above our station.” She had liked Ningning when they were in the countryside, and Wenzhou liked her too. She had planned to propose a marriage after Ningning came of age, but she never expected the Shi family to become nobility overnight. And then, they had brought her and her son to the capital when they were at their wits’ end. Alas, after coming to the capital, she realized the gap between Wenzhou and Ningning was even wider and had hoped Wenzhou would give up on his own. She hadn’t expected the Shi family to be caught up in all these recent events.

Wenzhou had begged her to come and express his intentions. Although she still felt it was inappropriate, she was also worried about Tu Chunhua and her family and wanted to check in on them. She never expected Tu Chunhua to show her own desire for such an arrangement. Seeing how happy Wenzhou was, she also wanted to fulfill her son’s wish. “It’s not good to talk about marriage during the national mourning, so we are here today because Wenzhou wanted to express his feelings.”

Tu Chunhua wasn’t in a hurry to arrange the wedding right now either. She was just worried about her daughter’s future, and seeing Lu Wenzhou’s sincere desire to marry her, her heart felt at ease. “You’re such a good boy. But with Ningning’s current reputation, I’m worried it will affect your future prospects.” Tu Chunhua said this with great pain, not wanting to disparage her own child. But she knew it was better for her to say these things herself, lest the other party have a chance to complain or blame them later.

Lu Wenzhou stood up and bowed respectfully. “Madam, you are mistaken. A man’s foundation is built on two things: cultivating his character and achieving great deeds. All of this must be earned through one’s own hard work. I believe that I can earn a name and a career with my own abilities, and I will work hard to secure a title and a legacy for my family in the future.”

Tu Chunhua said “good” three times, tears welling in her eyes, deeply moved by Lu Wenzhou’s words. “Don’t worry. As long as Ningning agrees, her father and I would be more than happy.” Although she was very satisfied, she knew it was her daughter’s lifelong matter, and her consent was necessary.

Lu Wenzhou remembered Shi Yuning’s previous rejection and sighed. “I’m just afraid that Ningning won’t agree.”

“Agree to what? Agree to what?” Shi Yuning entered the room just as she heard Lu Wenzhou’s sigh. Tu Chunhua saw Shi Yuning and smiled, wanting to tell her the good news, but Lu Wenzhou cut her off. “Madam, can I speak with Ningning alone? There’s something I’d like to say to her.”

Tu Chunhua was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. “Of course, you two talk.” She told a maid to prepare a pot of tea and some snacks, and after thinking for a moment, she had them arranged in the waterside pavilion in the back garden.

As they stepped into the pavilion, a damp, post-rain scent of lotus flowers hit them. All twelve of the bead curtains were rolled up, providing an open view. At the end of the covered walkway over the water, two maids were standing guard. Shi Yuning felt that her mother was truly becoming a shrewd head mistress. The location was very clever; it allowed them to be seen but ensured their conversation couldn’t be overheard. Feeling happy about her mother’s progress, Shi Yuning smiled and asked Lu Wenzhou, “What made you decide to visit us today?”

Lu Wenzhou got straight to the point. “Ningning, I’m here to propose marriage.”

“Don’t joke. It’s not funny.” Shi Yuning casually picked a candied fruit and put it in her mouth, her words muffled.

Lu Wenzhou saw her carefree expression and his heart ached. He raised his voice slightly. “I’m serious.”

Shi Yuning was sucking on the candied fruit when his sudden loud voice startled her, and she almost swallowed the fruit whole. “Cough, cough. What?”

Lu Wenzhou repeated himself. “My mother is here to tell your mother that I wish to marry you. If you agree, I will come to propose after the mourning period is over.”

Shi Yuning’s smile faded. She looked at Lu Wenzhou seriously, thought for a moment, and tentatively asked, “Did you hear the rumors outside and think that since I can’t get married, you’re taking pity on me?”

“No, I didn’t!” Lu Wenzhou denied it immediately. “You know, I’ve liked you ever since we were in the countryside. For all these years, my feelings have never changed.”

“I’ve dedicated myself to my studies, wanting to pass the imperial examinations so I can be worthy of you.”

“It has always been me reaching above my station to be with you. How could I have the right to pity you?”

Shi Yuning’s mouth was agape, her eyes wide with surprise. After a long moment, she sighed. “Why are you so stubbornly deluded? What exactly do you like about me?” Shi Yuning thought to herself that she didn’t have any impressive qualities. If it were Xie Zhaoran, she would immediately believe a man could be so stubbornly deluded.

Lu Wenzhou shook his head, his face serious. “I don’t know, but liking someone doesn’t need a reason.”

Shi Yuning pursed her lips. “Then how do you know you like me?”

Lu Wenzhou smiled faintly, as if he found her words amusing. It was as if she was questioning whether he even knew what liking was.

“When I can’t see you, I often think about you. In the past few days, when I heard about what happened to you, I was so worried that I couldn’t eat or sleep. I was very happy just now when I saw you.” Lu Wenzhou saw Shi Yuning staring blankly and added, “If you don’t believe me, you can listen to my heart. It’s been beating so fast, it’s lost its composure, ever since I saw you.”

Shi Yuning’s eyes flickered. She looked at Lu Wenzhou for a long time without a word. After a moment, with a mixture of confusion, uncertainty, panic, and a hint of terror, she carefully asked, “This… this is liking?”

Lu Wenzhou nodded with absolute certainty. “Yes, this is liking. You only feel this way when your heart is devoted to one person.”

Shi Yuning clutched her chest, pressing down on her wildly beating heart.

How can that be? This is liking?

In the past few days, when she couldn’t see Xie Zhaoran, she would think of her, worrying that she wasn’t doing well, worrying that she wouldn’t be able to eat. When she finally saw her, she was very happy, and her heart… yes, her heart would also beat wildly, losing all composure. So, this was liking? How could that be? How could she like Xie Zhaoran?

“What’s wrong?” Lu Wenzhou saw Shi Yuning clutching her chest, her expression tense, her eyes darting around. She looked very unwell.

Shi Yuning suddenly looked up and stared directly at Lu Wenzhou. “If I were a man, would you like me?”

Lu Wenzhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn’t understand why Shi Yuning had veered off onto such a strange topic. He composed his face and said a little seriously, “Ningning, please rest assured, I have no penchant for men!”

Shi Yuning blinked. “How do you know?”

Lu Wenzhou: “?” Where did he look like he had a penchant for men? Lu Wenzhou was at a loss. “Ningning, what’s wrong with you?”

Shi Yuning turned her head, avoiding his probing gaze, and shook her head. “Nothing. I was just kidding.”

Lu Wenzhou breathed a sigh of relief. “Then Ningning, what do you think of my proposal?”

Shi Yuning pushed down the panic in her heart. “No. I don’t feel any of those things you talked about for you. It wouldn’t be fair to you if I agreed.” Then, she added very seriously, “You should find someone who also likes you.”

Lu Wenzhou looked anxious. “Feelings can be cultivated. I’ll always, always be good to you, and I’ll make you like me too.”

Shi Yuning was doubtful. “If someone is good to you, can you really fall in love with them?”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Lu Wenzhou’s eyes. “How will we know if we don’t try?”

Shi Yuning shook her head. “I don’t know about others, but for me, that’s not possible.” She wouldn’t fall for someone just because they were good to her. If that were the case, she would have liked Lu Wenzhou a long time ago, given how good he had been to her all these years.

She cut off what Lu Wenzhou was about to say. “You’ve come all this way. Stay and have a meal with my mother. It’s been a while since she’s seen Auntie Lu. I have something to do, so I’m going back to my room first.” Without waiting for Lu Wenzhou to reply, she picked up her skirt and ran off. She had no mental capacity to deal with anyone right now. She needed to go back to her room and have a moment of madness.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! What am I going to do? She had belatedly realized that she had fallen for Xie Zhaoran!

Shi Yuning sprinted back to her room, buried herself under her blankets, and rolled around on the bed. What could she do? This was a disaster. If Xie Zhaoran found out that she harbored such feelings for her, she would surely avoid her like the plague!

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