After My System Went Bankrupt, I Found My Happy Ending with the General - Chapter 46

Luo Chuchen froze, staring back at Liang Jue.

His heart pounded violently, and a wave of guilt he couldn’t quite identify surged within him.

Liang Jue’s expression showed nothing but confusion, as if he were genuinely puzzled by the sudden mention of an unfamiliar name.

Oh, right and by Luo Chuchen’s own unusual behavior.

Looking back now, Chu Yanzhu’s words had been nothing more than ambiguous remarks.

If he had remained calm and composed in the face of Chu Yanzhu’s teasing, instead of panicking before anything substantial was even said, Liang Jue might not have found it so strange.

Steeling himself, Luo Chuchen replied, “It’s fine. My relationship with Ji Yuanzhou at Shifang Academy isn’t particularly close.”

That much wasn’t a lie.

At Shifang Academy, he and Xu Changlin weren’t even in the same study group.

Besides, he usually only sought out Xu Changlin when the system assigned him a task, making excuses to leave as soon as it was done.

Xu Changlin, for his part, was a diligent student focused solely on his studies and aiming for the imperial examinations, so he rarely initiated contact with Luo Chuchen.

To outsiders, their relationship appeared no more than casual.

Who on earth had been spreading nonsense to his uncle?

Luo Chuchen grumbled inwardly.

Liang Jue listened, his expression unreadable as to whether he believed it or not. He simply nodded and said, “I see. You”

He frowned.

As his expression shifted, Luo Chuchen’s heart tightened.

Then Liang Jue asked, “Your foot has it been alright, standing for so long?”

Luo Chuchen: …!!!

Only then did he realize he had been standing on both feet all this time!

His mind had been so preoccupied, first with Chu Yanzhu almost exposing him in front of Liang Jue, then with whether Liang Jue suspected something about his relationship with Xu Changlin that he had completely forgotten the faint ache in his injured foot.

When Chu Yanzhu brought the physician to check on his injury at noon, the physician had explicitly warned him that this was a critical stage in the healing process and he must avoid putting too much weight on that leg.

Luo Chuchen hurriedly lifted his injured foot.

But it was too late.

As soon as he shifted his weight, a sharp, throbbing pain shot through the injured area, and he couldn’t help but hiss in discomfort.

Fearing the injury might worsen, he quickly hopped forward on one foot, grabbing onto Liang Jue’s arm for support.

“It hurts, it hurts Help me inside, quick.”

Bent over Liang Jue’s arm, Luo Chuchen thought he felt a faint breath of air brush over his head.

Liang Jue said nothing, simply supporting him into the bedroom and calling Shechuan to attend to him.

The evening had been far too chaotic. Lying obediently in bed, Luo Chuchen watched as Liang Jue tidied up the storybooks and completed essays on his desk,

Huh? Why was Liang Jue taking away the half-finished essay he had been helping him with?

“Jue-ge, Jue-ge ”

Luo Chuchen leaned over the edge of the bed, gazing pitifully in Liang Jue’s direction.

The man’s gaze met his through the flickering candlelight, indistinct and wavering.

Luo Chuchen put on a pitiful expression and pleaded, “Jue-ge, the essay put it down ”

Liang Jue shook his head.

Luo Chuchen’s face fell even further, and he tried to play the sympathy card. “Ji Yuanzhou is coming by tomorrow evening to take it to the Painting Academy for me. How am I supposed to finish it by myself?”

Liang Jue replied, “This afternoon, I already helped you outline the structure for this essay topic. Now that your uncle is back, he’s bound to check your schoolwork. He’ll be able to tell at a glance whether it’s your writing or mine. If he finds out, you’ll be the one facing punishment.”

Luo Chuchen: “W-well, that may be true.”

He was still staring at the stack of papers in Liang Jue’s hand.

Liang Jue pulled out two sheets.

“No more than this.”

Luo Chuchen cheered, “Brother Jue is the best!”

“I still have official documents to handle, so I need to head back now,” Liang Jue said, placing the two sheets on the desk. “Read some storybooks yourself and go to bed early. Don’t forget to finish your essay tomorrow. I’ll probably come to check on you in the evening.”

Knowing how busy he was, Luo Chuchen nodded obediently. “Alright, Brother Jue. You should hurry back.”

Liang Jue smiled, closed the door, and left.

Fortunately, standing for a while earlier hadn’t worsened his foot injury, or else Luo Chuchen would have been scolded harshly by Chu Yuanzhu.

Even if he were scolded, Luo Chuchen would still grumble inwardly: It’s all because you brought up Xu Changlin’s matter.

The days of recuperation passed in leisurely comfort.

As the New Year approached, the Painting Academy assigned much less homework, giving Luo Chuchen even more time to sit in his room reading storybooks and sketching.

Perhaps due to the approaching New Year or some other reason, both Chu Yuanzhu and Liang Jue had become much busier than before.

They were hardly seen during the day, only occasionally visiting him in the evenings.

It was many times more boring than before.

After nearly half a month, the physician finally examined Luo Chuchen’s foot and declared it almost fully recovered, allowing him to walk again.

Luo Chuchen felt like jumping up and bouncing around on the spot.

Freedom at last! Yes!

Only then did he realize that “freedom” meant returning to the Painting Academy to resume classes.

After all, he had taken sick leave there was no reason to skip school once he had recovered.

After slacking off for over half a month, returning to the academy felt much more disheartening than before.

To make matters worse, after being absent for so long, some of his classmates had started gossiping about him.

After a long day, Luo Chuchen finished his classes and walked to the carriage. Lifting the curtain, his dejected expression froze, and he nearly jumped in surprise.

Inside, dressed in casual clothes, sat Liang Jue, flipping through a storybook Luo Chuchen had left in the carriage on his way to school.

This was the first time Liang Jue had ever come to pick him up after class.

Luo Chuchen’s mood lifted slightly, though not by much.

He mumbled as he climbed into the carriage, settling beside Liang Jue, and remained lost in thought for a while.

Even a fool sitting next to him would have noticed something was off.

As the coachman started the carriage and the wheels began to rumble, Liang Jue set down the book with a sigh of resignation.

Luo Chuchen’s cheek was gently pinched.

Liang Jue asked, “What’s wrong? Too many classes today?”

Luo Chuchen snorted. “No.”

Liang Jue pressed, “Then did someone offend our young marquis?”

His tone shifted slightly.

Luo Chuchen replied, “Maybe.”

Liang Jue raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to hear the details.”

Luo Chuchen glanced at him.

Then glanced again.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But first, if you don’t take my side after hearing what happened today, you’re getting out of this carriage,” Luo Chuchen said cautiously.

Liang Jue chuckled. “When have I ever not taken your side?”

Luo Chuchen thought to himself, Well, Ji Yuanzhou certainly didn’t take my side today. Instead, he hesitantly told me he thought it would be better to be cautious in this situation.

It wasn’t really a big deal anyway.

There had always been a few students at the Painting Academy who didn’t think much of Luo Chuchen.

Luo Chuchen already held the title of Marquis and, being Yin Zikun’s youngest and last disciple, was naturally well-liked for his sweet and obedient nature. Even when he was tested on classical texts, a subject he wasn’t particularly skilled in he managed to pass under the instructor’s leniency. This had long invited whispers of envy behind his back.

Most of the gossip revolved around accusations of his improper admission, with claims that the instructor favored him only because of his status and his master’s influence.

Luo Chuchen never paid these rumors any mind. However, this time, after taking a leave of absence for over half a month, someone thought they had found a weakness to exploit.

During the afternoon painting session, a classmate deliberately provoked him and even ruined Luo Chuchen’s landscape painting assignment.

“Oh? And how did you handle it?” Liang Jue asked.

Luo Chuchen replied, “Well, I said something that angered him. He tried to push me into the pond, but I ended up pushing him in instead. When the matter was brought before the instructor, I also exposed how he had plagiarized others’ work in his paintings. Now he’s being punished, copying texts and getting his palms struck.”

After finishing, Luo Chuchen stole a glance at Liang Jue’s reaction.

Liang Jue pinched his cheek gently.
“You did well, but not entirely.”

Luo Chuchen deflated like a pricked balloon and asked softly, “What part wasn’t good?”

Liang Jue explained, “You shouldn’t have provoked him into pushing you. Your health isn’t strong, what if he had actually succeeded in shoving you into the pond? If you caught a cold and fell ill for another ten days or half a month, how would you attend classes? Moreover, if he had made you sick, your uncle and I might have abused our authority to punish him. In that case, his punishment would have been far worse than just copying texts and getting his palms struck.”

“…”
Luo Chuchen’s spirits lifted again, and he muttered, “It’s not like I’m that fond of attending classes anyway.”

Liang Jue asked, “Since we finished early today, and I’ve been too busy with court affairs to pay you much attention lately, how about coming with me to a newly discovered horse ranch in the southern part of the city? We could go horseback riding.”

Luo Chuchen’s eyes lit up as he recalled his fondness for riding ponies before his leg injury. He quickly agreed, “Yes, let’s go!”

In the capital, where land was worth its weight in gold, finding such a large horse ranch was exceedingly rare.
The ranch seemed to cater exclusively to nobles and distinguished figures. As Luo Chuchen followed Liang Jue inside, he noticed the lush, soft grass covering the riding track.

Liang Jue appeared to have already arranged things with the stable hands. As soon as they arrived, a servant greeted them with a smile and, without needing further instructions, led them to select their horses.

For the first few laps, Luo Chuchen sat atop the horse while Liang Jue held the reins, helping him regain his feel for riding.

Swaying gently on the horse’s back, Luo Chuchen watched Liang Jue’s figure ahead and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch his hair crown.

Liang Jue turned around.
Luo Chuchen grinned and said, “You look just like my stable boy like this.”

The remark was somewhat impertinent, but with no one else around in the ranch to overhear, no one to witness the most celebrated military general of the moment being compared to a stable boy, Liang Jue merely laughed and replied, “If I had lacked ambition back when I first entered the Marquis’s household, I suppose I would indeed be your stable boy now.”

“Oh? So you’re saying you had grand ambitions back then? You’ve never told me why you enlisted as a soldier,” Luo Chuchen said, hearing Liang Jue speak of his past aspirations for the first time.

Liang Jue said casually, as if joking, “Because I didn’t want to end up only being your stable boy in the future.”

Luo Chuchen was taken aback for a moment.

But the words could also be interpreted in another way.

Liang Jue spoke again, “I have another thought about what you did today. Would you like to hear it?”

Luo Chuchen’s attention was drawn, and he asked, “What thought?”

Liang Jue glanced back at him and said, “It’s somewhat surprising. When we’re together, standing up for you has always been and should be my role. I never expected you could handle those petty individuals so adeptly on your own.”

Luo Chuchen chuckled, “Well, I can be quite formidable in front of others. There’s a lot you don’t know about me.Liang Jue hummed in acknowledgment and said lightly, “But I can’t help feeling a bit lost.” I’m afraid you might not need me anymore in the future.”

Luo Chuchen: “…”

He was stunned into silence by Liang Jue’s words.

His heart felt strange.

For instance, shouldn’t these be the words he himself would say? Worrying that Liang Jue might grow closer to his other friends, fearing that Liang Jue wouldn’t come to him anymore after meeting new people.

Because it had always seemed like he was the one who needed Liang Jue more.

Could it be that Liang Jue valued him to such an extent? That he would worry about not being needed?

And why was Liang Jue acting so strangely today, suddenly speaking so bluntly instead of being his usual reserved self?

Luo Chuchen’s thoughts swirled with confusion, unable to find an answer.

They had already circled the horse track twice when a servant brought over Liang Jue’s horse the familiar Zhaoye Bai.

Zhaoye Bai snorted in Luo Chuchen’s direction.

Liang Jue released Luo Chuchen’s reins, mounted his horse, and said, “Shall we try racing at a faster pace?”

Luo Chuchen replied, “How could my little horse compare to your Zhaoye Bai But, alright!”

Liang Jue smiled, “How about we make a bet?”

“A bet?” Luo Chuchen’s interest was piqued. He had no idea what Liang Jue was up to today and looked at him curiously, waiting for an answer.

Liang Jue said, “I heard from my deputy that there’s a temple fair in the city today, with a lively night market in the evening. If I win, you accompany me to the temple fair. How does that sound?”

Luo Chuchen exclaimed, “That works! Ah, but then I can’t afford to lose, can I? I want to go to the temple fair too.”

Liang Jue curled his lips, “Just do your best. Three laps will decide the winner.”

Luo Chuchen: “Okay!”

Luo Chuchen gripped the reins, steadied his breathing, and recalled the techniques Liang Jue had taught him during the winter hunt. He squeezed the horse’s sides, urging it into a gentle trot.

The outcome was unsurprising: Liang Jue won.

Having been bedridden for most of the past month, Luo Chuchen was already panting heavily after three laps and had to let Liang Jue help him dismount.

Liang Jue, still breathing steadily, looked at him and said, “I won.”

Luo Chuchen huffed, “I’ve never seen you so competitive before, But since I’ve been riding with you for so long, I’m starving. You’ll have to treat me to a meal before I accompany you to the temple fair.”

Just as he finished speaking, someone suddenly entered the horse track.

It was actually Jiang Bo, the steward of the Chu residence.

Seeing him, Jiang Bo walked over with a smile.

“Young master, you’re here. General Liang is here too,” Jiang Bo greeted Liang Jue and said, “An esteemed guest has arrived at the residence today. The master insists that you join them for dinner. The carriage is already waiting at the entrance.”