The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 45

On the way back to the mansion, the carriage was somewhat silent.

Nianxi tried to start a conversation, but Gu Ci seemed distracted.

This was the first time there had been a cold silence between them. They usually had endless things to talk about; even discussing mundane topics like the weather didn’t make the journey feel long.

Nianxi knew that Gu Ci had already guessed, or even seen, something.

She wanted to explain several times but didn’t know where to start.

Regarding Pei Jian, she had loved and hated him, but now she was already at peace. Yet, their experience was too unbelievable for anyone to credit—that she and Pei Jian had been companions for thirteen years.

They were the most familiar strangers.

When the carriage stopped at Yiqiao Street, Nianxi was about to step out when Gu Ci suddenly called out to her.

“Nian’er, do you like me?”

Nianxi paused, then sat back down, looking at Gu Ci. Her voice was softer than usual. “Yes, I do.”

Gu Ci’s figure was obscured in the shadows. Upon hearing her answer, he seemed to smile, his voice low and serious, like an oath. “I like you too. Very much.”

He liked her so much that he was afraid this love was too heavy, too much to express openly.

This was his first time loving someone, and he only knew how to offer his whole heart, never calculating gains or losses.

He simply wanted to give Nianxi his best love.

Nianxi could feel Gu Ci’s emotional turmoil at that moment.

He had always been a kind and sensitive person. Because his father and older brothers were frequently away from the capital, even though he was the youngest son, he was considerate toward his mother and looked after his sisters, handling many easily overlooked small details well.

Few people truly love others; more often, people want to exchange a little bit of love to gain more love, like fishing.

But Gu Ci was pure like a newborn; he was never stingy with giving, always passionate and sincere.

Nianxi leaned forward, cupping his defined, young face in her hands.

Gu Ci, afraid she would be uncomfortable leaning in that position, moved forward to meet her.

Nianxi’s heart warmed. This was Gu Ci, the Gu Ci who always considered others.

She followed through, kissing the corner of his lips, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “I know. I can feel it.”

Gu Ci had been coaxed out of the carriage’s darkness by her. Nianxi pulled back slightly and said, after a moment’s thought, “Lord Gu, I have one more favor to ask of you.”

Gu Ci asked, “What is it?”

Nianxi looked at the broken-armed Mohelo doll on the seat. “Lord Gu, I’m entrusting ‘Gu Xiaoliu’ to you. I love him too much to see him harmed even a little. You must help me fix him.”

Gu Ci’s face was still in her palms. He looked steadily at her. After a long pause, he nodded firmly, his chin rubbing against Nianxi’s palm, causing a ticklish sensation.

Nianxi tried to pull her hand away, but he was quicker, grasping it and lowering his head to press a kiss into her fair, white palm.

The gloom in Gu Ci’s heart was soothed by Nianxi’s soft words, and his voice returned to its usual clarity. “Don’t worry.”

“It will definitely be fixed.”

“Thank you, Lord Gu.” Nianxi smiled lightly. “Cousin Mu said the shop has been renovated. Will you accompany me to take a look tomorrow? I don’t know what the result is like.”

Gu Ci’s eyes regained their sparkle. “Good. I will come to pick you up tomorrow. Hurry inside now.”

Only after watching Nianxi enter the mansion did Gu Ci turn the carriage around and head back toward the dazzling and bustling West Market.

He returned to the same restaurant and the same private room as before. The night was deepening now, and the restaurant was much less crowded.

Pei Jian and the others had already arrived.

Before Gu Ci came, Qin Lang had quietly advised Pei Jian, “You’ve seen it yourself; the sister and Qingye have very deep feelings for each other. There are many women in the capital who admire you; you don’t need to be like this.”

The private room windows were open. The sound of revelry drifted in from outside, and the hot night wind made the heart feel irritated.

Pei Jian’s gaze was deep as he looked out at the moonlight. “I don’t think so.”

Qin Lang was constantly keeping an eye on Wen Qingheng. Seizing a moment when he was distracted, he continued, “The sister doesn’t like you. Why make things so ugly? Gu Ci is serious; they will get married.”

Hearing this, Pei Jian turned his head and said dismissively, “Is that so?”

Qin Lang was exasperated; he couldn’t continue the conversation. “Of course! Don’t tell me you can’t see it!”

Pei Jian forced a smile, his voice indifferent. “They won’t succeed.”

Qin Lang said, “Must you hit the wall to the very end, is that it? Qingye sees you as a brother.”

Pei Jian stopped speaking and continued to look silently out the window.

Qingye was his best friend, true, but Nianxi was the only woman he had ever loved in the barren emotional landscape of his past thirty-plus years.

In his former life, he lost himself in the rapid expansion of his power, neglecting those around him. He took Nianxi’s efforts and care for granted. While feeling her warmth, he never considered that the sun would set and that people who loved each other would leave.

He had tried to let go.

He thought he could get used to it.

But the mere thought of her being with another man was unbearable to him.

Pei Jian had always disliked making things difficult for himself.

He feared that if he let them continue, Nianxi would truly go with Gu Ci without looking back.

He feared that if he didn’t speak out, didn’t let Nianxi know, he wouldn’t even have a chance to make amends or express his love.

He feared even more being lonely in his old age.

Because besides her, no one else would do.

It was hard for him to fall in love with anyone else.

Pei Jian knew himself.

For many years in the past, his emotions were stable, even indifferent, rarely stirred by turbulence.

However, when he returned to this young, impulsive, and irritable body, and was repeatedly tormented by anxiety and anger, all his memories of love were revived along with it.

He still loved her.

That fact had never changed.

However, he had never been a person who could give selflessly without expecting a return.

He acknowledged his own meanness.

He wanted all of his lover, he wanted to be the most important existence in her heart, and he wanted her same passionate love—

He wanted Nianxi to love him again.

Gu Ci was the last to arrive, his expression as composed as ever.

Once the four men were seated, he raised his wine cup. “When we studied at the Imperial Academy, the four of us lived and ate in the same courtyard. Once we entered officialdom, we all got busy and saw less of each other. Today is a rare get-together on this fine festival. I offer this cup to everyone.”

Qin Lang seconded the toast. “This is destiny, destiny!”

The four men drank the wine in their cups.

Afterward, Gu Ci toasted Wen Qingheng again. “I’ve only known Nianxi for half a year, which isn’t long, but the feelings in my heart for her have not changed since the moment I met her. Jinghe, please rest assured. I will be good to Nian’er for this entire life, only to her. When my father returns to the capital, I will personally come to your residence to ask for her hand in marriage.”

Wen Qingheng had already accepted Gu Ci as his future brother-in-law. This couldn’t be helped; Gu Ci was practically living at their house and was always patient and meticulous with Nian’er—he saw all of this.

By his nature, he should have acted the part of the elder brother-in-law and given Gu Ci a few pointers. But the atmosphere was so solemn and serious right now that joking would be inappropriate.

He said no more and finished the wine in his cup.

Gu Ci toasted Qin Lang next. “We were classmates for several years; you know what kind of person I am. When Nianxi and I get married, I want you to be my best man.”

Qin Lang agreed without hesitation. “That’s a certainty.”

But in his heart, he was constantly mumbling. Judging by Gu Ci’s stance, he was determined to bring the matter to a head today, which made Qin Lang worried and a little excited.

He usually called Gu Ci ‘Young Master Gu’ because this master’s temper was not as gentle and harmless as he showed in front of the sister. He remembered when they first entered the Imperial Academy, a young man of the imperial clan spoke inappropriately, and Gu Ci immediately broke his front teeth. The matter became a big scandal, and he was nearly expelled from the academy.

Qin Lang used to think Gu Ci was wild and Pei Jian was crazy. Now that these two—a ‘Sleeping Dragon’ and ‘Phoenix Fledgling’—were about to clash, he hoped the fallout wouldn’t be too severe.

Gu Ci finally turned to Pei Jian. “Shizhang, you and I are brothers who grew up playing together. Whenever I caused trouble, you were always there to clean up and support me. I stayed at your house more often than I stayed at mine. No matter what I do, as long as you are there, I feel assured.”

“Marriage is a huge life event. When I marry Nianxi, if Brother Jinghe gives me a hard time and asks me to write seventeen or eighteen poems to urge the bride out, I’ll need your help.”