The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 61

Qin Lang rushed with the physician to attend to Pei Jian.

However, the person who had been half-dead with illness earlier had already gotten up. He was sitting cross-legged, facing the window where the sun was setting, his back motionless, looking desolate and withdrawn, as if in a daze.

“Shizhang?” Qin Lang called him.

Pei Jian swayed slightly and turned around.

Ignoring his bruised face and pale complexion, he seemed to have reverted to his usual deep-thinking, astute self, Pei Shizhang. His eyebrows were serious. He looked at Qin Lang, paused, and asked in a low voice:

“Why did you come?”

He’s clearly still confused by the illness!

Qin Lang had already visited once and spoken to him, yet he had no memory of it.

Qin Lang gestured for the physician to step forward, saying: “You’re a grown man. You don’t know how to take care of yourself. You’re so sick, yet you forbid Steward Li from calling a doctor. What can one say about you?”

Pei Jian remained silent, cooperating with the physician for the diagnosis. After the physician left to write the prescription and prepare the medicine, he nodded to Qin Lang: “Thank you. I’ve troubled you.”

Pei Jian was not a man to easily expose his vulnerability. He was more resolute and determined than anyone, unless his heart was truly wounded.

Qin Lang opened his mouth to offer advice, but before he could speak, Pei Jian’s words blocked him: “It’s late. I won’t keep you long. I will thank you properly another day.”

Pei Jian had obviously anticipated what he wanted to say.

Qin Lang swallowed his sigh. Even if he told Pei Jian that Nianxi was just at the clinic, accompanying Gu Ci for treatment, and didn’t care about him at all—what good would it do?

Given Pei Jian’s nature, once he was determined to go down a certain path, Qin Lang couldn’t persuade him even if he talked himself hoarse.

So he didn’t elaborate: “Alright, I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

After he spoke, silence returned to the surroundings. Pei Jian was naturally a man of few words, and even the servants moving about were quiet, making no noise.

The entire courtyard seemed shrouded in a deep sense of loneliness.

On the way back, his mood was inevitably affected. Qin Lang shook his head, trying to dispel the feeling of dejection. He was always optimistic and cheerful. Just as he was thinking this, he ran into Xu Wanxin at the end of the alley.

Xu Wanxin was emerging from a shop. Seeing him, she first looked startled, then smiled gently: “Are you my cousin’s friend, Young Master Qin? I’ve heard my cousin mention you.”

Qin Lang had heard of Pei Jian’s cousin, Miss Xu, but they hadn’t interacted much.

To Qin Lang, such a beautiful, fragile, and devoted woman was no different from a fairy in heaven.

She was the ultimate embodiment of a man’s charm.

He felt intensely envious, wishing he could also have such a beautiful cousin. It didn’t matter if her looks or figure were slightly inferior, or if her family background was a little worse.

In that regard, Pei Jian truly didn’t know how fortunate he was.

In his opinion, Miss Xu was no worse than Nianxi in any aspect, and most importantly, when she spoke of Pei Jian, the tenderness in her eyes was practically overflowing. Unlike Nianxi, who was so indifferent and chilling.

Although loving someone was a very private matter, the fact that Nianxi had caused a rift between two brothers was undeniable.

Qin Lang was merely mortal, and his heart naturally had biases. It was inevitable that he felt some resentment towards Nianxi and favored the gentle Miss Xu.

So he said: “I just came from Shizhang’s residence. He’s gravely ill, and there’s no one at home to look after him…”

Xu Wanxin visibly tensed up, wringing her handkerchief, and asked repeatedly: “Cousin is sick? Has he consulted a doctor? Cousin has always been strong. How could he suddenly fall ill?”

After asking a series of questions, a hint of shyness appeared on her face: “My concern has made me reckless. I apologize for my loss of composure, which must have amused you, Young Master Qin.”

Qin Lang was quite satisfied with her reaction. Wasn’t this precisely the moment Pei Jian needed such a warm and caring beauty by his side?

“Not at all,” Qin Lang waved his hand, then laughed: “He’s already been examined, but his illness is severe. He’s completely delirious with fever. I have duty tomorrow, so it’s hard for me to attend to him…”

In reality, the Pei Residence still had servants, so Pei Jian wasn’t so pitiful as to be unattended. But at this moment, Qin Lang naturally exaggerated the situation.

Indeed, the worry on Xu Wanxin’s face deepened. She frowned her delicate brows, twisting her handkerchief, and after a moment, she spoke: “I happen to be free, but… I’m afraid Cousin might be displeased and fault me for taking the initiative.”

“He wouldn’t dare!”

Hearing that she was willing to look after Pei Jian, Qin Lang nearly thumped his chest to guarantee it: “I am asking you to go look after him. If Pei Shizhang is truly ungrateful and holds you accountable, just tell him to come find me!”

A person’s heart is most vulnerable and defenseless when they are ill. If Miss Xu approached him now, offering gentle care and meticulous attention, Qin Lang refused to believe Pei Jian’s heart was made of stone and that he would remain unmoved.

It would be best if he realized his mistake and reconciled with his cousin for a happy life.

That way, the brothers would still be brothers, and their lovers would be different. Wouldn’t that be perfect for both sides?

Qin Lang increasingly thought he was exceptionally intelligent, selfless, a savior of the distressed, and a sincere and indispensable friend.

“Then it’s settled!”

Xu Wanxin nodded, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks, making her appear even more fragile and moving: “Cousin moved his residence, and I don’t know where he lives now.”

Qin Lang silently cursed the ungrateful Pei Jian for being so lucky, while smiling and telling her the location.

After parting ways with Xu Wanxin, his worries scattered. He felt as though he had already witnessed Gu Ci and Pei Jian shaking hands and making peace, and he returned home feeling utterly satisfied.

Meanwhile, after the others had walked away, Xu Wanxin’s eyes softened. She turned her head and instructed her maid: “Go back and iron that new scarlet skirt with sixteen godet panels. I’ll wear it tomorrow. When Cousin is sick, seeing bright colors should lift his spirits.”

“Yes.”

The sun was setting, the evening clouds gathering together.

Xu Wanxin looked up at the vast and glorious sunset in the sky, revealing a gentle and lovely smile.

How could she not know where her cousin lived? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ‘accidentally’ encountered Young Master Qin.

She was precocious from a young age. While other children were playing and crying, she was already learning to be a little lady, waiting to grow up quickly so she could marry her beloved cousin.

Unfortunately, fate was unkind.

Her cousin’s parents died young. Before she could offer comfort and companionship, securing love in the heart of the handsome, upright youth, her short-sighted father had already annulled the engagement.

No matter how much she cried and resisted, it was useless.

Her parents only thought she was young and would forget Pei Jian in a short time.

But they were all wrong.

Year after year, Xu Wanxin watched her cousin become more outstanding and dazzling, growing from a boy into a resolute, refined young man, relying only on himself, without needing the backing of his clan or titles. Her love for him surged year after year.

She dared not stop her own progress: zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, embroidery… Among all the young ladies in the city, she was known for her virtue and talent.

She wanted her cousin to see a brilliant and dazzling version of herself as well.

Since childhood, Xu Wanxin’s goal had never changed: to marry her beloved cousin.

But then a Miss Wen emerged from nowhere, stirring her cousin’s heart and disrupting her plans.

The first time she saw Wen Nianxi, she felt a subtle, competitive female spirit rise up within her.

Seeing Wen Nianxi effortlessly, simply by standing there and smiling, attracting the attention of every young gentleman at the winding stream party… she could still comfort herself that these shallow men only looked at appearances, lacking any depth.

It wasn’t until her beloved cousin’s gaze settled unblinkingly on Wen Nianxi that she felt a true sense of crisis.

She clearly felt a seed of jealousy land in her heart, quickly taking root, sprouting, and bearing fatal fruit.

How could she allow Wen Nianxi to possess what she did not?

It was a pity that Wen Nianxi was too timid, guarding against her repeated attempts to approach.

It doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter; the one thing she had plenty of was patience.

Before stepping into her carriage, Xu Wanxin took one last look at the red clouds in the sky. Tomorrow will be another good day.