Chapter 28.1

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The window lattice was half open. The sun hung in the sky like a pale shadow, casting down a few faint strands of golden light.

Half of Xie Zheng’s face was lit by the sunlight, the other half hidden in shadow. His eyes were calm, undisturbed, like still water.

Fan Changyu wanted to deny it, but when she met his gaze, she couldn’t open her mouth. She sat down on a low stool to the side, arms around her knees, her voice muffled. “The troubles in my family have dragged you in twice already. You owe me nothing. If you draw a clear line between yourself and my family, perhaps you’ll be safer.”

Xie Zheng asked, “Do you believe the words of that ignorant old woman?”

Fan Changyu pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Of course she didn’t believe them. But her parents were gone, Fan Da had been killed, Changning and Yan Zheng had both barely escaped death. And if the constables hadn’t arrived in time last night, who’s to say Aunt Zhao and Carpenter Zhao wouldn’t have been dragged into this too?

Maybe… just maybe, as Song’s mother and Granny Kang had said, she really was born under a cursed star. Everyone who got close to her ended up suffering.

Xie Zheng saw her fall silent and understood without needing further explanation. His fine brows knit slightly as he asked, “You think keeping your distance from me is for my own good—but what about your sister? Are you planning to keep your distance from her, too?”

Fan Changyu tightened her clasped hands on her knees, her thoughts a tangled mess.

Yes, she could distance herself from the Zhao couple and Yan Zheng to avoid dragging them into her troubles—but what about Changning?

Changning was only five. In this world, she had no one else.

While she sat in silence, Xie Zheng spoke slowly. “What’s more frightening in this world than ghosts or fate,” he said, “is the human heart.”

Fan Changyu looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes filled with confusion.

Xie Zheng’s finely shaped lips curved in a faint, sardonic smile. “There’s no such thing as all that nonsense about spirits and omens. Even talk of a nation’s destiny is just a trick to fool the masses—let alone the babble about fate and fortune.”

Fan Changyu still didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

Xie Zheng lifted his eyes. “Some people do wicked things and like to hide behind talk of ghosts and fate. Like when you scared that old woman just now—you said she was cursed and that’s why she fell. She didn’t know the truth and was frightened enough to half-believe it. But you and I both know it was a pine-nut candy that hit her and made her fall.”

Fan Changyu lowered her eyes. A long moment passed before she finally said, “Of course I know the Song family used that so-called fate reading just to break off the engagement. But the misfortunes in my family are real. That’s why my heart can’t rest easy.”

Xie Zheng said, “Your parents made enemies early on—they didn’t offend any ghosts or spirits. What is it that’s got you so unsettled?”

Fan Changyu stared at him, stunned. She couldn’t help thinking: his mouth really was vicious. But somehow, the suffocating weight in her chest didn’t feel quite as heavy anymore.

She let out a sigh and gave up the pretense, admitting with resignation, “I understand everything you’re saying. I just got upset for a moment after hearing those words. Once the feeling passes, I’ll be fine.”

Xie Zheng didn’t hold back in the slightest. “If someone upsets you, then teach them a lesson. Say whatever you like to me, but if you distance yourself from that old couple too, let’s see whether they end up sad or pleased.”

Fan Changyu lowered her head. Her voice was low and dull. “Sorry. I acted rashly before.”

The curve of Xie Zheng’s lashes traced a graceful arc at the outer corners of his eyes. His expression finally relaxed a little. “You’re not the kind to just accept being stepped on. You came back this morning and got doused with water, yet instead of settling the score right then and there, you sulk your way home instead. Impressive.”

Fan Changyu fell silent for a beat before finally replying, “I once heard a saying: ‘The law does not punish the crowd.’ It means that if many people commit the same offense, the authorities won’t punish them all. Right now, the ones who fear my so-called jinxed fate—are everyone in this town. The ones whispering behind my back—are also the whole town. I might be able to teach one person a lesson, but how could I possibly teach them all?”

Xie Zheng paused. Somewhere deep inside him, hidden and long-buried memories stirred at her words.

He had lost his parents young and grown up in the Wei household—not exactly a smooth journey to where he was now.

He still remembered vividly the time that man’s son led others to break his ribs, pressing his face into the blood-soaked mud with the heel of a fine silk boot.

All those years on the battlefield, brushing past death again and again, the scars of blades and axes across his back were the price of his military merit. And still, because his maternal uncle was Wei Yan, there were people who scorned him behind his back, saying he had disgraced the Xie family name by becoming someone else’s lapdog.

He lifted his eyes slightly. A few words slipped coldly from his thin lips. “Then have you heard the phrase ‘kill the chicken to scare the monkey’?”

“People are selfish by nature. If you’re weak and easy to bully, no matter how kind you are, few will reach out to help you. But if you soar high, even if you commit unspeakable acts, there’ll still be a crowd tripping over themselves to curry favor. Isn’t that exactly what your ex-fiancé did?”

Fan Changyu listened in silence. Her arms wrapped tighter around her knees as she stared into the iron basin glowing with red-hot coals, saying nothing.

Xie Zheng’s fingers, lightly tapping the armrest of the bamboo chair, paused. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice carried a sharpness he hadn’t even noticed himself. “Still not over that ex of yours? Just hearing his name still makes you upset?”

Fan Changyu lifted her head and gave him a look, puzzled at first—then she suddenly remembered. Earlier, to prevent him from getting the wrong idea, she had blurted out something about not being over Song Yan.

Lies, as it turned out, did come with a price.

She opened her mouth, but in the end only sighed and said, “I am a little upset. He passed the exam and earned his title. All of Qingping County produced only one juren this year—and that was him. Even the magistrate holds him in high regard. You can’t really blame people for chasing after status. He really has made it. What do I have that could possibly compare?”

Xie Zheng gave a short, derisive laugh. “Just a juren. Do you know how many juren come out of the capital and seventeen provinces of Dayin every year? That ex-fiancé of yours is nothing worth fussing over.”

Fan Changyu couldn’t help giving him a sideways glance. “It’s fine if you say things like that in front of me. Just don’t go saying it in front of others—you’ll become a laughingstock.”

Xie Zheng frowned. “What’s laughable about it?”

Fan Changyu couldn’t believe how oblivious he was. She shook her head helplessly. “You don’t even have a xiucai title, and here you are belittling someone who passed the juren exam…”

She paused, then added gently, “I know you’re saying all this to cheer me up.”