Seeing that the matter had settled, Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

The courtyard instantly became quiet.

“Thank you,” Su Mu said softly, her eyelids lowered.

“Do we need to say such things between us?” A faint smile appeared at the corner of Yan Jiyue’s lips. He reached out his hand, tentatively wanting to pull her, but Su Mu avoided it.

Yan Jiyue smiled bitterly: “I heard Xiao Ping say that Luoyan Lane was in an uproar. When I inquired, I learned about this incident. I thought if this matter couldn’t be resolved, your reputation would surely be damaged, so I came… Seeing you’re alright, I’m relieved.”

“Yes, young mistress, when my young master heard those neighbors discussing and criticizing you, he defied the master’s arrangements to come here and help you. He said that you’re now taking the imperial examination, and a pure reputation is more important than anything, so he came regardless of the consequences,” Xiao Ping said.

Su Mu finally raised her head to look at Yan Jiyue. At this moment, he didn’t have the resentful and arrogant eyes of ten years later, but was smiling with lowered brows and eyes, without any aggression.

She had thought that after Yan Jiyue’s rebirth, he would harm Xie Yi, but she never expected that he would voluntarily help her one day. It seemed that after being reborn, they had both matured.

“Won’t you invite me in to sit?” Seeing Su Mu remaining silent, Yan Jiyue was afraid she was still displeased with him and would drive him away, so he took the initiative to ask.

“Please come in.” After all, he had helped her, so Su Mu stepped aside to invite Yan Jiyue in: “My humble abode is simple, please don’t mind.”

“No… how could I mind.” Yan Jiyue was pleasantly surprised, unable to contain his excitement.

Although the spread of rumors was unexpected, he never thought he would turn misfortune into blessing, gaining Su Mu’s slight favor by actively intervening to help Xie Yi.

Yan Jiyue’s steps were a bit unsteady as he walked into the house, looking at the simple and plain furnishings inside. There weren’t even decorative paintings or calligraphy, just a simple dining table. From the main hall, one could see the adjacent bedroom, which had a desk with basic books on it, and ink and brushes laid out with a few characters written. Everything was so simple and casual.

Yan Jiyue sat upright on the stool, his hands and feet together, sitting formally like a student meeting a teacher for the first time.

This was the first time he had entered Su Mu’s room. A sense of novelty spread through his chest. Just sitting there made his heart surge with excitement, as if he was a little closer to Su Mu now. She was no longer an unattainable dream.

Su Mu poured him a cup of tea: “I don’t have the Dragon Well fragrant tea you like here, only ordinary tea leaves. It’s slightly bitter and astringent, please make do with it.”

“You… you know I love to drink Dragon Well fragrant tea?” Yan Jiyue was genuinely stunned for a moment. After a moment of surprise, overwhelming joy followed.

She even remembered the tea he liked to drink. Yan Jiyue couldn’t stop the smile at the corners of his lips.

He couldn’t help but think of his previous life. Even though Xie Yi would occasionally come to annoy him, Su Mu would still return for holidays, and the whole family would have a reunion dinner.

In front of everyone, even if Su Mu didn’t like him, she wouldn’t show her displeasure, gently and attentively serving him dishes. Those cousins who had once mocked him for marrying down were all extremely envious.

At night, Su Mu would also stay in his room, although she would still sleep on the soft couch while he slept on the bed.

But once, when he had a fever at night, feeling both cold and hot, it was Su Mu who took care of him all night, holding him all night. It seemed that in his hazy state, he even cried, and Su Mu sang to comfort him.

The next day, after he recovered, he was extremely happy, thinking this was an opportunity for their marital relationship to become closer. He specially put on his best clothes, wore the hairpin she had given him, and personally made a bowl of fish soup to find her at Luofeng Garden.

But his full heart of joy was doused with a bucket of cold water. Xie Yi walked out of Luofeng Garden with disheveled clothes, his face full of coyness. Anyone who saw would know what they had just done.

The fish soup shattered on the ground.

Xie Yi lowered his head to look at the porridge on the ground, then looked at the white jade hairpin on his head.

Xie Yi didn’t speak or bow to him, but in front of him, he slowly and methodically tidied his clothes, then showed off the blood jade bracelet on his wrist as if flaunting, lightly mocking: “Brother’s jade hairpin on your head looks really nice.”

The quality of Xie Yi’s blood jade bracelet was thousands of times better than the hairpin on his head. Yan Jiyue gritted his teeth, feeling that his bowing and pleasing had become a joke, his face burning as if someone had slapped him.

If it weren’t for Su Mu, he would have been glad to see those people force that scoundrel Xie Yi to death, or sell him to a brothel to be the lowest, most ridden and pressed upon male prostitute.

Su Mu’s hand paused as she poured the tea. In her previous life, in order to reconcile with Yan Jiyue, not only did she remember the tea Yan Jiyue liked to drink, but also the pen, ink, and inkstone he liked to use, the fabrics and silks he liked, his favorite colors, flowers, and desserts. She remembered every single thing.

After being reborn, these memories were still preserved.

She said flatly: “… When I was a servant in the Yan family before, I remembered the preferences of the masters in every department and courtyard.”

The smile on Yan Jiyue’s face suddenly stiffened, his disappointment indescribable: “… I see.”

He picked up the teacup and drank the tea. Indeed, as she said, it was bitter and astringent.

Ten years later, Su Mu, the richest woman in Juancheng, lived in luxury, with countless male servants scrambling to serve her. Now, even the tea was so difficult to swallow.

He felt somewhat distressed. In the ten years of marriage to Su Mu, even in the most difficult times, Su Mu had never let him suffer. But now she was living such a frugal life.

“I still have some Dragon Well tea in my courtyard. I’ll have Xiao Ping bring you some later.”

“There’s no need. I was born into hardship and am not used to good tea,” Su Mu politely refused.

“Is that so?” Yan Jiyue’s heart was filled with melancholy. In her previous life, she could even distinguish whether Dragon Well tea was pre-rain or post-rain. How could she not be used to good tea? It was just that she disliked him and didn’t want to drink his tea.

“Xiao Yi, have a cup of tea too. You’ve suffered today,” Su Mu poured him a cup.

“Thank you, Sister Mu.” Xie Yi took the cup but didn’t sit down. He just stood beside her, taking small sips of tea.

Yan Jiyue’s anger surged just seeing Xie Yi’s face, wanting to tear him apart.

Xie Yi felt Yan Jiyue’s malevolent gaze and lowered his eyes. In an instant, his thoughts had gone through a thousand turns, quickly understanding the real reason why Yan Jiyue had helped him today — to please Su Mu.

Moreover, Xie Yi had always been puzzled. Madam Li had clearly told Su Mu that she hadn’t spread the news about the branding, so where did this information come from?

Before, Xie Yi couldn’t figure it out, but now seeing Yan Jiyue, he had the answer in his heart.

Whoever benefits the most is the instigator.

Yan Jiyue first released the news, let the rumors ferment, and then when public anger was aroused, he appeared to help Sister Mu resolve the situation. This way, Sister Mu’s bad impression of him would change. The whole scheme was executed flawlessly.

Before, Sister Mu wouldn’t even give Yan Jiyue a good look when speaking to him, but now she even allowed him to enter her home.

What a good tactic.

Xie Yi narrowed his eyes in disgust. In a moment, he raised his head and smiled at him: “Thank you so much, brother, today. If it weren’t for Sister Mu and brother’s help, I might have already been driven away by those people.”

Yan Jiyue smiled coldly: “No need for thanks. But as the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire. Brother Xie Yi should restrain his words and actions in the future to avoid giving others something to talk about. If you adhere to male virtues, these rumors naturally won’t come knocking.”

Restrain his words and actions? Is he saying that his behavior is improper?

Xie Yi laughed coldly in his heart. He’s really good at putting labels on him, and in front of Sister Mu too, making Sister Mu think he’s a fickle man.

He lowered his head submissively and humbly: “Brother is right, but since I was bought by Sister Mu, I have never had any contact with any woman other than Sister Mu. I don’t know why, even though I’ve done this much, those people are still so aggressive.”

“Flies don’t stick to eggs without cracks. You should look for reasons within yourself. Think about it, there are so many unmarried men in Luoyan Lane, why don’t they target others, but only target you?”

Xie Yi was speechless, biting his lip in frustration.

Yan Jiyue’s lips curled in a smug, cold smile.

Xie Yi became even more respectful: “Brother is right. I will definitely be more dutiful in the future, only for Sister Mu, only for Sister Mu to see. It’s just that those people smeared my reputation, saying I was branded, and even branded with the character for ‘lust’. It’s really baffling. I don’t even know what that character means.”

Yan Jiyue smiled disdainfully: “You’ve clearly been branded. It’s one thing to pretend in front of others, but why are you still pretending in front of me?”

Xie Yi raised his head, his emerald-like deep eyes staring straight at Yan Jiyue: “Brother is so certain that I’ve been branded? Wasn’t brother defending my innocence earlier? Could it be that brother doesn’t trust me, knowing that I’ve been branded, yet still defending me? Why?”

Oh no! Yan Jiyue gripped the armrest tightly, instinctively looking towards Su Mu.

Su Mu stopped drinking her tea, leisurely looking at him, her expression thoughtful.

“I… of course I believe you…” Yan Jiyue’s blood almost froze with tension: “I also heard those neighbors outside gossiping. They spoke with such conviction that I believed them.”

“Oh—” Xie Yi’s smile didn’t reach his eyes: “So that’s how it is.”