Chapter 94: Jealousy

Hearing that an unfamiliar man was looking for Elder Sister Yuner, and seeing the panic on Butler Qiu’s face, Su Qingwan frowned and asked, “Elder Sister Yuner, who is this Young Master Tang?”

“This Young Master Tang is…” Just as Lu Yuner was about to explain, they heard the faint sound of a small bell from outside the door, accompanied by a pleasant young man’s voice, “Elder Sister Yuner, long time no see. How have you been lately?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Lu Yuner’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

This particularly sweet “Elder Sister Yuner” also fell into Su Qingwan’s ears. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Apart from those close to Elder Sister Yuner, why would an unfamiliar young man address her in this way? Judging from the tone, it seemed the two had a deep relationship.

Su Qingwan instinctively scanned in the direction of the voice, alert. He saw a smiling young man approaching with a servant. The young man had a handsome and delicate face, bright eyes and white teeth, exuding a natural nobility. His lively almond eyes added a touch of pure and lovely gentleness, typical of the soft and delicate young men from Jiangnan.

A closer look at his clothing and appearance revealed he was certainly either rich or noble.

Seeing Elder Sister Yuner holding hands with another handsome young man, Tang Jingyuan’s smile suddenly froze, his eyes widening as if filled with disbelief. He quickly regained his composure, realizing he had lost his composure.

The next second, he struggled to maintain a smile as he looked Su Qingwan up and down. A fleeting look of amazement and bitterness flashed in his eyes, but he still smiled and asked, “Elder Sister Yuner, who is this beside you?”

With the innate sensitivity of men, as soon as Su Qingwan met his gaze, he detected a hint of probing in his eyes. He could be certain that the young man before him liked Elder Sister Yuner.

Lu Yuner introduced them to each other: “This is Su Qingwan, Young Master Su, and also my fiancé. This is a private trip, so you can just call him Young Master Su.”

Young Master Su? And fiancé? She’s getting married? Tang Jingyuan’s pupils contracted, his heart feeling as if it had been cut by a knife. He bowed and said, “Greetings, Young Master Su.”

Lu Yuner continued, “This is Tang Jingyuan, the son of the largest rice merchant in the Jiangnan area.”

Su Qingwan nodded slightly. Setting aside his identity as Young Master Su, as Elder Sister Yuner’s fiancé, he should return the greeting.

Lu Yuner asked, “I’ve been on the ship since yesterday, why haven’t I seen you?”

Tang Jingyuan replied, “I was returning from visiting relatives in the north, and the passenger ship I was on suddenly had some problems. When passing through the capital, I changed to a new passenger ship. I had planned to visit you, but then received a message from home asking me to return quickly, so I gave up on that idea.”

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well yesterday and was a bit seasick, so I stayed in my room all day. Who would have thought that when I came out for some fresh air this morning, I just saw Butler Qiu, and upon asking, learned that Elder Sister Yuner was on the ship. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen Elder Sister Yuner, so I thought I’d check on her recent situation.”

Su Qingwan’s expression changed slightly, his cold gaze towards the other revealing a faint aloofness.

“I’m doing well in every respect,” Lu Yuner said, noticing his somewhat pale complexion. “But hearing you mention seasickness, are you feeling better now?”

Tang Jingyuan touched his forehead, his voice growing weaker, “I’m still a bit dizzy.”

“In that case, now that we’ve seen each other, let’s talk more when we return to Jinling Prefecture. Since you’re not feeling well, go back to your room and rest! I have some seasickness patches here.”

Lu Yuner looked at Qiu Yi and said, “Qiu Yi, send some to Young Master Tang later.”

Qiu Yi’s eyes moved slightly, and she replied, “Yes.”

A faint smile appeared in Tang Jingyuan’s eyes: “Thank you for your concern, Elder Sister Yuner.”

As he was leaving, Tang Jingyuan touched the small object hanging at his waist, turned back with a smile in his eyes and said, “Oh, right, Elder Sister Yuner, the little bell you gave me for my birthday last time, I accidentally dropped it on the ground. The sound of this little bell isn’t as crisp as before. For my birthday this year, could Elder Sister Yuner give me another one?”

Su Qingwan’s mind seemed to explode with a thunderous boom, his astonished gaze falling on the little bell. Although the style was ordinary, it was exquisite and cute, looking quite charming.

Su Qingwan lowered his eyes to hide the trace of sharpness and disappointment in them. He hadn’t even received a gift from Elder Sister Yuner yet! Moreover, Elder Sister Yuner didn’t stop this Young Master Tang from addressing her so intimately.

Watching the two chatting and laughing, they seemed to get along very well, their words revealing care for each other. This relationship didn’t seem shallow.

It was the first time Su Qingwan had seen Elder Sister Yuner treat someone like this. He felt a lump in his throat, a bitterness welling up in his eyes.

Lu Yuner noticed the dejected mood of the person beside her and unconsciously tightened her grip on the hand she was holding. She said, “Alright, I’ll give you another one on your birthday.”

Later, Tang Jingyuan instructed his servant to fetch the seasickness patches, while he returned to his room, looking listless, as if he had lost his soul.

Tang Jingyuan gently stroked the little bell, looking at it with deep affection. In a voice filled with sorrow, he muttered to himself, “I’ve waited so long, and Elder Sister Yuner is finally getting married. But unfortunately, the groom isn’t me. Why?”

After everyone had left, Su Qingwan lowered his head, his eyes dim and lifeless. He silently withdrew the hand that had been held, turning to pick up the wooden basin to leave. His tone was indiscernible as he said, “Elder Sister Yuner, since you’ve finished washing up, I’ll go bring your breakfast.”

Worried that someone might suddenly barge in again, Lu Yuner walked to the door and latched it. Then she came to Su Qingwan’s side, hugging him tightly from behind. “Are you jealous?”

Su Qingwan bit his lip and said softly, “I… I’m not.”

How could she not know whether he was jealous or not? Lu Yuner picked him up and placed him on the bed. The next second, she leaned down, their eyes meeting. “Really not jealous?”

Su Qingwan’s flickering eyes didn’t dare to look at her, but he nodded silently.

Lu Yuner’s eyes darkened: “Ah Wan, if I want to take male concubines in the future…”

Su Qingwan bit his lip lightly and said in a muffled voice, “Elder Sister Yuner is so good, there must be many men who like her. Taking male concubines is… is normal.”

Seeing that he wasn’t expressing his true feelings or letting out his negative emotions, Lu Yuner gave him a deep look and changed the subject: “If that’s the case, I just remembered that many people on this passenger ship were seasick yesterday. Qiu Yi’s seasickness patches have all been given to others and are probably used up. I still have some here, I’ll go give them to Young Master Tang.”

“You can’t go!” Su Qingwan immediately panicked, instinctively reaching out to tightly grasp her clothes, not letting her leave.

Lu Yuner turned and asked, “Why not?”

Su Qingwan’s eyes began to redden, but he still couldn’t say anything.

Lu Yuner couldn’t bear to continue questioning him and expressed her own thoughts: “Ah Wan knows, although Aunt Mu lives in Jinling Prefecture, I often visit my aunt, so I occasionally stay at her mansion for a few days when I’m free. Later, when I took office as the Minister of Revenue, Uncle knew that I was busy with affairs and liked quietness, so he separately arranged a nearby residence for me to rest when I went on southern inspection tours.”

“My parents have passed away, and then I reached the age for marriage. Regarding such major life events as taking a husband and having children, Uncle began to worry about me. This Young Master Tang’s parents have been good friends with my aunt in the business world for many years, they know each other well and have a deep friendship.”

“Taking advantage of my time in Jinling Prefecture, Uncle arranged for me to meet him at the residence, intending to bring us together, and arranged several days of dates. I knew he had feelings for me, but in the end, I politely refused. As for the reason, Ah Wan knows.”

“And I was preparing to return to the capital. As I was leaving, he came to see me off again, mentioning that it would soon be his birthday. He had taken a liking to a small bell used for decoration in my room, so I gave it to him as an ordinary birthday gift.”

At the mention of the small bell, Su Qingwan thoughtfully said, “It’s clear he still likes Elder Sister Yuner, otherwise he wouldn’t keep that small bell with him all the time.”

Lu Yuner said sincerely, “But I only like Ah Wan! My heart can only hold Ah Wan alone.”

Although Su Qingwan was happy in his heart, he still pouted: “But Elder Sister Yuner gave him a small bell.”

These words were tinged with jealousy. Lu Yuner explained, “That small bell is just a simple ornament that Qiu Yi bought from a shop. It doesn’t have any special thought or sentiment, nor anything particularly special about it.”

Su Qingwan understood everything and grasped the key point, asking uncertainly, “If Elder Sister Yuner had been willing to stay at that time, would you have agreed to this marriage?”

Lu Yuner said seriously, “No, only Ah Wan is the reason I’m willing to stay. If I hadn’t met Ah Wan, I wouldn’t have stayed, and then none of this would have happened.”

Lu Yuner slowly leaned closer, their foreheads touching, and whispered, “The only one who can make me want to be this close, to have intimate contact, is Ah Wan. In this life, I will only like Ah Wan alone, and I only want to grow old together with Ah Wan, sharing joys and sorrows.”

Su Qingwan said with deep emotion, “Elder Sister Yuner—”

Seeing that he had been comforted, Lu Yuner smiled with satisfaction, “Alright, since you’re not angry anymore, let’s go! Let’s have breakfast.”

“Wait a moment, Elder Sister Yuner.” As she was getting up, Su Qingwan took the opportunity to pounce on her, recalling what she had just said. He knew Elder Sister Yuner had him in her heart, but he hadn’t realized how important he was to Elder Sister Yuner.

Su Qingwan’s breathing became increasingly rapid as he looked at the woman he loved deeply before him. He fiddled with her clothes and said coyly, “But I’m still not appeased!”

Looking at the young man before her, his phoenix eyes filled with innocence but with a hint of childish mischief in their depths, Lu Yuner smiled without speaking.

Su Qingwan lay completely in her arms, his fair cheeks now a deep red. Although they were not yet married, these intimate gestures had long since crossed the boundaries of propriety between men and women.

If it weren’t for him always taking the initiative to throw himself into her arms, deliberately being intimate with her, occasionally playing little tricks, as long as he cried, in the end, Elder Sister Yuner could only obediently comply.

His indulgence and willfulness all stemmed from her doting and love. It was only in front of her that he could act so arbitrarily.

Su Qingwan’s fingers touched Lu Yuner’s waistband, wanting to indulge himself and pull it off, but forcibly restraining himself. “If you want me to stop being upset, then Elder Sister Yuner can make it up to me properly after we’re married.”

Lu Yuner chuckled, “Alright.”

The two cuddled for a long time, finally having breakfast in the room. Su Qingwan used the excuse of feeling unwell to stay on Lu Yuner’s bed, and Lu Yuner naturally stayed by his side to keep him company. They didn’t leave the room for the entire day, only emerging when they reached the dock at Jinling Prefecture.

Mu Yang, accompanied by several servants, had been waiting at the dock for a long time. This dock was an important hub between the north and south, with many ships coming and going. Whether merchant ships or passenger ships, they would all stop here to replenish supplies.

Recalling the contents of the letter, who would have thought that the two of them were now engaged? This time, Elder Sister Yuner even brought Young Master Su to Jinling Prefecture. It seemed Elder Sister Yuner was truly going to marry Young Master Su.

However, when this news reached his mother’s ears, she seemed somewhat worried about this marriage.

Looking at the dense flow of people, Mu Yang instructed the servant beside him: “This passenger ship has been docked for so long, all the people on board have disembarked. Everyone, look carefully, where are they?”

Suddenly, a servant pointed to a spot not far away and excitedly said, “Young Master, look! Miss Lu is over there!”

Mu Yang looked in the direction he was pointing, and finally saw a familiar figure among the bustling crowd. He waved enthusiastically, calling out, “Elder Sister Yuner, I’m here! Over here!”

Lu Yuner’s group also saw them and waved in response.

Having received their response, Mu Yang hurriedly instructed, “Steward Liu, quickly go help with the luggage.”

“Yes, Young Master,” Liu Yang replied, then led several sturdy servants into the crowd.

The next second, Mu Yang’s sharp eyes caught another familiar figure. A look of surprise crossed his face, “Elder Brother Jingyuan? Why is he with Elder Sister Yuner? These three…”