Chapter 29: Did You Come for Me?

Jiang Li took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and uttered only two words: "I'm sorry..."

A wave of fury instantly surged in Nan Yan's heart. She balled up her fists, which possessed no real threat, and hammered them against his back with all her might.

"You really aren't a good person—was everything last night exactly as you wished? Is this why you followed Meng Boji to the Meng family household, isn't it?!"

"Why?! Why—"

Having just recovered, she lacked any real strength, and her blows were soft and weak. Especially after such a bout of shouting, she became short of breath, her sobs coming in uneven gasps.

"Why... why did it have to be me..."

She no longer had the strength to even strike him. Her delicate face was as pale as Jiang Li's, yet she still gritted her teeth and pounded on his back.

Jiang Li sighed softly, suddenly turned around, and caught her wrists with precision.

Nan Yan froze, about to lash out again, but he was caught off guard by a sudden, violent fit of coughing that looked agonizing. His jade-like face was even paler than hers, drained of all color, and he slumped down in exhaustion.

Nan Yan stiffened. Instinctively, she reached out to steady him, but her hand stopped abruptly in mid-air. The physical sensations on her body served as a constant reminder that something had indeed happened the night before.

The mere thought filled her with hatred. How could such an ethereal, immortal-like man turn out to be a scoundrel who took advantage of someone in distress?

Gritting her teeth in resentment, she withdrew her hand.

In the end, Meng Boji’s scheme had succeeded. Wasn't their goal to ruin her reputation? Even if the man had been replaced by Jiang Li, wasn't the outcome the same?

What angered her even more was the possibility that this was exactly the outcome Jiang Li had wanted. Hadn't he been watching her ever since he arrived at the Meng household? This was no illusion, nor was she being delusional; she was certain there was something more in the way Jiang Li looked at her.

But if he only wanted to possess her...

Nan Yan turned to look at the icy, gloomy depths of the pool. Even sitting by the campfire, she could clearly feel the bone-chilling cold. If his only goal was to possess her, he had already succeeded. Why then... would he endure such torture in his frail, sickly state just to save her life?

She was not without memory; she had simply believed she was back on her wedding night three years ago, mistaking Jiang Li for Meng Boji...

Last night, did he hold her like this, standing in the bone-chilling pool all night long?

Her clenched teeth slowly relaxed. Once his coughing subsided, Nan Yan spoke softly.

"Your cold poison... how did you get it?"

Hearing this, Jiang Li lifted his eyes, realizing she had overheard what Dan Zhu said earlier.

He lowered his gaze again, his expression flickering between shadow and light, before he calmly uttered a few words: "A matter from childhood; it is not worth mentioning..."

Since he wouldn't say, Nan Yan found it difficult to press him, so she changed the question: "What exactly do you want?"

Jiang Li suddenly looked up, staring at her intensely, but after a moment, he lowered his eyes again, saying nothing at all.

Nan Yan felt compelled to ask: "It wasn't a coincidence that you came to the Meng household, was it?"

"And your acquaintance with Meng Boji was not accidental either; you didn't come to the Meng household because he requested it, did you?"

Jiang Li: "..."

Nan Yan narrowed her eyes and asked again: "You... did you come to the Meng household for me?"

Having laid the question bare, Jiang Li nodded readily.

Nan Yan was stunned: "You came for me? Why? Do we even know each other?"

She looked herself over from head to toe, still unable to comprehend: "What do I possess that was worth you making a special trip?"

Jiang Li fell silent again. He was truly like a gourd with a sealed mouth, so sparing with his words that each one seemed to cost him dearly.

Nan Yan pinched her palm and gritted her teeth: "Speak!"

Jiang Li looked at her for a long time with that same flickering expression before suddenly uttering something that nearly made Nan Yan choke.

"I came to be your husband."

Nan Yan’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. She thought she had misheard, and the sheer disbelief caused her to choke on her own saliva as she opened her mouth to speak.

She began to cough, glaring at him between gasps: "Are... *cough, cough*... are you a madman?!"

Far from being angry, Jiang Li’s lips curled up in a faint, fleeting smile. He reached out to pat her back to help her breathe, but Nan Yan slapped his hand away.

"I am serious! What exactly are your intentions toward me?!"

Even if he wanted to possess her, he had already succeeded last night. Could it be that he truly intended to spend his life with her, to be her husband?

"I just want to be your husband."

Nan Yan gasped, and her coughing stopped instantly.

In the firelight, she stared at him, and he gazed at her. For a long, long time, there was a deathly silence.

In the end, it was Nan Yan who gave in. A flush crept onto her face for no reason, and she turned her head away to hide the trace of embarrassment in her eyes.

After composing herself, Nan Yan spoke: "If this is only because of last night, and you want to take responsibility, there is no need..."

"It is not."

Jiang Li interrupted her. Nan Yan turned back, stunned once more, listening to him speak every word with sincerity.

"I have thought this way for a long time, but unfortunately..."

Nan Yan shuddered as if struck by lightning. A deep, painful memory stirred in her soul, as if someone had pricked her heart.

It was different from three years ago when Meng Boji confessed his admiration for her. Back then, she had only been surprised; how could he fall for her after only a few letters and a few meetings? It was only later, after Meng Boji swore to the heavens, studied relentlessly, and knelt for three days and three nights in the sun and rain, that she was moved. But she knew clearly that it was only pity.

This moment was different.

Jiang Li’s words were more direct: he simply wanted to be her husband.

Her mind went blank, losing the ability to think. She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.

A sour, tingling sensation—like an ant crawling back and forth, gnawing at her heart.

It wasn't pity. Was it... a fluttering of the heart?

Nan Yan was startled by her own thought. He... he was a madman! He had taken advantage of her when she was vulnerable last night; how could she feel this way... for him...

Nan Yan took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

She heard Jiang Li’s cool, clear voice beside her: "I know the Meng family is plotting against the Nan family."

"I know that Meng Boji married you only for your dowry, for the status and power of the Nan family, to pave his own road to success."

"I also know... that he has been having an affair with Xia Qingfei..."

"But now, you are no longer a woman of the Meng family..."

"Are you willing?"

Nan Yan’s heart trembled. Her eyes grew hot and red as she looked at him, her voice bordering on hysterical.

"Why... why didn't you come three years ago?!"

Why did he wait until after so much had happened? If his heart had been set on her for so long, why couldn't he have come sooner—

If he had come sooner, if only he had come sooner... she would never have had to suffer such deception and exploitation at the hands of Meng Boji and the Meng family!

Jiang Li furrowed his brows and remained silent for a moment before uttering only two words: "...I'm sorry."

"I will wait. I will wait until you are willing. As long as it takes."

Nan Yan’s heart quivered, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears that kept falling.