Hearing this, Ziyun was stunned. “Miss, haven’t you always been at odds with Second Miss? Why go looking for her now?”
Quan Heng sighed. “She may not be worth my concern, but if she makes Mother so angry that it affects her health, that’s not acceptable.”
It was now dusk. As the two left the house, the sky was painted with beautiful sunset clouds.
They walked for a long time without spotting any sign of Quan Rui. Just as they were about to turn back, Quan Heng suddenly heard faint voices.
Ziyun was about to speak when her lady covered her mouth.
“Quiet—let’s see what kind of nonsense they’re up to.”
Ziyun nodded and let out a muffled “mm-mm” in response.
The two hid behind an artificial rock not far away and peered through a small opening to see what was happening ahead.
They saw Quan Rui arrive and burst into uncontrollable tears.
She picked up a stone by her feet and hurled it into the small pond, sending ripples across the surface.
“Why? Why does no one like me? Father doesn’t love me anymore. Big brother is annoyed with me. Now even Mother doesn’t understand me. I might as well die!”
With that, Quan Rui took off her shoes and socks and stood at the edge of the pond, as if preparing to jump in.
Seeing this, Ziyun widened her eyes and whispered, “Second Miss isn’t really going to jump, is she?”
Quan Heng clenched her fists, eyes fixed anxiously on the scene.
She had never liked Quan Rui much, but if she really died, their mother would be devastated—and she wouldn’t be able to bear it either.
Quan Rui stood at the edge hesitating for a long time. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind, took a deep breath, and was about to leap in—
At that critical moment, just as Quan Heng was preparing to rush out and save her, a man suddenly appeared and grabbed Quan Rui, pulling her to the ground in a tumble. He had stopped her from committing suicide.
Quan Heng let out a sigh of relief. But when she looked more closely, she saw it was indeed Jiang Suifeng—and instantly her expression soured again.
Right now, Quan Rui was in Jiang Suifeng’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. She hit his chest with her fists and cried, “Why did you save me? Why not let me die? No one in this world loves me—I’d rather die and be done with it!”
Jiang Suifeng hugged her tighter and comforted her gently, “Who said no one loves you? I do. I like you very much. You’re wonderful in every way—you’re the best girl in the entire capital.”
Quan Rui hiccuped and took a trembling breath. “Really?”
Seeing the two wrapped in such a sticky-sweet moment, Ziyun off to the side looked speechless.
“Miss, you really called it. Second Miss really did sneak off to meet a man.”
Seeing Quan Heng’s serious gaze fixed on the pair, Ziyun fell silent and focused on watching.
Jiang Suifeng leaned down and kissed Quan Rui on the forehead. “About what we talked about last time at the Xie residence—have you thought it through?”
Quan Rui’s eyes flickered.
These days, Jiang Suifeng came to her every day. Whenever her parents rejected her, he was always the one to reassure her, telling her she was good—the best girl in the world.
All her grief was soothed by his gentle eyes.
To her, Young Master Jiang was like salvation itself—how could she resist?
But given his current status, he didn’t match her. It was like heaven and earth. Her parents would never agree.
As if sensing her hesitation, Jiang Suifeng said, “Ah Rui, I’m not like those other men in the capital. They come from great families and will surely take multiple wives and concubines in the future. But me—I’m just a concubine-born son of a provincial governor. To marry you would be the greatest blessing of my life. If I could have you as my wife, I’d never take another. No concubines. Only you by my side.”
Quan Rui was deeply moved. Tears rolled down her cheeks—only to be kissed away by Jiang Suifeng.
Overwhelmed, the two could no longer hold back. They kissed deeply by the pond.
Even from a distance, Quan Heng and Ziyun could hear the water splashing.
Watching this, Quan Heng suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
She couldn’t help thinking of that kiss with Ah Zheng.
Even now, just remembering it made her blush and her heart race.
Ziyun, oblivious to her lady’s distraction, turned away and clicked her tongue. “Second Miss is really bold—doing this in broad daylight! If word got out, Lord Marquis and Madam would faint from rage.”
Thinking of this, Ziyun suggested, “Miss, why don’t we expose them now? Catch them red-handed and she’ll be disgraced throughout the household. Then she’ll have no time to target you.”
She left another thought unspoken: this would also avenge the trouble she caused you with that peanut incident.
In her view, fines and grounding meant nothing.
She should suffer the same as her own lady did.
Unexpectedly, after she said this, Quan Heng shook her head. “No.”
Seeing Ziyun’s puzzled expression, Quan Heng lowered her voice, “In great families, one’s glory is shared, and one’s disgrace affects all. If this gets out, it won’t just shame her—it’ll disgrace the entire Marquis residence. People will think all the daughters of the Quan family are shameless like her. Then not just me—even the girls from the second and third branches will be affected.”
Hearing this, Ziyun nodded. “Understood, I spoke out of turn.”
Quan Heng patted her head. “It’s fine. You’re just looking out for me.”
Ziyun grinned sheepishly. But looking at the two still kissing by the pond, she muttered, “So we just stand here and watch? Not going to stop them?”
Quan Heng spread her hands helplessly. “They’re caught up in the heat of passion right now. If we jump out and interrupt them, they’ll just grow even closer. Besides, Quan Rui’s so thin-skinned—if we expose her, she might jump into the pond for real.”
Ziyun sighed, “What a pity. Second Miss is still the legitimate daughter of the Marquis residence. If we don’t stop her, will she really marry such a low-status boy? They’re such a poor match.”
Quan Heng sneered, “As long as I’m around, I won’t let them succeed. It’s not just about them being poorly matched. I’m afraid this Jiang Suifeng has ulterior motives toward the Marquis residence.”
Seeing Ziyun’s confused face, Quan Heng pinched her cheek. “Enough. Let’s wait and watch. Once Jiang Suifeng shows his true colors, we’ll bring him down in one go.”
At that moment, the two by the pond finally broke off their kiss, panting slightly, gazing at each other with eyes full of tenderness.
“All right, Brother Suifeng, you should head back now. It’s getting late. As for what you mentioned earlier… I’ll give it some serious thought.”
Jiang Suifeng brushed aside some loose strands of Quan Rui’s hair near her ear, then sneaked another kiss. “Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After reluctantly saying their goodbyes, the two finally returned to their respective courtyards.
Ziyun and Quan Heng both let out a breath of relief and stood up.
Truth be told, squatting behind the rockery for so long had been quite tiring.
At that moment, Quan Heng looked up and saw that the sky had already turned dark. To her surprise, countless sky lanterns had appeared above.
“So beautiful…”
Seeing this, Ziyun said, “I completely forgot tonight is the Lantern Festival. Miss, it’s really lively outside. Shall we go take a stroll?”
Quan Heng nodded. “Mm, it’s been a long time since I last went to a lantern fair. Let’s go relax a little.”
After returning to the courtyard, Quan Heng freshened up again and sent a young maid to inform the main residence before preparing to head out through the side gate.
Unexpectedly, just as the two arrived at the side gate, they saw a familiar figure.
At this moment, Ah Zheng also seemed to have changed his outfit, swapping the black clothes he wore during the day for a completely white set, making him look just like a gentle and refined scholar.
The moment she saw him, Quan Heng’s face turned red, her ears burning with heat.
She was grateful it was nighttime. Had this been during the day, her expression would’ve been impossible to hide.
What had happened earlier in the day still swirled in her mind, and for a moment, she didn’t dare look directly at Ah Zheng. She simply turned her head away to avoid meeting his gaze.
But just as she was about to step through the side gate, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by Ah Zheng.
Ziyun, being thoughtful, saw what was happening and quickly went outside to stand guard, giving the two some privacy.
“What are you doing? Pulling me again.”
Seeing that Quan Heng didn’t want to speak to him, Ah Zheng looked a little pitiful. He pulled a wooden carving from his pocket and handed it to her.
“I thought… since tonight is the Lantern Festival, I should prepare a gift for you. Take a look—do you like it?”
Though Quan Heng’s words were sharp, her hands were honest. She took the carving. Upon close inspection, she found the figurine vivid and lifelike—it was actually her, swinging on a swing.
“This must’ve taken you quite some effort.”
Though she was shy, she still quietly praised him, “It’s beautiful. I like it very much.”
At that, Ah Zheng finally let out a breath of relief.
“As long as you like it. Then… may I accompany you tonight? I’ll stay by your side and protect you. I promise not to ‘bully’ you.”
Hearing the word “bully,” Quan Heng suddenly recalled how he had kissed her so intensely earlier, to the point she could hardly breathe. Her whole body shivered.
At this moment, she couldn’t bear to reject him, but she was also too embarrassed to accept.
The next second, she turned her head and clutched the wooden carving tightly. “You—you can follow whoever you want. Your legs are attached to your own body. It’s not like I can stop you!”
With that, she tucked the carving into the small pouch at her waist, lifted her chin, and marched out the door.
Seeing this, Ah Zheng was overjoyed.
She didn’t reject him—that meant she had agreed.
She was just still shy after what happened earlier.
With that thought, Ah Zheng quickly caught up, walking beside her. “Of course I’ll follow you! I’ll always follow you. I just hope you won’t find me annoying!”
A small smile curved the corners of Quan Heng’s lips as she quickened her pace.
“Fine! But you’d better keep up!”
