Speaking of it, Bai Zhiwei hadn’t seen Duan Mingxi for quite some time either. Ever since things soured between her and Duchess Gao’s household, she had stopped bringing her to the various banquets in the capital.
As a newlywed, Bai Zhiwei had once cared about saving face—if Duchess Gao wouldn’t bring her along, she wouldn’t lower herself to beg.
But later, her mother gave her some advice. Was she planning to go on like this for the rest of her life?
How would she establish herself in Duke Gao’s household in the future? Wouldn’t she become a laughingstock among the ladies of the capital?
She had always been proud and lofty by nature, so how could she be willing to fall into such a predicament? Therefore, after listening to her mother’s guidance today, she brought a wedding gift under the joint name of her and Gao Zhan and came to attend the wedding banquet.
What truly angered her was how Duchess Gao deliberately tarnished her reputation with veiled barbs and jabs. But with so many people around, she couldn’t exactly start a fight—so she had to bottle up her fury and find a place to cool down.
She stood in the shadow beneath the eaves of the corridor. Across from her, Duan Mingxi sat with a calm smile on her face, but whatever Duan Wang had just said made her break into a radiant, blooming smile.
That smile was blinding—it made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
If only… if only she had endured a little more back then, hadn’t let Duan Mingxi catch her secretly meeting with Gao Zhan, then she would’ve been the one married into Duke Gao’s household and suffering under the duchess’s thumb.
Duan Mingxi wouldn’t have married Duan Wang. Bai Shixi wouldn’t have entered the Eastern Palace. And as for herself—she could’ve secured an even better match…
She and Gao Zhan had shared years of affection. If she had married someone else, he surely wouldn’t have forgotten her. Unlike now, where every meeting between them ended in a quarrel.
As her thoughts spiraled, she suddenly realized—it had been days since she last saw Gao Zhan.
Just then, Duan Mingxi looked up and glanced toward the other end of the corridor.
“What is it?” Xiao Muchen noticed something was off in her expression and asked.
Duan Mingxi had always been keenly perceptive. Just now, someone’s gaze had landed on her with a force that felt almost tangible—of course she noticed.
“There’s someone watching me from the shadows at the far end of the corridor. It’s too dim to tell who it is,” she said quietly.
Xiao Muchen frowned and stood up before reaching out his hand toward her.
Without thinking, Mingxi placed her hand in his. As he gently pulled her to her feet, she glanced down at their joined hands.
Habit truly was a frightening thing.
Unknowingly, the boundaries she had once drawn between herself and him had already blurred.
Xiao Muchen led her forward by the hand, and she didn’t pull away. After walking a dozen steps or so, the light grew brighter, and Mingxi saw that the woman in the shadows was wearing a violet dress. As they drew closer, she raised an eyebrow—it was Bai Zhiwei.
Oh. It had been quite a while.
Bai Zhiwei had originally wanted to hide, but there was only one exit from that spot, and Xiao Muchen was bringing Duan Mingxi right her way. The only way out was to turn back the way she came.
But for some reason, she didn’t want to move.
So she stood still.
As the couple approached, Bai Zhiwei instinctively lifted her chin and said, “Greetings to Wangye and Wangfei.”
Xiao Muchen didn’t even spare her a glance, just gave a curt nod without care.
Bai Zhiwei clenched her hands into fists. It wasn’t as if they didn’t know each other, yet the Wangye treated her with such open disregard—it was humiliating.
Duan Mingxi cast a glance at Bai Zhiwei. It was a casual look, emotionless and unremarkable, yet it made Bai Zhiwei’s eyes burn with resentment. Faint creases appeared between her brows, and though she tried to keep up appearances, her face couldn’t hide the signs of an unhappy life.
That look—Mingxi knew it well. In her past life, she’d looked even worse.
Because this time around, she had avoided entanglements with Gao Zhan. She hadn’t played the beauty to manipulate him. Bai Zhiwei had married him instead—for love. They should’ve been blissfully happy.
But they weren’t.
Even without her interference, this pair of childhood sweethearts, who’d finally gotten their happy ending, still didn’t seem to be doing well.
What a joke.
In her past life, she had suffered because of them. In this life, Bai Zhiwei had walked into her own love story—so why had it turned out like this?
Perhaps their so-called love had never been that deep to begin with.
Gao Zhan had only been able to rise quickly under the Crown Prince’s favor because her money had paved the way—shortening his struggle and giving him the chance to show off his talents and ambitions.
Without her financial support in this life, what did Gao Zhan have to offer? That empty shell of a duke’s house?
Stripped of his aura of brilliance and promise, Gao Zhan didn’t seem so perfect in Bai Zhiwei’s eyes anymore.
And with Duchess Gao stirring up trouble in the background, life surely wasn’t getting any easier.
Mingxi had no intention of speaking to Bai Zhiwei. She simply gave a small nod and was about to follow Xiao Muchen and leave.
“Duan Wangfei, it’s been a long time. May I have a few words with you?” Bai Zhiwei called out.
Mingxi paused slightly.
She turned to look at her and smiled. “I’m afraid not—I still need to meet with Qi Wangfei. I hope you’ll understand, Madam Gao.”
Bai Zhiwei: …
She hadn’t expected Duan Mingxi to reject her outright!
Watching the two walk away, Bai Zhiwei stood frozen.
“What are you looking at? They’re gone,” came a voice from behind.
Bai Zhiwei turned to see Li Peilan walking up, her smile so dazzling it stung the eyes. Bai Zhiwei quickly schooled her expression and replied casually, “Just ran into Duan Wang and Duan Wangfei—thought I’d say hello. What brings you here, Miss Li?”
Li Peilan sneered. “Bai Zhiwei, you might fool others, but not me. Everyone knows about the grudge between you and Duan Mingxi. Who are you trying to kid?”
Bai Zhiwei’s expression darkened. She stared coldly at Li Peilan and said lightly, “Speaking of which, congratulations on your fine marriage match. Once you’re married into Zhenbei Wang household, I wonder if you’ll still have time to sit around and mock others.”
Everyone knew how that match had come about.
Li Peilan wasn’t fazed. “My cousin is the Crown Prince, my aunt is the Empress—do you think the Zhenbei Wang household would dare treat me poorly? Unlike you—after marrying Gao Zhan, you couldn’t even get along with your mother-in-law. You’ve become the laughingstock of the capital. Of course you wouldn’t want to see anyone else doing well.”
Bai Zhiwei’s expression shifted again and again, and finally she just glared at Li Peilan. “Just say what you came to say.”
Li Peilan replied, “You don’t want to see Duan Mingxi getting all the glory, right? We’re on the same page—so why not join forces?”
Bai Zhiwei looked her up and down. “You talk a good game. But how, exactly, do we join forces? Are you any match for her in a fight? Or in a battle of words?”
“It’s so dull to always talk about fighting and killing. Why dirty our own hands? Isn’t today a wedding banquet? Just toast her with a few more drinks—what do you think?”
Bai Zhiwei’s heart skipped a beat.
