CHAPTER 31

Bitter Lord

LUO FAN

I and Jinjing silently stood in the middle of the hall as we listened to the sound of an approaching carriage. That should be no other than the master of the house.

Upon our arrival at the residence two days ago, Huang Wen had sent a message to Ruan Yanjun about the situation, and early that morning, he received a response from his master informing his immediate return.

When Huang Wen announced the news, everyone in the mansion became suddenly anxious.

I was not surprised at all. Just like me, the servants also found their master's presence domineering and unbearable that they preferred not having him around.

Huang Wen had told us to stay where we were while he waited outside with the servants to meet their master. He did not want to bring me out to stand under the sun in fear that I might faint again, and his master would not want to see that scene upon his arrival.

From the outside, I heard Ruan Yanjun’s voice.

“Where’s Priest Luo?” he asked.

“He’s waiting inside, Master,” Huang Wen replied.

Not long after, Ruan Yanjun stepped in and turned in my direction. He froze for a brief moment. He probably had not expected to see Jinjing with me.

I immediately laced my hands and bowed my head to greet him. Jinjing did the same.

Ruan Yanjun came straight towards me and held my chin, turning my head from side to side to check my face. “You’re wounded,” he said as he lightly touched the small cut, that was now healing, across my jaw line.

I felt a little uncomfortable with the unnecessary concern he was showing me while he did not even give Jinjing a glance. “It’s just a small cut, my lord,” I said. “Nothing serious.”

He sighed. The first time someone had made a cut on my face, he was so furious. This time, in the presence of Jinjing, he acted rather calmly. “I told you it’s safer for you to stay here. There are many things around here to keep you occupied. If you want, I will build you a laboratory here. I’ll summon Xu Dong to assist you so you can continue with your research.”

Just as I had expected, he was trying to lure me to stay. If I were alone, I probably would consider it. But I had Jinjing with me, and I did not think she would feel comfortable staying here.

“I’m grateful for the offer, my lord,” I said. “I can never thank you enough for rescuing us. However, we don’t wish to be a burden to his lordship any longer, so I must decline the generous offer.”

He did not utter a word, and I knew he was displeased.

I lowered my head again. “I apologize, my lord. Perhaps we should take our leave.”

He stretched his arm sideward to stop me from taking a step forward. “I left some matters unfinished with the emperor just to come to check on you, and now you’re telling me that you’re leaving?”

I did not know how to respond. I had no idea that he had left a very important person just because he was concerned about me. “You shouldn’t have, my lord. Your disciples are very dependable you have nothing to worry about.”

“And where do you think you’re going? Back to that shanty?”

Where else are we supposed to go?

He sighed again. “Those people who are after you already know where you live. If you go back there, I have to send more of my disciples to keep you safe day and night. Rain or shine, they have to stay outside and endure the cold just to keep an eye on you. Wouldn’t you want to make things easier for them by staying here so they can protect you while being more comfortable?”

What could I say? He was using those men’s suffering to get through my conscience. But he was right. Those men had been indeed exposed to elements while watching over me. I could not fight my enemies on my own. It would be too presumptuous of me to say that I did not need their protection.

However, this was all his doing in the first place. If he had not coerced me to leave Xianru, Liang Yuan, or maybe some other spies of Prince Jiayi, would not have discovered me.

When I did not answer, he turned to Jinjing who was quietly standing beside me.

“Do you want to stay here?” he asked.

I felt the tremor in Jinjing’s body. “My lord, I’m not worthy to stay in a house as grand as his lordship’s residence. My presence here might only tarnish his good lord’s reputation.”

He chortled. “You sound just like your husband. Did he teach you to recite that?”

She lowered her head.

He definitely was not pleased that even Jinjing had refused his invitation. “I’ll make you an offer. I’ll pay you five times what you earn in the brothel. Work for me instead. Do you accept?”

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Jinjing gasped in surprise and I was certain she found the offer too tempting. “What work should I do here, my lord?”

“Since you work in the kitchen, then you can do the same here.”

She switched her glances between me and Ruan Yanjun. “May I… discuss it first with Fan?”

“No, this is your personal decision. You probably do not understand the situation here. Fan’s life is at risk. Someone is desperate to have him killed and he won’t stop sending people to kill him. They may not be after you, but they can also use you to force him out. Do you want to cause Fan’s death?”

She shook her head. “No, my lord. I don’t want that.”

“So what is your decision?”

She turned to look at me. I did not have to say anything because I knew Ruan Yanjun had managed to manipulate her mind already. He was good at that.

“I accept your offer, my lord.”

Ruan Yanjun smirked and leaned closer to me. “Welcome home.”

I closed my eyes and sighed.

The devil seemed delighted. He knew that as long as he could keep Jinjing in this house, I would not be going anywhere else.

But I knew a way to cut short his victory.

“My lord, there’s something that I must tell you,” I said.

He crossed his arms. “Do tell me.”

I smirked inwardly. I wish that I could see clearly just to witness the look on his face upon hearing this. “Jinjing and I are engaged.”

He fell silent and had literally stopped breathing. I could not tell how his face looked, but when Jinjing moved closer to me and hastily fumbled on my sleeve, I knew his reaction must be horrifying.

This time, I could no longer suppress my smile, and he probably noticed it because he suddenly held my chin a little roughly.

“A-Fan,” he tried to sound tender but I could sense the anger within his voice. “Are you trying to provoke me?”

“I would not dare, my lord. As my guardian, you deserve to be the first one to know about my engagement. I thought you’d be flattered.”

The more that he was infuriated. I could sense the tightening of his muscles. “Priest Luo Fan, you’re learning to be crafty. That’s good.”

He suddenly released my chin.

He took a deep breath and turned his back on us. “Fine,” he said in a calm voice. “Let’s talk about your wedding over dinner.”

After saying that, he left the hall.

Jinjing took a deep sigh of relief. “He’s so scary,” she whispered.

“He’s just trying to intimidate you,” I replied. “Don’t be fooled by it.”

“But he’s Ruan Yanjun. Didn’t you say that he’s—”

“Shh,” I interrupted her. “Don’t say that here. We’re in his house.”

“Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “But I noticed something.”

“What?”

“I think he likes you.”

I shuddered. “Don’t say that.”

“His eyes turned red after you told him that we’re engaged. I was terrified.”

“Red?”

“Yes, his eyes were literally red, like fire. I thought he was going to kill us.”

It was exactly what I had seen in my dream. That pair of burning red eyes was still fresh in my mind.

Was that dream really a premonition? Is he really going to turn into an absolute devil?

*****

At dinner, Jinjing was too embarrassed to sit at the dining table I had to force her to stay still beside me. When Ruan Yanjun came to join us, she finally stopped resisting.

We both stood up and greeted him. After he settled on the chair from across us, we also took our seats.

None of us said a word while a servant poured wine into our cups.

“Have you already set a date for your wedding?” he asked. Compared to earlier, he sounded rather calm.

I shook my head. “We are yet to decide on that matter.”

“I suggest you should not rush it. There are more important things that we must prioritize.” He nodded at me. “You’re still ill and your vision is very poor. If you cannot find a cure for your illness, you’ll eventually die and leave a grieving widow behind.”

I lowered my head. I hated it whenever he made a point, but he was definitely correct.

Even though I honestly wanted to set the date of the wedding soon, many things had to be considered. I could not make a good husband while I was sick and blind. I did not want to make a widow out of Jinjing very soon either. I also needed to save money to start a family, and right now, I had nothing.

“We’ll set the date of our wedding as soon as I find a cure for my illness,” I replied.

“That’s good, and if you can do that, I’ll give you both the grandest wedding right here in my residence. And since you don’t have a family, as your guardian, I’ll shoulder the expenses.”

“Lord Ruan,” I said. “I appreciate your generosity, but as a man, I wish to shoulder the expenses myself. It doesn’t have to be grand. A simple ceremony will do.”

Ruan Yanjun looked at Jinjing. “Are you fine with a simple wedding?”

Jinjing nodded. “Yes, my lord. I don’t have many friends to invite anyway so I actually prefer a simple wedding.”

He sighed. “Fine. It seems that you are both in agreement. It’s not my wedding anyway.” He turned to Jinjing again. “But I warn you ahead of time, becoming Luo Fan’s wife will entail a lot of responsibilities and adjustments on your part. Your betrothed is not an ordinary man, and I’ve already emphasized that before. When the time comes, he might become the most influential man in the world. Are you sure you can handle the pressure of becoming his wife?”

She turned to look at me.

I had no idea what grand plans Ruan Yanjun had in store for me, but whatever it was, I smiled at Jinjing to reassure her.

“I’ll do whatever it takes, my lord,” she replied.

Ruan Yanjun snickered. “In that case, as early as now, I expect you to start studying. I know you can read and write, but I am certain your penmanship needs improvement. I’ll hire you a tutor to teach you how to write legibly. You also need to play at least one music instrument, and then you’ll have to learn household management. Until you satisfy all those conditions, there will be no wedding.”

I frowned. Since when did he have the right to decide for me? Just because my master had asked him to be my guardian?

“Lord Ruan, why must she study all of those?” I asked.

“A-Fan, it’s all for you, and for her to improve her reputation. Because of her past, she has so much to make up for to prove to people that she has changed and that she is worthy of a husband like you.”

His voice was so tender when he spoke with me, but with Jinjing, he sounded so stern, as if he was trying so hard to be nice to her but could not restrain the bitterness inside him.

RUAN YANJUN

I clenched my fists as I watched Luo Fan put a piece of meat in Jinjing’s bowl, and then they smiled at each other.

I had never expected that this priest could be so tender for a lover. We had dined together countless times before, but he’d never even done such a thing for me.

Just what exactly is with this woman that had smitten him? She’s not even pretty.

I tried to ignore them and drank my wine. I had no appetite to eat, yet my A-Fan did not even notice that my bowl was still empty. His attention was focused solely on Jinjing. They acted like I was not even there.

I felt so grumpy I fought the urge to splatter soup in their faces to remind them of my presence.

“Is it good?” Luo Fan asked while Jinjing was eating.

She nodded. “It’s delicious.”

He smiled and put more meat into her bowl.

I sneered as I saw through his little scheme.

This priest was trying to provoke me. He knew I was attracted to him and I had never actually tried to hide that from him, and now he’s using this woman to probably dissuade me.

I smirked.

Since he wanted to play a game with me, I’d let him have his way. After this, it would be my turn to play a little game with him.