Chapter Eight: Will There Be Regret

The carriage moved slowly through the capital, and Shen Nanyuan gently lifted the curtain on one side to gaze outside. What met her eyes was a scene of bustling prosperity: shops lined the streets with crowds of customers and vendors, red-brick pavilions with green tiles towered above streams of people, all displaying the flourishing grandeur of the city.

Gao Xueluo watched her curious expression and couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Shen Nanyuan replied with a smile, letting the curtain fall.

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the newly opened Yun Chu Restaurant. Gao Xueluo and Shen Nanyuan alighted one after the other. The restaurant was crowded, nearly every table filled, as it had just opened its doors. Guided by a waiter, they headed upstairs to a private room, unaware that three people had already noticed their arrival.

Liu Yuli turned with interest and grinned, "Oh, Jun Ci, isn't that the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhen Country's mansion? You two really are destined; even here, you run into each other."

He teased, "Why not go over and say hello?"

"Stop with that talk," another voice laughed, "Everyone knows the Duke's general asked the emperor to dissolve the engagement today. But to be honest, you really are devoted. Everyone knows Shen Nanyuan is a famous beauty in the capital, yet you aren't moved at all, preferring your Lin Yan."

Jun Ci's expression darkened slightly. "There are too many people here; don't mention Yan'er."

"Alright, alright, your precious girl protected at the tip of your heart. Who would dare speak carelessly?" Liu Yuli followed Jun Ci into the private room. "But you two are finally about to be free. The whole capital knows Miss Shen is fond of you, and General Shen dotes on his daughter. Now he's brought up dissolving the engagement before the emperor, so Miss Shen must be determined. Even if your father objects, it won't change anything."

He didn't notice the momentary pause in Jun Ci's expression and continued, "Soon you'll be rid of this betrothal and can be with your beloved openly."

Jun Ci lifted a teacup, sipped quietly, and after a moment, smiled faintly. "If only it were so."

"To think, Miss Shen has liked you for so long—how did she suddenly stop? Did you do something to make her lose hope?" Liu Yuli pressed on, determined to get to the bottom of it. "She doesn't know you have someone else in your heart. I've always thought you treated her poorly and told you to make it clear you love another, but you feared she might harm Lin Yan and refused to tell Miss Shen."

"If you'd said so earlier, and since she liked you so much, perhaps she would have ended the engagement sooner for your sake."

Jun Ci paused, then set down his teacup with an unpleasant look. "I told you, too many eyes and ears here."

"Fine, fine," Liu Yuli muttered, "I just think Miss Shen is rather pitiful."

Since childhood, she had liked following Jun Ci, even if he ignored her, she was happy.

A pity.

Liu Yuli cracked a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, glancing at Jun Ci, who seemed lost in thought.

Who knew if he would regret this in the future?

The private room was spacious and tranquil compared to the bustle outside. Once Liu Yuli closed his mouth, it grew even quieter, letting Jun Ci's thoughts drift further.

Yesterday, at the Duke's mansion, he'd heard Shen Nanyuan say those words. He thought she'd learned some trick of playing hard to get, but never expected that the general would actually request to dissolve the engagement before the emperor this morning.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words, only recovering after some time.

So, everything Shen Nanyuan said yesterday was true.

The obstacle between him and Lin Yan was about to disappear as he had wished, a day he'd been waiting for so long.

Yet his heart was not as joyful as he'd imagined.

Jun Ci frowned slightly, picked up his teacup, and drank.

There was nothing left to stand between him and Lin Yan. Even if his father disagreed, the general had spoken, and the outcome was already settled.

Yan'er had waited for him far too long.

—

"The food here is quite good," Gao Xueluo laughed. "It tastes even better than Ming Yue Restaurant. We should come often."

Shen Nanyuan nodded. "Alright."

The waiter was busy to the point of distraction; downstairs, the noise was overwhelming. Many people noticed their beauty, glancing up and talking quietly among themselves.

Gao Xueluo quickly pulled Shen Nanyuan down the stairs to avoid the stares. After a few steps, she seemed to spot something, tugged Shen Nanyuan's sleeve sharply, and whispered, "Look across the room."

Shen Nanyuan, puzzled, followed her gaze. Her eyes met Jun Ci's.

She frowned slightly, said nothing, and treated him as a stranger, calmly walking out of Yun Chu Restaurant with Gao Xueluo and boarding the carriage.

Jun Ci watched her departing figure, his fingers unconsciously clenched behind him, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Inside the carriage, Gao Xueluo glanced at Shen Nanyuan, hesitated, and then spoke softly, "I can't help but wonder—what did Jun Ci do to finally make you let go?"

The whole capital knew the eldest miss of the Duke's mansion had feelings for the son of the Minister of Revenue, with rumors that she would marry no one else. Yet suddenly, overnight, she seemed to have moved on, and Gao Xueluo's curiosity was piqued.

She pondered, "Was it because he caught a cold and didn't send you a birthday gift?"

Caught a cold...

Shen Nanyuan heard those words, lowered her gaze, her eyes full of scorn.

In the original story, Jun Ci's illness was a lie; he was secretly meeting his beloved while avoiding Shen Nanyuan's birthday. He hid his beloved well, so no one knew, fearing it would damage her reputation and worried that Shen Nanyuan might harm her if she found out.

Jun Ci's father knew, but for his own interests, never told Shen Nanyuan or Shen Yi.

Sadly, the original Shen Nanyuan never knew Jun Ci loved someone else. Even at the end, when she realized her time was short, she pleaded with Shen Yi to dissolve the engagement so Jun Ci wouldn't be implicated.

She stayed trapped in that web until her final breath.

After her death, Jun Ci quickly united with his beloved and soon married her.

He never considered that Shen Nanyuan had dissolved the engagement to protect him; he thought it was only natural. He believed that, if not for Shen Nanyuan, he would have been with his beloved all along.