Chapter 385: Chapter 385: Flushed Face
Looking at Ji Huan, who was crying so pitifully, Guan Shan did his best to suppress the anger churning in his chest.
"Forget about it," he said coldly.
But who would have thought Ji Huan would start a scene.
"Why should I forget about it? I won’t! I’ll never forget about it! WAAAH... I’m going to find Song Jing! I’m going to tell him I regret everything..."
"You!"
Guan Shan clenched his jaw, a storm brewing in his eyes.
’He’s just a student, just a scholar. So what if he becomes the Champion Scholar? Is he really worth all this?’
’Is she crying because she can’t be an official’s wife, or is she truly that deeply in love with Song Jing...’
Guan Shan held back as long as he could, but finally snapped. He grabbed Ji Huan’s shoulders and hauled her out of the armchair. He was about to demand an answer when the words died on his lips.
Ji Huan spread her hands apart like a fan, revealing a face beaming with a mischievous smile.
"How did I do? Was I mournful enough? Was my performance full of feeling?"
Guan Shan was so exasperated he could have spit blood.
He released her shoulders, shot her a harsh glare, and turned to walk out.
"Hey! Don’t go!"
Ji Huan grabbed his sleeve and hauled him back.
"I’m not the one who’s angry, so what are you so mad about?"
Ji Huan shot him a deliberate sidelong glance.
"Song Jing is on the fast track to success, while I—the one who failed to recognize a diamond in the rough—force a smile by day and cry myself to sleep by night. Isn’t that what you and the rest of the villagers want to see? I even put on a personal performance for you, and you’re still not satisfied? People outside would have to buy a ticket to see that, and even then, I might not feel like performing."
After her speech, the displeasure on Guan Shan’s face gradually faded.
"You really don’t regret it?"
"Can’t you see I’m busy spinning like a top every day? Where would I find the time for regrets?"
"But if you had the time..." Guan Shan pressed, the corners of his mouth turning down involuntarily.
Ji Huan rolled her eyes, her voice drained of energy.
’Life doesn’t offer that many opportunities for regret. They were my choices, my path. What’s the point of regretting them?’
"Yes, Song Jing is truly outstanding and capable, and he’ll only become more successful. By your logic, I should just give up on the rest of my life and spend all day regretting my choices until I die from it.
But why should I regret it? I’m happy for Song Jing, knowing he’s doing well. I wish him the best, and I mean that sincerely.
It’s a little disheartening when an ex is doing better than you, especially when you haven’t quite made a name for yourself yet, but... I’m not doing too badly, am I?
Besides, I have my own life to live. What’s the point of constantly staring at another woman’s man? And who’s to say my future husband won’t be even better?"
Guan Shan’s expression softened, the stiff, cold lines of his face beginning to relax.
"Go to sleep."
’Hah. Start trouble and then just walk away? In his dreams.’
Ji Huan put her hands on her hips, blocking his path. She stared at him thoughtfully, sizing him up until his body tensed. Only then did she suddenly lean in.
"I’ve figured it out!"
Guan Shan stared at her face, now just inches from his. His throat felt a little dry. He averted his gaze, instinctively choosing not to ask what she meant.
Ji Huan narrowed her eyes and dropped a bombshell. "You’ve fallen for me, haven’t you?!"
Guan Shan’s pupils constricted, but his expression remained unchanged.
They stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills, neither giving an inch.
After a long silence, Guan Shan finally spoke. "What nonsense."
Ji Huan lifted her chin and leaned in even closer.
"Is it nonsense? You’re a grown man. If you weren’t green with envy, why would you care so much about what happened between me and Song Jing? Surely you’re not just a natural-born gossip, are you?"
Guan Shan was speechless.
He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting Ji Huan’s once more. "It’s getting late. We should sleep."
His evasiveness made Ji Huan laugh to herself.
But she put on a relentless front, pressing him. "No one’s sleeping until you make things clear!"
’In truth, Ji Huan didn’t really think Guan Shan had developed feelings for her. She figured his unusual behavior today was just his male ego acting up.
What man could tolerate his woman thinking about someone else?
But I’m not his woman.
So she was using this scene to remind Guan Shan of one thing—their arrangement was fake, and it could never be real. He shouldn’t get too caught up in his role.’
Her expression turned serious, and her tone followed suit.
"Since you don’t have feelings for me, then don’t cross any lines. We should maintain a proper distance. It’s better for both of us—Hey, you?!"
She was only halfway through her sentence when she was suddenly lifted into the air.
Guan Shan had swept her up by the waist and was striding toward the bed.
Before Ji Huan could even react, he had pressed her down onto the bedding.
Ji Huan was completely dumbfounded.
"You really want to know the answer."
Guan Shan’s voice was suddenly low and raspy, his dark, unreadable gaze locked on Ji Huan.
He hovered over her, carefully leaving a slight gap between their bodies, but their faces were so close their noses were almost touching.
What’s more, Guan Shan had both of her wrists pinned to the bed.
’Strangely, she didn’t feel like she was in danger. It was just... this position...
And Guan Shan... he was like a different person, suddenly so aggressive...’
A shiver went through Ji Huan.
"N-No, I don’t..." She struggled against his grip on her wrists. Suddenly, she didn’t want to know the answer anymore.
Guan Shan didn’t let go immediately. He gave her a long, hard look. "Ji Huan, you need to remember who you are."
The words seemed to carry a deep meaning, but all they did was make Ji Huan’s mind fill with question marks. ’Who am I?’
Guan Shan clearly saw her confusion and reminded her through clenched teeth, "We’re already married."
Ji Huan replied, "...Oh."
’She had wanted to clear the air with him about this very thing, but given the current situation, the timing seemed less than ideal.
Besides, what Guan Shan said made sense. Even if their marriage was fake, it was real to outsiders. The rumors she had caused would inevitably create problems for him too.’
"Don’t worry. For as long as this arrangement lasts, I definitely won’t cheat on you. And there shouldn’t be any more rumors from now on."
Her words reignited the anger that had just subsided in Guan Shan, and a veiled fury entered his gaze.
At such close quarters, his stare made Ji Huan feel awkward. Her eyes darted back and forth for a moment before she said, "Um, can you let go of me now?"
Guan Shan didn’t let go. Clearly, her answer hadn’t satisfied him.
Ji Huan started to get anxious. ’What is he trying to pull in the middle of the night?!’
"If you don’t let go, I’ll..."
She threatened, jerking her head up suddenly. Luckily, Guan Shan released her wrists and grabbed her shoulders just in time, or their heads would have collided.
The anger in Guan Shan’s eyes vanished, but his face was tense, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Ji Huan studied his reaction and decided he looked... embarrassed.
"You’re really something else..."
Finding him utterly amusing, Ji Huan shook her head with a tsk and couldn’t stop laughing.
Guan Shan’s expression darkened, and he suddenly leaned in close.
Ji Huan’s laughter died in her throat.
Their lips were less than a finger’s width apart. Their breaths mingled, each audible to the other.
Ji Huan lay frozen, staring blankly at Guan Shan’s deep-set eyes and the high bridge of his nose.
After a moment of staring, Guan Shan was the first to look away.
He released Ji Huan and got off the bed. He seemed to want to say something, but though his lips moved, no words came out.
The sound of the door opening and closing brought Ji Huan back to her senses.
She slowly raised her hands to cup her own faintly burning cheeks.
’She couldn’t understand it at all—why on earth was she blushing while looking at a face covered in scars?!’