Chapter Fifty-Six: A Smile~

“Miss Hui, you should ask Brother Wencai yourself. Why are you looking at me? Did I send him to sleep in the peach grove?” I truly despised Wang Hui; not only was she shameless in appearance, but her words were equally insolent.

Wang Lan shot a sharp glance at Wang Hui. “Hui, shut up.”

“Sis, did I ask the wrong question? Everyone in Nishan Academy knows that Ma Wencai has a secret affection for Lord Liu. They just changed rooms yesterday, and then this happened to Ma Wencai. How can this be unrelated to Lord Liu? No way I believe otherwise,” Wang Hui retorted angrily.

“Then go to hell! Wang Hui, I don’t know if you two have that kind of relationship, but I definitely don’t. Believe it or not, I believe it. As a young master with integrity, I fear no rumors. Let fools spread their gossip!”

“What rumors? Who are you cursing? Who are you calling fools? Liu Yiqing, it’s only because your brother is at the academy that no one dares to openly discuss you and Ma Wencai. If Lord Liu ever leaves, I bet you won’t be able to explain with ten thousand tongues,” Wang Hui shot back.

“Hmph, haha…” I sneered softly. “My brother is descending the mountain early tomorrow. I want to see who can wag their tongue that far then.”

I refused to believe that any student in the academy would dare to challenge Ma Wencai, no matter how bold they were.

Ma Wencai struggled to sit up from the bed. He seemed eager to get up, but Zhu Yingtai immediately pressed on his shoulder. “Wencai, you just woke up. Why get up now? Don’t listen to Hui’s nonsense.”

Ma Wencai shook his head slightly, pulled away Zhu Yingtai’s hand, and threw back the quilt. “It’s too noisy here. I want to rest in my own room.”

“But—”

“I’m fine,” Ma Wencai patted Zhu Yingtai’s shoulder and, swaying, slowly moved toward the door. Seeing how weak he looked, I doubted he could make it back to his room, especially since the infirmary was a fair distance away.

Wait, it’s no longer my room.

That was how he brushed past me, yet to my surprise, he didn’t even glance my way. Was I imagining it?

No, he really didn’t look at me. It turns out a person’s feelings can change within a single day.

Ma Wencai reached the door but suddenly his legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed. I instinctively stepped forward to support him.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Ma Wencai said, gripping the doorframe tightly and preparing to step outside.

Zhu Yingtai hurried over and took his arm. “Wencai, let me help you back.”

Ma Wencai nodded and, with Zhu Yingtai, headed out the door. He never once looked at me. Watching their backs fade away, a sudden emptiness welled in my heart.

Gu Xinlian placed the medicine Wang Lan had brought onto the tray. “Miss Lan, I’ll take this medicine and soup to Master Ma.”

“All right,” Wang Lan nodded.

Gu Xinlian gave me a nod as she left. Wang Lan immediately apologized to me. “Lord Liu, I’m sorry. Hui’s tongue is loose. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“What she said isn’t entirely false. It’s not baseless rumors!” Wang Hui said, looking wronged.

I glanced helplessly at Wang Hui. Enough. The main players have left; I should go too. I still need to tell Wang Lantian about Xie Daoyun’s wedding; he would be delighted for her.

“Brother Lantian, I wanted to—” I was cheerfully entering when I saw him packing his luggage. “Brother Lantian, what’s this about?”

Wang Lantian smiled at me. “Tomorrow is Mr. Xie’s wedding day. I just received the invitation this afternoon and am packing.”

I rarely saw Wang Lantian smile, especially such a joyful one. In nearly a year at the academy, this was the first time he looked truly happy. Perhaps for someone facing death, even smiling is a luxury.

“I was just going to tell you about this. My brother also received an invitation.”

Wang Lantian nodded, still smiling. “Yes, I ran into Lord Liu when reporting to the mountain head. We agreed to descend the mountain together tomorrow to Nanjing.”

“That’s great,” I patted his shoulder. “Brother Lantian, you look so good when you smile. Remember to keep that smile!”

Wang Lantian touched his face and chuckled shyly. This guy was embarrassed!

“Lord Liu is right. Young master, you should smile more. That will chase away all troubles,” A Cheng, packing nearby, chimed in.

“Exactly. I’ve known you a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen you smile so happily.”

Wang Lantian’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a worried expression. He self-deprecated, “Someone like me has no right to smile.”

“Brother Lantian, everything will get better.”

I believed a miracle would happen to Wang Lantian. His health had indeed improved; he hadn’t had an episode in three months. This was a good sign. With so many ancient remedies, surely there was a cure for the disease.

That night, Wang Lantian and I went to bed early. Lying awake, tossing and turning, my heart felt empty, an unfillable void.

Since traveling to this era a year ago, I was first saved by Liang Zhu, then disguised as a man to enter Nishan Academy, becoming classmates with Liang Zhu and Ma. I also met Wang Lantian, Xie Daoyun, Tao Yuanming, and others. Perhaps fate sent me here to change history, to prevent the tragic end of Liang Zhu. Otherwise, why would I have accidentally arrived in the Eastern Jin Dynasty beside Liang Zhu, entangled in this turmoil?

But even if history could be changed, what could a mere woman like me do? I couldn’t stop Liang Zhu’s love story. Though Liang Shanbo treated me like a brother, how could I sacrifice the chance for history to pen their bittersweet romance for my own small feelings? Without their tale, the world would lose many cherished stories, and the 21st-century film, television, and opera industries would lose meaningful material.

Those destined to die will die. Even if I could change Liang Zhu’s fate so they wouldn’t die for love, everyone’s time in this world is limited. Perhaps Liang Zhu’s lifespans had simply run out. Buddhist teachings say life and death are predestined; if Liang Zhu’s love was ordained by heaven, so too was their fate.