cold clothes

When Qingchun returned to Shuiguangxuan, her room was a mess, with broken porcelain shards scattered all over the floor. She picked up a shard and felt a strange longing for the rough, sharp cracks in it.

This is the piece she smashed this morning when she heard that Yun Qiu was pregnant with Wang Yiqing's child. At that moment, the anger of being betrayed filled her heart, and just then, Yun Qiu came to find her and told her all her plans.

The conspiracy of the Double Ninth Festival, the manipulation of Wang Yiqing, the hatred of the massacre of her family, and Hu Mama's unfathomable ambition—all the truths came crashing down on her like a tidal wave, leaving her distraught and heartbroken.

Should she be angry? Hateful? Mad? If before she wished she could kill Yun Qiu and Wang Yiqing, now that even her soul has been drained, all she feels is powerlessness.

Yunqiu said, "I have been blinded by hatred, and I would even do anything to harm you, but I don't want to deceive you anymore. I have failed you. I also want you to live a good life. Qingchun, we are one. If you enter the gates of the Duke's Mansion, you can also complete our plan."

The plan... was she part of the plan too?

Qingchun felt a chill run through her body. Just then, she heard Wang Yiqing calling from behind. Before, she had felt sweetness when she heard Wang Yiqing's voice, but now all that remained was a stinging pain.

"Qingchun, Qingchun!"

Qingchun turned around coldly, and Wang Yiqing burst into tears the moment he saw her, crying out, "Qingchun! So the child in Yunqiu's arms isn't mine! That's wonderful! I didn't let you down!"

Qingchun's eyes flickered slightly. "If the child isn't yours, then whose is it?" She didn't believe him; he was probably just making up a lie to deceive her.

“It really isn’t mine! You have to believe me, Qingchun!” Wang Yiqing said, his eyes glistening with tears. How many times had Qingchun been lost in this false sincerity? “Do you know?” Wang Yiqing took Qingchun’s hand, “When I heard this news, I felt like I had been granted a pardon, because you are the only one in my heart, and I only want you to have my child.”

“But I’ve been taking medicine since I was a child, so I can’t have children.” Qingchun bit her lip slightly.

"If Yunqiu can get pregnant, you can too! Qingchun, from now on you don't need to take medicine anymore. As long as you give me a child, even if my father kicks me out of the house, I will still marry you! Qingchun, I've finally realized my own heart. Why am I in so much pain because Yunqiu is pregnant? It's because all I can think about is you. The betrayal I feel for you is tormenting me every moment. Only now do I realize how deeply I love you..."

The sweeter Wang Yiqing's words of love were, the more Qingchun felt her heart was being torn apart. Why would he speak so sweetly to a woman he had betrayed without any guilt? Qingchun stared at him fiercely; if her eyes could turn into swords, she would surely pierce through his hypocritical mask.

"Erlang, do you really love me that much?" Suddenly, Qingchun's eyes changed.

This terrified Wang Yiqing, and he said with a chill running down his spine, "Of course."

“I love you very much too. When I was disfigured, I thought that even if Erlang’s face was ruined, I would still love you for the rest of my life.” Qingchun’s smile was tinged with madness. Then, as Wang Yiqing’s eyes gradually went blank, she handed the broken pieces of porcelain in her hand to Wang Yiqing. Then she picked up another piece and said to Wang Yiqing in a sweet voice, “Don’t worry, Erlang, I will stay with you. We will share joys and sorrows from now on.”

"This, this..." Wang Yiqing stared at the porcelain shard in his hand, finding it utterly absurd. What was wrong with this woman? Had she gone mad? How could she say such a thing? Did she actually want to disfigure him?

Wang Yiqing said incredulously, "Qingchun, are you kidding me?"

Do I look like I'm joking?

"Are you crazy!" Wang Yiqing threw away the broken pieces of porcelain in his hand, his face showing obvious disgust.

Qingchun burst into loud laughter, laughing so hard she almost fell over. Her laughter was sharp and manic. After she had laughed enough, she said, "I'm not crazy. I just love you too much. Only if you are disfigured can I prove that I am the one who loves you the most!"

"You're crazy, you're really crazy." Wang Yiqing tried to reach out and control Qingchun, but Qingchun held a shard of porcelain and tried to slash his face. He was startled and, after dodging in a panic, instinctively pushed Qingchun to the ground.

All of this happened in just a few breaths. When Wang Yiqing saw that Qingchun's arm was cut by shards of broken porcelain after he pushed her to the ground, he knew that his original plan had failed. So he immediately showed his ruthless face and turned to leave while saying, "Tsk, crazy woman! You still want to hurt your grandpa! All the courtesans in your Fengxiang Pavilion are crazy women!"

Qingchun was cut in many places by shards of porcelain, and the pain made it impossible for her to stand up immediately. She chuckled softly when she heard Wang Yiqing's curses. Only then did she realize that everything was broken, but she also felt relieved.

She looked longingly at the shards of porcelain in her hand, a smile on her face, and used all her strength to carve the deepest bloodstains on her face.