Chapter 142: Feelings

Looking at Young Master Yang weeping like a child before her, Lady Yuan felt, for reasons unknown, no great joy in her heart.

When she first boarded this ship, she had still harbored fantasies that one day Young Master Yang would recognize Madame Zheng’s true colors and finally remember her own virtues. Sometimes, as she pondered this, she felt that if such a day truly arrived, she might finally be content.

Yet now that this day had truly come, and she truly saw Young Master Yang weeping bitterly in remorse, her heart felt neither joy nor triumph, nor even much comfort.

Rising to the surface of her mind was a pervasive numbness, accompanied by the lingering sentiment that "this melody has finally come to an end."

This realization surprised Lady Yuan herself. Kneeling before her husband, she stared blankly at the weeping man before her. Suddenly, she understood: perhaps by the time she had once again prepared to annul their engagement to fulfill their desires, she no longer loved him so deeply. Perhaps the very night of their wedding banquet, when he abandoned her, she had already ceased to love him.

For all this time, her obedience, her careful obsequiousness, and her attentive care—were they not mostly a matter of habit? Perhaps, they were also born of loneliness.

They had grown up together since childhood, and she had long grown accustomed to treating him well and yielding to him. Thus, she had cared not at all that she remained a maiden half a year into their marriage. She had even calmly worn her hair in the style of a nun, telling everyone that her husband treated her ill. Rather than saying she felt hatred, jealousy, or anger, it was more as if she were reminding herself and the world at large, preparing herself for the day she would finally leave him...

At this thought, Lady Yuan suddenly felt entirely devoid of spirit. Slowly standing up, she ignored her weeping husband entirely and walked at a leisurely pace out of the cabin.

Just as she leaned against the ship's railing and wearily closed her eyes, Lady Yuan felt a warmth beside her, realizing someone had stepped close to her side.

She opened her eyes.

Then, she met the exquisitely handsome and refined face of Lu Ying. She looked upon the young lord whom she had met in haste, yet who had dealt ruthlessly with her rival. Lady Yuan twitched the corners of her lips and murmured, "I am not happy..."

Looking at Lu Ying, Lady Yuan's eyes remained a blank expanse. Dazed, she spoke, "I feel no relief, nor any triumph. Seeing Young Master Yang cry, seeing him regret—it seemed I was satisfied for just a moment, and then felt nothing else at all."

She reached out and tugged at Lu Ying's sleeve, asking with anxious care, "Am I not normal?"

Lu Ying merely smiled. This smile was completely different from the exasperated expressions she had worn while facing Lady Yuan before; it appeared exceptionally radiant. She shook her head and said, "No, you are perfectly normal. You simply no longer love him. You simply do not care about him as much as you imagined you did. Subconsciously, you have already let go. You are simply tired and no longer wish to continue..."

"Is that so?" Lady Yuan's eyes remained blank. At this moment, she resembled a child who had lost all sense of direction.

Lu Ying sighed inwardly, reaching out to pat her shoulder gently. "Go take a nap. You haven't slept well in a long time. This time, you can finally relax."

True enough, as soon as these words left her lips, Lady Yuan let out a genuine yawn. She muttered, "I suppose I really do need to go sleep."

With that, Lady Yuan lifted her skirt and walked toward the cabin. As she passed the bow, the allotted hour had arrived, and the others lowered the suspended Madame Zheng. Glancing at Madame Zheng, who lay unconscious on the deck, completely devoid of her former radiance, Lady Yuan merely cast a single glance before stepping right over her without a second thought, followed by another tiny yawn.

Watching Madame Zheng vanish from sight, Lu Ying curled her lips into a smile and turned around.

Just then, she locked eyes with Zhi Liu, who was dressed in official attire. Zhi Liu wore a beaming smile on his round face. Mimicking Lu Ying's posture against the railing, he chuckled, "This Lady Yuan depends on you quite a bit. You told her to go sleep, and off she went without a second thought."

Seeing Lu Ying turn toward him with a puzzled expression, Zhi Liu slowly continued, "My lord wants me to tell you that you did a splendid job with this matter!"

This remark caught Lu Ying completely off guard, and her eyes widened in surprise.

After staring blankly at Zhi Liu for a moment, Lu Ying suddenly understood. She lowered her voice and asked, "My getting close to Lady Yuan—was that all arranged beforehand?"

Zhi Liu smiled, answering readily enough, "Indeed. Everyone on this vessel is here for merrymaking; the only true idlers are you and Lady Yuan. You possess a natural inclination to protect the vulnerable, while Lady Yuan, throughout her first week on board, was relentlessly targeted and tormented by Madame Zheng's instigators whenever she was left alone. Thus, your crossing paths with her and standing up for her was accounted for from the very beginning!"

Lu Ying let out a faint laugh, replying indifferently, "In the Lord's calculations, you mean?"

Zhi Liu did not deny it. He merely stared earnestly at Lu Ying and said firmly, "The Lord bade me instruct you: since Lady Yuan already depends on you, your next step is to reveal to her that you are a woman, and strive to become close confidantes with her." He explained carefully, "Our destination this time is Wuhan. The political situation in Wuhan is intricate, and Lady Yuan is one of the breakthrough points. The Lord said you are free to act as willfully as you please, to do whatever you desire, and he will bear the consequences for everything."

Seeing Lu Ying's eyes narrow slightly at these words, her expression instantly turning cunning and calculating, Zhi Liu suppressed his smile, straightened his face, and spoke with solemn gravity. "The Lord also said that once the affairs in Wuhan are settled this time, he will grant you a reward depending on circumstances." At this, he nodded to Lu Ying and said, "Go on then, do whatever you wish—just keep your tongue tight and make sure not to implicate the Lord."

With that, Zhi Liu swaggered away.

Watching Zhi Liu's retreating figure, Lu Ying pressed her lips together. After a long moment, she let out a soft huff, turned on her heel, and set off to find the man who had planned everything yet still entrusted his messages through someone else's mouth.

Before long, Lu Ying spotted the Lord in a private chamber on the second floor. At this moment, he had removed his bamboo hat, revealing his striking, dazzling countenance. A young youth sat upon his lap. The Lord's collar had been pulled wide open, exposing his sturdy, honey-toned chest...

At Lu Ying's sudden appearance, the fair youth sitting on the Lord's lap startled, instantly whipping his head around to stare at Lu Ying. Meanwhile, the noble lord lazily took a sip of wine, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's as they locked onto Lu Ying, pinning her in place and robbing her of any courage to retreat or step back.

Sighing inwardly, Lu Ying decided she had better dutifully play along with this patron of hers.

Therefore, leaning against the doorframe with an unconcerned smile, she tilted her frame slightly, raised her chin arrogantly, and asked the noble lord, "Who is this?" With a cold laugh, she mocked, "When the lord seeks new company, how did he manage to pick such a vulgar piece of trash?"

At her words, the exceptionally attractive young youth stiffened. Biting his lip, he glared at Lu Ying with a mixture of vigilance and provocation.

Yet after that initial glance, Lu Ying refused to waste another sliver of attention on him. Instead, with a leisurely posture, her outer corners of her eyes lifted—seemingly affectionate