Fu Teng imdiately looked toward the corridor behind us.
The faint sound ca again.
A curtain moved lightly near the far end of the hallway before becoming still once more.
Fu Teng’s expression tightened slightly.
Then he let out a quiet breath.
"It is probably the wind," he said.
His voice sounded calm again, though I could still see the tension beneath it.
I remained silent for a mont before speaking again.
"You should reconsider this," I said.
Fu Teng looked at .
My gaze remained steady on him.
"Zhao Yin’s reputation is tied to this engagent now," I continued. "People already know she ca into this house tonight."
The night air moved softly around us as I spoke.
"She is a woman," I added quietly. "Things are different for her."
Fu Teng lowered his gaze slightly.
I continued calmly,
"If you give it ti, things may change."
He remained silent.
"You may eventually like her," I said. "Or at least grow comfortable enough with her for this marriage to work."
Fu Teng’s expression changed slightly at those words.
Then he shook his head slowly.
"That is not how it works," he replied quietly.
His answer ca imdiately.
Firmly.
As though he had already thought about this many tis before.
I watched him carefully.
Then my brows slowly furrowed.
"...You are stubborn," I said.
Fu Teng looked slightly surprised by that.
But I continued before he could respond.
"Not in the way I expected," I added.
My eyes narrowed slightly as a thought slowly ford in my mind.
Then I looked at him properly.
"This kind of stubbornness..." I said slowly.
The courtyard suddenly felt quieter.
"...Do you already have soone in mind?"
The mont those words left my mouth—
Fu Teng froze.
Completely.
The reaction lasted only a second.
But it was enough.
I saw it clearly.
And suddenly—
Everything began making sense far too quickly.
I stared at Fu Teng carefully after seeing his reaction.
The silence between us suddenly felt much heavier than before.
Then I crossed my arms lightly and looked at him directly.
"So you do have soone," I said.
My tone was calm.
But firm.
Fu Teng quickly looked away.
"It is not like that," he replied imdiately.
I almost laughed.
"Then why are you reacting like this?" I asked.
He remained silent.
I continued looking at him.
"If there really was soone," I said, "why did you not tell ? Or your brother?"
My voice remained steady.
"If you had brought her here from the beginning, then all of this would have been much easier for to handle."
Fu Teng’s jaw tightened slightly.
But he still did not answer.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Well?" I asked.
Finally, he spoke quietly.
"There is nobody."
I scoffed imdiately.
The answer sounded far too quick.
Far too forced.
"In that case," I said, "then live properly with Zhao Yin and see how things go."
Fu Teng frowned slightly.
I continued before he could speak again.
"You keep saying you do not like Zhao Yin," I said. "But at the sa ti, you claim there is nobody else."
I tilted my head slightly while looking at him.
"So now I am confused."
The courtyard beca quiet again.
Then I spoke slowly.
"Or should I assu the person you like is soone we cannot openly acknowledge?"
The mont those words left my mouth—
Fu Teng beca visibly tense.
His shoulders stiffened imdiately.
And for the first ti since this conversation started—
He looked genuinely cornered.
Fu Teng’s expression tightened imdiately.
"What do you an by that?" he asked.
His voice remained controlled, but there was tension beneath it now.
I looked at him quietly for a mont.
Then I smiled faintly.
"I do not an anything," I replied calmly. "I am only stating facts."
The courtyard fell silent again.
Fu Teng continued looking at carefully, as though trying to figure out how much I actually understood.
I stepped slightly closer.
"You are asking to end an engagent," I said. "But at the sa ti, you refuse to explain your reasons clearly."
My voice remained steady.
"You say there is nobody else," I continued. "Yet you react like soone hiding sothing."
Fu Teng remained silent.
The more he stayed quiet, the more obvious it beca.
I folded my arms lightly.
"So until you are willing to openly bring the person you like before this family," I said calmly, "I will not allow Zhao Yin to leave this marriage."
Fu Teng’s brows furrowed imdiately.
"Sister-in-law—"
I cut him off before he could continue.
"For now," I said firmly, "she remains your fiancée."
The night wind moved softly through the courtyard.
Then I added quietly,
"Even after the warriors leave."
The mont those words settled between us—
Fu Teng’s expression changed completely.
"You cannot decide sothing like that for ," he said.
His voice was lower now, but much more tense than before.
I held his gaze steadily.
"And you cannot ask to destroy a woman’s reputation because you are confused," I replied imdiately.
Fu Teng froze slightly.
The words struck directly.
I continued calmly,
"Right now, Zhao Yin has entered this house openly as your future wife," I said. "People already know about this engagent."
My expression remained firm.
"If this suddenly ends without reason, who do you think people will bla?"
Fu Teng lowered his gaze slightly.
He already knew the answer.
Not him.
Zhao Yin.
I let out a slow breath.
"I understand that you are troubled," I said quietly. "But you cannot drag soone else into uncertainty while refusing to face your own feelings honestly."
Fu Teng remained silent for a long mont.
Then finally, he spoke quietly,
"...You make it sound easy."
I shook my head slightly.
"No," I replied.
"I know it is not."
The courtyard beca quiet again after that.
Neither of us spoke for a while.
The lantern light flickered softly between us while the cold night wind moved through the open space.
Fu Teng lowered his gaze slightly, his expression more exhausted now than angry.
For the first ti since this conversation began, he looked lost.
Not confused about the engagent.
Not confused about Zhao Yin.
But confused about himself.
I watched him quietly before finally speaking again.
"You should go back inside," I said.
My voice softened slightly.
"It is late."
Fu Teng remained still for a mont.
Then he nodded slowly.
"...Alright," he replied quietly.
He turned slightly as if to leave.
But before walking away completely, he stopped again.
"Sister-in-law," he said.
I looked at him.
Fu Teng hesitated briefly before speaking.
"I never wanted to hurt anyone."
His voice was low and honest.
I believed him.
"That is exactly why you need to think carefully from now on," I replied calmly.
Fu Teng nodded once more.
This ti, he did not say anything else.
He finally turned and walked away toward the inner corridor.
I stood there quietly and watched his figure disappear into the house.
The courtyard beca silent again after he left.
But my thoughts did not settle.
Because the more I replayed this conversation in my mind—
The clearer one thing beca.
Fu Teng was hiding sothing far bigger than I originally thought.
And sohow—
I had the feeling I was only beginning to see the truth.
anwhile,
Far from the quiet courtyard of the Fu residence, another figure moved through the night streets of Unit 50.
Fu Sheng walked alone beneath the dim lantern light, his steps calm and unhurried as he passed through one narrow alley after another.
The deeper parts of Unit 50 were quieter at this hour.
Most hos had already gone dark, and only a few scattered lanterns still remained lit outside certain houses. The night air carried the faint sll of smoke, rain-soaked earth, and food that had long gone cold.
Fu Sheng continued forward without hesitation.
His expression remained unreadable.
But his eyes were focused.
Careful.
As though he was retracing sothing from mory.
He turned another corner and slowed slightly.
The houses here were smaller and more crowded together. Old wooden fences separated narrow pathways, and the sound of distant voices occasionally drifted through open windows before fading again into silence.
Fu Sheng looked around briefly.
Then his gaze settled ahead.
A small house stood near the end of the alley.
A lantern burned quietly outside the entrance.
His steps finally stopped.
For a brief mont, he remained standing there silently, staring at the house.
Then slowly—
He walked toward it.
The closer he got, the clearer the familiar feeling beca.
This was the place.
ilin’s house.
Fu Sheng’s expression darkened slightly as old mories surfaced quietly in his mind.
He had not expected to see her again here.
Not after all this ti.
Not after believing the past had already ended long ago.
The faint light from inside the house spilled softly through the window.
Soone was awake.
Fu Sheng stood outside for several seconds without moving.
Then finally—
He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
User Comments
0 comments from readers