My Lord, I am injured right now.

"My Lord, you cannot enter. Our young miss is resting."

Suddenly, Lusu's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Step aside. I am here to see your young miss. She is injured now and must desperately need me. I want to stay by her side and keep her company," Gu Xin declared.

"My young miss is not receiving visitors at the moment, My Lord. Please leave," Lusu continued to block his path.

Hearing Gu Xin's voice, Jiang Shuwan could not help but wear a sarcastic expression.

Coming to see her with such hypocritical affection—wasn't he just trying to deceive her while she was vulnerable, exactly as he had done in her past life?

If it were before, when she felt unwell and Gu Xin came to visit, she would have been deeply moved. But now, she only found Gu Xin utterly repulsive.

Outside the door, Gu Xin also lost his patience. "Step aside! Today, this Marquis's Heir is determined to see your young miss."

As soon as his words fell, Lusu let out a startled cry.

"Ah!"

Jiang Shuwan frowned. Without even looking, she could guess that Gu Xin had pushed Lusu. Fearing that Lusu might get hurt, and knowing Gu Xin's unruly and stubborn temperament—if she didn't agree, he would never give up—Jiang Shuwan called out toward the door, "Lusu, let him in."

A few seconds later, a man wearing a cyan brocade robe embroidered with peonies stretching down to the hem on the left side of his chest strode into the room, holding a folding fan in his hand, trying to look every bit the refined gentleman.

In the past, Jiang Shuwan would have been captivated by this superficial shell of his. Now, she only saw him as a worthless wretch with a fine exterior, and she desperately wanted to walk up to him and slap him a few times.

After entering, Gu Xin saw Jiang Shuwan lying prone on the daybed, staring at him with calm, ripple-less eyes.

There was no expression in her eyes, but for some reason, Gu Xin felt an immense sense of contempt in her gaze, as if she were looking at a piece of filth.

Yet in her past life, this Jiang Shuwan had loved him to the point of obsession, not only enduring everything in silence but even using her own dowry to fund his expenses. If it hadn't been for Lin Rou pretending to be his savior and being able to serve him comfortably in bed, he truly might have kept her as a concubine in his inner courtyard.

Then he figured he must have seen it wrong.

Thinking this, Gu Xin dismissed the thought as a trick of his vision.

He stepped forward, sat on the small stool before her with a gentle expression, and said affectionately, "Wan younger sister, are you feeling better? When I heard you were beaten, I was worried to death."

Smelling the heavy scent of face powder and cosmetics radiating from Gu Xin, Jiang Shuwan felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach. She furrowed her brow slightly and said, "Thank you, My Lord, but could you please sit a bit further away? The scent on you is rather overwhelming."

Gu Xin's face turned pale instantly. He stood up abruptly and pointed angrily at Jiang Shuwan, "Jiang Shuwan, you..."

Jiang Shuwan waved a hand in front of her face to fan away the air. "My Lord, not only do you smell strange, but did you eat something? Why is your breath so strong?"

Gu Xin's face grew increasingly livid. Subconsciously, he took several steps back and discreetly sniffed the air around him. He couldn't detect anything unusual—only a faint, pleasant fragrance. This was a custom blend he had paid a hefty sum for a perfume shop to make for him. Which young lady in the capital hadn't praised it, wishing she could throw herself right into his arms? Yet this woman actually called it stinking!

Truly, she was merely the daughter of a lowly merchant, completely devoid of any appreciation.

"Jiang Shuwan, you go too far! I came to see you out of the goodness of my heart, and instead of being grateful, you despise me? Is this the hospitality of your Yongbo Manor?" Gu Xin accused angrily.

"I recall that we never invited you here; you came of your own accord," Jiang Shuwan said, finding the surrounding air far too murky. She couldn't help but sneeze.

Gu Xin's complexion turned from green to black, and from black back to green.

When had he ever suffered such humiliation? He flicked his sleeve and turned to leave. "You cannot tell good intentions from bad. Rou'er is much better; at least she is sincere toward this Marquis's Heir."

Watching his retreating figure, Jiang Shuwan felt an immense sense of relief. If she weren't injured, she would have grabbed a broom and beaten him out the door right then and there.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she called out to his back, "Wait."

Thinking that she was jealous, Gu Xin curved his lips into a smile, halted his steps, and turned back to look at her.

Yet, to punish her for her earlier treatment of him, he intentionally put on a stern face and asked, "Is there something else?"

"Didn't you just say you liked me? I thought about it and decided you're not bad either. But now... I am to be your father's future wife." Jiang Shuwan lowered her head with a sorrowful expression.

Hearing this, Gu Xin felt immensely smug.

It seemed his charm was still as great as it had been in his past life. He had known all along—how could Jiang Shuwan possibly not love him?

"You needn't worry about that. As long as you agree to marry me, I will speak to my father and have him call off the engagement," Gu Xin comforted her.

Jiang Shuwan raised her head, a smile blooming on her face as she asked, "Really? I am so happy! I want to be with you every day, but it's inconvenient for us to meet in the Jiang family."

Her face was filled with a poignant sadness.

Gu Xin's spirit spiked. He took a large stride forward, sat down on the small stool once again, and said, "You mean it? If that's the case, I have experience with this. From now on, I'll sneak in to see you."

With that, he reached out as if to wrap his arm around Jiang Shuwan's waist.

Catching the nauseating scent on him and watching his hand descend, Jiang Shuwan wished she could chop his hand off right then and there.

She hurriedly spoke up, "Ah, My Lord, I am injured right now."

Gu Xin's gaze fell upon her back, and remembering that she had been beaten, he retracted his hand mid-air, his eyes filled with disappointment and impatience.

Yet, not wanting to frighten Jiang Shuwan, he forced a smile and said, "Don't worry. Since you are injured, I certainly won't touch you."

Jiang Shuwan beamed radiantly. "My Lord, you are so good to me."

Jiang Shuwan was already exceptionally beautiful, and seeing her smile like this now, Gu Xin felt his heart melt.

Watching Gu Xin's lewd expression, Jiang Shuwan felt a flash of disgust in her eyes, but it vanished instantly as she continued, "My injuries won't hurt nearly as much by tomorrow. Shall we meet tomorrow night?"

Gu Xin froze, not expecting Jiang Shuwan to be in such a rush, but delight still blossomed in his heart. He immediately smiled and said, "Of course. I have a two-courtyard residence in the west of the city, though it is a bit secluded."

A gleam flashed in Jiang Shuwan's eyes. "The more secluded, the better."

"What?" Gu Xin asked in surprise.

"Oh, I mean... the more secluded it is, the less others can disturb us."

"Wan younger sister is truly thoughtful."

"My Lord, you should go tidy up now, so we can have a wonderful time tomorrow night."

At these words, every drop of blood in Gu Xin's body seemed to boil. He stood up and declared, "Good! Everything shall be as Wan younger sister wishes."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

Seeing Gu Xin leave, Lusu hurried inside, looked Jiang Shuwan up and down, and finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw her mistress was unharmed.

She had been worried that Gu Xin might try to harm Jiang Shuwan, but now it seemed her worries had been unfounded.