057 Why Are You So Outstanding

I didn’t want to hear any more talk about Yun Heng marrying the princess, or the princess marrying Yun Heng—which, after all, amounted to the same thing. Clearly, my mind was in a muddle. I didn’t pay close attention to what else the crowd was saying. Hearing once again about his impending marriage to the princess, I found myself too weary to care.

How I longed to rush up to Yun Heng, seize him by the collar, and demand to know: Why must you be so outstanding? Why do you attract so much attention? Why must you invite so much trouble, turning the heads of countless beauties? Can’t you be ordinary, can’t you keep a lower profile? But that was impossible. If he were truly like that, he wouldn’t be the Yun Heng I knew, and perhaps even I wouldn’t be drawn to him. Clearly, it was nothing more than idle fancy on my part.

If I really did run up to him, I’d probably have to stand on tiptoe just to grab his collar, only to be called crazy and asked what nonsense I was thinking—or, worse yet, he might just burst out laughing, leaving me utterly embarrassed.

Shaking off these wild thoughts, I gave my head a little knock and continued walking toward Yonghe Bank.

Only when I arrived at the entrance did I realize I’d lost the gift I’d been carrying. I must have dropped it in the crowd earlier.

Seeing me approach, the manager came out to greet me himself. I said I’d come to repay my debt, but he told me there was no rush and insisted I sit down for some tea.

Even after I stated my reason for coming, he still said there was no hurry.

Clearly, he never considered a thousand taels of silver a significant matter. If that was so, why had he been so reluctant to lend it to me in the first place?

Not long after, Li Yexuan arrived, travel-worn. It turned out the manager had gone to fetch him. In that instant, I understood—the manager’s warmth was all on Li Yexuan’s account.

“Your manager is quite something, insisting you be here personally,” I remarked.

“He’s dedicated.”

Dedicated, my foot, I cursed inwardly, pulling out a silver note and handing it to Li Yexuan.

“This is the money I borrowed from Yonghe Bank, with an extra ten percent interest.”

“There’s really no need to repay me. I don’t lack for such a trifling sum…”

“A loan must be repaid, so that borrowing in the future is easy. How can I not pay it back? I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

Just as I rose to go, Li Yexuan grabbed my arm.

“Wait…”

“What is it?”

“That day, I lost control…” He must have been referring to the time in the back garden of Golden Jade House, when he’d pinned me against the tree.

I shook off his hand and patted his shoulder. “We’re brothers. I know I resemble someone you once knew, and I can understand… Really, you’ve fallen so deep into longing that it’s clouded your eyes. Obviously, I’m not that person, but I can see your heart.” Many years later, I realized how foolish those words were, and they became a personal embarrassment I never quite lived down.

“…”

“I, Mu Fan, am a man who values friendship. I’d take a knife for a brother, what’s the harm in that? Hahahaha…”

I laughed for a long time, sending Li Yexuan away with my laughter.

Hmm, did I say something wrong?

My little brother always said I was more like his big brother than his sister, after all.

Completely at a loss, I headed back to Golden Jade House alone.