DKGWW Chapter 4

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Rong Jiahui pondered for a moment over whether she should comfort her younger brother first or apologize to Zhongli Luo.

When it came to her precious younger brother, she knew him best—there was nothing that a piece of candy couldn't fix. But as for Zhongli Luo…

She actually knew nothing about him. Even though they had lived under the same roof for so long, they had always ignored each other. She, proud and lofty as she was, had always expected the world to cater to her and had never liked his cold demeanor. To her, he was just an insignificant person who constantly got in her way and irritated her. Meanwhile, he had always avoided her as well…

Had it not been for this strange turn of events that revealed Zhongli Luo’s promising future, she would never have cared about him as she did today. She had even scolded her beloved little brother because of him. But she truly didn’t want to return to the Liu family and live a life of neglect anymore.

Priceless treasures were easy to find, but a good husband was hard to come by. There were plenty of young noblemen in the capital who were well-matched for her, and if she wished, she could marry into an even better family. Yet, for some reason, she felt that Zhongli Luo was different. She couldn't quite explain why, but she found herself drawn to him.

Aside from her cousins, she had no way of getting to know other men. Her two cousins were indeed outstanding, but she had always regarded them as her own brothers. They shared deep, affectionate marriages with their wives. Fine, that wasn’t an excuse. The real issue was that she didn’t get along with her female cousins, especially her eldest cousin, Yu Yixiang.

So, excluding her cousins, the only man she had a chance to get to know and seize an opportunity with was Zhongli Luo, who was currently living in her home and had an incredibly promising future…

Was she being calculating? A pang of guilt suddenly surged within her, making her nose tingle. For some inexplicable reason, a strange sense of remorse weighed on her, almost suffocating her. But so be it. What did it matter about Rong Jiaze? He was her little brother, after all. No matter what happened, wouldn’t he still sweetly call her “sister” the next day?

Thinking of this, she rubbed her sore nose and ordered the maid to put the chilled melon—something she feared eating—into a food box with ice. Then, she picked it up and headed toward Zhongli Luo’s courtyard.

The scorching sun beat down on her. Even with a maid holding an umbrella behind her, she was drenched in sweat. And Zhongli Luo’s residence was far from hers. Truly, having such a large estate was a sorrowful thing.

After much effort, she finally reached the door. Shuangjiang knocked, and the one who answered was a young servant boy with an unpleasant expression.

When he saw the girl under the umbrella with her round little face, he was momentarily stunned. Though he had never met Rong Jiahui before, he could roughly guess her identity.

He quickly stepped aside and said, “Eldest Miss, so it’s you. Please come in.”

Shuangjiang, noticing that the servant looked familiar, found his expression odd and curiously asked, “I remember you—aren’t you Afu from Zhao Jinxi’s household? What’s wrong? Who upset you?”

The distressed young servant, called Afu, hurriedly shook his head. “It’s nothing, nothing at all.”

Seeing that Afu refused to say more, Shuangjiang didn’t press further. They continued walking inside.

Not long after, they saw a fifteen or sixteen-year-old maid carrying a tray of tea coming out of the study with an unhappy expression.

It seemed Shuangjiang had good social ties, as she recognized the maid and, noticing that Rong Jiahui looked slightly puzzled, quickly called out, “Sister Chuntao!”

Chuntao turned her head, startled, nearly dropping the tray in her hands. She immediately lowered her head and respectfully said, “Eldest Miss.”

Rong Jiahui beckoned her over, and Chuntao obediently approached. “This servant greets the Eldest Miss. Do you have any instructions?”

Rong Jiahui glanced at the sulking Afu and asked her, “Why do both of you look so troubled? What happened?”

Chuntao hesitated. “This…”

“If I’m asking, just tell me the truth.”

Seeing that Rong Jiahui was determined to know, Chuntao weighed the significance of Zhongli Luo against Rong Jiahui in her mind and, unable to avoid it, reluctantly explained everything.

“This Young Master Zhong, we don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he never lets anyone serve him. He doesn’t allow servants to keep watch at night or assist him in dressing during the day. If he refuses maidservants, that’s one thing—but he won’t even let the young men near him.”

They were all servants, meant to attend to their master. Yet, every day, they were left idle, not even allowed to comb his hair. With nothing to do, how could they not feel dejected? If the lord and lady of the house ever noticed, they might even assume they had offended Young Master Zhong.

At this moment, Shuangjiang quietly cast an envious glance at Chuntao. To have nothing to do every day—what a blessing that would be!

Rong Jiahui couldn’t help but chuckle at what she heard. Zhongli Luo was even stranger than she had imagined. She had heard that before his family’s downfall, he was accustomed to having servants wait on him. But now, he wouldn’t even allow them near him. Could it be that he simply wasn’t used to her household’s attendants?

Well, it didn’t matter to her. She was only here to apologize—everything else was none of her concern. Holding onto the food box, she guessed that the ice inside was already beginning to melt. She quickened her pace, taking long strides until she reached the study door, then knocked.

A moment later, Zhongli Luo’s voice came from inside. “I don’t need anyone to serve me.”

Rong Jiahui smiled and said, “Brother Zhongli Luo, it’s me, Jiahui.”

“Hmm?” Zhongli Luo’s writing hand paused. Rong Jiahui? Had she come to seek him out on behalf of Rong Jiaze to hold him accountable?

“You may come in,” Zhongli Luo said. At worst, he would just deal with whatever trouble came his way.

Rong Jiahui pushed the door open and saw Zhongli Luo sitting upright at his desk, practicing calligraphy.

He’s so thin, she thought. She was still small, only reaching his shoulder, yet somehow, she felt like her waist was thicker than his. Maybe she really should eat less. His sharp chin was proof that he had suffered—he must have gone hungry quite a bit.

Seeing that Zhongli Luo wasn’t speaking, she carried the food box over. As she caught sight of the characters on the xuan paper, she was momentarily taken aback before letting out a chuckle.

A fine young man like him—not only did he have the delicate figure of a woman with a slender waist, but even his handwriting was in a dainty, ornamental script. It was so refined and feminine. And to think, this was the same person who would one day go off to war!

She placed the food box on the desk and opened it, relieved to see that the ice hadn’t completely melted. However, the moment she spotted the chilled melon inside, she nearly gagged.

Turning her head away, she carefully lifted the large plate of chilled melon, presenting it to Zhongli Luo like a treasured offering. “Brother Zhongli Luo, I haven’t even had a bite of this yet—I brought it specially for you!”

Seeing her bright, eager eyes and cheerful smile, Zhongli Luo suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Something about this felt suspicious. Could it be that she had laced the melon with laxatives to play a trick on him?

Casting a cool glance at the plate of chilled melon, Zhongli Luo said flatly, “I’ve never been particularly fond of this. You should eat it yourself, Eldest Miss.”

His words were blunt, and the smile on Rong Jiahui’s face stiffened for a brief moment. Then, she softened her tone, playfully coaxing, “Brother Zhongli Luo, just call me Jiahui, like my father and mother do. I’m telling you, chilled melon is the best thing for cooling down in this hot weather. I was worried you might get heatstroke, so I brought this just for you. Come on, do me a favor and have a couple of pieces.”

Zhongli Luo looked at the round-faced girl in front of him, her bright smile as dazzling as a blooming flower. His heart wavered slightly. To keep himself from giving in, he simply looked away and continued writing, choosing not to respond.

Seeing that he remained silent, Rong Jiahui assumed he was still upset with her. Pouting, she placed the plate down and got straight to the point. “Brother Zhongli Luo, I’m actually here to apologize. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have just believed my little brother’s side of the story. He’s been spoiled by me and my parents. Honestly, he needed some discipline, and you were absolutely right to teach him a lesson.”

Besides, she could tell that Zhongli Luo hadn’t really hurt Rong Jiaze at all. Otherwise, how could there be no visible injuries? Unless that tiny bit of redness on his hand could be considered a wound. But at the time, the moment she saw her brother crying, her mind went blank. He was a little tyrant, and he did go too far sometimes. But since he had never caused any real trouble, no one ever paid much attention.

Seeing that Zhongli Luo still wasn’t responding, Rong Jiahui grew anxious. After some thought, she decided to take a drastic approach. “How about this, Brother Zhongli? You can hit me too! I can take it—I’m strong. After all, I got angry at you without knowing the full story. I was wrong.”

Hearing this, Zhongli Luo finally turned his head to look at her and said, “You did nothing wrong.”

“Huh?” Rong Jiahui was stunned.

Zhongli Luo continued, “It was only natural for you to think I bullied your brother. You didn’t actually do anything wrong, so what is there to apologize for?”

Is that so? This person is so strange—he never follows the usual logic.

Rong Jiahui cautiously asked, “So… you’re not mad at me?”

“I never was,” Zhong Liluo replied.

At his words, Rong Jiahui finally let out a sigh of relief. She wiped away the fine sweat on her forehead and smiled. “Then I’ll head back now. Brother Zhongli Luo, take your time writing—I won’t disturb you anymore. But don’t forget to eat the chilled melon! I’ll have someone send all the chilled melon from my place to you later.”

Before Zhongli Luo could refuse, Rong Jiahui had already disappeared. She didn’t like chilled melon anymore anyway, so giving it away while doing someone a favor—why not? It was a win-win.

Zhongli Luo was momentarily dazed. The warm breeze brushed past him before he finally came back to his senses. Looking at the empty doorway—Rong Jiahui had forgotten to close the door on her way out—he quietly stood up and walked over to shut it.

In truth, he didn’t quite understand Rong Jiahui’s behavior. Maybe it was just his imagination, but why did it feel like she was trying to please him? But that couldn’t be possible, could it? If he told anyone that the distinguished young lady of a noble household was trying to win his favor, they’d probably laugh until their stomachs hurt.

Rong Jiahui, a high-born and esteemed daughter of a marquis, looking to gain the favor of a penniless, fallen noble like him? It made no sense. Then what was the reason behind her attitude?

He couldn’t figure it out.

His gaze landed on the plate of chilled melon on the desk—bright red, like fresh blood. He picked up a piece with a bamboo skewer and took a bite. It was sweeter and more refreshing than he had expected.

If Rong Jiahui’s actions weren’t an attempt to curry favor, then there was only one explanation—kindness. Perhaps she was simply afraid he’d overthink things, afraid he’d feel sad, afraid she might unintentionally hurt the feelings of someone living under her family’s roof.

That straightforward, clumsy girl—she really was adorably foolish.

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