"You... what are you trying to do?" Seeing this strange man rush toward her, Li Wan instinctively took several steps back and asked in some panic.
Song Qingshu could only raise his hands and explain, "Madam, I mean no harm. I merely came to visit your father, but unfortunately, I couldn't get through the gate." By now, he had realized why Li Shouchong's name had sounded so familiar—it was because he was Li Wan's father.
Back when he had impersonated Jia Baoyu, he had secretly inquired into the identities, backgrounds, and temperaments of everyone in the mansion so as not to give himself away. Although he had met Li Wan only once, he had been deeply impressed by this sister-in-law who had become a widow in the bloom of youth and lived in seclusion at home.
Jia Baoyu had been the center of attention in the mansion, adored by all and greeted everywhere with warm smiles. Only Li Wan had maintained that same indifferent expression whenever she saw him. At the time, Song Qingshu had thought he had exposed some flaw and worried over it for quite a while, only to learn afterward that it was not the case.
It turned out that Li Wan's husband, Jia Zhu, had been the eldest son of Jia Mansion and a renowned genius. At a young age, he had passed the county examination and earned the xiucai degree, with many great scholars praising him as having the potential to become top scholar. He, too, had once been showered with affection, but heaven envied his talent, and he died young. Li Wan was left widowed in her youth, a vibrant flower withered before it could fully bloom.
Watching everything that had once belonged to her husband transfer to Jia Baoyu, Li Wan inevitably harbored