Zhang Yu, We're Completely Finished!

Pei Yunluo arrived at the courtyard where Zhang Yu lived and found the gate ajar, so she pushed it open and stepped inside. The courtyard that greeted her was exceedingly shabby. She frowned deeply; it was not even as good as her family's woodshed, yet Zhang Yu lived here without the slightest complaint and refused her financial help. How could such a proud, upright man have approached her for her status, as Ning Sang-sang had claimed?

Pei Yunluo comforted herself inwardly, unwilling to believe her judgment was so poor, unwilling to believe that the man she revered like a god could be so vile. Yet an inexplicable dread still gripped her. Ning Sang-sang had no reason to lie to her, and what she had said was very likely true.

Her heart uneasy, Pei Yunluo walked toward Zhang Yu's room. Before she even reached the doorway, she heard a woman's soft, coquettish laughter coming from inside. Her steps stopped at once, and the anger in her heart ignited.

She clenched both hands into fists and struggled to calm herself, telling herself that this might be Zhang Yu's younger sister or cousin. Steadying her emotions, she crept up to the doorway and heard a woman's affected, syrupy voice from within:

"Jade Darling, do you like me more, or Commandery Princess Yunluo?"

Then Zhang Yu's voice rang out. "Of course I like you more! You're a thousand times better than that Pei Yunluo. You're gentle, alluring, and every little movement sets my heart aflutter. That Pei Yunluo is like a block of wood, dull as can be. If not for her status as a commandery princess, I wouldn't even bother with her!"

At those words, the anger in Pei Yunluo's heart erupted. She shoved the door open and stormed into the room. Zhang Yu was sitting in a chair with a provocatively dressed woman on his lap. The sight of their intimacy stabbed at Pei Yunluo's eyes.

Both Zhang Yu and the woman on his lap jumped in fright at Pei Yunluo's sudden intrusion, their smiles freezing on their faces. Panic flashed in Zhang Yu's eyes. He quickly pushed the woman off his lap, then rose and hurried over to Pei Yunluo, desperately trying to explain. "A Luo, it's not what it looks like. Please let me explain."

Even now, Zhang Yu was still trying to talk his way out of it right in front of her. Pei Yunluo felt she must have been blind to have fallen for such a dog of a man. She gave a cold laugh, her eyes glinting with icy light as she stared at him, then raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. Her voice brimmed with boundless disappointment and fury. "Zhang Yu, I must have been blind to fall for a hypocrite like you!"

Caught off guard, Zhang Yu took the full force of Pei Yunluo's slap. Fury instantly blazed within him, and he instinctively wanted to strike her back. But remembering her status, he swallowed his anger and drew a deep breath, struggling to calm himself. He knew he had to explain things clearly now, or his relationship with Pei Yunluo would be finished for good, and his dream of using her to rise in rank and grow rich would shatter. He hurried to explain, "A Luo, it's not what it looks like. Hear me out..."

"What is there left to say? I saw it with my own eyes!" Pei Yunluo cut him off coldly. She did not want to hear his excuses or explanations; his words only sickened her. She turned to leave, but Zhang Yu blocked her path.

"A Luo, don't go!" Panic and desperation flashed in Zhang Yu's eyes. "Let me explain. It really isn't what you think."

Pei Yunluo stared at him coldly. "Zhang Yu, we're completely finished. If you block my way again, I'll have my eldest brother throw you in jail."

With that, she strode out of the room.

Her words frightened Zhang Yu so badly that he no longer dared stop her. Pei Yunluo's eldest brother, Pei Xingjian, had a fearsome reputation and was not a man to cross. Watching her retreating figure, Zhang Yu seethed with anger. He had racked his brains to win Pei Yunluo's heart, intending to marry her and use her family's status and influence to rise in rank and grow rich. He had never expected her to turn up unannounced and catch him enjoying himself with Peony, a woman from the brothel. Now all his previous efforts had gone to waste.