An Jing also didn’t know how to comfort Li Wuyu, so she could only say, "Let’s talk about everything after I’ve spoken with Youbao."
Wang Youbao was very good at hiding, and no matter where Li Wuyu went looking for him, Wang Youbao was always not there. Anyway, Li Wuyu was out of options and could only pin all her hopes on An Jing now.
After leaving the four children in the care of Meng Zhuqing, Xiao Changyi accompanied An Jing to the Wang Family to find Wang Youbao.
Li Wuyu actually wanted to come along, but An Jing, considering that Wang Youbao was avoiding Li Wuyu, thought that if Li Wuyu came with them, Wang Youbao might end up avoiding them too.
Not wanting to miss seeing Wang Youbao, An Jing asked Li Wuyu to return to the residence where she stayed and wait for news.
"Is your young master at home?" An Jing asked the doorkeeper of the Wang Family.
The young servant glanced around and, seeing no sign of Li Wuyu, nodded repeatedly, saying, "He is, he is."
An Jing and Xiao Changyi knew Wang Youbao must have anticipated their visit by the way the doorkeeper acted.
As soon as they entered the Wang Family’s main gate, An Jing and Xiao Changyi ran into Yu Erming, who led them to the study, saying that Wang Youbao was there.
On the way to the study, An Jing asked casually, "How is your brother’s injury?"
Yu Daming had been beaten with forty heavy sticks.
"Much better, he can already get out of bed and do light activities," Yu Erming paused then added, "My elder brother was shortsighted and mistook a noble lady for a girl from an unsuitable family. He regrets it to death and has apologized to Miss Li, who thankfully doesn’t blame him."
An Jing asked, "What about your young master then?"
Yu Erming said, "I’m just a humble family servant and don’t know what the young master is thinking."
An Jing did not pursue the matter further. It was quite clear that Yu Erming was much more cautious than Yu Daming—asking would not yield anything.
Yu Erming approached the door of the study and, instead of entering immediately, respectfully informed Wang Youbao inside that An Jing and Xiao Changyi had arrived. After getting Wang Youbao’s permission, Yu Erming invited An Jing and Xiao Changyi into the study.
Upon entering the study, An Jing and Xiao Changyi saw Wang Youbao looking as haggard as Li Wuyu.
"Why trouble yourself?" An Jing sighed.
Wang Youbao stood in front of the desk and, hearing An Jing’s sigh, could only return a bitter smile. He had nothing to say to An Jing, not knowing where to begin.
An Jing looked at the desk and saw plenty of unused paper, an inkstone with ink, a wet brush, and quite a few crumpled pieces of paper in the wastebasket, but she said nothing. Instead, she walked over to the wastebasket, picked up one of the crumpled papers, and unfolded it. The wrinkled paper revealed Li Wuyu’s name written all over.
Without checking the other papers, An Jing knew that Wang Youbao had been writing Li Wuyu’s name all this while.
Wang Youbao saw An Jing pick up and unfold a crumpled paper, his smile growing more bitter. Then he spoke up, "You all knew early on, didn’t you?"
An Jing lied without changing her expression, "Not early, just two hours ago. She came to our house looking for us, saying you were avoiding her. I asked why you were avoiding her, and that’s when she told us she’s actually the daughter of the Prime Minister."
"The daughter of the Prime Minister... the daughter of the Prime Minister..." Wang Youbao repeated, laughing bitterly and murmuring those words, "Out of reach."
An Jing said, "She has never felt you were unworthy of her."
"What about her father, Prime Minister Li? Does he feel the same?" Wang Youbao felt as if a huge mountain stood between him and Li Wuyu—a mountain he couldn’t possibly climb over.
He used to think that Li Wuyu was not good enough for him, but now that seemed like a joke.