This pair of eyes that he had seen countless times, this woman who he had protected for many years but who had harmed him so much, how could he not recognize her?
Concubine Du was equally stunned, and it took her a while to come to her senses. She dropped the crutch in her hand and stumbled towards Young Master Jie.
"My lord, Aqing knew that you could not bear to part with her. You came here to pick me up, didn’t you? Du Xintong is so cruel, throwing me into the back yard and having two rough maids watch me, not allowing me to go anywhere. It was with great difficulty that I escaped. Let’s go, my lord, take me home; I want to go back to the Jie Family with you... Ah..."
Regaining his composure after the shock, Young Master Jie of the Jie Family pushed the pained woman clinging to him away as if she were a viper, causing Concubine Du to fall to the ground.
"My lord, why are you..." Concubine Du looked up at Young Master Jie with disbelief written all over her face.
That push from Young Master Jie had also knocked the scarf from her head, revealing her severely burned face.
"Your... your face..." Young Master Jie was taken aback by the drastically changed face, and staggered back two steps.
She knew she was burned; on the day of the fire, everyone else who was burned died, only she, with her strong fate, managed to survive.
Gu Youyou had said that even if she survived, her life would be worse than death.
He didn’t know what kinds of pain plagued her body, but seeing her face, he understood what ’living was worse than dying’ meant.
Young Master Jie knew well how much Du Wanqing cared about her appearance. She once felt that her looks did not compare to Du Xintong’s and would frequently pile on heavy makeup. He had told her more than once that he did not mind her looks, but she never listened.
Now, her appearance... it seemed to confirm the saying ’karma’.
By now, he had made everything clear to her, only she never wanted to believe it.
Young Master Jie avoided her burning gaze, saying, "You have long ceased being a member of the Jie Family. Xintong forgave your past wrongs and took you in; you should be thanking her instead of blaming her."
His words pierced Du Wanqing’s heart like a spike. The facts she was unwilling to admit, the things she had automatically blocked out in her mind, were now drawn out by him, causing her head to throb unbearably.
Clutching her head, she cried out loud, "Why do you say such things? You have wronged me..."
"It was you who deceived first; how then can you speak of my having wronged you? You planned to kill Xintong and me, set fire to kill several servants; these crimes are enough to sentence you to death. If I hadn’t fought to protect you, do you think you would still be here? You would have been sent to the Ministry of Punishment’s Prison long ago. Don’t think yourself innocent and pitiable; you have brought this upon yourself," Young Master Jie sneered, and he moved to open that door.
Du Wanqing, paying no heed to her splitting headache, hurriedly got up to hug his legs and prevent him from opening that door.
Here and now, she wanted to make things clear with him. She wanted to hear from his lips whether the vows he once made still held true.
"It’s not like that. You definitely wouldn’t treat me this way. You must have some unspeakable difficulty, right?"
Young Master Jie took a deep breath and one by one pried her hands off, looking down at her coldly from above, "Stop feigning madness and playing the fool. I am a normal person, and after knowing about your treacherous deception, do you think I could still treat you the way I did before? Even the good things I did for you in the past were obtained by your scheming, they don’t count for anything."
Tears fell like rain from Du Wanqing’s eyes as she continuously shook her head.
He no longer wanted her, had driven her out of the Jie Family; where could she go now?