Volume 1, Chapter 15: It Was Chivalry, Not Lust

After dinner, Mrs. Gu pulled Jiang Chenyu into a long conversation, ranging from likes to habits, growing more animated as they talked. Yet she maintained a careful restraint, never once mentioning the Jiang family throughout. Perhaps Gu Jinyan had given her some instructions earlier, but this only deepened Jiang Chenyu’s gratitude. She found herself speaking with Mrs. Gu with more sincerity.

In the end, it was Gu Jinyan who said he wanted to go home and rest, prompting a reluctant parting between Jiang Chenyu and Mrs. Gu. They ascended the stairs together, Jiang Chenyu clutching the gift Mrs. Gu had given her, striding ahead without any intention of waiting for Gu Jinyan. She had been carefully holding onto his sleeve when going downstairs but now left him with nothing but an indifferent back.

Truly a villain who used someone and then discarded them, Gu Jinyan thought. Suddenly recalling the fingerprint report from the box his secretary had investigated that morning, he quickened his pace. “Do you have time tomorrow? I want to ask you to see someone.”

“I have my own things to do,” Jiang Chenyu said, fiddling with the small fish bracelet in her arms without so much as a glance at him.

She complied unconditionally with the wedding because it was their collaboration, but beyond that, she had no intention of wasting her energy. After all, she still had to earn enough to fill a two-billion-yuan hole!

Gu Jinyan wasn’t upset by her refusal. He simply opened the door and invited her in, continuing, “I found the person who hid the puppet in my room before, but my people can’t confirm if she’s the mastermind. So I want your help to verify.”

“Of course. I know the most gifted little sorcerer’s time is precious. Just treat me like any other urgent client,” Jiang Chenyu said knowingly.

“How others pay doesn’t concern me. I’ll pay double, is that okay?” Gu Jinyan said, fully aware of the situation.

“Double or not, we’re married. Since we support each other, how could I just stand by and watch you get bullied?” Jiang Chenyu looked up, serious as ever, her eyes sparkling with determination.

Gu Jinyan seemed to have anticipated her change of heart and was not surprised. He let out a light laugh and asked, “When will you have time, then?”

“I’ll send you the pricing later. You pay the deposit first, and then I’ll be available anytime,” Jiang Chenyu said, indifferent to any ridicule. Then she added, “The deposit’s double, too.”

“Noted,” Gu Jinyan replied with teasing in his voice.

Jiang Chenyu touched her nose and, considering the large sum involved, showed a hint of concern. “I noticed you barely ate tonight. Is it because of this?”

“Not entirely. My health isn’t good; there are many things I can’t eat,” Gu Jinyan said with a helpless smile.

Though he said many things were off-limits, in truth, he was restricted mostly to bland porridge. Having eaten with him a few times, Jiang Chenyu had noticed this and stepped forward, grabbing his wrist to take his pulse.

The pulse was weak and erratic, as if it could cease at any moment.

“Do you suffer from insomnia and restless dreams? Shortness of breath and weakness?” she asked.

Gu Jinyan nodded, intrigued to see the little sorcerer seamlessly turn into a little doctor.

As before, whenever discussing serious matters, Jiang Chenyu’s expression would involuntarily turn solemn, her gaze intense and focused, a stark contrast to the indifferent young woman she usually was.

Examining his condition, her brow furrowed slightly. “Your body is fragile, often overworked. The damage is too great to repair.”

“Yeah, so I’m not trying,” Gu Jinyan withdrew his hand, unwilling to see her frown.

He took off his jacket to cover his arm and smiled faintly. “I’ll wash up now and pay you afterward.”

Jiang Chenyu nodded, feeling a pang inside.

How could someone who couldn’t eat properly or sleep still maintain such a good temper?

He had faced blindness before with a casual attitude; he clearly wanted to live, didn’t he?

She thought of her second brother, Jiang Mu. Whenever he stayed up late, he’d become irritable and sometimes violent the next day. When calm, he’d explain that lack of rest and unbearable headaches made him lose control.

Gu Jinyan was truly a strange man, she thought again.

That night, it was the elder apprentice brother who called her.

Unlike the master’s laissez-faire approach, the elder brother was always serious and meticulous. “You don’t owe much, but you know the merit money has to be earned by yourself. Can you really do it alone?”

“I can. Why not? As long as you don’t skim half my commission like the old man, I can earn it with a couple more tasks,” Jiang Chenyu said. She had reported the master partly because she couldn’t stand the old man’s arrogance, but mostly to give the elder brother something to do, so he wouldn’t keep focusing on her.

Things were already set in stone; she didn’t want others worrying over her.

Suddenly, she wondered about Gu Jinyan—did he know his fate was sealed and so didn’t want anyone worrying about him?

“You’ve earned a lot from missions over the years, but it all went to the Jiang family, those ungrateful fools...” The elder brother was indignant, glancing at Jiang Chenyu as he tested her stance. “I found the Clear Heart Spell you asked for earlier. Do you still want it?”

The Clear Heart Spell was somewhat superfluous. Sorcerers gained little from it, but ordinary people could cultivate it to calm the mind and soothe the spirit. However, ordinary people needed a sorcerer to guide them through the entire practice, or they wouldn’t grasp its essence. Thus, most sorcerers avoided such time-consuming techniques.

Jiang Mu had complained of insomnia and unbearable headaches, which was why she sought the elder brother for that book, hoping to help him adjust his health. Now that they were estranged, she probably wouldn’t waste energy on the Jiang family anymore.

To her surprise, after a long pause, Jiang Chenyu nodded. “I want it. Send it to me.”

“You still want it? You really never learn!” The elder brother was exasperated but not because he minded giving her the book. He wanted to use this to test her feelings about the Jiang family. After all, the Jiang family had treated her so badly, yet she was still stubborn.

He resolved to intervene and help the little sister.

Jiang Chenyu didn’t understand why the elder brother suddenly hung up angrily. She simply opened the txt file he sent and began reading. While she couldn’t rewrite Gu Jinyan’s fate, she could at least ease his last days.

The next morning, during her morning cultivation, she tried the Clear Heart Spell herself to test its effects.

Unexpectedly, while she was cultivating, a little tadpole-like creature reappeared, trying to steal her energy again.

She hadn’t even practiced today, yet it still took a bite—unfair!

Gritting her teeth, she pulled out her compass, trapped the creature on it with a spell, and began tracking the filthy thing.

Following the compass needle, she found herself standing outside Gu Jinyan’s door.

Checking the time, she knocked gently. “Gu Jinyan, are you awake?”

The door was unlocked and swung open immediately.

A small nightlight glowed by the bedside. Gu Jinyan lay in bed, struggling as if caught in a nightmare.

“Go away! Stay away from me...” he said urgently.

Cold sweat drenched his forehead; his brows were tightly furrowed, his face etched with fear—nothing like his calm demeanor by day.

He looked like a child cornered and utterly helpless.

“I knew you were suffering. And you said it wasn’t just an act,” Jiang Chenyu snorted coldly, observing his gaunt face and the rising and falling of his Adam’s apple before quietly looking away.

After a moment’s thought, she stepped forward, grasped his hand, and began channeling energy, muttering, “I’m stepping in because I can’t bear injustice, not because I’m smitten.”