Moments later.
Yun Shu saw Qin Yiqing, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
After not seeing Qin Yiqing for a few months, Yun Shu was surprised to find her thinner.
Qin Yiqing was already tall and slender, and now that she had lost more weight, she had a touch of the delicate frailty of a woman from Jiangnan.
But this was only the initial impression for those who didn't know Qin Yiqing. The real Qin Yiqing had practiced martial arts since childhood, and few people in the entire escort agency could defeat her.
Qin Yiqing was not a frail woman.
It was just that suddenly losing a whole circle of weight in a few months had genuinely surprised Yun Shu.
Given Qin Yiqing's usually cheerful disposition, such a drastic change would surely not have occurred without some significant blow.
Yun Shu immediately asked A Cha to leave.
Only she and Qin Yiqing remained in the room.
Qin Yiqing smiled and sat down.
"Let's eat together. I made your favorite braised pork. Try it," Yun Shu said first.
Qin Yiqing, who usually loved to eat, merely glanced at the braised pork and smiled, shaking her head. "I'm not hungry. You eat first."
Knowing each other for a long time, Yun Shu was even more certain that something was troubling Qin Yiqing.
She suddenly thought of Ji Rong.
Ji Rong, who had appeared after several months, also seemed a bit different.
If all went as planned, the two of them should be preparing for their wedding now.
Could it be... something had happened?
She didn't ask but handed Qin Yiqing a bowl of rice. "Eat first. Even if you're not hungry, have a little. We can talk about things slowly after eating."
Qin Yiqing looked at the bowl Yun Shu had offered, smelled the fragrance of the rice, and though she hadn't felt hungry, she suddenly did. Perhaps it was in Yun Shu's presence that she could finally relax. She took the bowl and ate in silence.
The rice was delicious.
The dishes were also fragrant.
But for the past few months, Qin Yiqing had felt as if everything tasted like chewing wax.
Unconsciously, by the time Qin Yiqing realized it, the bowl of rice was finished.
Seeing that Qin Yiqing had finished her rice and the dishes Yun Shu had served her, Yun Shu finally put down her chopsticks.
"Tell me, Yiqing," Yun Shu said softly.
Qin Yiqing looked at Yun Shu, who was so gentle with her. Thinking of all the words and things she couldn't tell anyone all this time, facing Yun Shu now, she felt herself becoming utterly vulnerable.
Her eyes reddened.
Yun Shu had never seen Qin Yiqing cry.
Qin Yiqing always thought crying women were annoying, and crying over a small hurt was too dramatic.
However, Qin Yiqing's eyes were now red.
Tears shimmered in her beautiful eyes, circled, but did not fall.
Then, Qin Yiqing smiled.
She was still the formidable Qin Yiqing.
"It's really nothing major, it's just that Ji Rong doesn't want me anymore." Qin Yiqing said this secret, which had tormented her for months, with a smile.
Yun Shu's expression changed. "What?"
Ji Rong doesn't want Qin Yiqing anymore?!
They admired each other deeply, their feelings were profound, and they had known each other since childhood. Their marriage had been set long ago.
In Ji Rong's eyes, no other woman existed but Qin Yiqing.
It could be said that Ji Rong would rather give up anyone than Qin Yiqing.
Yet now, Qin Yiqing said Ji Rong no longer wanted her.
Qin Yiqing lowered her eyes, still forcing a smile, and nodded slightly. "Yes, he really doesn't want me anymore, Yun Shu. I never expected that just as I was happily preparing to marry him, he would say he didn't want me."
"What's the reason?" Yun Shu asked in a deep voice.
She felt it was necessary to go to Ruan Xi's place and have a good talk with Ji Rong.
Qin Yiqing picked up the tea beside her and took a small sip.
The bitter tea spread in her mouth, making her much more clear-headed. Her voice was slightly hoarse. "He said he fell in love with another woman."
"Ji Rong would fall out of love?" Yun Shu frowned deeply. How could Ji Rong fall out of love?
If other men could fall out of love, she would believe it, but Ji Rong absolutely would not. Ji Rong would risk his life for Qin Yiqing.
How could he turn around and fall in love with someone else?
"Even you don't believe it, do you? But he insisted he fell out of love, that his eyes were on another girl, and he no longer had any feelings for me. He hoped to break off our engagement and asked me not to pester him, saying we should part on good terms and be like siblings from now on." Qin Yiqing spoke with a self-mocking tone.
Those words, recalled now, still felt as sharp as knives.
Yun Shu pursed her lips tightly.
Qin Yiqing continued, "You know my personality. I simply don't believe it. I came all the way to the capital, arriving a few days ago. I just didn't want to alarm anyone. I want to find out the reason Ji Rong abandoned me. I need a true answer before I can give up. Otherwise, I won't be in the mood to marry anyone else in the future, right?"
"So, I've been watching for days in the capital, arriving deliberately before him. I saw him staying at Ruan Xi's place, but I didn't see him going out with any woman. Yun Shu, I think he's hiding something from me, but he's avoiding me."
After speaking, Qin Yiqing looked somewhat dejected, but more so, lost and heartbroken.
Yun Shu reached out and held Qin Yiqing's hand, saying softly, "He must know you've come to the capital."
"Yes, I saw him just now. He told me to leave the capital and not to appear before him. I've never seen him so cold. His eyes truly seem to have no room for me anymore. I suddenly feel that perhaps another woman has indeed captured his heart." Qin Yiqing's complexion grew paler as she spoke.
Gradually, her lips also lost some of their color.
Yun Shu keenly sensed that this matter was not that simple.
It likely had little to do with other women.
But for Ji Rong to be so heartless, there must be a major event that neither of them could have predicted.
She said in a deep voice, "You should stay at the General's mansion for now. I'll go to Ruan Mansion later to see Ji Rong and try to probe his intentions for you."
Qin Yiqing's eyes flickered. "Yun Shu, can I borrow Jing Heng for a while?"
"You want to..." Yun Shu's expression shifted.
Qin Yiqing gave a wry smile. "You must have guessed. The only person I can possibly use is Jing Heng."
"Yiqing, what Jing Heng can see through, you cannot deceive him," Yun Shu said.
Others might be misled by appearances, but Ji Rong would not.
Ji Rong was the most skilled diviner of his generation in the Ji family.
Qin Yiqing was stunned for a moment, then reacted. "Look at me, in my haste, I forgot. Such a small trick won't fool him. It seems I really can't do anything about him."
"Let's go, we're going to Ruan Mansion now," Yun Shu said, finishing her tea and standing up.
Qin Yiqing also stood up, deciding not to overthink it anymore. Hesitation was not her style. "Let's go! Let's go now! I must find out the truth! I'm not someone he can want and discard as he pleases!"