The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 91 - Suspicion

Song Chuyi couldn't shake the feeling that Han Yu had ulterior motives. Throughout the journey, his attention toward her was overly attentive—though he was careful not to overstep in front of Old Lady Song, his attempts to ingratiate himself were obvious to her.

Even Xiang Mingzi seemed to sense something and frequently stayed close to Song Chuyi when they were alone—not because she suspected Han Yu's intentions toward her, but rather because she could see that Song Chuyi found his attentions more bothersome than flattering.

Moreover, Song Chuyi was still quite young, and her concern was that Han Yu's strange attentiveness might have been motivated by interests tied to the Cui family or the Marquis's household.

Fortunately, nothing suspicious happened until they arrived at Dingfu Village in Tongzhou on the third day of the new year. Since the Song family had private property there and had been traveling non-stop for four or five days, Old Lady Song decided they would rest at their villa for the night.

Uncle Zhang and Nanny Xu had kept the villa impeccably clean, and only fresh bedding and linens needed to be prepared.

This was Song Chuyi's first time away from the capital for the New Year, and it was also the second year Nanny Xu wouldn't be able to stay up with her on New Year's Eve. Worried about her well-being, Nanny Xu had barely eaten for days. The sight of Song Chuyi seemed like a blessing from the heavens, filling her eyes with joyful tears. Bringing her to her room, she took out clothes she'd made herself. "It's been three or four months since I last saw you, and you've grown taller again. Luckily, I made these a bit bigger, so they should fit perfectly."

Nanny Xu had carefully selected a four-color cloud brocade gifted by First Lady Cui for the new outfit. It featured a light green jacket over a frost-white robe, paired with a plain pleated skirt, each pleat pressed meticulously. When touched by sunlight, the cloud brocade's patterns shimmered, making it hard to look away.

After Nanny Xu urged her to try on the clothes, Song Chuyi intended to go see Lianyi and An An. But as soon as she passed through the moon gate, she almost bumped into Yushu, who seemed to be in a rush, with a worried expression.

Startled, Song Chuyi paused. "What's going on? Is there an urgent matter with the Old Lady?"

"It's not the Old Lady," Yushu replied, stopping with a smile when she saw her. "Young Master Ye has arrived, insisting on staying here for the night. I'm on my way to report this to the Old Lady."

Ye Jingchuan?

Nanny Xu chuckled beside Song Chuyi. "So it's Second Young Master Ye who's come. He's arrived at just the right time, coincidentally meeting with our Old Lady."

Yushu found this remark curious and asked as they walked, "Oh? Is Second Young Master Ye a frequent guest?"

"Indeed," Nanny Xu replied with a laugh. "Since he's visited a few times with our First Young Master, who instructed us to always welcome him, he's practically a regular here." She covered her mouth to stifle a chuckle, but couldn't help glancing thoughtfully at her young lady. Although Song Chuyi was still young, many girls her age in the capital were already beginning to meet prospective suitors. Second Young Master Ye, with a well-matched family background and a good heart, was rare. He'd visited often recently, especially to see An An and Lianyi...

Yushu, understanding completely, looked sideways at Song Chuyi, her lips twitching into a knowing smile.

But then, suddenly, Song Chuyi froze, her whole demeanor stiffening. On her face was an expression Yushu and Nanny Xu had never seen before—panic and fear. Her usually bright, star-like eyes shimmered with tears, making them even more dazzling, like pearls freshly washed in water, catching the light and stinging the eyes.

"Miss..." Nanny Xu noticed something was wrong and followed her gaze, only catching a glimpse of the back of a small child, about six or seven years old.

In an instant, Song Chuyi gathered up her skirt and ran toward the child.

Yushu and Nanny Xu were startled and instinctively called out, but Song Chuyi seemed not to hear, running faster and faster. She quickly rounded a corner, heading straight toward the grain storage area.

The cold wind slapped against her face, yet Song Chuyi felt numb, as if all her senses had shut down. She couldn't feel the cold or the warmth; it was as if her blood had frozen within her. Just moments ago, she thought she'd seen her son, Ran'er—the child she hadn't been able to protect in her past life, who had slowly stiffened, dying in her arms.

She ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding like a drum, making it hard to even catch her breath. She couldn't cry out, couldn't scream, just sprinted numbly toward the child she'd glimpsed.

Then, she saw Han Yu holding that child.

He wrapped his arm around the boy, a slow smile spreading across his face, chilling her to the core in the frigid air.

"What's going on?!" Ye Jingchuan came to a stop in front of her, casting her a puzzled look before glancing at Han Yu ahead of them, clearly confused. "Why are you running so frantically?"

Song Chuyi didn't respond, nor did she even blink. She simply stared, motionless, at the child in Han Yu's arms, whose head was barely visible over his shoulder.

Her throat felt choked, as if something was blocking it. She wanted to say something, to call out Ran'er's name, but not a single word escaped her lips. Her throat felt so bitter and dry that it hardly seemed her own.

Han Yu raised an eyebrow at her, a hint of surprise on his face, though his eyes held only a knowing smile. "What's wrong, Sixth Miss Song? Do you know this little cousin of mine?"

Song Chuyi stood frozen, watching as the child turned his face toward her, and the tears in her eyes began to fall, one by one.

How could there be two people who looked so identical? This child looked exactly like her son, Ran'er, who had died young in her previous life!

Song Chuyi felt as if she had been pulled back into the coldest winter of her life, when she held Ran'er in her arms, only to find in despair and horror that his body was growing cold and stiff...

The scene before her overlapped with memories from her past life, and she could barely distinguish between dream and reality.

Han Yu took a few steps toward them, carrying the child, wearing his usual shy smile as he explained, "My aunt's villa is nearby. She mentioned in a letter that my little cousin has been staying at the hot spring villa to recuperate, so I decided to bring him along."

The child in his arms waved a piece of candy at Song Chuyi, smiling wide and revealing teeth like a little squirrel's.

Song Chuyi clenched her fists so tightly she nearly dug her nails into her palms, forcing a smile that looked more painful than a cry, then stiffly turned and walked back the way she came.

There's no such thing as coincidence without cause—how could it be so coincidental that a child who looked exactly like her son from her past life would appear? And how could it be so convenient for her to encounter him at this very villa?

Swallowing the immense fear and unease in her heart, she could only think that Han Yu's dark, twisted smile felt like that of a demon straight from the depths of hell—terrifying and grotesque.