Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C339. What I Do, What She Wants.

Chapter 339: What I Do, What She Wants

Wu Yong still showed up daily, his persistence unyielding despite the smirks and sharp looks Hua Zhi threw his way. Each glance was a blade, slicing at his pride, but he took it all without a word. Hua Zhi, of course, didn’t lift a finger to stop him. Why would she? Watching someone pine for Cao Cao had become her favorite pastime.

With Cao Cao's dull nature, he wouldn't confess until she did, so the one suffering wouldn't be Cao Cao. Hu Yizheng was astute and could see Wu Yong's intentions. As the pair sparred in the courtyard that day, he strolled over to his granddaughter, his voice low but direct. “How long are you going to let this circus play out?”

"He can't gain any advantage." Whether emotionally or in terms of martial prowess, Shao Yao couldn't be bested by Wu Yong. Even if she was slightly inferior in skill, she had plenty of hidden abilities up her sleeve.

Hua Zhi turned her head, "Grandfather, have you heard the rumors outside?"

"Rumors?” He gave a knowing grunt, his eyes flicking to the boy sitting obediently by Hua Zhi’s feet, flipping through a book like the world outside didn’t exist. “You think I don’t hear every damn word?”

“If you’re not bothered, then neither am I,” he said with a shrug.

Her smile curled with something between jest and warning. “You might want to get used to it, though. When we head back to the capital, the stories about me might curl your hair. Can’t have you fainting in shock.”

“It’s nothing more than what’s expected from the daughters of my Hua family,” Hu Yizheng replied, his tone almost defiant.

“Exactly,” Hua Zhi agreed, the smile fading into something more somber.

'No matter how filthy the rumors, it all comes down to protecting this family. My name, my reputation—if they’re tarnished, it’s for the sake of the Hua bloodline. Whether or not anyone in this family remembers that when the time comes…'

'I just need to be able to look myself in the mirror.'

The Hua family might not deserve her sacrifices, but they’d damn well benefit from them.

"What's the relationship between Shao Yao and the Shizi?"

Yan Xi's true identity had already been figured out, so Hua Zhi wasn’t bothering with pretense anymore. “Grandfather, you're aware of what happened in the Prince Ling Palace, right?” she asked, her tone casual, but there was a sharp edge to it.

“The whole capital knows about it—who could forget?” he replied, clearly amused by the reminder.

“Well, Shao Yao was that blood-soaked sister the Shizi carried out of the palace.”

It was her?!

Back then, everyone thought that girl had met her end, but now it turned out her appearance had been completely wrecked? A twisted kind of fate.

No wonder she had always been so close with the Shizi.

“She was saved by Master Yu, but the thing is, she can’t remember a thing from before. Eventually, she became his disciple and learned his medical skills.”

The grandfather and granddaughter had never discussed Yan Xi's identity before. It was an uncomfortable truth that neither of them had ever openly discussed. Now, Hu Yizheng, her grandfather, couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Now that the Shizi’s identity has been exposed, what’s your next move? And what’s he planning? If the emperor finds out about your... relationship, things might get messy.”