Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C357. Three Letters.

Chapter 357: Three Letters

Having lazed through the day in a haze of sleep, Hua Zhi found himself wide awake as the night stretched on, though Gu Yanxi's brief visit left him with little to show for it.

As Yanxi's silhouette vanished into the thick night, Hua Zhi turned back, catching sight of a small group of maidservants, their faces painted with expressions that screamed judgment. One of them, bolder than the rest, tapped her temple as if to knock some sense into herself, muttering, “You saw this coming, didn’t you? So why the shocked face now?”

Another couldn’t help but chime in, her voice dripping with thinly veiled scorn. “You’ve got some nerve, I’ll give you that. But if this gets out? Forget outsiders—just our own family catching wind of it would be catastrophic.”

Hua Zhi, utterly unfazed, let out a sharp, derisive laugh as he strolled back into the room, every word laced with cutting defiance. “Catastrophic, you say? What’s the worst they can do—strip me of my authority? I’d hand it over in a heartbeat. But here’s the real question: do they dare try and take it from me?” Her tone was light, almost flippant, but the steel beneath it left no room for doubt.

She truly wasn't afraid. She was willing to play along when others tried to provoke her, but that didn't mean she would tolerate anyone trying to surpass her. Over the years in the Hua family, while she may not have stood out, nor been admired by her sisters, she had never been taken advantage of in the slightest. It was just that others had failed to notice.

Not to mention the current situation in the Hua family, which relied heavily on her. Even if they found out about her and Yan Xi, it would just be some gossip. People naturally have a tendency to bully the weak, evident in various aspects of life.

Pressured by societal norms, even dating required hiding and avoiding being seen. Hua Zhi was feeling a bit frustrated.

"And there are some things they may not be unaware of. Let's just lay it all out," Hua Zhi took a sip of tea and looked at Ying Chun, "Has Bai Lin sent any letters?"

"Yes, they were delivered by Mr. Wang." Ying Chun hurried to the bedside and retrieved three letters from the cabinet. Surprisingly, each one was addressed to a different person, written by each other. Hua Zhi couldn't help but chuckle at the secrecy in not putting all the content in one envelope, allowing each person a small secret unknown to the others.

With that thought in mind, Hua Zhi opened the letters one by one, her demeanor softening from earlier sternness.

Three letters, three personalities, and not a single dull moment. Bai Lin, ever the overachiever of enthusiasm, had crammed ten whole pages into his envelope. Ten. Full of vibrant, over-the-top descriptions of every blade of grass he’d encountered and all his wildly unfiltered opinions. The thing practically burst at the seams, as if trying to yell, “Look how much I’ve lived!” through sheer volume alone.

Then there was Sui’an, the quintessential scholar—precise, methodical, and borderline clinical. His letter read more like a well-reasoned essay than anything else, complete with pointed questions that subtly cast Hua Zhi in the role of wise mentor. A bit much, but at least it had some structure.

Xiao Liu was the most serious, shedding his childish demeanor almost instantly and, due to his status as a prince, naturally carried an air of superiority. Viewing things with a condescending attitude, his doubts, confusion, and anger were evident in every word, influenced by what he saw and heard in the capital and what he learned from great scholars—an almost theatrical testament to just how deeply the real world had ruffled his delicate sensibilities.

By the time she set the letters down, Hua Zhi wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or just applaud the sheer range of ridiculousness these three managed to deliver.