Chapter 34

After that outing, Jian Yu'er often found herself in a daze.
The Plum Garden was a theater troupe, anyone with money and influence could enter. All the young ladies that day were curious about the actress Jian Yuyan was keeping outside and were perfectly capable of visiting the Plum Garden.
Jian Yu'er grew fearful.
That woman looked far too much like her. One glance would reveal the truth. Jian Yu'er dreaded to imagine what would happen if they saw the actress’s face.
Almost everyone would know that the young master and young lady of the Jian family, siblings by blood, were involved in an illicit affair. She would become the laughingstock of everyone’s gossip...
Jian Yu'er clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her nails digging into her palm, leaving a row of crescent-shaped marks. She felt she had to do something.
But ever since their last unpleasant parting, Jian Yuyan had returned to the mansion even less frequently. Jian Yu'er knew he was either at the Eastern Palace or the Plum Garden, but these were the very places she absolutely did not want to set foot in. Thus, she hadn’t caught sight of Jian Yuyan for days.
In the end, left with no other choice, she specifically had someone keep watch at the main gate of the Jian residence, instructing them to notify her as soon as Jian Yuyan returned. Finally, she managed to catch him.
Jian Yu'er didn’t dare delay in the slightest. The moment Jian Yuyan stepped into his study, she followed right after. Seeing him, she finally let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the table to steady her somewhat ragged breathing.
Jian Yuyan glanced at her with slight surprise, a flicker of light in his eyes before he smiled gently and said, “Take it slow, be careful not to fall. What’s the matter that has you in such a hurry?”
Jian Yu'er looked up abruptly, meeting his still gentle eyes, and for a moment, she was stunned.
She had assumed Jian Yuyan’s prolonged absence from the mansion was to avoid her. But now that she had finally cornered him and prepared to question him, she found no trace of evasion on his face. The words of accusation she had ready died on her lips, and she could only stammer, “Brother, where have you returned from?”
Jian Yuyan glanced at Jian Yu'er and said, “I've been swamped with official duties lately. I spent the entire day discussing matters with the Crown Prince, and it wasn't until Her Majesty the Empress summoned His Highness to Kunning Palace that I finally found a moment to return.”
Hearing news of the Crown Prince, Jian Yu'er's heart still couldn't calm down. She knew that with the Emperor gravely ill and the Crown Prince overseeing state affairs, her brother, as the Crown Prince's most trusted confidant, must be extremely busy.
So, her brother hadn't been avoiding her, he was just too occupied to return to the estate?
Jian Yuyan had only come back today to retrieve some important items that the servants weren't allowed to touch. Yan Yiming was still waiting to have dinner with him, so even though he noticed the confusion on Jian Yu'er's face, he didn't feel like asking her what was wrong as he usually would, lest it delay him.
Jian Yu'er watched as Jian Yuyan sealed the inkstone and walked out from behind the desk. She thought he would head to the inner chamber to change his clothes, and she planned to join him for dinner and a chat. But then she heard him say he had other matters to attend to and would leave if there was nothing urgent to discuss.
Stunned for a moment, Jian Yu'er suddenly grabbed his sleeve. “It's already so late, what could possibly be so important?”
The words came out too hastily, and only after speaking did she realize why they felt so familiar. She had asked him the same question just a few days prior.
When night falls, there are naturally places one ought to be.
Jian Yu'er's pretty face instantly paled. The fear and inexplicable anger that had been building up over the past few days surged forth all at once. “You're still going to see her?” she blurted out urgently.
Jian Yuyan was momentarily puzzled by her use of the word “still.” “Why shouldn't I see her?”
Because... because I'm right here! Could seeing her possibly be more important than seeing me?
But such words were something Jian Yu'er would never dare to utter aloud. Her mind racing, her pale cheeks flushed slightly, and she stammered, “Because, because she looks so much like me. I... I...”
Her words trailed off hesitantly, and Jian Yuyan assumed she was bothered by his involvement with someone who resembled her so closely, feeling it was an insult to her.
Some things had been left unsaid for too long. Seeing Jian Yu'er's flustered expression, Jian Yuyan thought it might be best to clarify things today to prevent any misunderstandings. “You are you, and she is her,” he said. “I go to see her not because of you.”
“Then because of her?”
“At first, it was indeed because of you, Yu'er, that I lost my senses. But now, it's because of her,” Jian Yuyan replied with a faint smile. “In my eyes, the two of you are entirely different, so there's no need for you to overthink it.”
Jian Yu'er was dumbfounded.
She had always believed that Jian Yuyan avoided her because he couldn't have her and had chosen to stay away, and that he saw that other woman only because he couldn't be with her and had no other choice. But now, Jian Yuyan was telling her that his visits to that woman, his daily entanglement with her, had absolutely nothing to do with her at all.
Jian Yu'er looked up at Jian Yuyan in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly. “You've fallen for that actress?”
Yan Yiming and Little A glanced at the plot summary. Jian Yuyan did not deny his feelings for Yan Yiming, and Jian Yu'er was utterly dumbfounded.
As a game centered around Jian Yu'er, her inner thoughts were completely exposed to Yan Yiming at that moment.
Yan Yiming had never seen Jian Yu'er so emotionally turbulent before.
She was somewhat surprised. After all, in the original game, Jian Yu'er was actually a “good girl” who always prioritized others, so she would never have such self-centered or resentful thoughts. But now, in addition to disbelief, Jian Yu'er's heart was instantly filled with malice.
Malice toward Yan Yiming.
It wasn't that Jian Yu'er didn't believe Jian Yuyan had truly fallen for Yan Yiming, it was precisely because he had that she was enraged. In her eyes, Jian Yuyan's affection for Yan Yiming was because of her. In that moment, Jian Yu'er resented Yan Yiming for stealing Jian Yuyan away.
Little A was also starting to feel confused. Jian Yu'er's character was indeed changing bit by bit, but this was beyond their control. It could only cautiously remark, “Jian Yu'er first showed negative emotions after Nan Gongxuan completely abandoned her. Now, it might be because Jian Yuyan is drifting further away, which has triggered her again...”
Yan Yiming sneered, “Didn't she say Jian Yuyan would only ever be her brother? Why is she so upset that her brother has a lover?”
Little A paused, “Maybe her possessiveness is too strong?”
Yan Yiming didn't respond, her gaze still fixed on Jian Yuyan and Jian Yu'er.
Jian Yu'er couldn't accept that Jian Yuyan had fallen for someone who looked so much like her. Jian Yuyan sighed helplessly and said, “Yu'er, it's not A'Ming's fault that she resembles you.”
It wasn't her fault for looking similar, but it was her fault for stealing Jian Yuyan because of that resemblance!
Little A stared in shock at Jian Yu'er's inner monologue, nearly short-circuiting from fright. After a long while, it finally stammered out, “J-Jian Yu'er... she, she likes Jian Yuyan?”
“From the moment she learned that Jian Yuyan's feelings for her weren't just brotherly, Jian Yu'er could no longer see him as just a brother.”
The fact that Jian Yu'er could develop a romantic storyline with Jian Yuyan later on indicated that the female lead's capacity for acceptance was far greater than others imagined, or perhaps she had actually liked Jian Yuyan all along.
In the original game, it was the shock of Jian Yuyan's true identity that made Jian Yu'er stop seeing him as a brother. But now, the catalyst was herself.
After declaring that he no longer had feelings for Jian Yu'er, Jian Yuyan was surprised to find that she didn't react with relief or joy. Instead, she became increasingly irritable and sensitive. Eventually, as Jian Yu'er neared an emotional breakdown, even without her saying it outright, Jian Yuyan finally understood why she was reacting this way.
Jian Yuyan suddenly looked up at Jian Yu'er. After all, he had loved her for so long, and even though he had given up, his heart still stirred for a moment.
Seeing Jian Yu'er's eyes red from crying, Jian Yuyan sighed helplessly and wiped her tears away. Jian Yu'er could no longer hold back her tears and looked up at him, asking if he could stop seeing the actress. Jian Yuyan said it was impossible.
Jian Yu'er wept again, saying she feared others might see Yan Yiming's appearance, and if seen, it would damage both her and Jian Yuyan's reputations.
Jian Yuyan did not answer that question. Instead, he gently comforted Jian Yu'er for a long time before escorting her back to her residence. Only as he was leaving did he finally promise her that he would handle the matter.
That day, Yan Yiming did not get to have dinner with Jian Yuyan as usual. He arrived at the Plum Garden later than usual and seemed momentarily stunned when he saw Yan Yiming.
Yan Yiming was dressed in opera attire, her delicate features meticulously made up. Adorned in the lavish costume of a huadan, she turned to him with a smile, exuding a charm far beyond her usual self.
Jian Yuyan had never seen her like this and found himself unexpectedly captivated. He gazed at her for a long moment before asking, “Why did you suddenly dress up as the Imperial Consort?”
“Just felt like it,” Yan Yiming replied with a soft laugh. “You came at an unfortunate time, I just finished singing a segment.” She picked up a teacup and took a sip, then, noticing the lipstick mark on the rim, turned to Jian Yuyan and asked, “Has the rouge on my lips faded?”
Jian Yuyan walked over and kissed her enticing, tea-moistened lips. After a lingering kiss, he murmured with a low chuckle, “It's gone now.”
Yan Yiming shot him a reproachful glance and pushed him away before returning to the bronze mirror to carefully reapply her rouge. Once done, she asked him again, “How do I look in this outfit?”
Jian Yuyan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “You look beautiful, of course.”
Yan Yiming beamed. “The owner said the same, that if I were to perform on stage, I'd outshine Yu Mei.”
Jian Yuyan fell silent. Yan Yiming had told him many times how much she loved singing on stage, but he had never agreed.
At first, it was because he didn't want others to see her resemblance to Yu'er. Now, however, he genuinely wanted to keep this side of her all to himself.
But if Yan Yiming stayed in the Plum Garden, she would never let go of this dream. Recalling his earlier conversation with Chancellor Jian and the promise he had made to Jian Yu'er that day, Jian Yuyan brought up the topic of redeeming her for the second time.
“A’Ming, let me buy your freedom from the Plum Garden.”