Chapter 66: Regret

Pei Yuan stumbled dizzily back into the courtyard.

All the way there, he was still clinging to foolish hope—maybe Qiu Lingyan had just been sent by Bao Ning to scare him. How could Bao Ning really leave? Where could she even go? Maybe she was just upset, throwing a little tantrum, trying to frighten him a bit. That was all.

But when he stepped into the empty and desolate courtyard, two big words flashed in his mind—It’s over.

It really was over.

Just like Qiu Lingyan had said, Bao Ning had hardened her heart this time. She hadn’t wanted to leave him a single thing. Even the two bright red flower bushes under the window had been dug out, leaving only disturbed soil behind. The large porcelain tank in the yard that had fish? The fish were gone. Even the lounge chair under the pomegranate tree—gone.

Inside the house, the table was still overturned from last night, pitifully lying on the ground, broken teacups shattered all around—no one had cleaned up. Half the bedding was gone. Bao Ning’s blanket was pink, his was blue. Now only the blue one remained. He opened the wardrobe—only a few dark robes hung inside. All the bright and colorful clothes that belonged to Bao Ning had vanished.

Pei Yuan’s heart twisted as he drifted around the house like a ghost. Wei Meng stood at the door watching him. Seeing Pei Yuan’s devastated expression—even a man like Wei Meng, who never got worked up over love—felt a pang of sympathy.

Like he was punishing himself, Pei Yuan went to search Bao Ning’s vanity, hoping that this was all just a game of hide-and-seek.

That she had hidden herself—but left him a clue.

…He couldn’t find her vanity box at all.

The dressing table was spotless. All the drawers were empty. Only a brass mirror remained. She had truly hardened her heart, transformed from a kitten into a little leopard, leaving him nothing. Pei Yuan guessed that if the mirror hadn’t been so hard to detach, she probably would’ve taken that too.

Pei Yuan walked around the house with a blank expression, the soles of his shoes crunching on broken porcelain. He confirmed it—Bao Ning had really taken everything that belonged to her.

His heart felt completely wrenched.

Panic began to grow inside him, swallowing up the last shred of false hope. His mind was now full of just one thing:

Bao Ning doesn’t want me anymore? She really doesn’t want me?

I know I was wrong. I did terrible things. I said terrible things. But Bao Ning, can’t you just—just give me one more chance?

Come back, please. Stop fooling around. Come back and slap me across the face, fine?

Or I’ll bark like a dog for you, alright? I was wrong. I’ve come back to find you. I’ll keep my promise. I am a dog. Meng Fan isn’t the scumbag—you’re right, it’s me. I was the one who made you cry, and then didn’t comfort you. I even got mad at you. I’m not human. I deserve to die.

My temper is awful. I have no brains. I’m nothing—but still prideful. If only I had come to my senses yesterday, gone to make peace with you right away, would you have still been this angry? Would you have left?

Where did you go, Bao Ning?

…

When Pei Yuan first realized Bao Ning had left, his mind went blank. There wasn’t even much emotion—just an empty feeling in his chest. Like a dream.

Subconsciously, he really thought he was still dreaming. Still drunk. But as he searched every corner of the house and couldn’t find her, he slowly came to realize—this wasn’t a dream. He had really messed up. He had truly lost Bao Ning.

Regret. Emptiness. Confusion.

He had always prided himself on being tough. Risking his life, going through fire and water—it was nothing to him. He grew up in military camps, roughing it out with men like Wei Meng, drinking and eating like a true soldier. He never thought of himself as someone who’d feel… like this. So weak. So soft.

But now, Pei Yuan was genuinely shaken. He thought—if only he could go back to last night, screw his pride, he would’ve run back, grabbed Bao Ning’s feet, and begged her not to leave.

He had truly broken her heart.

Wei Meng watched Pei Yuan pacing in circles like a spinning top. After a few turns, Pei Yuan’s eyes turned red.

Wei Meng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat felt dry. He couldn’t get the words out. He wiped his eyes—they were actually a little wet.

At first, he had found the whole thing a little funny. The proud young general finally met his match—look how wrecked he was. But seeing Pei Yuan slowly fall apart like this, Wei Meng started to feel awful too.

This empty house… who could look at it and not feel sad? It used to be a warm little home. Now it had turned cold and lifeless.

Pei Yuan couldn’t sit still. The moment he sat down, he felt uncomfortable all over. He stood in front of the mirror, looking at his reflection. Disheveled hair, messy beard—not a trace of the clean look Bao Ning liked.

He took a deep breath, wiped his face with his sleeve, and went to pull open the bed curtains—nothing behind them.

He crouched down to check under the bed, hoping to find Ah Huang—but nothing there either.

Suddenly, Pei Yuan thought of the leeches. Would Bao Ning have taken those too?

If she took them… maybe that meant she still cared. Still worried about his poisoning.

Maybe she just left in a fit of anger. Maybe she was waiting somewhere for him to come find her.

…The leech jar was sitting neatly on the shelf. Bao Ning hadn’t even touched it when she left in the middle of the night.

Pei Yuan’s fingers trembled.

It really was over. No more false hopes. Bao Ning just didn’t want him anymore.

“Little General,” Wei Meng finally rasped, “stop running around like that. What’s the point? It’s only been half a day. She probably hasn’t gotten far. Let’s get the brothers to start looking. Maybe we can still bring her back.”

Only then did Pei Yuan snap out of it. He’d lost all reason just now—he had actually forgotten to look for her first.

What good was all this crying and panicking? The most important thing now was to find her. Once she was back, if she wanted to hit him, yell at him—fine. He could take a few slaps. His skin was thick anyway. It wouldn’t hurt.

Pei Yuan forced himself to calm down, tried to organize his thoughts, and after a moment’s pause, gave orders in a low, steady voice:

“Wei Meng, take the men of the Wolf Cavalry and search outside the city. There are four main gates and eight smaller ones—twelve roads in total. Assign thirty men to each route. Search thoroughly. Don’t stop until she’s found. No one is allowed to return early.”

“The search inside the city—hand it to Qiu Mingshan. His daughters caused this mess—he’d better take responsibility. The capital isn’t that big. Don’t leave a single corner unchecked.”

“And the Ji family. Keep people watching them, especially Ji Yun. Anyone who delivers invitations to the Ji residence, where their servants buy groceries, any correspondence—check it all.”

“And…” Pei Yuan’s gaze swept to Qiu Lingyan, who was still crouched in the corner. He gritted his teeth and said, “Lock her up. Until Bao Ning is found, neither of those sisters are going anywhere!”

Pei Yuan strode out swiftly with his hands behind his back, his voice cold and hard as ice:

“Wei Meng, go tell Qiu Mingshan—if Bao Ning isn’t found within three days, I’ll kill his daughter first, then burn his house down. If I can’t live well, no one else should think about living well either. Let him see if I’ll follow through!”

“He’s gone mad… that little madman has truly lost it this time…” Wei Meng looked at Pei Yuan’s back and let out a heavy sigh. Then he raised his voice and answered the order, leaving quickly.

While Pei Yuan was frantically searching for her, Bao Ning was calmly resting at the villa, lying under the grape trellis and soaking in the sun.

Lihu was not too far from the capital, nor too close—took nearly half a day by carriage. Ji Yun had arranged for servants to maintain the place, so the house was clean, and clothes and bedding were fully prepared. Bao Ning had taken a bath, wrung out her hair, and was now reclining with her eyes half-closed, listening to Granny Liu ramble beside her.

The large grape leaves layered overhead blocked the glaring sunlight, casting a cool shade beneath. The sound of cicadas chirping was soothing. Since last night, Bao Ning had been in a gloomy mood, but now it was beginning to lift.

Granny Liu sighed:

“The Fourth Prince must know by now. He’s probably going crazy with worry! Madam, maybe we should send him a message? He should know he was wrong. A little argument between a young couple is normal. Surely it doesn’t have to reach a point of no return?”

Bao Ning opened her eyes and looked at her seriously:

“No one is allowed to send any messages. If I find out someone did, I’ll throw them all out!”

Granny Liu was startled by her tone and quickly nodded in agreement.

Bao Ning reached out to the little side table, picked up a sweet jujube, and popped it in her mouth:

“Also, from now on, don’t mention anything about him. Not a single word. I don’t want to hear it.”

Granny Liu glanced at her in surprise. Seeing Bao Ning’s expression wasn’t joking, she sighed again and agreed.

Bao Ning said,

“Go on and do your tasks. I want to be alone for a while.”

Granny Liu gave a respectful bow and left. After walking a few steps, she couldn’t help turning back for another glance. In her heart, she thought: Look at Bao Ning—she’s no longer the same as before. She’s starting to carry herself like a true mistress of the household.

Once everyone was gone, Bao Ning’s straight posture finally relaxed.

She lowered her gaze and stared at her fingers, and before long, Pei Yuan’s face surfaced in her mind again. She angrily chewed another jujube, trying to forget him.

She wasn’t someone with a hard heart. Pei Yuan had done countless irritating things in the past. She had cried out of frustration many times, but still forgave him, treated him kindly, and tried to coax him. Bao Ning genuinely wanted to be a loving couple with Pei Yuan. For small flaws, they could understand, tolerate, and improve together.

But this time… Pei Yuan had truly stepped on her bottom line. She couldn’t find any reason to forgive him.

Those filthy words… the concubine…

Just thinking about the expression Pei Yuan had when he said those things made Bao Ning so furious her heart trembled.

Let him go take a concubine if he wants. She was fine being alone here. It’s not like Pei Yuan was the only man in the world. Was her life over just because she didn’t have him?

Bao Ning stood up and patted the dust from her skirt. As she walked out from beneath the trellis, Ah Huang and Ah Mian stopped play-fighting and hopped over to follow her. The setting sun stretched their shadows long on the ground. Ah Huang now looked grand and majestic—like a big dog.

Bao Ning turned back to pat their fluffy little heads and smiled:

“Want some flower cakes?”

Ah Huang and Ah Mian chirped softly. The anger in Bao Ning’s chest finally faded. She bent down and nuzzled their furry cheeks.

“You two are still the best—way better than him.”

Lifting her skirt, Bao Ning ran toward the kitchen and winked at them:

“Whoever catches me first gets two cakes!”

Pei Yuan hadn’t slept in two days straight.

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