Chapter 34 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

He never spoke clearly about his intentions. Between us, there always seemed to be a distance maintained just enough to keep things comfortable. He never stepped so close that I felt cornered or pressured, yet whenever I turned my head, he was always standing right where I could see him. In the spring of the third year, the begonia flowers in the Yue Estate blossomed so profusely that they covered the entire courtyard. That day, Co Nghien arrived later than usual. I was checking the ledgers in the pavilion when I saw him standing under the flowering tree, holding a small wooden box. He was usually a man who rarely hesitated, but that day he stood still for a long time before finally approaching me. I set my ledger down.

"Are you not seeing patients today, Doctor Co?"

"I have finished my rounds."

"Then what do you seek me for?"

He sat down opposite me and placed the wooden box on the table. Inside, there were no gold hairpins or precious jewels, only a simple bronze key. I looked at him in confusion.

"What is this?"

"It is the key to the house next to the clinic."

I arched an eyebrow. "Did you not say just two days ago that you intended to return to the South?"

He nodded. "I had intended to return."

"Then why buy a house?"

Co Nghien looked at me for a long time. In his eyes, there was no pity, no expectation of repayment, nor the frantic haste of someone seeking to claim a promise. There was only the calm sincerity that had characterized his presence by my side for the past three years.

"Mistress Yue," he began. "This is not about paying back a debt, nor is it compensation. I only wish to ask: would you be willing to come home with me?"

A spring breeze swept through the courtyard, and a few begonia petals drifted down between us. I looked at the key on the table, and for once, I felt no panic—none of the suffocating dread I had always felt whenever someone mentioned marriage. Because the man before me did not demand that I leave the Yue family. He did not ask me to change my name, nor did he ask me to spend the rest of my days repaying his kindness.

"My home is here," I said softly.

Co Nghien was silent for a moment. Then, he picked up the key and placed it back into the box. I expected him to look disappointed, but he only smiled.

"Then I shall stay here."

I froze. He glanced around the Yue Estate and said calmly, "The house next to the clinic can be rented out. I have calculated it; the monthly rent would be enough to purchase medicine for about thirty patients. And as for me, I could stay in the east wing of the Yue Estate. It is near the back gate, which would make my morning commute to the clinic quite convenient."

I looked at him, unable to suppress a laugh. "And when did I agree to let you stay?"

"You have not agreed yet." He nodded with great seriousness. "So, I will wait."

"For how long?"

"Until you agree."

"And if I never agree?"

Co Nghien looked at me, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "Then I shall continue to rent the house next door. After all, wherever you are is never too far away."

I did not answer. Instead, I reached out, took the key from the wooden box, and held it in my palm. His gaze faltered for a fraction of a second. I stood up and walked toward the corridor. Just before disappearing behind the door, I turned my head and said, "The east wing has been vacant for a long time. If you wish to move in, you must oversee the cleaning yourself."

Co Nghien remained seated under the begonia tree. After a long while, a smile slowly spread across his face. Behind me, Qing Xing was covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking with stifled laughter. I did not turn back, but I gripped the key tightly in my hand. I had once given my entire heart to someone, only to have it placed on a scale and sacrificed time and again. Because of that, I had once thought I would never again step into the path of love. But Co Nghien never forced me to give anything up. He simply used each ordinary day to show me that loving someone does not mean forcing them to leave where they belong; it means being willing to stay in the place where they want to live.

That year, the Yue Estate held a very small wedding. There was no grand ceremony, no miles of red silk. There were only the ancestral tablets of my parents placed on high, the Grand Princess sitting in the place of honor, Qing Xing weeping until her eyes were swollen, and the old retainers of the Yue family standing in a silent throng throughout the courtyard. Before we bowed to one another, Co Nghien took my hand and asked softly, "Do you regret this?"

I looked at him. "Is it not a bit late to be asking that now?"

He smiled. "It is not too late. You may change your mind at any moment."

I squeezed his hand. "There is no need."

Outside in the courtyard, the begonia flowers bloomed brilliantly. The two halves of the wooden token remained before the tablets of my father and mother, and the round bronze mirror reflected the candlelight in silence. I knew that from this day forward, I would no longer have to trade my sacrifices for love. I would no longer have to abandon myself to find a place to call home. For my home was still here, and the person I chose had, of his own free will, decided to stay.