Chapter 280: Chapter 280

The Imperial College, Song Wei brought Song Yuanbao here once not long ago, but at that time Song Wei was on official duty, and could only briefly introduce it to him, unable to take him around for a tour.

However, Su Yaoqi was different; he had something to ask of Song Yuanbao, so he naturally took the matter seriously. After entering the gate, out of politeness, he asked, "Are you a new student, little brother? What’s your name?"

Song Yuanbao replied truthfully, "Song Hao."

There was an official family with the surname Song in the Capital, but Su Yaoqi didn’t immediately associate it with that Imperial Envoy. His mind was entirely on Wen Wan.

It’s rather pitiful to have been unrequitedly in love with a girl for so long yet not even know her name.

However, he was not anxious at all now, after all, knowing Song Hao gave him a legitimate reason to approach that girl in the future.

Collecting his thoughts, Su Yaoqi said, "You look so young, how come you’ve come to the Imperial College at such a young age?"

Hearing this, Song Yuanbao immediately wore a worried expression, "My family is poor. If I don’t come to study early and make a name for myself, the whole family will soon be starving."

"..." Su Yaoqi was a bit confused, "Aren’t you an official’s son?"

Only families with a fifth-rank or above have a quota to come here. No matter how poor, could your family really be so destitute as to be unable to afford food?

Hearing this, Song Yuanbao sighed heavily again, "That’s because you don’t know; we have a spendthrift woman in our house."

Facing the questioning look from Su Yaoqi, Song Yuanbao calmly revealed the "misfortune of the family," "It’s just the one who sent me here earlier. She spends money lavishly, is vain, and loves to compare with others. Whenever she goes shopping, she turns up her nose at anything not expensive. No matter how much money we have, we can’t withstand her squandering. My father really has no choice but to let me come out early to study, hoping I can earn some merit to share some of the burden."

"Impossible!" Su Yaoqi suddenly became agitated, "She is not that kind of person."

Song Yuanbao raised his eyebrows, "Is she my aunt or yours?"

"Naturally... she’s your aunt." Su Yaoqi’s voice weakened significantly.

"Then who knows her better, you or me?"

Su Yaoqi guiltily lowered his head, remaining silent.

Song Yuanbao continued, "You don’t even know my aunt’s name, so how do you know she’s not that kind of person?"

All the beautiful fantasies were shattering little by little in his heart, and Su Yaoqi found it hard to bear this reality, with reddening eyes and a sense of powerlessness in his gaze, "Stop talking, anyway, she remains perfect in my heart."

"There’s an old saying: don’t judge a book by its cover!" Song Yuanbao adopted a classic tone, "My aunt does have a pretty face, but besides looking good, that’s all she has."

Clearly, one was seventeen, the other twelve, one a teenager, the other a child; yet, their conversational roles seemed entirely reversed.

"..." Su Yaoqi felt heartbroken, his voice slightly raised due to intense emotions, "I don’t believe you! You’re lying, you say she’s your aunt, so why is she in your family, and why would she go to the Hongwen Academy?"

Song Yuanbao remained unperturbed, "Isn’t it obvious? My mother is no longer around, and my aunt has come to take care of me. But after a short time, she squandered all our silver coins, and my father had no choice but to send her to Hongwen Academy. Do you know what she just told me? That she’s planning to pretend to be sick today, take leave to go shopping, and asked me not to tell my father, promising to bring me some good food at night."

All along, Wen Wan in Su Yaoqi’s heart had always been pure and untouched by worldly dust. If a phrase had to be used to describe her, it would be "unworldly beauty."

In fact, Wen Wan was not as dreamy as Su Yaoqi envisioned; it was just a case of "love is blind."

Song Yuanbao walked ahead, reminding Su Yaoqi to watch his step, while continuing to criticize his "aunt" in a steady stream. Chapters fırst released on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝

Su Yaoqi decided not to walk any further, stopped in his tracks, holding his head in his hands with a very pained expression.

Song Yuanbao looked at him, "Are you okay?"

Su Yaoqi vented a bit, then looked up, "What you said just now, it’s all false, you’re lying to me, right?"

Song Yuanbao felt that this person must have a few screws loose.

"Why would I lie to you?" Song Yuanbao said, "I’m telling you bluntly in advance for your own good. Looking at your appearance, you’re probably not much older than me. Even if you’re a second-generation official, you probably can’t control your family’s silver coins, right? If you can’t, then stop pining after my aunt, because when she reaches out to ask you for money and you can’t provide it, she’ll definitely turn against you."

Su Yaoqi closed his eyes, recalling that fleeting first glimpse he had of her, during which he almost instantly decided that she was the woman he wanted to marry the most in his life.

Latterly, he had even personally gone to Hongwen Academy to see her.

Whether viewed from afar or up close, she always left him with an impeccable impression.

But one day, a relative by her side suddenly told him she wasn’t who he imagined, that all the beauty was just a façade.

Though everything was still nascent, Su Yaoqi’s mentality had already completely collapsed.

He didn’t even know how Song Hao found the scholar to report by himself, or how he himself took a leave and left the Imperial College.

Standing at the main gate of the Imperial College, Su Yaoqi looked at the empty opposite gate of Hongwen Academy, very much wanting to go and ask her why she deceived him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He feared that the more he asked, the more "truths" he would discover, breaking his heart further.

After standing there briefly, Su Yaoqi decisively got into a carriage to return home. On the way, he passed by a tavern and, though he had never drunk before, decided to go in and drown his sorrows, only to end up choking on the first mouthful, bringing tears to his eyes.

People around cast glances at him.

Su Yaoqi, with his thin skin, felt too embarrassed to stay any longer, gave up drinking, and got back into the carriage.

Upon returning to the mansion, he, just like last time, went straight to the bed and lay down, starting his corpse-like state.

This time it wasn’t Su Xiang who came to see him, but his birth mother, Grandma Su.

"My son, what’s the matter with you?" Grandma Su stood at her son’s bedside, sweating with anxiety.

Su Yaoqi didn’t want to see anyone or say anything, asking his mother to leave.

Grandma Su looked worried, "If you find it hard to speak to me, then I’ll call your father."

Su Yaoqi sat up with a shiver; he hadn’t forgotten what happened last time when he said he wanted to marry that girl, ending up causing a whole lot of trouble after his father sent people to secretly investigate her whereabouts.

"Mom, I’m really fine, just a little unwell, taking leave to rest, that’s all."

No sooner had Su Yaoqi spoken than Su Xiang’s angry voice came from outside, "You’d better be sick, otherwise, if it’s still for that woman, I will dig three feet into the ground to drag her out and kill her!"