Free Web NovelChapter 243: Chapter 243: It’s Up to My Abilities to Keep His Heart
She looked at Wei Ting, who stood amidst the vibrant green that filled the room.
His fingers unconsciously toyed with the tassel on the Jade Flute in his hand, a light flickering in his eyes that was both nervous and determined.
Ji Qingwu said bluntly, "Why should I believe you just because you say so?"
Wei Ting carefully observed her reaction, but he couldn’t detect the slightest hint of emotion.
"You don’t have to believe me. I can’t control your thoughts, but you can’t interfere with what I want to do either."
Seeing Ji Qingwu’s brow furrow slightly, Wei Ting continued, "I won’t force you into anything again. It was reckless of me to ask for your hand in marriage at the morning court session without discussing it with you first."
"But I don’t have any ulterior motives. I simply want to marry you."
Ji Qingwu’s feelings were in turmoil.
She remained silent, unable to tell if Wei Ting’s words were a genuine expression of his feelings or just a pretense.
If Wei Ting had continued to use forceful methods, she could have retorted with righteous conviction.
But he had tried force first, and now he was trying courtesy, his words earnest. This made things difficult.
Just as Ji Qingwu was about to say something, Wei Ting cut her off.
"I’m just doing what you once did to me. Surely the Doctor won’t refuse again."
’The things she had once done...’
But her current situation was different from Wei Ting’s back then.
As for how it was different, Ji Qingwu felt she had to make it clear to him.
Ji Qingwu was silent for a moment before she suddenly looked up and said seriously, "General Wei."
Wei Ting seemed to sense what she was about to say. His heart sank, but he didn’t try to avoid it.
Instead, he asked directly, "What do you want to say?"
Ji Qingwu’s glistening eyes were like translucent black jade.
"General Wei, I already have someone I love. If possible, I want to spend the rest of my life with him."
She looked at him, her tone soft. All the tenderness in her voice came from the thought of the man in her heart.
Wei Ting could tell that this time, Ji Qingwu wasn’t just putting him off, nor was she lying.
Every single word came from the heart.
’From the heart...’
Wei Ting’s throat tightened.
Ji Qingwu looked at him with a steady gaze and asked, "Are you sure you still want to pursue something that is doomed to fail, General Wei?"
His feet felt nailed to the floor, and his voice became stiff.
"The Doctor’s affections change so easily. Who’s to say they won’t change again in a few days?"
Ji Qingwu said, "Perhaps it will be General Wei’s feelings that change?"
On his way here, Wei Ting had warned himself to control his temper, no matter what happened or what she said.
But now the worst-case scenario had occurred: not only did Ji Qingwu not love him, but her heart was also occupied by someone else.
As for who this "someone else" was, Wei Ting already had an answer in his heart.
He said, "You’re too confident, Doctor. Never mind whether you can even figure out the intentions of the man in your heart—what will you do if his feelings for you change?"
Hearing Wei Ting’s words, Ji Qingwu knew he had already shrewdly guessed that the man she was talking about was the Emperor.
Moreover, he had hit the nail right on the head, voicing all of her own concerns.
But Ji Qingwu had already made a quiet decision in her heart, and she didn’t mind if Wei Ting was the first to know.
"You don’t need to worry about that, General Wei. We only live for thirty thousand short days. If you overthink everything and fuss over every gain and loss, what’s the point?"
The corners of Ji Qingwu’s mouth curved into a smile.
"Besides, whether or not I can keep his heart will depend on my own abilities."
As Wei Ting walked out of the clinic’s main door, his face was clouded with an inconsolable gloom. One wrong step had led to a cascade of missteps.
Back then, she had done so much to pursue him. It had seemed deeply affectionate and exceptionally thoughtful, but it lacked any genuine feeling. Why should he have been expected to reciprocate with equal sentiment?
He had watched from the sidelines, soberly restraining himself, and just let her go.
But when they met again, he had always thought they still had a chance.
They had been together for two years, and he had never seen a hint of her true feelings.
Yet Ji Qingwu had only been back in the capital for a short six months, and she had already given away the heart she had always hidden, the heart she refused to show to anyone.
And she’d given it to the ruler of the world, to the very person who could most easily hurt her.
Ji Qingwu was naturally dense when it came to matters of the heart. Wei Ting’s brow furrowed. ’What on earth happened in such a short time?’
On her way to the clinic, Mo Lingling brushed past Wei Ting.
She glanced at him casually and was startled by his expression. His gloomy face was no less intimidating than Duan Mingfeng’s had been last night.
Mo Lingling entered, clutching her chest.
Ji Qingwu was standing among the thousand-year-old orchids, letting out a loud sneeze. Seeing Mo Lingling, she quickly said, "Lingling, come here."
Mo Lingling was about to jog over, but she hissed in pain and then approached with a limp.
Seeing her strange way of walking, Ji Qingwu looked her over from head to toe.
When she got closer, Ji Qingwu caught the scent of medicine on her and asked in surprise, "You’re injured?"
Yesterday, when they parted ways in the room, she shouldn’t have been injured at all.
Mo Lingling’s denial was a dead giveaway. "Miss Ji, nothing happened! Nothing happened between him and me at all."
Seeing her flustered look, Ji Qingwu said, "Him? Who’s ’him’? Mr. Duan?"
Mo Lingling rubbed the back of her neck and said, "Yesterday, my foot got cut by a rock at the bottom of the lake. He saw it and helped me bandage it up. That’s all. Nothing else happened."
An injury that even Ji Qingwu hadn’t noticed must have been a minor one.
To think that the Imperial City Envoy, a man known for his ruthlessness and for having seen rivers of blood, would even notice such a small wound on a woman’s foot.
Ji Qingwu stroked her chin. "Somehow, your tone makes it sound like you’re a little disappointed."
Mo Lingling’s eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. "No way! I was scared to death yesterday. I thought my foot was done for and I’d never be able to walk again."
Ji Qingwu pieced the details together. "Oh? So Mr. Duan applied the medicine for you personally?"
Mo Lingling scratched her head. "Yeah, he’s a truly... kind person."
’I wonder what Duan Mingfeng would think if he heard himself being called a ’kind person’.’
Ji Qingwu stopped teasing her and got down to business.
She said solemnly, "Lingling."
Mo Lingling blinked slowly. ’When Miss Ji says my name, it suddenly sounds so pleasant and precious.’
Ji Qingwu said, "This clinic... I’d like to entrust you with managing it."
"The clinic is opening in a few days. If you’re willing to take this on, it’s going to be very hard work for a while."
"Manager Mi can help you with things like bookkeeping, but you’ll still need to learn how to read the ledgers—at the very least, you need to be able to spot mistakes. You’ll also have to start learning about medicinal herbs and medical principles."
The more Mo Lingling listened, the brighter her eyes became.
Ji Qingwu looked at her and said, "I’ll be here for you through it all. If there’s anything you can’t handle, you can always come find me."
"Are you willing?"
Mo Lingling said excitedly, "A thousand times yes!"
"As long as the clinic stands, so will I! The clinic..."
Ji Qingwu cut off Mo Lingling’s passionate declaration.
