NovelKBC Chapter 185 -
Chapter 185 -
I followed Zhao Yin all the way across the courtyard.
Usually, she was a lively little girl who could never stay still for more than a few moments, but today she walked quietly with her head lowered.
Every few steps, she would glance back at me as though she was afraid I might suddenly disappear.
The more I watched her, the more I realized that whatever had happened had truly frightened her.
Finally, she stopped in front of a small room.
"This is Sister’s room."
Her voice was much softer than usual.
She reached out and gently pushed the door open.
The room was quiet.
Sunlight filtered through the wooden window and fell across the floor.
Beside the window sat Zhao Yue.
Her hands rested quietly on her lap, and her head was lowered as she stared blankly outside.
The cheerful smile that was always on her face had completely disappeared.
Her eyes were slightly swollen and red, as though she had been trying very hard not to cry.
The moment she heard the door open, she slowly looked up.
When she saw me, she quickly stood from her seat.
"Sister Su..."
I walked over to her without saying anything.
When I reached her side, I gently took her hand.
Her fingers were cold.
I looked at her carefully.
"What happened?"
She immediately lowered her head.
"...Nothing."
I could not help smiling helplessly.
"If it was nothing, Zhao Yin would not have dragged me all the way here."
Zhao Yin quickly nodded.
"That’s right."
She walked over and stood beside her sister.
"Sister has been acting strangely for a while now."
"She won’t talk."
"She just sits here and stares outside."
Zhao Yue looked embarrassed.
"I’m fine."
"You are not fine," Zhao Yin immediately argued.
"You even almost cried earlier."
Zhao Yue bit her lip and looked away.
I gently squeezed her hand.
"Tell me what happened."
"You don’t have to hide it."
For a long moment, Zhao Yue remained silent.
The room became completely quiet.
Finally, she took a deep breath.
"...I heard something."
I frowned slightly.
"What did you hear?"
She quickly shook her head.
"I wasn’t trying to listen."
"I really wasn’t."
"I promise."
Her voice carried a trace of panic, as though she was afraid I would misunderstand her.
"I was only worried."
I nodded softly.
"I know."
She looked down at the floor.
"This morning... after everyone finished talking in the courtyard..."
"I saw Fu Teng leave."
Her voice became quieter.
"He looked strange."
"He seemed... troubled."
"I thought maybe something had happened."
"So..."
She hesitated.
"I followed him."
She immediately looked up at me.
"I know I shouldn’t have."
"I know it was wrong."
"But I was worried."
I simply nodded.
"I understand."
She took another deep breath before continuing.
"I followed him until he entered a room."
"I was just about to knock..."
"But before I could..."
"I heard someone speaking."
Her fingers slowly tightened around mine.
"At first, I could only hear a few words."
"I couldn’t understand what they were talking about."
Then she looked at me.
Her eyes were already beginning to turn red again.
"Sister Su..."
"I heard An Yu say that Fu Teng’s fiancée was very beautiful."
I blinked slightly.
Before I could answer, she continued.
"He kept talking about me."
"He said Fu Teng was lucky."
"He kept saying how pretty his future wife was."
A confused expression appeared on her face.
"And then..."
"Fu Teng suddenly became angry."
"He even threw a pillow at him."
Beside us, Zhao Yin’s eyes widened.
"He threw a pillow?"
Zhao Yue nodded.
I remained quiet and allowed her to continue.
"Then An Yu said that he came because he wanted to talk."
"The room became quiet after that."
She lowered her head.
"I couldn’t hear clearly for a while."
"But then..."
Her voice trembled.
"I heard him say..."
She slowly repeated the words.
"’About that night.’"
My expression changed slightly.
Zhao Yue noticed.
"You heard it too, didn’t you?"
I stayed silent.
She continued.
"He mentioned the rooftop."
"And then..."
Her lips trembled.
"I heard him apologize."
The room became completely still.
Even Zhao Yin had stopped breathing.
Zhao Yue’s eyes slowly filled with tears.
"He said..."
"’I shouldn’t have kissed you that night.’"
The words seemed to echo through the room.
Zhao Yin immediately covered her own mouth in shock.
I finally understood why Zhao Yue had become like this.
She looked completely lost.
"I thought..."
"I thought maybe I had heard wrong."
"I really did."
"But then..."
She lowered her head again.
"I heard him say that they were both men."
Her fingers clenched tightly.
"He said it was foolish."
She looked at me with confused eyes.
"But Fu Teng didn’t deny it."
"He only told him to stop talking."
Her voice became softer and softer.
"Then I heard footsteps."
"It sounded like An Yu walked closer."
"I couldn’t see them."
"But I could hear them talking."
She swallowed hard.
"He told Fu Teng..."
"’You still have her eyes.’"
"I didn’t understand what he meant."
"Fu Teng sounded nervous."
"He kept telling him to leave."
"But An Yu wouldn’t."
Tears finally gathered in her eyes.
"And before he left..."
"He said he would be getting married in one week."
She slowly raised her head to look at me.
Her eyes were completely red.
"Sister Su..."
"When I heard that..."
"I suddenly felt like I didn’t understand anything anymore."
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"I thought they were only friends."
"But after hearing all that..."
She paused for a long moment.
Then she quietly asked,
"...Does Fu Teng actually like someone else?"
No one spoke.
The room was completely silent.
Zhao Yin slowly reached over and held her sister’s other hand.
I finally understood everything.
She had only heard pieces of the conversation.
She had heard about the rooftop.
She had heard about the kiss.
She had heard An Yu admit that he had kissed Fu Teng.
Then she had heard him calmly announce that he would soon be marrying someone else.
Anyone would become confused after hearing only that much.
Then Zhao Yue looked at me again.
Her expression was full of disbelief.
"Sister Su..."
"They kissed."
"They’re both men."
"I..."
"I don’t understand."
I remained quiet for a moment.
The truth was...
I already knew.
I knew about Fu Teng’s secret.
I knew that years ago, he had disguised himself as a young woman.
And from everything I had seen, I had already guessed that An Yu had mistaken him for that same girl from the past.
But that secret did not belong to me.
If Fu Teng wanted Zhao Yue to know, then he would have to tell her himself.
I could not reveal it for him.
So I simply smiled and gently squeezed her hand.
"I think..."
"You’re worrying too much."
She blinked.
"But I heard it."
"I know."
"And An Yu said they were both men."
"I know."
"And he said he kissed him."
"I know."
Her face almost collapsed.
"Then..."
"What does that even mean?"
I could not help letting out a small sigh.
"Honestly?"
She nodded immediately.
"I think they were probably joking."
She stared at me.
"Joking?"
I nodded.
"Think about it."
"Have you ever seen Fu Teng behave that way toward An Yu?"
She thought carefully.
After a while, she slowly shook her head.
"No."
"And have you ever heard that An Yu takes anything seriously?"
She paused again.
Then she reluctantly shook her head.
"...No."
"I’ve heard a lot about him."
"They all say the young master of the An family is unreliable."
"And... they say he’s a bit of a womanizer too."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Exactly."
"That man jokes about everything."
"He likes teasing people."
"He enjoys making others uncomfortable."
"I wouldn’t be surprised if he was only trying to embarrass Fu Teng."
Zhao Yue still looked uncertain.
"But..."
"What about the kiss?"
I lightly coughed.
"Maybe he meant they accidentally bumped into each other."
"Maybe he was exaggerating."
"Maybe it was some strange game they played when they were younger."
I spread my hands.
"Men can be very strange sometimes."
Zhao Yin nodded so hard her hair bounced.
"That’s true."
"I still don’t understand half the things my brothers do."
A tiny smile finally appeared on Zhao Yue’s face.
Seeing that, I decided to continue.
"Besides..."
I looked directly into her eyes.
"Fu Teng is your fiancé."
"He accepted the engagement."
"He has never tried to reject it."
"And from everything I have seen..."
"He treats you very well."
Zhao Yue lowered her head.
"...He does."
I gently squeezed her hand.
"In a little while, you are going to marry him."
"He will become your husband."
"So don’t let one strange conversation make you doubt everything."
She remained silent for a long time.
Finally, she looked up.
"You really think I misunderstood?"
I smiled warmly.
"I think you only heard part of a conversation."
"And hearing half the truth usually creates more confusion than answers."
Zhao Yue stared at me.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She nodded.
"...Maybe you’re right."
The heavy atmosphere in the room finally eased.
Zhao Yin let out a long breath.
"I was so worried."
Zhao Yue looked embarrassed.
"I’m sorry."
Before she could say anything else, Zhao Yin threw her arms around her.
"Don’t scare me like that again."
Watching the two sisters together, I could not help smiling.
But deep inside, I quietly let out a sigh.
Fu Teng...
One day, you are going to have to explain everything yourself.
Otherwise...
This little misunderstanding may turn into a very big disaster.