FID – Chapter 595

Chapter 595: You Can Try

The little maid nodded earnestly. “Lord Liu is a good person, and the Liu family are all good people. I’ll definitely stay with the Liu family from now on. Sister Qiu, I’ll always serve you in the future!”

“Serve me…” Li Junyue coughed twice, her gaze becoming a bit distant as she looked out the window. “But I can’t stay with the Liu family…”

“You’re not staying with the Liu family? What do you mean, Sister Qiu?” The little maid was shocked.

Just as the little maid finished speaking, a voice rang out, one that made Li Junyue shudder all over. It was deep and mellow, “So, you plan to leave again without a word?”

There was a long pause. Slowly, Li Junyue turned her head and looked toward the door where a man stood.

He had a handsome face, sharp brows, and an air of masculinity that radiated from him. He was exactly the same as the man she had etched in her mind, without a single difference.

He had not changed at all, but she had been torn and broken.

He stood in the sunlight, while she remained trapped in the darkness.

The man walked in and crouched down in front of her, tilting his head as he stared at her intently. “So, this time, are you planning to leave without a word again?”

He asked again.

“Brother Liu…” She trembled as she spoke, finally uttering those three words.

It was only then that the little maid reacted. A strange man had entered the lady’s room. Although it seemed like Sister Qiu knew him, she still had to do her duty as a maid. She asked forcefully, “Who are you?”

“Little girl, you just called her ‘Sister Qiu’?” Liu Zhiqiu turned his head, smiling as he looked at the little maid, who was putting on a brave front.

The little maid blinked in confusion and nodded, unsure, Uh… This man has a nice smile.

“Her name is Li Junyue. Why do you call her ‘Sister Qiu’?” Liu Zhiqiu asked.

“Sister Qiu’s name is Mu Qiu!” Although she already knew that Sister Qiu’s real name was Li Junyue, she was still used to calling her Sister Qiu.

Li Junyue tried to stop her, but it was too late. At this moment, she almost couldn’t bear to look at the man’s expression.

Mu Qiu. He would probably think she was shameless, just hearing that name.

Liu Zhiqiu smiled and nodded, stretching out his long arm to gently turn the little maid’s head toward the door. “You go out first. I need to talk to your Sister Qiu. Children shouldn’t be listening.”

“Oh.” The little maid, still dazed and lost in the man’s smile, obediently left the room.

When Liu Zhiqiu turned back to look at the person who was lowering her head, avoiding his gaze, the smile on his face had already faded. His eyes were dark and serious.

“Mu Qiu. What a very nice name,” he paused, his gaze becoming more intense. “Why can’t you stay at the Liu household?”

Li Junyue trembled, but she remained silent.

“I remember you said you never lied to me. Are you planning to lie to me now?”

“…Because you don’t like me.” Li Junyue closed her eyes, biting her lip as she fought to suppress the overwhelming shame inside. Under his questioning, she reluctantly exposed herself. “If I stay with the Liu family, I won’t be able to stop myself from getting closer to you, from wanting to earn your favor. But if I do that, I will only make you despise me. Cough… Rather than that, it’s better for me to leave.”

She would never lie to him, not in the past, and not in the future.

She knew he didn’t like her, but as long as she stayed around him, she couldn’t let go.

She would cling to him in the ways he hated most, getting closer to him, even scheming to win his affection.

She had asked him once, and he told her he would hate her for the rest of his life.

But she still walked that path.

Silence settled around her.

When she spoke those words, she didn’t dare to open her eyes, not daring to look at his expression.

He must be utterly disappointed in her.

But that was the kind of person she was—someone who would desperately fight for what she wanted, even if it meant using less than honorable means. Over time, it became second nature.

“You can try.”

His deep voice was close, almost right beside her.

Li Junyue opened her eyes in shock, looking at the man in disbelief. She met his dark, penetrating gaze. “Y-You… cough… What did you say?”

“You want to win my affection, don’t you? You can try,” the man said, pushing himself up to stand. Before he left, he added, “Don’t run away. With your condition, without Nannan helping you recover, you’ll only live for three to five more years at most. Also, if you leave, Grandpa and Grandma will feel guilty for the rest of their lives. Stay at the Liu manor from now on. I will take care of you.”

It wasn’t until long after the man had left that Li Junyue finally realized the meaning behind his words.

Her eyes slowly turned red, and then the tears began to fall in torrents.

He said, ‘You can try.’

He said, ‘I will take care of you.’

Liu Zhiqiu had given her a chance.

In the quiet room, the woman cried and laughed, laughed and cried.

She was someone who would hold onto the smallest spark of hope and never let go, not even in death.

He… he better not regret it.

After lunch, Liu Zhiqiu drove the carriage, carrying the two elderly, Liu Yusheng, and Li Junyue away.

Qian Wanjin and Shi Xianrou’s carriage followed closely behind, and of course, Xue Qinglian, who seemed to never wake up, was lying lazily in his carriage.

In the vast manor, the people had all left.

Suddenly, the place felt especially empty.

Fu Yuzheng watched the two carriages leave, her eyes reddened. Ever since becoming pregnant, she had become particularly prone to being sentimental, and that emotion was something she couldn’t control.

Liu Zhixia pulled her into his embrace, helplessly saying, “Why are you upset again?”

“The manor feels so empty all of a sudden, so cold and quiet…”

“Don’t worry, with Grandpa and Grandma gone, and with me still here, if you’re worried about the silence, I’ll stay with you.” He kissed her temple and chuckled, “My wife is getting more and more delicate.”

“But don’t you have endless official duties every day?”

“You are more important than my duties. From now on, I’ll bring my work home to handle them,” he whispered in her ear, “I will definitely make sure my wife is never lonely.”

“…Who’s lonely!” She pinched him, and the tears that hadn’t fallen turned into a sweet smile.

She smiled for a moment, then suddenly gasped.

Liu Zhixia immediately placed his hand on her rounded belly. “Is the baby making trouble inside again?”

“Yes, lately they’ve been more mischievous, moving more and more.” She lowered her head, gazing at her rounded belly, and the warm hand resting on it. Her eyes and expression were filled with an unmistakable tenderness and happiness.

“When the baby comes out, I’ll teach him a lesson for you.”

“If you dare teach him a lesson, I’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Too much pampering from a kind mother spoils the child.”

“Are you going to listen to me or to yourself?”

“I’ll listen to you.”

Unconsciously, her attention was pulled elsewhere. She forgot her earlier sadness, while the man beside her wore a faint smile.

……

By the time the group returned to Xinghua Village, the sun had already set.

Under the old pagoda tree at the village entrance, the elderly men and women sat on the gnarled tree roots, while a few children played and frolicked at their knees, basking in the purple-golden glow of the sunset. It was a scene of peace and harmony.

Here, the shadow of the flood had long since dissipated, and life was bursting with vitality once again.

When the Liu family’s carriage arrived, someone immediately shouted, “Zhiqiu, is that your grandparents coming back?”

Grandpa Liu pulled open the carriage curtain and called out, “Yes, we’re back! We’ve been thinking about you old chaps! I’ll come chat with you tomorrow!”

“Ah, they’re really back! Don’t forget to bring the tea brewed by Nannan tomorrow, we’re waiting for you and your old sister-in-law!”

Grandpa Liu immediately let the curtain fall, grumbling, “These old geezers, it seems they don’t miss us. They just care about our Nannan’s tea!”