All For The Fate - Chapter 28
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The forest night wind grew stronger, lifting dust and brittle grass from the ground. Yet the fallen leaves hardly stirred—each one pinned by Mu Sui’s scattered silver pearls and copper coins.
The leaves trembled faintly beneath the weight, as did the corner of Mu Sui’s ragged clothes clutched tightly in Meng Ruji’s hand. His hem fluttered, caught between her grip and the restless breeze.
“You…” Meng Ruji finally spoke into the silence, her voice low, almost incredulous. “You hid money?”
For a moment, the rage in her chest lost its direction. Jealousy no longer seemed justified, nor did her earlier indignation at pulling a man out of her waistband. The blame shifted, twisted—suddenly it felt as if the fault was hers.
How could a fool like Mu Sui even think of hiding money?
Mu Sui turned slightly, his head tilting toward her, revealing the boyish fragility in his expression. “Yes.” He admitted without hesitation, lowering his gaze. That small motion hid his thoughts, but guilt and grievance flickered faintly in the downturn of his lips. “I hid it.”
Meng Ruji’s heart tightened. Still holding his hem, she narrowed her eyes, studying him from head to toe before locking her stare onto his face.
“Where did you get the money?”
“Mountain bandits,” he answered softly, his head still bowed. “I caught them.”
The timing aligned, and Meng Ruji remembered Miaomiao’s odd looks that day. Everything suddenly made sense.
“Catching mountain bandits and taking their spoils—that’s a merit, not a crime. Why hide it from me?” Her tone sharpened, carrying the edge of suspicion. “Mu Sui, could it be… you’ve remembered something?”
Mu Sui raised his eyes, steady and sincere. “What I’ve remembered, I’ve already told you. I hid it only because I was afraid you’d waste the money.”
Meng Ruji’s lips curled in faint amusement. “And which of my expenses was wasteful?”
“You shouldn’t have bought me medicine.”
Meng Ruji scoffed. “So I should have just watched you die?”
“Just watch me die.”
His answer left her speechless. After a long silence, she asked, “You want to die?”
“Of course not.” He steadied himself, gaze unwavering. “Elder Sister, I’ve hidden nothing from you. With you, I’ve been honest in everything. Even when I went alone to capture the bandits, it was only to spare you the worry.”
Meng Ruji studied him. His words, his tone… each carried conviction.
He continued, recounting how he tracked the bandit leader to an inn by the Nai River, only to find her injured there. How all thought of bandits vanished at the sight of her wounds. How falling into the Nai River had triggered memories of stealing her Inner Core, and how he had been consumed with how to confess.
Each part sounded reasonable. Too reasonable.
Meng Ruji folded her arms, her gaze thoughtful. “You certainly remember my words clearly…”
“I remember all of your words clearly,” Mu Sui replied firmly.
Meng Ruji coughed lightly, feigning composure. “Talk about the matter at hand. Don’t say these things.”
So he went on—explaining how he had collected the reward from the yamen, how he had planned to surprise her, how he held back when her behavior turned odd that day. And when he finally spoke of the medicine she had bought, his voice faltered.
“You spent everything on me. I didn’t want to see you hurt over it.” His hand came up, covering his eyes. His lashes trembled, and when he finally lowered it, his sockets were red, his gaze glistening faintly. “Elder Sister, if you want a thousand gold, I want to save a thousand gold to give you all at once.”
Meng Ruji’s heart wavered. His eyes were too clear, too sincere—it was hard to separate truth from falsehood.
And yet, his next words pierced her like a blade.
“But tonight I understood. You don’t need me to do these things. Because your heart already belongs to another… the one you treasure, the one you hide so carefully.”
Meng Ruji pressed her forehead, exasperated. “I told you, it’s not like that. Yan Tianjun is only a debt.”
Mu Sui’s head snapped up. “A love debt?”
“A debt of favor!” she shot back. “If I cherished him, would I have used him like a weapon? If I were to discard someone, I’d throw you, not him! I left him behind and carried you away. Which is more important should be clear without words, shouldn’t it?”
Mu Sui’s back stiffened, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes.
Meng Ruji turned away, then after a long pause, she pivoted back, her lips pressing together as though steeling herself. With a soft cough, she moved to his side and took his hand.
At her touch, Mu Sui’s gaze deepened.
“Mu Sui,” she said gently, fingers brushing across his knuckles, “if you’ve hidden money only to give it to me later, then I can be certain—you like me, right?”
“I like you,” he answered without hesitation.
“In my hometown, only a wife holds her husband’s money. Two people supporting each other, hand in hand—that’s marriage. Tell me, aren’t we already like that?”
Their eyes locked. His face betrayed no deceit. Yet behind his back, the hand she couldn’t see had clenched into a fist so tight his joints ached.
“Elder Sister,” Mu Sui said firmly, “let’s get married.”
Meng Ruji smiled. “Alright, Little Sui.”
But inside, her thoughts churned.
If Mu Sui truly was as innocent as he appeared, then she was cruel—tricking a pitiful boy into marriage for her own escape. Her conscience pricked, but would she stop?
Of course not.
If he was acting, if he had remembered everything and was only pretending—then so be it. Let him play his game. She would play hers.
Two foxes, circling each other in the dark. Lies and sincerity intertwined, truth and falsehood indistinguishable.
Did it matter which was which?
No.
What mattered was signing that marriage contract. Even if Heaven itself descended, she would not be stopped.