SGEIRS -Chapter 203 Ripples in Her Heart

Gu Jingxi let out a sigh of relief and smiled gently. “As long as you like it, that’s all that matters.”

The man wore a faint smile on his lips, his expression tender and his gaze soft. A gentle, peaceful aura surrounded him, yet he was irresistibly attractive—so much so that one couldn’t help but want to draw closer, unconsciously falling into his charm.

Meng Jinyao looked at Gu Jingxi and felt her heartbeat start misbehaving again.

She didn’t know what was wrong with herself. A vague, indescribable feeling surged up from deep within her heart, beyond her control, occupying her thoughts.

In the past, she had never dared to hope that one day there would be a man who treated her as kindly as her grandfather had. Now, Gu Jingxi treated her extremely well—just like her grandfather did, yet somehow different.

Gu Jingxi said softly, “I still have something to discuss with Mother. I’ll go over to her place first and be back for dinner.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao nodded instinctively. “Alright, Husband. Go ahead.”

Ningdong quietly stood aside like an invisible person. Only after Gu Jingxi left did she fail to suppress her excitement.

“Madam, these hairpins are really beautiful. They must be very expensive. The Marquis is truly thoughtful.”

Meng Jinyao slowly closed the box and asked, “Ningdong, what do you think he means by giving me so many hairpins?”

Ningdong pondered for a moment before boldly guessing, “Madam, when a man gives a woman hairpins, it’s usually a token of affection. The Marquis gave you twelve gold ones at once—doesn’t that mean his feelings are as firm as gold?”

Meng Jinyao froze. Her heart skipped violently before she replied, “He does treat me well, but you’re saying he’s deeply in love with me? Do you think he looks like someone who harbors romantic feelings for me?”

Ningdong thought carefully and said hesitantly, “Even if that’s not the case, the fact that he personally went to Gold and Jade Pavilion to buy jewelry for you means he must care about you, right?”

Meng Jinyao suddenly raised her head and stared at Ningdong in shock. She found it hard to believe. How could Gu Jingxi possibly have feelings for her?

Ningdong continued, “You might not have noticed, Madam, but Qingqiu and I are outsiders—we can see it clearly. The Marquis treats you better and better. At first, it was because of responsibility, but later, it didn’t feel like just duty anymore. It felt… sincere.”

A storm surged in Meng Jinyao’s heart. Her heartbeat raced wildly, refusing to calm down. After a long while, she murmured, “That doesn’t seem very likely, does it?”

Ningdong smiled. “Madam, didn’t you always say that anything is possible? What if it’s true?”

Meng Jinyao was speechless.

She thought of Gu Jingxi’s handsome face and gentle demeanor. Suddenly, even the jewelry box in her hands felt hot. That unfamiliar, indescribable feeling rose again in her heart.

An answer was about to surface from deep within her mind.

Her heart jolted. Panicking, she quickly suppressed it and said, “Let’s observe for now. What if he doesn’t mean anything by it? If I assume things first, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

Ningdong was startled, but she admitted that it made sense.

After a moment, she asked, “Madam, if the Marquis really has feelings for you, what would you do?”

Meng Jinyao fell silent.

She had no experience with matters of the heart, nor did any elder guide her. But as his wife, if her husband truly had romantic feelings for her, she had to admit—she felt an inexplicable sense of joy.

She had no dissatisfaction with Gu Jingxi. He was good to her, exceptionally so. If he truly developed feelings for her…

She thought she would respond to them.

Her thoughts were actually very simple. Since she was already married and her husband treated her well, she only wished to live peacefully for the rest of her life. If they could become a loving couple, she certainly wouldn’t reject it.

But if he had no such intentions, she would behave properly and not let her thoughts wander. She had already gained what she sought from this marriage. Being greedy would only disrupt their peaceful life and make things awkward in the future. One had to learn contentment to live happily.

After a long silence, she said, “Ningdong, don’t mention this again. If it reaches the Marquis’s ears and he truly has no such intentions, I’ll be the one embarrassed.”

Ningdong nodded solemnly. She understood her mistress’s caution. In such matters, it was better to be careful. Otherwise, being overly sentimental would only make oneself look ridiculous.

In the evening, the sky gradually darkened. Lanterns were lit in the courtyard, illuminating everything brightly.

Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi were having dinner together.

Gu Jingxi was a man of few words. He rarely spoke while eating unless Meng Jinyao initiated a topic. Otherwise, he simply ate quietly.

In the past, Meng Jinyao would usually say a few words to ease the silence. But tonight, her mind was occupied with earlier matters, leaving her no mood to start a conversation.

She had thought she had figured things out when talking to Ningdong, yet she still couldn’t stop herself from worrying.

She lifted her gaze toward the quietly eating man. He seemed unaware of her stare. Her eyes gradually filled with grievance.

Suddenly, she felt that men were troublesome—the more she thought about it, the more troublesome they seemed.

She shook her head. Forget it. Better not think about it.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi asked gently, “Is something troubling you, Madam?”

She stared at him and replied, “It’s not really a trouble. I think I’m just worrying unnecessarily.”

“If there’s something on your mind, why not tell me? I’ll help you analyze it properly,” Gu Jingxi said with a smile.

She replied lightly, “I’ll talk about it another time. I’ll observe first. What if it’s nothing? Wouldn’t that mean I misunderstood someone?”

Gu Jingxi didn’t think much of it and nodded. “Alright.”

After dinner, Meng Jinyao took a short walk in the courtyard before bathing and changing.

Late at night, all was quiet except for the chirping of unknown summer insects.

It was the height of summer. Even at night, the air was stifling, and the breeze was warm. Ice containers were placed in the room to cool it, making it fairly comfortable. Yet Meng Jinyao still couldn’t fall asleep.

Her eyes were closed, but sleep refused to come.

Beside her, someone kept turning over. Gu Jingxi was also awake. Thinking she was uncomfortable because of the heat, he picked up a palm fan and gently fanned her.

Meng Jinyao was facing away from him and knew exactly what he was doing. As the cool breeze brushed over her, the worries in her heart seemed to be fanned away as well, gradually calming her mind.

Fairly speaking, Gu Jingxi treated her extremely well—sometimes to the point of being overly gentle and considerate, just like now.

Faced with such a husband, which woman wouldn’t feel touched?

If no one pointed it out, she wouldn’t have thought too much about it. But once someone did, she couldn’t help but overthink and become overly sentimental.