SGEIRS -Chapter 458 Never Loved

The moment she said this, everyone present froze for a brief moment.

Even the maid beside Mei Qingyun was greatly shocked. She had never expected her mistress to say something like this. After all, Lady Changxing Marquis was present. If only the Marquis himself were here, it might have been fine, but—

Gu Jingxi frowned. His instincts told him that this woman was about to go crazy again. Back in Huzhou, he and Yu Chuan had already witnessed her madness—spreading wild rumors and smearing his reputation.

He looked at Mei Qingyun with a warning in his eyes and said calmly, “Miss Mei, Wei Heng’s case is backed by solid evidence. The case is closed, and he has already been executed and displayed publicly. I don’t think there’s anything more to discuss.”

Mei Qingyun met his gaze. After thinking briefly, she understood that he did not want her to say anything inappropriate. At the same time, she felt shocked and startled—she hadn’t even said anything yet, yet he had already guessed her intentions.

Could it be, as Lady Jing’an Marquis had suspected, that he still had feelings for her? And because Meng Jinyao was present, he didn’t want her to speak?

Her heart began to race.

She glanced lightly at Meng Jinyao, pressed her lips into a faint smile, and said gently, “It’s not about Wei Heng. It’s something else.”

Meng Jinyao looked at them thoughtfully, then said considerately, “Husband, it seems Miss Mei really has something important to tell you. Qingqiu, Ningdong, and I will wait for you in the pavilion ahead. You and Miss Mei can talk properly.”

Mei Qingyun looked at her in surprise. She hadn’t expected Meng Jinyao to allow her husband to speak with her alone at such a moment. Was she foolish, or overly confident?

Gu Jingxi suddenly turned to look at Meng Jinyao. Seeing her gentle smile and tender gaze, then glancing at the nearby pavilion, he nodded lightly.

Some things were better said clearly to this madwoman, lest she continue to harbor delusions and spread rumors in the future, damaging his reputation and affecting his life with A-Yao.

Meng Jinyao left with the two maids. The pavilion was not far away and within Gu Jingxi’s line of sight. From there, she could still see what was happening.

Mei Qingyun’s maid also tactfully withdrew.

Ningdong asked in confusion, “Madam, why did you give Miss Mei a chance to speak alone with His Lordship?”

Meng Jinyao replied softly, “If it’s official business, it doesn’t matter whether I hear it or not—I wouldn’t understand court matters anyway. If it’s personal, His Lordship won’t give her any chance. But if she isn’t allowed to say it out, it may become more troublesome later. It’s better to let her speak now and give up completely.”

Ningdong thought for a moment and nodded in understanding. In her view, Miss Mei was clearly here for personal matters. The way she looked at His Lordship was far from innocent, and there was even hostility when she looked at Madam.

Women these days were really getting bold—openly seducing someone else’s husband in front of his wife.

Meanwhile, Gu Jingxi did not look at Mei Qingyun. Instead, he stared silently at A-Yao’s retreating figure.

It wasn’t that he was afraid she might overhear—he simply didn’t want her ears polluted by this woman’s madness.

Only after Meng Jinyao had walked far away did he speak.

“Miss Mei, what exactly do you want to say? You may speak now.”

Mei Qingyun saw that he neither moved to a more private place with her nor even looked at her. She gazed at him with hurt in her eyes.

“Third Brother Gu, must you be so cold to me?”

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi finally looked at her and said indifferently, “My father has only three sons and no daughters. Miss Mei, please behave yourself.”

“Are you still angry about our family breaking off the engagement back then?” Mei Qingyun lowered her eyes and said sadly. “That wasn’t my decision. It was my parents’ will, and I had no choice. Even my marriage to Wei Heng was arranged. Our relationship wasn’t as good as it looked.”

She raised her head, her eyes moist with tears.

“Perhaps fate was cruel. The Matchmaker tied the wrong red thread. For so many years, we cared for each other but couldn’t be together. Now I’m no longer Wei Heng’s wife, yet you’ve become someone else’s husband.”

After a pause, she stared at Gu Jingxi and finally lowered her pride.

“Third Brother Gu, I’ve thought about this for a long time. We’ve already missed more than ten years. How many decades does a person have in life? I don’t want us to miss the rest of our lives.

“But I also know she’s carrying your child. Even if you were forced to marry her, you can’t divorce her now. If I don’t mind her existence and am willing to be your noble concubine, would you be willing?”

Gu Jingxi refused without hesitation.

“I wouldn’t.”

Mei Qingyun felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

She had humbled herself, accepted being beneath Meng Jinyao, and even offered to become his concubine—yet he refused?

Soon, she thought of Meng Jinyao and asked, “Is it because of her?”

Gu Jingxi answered clearly, “Thank you for your misplaced affection. I have never thought of taking concubines. In this life, having my wife by my side is enough. As for your claim that I’ve harbored feelings for you for years, I truly don’t know what I’ve done to give you such a huge misunderstanding. In my heart, there is only my wife. Besides her, there is no one else.”

Mei Qingyun’s face turned deathly pale.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. He didn’t seem to be lying, yet she couldn’t accept it.

She shook her head repeatedly.

“No… impossible. You’re lying! Gu Jingxi, if I was never in your heart, why didn’t you marry for so many years? You’re a marquis—countless women would have married you. Everyone knows you were forced to marry her!”

Gu Jingxi frowned slightly and replied calmly, “I remained unmarried because of a health condition and didn’t want to delay others—not because of you. Even if your family hadn’t broken off the engagement, I would have asked my parents to cancel it myself, so as not to waste your life. Your family simply acted first. As for my later marriage, it was indeed under pressure, but it was also my own choice. Later, my wife and I grew to love each other. That was a blessing from Heaven.”

His words struck Mei Qingyun like thunder.

Her head buzzed. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at him. Seeing his cold expression, her long-held beliefs collapsed instantly. Her body swayed unsteadily.

So… even if the Mei family hadn’t withdrawn, the Gu family would have done so?

He hadn’t stayed unmarried because he loved her—he simply didn’t want to burden others?

For years, one of her greatest prides was believing that Gu Jingxi loved her and had remained single for her sake.

It was also this belief that gave her confidence whenever she argued with Wei Heng.

Now, after she humbled herself, ignored her dignity, and even offered to be a concubine just to be with him, he told her that she had misunderstood everything.

Everything she had believed in for years had turned into a joke.

A joke belonging to her alone.

A joke of her own self-delusion.

Shame flooded her like a tidal wave. She wished she could turn back time and never utter such humiliating words.

After a long while, she finally found her voice again. Still unwilling to give up, she asked her last question:

“Then… did you ever love me?”