She had become so distant from him, so far away. He angrily said, "Fine! Do as you wish! But I spent the entire day pnning and arranging everything, and it all seems to have been in vain!"

  Han Yan clenched her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. A huge lump of emotion was stuck in her throat. She continued to face away from him, remaining silent. This silence and coldness only fueled Pei Wen's anger further.

  He no longer paid attention to her, changing into his pajamas and burrowing into the bnkets, not saying a word the entire night. Han Yan sat on the edge of the bed, staring bnkly. She let her tears silently flow down her cheeks.

  She saw the distance between her and Pei Wen, and she saw the cracks in their retionship. She vaguely felt that one day, their marriage would completely shatter. This tore at her heart and stung her emotions. She dared not cry, afraid of waking Pei Wen. The entire night, she sat there, quietly crying on the edge of the bed.

  At dawn, Pei Wen woke up from his sleep and realized that the space beside him was empty. He jumped up in surprise, shouting, "What? Han Yan, you didn't sleep all night?"

  He turned her body around and saw the tear stains on her face. Shocked, he grabbed her arm, calling out in panic, "Han Yan!"

  She looked at him, fresh tears welling up, then she threw herself at his feet, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She cried out, shouting:

  "Oh, Pei Wen, please don't be angry with me; don't be mad at me! I have nothing, only you! If you're angry with me again, I will have nothing left! Then I will die; I will definitely die! If one day you no longer want me, I will jump off the Songzhu Bridge!"

  "Oh, Han Yan!" he cried, trembling as he pulled her close, urgently saying, "I shouldn't be angry with you. Han Yan, it's my fault, all my fault. Don't be sad, Han Yan! I won't be angry with you again! I swear I won′t!" He hugged her, and so they reconciled in kisses and tears, making countless promises of love once more.

  To make up for this small rift, Pei Wen gave Han Yan a wooden box carved with roses a few days ter, filled with a set of jewelry. However, Han Yan rarely wore them, fearing that Old Madam Bai would see them and gossip. She especially liked a rose-shaped golden chicken heart neckce. She pced a photo of herself and Pei Wen inside the little heart and often wore it around her neck.

  Although this misunderstanding was quickly resolved, the distance between Han Yan and Pei Wen truly grew day by day.

  Han Yan became even more mencholic and silent. The only person who somewhat understood her was Gao Lide. He had witnessed Old Madam Bai's harshness toward Han Yan and had also overheard her scolding. When Han Yan was called into Old Madam Bai′s room and reprimanded harshly, she rushed out, only to immediately spot Gao Lide standing in the corridor, his face heavy with concern as he looked at her. She covered her face with her hand, biting her lip in pain.

  Gao Lide approached her and whispered in her ear, "Go downstairs! I need to talk to you!"

  She obediently went downstairs and sat down on the sofa in the living room. Gao Lide stood in front of her, and in a deep voice, he asked, "Why don′t you tell Pei Wen the whole truth? Are you going to endure it until that day comes?"

  She quickly lifted her head, staring intently at Gao Lide. She said, "I can't."

  "Why can't you?"

  "I can't destroy the retionship between him and his mother! I can't make Pei Wen worry. I can't break up this family, and I definitely can′t create a situation where Pei Wen has to choose between me and his mother."

  "Then, are you just going to let her destroy your retionship with Pei Wen? Are you going to tolerate her tormenting you constantly?"

  "Or maybe this is just my fate," Han Yan said softly.

  Gao Lide sneered. "What do you mean fate?" He ughed coldly. "Han Yan, you're too kind, too weak. I've been watching from the sidelines for so long, and I really feel sorry for you. There's nothing wrong with you, Han Yan. You don′t need to feel inferior. You don′t have to endure those insults. Be stronger; you can argue with her justly!"

  "Then, what will the consequences be?" Han Yan looked at him with sorrow. "Will the argument disturb the whole household, making Pei Wen feel caught in the middle? No! I married Pei Wen to bring him happiness and to dedicate myself to him for life because I love him. In love, there must be sacrifice and devotion. If I endure some suffering, some torment, what is there to compin about?"

  "Don't speak so casually," Gao Lide said, frustrated. "Look at yourself in the mirror. You′ve become so pale and haggard that you don′t even look like yourself anymore. Do you think things will remain peaceful forever if it continues like this? Don′t be so naive!"

  He bent towards her, speaking earnestly: "Since you′re unwilling to tell Pei Wen, let me talk to him. I can tell him what I′ve seen and heard. These will be my words, not yours!"

  Han Yan was greatly shocked. She quickly and desperately grabbed his wrist, speaking in one breath: "No, no, no! You absolutely cannot! I beg you! You must not say a word to Pei Wen! He has always thought that I get along well with his mother! I′ve been working so hard to cover up this matter; you cannot expose it! I don′t want Pei Wen to suffer! Do you understand? Do you get it? He deeply admires and respects his mother, and he loves me so much. This will cause him extreme pain, and... and..." Tears blurred her vision. "If I can't make his mother like me, it′s always my fault!"

  Gao Lide stared at her, thinking, What a woman! Pei Wen, Pei Wen, if you can't cherish and protect this girl properly, you'll be the biggest fool in the world! He thought this but didn′t say a word.

  "Will you promise me not to tell him? Please?" Han Yan continued to plead, her small hand still holding onto his wrist.

  "Sigh!" He sighed deeply, looked at her, and softly said, "I can only promise you, can′t I?"

  "Thank you!" she said faintly, lowering her head.

  At that moment, they heard a sound from the stairs. Both of them looked up at the same time, and Old Madam Bai, her face full of frost, stood at the top of the stairs, coldly looking at them. Han Yan quickly withdrew her hand from Gao Lide's wrist, stiffened on the sofa, and her face turned as white as snow.