Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Seeing her so embarrassed, Jia Cong's heart softened. He quickly stopped joking, placed the copper coins on the table beside him, and softly begged for forgiveness.

"I was being presumptuous, please forgive me, sister. It was just a magic trick for fun, and I didn't realize how serious it was."

Daiyu lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. After a long while, she raised her eyes, a hint of shyness in her eyes, and gently punched his shoulder.

"What kind of magic trick is this? It's clearly a deliberate attempt to mock me! They're bullying me just because I'm sick..."

"I wouldn't dare, I absolutely wouldn't dare." Jia Cong took her slender wrist in his hand, feeling the delicate and soft skin beneath, and he couldn't bear to let go. "I cherish my sister too much to bear, how could I dare to bully her?"

When he grasped her hand, Daiyu felt her body go weak. She tried to pull her hand away but lacked the strength, so she could only let him hold it. Her cheeks flushed like the evening glow, and she chuckled softly.

"Good brother, I was wrong, be careful someone comes in and sees..."

In the midst of their tender moment, Daiyu suddenly remembered something, her cheeks flushed even more, she gently withdrew one hand, turned and reached for the pillow, her fingertips producing a blue satin purse embroidered with bamboo patterns.

The purse was meticulously stitched, embroidered with a few sparse bamboo stalks, with orchids dotting the bottom. It was embroidered by her, stitch by stitch, as she struggled to stay awake during her illness, and each stitch held untold secrets.

Clutching her purse, she hesitated for a long time before shyly handing it to Jia Cong.

"I embroidered this in my spare time. If you don't mind, Third Brother, you can keep it; you can use it to store some spare incense. If you don't want it, just throw it away!"

Jia Cong chuckled as he released the other's wrist and put the embroidery away. "My sister embroidered it herself, how could I possibly dislike it? From now on, I'll carry it with me every day and never let it out of my sight."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's lips curled up slightly, her eyes filled with joy. Just as she was about to say something more, she suddenly heard a crisp "clang"!

The porcelain bowl shattered on the blue brick floor, and the sweet aroma of cheese splattered all over the ground.

The two were startled and turned around to look.

Baoyu stood at the entrance of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, still holding the bowl in his hand, his eyes wide open, his face as pale as paper, staring intently at the two people inside, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

He had just returned from drinking at Xue Pan's place and was worried about Daiyu's illness, so he specially asked someone to leave a bowl of su luo (a type of cheese) and excitedly brought it over. But as soon as he entered the door, he witnessed the scene from earlier!

Jia Cong held Daiyu's hand, and Daiyu shyly handed him her purse, their affection tender and their voices lingering.

In that instant, Baoyu felt as if his insides were burning, and all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

"Bao... Baoyu?!" Daiyu was so frightened that she jumped up from the couch, her face turning from red to white in an instant. She was both ashamed and anxious, and almost burst into tears.

"W-Why are you here...?"

Jia Cong also quickly stood up, composed himself, and secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.

Baoyu, however, acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, staring intently at the two of them. Suddenly, he burst into maniacal laughter, a shrill, chilling sound that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Good, very good! I had no idea what it was! I see! I see!"

He pointed at Daiyu, then at Jia Cong, trembling all over, babbling incoherently, every sentence revolving around the word "jade."

As he spoke, Baoyu suddenly reached out, ripped off the jade pendant from his neck, and slammed it to the ground!

With a loud crash, the jade fell onto the green brick, startling Daiyu so much that she trembled all over.

Immediately afterwards, he frantically tore at his clothes, took off his outer robe, threw it violently to the ground, and stomped on it.

"I don't want these clothes! I don't want this status! What Second Master, what Young Master, you can't even keep someone with jade!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at Jia Cong, about to lunge at him, shouting, "It's all your fault! You're the one who stole my Lin Daiyu!"

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Seeing this, Jia Cong quickly stepped aside, not daring to fight him. Baoyu was the apple of Grandmother Jia's eye and the lifeblood of the Rong Mansion. If he were to touch even a single hair on Baoyu's head, it would be a huge disaster.

He could only back away repeatedly, bowing and smiling apologetically, his tone as gentle as possible: "Brother Bao, you've misunderstood! You've completely misunderstood! I only came to check on Lin Daiyu's illness, and I was just performing a magic trick to cheer her up. It was just a joke, nothing more!"

"A joke?" Baoyu roared, tears streaming down his face, looking like a madman. "A joke is enough to warrant touching my face? A joke would involve giving away a personal purse? Do you think I'm blind and deaf?"

Daiyu sat on the couch, feeling ashamed, anxious, and afraid, tears streaming down her face.

"Baoyu, you've really misunderstood. I was just joking around with Third Brother. Don't act so crazy; people will laugh at you if they hear us."

"A joke? What face do I have to be laughed at!" Baoyu pointed at her, wailing with heart-wrenching pain.

"You've been with me every day, yet now you side with him! You've all deceived me, you've all kept secrets from me!"

Having said that, he refused to listen to any further explanation. He stomped his foot like a madman, then rushed out without looking back, crying and shouting all the way to Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

The servants behind him were so frightened that they hurriedly put away the jade and clothes and scrambled to catch up.

The room fell into a deathly silence, the broken porcelain on the floor making the atmosphere extremely awkward.

Daiyu could no longer hold back; she buried her face in her pillow and began to sob, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

"That Baoyu, he'll definitely go and talk nonsense to the old matriarch. Tomorrow everyone in the mansion will be gossiping about me. How can I possibly live a life of dependence on others..."

Feeling guilty, Jia Cong quickly stepped forward to comfort her gently, patting her back softly.

"Don't cry, little sister. It's my fault. I shouldn't have lingered here for so long, and I shouldn't have been so reckless with my magic tricks, causing you trouble."

"You know Baoyu's temperament; he's just being foolish for a moment, he'll be fine in a few days," Jia Cong said gently.

"Tomorrow I will find an opportunity to explain to the elders and the ladies that I was just joking with you and that I will never let anyone wrong you."

Daiyu lay face down on the pillow, her sobs gradually subsiding, though she continued to choke on her sobs, her eyes filled with fear and shame.

"Looking at him, who would believe it? They'd just think I'm shameless and might as well be dead!"

"With me here, I will never let you suffer the slightest grievance." Jia Cong could only coax her, "Just focus on getting better and don't overthink things. I'll handle the rest."

After comforting Daiyu for a while, seeing that Daiyu's emotions had calmed down a bit, Jia Cong, fearing that staying any longer would cause further complications, had no choice but to quietly take his leave.

Baoyu did indeed go to Grandmother Jia's place, but he dared not say that Daiyu and Jia Cong were in love. Although he was delirious with lust, he was ultimately afraid of tarnishing the young lady's reputation.

He cried and made a fuss for half a day before finally stopping. Even three or four servants couldn't calm him down. Grandmother Jia coaxed him for a long time, calling him "liver" and "meat," before she learned that he had a falling out with Jia Cong.

The next day, Baoyu indeed developed a fever. Although Grandmother Jia had been treating Jia Cong differently over the past year, she couldn't resist Baoyu's crying and fussing, so she called him over and gave him a scolding.

As soon as Jia Cong entered Rongqing Hall, he felt the chill in the room. Grandmother Jia was reclining on a warm couch covered with mink fur, her face ashen, her brows furrowed. She slammed her cane into the blue brick with a loud thud, which frightened all the maids and servants in the room to their knees, not daring to breathe.