She knew Nan Gong Yehen very well.
If he didn't like a woman, he wouldn't look at her with such tender, affectionate eyes. He was always proud and aloof, with no need to put on an act in front of her. Her woman's intuition told her that he truly felt differently about Chu Lingzhi.
Ouyang Ruobing gazed deeply at Chu Lingzhi. She thought Chu Lingzhi was as beautiful as a fairy, with a wonderful personality—it wasn't unreasonable for Nan Gong Yehen to like her. More importantly, she was healthy and could bear him children.
Chu Lingzhi gave a stiff smile. "It's alright, I guess." Aside from his lack of seriousness with her, she thought everything else was fine.
"I love him deeply," Ouyang Ruobing said, looking at Chu Lingzhi.
Chu Lingzhi nodded. "I know." She could tell. The way she looked at Nan Gong Yehen had already given her away.
Ouyang Ruobing smiled bitterly, her voice tinged with pain. "But he doesn't love me anymore."
"..." Chu Lingzhi pursed her lips, unsure what to say. If Nan Gong Yehen didn't love her, why drag her into this act?
"We met and fell in love a long time ago..."
Ouyang Ruobing drifted into those beautiful memories, a faint smile on her face—how they met, how they fell in love. Back then, Nan Gong Yehen was a humorous and outstanding man. Many women liked him, but he only wanted her.
"Miss Ouyang, can I ask you a question?" Chu Lingzhi suddenly interrupted her reverie.
Ouyang Ruobing looked at her. "Go ahead."
"Why did you leave Young Master Nan Gong back then? Was it because he broke your heart?"
Ouyang Ruobing shook her head. "No."
"Then why?"
Ouyang Ruobing gazed deeply at Chu Lingzhi. "Do you really want to hear it?"
Chu Lingzhi thought for a moment and smiled. "You can choose not to say." She wasn't that eager to know; it was just curiosity getting the better of her.
Ouyang Ruobing gave a faint smile. Some things, she couldn't tell her.
"Because I can't have children," Ouyang Ruobing said with a bitter laugh.
Chu Lingzhi was startled, looking at her in surprise. "You're so young, how can you not be able to have children?"
Ouyang Ruobing masked her grief, trying hard not to show too much sorrow in front of Chu Lingzhi. "I had two molar pregnancies, and my uterus was removed."
Chu Lingzhi's heart clenched painfully, sinking heavily. She looked at Ouyang Ruobing and asked tentatively, "Were the children Young Master Nan Gong's?"
Ouyang Ruobing didn't hide it. "Yes." If they had survived, they would be six years old now.
After a moment of sadness, Ouyang Ruobing worried that Chu Lingzhi might be hurt, so she quickly explained, "Miss Chu, Nan Gong and I are in the past. He's not a playboy—once he loves a woman, he's loyal to her and would protect her with his life. I can see that his feelings for you are genuine. Please don't be upset over our past, okay?"
Chu Lingzhi pursed her lips and gave a helpless smile. Where was Nan Gong Yehen's sincerity toward her? She shook her head and said with a smile, "I'm not upset."
Ouyang Ruobing looked into her eyes—yes, she saw no sadness in Chu Lingzhi's gaze. "I'm glad you can trust Nan Gong so much. I'm happy for him."
But inside, she still felt bitter and sad. She knew he didn't need her to be happy for him.
Chu Lingzhi fell silent. It wasn't that she trusted Nan Gong Yehen; it was that she didn't love him. Since she didn't love him, why bother about his past?