As time trickled by, Chu Chenyi could no longer hold back his words. He continued to drone on, "Everything I said just now is the absolute truth. I truly know I was wrong, and I promise I will never make you angry again, no matter what..."
"Alright, stop talking," Lin Yuwei interrupted him before he could finish. If she let Chu Chenyi continue, she might actually soften her heart.
Lin Yuwei composed herself and resumed her cold demeanor. "You've said these words to me more than once. I'm already tired of hearing them. You don't need to say them to me anymore; save them for those who want to hear them."
She had heard these words countless times before. Every time she foolishly believed him, if she still hadn't learned her lesson after so many painful experiences, she would truly be an idiot.
After a pause, Lin Yuwei stood up and walked to the window. She looked out at the scenery, slowly closed her eyes, and let her emotions calm down.
"I've said what I needed to say. The matter has come to this, and there's nothing more for us to discuss. I'm very tired and need to rest. You should leave now."
She didn't know how to face Chu Chenyi with her current emotions. She decided to send him away first. Once she had figured things out and resolved the knot in her heart, perhaps she could forgive Chu Chenyi.
At least at this moment, under these circumstances, it was truly difficult for her to be pleasant to Chu Chenyi, as if nothing had happened, or to simply forgive him.
Chu Chenyi's gaze fell upon Lin Yuwei's retreating back. It was the first time he felt such utter defeat and powerlessness. He reached out as if to grab her, but she was right before him, yet felt as distant as the horizon, impossible to touch. The person in front of him seemed unreal, hazy, as if she were a phantom.
A wave of bitterness washed over him, and even his breathing ached. After a moment's pause, Chu Chenyi's emotions slowly stabilized. He knew very well that if he truly left now, it would be even harder to gain Lin Yuwei's forgiveness later.
This matter would become a wall between them, and over time, it would be even more difficult to forget.
Chu Chenyi stood up, his steps slightly unsteady. He walked to Lin Yuwei's side and said earnestly, "This time, it was my fault. I was not vigilant enough against others, which allowed those with ill intentions to take advantage. I have already sent them away from the estate."
Lin Yuwei, who was looking out the window, paused slightly upon hearing this, but she skillfully concealed it. Chu Chenyi was too focused on explaining himself and did not notice the subtle flicker of unusual emotion on Lin Yuwei's face.
"Not only that, but I have also sent away all the other women who were sent to me before, and I promise you, no other woman will ever enter the estate again!"
Chu Chenyi said with solemnity. He had no interest in those flamboyant women; they were all sent by those who wanted to curry favor with him.
If it weren't for his unstable foundation right now, he would have kept them temporarily to appease them.
He never expected Lin Yuwei to be so enraged by this matter. These women could no longer remain. This time, he had completely purged them; not a single one was left.
Furthermore, from now on, he had decided that having only Lin Yuwei would be enough for him. He grew up in the palace and had witnessed firsthand the treacherous schemes and hypocritical facades of the women there.
He had also suffered a great deal because of this in his youth, and he was utterly disgusted by such struggles among women. He certainly didn't want his future children to experience the same.
Therefore, it was better to have only one wife. He had never wanted multiple wives and concubines, and he certainly didn't now or in the future.
Lin Yuwei was stunned at first. A flicker of emotion, perhaps even touched by his words, arose in her heart, but it was fleeting. She quickly suppressed this feeling ruthlessly.
In her heart, she repeatedly warned herself that what Chu Chenyi was saying was false, all to coax her into returning. She absolutely could not be fooled again.
"You are a prince, and this is your estate. You can bring whomever you wish back to the estate. You don't need to tell me these things, and I don't want to hear them."
One could detect a hint of jealousy in Lin Yuwei's tone. Anyone with a discerning eye would realize that she was speaking with her heart rather than her head.
Unfortunately, Chu Chenyi's mind was entirely occupied with the matter of her leaving. He did not listen carefully to Lin Yuwei's words, only feeling that she was still angry and had not forgiven him.
"Stop sulking. I'm being serious this time. If you don't believe me, why don't you go back to the estate and see for yourself? I truly have sent everyone away!"
Chu Chenyi, anxious, repeated his earlier words, wanting nothing more than for Lin Yuwei to believe him.
He wished he could simply carry her over his shoulder and take her back to the estate to see for herself whether he was telling the truth.
Lin Yuwei remained silent. She simply closed her eyes, no longer looking at Chu Chenyi's earnest explanations, for fear that she might relent and forgive him if she did.
Then all the trouble she had gone through would have been in vain, and she would have been idle for nothing.
"Stop talking. You should leave. I will never believe your words again!" Lin Yuwei directly issued an eviction notice. The matter had reached this point, and anything Chu Chenyi did now was too late. She would no longer trust Chu Chenyi.
Besides, she was no longer a young girl and no longer cared for these meaningless things.
Her continued stay in the estate, living in polite distance with Chu Chenyi, was for the sake of the Pingyang Marquis Manor and the child in her womb. She could only continue to endure.
If Chu Chenyi had done these things a few days ago, she would have been moved to tears. But now, it was too late. Her heart had been shattered into countless pieces, and it could not be easily mended. Even if it were pieced back together, there would still be cracks.
"Why don't you believe me? What I'm saying is true!" Chu Chenyi explained frantically. No matter what he said, Lin Yuwei didn't believe him, which was driving him mad.
"Whether it's true or false is of no consequence to me anymore. I no longer care about anything you do."
Lin Yuwei's voice was filled with a sense of detachment, as if these matters truly had nothing to do with her. She truly intended to regard herself as an outsider to this situation.