The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 577: I Said Farewell

Chapter 577: I Said Farewell

It was through this ger that rumors had been spread. It was through him that their home had been whispered about in the dark corners of Yilin Town.

How unfortunate.

In addition to these three, San had personally flagged two more servants who would be dismissed.

Unlike the spies, these two had simply been lazy.

San had spoken to them several times about shirking their duties, but nothing had changed. They had only gotten better at hiding it.

This was something San had caught on her own, something she had investigated without Xu Feng’s prompting. And now, she was standing before them, delivering the consequences without hesitation.

Xu Feng exhaled slowly. There was no saving them.

He turned his gaze back to the hall.

San had expected his reaction. She didn’t falter.

This was what Nanshan Estate needed. Real leadership.

The murmurs in the hall grew louder as the weight of San’s words settled over them. Some faces turned pale, others hardened in quiet resentment. But none of it mattered.

San’s next words would seal their fate.

And Xu Feng?

He was more than ready to let her handle it.

"You might believe that makes you more experienced. More knowledgeable. That you are owed trust and respect simply for the time you have spent elsewhere."

Some of the servants stiffened, a few exchanging wary glances. Others lowered their gazes, trying to remain impassive.

San didn’t falter.

"But trust is earned." Her voice didn’t rise, didn’t sharpen, but there was something unshakable in it. "And for some of you, that trust has been broken."

She let the words settle before moving on, her dark eyes landing directly on the first two.

The two women in the crowd, standing shoulder to shoulder, their expressions carefully neutral—too neutral.

San’s gaze didn’t waver.

"You," she said simply.

Both women stiffened.

"You were given food, clothing, and a home." San’s voice remained even. "But instead of protecting it, you spread misinformation. You sowed dissent. And all the while, you carried your whispers back to Lady Xuan."

There was a shift in the room, a ripple of unease.

The two women exchanged a quick glance, but neither spoke.

San did not give them the chance.

"The second," she continued, turning her attention now to the next woman. "You did the same, but not Old Lady Xuan."

A murmur spread through the room. It wasn’t loud, but the weight of it was enough.

San’s voice remained calm.

"And finally."

Her gaze slid to the young ger standing just a few steps away.

The ger had been quiet the entire time, his face pale, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

San didn’t hesitate.

"You," she said, her tone as sharp as a blade. "You were not bought by the Xuan family."

The ger’s breath hitched.

"You were bought by the Sun family," San continued, "and you took what you learned here back to them."

Silence.

Cold, unbearable silence. The young ger flinched.

San’s expression didn’t change.

"There is no place in Nanshan for those who would betray it."

But she wasn’t finished.

San’s sharp eyes moved past the three already implicated—past the two women who had sown dissent, past the young ger who had fed rumors to the Sun family—before landing on the last two.

"You two," she said, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

The last two servants—both young men, both standing near the back of the gathered crowd—visibly tensed.

San’s expression remained neutral, but there was no mistaking the authority in her gaze.

"You were given second chances," she said. "Time and time again, I spoke with you both about shirking your duties. About neglecting your work while the others carried your burdens."

The two men remained silent, but the flicker of unease in their expressions said everything.

San continued.

"You thought you could hide it," she said, her voice firm. "You got better at covering your tracks. But you didn’t change. You made it so others had to work twice as hard."

A shift in the crowd. The unspoken weight of her words pressing down on all of them.

San met their gazes head on.

"You will not be given another chance."

And then, the silence cracked.

The accused stood frozen in place, expressions ranging from shock to horror. Then, as if realizing the weight of what had just happened, the dam broke.

The first sob came from one of the two women. It was high and sharp, breaking through the still air. Then the second followed, an anguished, desperate wail as both women threw themselves onto the floor.

"Master! Please, we have been loyal! We have served Nanshan faithfully—"

"We were misled, that’s all! Please, reconsider!"

They didn’t cry toward Xu Feng, though. Instead, they scrambled toward Xu Zeng, one pushing the other aside as if competing for the better plea.

"Master Zeng, we have cared for the estate in his absence! We only did what we thought was right!"

"We have nowhere else to go!"

The display was pitiful, but it was far from sincere. Xu Feng watched them, eyes narrowing as they shoved at each other like beggars fighting over scraps.

Xu Zeng, for his part, didn’t react at all. His sharp dark eyes remained impassive, unreadable, as if their pleas didn’t even reach him. He stood like an immovable wall, and no amount of crying or wailing could break through it.

Then there was the young ger.

His face had drained of all color. Unlike the two women, he didn’t immediately fall to his knees or beg. His gaze flickered toward Si, his expression almost pleading as if she would step in and save him.

Si, who had once been his friend.

Si, who had sewed beside him, who had treated him as part of the family before they knew any better.

But Si only stared back, her expression completely blank. Cold, even.

The ger swallowed hard, his hands twitching at his sides before he turned his gaze toward Xu Feng himself.

The weight of Xu Feng’s stare was unbearable.

He visibly shuddered before breaking into movement, his body nearly tripping over itself as he spun on his heels and rushed toward another figure—

Xu Hu Zhe.

"Master Hu Zhe! Please, you know me! I worked hard—I tried! I only— I only..."

His words faltered, but his hands clutched desperately at the man’s legs.

Xu Hu Zhe remained still, it was actually Xu Zeng who wanted to swat the pesky ger away. No touching!

His broad shoulders, his powerful stance—everything about him exuded quiet strength. He was a man who had survived far worse things than a sniveling traitor at his feet.

He didn’t push the ger away, but he didn’t acknowledge him either.

It was a silent refusal.

Xu Feng watched it all, not moving.

It was a pathetic scene. A farce.

He was already exhausted.

Even if he wanted to let them go on, it wasn’t worth wasting the entire day listening to their false repentance.

His gaze flickered toward the side, toward Blooming Courtyard. They were away from the children, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about them. Someone should go back to watch over them as soon as possible.

"Lee Hua."

The name was spoken simply, but it held a quiet authority that made the new steward snap to attention.

"Go check on the children."

Lee Hua blinked, startled. Then, as understanding sank in, his body straightened.

"Yes, Master Feng!"

There was no hesitation in his voice. No reluctance. Only eager determination.

Despite the chaos around them, Xu Feng had chosen him.

He was sending him back to Blooming Courtyard alone.

If that wasn’t trust, Lee Hua didn’t know what was.

With a firm nod, he turned on his heel and left the hall, his steps light but quick.

The moment the doors shut behind him, the pleading rose again.

The two women had reached a new level of volume, their cries turning into full throated wails, their voices grating against the air.

Xu Feng’s temple throbbed.

Enough.

"Silence."

The single word cut through the noise like a blade.

It wasn’t a shout. It wasn’t a roar.

But it carried the weight of command.

The ger immediately quieted, his breath hitching, his fingers slowly loosening from their grip on Xu Hu Zhe’s legs.

But the women—

The women only cried louder.

Xu Feng’s patience thinned.

Their wailing wasn’t sorrowful. It wasn’t even true desperation. It was calculated. They weren’t crying for forgiveness. They were crying for attention.

For pity.

They wanted to be seen as victims, wanted to make themselves the most pathetic creatures in the room, as if that would force his hand.

As if they could manipulate him into submission.

Xu Feng’s lips pressed into a thin line. In that moment, something clicked inside him.

This wasn’t just disobedience.

It was disrespect.

His face darkened.

His voice, when it came, was smooth. Controlled.

"You misunderstand something," he said lightly.

The crying hiccupped.

Xu Feng tilted his head, his silver hair falling over one shoulder, his dimple flashing—but there was no warmth in his smile.

"You believe that if you cry loudly enough, someone will save you. That someone will step in, feel pity, and sway my decision."

The two women swallowed hard, their tears halting slightly, but they still sniffled, still blinked rapidly as if trying to conjure more tears.

Xu Feng’s expression didn’t change.

"You were given a home. A future." His tone was still light, still even, but something in it sent a cold shiver down spines. "And instead of protecting it, you tried to tear it apart."

His smile widened, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

"Kneel. For. Me."