Chuchu certainly didn’t believe Yu Jin was acting out of kindness.
So what was his motive for helping her? Surely he hadn’t taken a fancy to her beauty?
Looking at Yu Jin’s delicate features, Chuchu rubbed her chin.
That couldn’t be it…
“Miss Chuchu is overthinking. This isn’t helping you. Since you’ve already brought trouble, I won’t be at ease unless the trouble is thoroughly resolved. Now, does Miss Chuchu agree to this proposal or not?”
“Do I have the right to refuse?”
Yu Jin smiled, “Of course you do. Am I the kind of person who doesn’t understand human relations?”
Chuchu smiled, clearly not believing him.
“I agree.”
Why not agree? Being used as bait didn’t matter. As long as she could lure out that inexplicable pack of mad dogs, she’d do anything.
“Miss Chuchu is a straightforward person!” Yu Jin clapped his hands in praise, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “There’s no need to mention such a confidential matter to my fiancée.”
Chuchu tugged at the corner of her mouth.
When under someone’s roof, one must bow one’s head. She’d endure it!
Chuchu left Pine Nut Lane with the dawn light.
The streets gradually came to life, with carriages and horses coming and going, vendors’ calls rising and falling. The prosperity of the capital was unmatched elsewhere.
But as Chuchu stood at the street corner, watching the bustling crowd, she felt only desolation and anger.
She must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to get mixed up in such trouble for no reason.
No, come to think of it, she’d never had any luck from childhood. It was always her taking the blame for others’ misdeeds, her suffering for others’ mishaps…
Chuchu shook these vexing thoughts from her mind and stepped into the crowd with the morning light.
The Golden Water River was particularly quiet in the morning. The boats seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, motionless against the shore. Only the water’s surface, sprinkled with dawn light, rippled in layers with the wind, carrying a thick, mellow fragrance.
A bearded man quietly slipped out of the Fufang Troupe’s pleasure boat and quickly ducked into a small grove not far from the shore, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After winding through several turns, the bearded man met with a man in a long robe in an abandoned house.
“How did it go?”
The bearded man shook his head, “No good. The fish didn’t take the bait.”
“Didn’t take the bait?” The man in the long robe was surprised. “How is that possible?”
The bearded man then recounted what he had heard from Qingqing.
The long-robed man rubbed his brow, his expression darkening. “Something’s not right.”
“What’s not right?”
The long-robed man looked at the bearded man and asked, “Don’t you think the Seventh Prince’s reaction was too cold? If it were you, seeing a woman who resembles your beloved, would you be so indifferent? Would you remain unmoved even seeing her being abused by other men?”
The bearded man thought for a moment and nodded heavily, “It is strange. No man would act like that.”
“Something must have gone wrong.” The long-robed man’s expression suddenly changed as he thought of something. “That woman suddenly disappeared last night. Could she have found a way to contact the Seventh Prince, so he knew about our plan?”
The bearded man clapped his hands, “That’s possible! Last night, our men lost track of her at the Golden Water River, and the Seventh Prince happened to be there at the time.”
“Damn it! We finally set up a situation for the Seventh Prince to naturally encounter Qingqing, and it was ruined by that woman!” The long-robed man’s expression turned sinister.
“If that’s the case, isn’t Qingqing useless as a pawn now?”
The long-robed man stood up, “In any case, let’s find the woman first and then decide. This time, we need her alive. If she hasn’t contacted the Seventh Prince, we’ll continue as planned. If she has, we’ll make new arrangements.”
The long-robed man and the bearded man crossed the overgrown courtyard and went their separate ways.
At this time, they failed to notice two ordinary-looking young men who separately followed them.
Yu Jin quickly received the news. Standing by the second-floor window, he pondered for a moment before instructing Cold Shadow, “Don’t startle the snake in the grass yet. Find their lair first.”
Cutting the grass and digging up the roots was necessary. Those who dared to scheme against him must be prepared to bear the consequences.
Cold Shadow saluted and silently withdrew.
Near noon, Long Dan came upstairs, “Master, Miss Chuchu has been targeted.”
The hall downstairs was now full. Chuchu sat by the window, eating while nervously watching her surroundings.
She recalled Yu Jin’s words: “Continue to act as panicked and flustered as before. If you look nonchalant, aren’t you just telling them ‘Come on, I have an ambush ready’?”
Although she felt belittled, she thought his words made sense. However, acting wasn’t her strong suit.
Would they take the bait?
Chuchu felt uneasy. Suddenly, she caught sight of two men from the corner of her eye. Her heart leaped and then settled.
They’re here!
These days, she had become as skittish as a frightened bird, particularly sensitive to those people’s presence.
It was good they had come. As long as Master Yu could deal with them, she would be free.
Strangely, Chuchu felt confident that Yu Jin could resolve the situation.
If she had to find a reason… well, a man who could accompany his cross-dressing fiancée to a brothel shouldn’t be too incompetent, right?
Two tables of people quietly stood up, inconspicuously approaching Chuchu.
Chuchu instinctively gripped her teacup tighter.
The hall was bustling with activity. Diners chatted and laughed loudly, waiters called out dish names, and from the kitchen came the sizzling of oil and scolding voices.
The two groups surrounding Chuchu exchanged glances. The woman sitting by the window seemed like prey under their claws, with nowhere to escape.
Heh, did this woman think they wouldn’t dare make a move just because she was in a busy, crowded tavern? How naive.
Suddenly, Chuchu slammed her teacup on the table and bolted.
The two groups were momentarily stunned, then immediately gave chase.
A waiter ran after them, shouting, “Hey, hey, you haven’t paid yet—”
As soon as Chuchu ran out of the tavern, she was surrounded by several men, and a fight quickly broke out.
She had been injured from days of being hunted, and the opponents outnumbered her. Two fists couldn’t match four hands, and she soon found herself at a disadvantage.
Although the capital’s public security was decent, street fights weren’t uncommon, and even harassing respectable women in broad daylight wasn’t rare. Seeing this scene, some people hurried away to avoid trouble, while more quickly formed a circle to watch the excitement. A few conscientious individuals rushed to call for constables.
“Master, shouldn’t we intervene now? Miss Chuchu can’t hold out much longer.”
Yu Jin shook his head, “No need. Let them capture her.”
What?
Long Dan looked at Yu Jin in astonishment.
Master, is it appropriate to shamelessly trick a young woman into risking her life like this?
Yu Jin leaned on the railing, watching the commotion with an unchanged expression. “Haven’t you noticed? This time they’re not trying to kill her, but to capture her alive.”
“So?”
Yu Jin gave Long Dan a look as if he were looking at an idiot. “So, let Miss Chuchu be captured. That way we can follow the trail to its source.”
Downstairs, Chuchu let out a low cry as she was overpowered, but even as she was gagged and dragged away, no one came to her aid.
She stared wide-eyed at the tavern, with only one thought in her mind: She was truly foolish. She should have known it’s easier to believe a pig can climb a tree than to trust the words from a man’s broken mouth!