He was dead.

He Yunsheng stared blankly at the scene before him.

Fan Cheng’s wound was still bleeding, the knife had struck precisely into his abdomen. He Yunsheng felt his throat go dry. After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice still trembling, carrying a resolution of one ready to face death.

“I’ll go to the magistrate’s office and confess. I killed him.”

He stood up and began walking forward in a daze, but after just two steps, someone grabbed him, nearly causing him to stumble.

He Yan asked: “What are you going to confess to?”

“He’s dead, I’ll pay with my life,” He Yunsheng choked out. “It’s only right.”

“It’s not worth paying with your life for someone like him.” He Yan glanced at Fan Cheng on the ground. “I originally thought that even if we got through today, Fan Cheng wouldn’t let things rest. The He family would have trouble sooner or later. But now we’ve eliminated a problem. With him dead, at least the He family will have more peace in the future.”

“Do you remember what he said earlier?”

He Yunsheng remembered. At the time, Fan Cheng had wanted to kill him, saying “Once you’re dead, I’ll enslave your sister for my daily entertainment. When I’m tired of her, I’ll sell her to a brothel.” He had said such arrogant words as if they were perfectly natural.

“You should understand, that if Fan Cheng had killed us both on this boat today, he wouldn’t have had to pay with his life. So why should you give up your entire life because you accidentally killed him? Why are our lives worth as little as grass, while his life is so precious? On what grounds?”

He Yunsheng was still young and full of passion. Paying with his life for someone like Fan Cheng would be too wasteful.

“I don’t want to either,” He Yunsheng said upon hearing this, his heart filled with grief and indignation, “but do we have any other choice now?”

He Yunsheng thought simply – he killed Fan Cheng, so that when the Fan family came, he would pay with his life, and that would settle everything. But He Yan knew this was impossible. Coming from a prominent family in her previous life, she knew that with families like Fan Cheng’s, even if He Yunsheng confessed and paid with his life, the Fan family wouldn’t let it rest. They wouldn’t spare He Sui, herself, or even Qingmei and Shuangqing.

“Come here,” He Yan patted his shoulder.

He Yunsheng looked at her questioningly.

“You said you swam here earlier. Are you a good swimmer? Can you hold your breath?” He Yan asked.

He Yunsheng nodded, “Yes.”

“Put on my clothes. When I give the signal later, jump off the boat and swim downstream. Change into clean clothes and sneak home. You must be quick, understand?”

He Yunsheng nodded in confusion, then shook his head, looking at He Yan, “What about you?”

He Yan picked up the bundle from the ground, which still contained the new clothes she had gotten for He Yunsheng from the tailor’s shop today. She said: “I’ll change clothes and draw them away.”

“Them” referred to Fan Cheng’s guards.

He Yunsheng was shocked and blurted out, “No!”

“How will you draw them away? You’re a woman, they’ll kill you if they catch you! They’ll torture you. You’re defenseless – in their hands you’ll suffer a fate worse than death…”

He was still rambling when He Yan pressed her hand on his shoulder.

“They won’t. I can shake them off,” she said.

In the dim lamplight, the young woman’s gaze was clear and determined. Even at this moment, she was still smiling. That smile was relaxed, somehow soothing He Yunsheng’s panicked mood, yet also making him want to cry.

“I can’t let you go,” He Yunsheng mumbled.

“Listen, Yunsheng. You wear my clothes and jump ship, I’ll draw them away. We shouldn’t meet for the next two days, and I can’t return to the He family while laying low. In five days, go to an inn called Liu Quan Residence in the west of the city. There’s a row of willow trees at the entrance. Find the third willow tree from the left, dig down three inches, and I’ll leave a message for you there. We’ll meet up then, understand?”

He Yunsheng shook his head: “I can’t let you go…”

“You’re not a child anymore. You’re a man who will carry the He family’s burden in the future. You need to stay calm and do as I say. I’ll be fine, you know that – I’m always fine,” she said.

He Yunsheng couldn’t speak.

She had indeed always been fine, whether it was with Wang Jiugui, gambling at the casino, or racing horses at the training grounds. Each time she had surprised everyone, but this time was different – this time involved taking a life.

“Explain things to Father for me,” He Yan said. “Fan Cheng’s guards will be here soon, we don’t have much time. Now quickly change clothes.” She continued, “Turn around, I’ll give you my outer garments first.”

The boat floated silently on the river. When He Yunsheng and He Yan faced each other again, they switched attire. He Yan wore new men’s clothing, her hair tied in a male topknot, exuding a heroic air – she truly looked like a handsome young gentleman. He Yunsheng wore He Yan’s long dress, awkwardly unsure where to put his hands and feet, his expression embarrassed.

He Yan burst out laughing.

“How can you still laugh at a time like this?” He Yunsheng was too preoccupied with worry to banter with He Yan.

“It’s not yet time to stop laughing,” He Yan picked up a face cloth from the ground and covered her face thoroughly, leaving only her eyes visible. Yet even her eyes carried a smile, “You’ll have to get used to this.”

Get used to this? To what – killing people and fleeing? He Yunsheng only felt exhausted, along with deep worry and fear.

“When I count to three, jump down, understand?” He Yan said. “Don’t worry about me, we’ll meet again.”

He Yunsheng started walking toward the bow.

After a few steps, he turned back, looking into He Yan’s eyes, and said: “You’ll be all right, won’t you?”

He Yan ruffled his hair – the youth’s hair still carried water droplets from his earlier swim, cool and fluffy.

She broke into a smile and answered gently, “Of course.”