When Cheng Lang heard someone was coming, his expression cooled slightly. He motioned for Yining to be quiet and walked to the door, asking, “Is it Luo Shenyuan?”
After receiving confirmation, Cheng Lang instructed, “Hold him off for now.” He picked up the fallen dagger and slipped it into his sleeve. Glancing at Luo Yining, he said softly, “Wait for me a moment. I’ll deal with him and return.”
Yining quickly stood up and grabbed him, asking, “Don’t go yet. Tell me, what exactly are you all doing?”
Luo Shenyuan was being secretive, and Cheng Lang had gone as far as to kidnap Sun Congwan… What were these people up to?
Since she asked, how could Cheng Lang not answer? Moreover, he looked down at her hand holding his…
After considering the situation’s development, he patiently explained, “It’s related to the case of Zhejiang’s Provincial Administration Commissioner Liu Pu’s corruption and bribery. This case involves Lu Jiaxue and Wang Yuan. Your third brother Luo Shenyuan has captured one of Liu Pu’s confidants, likely to interrogate him about the details of Liu Pu’s bribery. So Lu Jiaxue asked me to find this person…” His voice lowered as he suddenly changed the subject, looking at her hopefully, “May I call you Yining now? Of course… I can’t use your former address, but if I keep calling you cousin, I’d truly want to kill myself…”
Yining hadn’t expected him to bring this up suddenly. She nodded, “You can just call me Yining.”
Cheng Lang smiled and continued, “Will you still call me A’lang?”
Yining looked at his delicate, handsome features. He truly was good-looking. It wasn’t apparent when he was young, but now he had grown into a graceful, jade-like beauty. No wonder so many women liked him… But officially, Cheng Lang was now her cousin. How could she still call him A’lang? Yet, remembering how he had cried earlier, she found it hard to refuse.
Yining disliked her soft-heartedness. After all, she had been harmed by Cheng Lang. She also knew that no matter what, Cheng Lang was no longer the little A’lang from before.
Seeing her hesitation, Cheng Lang’s heart sank. He moved closer, trying to hold Yining’s hand, but she avoided him.
“You…” Cheng Lang stepped closer, forcibly taking her hand. His tone grew heavy, “Are you resentful? Resentful that I didn’t save you that time… If I had known it was you, I would have killed Shen Yu on the spot!”
Yining shook her head, saying, “You’re so much older now, and I’m no longer the original Yining… There should be propriety between men and women.”
Cheng Lang looked at the soft, delicate hands he held and suddenly felt strange. Indeed, he was an adult now, and she was no longer in her original identity…
But Yining had already withdrawn her hand. She walked over to the fish tank and picked up the soaked paper scraps, trying to decipher the writing.
It was indeed Luo Shenyuan’s handwriting. She could roughly make out that it mentioned a confidant revealing some of Liu Pu’s affairs, but the details were unclear. After reading, she washed her hands in the fish tank water and asked Cheng Lang, “Do you have a handkerchief?” She had given hers to Sun Congwan earlier.
Cheng Lang didn’t carry handkerchiefs.
Yining turned around to see Cheng Lang approaching. He took her hands and wiped them with his sleeve. Startled by his sudden action, Yining could only watch as Cheng Lang held her hands, drying them before letting go.
Yining could only thank him.
She was still thinking about the contents of the letter, forming a vague guess that sent chills down her spine.
She even suddenly feared that she might be part of this plan.
Someone came from outside again, this time the messenger’s voice was urgent: “Lord Cheng, our men can’t hold him back… They’ve already come upstairs!”
Cheng Lang released Yining’s hand, smirking, “Then let him come. I’d like to meet him anyway.”
Yining looked up and suddenly called out, “A’lang…”
Cheng Lang turned to look at her, seemingly listening intently. Yining hesitated before asking, “What exactly are you doing, following Lu Jiaxue now?” She could tell that Cheng Lang didn’t seem entirely loyal to Lu Jiaxue. If he were truly devoted, he wouldn’t have told her about Liu Pu’s affair.
“When you passed away, I was still young. Your death was unclear, but I knew you were harmed by someone,” Cheng Lang paused briefly.
“That person who harmed you now wields immense power.”
Cheng Lang seemed to know something… Yining was stunned by his words. She had always been guessing, including Xie Min’s suspicions. Now Cheng Lang was saying the same thing. She wanted to ask him more, but hurried, chaotic footsteps and the clash of weapons could be heard from outside.
Remembering the letter’s contents, Yining hesitated but still didn’t tell Cheng Lang.
Cheng Lang shouldn’t oppose Luo Shenyuan; he was no match for him.
Though Cheng Lang was exceptionally intelligent, he fell short of Luo Shenyuan in one aspect: he wasn’t ruthless enough. Who could be as ruthless as Luo Shenyuan?
The people outside seemed to have been subdued, as the sounds gradually quieted. A calm voice came through: “Lord Cheng, your actions are hardly gentlemanly. If you want to compete, do it openly. Why involve my family members?”
Luo Shenyuan must be standing outside the door now. But those guards at the door were Lu Jiaxue’s soldiers. If he hadn’t entered, these soldiers must still be guarding the door.
Cheng Lang adjusted his collar, realizing he had been too emotional when facing Yining earlier. He opened the door, finally regaining some composure. Stepping out, he smiled, “Lord Luo, you shouldn’t speak carelessly. I merely happened to encounter the two ladies; there’s no talk of kidnapping.”
Yining followed him out. She saw Luo Shenyuan standing tall like a pine tree outside the door, with a group of guards behind him. He must have just returned from the government office, still wearing his official robes. His men had indeed subdued the others outside. Sun Congwan was protected by a group of maids and servants, gazing at Luo Shenyuan’s back with tears in her eyes. Yining felt a lump in her throat, indescribably frustrated.
Seeing Yining emerge, Luo Shenyuan finally relaxed slightly.
But then his gaze focused on Yining’s wrist.
Her skin was delicate, easily marked by the slightest pressure. Who had been grabbing her hand just now… Luo Shenyuan looked up, noticing something unusual about Cheng Lang today.
This man’s smile was always like a mask, invariably refined and mannerly. But now his eyes were slightly red, and his sleeves were wrinkled… What had they been doing inside?
Luo Shenyuan, expressionless, thought to himself as he stared coldly at Cheng Lang: “If this isn’t kidnapping, Lord Cheng, then no one in the world would dare call themselves a bandit. Release my sister, and I’ll release your guards. I imagine if I take one or two back for questioning, I could uncover some remarkable things. What does Lord Cheng think of this arrangement?”
Yining wanted to speak, but Cheng Lang held her back, preventing her from saying anything.
Luo Shenyuan’s lips curled into a faint smile: “Lord Cheng doesn’t agree? Then when the Shuntian Prefecture officials arrive, it might be difficult for Lord Cheng to explain.”
Cheng Lang knew that Luo Shenyuan didn’t want to involve the authorities. With his fiancée and sister in Cheng Lang’s hands, how would their reputations fare if this got out? That’s why he was negotiating here, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity by keeping the matter private. This had been Cheng Lang’s original plan too, which was why he dared to directly abduct Sun Congwan.
If it were before, he would have used Sun Congwan to bargain with Luo Shenyuan. But now that he knew Yining was her, and this matter might involve Yining, he dared not do anything that could potentially harm her.
What he had done before was already enough to make him despise himself.
Cheng Lang said, “Since this was a chance encounter, it’s only natural for Lord Luo to want to take his sister home. There’s no need to inform the authorities.” He lowered his head to speak to Yining, “You… go ahead for now. Once you’re back at the Wei Guogong mansion, I’ll come to find you.” Having just regained her, he truly didn’t want to leave her side for a moment, but Luo Shenyuan stood before them.
The two men were now like fire and water; Luo probably wouldn’t even let him enter the Luo family’s gate.
Luo Yining nodded and walked out from behind him. Qingqu and the others immediately surrounded her.
Luo Shenyuan’s expression darkened further. After leaving the teahouse and seeing the two women board the carriage, he prepared to get into the carriage in front.
At this moment, Sun Congwan lifted the carriage curtain and called out to him, saying softly, “Brother Shenyuan, thank you for your help this time. But I’m afraid I accidentally destroyed your letter…” Her face showed distress, “I don’t know what important things you wrote in that letter, but the situation was urgent. To prevent that person from taking it, Sister Yining grabbed it and tore it up. It’s all my fault.”
Hearing this, Luo Shenyuan knew that nothing had been accomplished, and the entire plan had failed. He had even lost the initiative in trying to rescue them. He said calmly, “It’s alright, I’ll just write it again. You’ve had a fright today, go home and rest now.”
Hearing Luo Shenyuan say this, Sun Congwan didn’t say anything more. She nodded with a slightly reddened face and obediently lowered the carriage curtain.
Yining, in the other carriage, silently watched all this before lowering her curtain.
She leaned back on the soft cushions of the carriage, her hands tightly clenched.
Luo Shenyuan parted ways with Yining and Sun Congwan, quickly returning to the mansion with Yining. The sun was just beginning to set. Yining alighted from the carriage and walked ahead with her maids, not wanting to say a word to him. Luo Shenyuan followed behind at a leisurely pace. When Yining entered her courtyard and was about to have the maids close the gate, Luo Shenyuan’s hand pushed through.
The maid was immediately frightened and didn’t dare close the door.
Luo Shenyuan walked in and looked at her, asking, “What’s wrong? Don’t want to see me now?” He had just rescued her from Cheng Lang’s hands.
Who knows what they did in that room, but Cheng Lang’s attitude towards her was different from before. He even wanted to see her again at the Wei Guogong mansion. With Cheng Lang’s sleeves so disheveled and the red marks on her wrists… Thinking of this, Luo Shenyuan stepped closer and immediately grabbed her hand, disregarding her protests.
Luo Yining didn’t want to see him. When he suddenly grabbed her hand, she immediately tried to break free, but this allowed her third brother to see the faint red marks on her wrist. Seeing this, he coldly asked, “Were you two so intimate in that room? Have you forgotten what happened last time? He stood by and did nothing while you were in danger!”
“Let go!” Yining couldn’t break free from his iron-like grip. Angry, her face flushed red. But in front of him, she was still like a child, without any strength to resist. Their struggle had already caught Zhenzhu’s attention, who quickly sent the young maids away.
Although they were siblings, they weren’t blood-related. Moreover, seeing the young master’s gaze and the tone of his voice…
It was better not to let these young maids stay nearby. Even she felt it was somewhat inappropriate; the young master’s behavior was hardly that of a brother towards a sister!
Yining, too angry to notice Luo Shenyuan’s unusual attitude towards her, failed to realize that this was not the gentle older brother from usual days. This Luo Shenyuan was closer to the Lord Luo who punished servants.
Backed up against the nanmu eight immortals table, with nowhere to go, she looked up at him and said, “This is all your scheme! The letter delivery, the kidnapping… it all started because of you!”
Others might not know, but she understood.
Hearing this, Luo Shenyuan gave a cold laugh. She was too close, too vivid when angry. Compared to that young girl from before, she had indeed grown up. Her waist was so slim, almost leaning against the table edge. If she bent any further, she might break. He said, “What do you mean by that?”