Chapter 69 A Secret Meeting with the Person Who Came to Save Her—It Was Actually Cui Ying

The next day, the sky was clear and the wind was gentle.

Qin Wan sat alone by the window, her slender white fingers twisting silk threads as she meticulously finished an embroidered screen depicting mandarin ducks playing in the water.

The maid Qiuci stood to the side, looking at the lifelike mandarin ducks on the screen, and couldn't help but exclaim: "Miss's skills have become more and more refined. These mandarin ducks look as if they will swim out of the screen at any moment. If you ask me, all the young ladies in the capital combined probably can't match half of your embroidery skills."

Upon hearing this, Qin Wan smiled bitterly and said softly, "It's nothing more than icing on the cake. In this high-class family, one's birth determines everything. No matter how good one's embroidery skills are, what future can they bring?"

Her tone was indifferent, but the loneliness within it was quite obvious. After a moment of silence, she gently pierced the eye socket of the mandarin duck with an embroidery needle, dotting its eyes, and asked as if casually, "By the way, has there been any movement at Qiyun Pavilion recently?"

Qiu Ci glanced at the corridor, making sure no one was there, and replied in a low voice, "Reporting to Miss, there is still no definite news. The rumors spread by the servants are all over the place. Some say that Seventh Master went to Huizhou to deal with old matters, while others say that he went to Shu to buy oranges for the young mistress. It's all a mix of truth and falsehood, and no one can say for sure."

Upon hearing "buy oranges for the young mistress," Qin Wan felt as if her heart had been gently pricked by a fine needle. It wasn't exactly painful, but the aftertaste was exceptionally bittersweet.

Xiao Qiyu's handsome, aloof face reappeared before her eyes.

Such a good husband, from a distinguished family, talented and handsome, yet he was infatuated with the spoiled and ignorant Cui Ying.

She couldn't help but think that if she had Cui Ying's background and luck, and was matched with such a good man, she would definitely devote all her gentleness and consideration to him, wholeheartedly assisting him, respecting him and loving him.

How could he be like Cui Ying, making him travel all the way from Sichuan to buy oranges for no reason? It's simply unreasonable.

Qin Wan felt both envy and jealousy. When she thought of how Xiao Qiyu had humiliated her by mentioning her birth mother's background, she also felt a sense of resentment for not being able to have what she wanted.

Several emotions mixed together, like an annoying little worm, slowly and steadily gnawing at her heart.

As a result, she accidentally pricked her fingertip with a bit too much force, and bright red blood oozed from her fingertip.

Qiu Ci cried out in surprise and was about to pinch her wound when Dong Qu tiptoed in.

Upon reaching Qin Wan, Dong Qu took out a neatly folded letter from her sleeve and said in a low voice, "Miss, this was secretly given to me by Brother Yu Lu just now. He said he must give it to you personally."

Yu Lu was Xiao Qiyu's personal servant.

Qin Wan's eyes lit up instantly, and she was completely unaware of the pain in her fingertips. In just a moment, a million thoughts surged through her mind, and her breath trembled uncontrollably.

She suppressed her barely contained excitement, reached out and took the letter, eagerly unfolding the paper, her fingertips trembling slightly.

After reading the letter, a faint blush rose to Qin Wan's fair face, and her originally dull eyes became bright and moist. Looking at Dong Qu, she asked repeatedly, "Is this letter really... really given to you by Yu Lu herself? Did you see it clearly? Did he... did he say anything else?"

Just as Dong Qu was about to speak, Qin Wan stopped her again, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if afraid that this was just a fleeting dream.

After catching her breath, Qin Wan opened her eyes and said, "Go and get my treasured crimson-purple satin dress with gold cloud patterns."

Her fingers tightened slightly as she held the letter, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "I'll go there myself and ask him what he really means."

Qiu Ci and Dong Qu exchanged a glance, seeing suspicion in each other's eyes.

Qiu Ci hesitated before speaking, "Miss, going out is no small matter. Perhaps we should inform Madam in advance—"

“There’s no need to say anything,” Qin Wan said, having already stood up. She walked lightly to the dressing mirror, lingered among the hair ornaments on the table for a moment, and finally picked up a gold filigree butterfly hairpin, gesturing at it in her hair. “You must keep today’s events a secret for me. No one can tell anyone.”

Before Qiu Ci could speak again, Qin Wan said, "Your hairstyle doesn't look good today. Take it down and restyle it."

...

Half an hour later, Qin Wan quietly left the mansion through a side gate. To avoid being discovered, she even sent Qiu Ci to hire a carriage from outside.

Upon arriving at the inn specified in the letter, Qin Wan entered the inn alone, without even bringing a maid. Led by the innkeeper, she found the "Tian" room at the far end of the second floor, gently pushed open the door, and went inside.

The moment Qin Wan pushed open the door, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

She thought she had finally found a way out.

Just when he thought that the clouds had parted and the moon was shining through, Xiao Qiyu finally saw her good qualities.

She thought that her waiting had finally paid off.

But what followed was not the usual fresh scent of soapberry that the boy usually wore, but a greasy, smoky smell.

In the dimly lit room, Qin Wan did not see the figure she had been longing for day and night.

The table was laden with food and wine, and a young man dressed in fine clothes with a smile sat in the seat of honor. His face seemed familiar, yet he was not quite familiar with him.

"Sister Qin, it's been a long time." Qian Peng tucked his folding fan into his waistband, stood up, and bowed to Qin Wan.

The shyness and anticipation on Qin Wan's face vanished instantly, leaving her deathly pale.

She instinctively took a step back, carefully examined Qian Peng's appearance, and exclaimed in astonishment, "You are... Third Sister-in-law's brother?"

Before Qian Peng could even get up, Qin Wan let out a long sigh of relief: "I suppose I went to the wrong place. Please forgive me, Young Master Qian. I'll head out now."

But when she turned to leave, the door seemed to be locked and she couldn't open it no matter what she did.

Qin Wan instinctively sensed something was wrong and immediately pounded on the door, shouting, "Let me out! I've come to the wrong door!"

Qian Peng straightened up leisurely and approached her step by step. His smile became more and more frivolous, revealing the smugness of a successful scheme. He said lightly, "Sister Qin, stop calling. You haven't come to the wrong door. The person waiting for you is me. I also had Yu Lu deliver that letter to your maid."

The color drained completely from Qin Wan's face. She turned to look at Qian Peng warily, muttering incredulously, "How could it be you? Shouldn't it be..."

"Who is it? Xiao Qilang?"

Qian Peng spoke in a flippant tone, his gaze sweeping unabashedly over Qin Wan's meticulously dressed body. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with a blatant shrewdness, and his smile was arrogant: "My dear sister, the letter didn't bear the name Xiao Qiyu. How do you know it must be him? Besides, what's so great about that Xiao Qi? Apart from being a bit younger and handsome, how can he compare to his brother? If you submit to me today, I guarantee you endless riches and glory in the future."

Qin Wan's mind went blank for a moment, and she instantly realized that she had fallen into a trap.

She shook the door frantically, shouting "Help!"

Qian Peng walked up behind her without her noticing and stroked her cheek with his hand.

Qin Wan, like a frightened bird, recoiled from his touch in terror, her back pressed tightly against the cold door panel, her voice trembling: "What do you want to do!"

Qian Peng's gaze was murky and greedy, his eyes tracing down her face to her neckline. He licked his purplish-red lips and said, "Good sister, you'll soon find out what I want to do."

On the other side.

Cui Ying stepped onto the inn's escalator and expertly instructed the waiter: "Same as always, get me a set of men's clothing and a fast horse. Keep the rest of the money for your own drinks."

The waiter agreed attentively and handled the money skillfully, bending down to the ground and stretching out his hand two zhang long: "Honorable guest, please come to the private room! The manager has prepared West Lake Longjing tea in advance. Everything will be ready soon, please wait a moment."

Cui Ying casually agreed and strode up to the second-floor corridor.

Just as she was about to lift her leg, she heard a woman crying and screaming. She frowned instinctively: "Did I come to the wrong place? When did you start forcing women into prostitution?"

The waiter laughed and said, "I don't know about that. Anyway, it's their private matter, and it's none of our business."

Cui Ying ignored all that and, disregarding the shopkeeper's attempts to stop her, strode toward the sound of crying.

The closer she got, the more familiar the crying sounded. Without thinking about who it could be, she saw the two locked doors and kicked them open.

Cui Ying was no match for Xiao Qiyu in strength, but he had still withstood three moves from the Turkic wolf guards. With this kick, the inn door shook violently, and the lock was instantly knocked open.

She rushed into the room and immediately saw Qin Wan struggling on the bed, and Qian Peng on top of Qin Wan, tearing at Qin Wan's clothes.

Cui Ying felt her blood rushing upwards, and without thinking, she rushed forward, ripped Qian Peng away, and threw him aside like a rag.

Qian Peng fell to the ground with a cry, rubbing his aching back. He looked up and saw that it was Cui Ying, and instantly came to his senses.

But at that moment, he was driven by lust, and while he was afraid, he also felt an unprecedented thrill. With a lewd grin on his face, he got up and walked shakily toward Cui Ying, saying, "I wasn't satisfied, and now a little beauty has come to me. She delivered herself to my door, so don't blame me for being ruthless later—"

Before he could utter the last word, Cui Ying had already kicked him in the groin.

With a scream like a pig being slaughtered, Qian Peng turned into Qian Peng. Not only did his face turn a deep purplish-red from extreme pain, but countless tiny blood spots suddenly appeared under the skin of his neck.

He clutched his groin with both hands, first bending over in pain, then collapsing to the ground, trembling violently from the pain, his breath ragged, and his teeth biting his lips until they bled.

Cui Ying didn't bother to look at him, focusing only on Qin Wan's condition.

Once she confirmed that Qin Wan was unharmed and still able to move, she yelled at the doorman, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and fetch a cloak and hood!"

The waiter nodded repeatedly and scrambled away.

On the ground, Qian Peng glared angrily at Cui Ying, who was tidying Qin Wan's clothes. He struggled to raise the censor's badge from his waist, his words laced with pain: "Cui Ying, how dare you! I am... a censor appointed by the Censorate, I, I..."

"What do you mean, 'you'?!"

Cui Ying kicked him twice more, snatched the plaque from his hand, and said, "You're unworthy of your position and you still have the nerve to brag about it? With someone like you around, I'm ashamed for the Censorate. Just die already."

As they were talking, the waiter brought over the cloak and veil.

Cui Ying draped a cloak over Qin Wan and placed a veil on her head to ensure that no one could see her from head to toe before leading Qin Wan out of the room, through the corridor, and to her usual private room.

Inside the private room.

Wisps of smoke drifted from the glass incense burner, mingling with the aroma of tea.

Cui Ying poured Qin Wan a full cup of hot tea and handed it to her, saying, "Don't cry. Since that bastard didn't succeed, you've escaped death. You should be grateful."

Qin Wan couldn't stop her tears, not only because she was almost defiled by that beast Qian Peng, but also because the person who came to save her when she was in despair was actually Cui Ying.

It wasn't the man she longed for day and night, but Cui Ying.

Fear, shame, and lingering fear intertwined, making it impossible for Qin Wan to calm down.

“If you keep crying, the tea will get cold.” Cui Ying feigned regret. “We’ve already spent money, don’t waste it.”

Qin Wan then trembled as she picked up the teacup and took a small sip of tea.

The warm tea flowed down my throat and into my stomach, bringing warmth to my whole body and dispelling some of the lingering fear.

"Are you feeling better?" Cui Ying tilted her head to look at her face.

The private room faces south and is bathed in excellent light. The dazzling autumn sunlight filters through the autumn-colored mica window paper, casting a soft glow on Cui Ying's profile, making every strand of hair shimmer. His amber pupils are as beautiful as pearls and jade.

She had also sneaked out today, still wearing the maid's uniform of the Marquis's mansion, with her hair in two buns, pink tassels hanging down from the buns and swaying by her ears.

Qin Wan nodded gently, looked up and met Cui Ying's gaze, and tears suddenly welled up again.

"You shouldn't have saved me."

Qin Wan lowered her head deeply, her hands tightly clutching the fabric on her knees. Almost with thoughts of self-destruction, she said with tears streaming down her face, "I thought, I thought the person sitting in that room was Seventh Brother, so I went in."

"I...I was planning to meet your husband in secret!"

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Author's note: Six thousand words completed!