Chapter 82 Where is Ping An Fu?

Ruan Xingzhu lowered her eyes, enduring the lingering pain in her hand. Finally, the iron grip disappeared, but before she could recover, Gu Yun'an's sudden action made her gasp in surprise.

This is outside, on a side street; who knows when someone might suddenly appear? What if someone sees this intimate scene?

Her mind was in complete chaos, her body thrashed about instinctively, and her voice carried a hint of urgency.

"Fourth brother, put me down!"

However, Gu Yun'an seemed to ignore her completely, only letting out a cold snort before carrying her straight towards his carriage.

Ruan Xingzhu struggled for a long time, but found it was all in vain. Helplessly, she buried her head in his broad chest, wanting to hide herself and not let others see her current predicament.

Fortunately, no one passed by along the way. When they arrived in front of the carriage, Sheng Que, who had been waiting nearby, quickly lifted the curtain.

Gu Yun'an gently placed Ruan Xingzhu inside, the movement seemingly gentle, yet carrying an unyielding force.

Before Ruan Xingzhu could even straighten her disheveled clothes, Gu Yun'an barged in like an angry lion.

Because she had buried her face in his chest earlier, Ruan Xingzhu's cheeks were flushed with a blush like the sunset, making her look extremely beautiful in the dimly lit carriage.

Feeling Gu Yun'an's forceful intrusion, she subconsciously took a step back, her eyes filled with fear and unease.

Before she could take a few steps back, the man's strong arm grabbed her waist and dragged her back roughly.

Gu Yun'an moved closer to her, his hands gripping her waist like iron hoops, giving her no chance to retreat. He exuded a fierce aura, like the calm before a storm, as if he would devour her completely at any moment.

"You want to leave?"

He asked coldly, his voice seemingly coming from the deepest hell, chilling to the bone, his eyes filled with a fierce red, almost on the verge of madness.

Yesterday she kept saying she would bring him a lucky charm, but now it seems those words were just flattery.

A deep fear flashed across Ruan Xingzhu's eyes. She knew Gu Yun'an had misunderstood her, and her heart pounded with anxiety. She quickly tried to explain, "No..."

But before she could finish speaking, Gu Yun'an suddenly moved closer to her again, almost touching her face.

"Didn't you say you'd pray for a peace charm for me?" she pressed again, "Where's the peace charm?"

Ruan Xingzhu subconsciously reached out to take the amulet she had carefully put away, but Gu Yun'an seemed to give her no chance at all.

The next moment, his lips pressed against hers like a storm, silencing her urgent explanations.

Ruan Xingzhu couldn't help but sob, her heart filled with shame and helplessness.

This was inside a carriage, and Sheng Que was guarding outside. The immense shame of being overheard made her desperately push Gu Yun'an away, her hands raining down on him.

Sensing her strong resistance, Gu Yun'an showed no sign of stopping. Instead, he grabbed her arm and lifted it above her head, as if imprisoning a helpless little bird.

It was at this moment that Ruan Xingzhu escaped from his mouth. However, her hands were firmly locked, and a feeling of shame overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. She had no choice but to turn her face away, not daring to look at him.

Little did she know that her tilting of her head was like pouring oil on an already raging fire, causing an even stronger chill to rise in the eyes of the already frenzied man.

Gu Yun'an's expression instantly turned terrifyingly fierce. He tightly locked her hand with one hand, making her unable to move at all, while his other hand gripped her jaw tightly, as if he wanted to crush it. He forcefully turned her face back, forcing her to face him.

Tears welled up in Ruan Xingzhu's eyes, threatening to spill over. Her head shook violently; she was terrified that Gu Yun'an would take her right there.

Sensing her resistance, which was like that of a frightened bird, Gu Yun'an not only did not relax his grip, but instead tightened his grip even more. His originally dark and deep eyes gradually turned a terrifying red, and his tone was like a warning from hell.

"Xingzhu has probably forgotten who brought you back."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu's resistant body suddenly froze, and her thoughts seemed to be instantly pulled back to that bitterly cold winter.

On that street where she almost froze to death, it was Gu Yun'an who reached out to her and brought her back.

Because of the excruciating pain from his grip on her chin, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled out uncontrollably, slowly sliding down her cheeks and finally landing on Gu Yun'an's cold, thin hand.

That single, warm tear seemed to carry endless grievances and helplessness, making Gu Yun'an suddenly realize that she was crying.

A complex look flashed in his eyes, a look that seemed to linger from that long-lost winter, and for some reason, he loosened his grip.

But his eyes still held a steadfast determination. "You said you'd be mine for life."

As he finished speaking, he slowly leaned down, his movements gentle yet possessing an undeniable domineering force, and gently kissed away her tears.

Then, his kisses, like fine spring rain, gently fell on her cheeks, eyelashes, and brow, finally settling on her delicate lips once more.

His thin lips were cool, pressing against her red lips again and again, as if he wanted to convey all his anger, grievances, and love to her through this kiss. The kiss grew more and more forceful, until Ruan Xingzhu felt a faint numbness on her lips, but he had no intention of letting her go.

Ruan Xingzhu's thoughts were somewhat stagnant at this moment, as if the whole world was reduced to only his kiss and the thunderous pounding of her own heart.

When she finally realized what he was going to do, the shame and guilt she felt towards him surged up like a tidal wave, making her head feel like it was about to explode.

The carriage cushions weren't soft, and they chafed her, making her feel a little sore. She dared not make a sound, biting her lip tightly, afraid that passersby would hear.

Her eyes were tightly closed, as if that would allow her to return to the house instead of being in this carriage, which made her feel so ashamed she wanted to disappear.

However, the clear chirping of birds in the forest and the creaking of the turning cartwheels relentlessly reminded her of her awkward situation, making her feel increasingly ashamed.

At that time, Gu Qingxu was about to go to the back mountain to find Ruan Xingzhu, but before she could take a few steps, she was suddenly informed by Sheng Que that Ruan Xingzhu had been taken away by Gu Yun'an, and that she should go back on her own.

Gu Qingxu was speechless upon hearing this, and couldn't help but think to herself, "She's so worried about her, as if she's afraid she won't send the person back."

After an unknown amount of time, when the carriage finally came to a stop, it was already getting dark.

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow.

Ruan Xingzhu almost fainted. Her consciousness was blurred. She didn't know when she returned to the Gu residence. She only knew that when she slowly woke up, her clothes had been changed to clean and tidy ones.

She slowly looked down at the clothes she was wearing. In that hazy state of mind, she seemed to vaguely remember that Gu Yun'an had carefully helped her change into these clothes after bathing her.

Her clothes were fairly neat, and he must have combed her hair for her; she looked no different from usual.

But the waves of soreness emanating from her body were like the whispers of a demon, constantly reminding Ruan Xingzhu of what had happened in the carriage in the mountains.

Her throat was terribly dry and hoarse, as if it had been scorched by fire, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

She forced herself out of bed, her body aching and weak. Her steps were a little unsteady. She drank several cups of tea in succession. The cool liquid slowly flowed down her throat, which made her dry and hoarse voice feel a little better.

After the day in the carriage, Ruan Xingzhu lay in bed for several days, and her strength gradually returned.

Strangely enough, she never saw Gu Yun'an again after that day, and even the familiar warm embrace at night was nowhere to be found.

It was as if Gu Yun'an had vanished from her world overnight, leaving her alone in this empty room, savoring those complex and bitter memories.

On this day, when she wanted to go out to buy some personal items for young ladies, she was stopped by her maid.

"The young master has decreed that from now on, the young lady must remain in the manor and is not allowed to go out." The maid relayed Gu Yun'an's words verbatim.

Ruan Xingzhu's heart skipped a beat, but it only lasted a few seconds before she accepted the offer. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, "Then please help me buy some personal items for a young lady."

"Young Master has already instructed that it be sent to Huaiju," the maid replied quickly, her tone still as respectful as ever.

Hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu said nothing more and silently retreated. After returning to her room, she sat quietly by the window, looking at the scenery outside, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

In the following days, Gu Yun'an continued to leave early and return late. Even when he came back, he would rush into his study, ignoring her completely. Every time Ruan Xingzhu saw his hurried figure entering the study, her heart would clench as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

Gu Yun'an is right. If it weren't for his help back then, I would have died in the streets long ago. I have lived a life of comfort and ease in the Gu family all these years, but now I am not satisfied and still want to leave. I am always deliberately avoiding him. I really shouldn't have done that.

After careful consideration, Ruan Xingzhu personally went to the kitchen to cook a pot of nourishing bird's nest, filled a bowl with it, and then carried it to the study.

Sheng Que was waiting in front of the study door as usual. When Sheng Que saw the bird's nest in her hand, she subconsciously assumed that Sheng Que was going to take it in herself, and her hand unconsciously reached out.

Ruan Xingzhu gently shook her head, insisting on carrying it herself, and said, "Please go and inform them that I would like to deliver it in personally."

A hint of surprise flashed in Sheng Que's eyes, but he didn't hesitate and quickly turned to go to the study to deliver the message. Ruan Xingzhu stood quietly in place, waiting for his figure to deliver the message, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

In the past, there was no need to be so careful. Wouldn't I have just happily sent him in and then chatted and laughed intimately with Gu Yun'an?

But now, everything seems to have changed.

A moment later, Sheng Que came out, but with a hesitant look on her face, and said, "Young Master said he is a little tired, please go back, Miss."

Ruan Xingzhu paused, clearly not expecting Gu Yun'an to reject her so decisively. This was the first time she had been turned away by Gu Yun'an.

She glanced down at the bird's nest she had carefully prepared, and then thought about Gu Yun'an's indifference towards her these past few days. A strange bitterness welled up in her heart, like eating an unripe fruit; the sour taste spread through her heart and lingered for a long time.