She wasn't sure how Cheng Zhiwen would react if he knew the original owner was dead, and she hadn't figured out how to explain her appearance yet.
But she wanted to tell him the truth.
She didn't know how much longer she had to live, so she wanted to tell him sooner rather than later, to put her mind at ease.
"I know." Cheng Zhiwen's voice was very calm, without any unusual emotion, as if the fact that she was not the original owner was just something within his understanding.
"And what about her? Where is she now?" The tone was so casual, as if he were talking about someone else's business.
Shen Qing tore off a large barb, the pain making her heart skip a beat: "She's gone... The first time she was arrested and brought to the county government, she was beaten with a cane in court, and then she died."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Cheng Zhiwen.
Cheng Zhiwen's hands, which had been hanging naturally at her sides, clenched into fists.
She turned to look into his eyes and saw that they were red-rimmed.
He was not completely unaffected by the original owner's death.
She didn't continue.
Firstly, she didn't want to explain where she came from, and secondly, she didn't want to provoke him, so she said instead, "Saving me this time will bring trouble upon yourself."
Although he replaced himself with another death row inmate, if someone later discovers that a death row inmate is in his home, he will be guilty of the heinous crime of harboring and protecting a death row inmate, punishable by beheading.
They might even exterminate nine generations of a family.
He risked his entire family's lives to save her this time.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing was suddenly filled with bitterness: "Why did you save me? Wouldn't it have been better to just let me be beheaded? There was no need to do this for me alone..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly leaned down and pressed her against the bed behind him.
He buried his face in her neck and asked, his voice trembling, "Why do you think I saved you?"
He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "I risked my whole family's lives to save you."
Shen Qing shook her head: "I don't know."
She wouldn't naively believe that it was because he loved her.
If it were love, she wouldn't have pushed her to Qi Zhenheng, nor would she have been separated for four years.
But if he had nothing to do with her, why would he save her time and time again, shoot Japanese soldiers for her, fight pirates for her, plead with Qing officials for her, and even risk his entire family's lives for her?
Shen Qing was also confused; her mind was a jumbled mess.
He buried his face in her neck for a while, then suddenly sat up and looked down at her.
My gaze traveled from her eyebrows and eyes to her nose and lips, paused for a moment, then returned to her eyes.
He stared at her blankly for a long time, then asked in a low voice, "Do you want to live?"
Shen Qing nodded without hesitation: "Yes."
His hand then reached for her hair bun, and with a gentle flick of his fingers, the clip securing the bun was pulled out.
His seaweed-like black hair spread out on the light gold silk sheets, striking his visual nerves.
He gazed at her rosy, slightly upturned lips, resisting the urge to look away.
His gaze, however, drifted uncontrollably to her collarbone, and he raised his hand to touch the vintage-style knotted buttons on it.
Finally, it was time to unbutton her clothes.
Shen Qing stared at him with wide, nervous eyes.
Could he be trying to have sex with me...?
"No!" Shen Qing raised her hand and pressed it down, shaking her head vigorously. "No!"
Cheng Zhiwen looked up at her, her hand neither moving down nor withdrawing.
Shen Qing had no idea what he was thinking, so she could only reiterate her bottom line: "You saved me, and I'm very grateful, but I don't want to thank you with my body. I'll leave at dawn and try my best to keep your involvement from anyone..."
She spoke faster and faster, and there was a hint of panic in her voice.
She really didn't want to have a relationship with him.
He curled his lips into a smile, his gaze returning to her Chinese clasp, his hand lingering on it: "You were a death row inmate. If I rescued you and it gets discovered, we'll both be guilty of a crime punishable by the extermination of our entire families. For you, not only the Gao family, but even your 'parents' in Yongzhou will be implicated. Given such danger, are you sure you want to leave here by dawn?"
Shen Qing's nerves twitched, and fear instantly gripped her neck, as if an executioner's knife was pressing against the back of her neck.
Having just escaped death, all I care about are the people I was most worried about before. I didn't have time to think about how I would survive now that I'm a death row inmate.
And how Cheng Zhiwen will protect herself after getting involved in this matter.
Thinking of all this, Shen Qing became increasingly uneasy and tense. She pressed Cheng Zhiwen's hand on her chest and slowly sat up. "I've been thinking about it, and you should break up with me as soon as possible. Otherwise, if someone sees us together, you will be implicated."
Cheng Zhiwen shook her head: "We can't separate."
“I won’t let you die a second time.” He pulled his hand away and got out of bed.
Shen Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief.
I saw him walk to the dresser opposite the bed, pick up a brown paper bag, and then walk back.
The paper bag was placed beside her: "You can't wear these clothes anymore. Change them."
Shen Qing opened the paper bag with a puzzled look and took out the clothes inside.
It's a khaki cashmere double-breasted fitted long dress with a brown round collar that turns outwards, creating a contrasting color effect that looks very sophisticated.
There was also a black fleece turtleneck undershirt, thick cotton socks, and a brown English top hat with a veil.
This is a traditional British winter outfit, quite aristocratic in style, which Shen Qing had seen in British dramas before.
She stood up, held the long dress against her body, and found the size to be just right; it was clearly bought to fit her figure.
Shen Qing looked at the dress she was wearing with surprise and said with a smile, "I was locked up for more than a month and I lost so much weight that I was unrecognizable. The clothes you bought fit me so well and didn't look too big at all."
Cheng Zhiwen didn't say anything.
Shen Qing continued to look at the long dress she was wearing, then suddenly came to her senses.
At that time, outside of Shanghai, it was still a feudal society. Wouldn't it attract attention to appear in an English-style long dress?
Logically speaking, it's not a good thing for her to be so high-profile as a death row inmate.
Shen Qing lowered her skirt and looked at Cheng Zhiwen with displeasure: "Why did you make me dress like this?"
Cheng Zhiwen retreated to a sofa not far away and sat down, staring intently at her.
As she gestured to the dress, he was reminded of their time together in London…
In the quiet of the hotel late at night, she sat astride his lap, wearing a silk nightgown…
Recalling that night, he suppressed the impulse in his body and calmly said, "From today onwards, you are no longer Shen Qing, nor are you a Jiangzhou native."
Your name is Zhu Shining, and you were my classmate when I was studying in the United States. Tomorrow at noon, a British cruise ship bound for Shanghai will dock at Ningbo Port. I have arranged for you to board the ship secretly and disembark at Shanghai Port, where I and several reporters will greet you.
In just a few words, Shen Qing's new identity was clearly explained.
Shen Qing was a little confused. She sat back on the bed, thought for a moment, and asked, "I know why you wanted to change my identity. It's because Shen Qing has already been beheaded as a death row inmate, and I will be a different person afterward. But why arrange for reporters? Shouldn't I keep a low profile?"
It is best to hide away, live a secluded life, and remain unknown to the world.
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