"It was only in the evening when I saw King Hu welcoming you inside, so I was naturally surprised."
After Zhu Jiayu finished speaking, she was about to continue walking forward when she heard Rong Heng say, "Is that so?"
"But why do I feel that's not the case?"
"How so?" Zhu Jiayu retorted. "Does Young Master Rong think that I can guess you're not dead just from that hanging screen?"
Rong Heng suddenly stared at her intently: "The hanging screen was indeed a gift from me, but I instructed them not to tell you my identity or name. So how did you know, Miss Zhu, that the hanging screen was made by me? Was it because of that red string?"
Zhu Jiayu's eyes darkened slightly, and she was about to defend herself, but Rong Heng had already seen it.
He raised his hand to stop her from speaking, and then said, "Speaking of this, I would like to ask Miss Zhu, about that time in Songjiang City, I heard that Wei Qinglou had searched for my whereabouts all over the city but could not find me and had given up. It was you who suggested that we go to the vicinity of the Mian River to investigate. You know that I am good at swimming?"
His expression suddenly changed, and he raised his hand fiercely to grab her neck: "Who exactly are you?"
Seeing that Zhu Jiayu was still looking at him with a smile in her eyes, he couldn't help but gradually tighten his fingers.
What Zhu Jiayu demonstrated went far beyond simply being good at understanding people's hearts.
She knew him very well.
He had someone send her a hanging screen, and the red string tied to it bore his unique mark, which even his closest subordinates might not know.
His proficiency in swimming stemmed from a near-drowning incident in a river during his childhood, after which he painstakingly learned to swim and hold his breath. This is a fact that few people know.
But she knew both of those things.
Zhu Jiayu closed her eyes, feeling as if her internal organs were being squeezed tightly. All her senses were rendered useless, swept away and overwhelmed by waves of pain. A feeling of suffocation washed over her; she felt like a drowning person, or a fish stranded in a dry rut, having lost all means of survival. All she could do was wait to die.
No, perhaps she could beg for mercy.
But she made all these efforts because she was already prepared to fight Rong Heng to the death. Now, she would rather die than live a wretched life in his hands.
In the end, it was Rong Heng who let go of her hand.
Instantly, fresh air rushed into her mouth and nose. She opened her eyes, and glistening tears welled up in them. She gasped for breath, her body collapsing to the ground as she could no longer support herself. A wave of dizziness and nausea swirled around her, nausea she couldn't swallow or vomit.
Zhu Jiayu couldn't suppress her normal physiological reaction, but even so, she still forced herself to endure it, raising her head to look at the handsome young man under the moon. His shadow fell to the ground, like a ferocious and menacing monster.
She said in a hoarse voice, "Rong Heng, if you don't kill me today, you will surely die by my hand one day."
Rong Heng stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with pity: "Is that so? Then I'll be waiting for you."
"I've said it before, I won't bully women."
Having shed his initial pretense, he looked at Zhu Jiayu without any emotional attachment. As for pity, it wasn't unique to Zhu Jiayu.
He was exceptionally intelligent and skillful; many people toil their entire lives but cannot match his planning over a few years.
Despite his pitiful and lamentable state, he still possessed a warm heart, and naturally, compassion often lingered in his eyes.
Zhu Jiayu sneered, but said nothing more and turned to leave.
From beginning to end, he didn't ask Zhu Jiayu why she was there.
After he had walked quite a distance, Tao Yao, who was hiding in the shadows, jogged over and helped Zhu Jiayu up.
She stared at his retreating figure and calmly asked Zhu Jiayu, "Who was that?"
Zhu Jiayu shook her head.
She had recovered and said softly to Tao Yao, "Help me back. You came to see me because you must have something to tell me."
Tao Yao gritted her teeth and obeyed her, helping her into the house.
Many buyers live in the east courtyard. If they stay in the courtyard for too long, it won't be good if the people who are having a banquet in the front hall come back and see them.
Once inside, Tao Yao poured her a cup of hot tea: "He's already found out what you asked Chu Yun to inquire about. He sent me to ask you what your plans are next. He'll be here for a long time, so he might be able to help you."
"Does he know who I am?" Zhu Jiayu asked rhetorically.
Tao Yao pursed her lips: "I don't know. I didn't tell him."
After a while, she finally understood what Zhu Jiayu meant, and immediately her face turned cold: "You don't trust him?"
Zhu Jiayu looked at her and said only, "One should always be wary of others."
Tao Yao smiled, but her voice was as cold as ice: "Then why do you want me to go find him? He took a lot of risks to do these things!"
Zhu Jiayu sighed: "Because I trust your judgment of people, we're all in the same boat. As for him, it's always better to be cautious. Besides, isn't he doing all this so he can leave here as soon as possible? Tell him that I need to think about how to implement the plan, and I'll let him know when I have a clear idea."
Tao Yao took a deep breath and told herself to stay calm.
They are now truly in the same boat, and she cannot act rashly; she cannot bear the consequences of impulsiveness.
She turned around, poured herself a cup of tea, took a few sips, and then asked Zhu Jiayu, "I've helped you. What do you plan to do with me after I leave?"
She lowered her eyes, staring at the tips of her shoes: "I don't want to go to jail."
Fearing that Zhu Jiayu might misunderstand her meaning, she quickly added, "From now on, I will practice vegetarianism and do good deeds, helping the poor and needy; I can also work hard to support the families of the women I have abducted. In short, I am willing to do whatever you ask," she repeated, "but I don't want to go to jail."
She told Chu Yun that after leaving Li Sanba, she found an opportunity to escape from him. Over the years, she worked as a maid in a wealthy family's mansion, and she also listened to him and tried to be a good person.
Chu Yun believed it too.
He was the only person in the world who believed she was a good person.
If she goes to jail, he will know what she has been doing all these years.
She didn't want to disappoint him.
Zhu Jiayu stared at her intently for a long while before saying, "You deserve a lot of credit for their ability to leave here. Why not atone for your sins by staying by my side? I'll find someone to teach you to read and write, but your monthly allowance must be given entirely to the families who have lost their daughters, as you've said. You must also help the poor and do good deeds. If I discover you've done anything wrong, I will still take you to the authorities. How about that?"
Tao Yao blinked, heard voices coming from the courtyard, and turned to run out.
Only after running out of the east courtyard and returning to her own room did she bury herself in the blankets and burst into tears.
She was really wrong.
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