In the dim light, he saw the face clearly. It wasn't Sang Wenyin! It was the maid named Cuiyan!
His pupils suddenly contracted, and there was no expression on his face, only a trace of extremely complex understanding flashed across the depths of his eyes.
When Cui Yan saw that he recognized her, she struggled even harder and tears streamed down her face.
She tried her best to signal him with her eyes, and pointed hard at her hands that were tied behind her back, meaning that he should untie the rope and take off the gag.
Yao Zhenyun just looked at her quietly, as if he was watching a farce that had nothing to do with him. He didn't make any movements, and there was not even a trace of emotion in his eyes.
Cui Yan was so anxious that she twisted her body desperately, trying to get closer to Yao Zhenyun. The whimpering in her throat turned into a roar that was almost like collapse.
She shook her head violently, and actually knocked off half of the cloth stuffed in her mouth!
"Master... Master Cousin!" Cui Yan gasped for breath, her voice hoarse and filled with tears and extreme fear. "It wasn't me! It was the young lady! The young lady knocked me out and tied me up. She changed my clothes and ran away! She went to find that Liao guy! Quick! Turn around! Go back and tell the lady! The young lady ran away! She ran away!"
She was incoherent, her face was covered with tears and snot, and the wound on her forehead started bleeding again due to excitement, and the blood mixed with her tears flowed down.
Yao Zhenyun remained silent.
There was no expression of surprise on his face, as if Cui Yan's crying only confirmed a guess that had already existed in his mind.
He even leaned back slightly, changing to a more comfortable sitting position, his eyes falling on Cui Yan's tear-stained face, as if he was admiring an interesting object.
Cui Yan was completely crushed by his indifference. "Cousin! Please! Please!" she cried, her voice piercing. "Let me go! Let me go back and tell the news! Otherwise, Madam will beat me to death! The young lady ran away... Madam will kill me! Cousin! I kowtow to you! Please..."
She struggled to kneel up, but she was tied so tightly that she could only twist in vain.
Yao Zhenyun finally moved.
He slowly and methodically pulled out a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve.
The handkerchief was soft and shone coldly in the dim light. He leaned forward, his movements neither hurried nor slow, yet with an irresistible force.
Cui Yan watched him approach in horror, watching his hand holding the handkerchief reaching out towards her.
"No..." She shook her head desperately, trying to avoid it.
Yao Zhenyun's hand firmly grasped her chin, not with much force, but enough to prevent her from breaking free.
He ignored the great fear and pleading in Cui Yan's eyes and stuffed the soft handkerchief back into her mouth.
“Woo——!!!” Cui Yan’s pupils dilated instantly, and a desperate howl that was completely blocked burst out from her throat.
Yao Zhenyun let go of his hand without even looking at Cui Yan's face, which had turned purple due to suffocation and fear.
He bent down to pick up the large red veil that had fallen on the carriage floor. The glaring red color looked particularly eerie in the dim light.
He shook off the dust on it, and then gently covered Cui Yan's head with it.
Yao Zhenyun sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, as if the suffocating struggle and whimpering in the car had never existed.
There was only the monotonous sound of wheels rolling over the road.
The wheels rolled over the rugged dirt road, and the rumbling sound seemed endless, echoing far away in the dark night.
The prosperity of Jindu has long been left behind, and the surroundings are the dark outlines of mountains and wilderness. The occasional cry of an owl pierces the silence, adding a bit of desolation to the wilderness.
There was dead silence in the carriage.
Cui Yan curled up on the cushion in the corner, her whole body almost wrapped in the heavy wedding dress.
Her hands and feet were still tied tightly, and the handkerchief in her mouth was stuffed tightly, causing pain in the corners of her mouth and numbness in her cheeks.
From the moment she was tied up and stuffed into a box in the early morning to the moment she was roughly sent onto the wedding car, she had not eaten or drunk anything the entire day. Her strength to hold on had been exhausted by now, and she fell into a deep sleep.
A hint of overbearing and rich fragrance suddenly penetrated her nostrils.
It’s the aroma of meat!
The salty and fresh taste mixed with grease and the wheaty aroma of white flour domineeringly awakened her sinking hunger.
Cui Yan sniffed sharply in the dark, and a slight "gurgling" sound came out of her blocked throat.
The scent was closer.
She could hear the faint sound of chewing, close by.
The heavy eyelids struggled to lift a crack.
A small glass lantern was lit in the corner of the dim carriage, giving off a dim light.
In the light and shadow, Yao Zhenyun's brand new wedding gown was a dazzling red. He didn't seem to look at her directly, but just sat there leisurely, holding a steaming bun in his hand.
He deliberately put the bun under his nose, sniffed it, and then, seemingly unintentionally, fanned the fragrance in the direction where she was curled up.
Cui Yan's breathing became rapid, her eyes were fixed on the bun, and her body was driven by instinct, trying to struggle forward.
She let out a very soft whimper.
"Awake?" Yao Zhenyun finally looked at her straight in the eye, his eyes calm and still, as if he was looking at an object.
He didn't put down the bun in his hand, and his voice was particularly clear and cold amid the sound of the wheels. "Are you hungry? Do you know what this bun is filled with? It's made of top-quality, tender pork, chopped finely, and it's fragrant and oily. Take a bite..."
He paused deliberately, watching Cui Yan's body tense up even more. "This is truly the ultimate feeling in the world."
Cui Yan's eyes were instantly filled with tears.
Yao Zhenyun shifted his gaze from the humble and trembling body to the pitch-black outside separated by the thick curtains.
"Your dear master, the Miss Sang whom you risked your life to protect—Sang Wenyin," he said, his voice pausing ever so slightly before returning to its icy calm. "Right now, she's probably nestled in the arms of her deeply devoted Liao Lingxi, so warm and soft that she's probably forgotten even your name. She feels as if the sky is high and the sea is vast, and she's finally found freedom."
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