Chapter 119 Nervous Ayao
Meng Jinyao and Song Xinning had dinner on a painted boat and enjoyed the night view of the lake.
The pleasure boat was stocked with fruit wine for the guests. On a whim, the two of them had a few drinks and chatted about the interesting things that had happened in various families in the capital recently. They were quite pleased with themselves.
Time passed unnoticed, and by the time the painted boat docked and they disembarked, it was already 11:45 PM.
At this time, most of the tourists on the lake had left, and there were far fewer pedestrians strolling through the night market, making the area seem somewhat deserted.
Song Xinning glanced at the scattered painted boats on the lake and said in surprise, "We got carried away and chatted for a while. I didn't expect it to be so late. But it's been a long time since we've had such a pleasant chat."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "A-Ning, let's go back to the manor first and make an appointment another day. Otherwise, if we keep chatting, it will be midnight by the time we get home."
Song Xinning replied, "Sigh, it's time to go back. Luckily, my mother went to my maternal grandparents' house, otherwise she would have nagged me again if I went back so late."
The two parted ways and went their separate ways home.
On the carriage.
Meng Jinyao leaned against a large, soft pillow and closed her eyes to rest. Although the fruit wine she drank tonight was delicious, it had a strong aftereffect. She had drunk several glasses, and now her head was dizzy. She fell asleep soon after.
Seeing this, Qingqiu and Ningdong exchanged a glance and sighed almost imperceptibly.
Even if the wife appears calm and indifferent, they understand that she can't be completely indifferent. Her husband's heart is with another woman, and as a wife, she feels somewhat uncomfortable and depressed, which is why she drank a few more glasses of fruit wine.
If she had a choice, the lady would definitely choose a husband who would cherish, love, respect, and protect her. After all, before getting married, the lady, like other girls about to get married, had looked forward to a harmonious and sweet life after marriage. She had both confusion and longing for married life, but the result was not satisfactory.
To ensure she could sleep peacefully, Qingqiu instructed the driver to drive slowly.
The carriage traveled slowly, taking twice as long to return to the Marquis of Changxing's residence. By the time the carriage stopped at the main gate, it was already midnight.
Meng Jinyao was still asleep when Qingqiu woke her up. She wanted to continue sleeping, but after Qingqiu called her several times, she reluctantly opened her eyes and was helped off the carriage by two maids.
After getting off the carriage, Meng Jinyao was about to ask Ningdong to knock on the door when she looked up and saw that the door was wide open. A tall and elegant man was standing at the door, and a servant was standing respectfully beside him.
Gu Jingxi?
Meng Jinyao instantly sobered up a bit and stared blankly at the man standing at the door. The warm yellow light from the lantern above the door fell on his handsome face, and she could clearly see that he was stern and had a gloomy expression.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao was stunned again, somewhat confused. She didn't understand why he was standing there like a door god, with a stern face, which was quite frightening.
She asked curiously, "Who is my husband waiting for so late?"
The man glanced at her and replied calmly, "Wait for my wife."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's heart skipped a beat, and she found it hard to believe.
The next moment, distracted, she stumbled and tripped over her right foot, falling down with a cry of surprise.
Fortunately, she was just about to go up the steps when she fell flat on her face, avoiding the risk of rolling down the steps and causing further injury.
The incident happened so suddenly that the two maids, Qingqiu and Ningdong, didn't have time to react before their mistress fell to the ground.
Gu Jingxi's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously stepped forward. However, he was too far away to help, and could only watch helplessly as the little girl fell to the ground in front of him. He silently lowered his outstretched hand and quickly stepped forward.
Meng Jinyao was completely stunned. She forgot the pain for a moment and her mind went blank. What kind of lady from a noble family would fall to the ground in such a shameful way in front of her servants when she returned home?
Will the embarrassing story of her tripping and falling in front of her own door spread throughout the Marquis's mansion by tomorrow?
Seeing that she was lying on the ground unresponsive, Gu Jingxi frowned, squatted down and helped her up to sit up, asking gently, "Madam, where did you fall?"
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao snapped out of her daze and met those concerned eyes. She subconsciously moved her body, then pointed to her arm that had just hit the ground and replied, "My arm hurts so much, but I can still move it."
Gu Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled helplessly, "We're already at our doorstep, what's the rush? Now look what happened, you've tripped and fallen."
Meng Jinyao choked: "..."
Can she say that she was startled and then momentarily distracted, which caused her to fall?
Gu Jingxi helped the girl up, but she lost her balance and fell into his arms. She gasped, grabbed his clothes with both hands, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her face showed a pained expression.
He hurriedly asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Meng Jinyao frowned: "It seems like you sprained your ankle."
She hadn't felt anything since her foot hadn't moved, but when she stood up, she belatedly realized that her left foot hurt and she couldn't put any weight on it.
Gu Jingxi glanced down and saw the little girl lift her left foot off the ground. His brows furrowed even more. He picked her up by the waist and strode into the mansion. Qingqiu and Ningdong were stunned for a moment, then followed closely behind.
As Gu Jingxi reached the door, he paused, giving the guard a warning look.
The servant looked flustered and hurriedly said, "My lord, the lady just twisted her ankle outside, she didn't fall at the door."
Meng Jinyao was held in Gu Jingxi's arms, feeling a little dazed. She stared blankly at the man holding her, who was walking hurriedly. The man had a frown on his face and his expression was not good. She couldn't tell if he was angry, and she felt uneasy, so she didn't dare to say anything.
Gu Jingxi caught a faint scent of alcohol on her and noticed her flushed cheeks, clearly affected by the alcohol and somewhat tipsy. He asked in a low voice, "Has Madam been drinking?"
Meng Jinyao snapped out of her daze and stammered, "I... I had a little bit. What's wrong?"
Gu Jingxi asked again, "With whom?"
Meng Jinyao was taken aback after hearing this, and thought to herself: Why ask such detailed questions? Could it be that they suspect her of having an affair?
However, she answered truthfully: "My husband should have met Lord Qi's niece, named Aning. I was with her, along with a few maids, all of whom were women."
Gu Jingxi glanced at her and explained, "I didn't doubt Madam's meaning. I just wanted to know if the people who drink with Madam can be trusted. However, next time, try to drink less outside. You can drink as much as you want at home. It's easy for young ladies to have accidents when drinking outside, especially when they don't have any trustworthy friends around."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was taken aback at first, then nodded gently and replied "Okay." She then asked curiously, "Husband, why are you waiting for me at the door? I'm a grown woman, it's not like I don't know the way home."
Gu Jingxi replied calmly, "Madam did not leave a message for the maid before leaving home, and she has never stayed out all night before. I sent people to look for Madam, but they could not find her, so they had to wait at the gate. Recently, things have been a bit unsettled in the capital at night. There have been two murders, and the victims were both women under the age of twenty."
His voice was calm and his tone was even. Although he didn't say the word "worry," his words conveyed his concern.
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