As the sun began to set, a magnificent sunset glow spread across the sky, casting a soft golden light that bathed the bustling streets in a warm, hazy yellow hue.
Wang walked slowly along the high wall. Two steps behind her, Zhou Yuan waved to her, signaling her to hurry up to the lacquered red gate in front.
Wang took two steps forward and looked up at the gilded plaque hanging high above.
Tall walls of blue bricks and gleaming glazed tiles embraced the gatehouse with its flying eaves and green tiles. The gold-painted and colorful decorations were exquisite from top to bottom, and the majestic stone lions stood with their mouths wide open, revealing sharp teeth, as if about to roar. Wang had never been so close to such a grand household before, and she was so frightened that she dared not move for a long time.
Worried that dragging this out might cause unforeseen complications, Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth in anger and picked up a stone from the ground, throwing it fiercely at her.
The stone rolled down to Wang's feet, dutifully tapping the instep of her foot.
Wang was awakened by the pain and turned around in a daze.
Zhou Yuan quickly smiled at her, waving his hand to comfort and encourage her, signaling her to hurry up and knock on the door.
Wang nodded slightly, swallowed hard, and climbed the tall white jade steps with trembling legs.
Jiang Yunhuai followed behind, and seeing that Wang was about to ring the copper ring, he knew he couldn't delay any longer. So he leaped into the alley and quickly came out again.
"Who has come to deliver this visiting card?" Jiang Yunhuai suppressed his slightly rapid breathing and walked over as if he had just finished some business and returned home.
Hearing the familiar voice, Wang hurriedly turned around. Upon seeing the person, she instinctively pulled her hand behind her back, as if she didn't want him to see what she had just done.
Jiang Yunhuai looked at Wang Shi, who was dressed as a maid, with a surprised expression and asked, "Lan'er, what are you doing here, and... and dressed like this?"
Wang gave an awkward laugh and said, "I have something I want to ask you, but I don't want the people in the manor to know, so I ran away like this."
Jiang Yunhuai nodded and said, "Your arrival here must have made the manor very anxious. I'll take you back, and we can talk on the way."
After saying that, he knocked on the door, signaling the gatekeeper to prepare a carriage.
Regardless, this girl from the Shi family is still his nominal fiancée. Even if it weren't for the Shi family, he still has to consider his own family's reputation, and the proper etiquette cannot be neglected.
The gatekeeper quickly brought the carriage over. Jiang Yunhuai put down the footstool and waited for Wang Shi to get into the carriage before saying, "The carriage is cramped, so I won't go in. You can ask questions inside and I'll answer them outside; it's the same thing."
"Ah, okay," Wang lifted the carriage curtain and subconsciously looked in the direction where Zhou Yuan was, only to find that there was no one there.
Jiang Yunhuai noticed her gaze, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and sneered inwardly.
Jiang Yunhuai cracked his whip and spurred the horse, and the wheels immediately began to roll with a creak.
Jiang Yunhuai leaped onto the carriage shaft, his strong and slender body leaning back slightly. He spoke through the gap in the curtain, "I have already informed my elders about our marriage agreement. They will return the betrothal gifts on a chosen day."
Wang responded nervously, pondering how to subtly inquire about the task Zhou Yuan had given her.
Shi Lan felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart, which made her groan involuntarily.
Shi Lan knew that this was the original owner's emotion, but she didn't know why this emotion could only affect her and not Wang Shi at all.
Thinking that the original owner would rather have her soul disappear than let Jiang Yunhuai be unharmed, Shi Lan felt that she could not sit idly by and wait for her fate.
She is currently trapped inside her body and cannot move. If she wants Wang Shi and Zhou Yuan to be punished, after thinking it over, the only one who can do this right now is Jiang Yunhuai. However, Jiang Yunhuai believes that his beloved has changed her mind and he is afraid that he will never visit the Shi family again. In order to clarify the facts and achieve her goal, Shi Lan can only take advantage of this brief contact to attract Jiang Yunhuai's attention.
Shi Lan believed that as long as Jiang Yunhuai still cared about the original owner, he would not stand idly by.
Shi Lan had previously examined the strength of Wang's soul, and if she exerted all her strength, she could still buy a moment of time.
"Take me somewhere else, don't send me back to the Shi residence."
Although Shi Lan and Wang Shi share the same body, Shi Lan is aloof and her voice carries a coldness that is like metal striking stone. Jiang Yunhuai is capable of holding the third position under the head of the secret service, and he was already aware of Shi Lan's voice as soon as he heard it.
He hurriedly lifted the carriage curtain and peered inside.
"What...what are you going to do?" Wang asked in a panic, clutching her chest, her face full of defensiveness.
Jiang Yunhuai squinted at her for a while, and seeing that she seemed to have no idea what she had just said, he gritted his teeth, suddenly flung the carriage curtain, and whipped the fat horse's rump hard.
The horses pulling the carriage shafts neighed angrily, reared up, and charged off like lightning.
Wang was caught off guard by the car's sudden acceleration and was thrown backward, her head slamming hard against the wooden board. The pain brought tears streaming down her face.
Jiang Yunhuai had no time to mince words with Wang Shi. He kept cracking his whip, pushing his horse to its limits.
The carriage wound its way through the crisscrossing alleys before finally stopping in front of a three-courtyard house. Jiang Yunhuai threw down his whip and angrily kicked the door.
"Open the door."
A low, husky voice sounded softly.
The door opened quickly from the inside, and a clever-looking servant bowed to Jiang Yunhuai and said, "Sir, you've arrived."
Jiang Yunhuai nodded, and the servant glanced at the door before deftly opening it wide.
Jiang Yunhuai jumped back onto the carriage and drove it into the courtyard.
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