Chapter 28 The Stubborn Donkey "Meng Yu, what's your hurry?"
The hands wrapped around her neck were like a cold, venomous snake, and the warm breath on her ear was like the snake's tongue.
Meng Yu felt her breath catch for a moment. She stood there stiffly, her pupils dilating instantly from shock, and she couldn't move for a long time.
Why aren't you saying anything? Hmm?
The person behind her seemed angry that she hadn't replied for a long time, and even unconsciously raised their voice slightly. However, this slight rise also contained a hint of excitement and joy after catching their prey.
Lu Xiuyi buried his head in the warm, white crook of her neck, took a deep breath, and looked completely satisfied, as if he had finally obtained something he had long coveted.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, or perhaps a long time had passed before Meng Yu felt her lips move slightly. Then, in an instant, she remembered that she was mute.
"Oh! I forgot, Yan Yan can't speak." Just as Meng Yu remembered that he couldn't speak, the person behind him chuckled softly.
Yan Yan! Yan Yan!
How ironic!
He clearly knew her true identity, yet he still called her that, as if he deliberately wanted to remind her of how she had feigned compliance with him, how she had groveled before him, how she had flattered him, and how she had endured humiliation and disgrace.
When the thing she had been terrified about actually happened, her heart, which had been in her throat, actually settled down.
Meng Yu could no longer bear it, she suddenly broke free from his hand, turned around and flung it away.
"Smack!"
A crisp slap echoed in the dull room. The slap caught even Meng Yu off guard. The entire action was clean and swift; she didn't even have time to think before her hand reacted before her brain.
She stared intently at the man in front of her, suddenly feeling immense regret, and her heart, which had just settled, instantly tightened again.
Is she out of her mind? Hit him? How dare she?
If he gets angry, the entire Meng family will probably live in fear.
Lu Xiuyi's head turned to the side after being hit, and a burning pain came from his left cheek. He never expected that the usually aloof and calm lamb could be so lively. He subconsciously touched his face, but instead of the expected rage, a strange excitement ignited in his heart.
After a moment of silence, Lu Xiuyi lowered his hand, slightly raised his lips, and slowly lifted his eyelids to look at her.
In that instant, a rapid alarm bell rang in Meng Yu's heart. She turned around sharply, about to pull the door latch, when a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her around the waist and threw her onto the bed in three quick steps.
Before Meng Yu could react, the shadow pressed down heavily on her and immediately grabbed her hands, pinning them behind her head.
"Meng Yu, what's your hurry? I haven't finished speaking yet." His eyes, which were fixed on her, were dark and gloomy, as if covered in ice.
Lu Xiuyi, controlling her hands which were tied behind her head with one hand, suddenly smiled, raised his hand and gently stroked her face, his tone so gentle it seemed to drip with tenderness: "Or do you want everyone to see me in your room? I don't mind marrying you, but are you willing?"
As soon as he said those last words, Lu Xiuyi regretted it.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful, and he even humbly thought that if she could apologize for what she had done before and say that she was willing to marry him, he would forgive her for lying to him and running away from him.
"You're dreaming."
The person below opened their mouth and slowly uttered three words.
Although there was no sound, she spoke extremely slowly, so slowly that Lu Xiuyi understood what she was saying. For a moment, he was so angry that he laughed instead.
How could he have had such thoughts about her? He's completely insane.
What is it about this woman who is so stubborn and unyielding, who won't listen to reason or persuasion and will only stick to her own path?
The smile on the man's lips faded, and his gaze toward her grew increasingly cold. Just as Meng Yu thought Lu Xiuyi was about to force himself on her, he slowly released his grip on her hands and turned over to stand up.
Meng Yu couldn't figure out what he wanted to do, so she lay there motionless, afraid that any movement would provoke Lu Xiuyi to roll over and press down on her again. Besides, what he just said made some sense; if someone discovered that he, a grown man, was hiding in her boudoir, she might not be able to refuse to marry him.
A somber and oppressive atmosphere permeated the surroundings. Meng Yu's brain raced, but she couldn't come up with a good solution to this awkward situation.
After a long silence, Lu Xiuyi lowered his head and said as if he wanted to grind his teeth to pieces, "Meng Yu, you have such a good heart. You played me for so long, and I was so naive to think that you really wanted to marry me."
Meng Yu: "..."
What woman in the world would willingly become someone's concubine? Besides, the gates of a noble household are like a vast sea, inevitably rife with open and covert struggles, an environment she has always disliked.
"You just wait and see."
As soon as he finished speaking, he got up and went to the door. Without the slightest hesitation, he opened the door and left Meng Yu standing there dumbfounded.
***
A summer breeze, carrying a hint of sultry heat, seeped in through the wide-open door, lifting the curtains that hung lightly to the ground.
After a moment's pause, Meng Yu suddenly realized what was happening and rushed to the door to look outside. But there was no one left in the courtyard. Even Aunt Chen and Huaiyin were nowhere to be found.
No wonder he could walk out so casually.
"Girl, what are you doing standing there?"
Just as she was pondering this, she suddenly heard Huaiyin's voice. Meng Yu turned her head and saw her coming back from outside carrying a food box.
Meng Yu gestured with a puzzled look: "Where did you go?"
As Huaiyin walked over, she replied, "The main kitchen made some new pastries and asked us to go and get them. What's up?"
Meng Yu didn't answer her directly, but asked instead, "This kind of thing is usually done by Yan'er, why are you going?"
Huaiyin explained with a smile, "It was supposed to be her who went. But, coincidentally, the main kitchen bought a big basket of fresh fish, and they were too busy to deliver it. The basket of fish was too heavy, so Zhimian and Yan'er went to carry it together."
Where is my aunt?
Huaiyin brought in the food box: "The old lady had a headache yesterday! Now that you have some free time, you must go and see her."
It was no coincidence that they were able to get everyone from the Seiryuin family away at the same time.
Meng Yu felt a wave of fear wash over her, as if a chill had instantly seeped into every pore of her body.
Huaiyin took out the pastries from the food box, and in the instant she looked down, she suddenly noticed that Mengyu was barefoot. She frowned and quickly picked up her shoes: "Although it is summer, you should not go out without shoes. The floor is cold. If the cold air enters your body through the soles of your feet, you will definitely get sick."
As she spoke, Huaiyin pressed Mengyu down to sit and told her to put her shoes on.
Just as she finished putting on her shoes, a mother came in carrying two packets of medicine. Her wrinkled face broke into a smile: "This is what the master ordered me to bring. He said that General Lu specially went to Hejingtang to find Doctor Yang to prescribe this medicine. It can cure the rash. He hopes that the young lady will have a safe and smooth life in the future. If there is a banquet, he hopes that such bad luck will not happen."
Meng Yu: "..."
Huaiyin, who had a fiery temper, was displeased upon hearing the mother's words: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that our girl deliberately wanted to get rashes? Who would want these things on their face?"
"Oh dear!" The mother's tone was full of grievance, but her expression was full of sarcasm. She drew out the last syllable, "Miss Huaiyin has a sharp tongue. But don't make false accusations. I didn't say those words. I was just a messenger. If you're angry, don't take it out on me. If you're so capable, take it outside the courtyard."
"you……"
Huaiyin was so angry that her face turned pale.
Meng Yu quickly stopped her, picked up a pen and wrote a sentence to show her mother: "Huaiyin is ignorant and has misunderstood her mother. Please calm down, Mom."
The mother was illiterate, and at Meng Yu's prompting, Huai Yin reluctantly translated for her.
Her expression softened a bit, and she glanced at Huaiyin sideways, then said with a cool smile, "Look, look, you should learn from the Third Miss what true composure is."
As she spoke, Meng Yu poured a steaming cup of tea, stood up with a smile, and handed it to her mother.
The tea is full of aroma; it's top-quality Biluochun, perfect for cooling off in the summer.
The mother subconsciously licked her lips, her eyes narrowing into slits as she smiled at Meng Yu's overture, and quickly reached out to take it.
"Clang!"
"Ouch!"
"Third Miss, what are you doing?"
The sound of the teacup falling mingled with her mother's pig-like screams. Meng Yu feigned panic, her face innocent yet slightly apologetic. She watched as her mother's brows furrowed in pain, her fleshy face contorted into layers.
When Huaiyin saw that the mother's instep had been scalded to a liver color, she immediately realized what had happened. She wanted to laugh but quickly suppressed it and stepped forward to help, saying, "What did you do, young lady? The mother came to deliver things in this hot weather. I was just trying to be kind and invite her to have a cup of tea. Who would have thought that you couldn't catch it and it fell? You can't blame anyone else."
Huaiyin let out all the breath she had swallowed, and felt much better. But her mother couldn't say a word back. Her face turned a liverish color from anger, and she stomped her foot and left.
Meng Yu smiled and gestured to her, "Does that make you feel better?"
“Thank you, Miss,” Huaiyin nodded heavily, but then a frown appeared on her face. “But aren’t you afraid she’ll complain about what you’ve done?”
Meng Yu raised an eyebrow: "What's there to be afraid of? I recognize that old hag. She's the night watchman in the front yard. Perhaps Father was about to order someone over and was prejudiced against her, which is why she had the nerve to come in. Otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to step into the back courtyard. Besides, what happened just now was her way of taking advantage of me. If I don't punish her, Madam Yuan will think I'm too cowardly and have disgraced the Meng family."
Huaiyin felt that what she said made sense.
After all this commotion, the fear that had been lingering in Meng Yu's heart because of Lu Xiuyi's sudden appearance dissipated somewhat, and Meng Yu regained her appetite, tasting the pastries that Huai Yin had brought back.
The pastries looked good, but they tasted terrible.
She ate one piece, then lost her appetite and asked Huaiyin to take the rest away.
Meng Yu didn't dare tell Huai Yin that Lu Xiuyi had come, because she still couldn't figure out what Lu Xiuyi wanted to do to her.
She thought that once he discovered her identity, he would take drastic revenge, but he simply barged into her room, scared her a bit, and left.
Meng Yu really couldn't understand Lu Xiuyi's thought process.
***
Upon hearing that Lu Xiuyi had returned to the manor, Chu Ze happened to have something urgent to report, so he hurried over, only to find him heading towards the study with a dark expression on his face.
He sensed something was wrong and quietly turned around to walk back, but suddenly a sharp shout came from behind him: "Stop!"
Chu Ze's scalp tingled instantly, and he could only stiffly twist his body.
Lu Xiuyi looked impatient: "Why are you running? Am I that scary?"
It's more than just scary.
To Chu Ze, his expression at that moment was nothing short of that of a demon crawling out of the abyss—terrifying, eerie, and utterly frightening.
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