Chapter 92. Chapter 92... Just this once more...
Lost in thought, Ruan Xingzhu was unsure of his intentions, but even so, she felt she was not worthy of him.
"Fourth brother..."
Before she could speak, her words were cut off by thin lips that carried a hint of coolness.
Gu Yun'an kissed her without warning, a light peck that instantly ignited the ambiguity in the air.
A few red veins appeared at the corners of his eyes, as if he were suppressing some kind of intense emotion. Then, he gently took Ruan Xingzhu's small hand and slowly placed it on his chest, a gentle yet undeniably firm gesture.
"Xingzhu, did you touch it? It's accelerating for you right now."
Gu Yun'an's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out from deep in his throat.
Ruan Xingzhu's fingertips trembled suddenly. She could clearly feel the intense heartbeat in her palm, as if it were about to burst out of her chest, pounding again and again, making her heart race.
Her small hand was held tightly by Gu Yun'an, and her rosy lips were once again sealed with his. Gu Yun'an held her hand and gently kissed her.
A ripple of emotion stirred in Ruan Xingzhu's eyes, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, its surface lingering for a long time. A blush, like that of the evening glow, spread across her face from her cheeks to her ears.
Her lips were being pulled by Gu Yun'an, and she felt a slight tingling sensation, as if an electric current was spreading throughout her body.
At this moment, a tender feeling rose in her eyes, and Ruan Xingzhu made a vague decision in her heart: This is the last time, the last time I will be so unrestrained.
Thinking this, she raised her other arm without hesitation, slowly climbing up his shoulder and began to respond to his passionate kiss.
The breeze seemed to be affected by the scene, gently sweeping over them and lifting their hair. Her hair and his hair were intertwined, indistinguishable from each other, just like their inseparable emotions at this moment.
The crescent moon hung high in the inky night sky, casting its cool, clear light.
The flickering candlelight swayed dramatically in the wind, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and the two figures under the moonlight swayed accordingly.
The entire tranquil courtyard seemed to stand still, with only the occasional faint sound coming from the pavilion.
But no one expected that a figure in a corner of the courtyard would witness this scene clearly.
Cheng Xiuxiu's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She froze slightly, as if rooted to the spot, and almost dropped what she was holding in shock.
She watched as Gu Yun'an gently picked up Ruan Xingzhu and carried her into the house.
She was filled with jealousy and wanted to go and separate the two, but Gu Yun'an was, after all, the legitimate son of the Gu family, with an extremely noble status, and it was not her place as a member of a collateral branch to question him.
She let out a heavy sigh, as if to vent all the resentment in her heart. Then she stumbled out of the yard.
Throughout the journey, whenever Cheng Xiuxiu thought about how that wild girl Ruan Xingzhu had caught Gu Yun'an's eye, the fire of jealousy burned wildly in her heart, almost consuming her.
She gritted her teeth, thinking that all her efforts and schemes these past few days had failed to earn her a single glance from Gu Yun'an. It turned out that it was that little bitch Ruan Xingzhu who was behind it all.
She must have seduced Gu Yun'an, hoping to rise in status and become a phoenix, which is why Gu Yun'an looks down on her.
Under the moonlight, Cheng Xiuxiu calmed down, a sinister glint flashing in her eyes.
Looking at the moonlight, she already had a plan. She didn't believe that the Cheng family would tolerate Ruan Xingzhu, this wild girl, because of Gu Yun'an.
The night grew deeper, carrying a slight chill in the air.
After a passionate night, when Ruan Xingzhu slowly awoke, sunlight was already streaming through the cracks in the window onto the bed, and it was already broad daylight.
She moved slightly and noticed the scattered marks on her body. She couldn't help but recall the words Gu Yun'an had said to her when he left.
"wait for me."
Those two simple words kept echoing in her ears, but Ruan Xingzhu didn't know what they meant.
But when she got up, she learned that Gu Yun'an had gone to Xiling to handle important matters and would probably be gone for a while.
She had just finished washing up and hadn't even had time to change into formal clothes when she saw Granny Liu leading several maids in a menacing manner.
Granny Liu looked serious and said that Madam Cheng wanted to see her. Her manner suggested that if she did not comply, she would be forcibly taken there.
Ruan Xingzhu felt inexplicably uneasy, as if an invisible hand was tugging at her heart.
She didn't have time to think much and could only obediently follow.
When Ruan Xingzhu arrived at Yutang Courtyard, she immediately spotted Cheng Xiuxiu there. Moreover, Cheng Xiuxiu was looking at her with disgust and schadenfreude.
She understood the dislike, since Cheng Xiuxiu had always disliked her, but why the schadenfreude?
With these questions in mind, Ruan Xingzhu stood still, and Cheng Shi slowly raised her eyes to look at her.
"Xingzhu isn't young anymore, is she?" Cheng said quietly, with an enigmatic tone.
Ruan Xingzhu didn't understand what he meant, but she still replied respectfully, "I'm already eighteen."
People her age had long since married, but she was still stuck in the Gu family mansion.
Cheng spoke casually, as if she were just speaking out of kindness: "Since you are a member of the Gu family, I, as the mistress of the house, should arrange a marriage for you."
Upon hearing Cheng's words, Ruan Xingzhu's eyes widened in shock. If it were before, she would have eagerly awaited a good marriage. But now that she was defiled, if her husband's family discovered this, she would most likely be beaten to death according to the rules.
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of panic. Quickly composing herself, she forced a calm tone and said, "I appreciate your kindness, Madam, but I have no plans to marry yet."
Cheng paused in his tea-drinking motion, and his seemingly calm gaze gradually turned fierce, as if he could see through the panic in Ruan Xingzhu's heart.
"Is it that you have no plans? Or are you afraid that your husband's family will find out that you are no longer a virgin?" Cheng said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu nearly lost her balance and fell. Her previously calm expression instantly turned into one of extreme panic.
She quickly shook her head in denial, stammering, "What is Madam talking about? I don't know."
Cheng Xiuxiu had noticed the marks on Ruan Xingzhu's collar as soon as she entered, and she couldn't hold back any longer.
Seeing that she was still denying it, he quickly stepped forward and ripped open her collar. Instantly, a chill ran in, and the marks she had hidden in her collar were exposed to the air.
"Still trying to deny it! Do you think this is how a girl should behave?"
Cheng Xiuxiu gripped her tightly, her sharp nails slicing her neck, revealing a bloody mark that looked like a winding snake against her fair skin.
The pain was nothing compared to the fear. A few words flashed through Ruan Xingzhu's mind: she was finished.
Cheng would definitely not let her go. In her panic, she instinctively pushed Cheng Xiuxiu away, trying to preserve her last shred of dignity.
As Cheng watched the two entangled, impatience flashed in her eyes. Cheng Xiuxiu was indeed somewhat impulsive.
Looking at Granny Liu, who understood immediately, she quickly separated the two.
Cheng Xiuxiu was still somewhat dissatisfied, but under Cheng Shi's gaze, she obediently stood back.
"Alright, stop covering it up." Cheng Shi couldn't help but speak up when she saw Ruan Xingzhu still making a futile struggle.
"You don't want to tarnish Yun'an's reputation because of yourself, do you?" Cheng looked at Ruan Xingzhu with a hint of threat in her eyes.
Ruan Xingzhu paused, then slowly looked at Cheng Shi, her eyes filled with despair and helplessness.
Cheng continued, "I will help you find a second wife, so that nothing will happen between you and Yun'an."
Ruan Xingzhu lowered her eyes, her heart filled with resistance. She simply did not believe that the other party would not care about her past. Whether it was a second marriage or a first marriage, it was a dead end.
But at this moment, under Cheng's scrutinizing gaze, Ruan Xingzhu's fingertips were almost digging into her flesh. She knew that if she didn't agree, today might be her death day.
Gu Yun'an didn't know when she would be able to return. With a sudden thought, she gritted her teeth and agreed.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam."
Seeing that she agreed, Madam Cheng then looked at Granny Liu, who hurriedly stepped forward and took Ruan Xingzhu away. Rather than taking her away, it was more like escorting her away, as the maids surrounded Ruan Xingzhu tightly, as if afraid she would escape.
Seeing that Ruan Xingzhu had left unharmed, Cheng Xiuxiu couldn't help but feel dissatisfied and muttered, "Aunt, isn't it too easy to let her go like this?"
Cheng glanced at her, her eyes filled with warning, and then said, "I will make my own decision."
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone Gu Yun'an, who is as protective of his own as a wolf.
Over the years, she had never seen any woman get close to Gu Yun'an, but now it was just the orphan Ruan Xingzhu. Besides, it was Ruan Xingzhu who agreed to it herself, so no matter how you look at it, she couldn't be blamed.
Cheng acted swiftly, openly taking Ruan Xingzhu to meet the second-marriage man. The man was the young master of the Li family, a fat man whose flesh jiggled as he walked, and who spoke only vulgarities.
It is said that his first wife ran away for some unknown reason, but everyone knows the reason behind it.
At this moment, his shifty eyes were staring unabashedly at Ruan Xingzhu, his gaze seeming as if he wanted to devour her alive. He was also licking his greasy lips from time to time, looking as lewd as could be.
Ruan Xingzhu felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. Several times she tried to turn away from his disgusting eyes, but when she saw Cheng Shi's cold eyes, she became frightened and could only silently endure it.
Later, Ruan Xingzhu realized that Cheng was using her as a favor in order to gain some benefits from the Li family.
Seeing the way the young master of the Li family looked, Cheng Xiuxiu's jealousy subsided a little, and she ran to Ruan Xingzhu several times with glee.
Ruan Xingzhu looked at her, clearly not welcoming her, and was about to chase her away.
Suddenly, I was slapped across the face, and it stung instantly.
Ruan Xingzhu glared at her fiercely, but she couldn't retaliate.
Cheng Xiuxiu looked at her masterpiece with pride. She had wanted to slap her for a long time and wished she could destroy that face that men found pitiful.
Cheng Xiuxiu waved her hand dismissively, "You can wait until you're sent to the Li residence in three days."
"You should be grateful for the position of a lady, it's not exactly a formal title."
Ruan Xingzhu ignored the second half of her sentence, only hearing that she would be sent to the Li residence the next day.
A wave of sadness washed over her. How could it have happened so quickly? Hadn't they just met yesterday?
She originally planned to stall until Gu Yun'an returned, so that she might be able to get away. But now it seems that Cheng Shi intends to get her out of the Gu residence before Gu Yun'an returns.
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