Chapter 84: Flames Shooting into the Sky
A desperate dog will easily jump over the wall. This is a simple truth.
Chai Hui is anxious.
The servants were setting the table, and Ai Yangtai was sitting opposite his master. He had always been unruly and liked to sit in a crooked manner, but in front of the Third Young Master, he didn't even dare to sit on the chair completely, and only sat on half of it.
Seeing the third young master talking to himself, he seemed to be thinking about something.
Chai Hui thought about it for a long time, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He was so angry that he swept all the food on the table to the ground, making a mess on the floor.
He wanted to kill Jiaoran, but he couldn't bear to do it. He didn't want anyone else to have what he couldn't have, let alone Mu Jin, whom he regarded as a thorn in his side. Compared to Jiaoran, Mu Jin deserved death more, but his father would definitely not agree if he touched him.
Chai Lie saw his anger and told him not to act rashly for the time being. He could see that his elder brother also wanted to kill Mu Jin.
Even if hell has no doors, you still want to break in, Chai Hui thought to himself, since you ran away and came back, you are here to die.
His elder brother told him not to act rashly and to wait, but how could he afford to wait?
What if Mu Jin and Jiao Ran have already cooked rice and cooked rice, then wouldn't it be too late by then? He must not let Jiao Ran fall into Mu Jin's clutches and be contaminated by filth.
He can't wait.
He had to get rid of Mu Jin quickly.
Seeing his master so troubled, Ai Yangtai couldn't help but ask him, if he could solve this trouble for the Third Young Master, he would definitely be more valued.
Hearing him say that the eldest young master wanted him to hold back for the time being, Ai Yangtai stood there in a daze, not knowing whether to take action for him or follow the eldest young master's orders. However, it seemed that the third young master was not going to obey.
He could neither blindly follow the Third Young Master nor do nothing.
Ai Yangtai then asked, "Third Young Master, do you think that killing Mu Jin is the only solution?"
Chai Hui was stunned for a moment, "Otherwise, as long as he is around, Jiaoran will never give his heart to me."
Only a burst of laughter was heard. Chai Hui frowned and looked at the person sitting opposite him, "What are you laughing at?"
"The third young master is not inferior to the one from Yuyuan in terms of family background, talent, or martial arts. He is a sickly person, gloomy and cold. Why do you think Miss Jiaoran likes him?"
Chai Hui said without hesitation, "He's a good pretender. He's clearly a villain who grew up soaked in poison, but he pretends to be kind and generous in front of Jiao Ran. In fact, he's full of schemes and tricks. He's just a mean person!"
"That's right, Miss Jiaoran couldn't see his true face, so she was deceived by him." Ai Yangtoutai responded to Chai Hui and said, "So, sir, this matter is simple."
"How do you say that?"
"As long as you expose Mu Jin's true face and let Miss Jiaoran see his other side, Miss Jiaoran will naturally leave him and return to you."
Chai Hui sighed and fell into deep thought. Yes, such a simple truth, how could he only understand it now? He was really furious. "Then how can Jiao Ran see through his true face?"
"Of course, he should be made to strip naked and stand in front of Miss Jiaoran."
"Ah?!" Chai Hui was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"Young Master, think carefully. Mu Jin must be hiding something from Miss Jiao Ran. Miss Jiao Ran was able to see through Mu Jin's true nature just by relying on this hidden thing."
Chai Hui suddenly remembered something that Mu Jin would never tell Jiao Ran, and even the people who knew about it would not tell anyone about it.
Why not say it?
Because this is a complete shame for Mu Jin.
He had a smile on his face, obviously very happy, "I know what to do, you go and claim your reward."
"By the way, don't let Second Brother know that you gave me advice."
"Yes, I understand."
If he didn't tear off Mu Jin's fig leaf and expose him completely to the sunlight, Jiaoran would be able to see clearly what a disgusting guy he was.
She was stopped by him on her way back to Siyu Garden from Qianlin Garden.
Jiaoran sneered, "Why don't you go back and prepare for your wedding and marry the daughter of the Lu family." Thinking of the slap from Lu Xieying, Jiaoran looked at him with some sympathy. He would be beaten for a long time in the future.
"Prepare for nothing! I'm not going. I'm going to take a walk here."
"Okay, please, take as long as you want. Don't block my way."
"I just like to block the way, what's it to you to control me? Hit me again if you dare."
Jiao Ran said, "You really deserve a beating. Fortunately, you are getting married. You will be beaten in the future. If you like, just take it."
He said seriously, "I don't like others to hit me, I only like you to hit me."
皎然伸出拳想揍他都不敢了，怕他舔她的拳头，“滚远点，你脑子有病。”
Chai Hui's expression suddenly changed, and he looked murderous. "Yes, I am mentally ill. Do you think I am the only one in the whole Governor's Mansion who is sick? Let me tell you, my father is sick and soaks in the poisonous spring every day. My eldest brother is sick and likes to sleep with other people's wives. My second brother is also sick and dares to be a cuckold. Maybe my illness is the mildest."
Jiaoran was stunned. He didn't expect that he even knew about Chai Lie. Did he know that Chai Lie and Cheng Yuan had an affair a long time ago?
Chai Hui continued, "Do you think that Master Mu Jin, whom you've been thinking about so much, isn't ill? I tell you, his illness is incurable. If there's only one sickest lunatic in the Governor's Mansion, it's definitely not Aunt Rou, but Mu Jin."
If Jiaoran had a kitchen knife, she would have chopped the firewood into pieces. "Do you like to talk bad about people behind their backs?"
Jiaoran looked at him with an expression as if he was staring at an annoying fly.
It was already late at night. When Chai Hui thought about what he was going to do soon, his eyes suddenly widened and became bloodshot, as if he had turned into a mad dog, ready to bite off Mu Jin's throat.
"Do you dare to come with me?"
Jiao Ran said, "I won't follow a fool."
"But what if this fool knows something you don't know."
"I'm not interested in what I don't know."
Chai Hui had a strange expression on his face, a half-smile, "But if I don't tell you about this, I feel that Mu Jin will never tell you in his entire life."
While waiting for the guards to pass by, Chai Hui walked into the place as if he was in an empty place. He knew the place well.
Seeing him bring her to Qingbi Garden, Jiaoran was a little confused, "What are you doing here?"
The library was dead silent.
At this time, the library had been locked, and servants would come to tidy it up the next morning, brewing tea and grinding ink to serve their master.
The weather was getting colder, and the library was filled with cold and stiff books.
They moved silently in the library, both of them were masters of light skills.
Jiaoran had never been to the second floor before, and every time he picked up and dropped off the young master, he would go down the stone steps outside the attic.
Besides books, there are still books.
Jiaoran didn't know what Chai Hui was trying to do, but she had already realized that there must be a secret hidden here that Mu Jin didn't want to tell her. If she wanted to know, she could only avoid Mu Jin and find an opportunity like today to investigate.
Although she didn't think there could be any big secrets in the library.
At this moment, Chai Hui lit a lamp, walked to one of the bookcases, and turned a jade handle on the bookcase.
The bookshelves blocking the wall slowly and silently moved to the sides.
Jiaoran's heart was beating wildly, almost jumping out of his throat.
Just because she had already guessed who painted these paintings.
The entire wall is covered with erotic pictures and secret play paintings, and there are scrolls behind them. One can imagine what paintings are inside those scrolls.
Jiaoran's face turned blue-gray, and she slowly understood why Mu Jin refused to teach her how to paint despite her repeated requests. His paintings were obviously incomparable. Every erotic picture here was a hundred times more vivid than anything she had seen outside before, as if he had portrayed two real characters on the spot, not just a fantasy.
Chai Hui said, "Among the young men and women you've served, is there anyone more outrageous than this one? He's been painting these pictures since he was a child. What he's seen and heard is beyond your imagination. He pretends to be innocent and pure in front of you, completely ignorant of love. But I tell you, he's had his eye on you from the beginning, and all those traps are set for you. He pretends to be this way because he knows you like kind people like this."
But he did not see Jiaoran's expression of anger, loss, and regret.
Jiaoran just stood there quietly, looking up at the paintings.
Without any shyness or embarrassment.
She raised her head and looked at each painting carefully.
Chai Hui refused to give up. "Now you see clearly, he's a poisoned dagger. Don't you look down on me fooling around with those concubines? But I tell you, Xiaoju, Shaofeng, he'll sleep with any maid you give him. Why do you think Xiaoju switched sides at the last minute, and why do you think Shaofeng followed him so devotedly? To survive, he accepted any woman who came his way. I bet he might have even conquered those servants in his bed."
Jiaoran's breathing suddenly paused and he turned his gaze to Chai Hui.
Chai Hui looked at her, cupped her face, and smiled, "He's not the ignorant and pathetic young man you imagined. He's not even weak. Didn't you notice that he wasn't afraid at all in this mansion, in front of my father, when even I was afraid? He even played tricks on my second brother. He's a villain, the most despicable person. He's been deceiving you all along. You were almost killed by him when you stayed in the secret passage before. Have you forgotten? As long as you stand in his way, he won't even show mercy if he wants to get rid of you one day. Do you really want to stick with such a liar? Is it worth it?"
Jiaoran suddenly smiled, shaking her head as she did so, and tears flashed in her eyes in the candlelight.
She moved very quickly, and the lamp was held in her hand for a long time, becoming a little warm.
Fortunately, she thought, paper doesn't scream.
Then she set one of the paintings on fire.
Then the whole wall was engulfed in flames in the blink of an eye.
The library was filled with either wood or paintings and calligraphy, and they burned very quickly.
Chai Hui's smile froze on his face. He had never expected Jiaoran to do this.
"Jiaoran, you!"
How could she be so bold as to burn down the library in Qingbi Garden? This was her father's hard work.
Jiaoran danced in the fire, swaying his waist with each step as the flames blazed, as if he was extremely happy. He turned around and said, "If you don't leave now, you'll become a roasted pig."
Chai Hui and she escaped from Qingbi Garden almost in an instant.
Jiao Ran smiled and said, "Don't forget that it was you who burned down the library."
"It's obviously you! I saw it with my own eyes."
Jiao Ran took a deep breath and sighed, "Then why did you bring the candlelight in? I was just being soft-hearted and accidentally burned the calligraphy and painting."
"I want to tell my second brother!"
Jiaoran rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "You don't need me to tell you how to get to Qianlin Garden, do you?"
He was so angry that he was shaking all over. He stole the chicken but lost the rice. "Are you really not afraid of death in this world?"
"If my father knew that it was us tonight—"
"Shh." He stared into Chai Hui's eyes. "If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who would know that we came to Qingbi Garden tonight?"
He is not a mad dog, Jiaoran is the mad dog. Chai Hui looked into her eyes and involuntarily took a few steps back.
Even in Siyu Garden, one could see flames rising from the direction of Qingbi Garden.
The people in the mansion shouted, "There's a fire, there's a fire!" and all of them were transferred to Qingbi Garden to put out the fire.
Mu Jin stood in the pavilion of Siyu Garden and looked at Qingbi Garden from afar. All those things had turned to ashes and drifted away with the wind.
One of the ashes fell in front of him.
He stared at the ash, feeling that the foul smell of the burning calligraphy and painting seemed to be spreading, seeping into his ears, mouth, nose, eyes, and every pore of his body.
Thinking back on those past events now, he felt as if he were being roasted in fire, and every joint in his body seemed to be almost shattered by the fire.
If the desires of the body were in line with the true feelings of the heart, then his true feelings would have long been tortured by those disgusting desires and lost their color.
He had been pretending for too long, and for a long time he could not distinguish between the truth and the falsehood. He was willing to retreat step by step in weakness, retreating to the point where he had no feelings and no desires.
Because what he least wanted to face was that the person gained supreme pleasure while observing him painting, while he fell into the abyss in panic while observing those people.
He enjoyed the sound of heavy beads hitting his knuckles and liked to drink and eat with the fear and madness of his childhood.
Looking at the blazing fire, for a moment, he wanted to throw himself into the fire and turn into ashes along with those things, as if all the pain would disappear.
Jiaoran called him. Behind him, he was standing alone in the pavilion, looking at the fire, wondering what he was thinking.
So she called him again, "Mu Jin."
He turned to look at her numbly and held out his hand.
She clearly saw his outstretched hand trembling.
What a desperate pair of eyes they were. His eyes seemed to be looking at her, and also seemed to be watching every step he took to get to this day.
She didn't step back, but stepped forward and held his hand tightly.
"You don't look good when you frown," she said.
The moment her hand touched him, the shattered soul in his body seemed to gather together again and condense into one person.
He was comforted.
It was as if every moment since he was born when he wanted to die immediately was comforted.
He reached out his hand, wanting to touch her face, wanting to confirm that she was not a gust of wind, not a partner he had imagined to save him, wanting to confirm that she was a living person.
But he stayed there, just an inch, he was afraid that if he touched her like that, she would disappear, and then what would he do.
Although she had lay beside him many nights in the past and he had touched her long, loose hair, forehead, cheeks, and collarbone, he didn't dare to do that now.
He felt himself becoming clumsy.
Those things he tried so hard to hide seemed like just a joke.
She did not come back on time, and a fire suddenly broke out in Qingbi Garden. She was not surprised at all, nor did she care about the fire at all. Mu Jin thought, she had already seen it.
How much did she know?
The wound that had rotted and then scabbed over was torn apart and placed in front of her so that she could see it clearly.
That was not the result he wanted.
But Jiaoran didn't ask anything, she didn't even say anything.
If she asked him, he would tell her, and if she wanted to know, he would not hide it from her anymore.
But she didn't.
Maybe even she no longer believed him.
He was no longer the elegant gentleman in her mind, but a complete, hypocritical rogue and liar.
The night sky seemed to have been burned by the fire, leaving a hole, and then fell down, enveloping him, making it impossible for him to breathe.
She had known for a long time that he was not a noble man, but she never imagined that he was so incompetent and dirty.
He had never been so disheartened as he was now.
He wanted to explain to her that although those things were his work, his desire for her was not like that.
What he greedily wanted to absorb was her spontaneous smile, her warm hands when she held him, and the quilt she covered him with in the middle of the night because she was worried that he would catch a cold.
He did not tell her that he had once been extremely afraid to take off his clothes in front of her and fall asleep in front of her, afraid that he would say something in his dreams that would reveal his true face.
Three years ago, he was even more afraid that when she slept next to him, he would not be able to help but reach out to her and touch her in his dream.
Jiaoran was too complicated for him. When he longed to have a mother like everyone else, that woman did not appear. When he grew up and should have made friends, his only friend always betrayed him and put his family first. When it came time for him to have a romantic relationship, no woman could make him let down his guard.
She hadn't been able to detect his love three years ago.
Just because he tried his best to suppress it.
How should he tell her? She was the only friend he was willing to trust in this world, the woman with whom he could feel the warmth of a mother, and the only lover he was willing to have a romantic relationship with.
If she wanted to destroy him, then he would not hide.
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