Su Ruanruan took the black handkerchief from his hand, and inadvertently touched the back of her hand with his palm.
The man looked at her indifferently, and Su Ruanruan withdrew her smile.
The man's palms had thick calluses, as did the area between his thumb and forefinger.
Is it too late for her to escape now?
"Hurry up!" the man said coldly.
Su Ruanruan blinked. "Don't rush me."
She covered her eyes with a black cloth and tied a knot at the back.
My vision was instantly plunged into darkness, and I couldn't see anything anymore.
The man led her down from the carriage and walked forward, holding her delicate wrist.
Sometimes it goes left, sometimes it goes right.
"Be gentle, it hurts."
The man remained unmoved, his grip tightening as he continued.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Su Ruanruan was pushed into a room by him.
The heat hit my face, and I could hear the gurgling sound of flowing water.
The chill in my body gradually dissipated, and the cells in my body came back to life.
The black cloth was removed, and Su Ruanruan regained her sight, only then realizing that she was in a hot spring.
It's freezing cold outside, but here it's like spring all year round. The surrounding plants are lush and vibrant, some even blooming with flowers of various colors.
Two pretty maids stood beside her, dressed in light gauze robes.
"Miss, please take a bath."
Su Ruanruan looked around without moving an inch.
"Young lady, it's your good fortune to come here. The young master will not treat you unfairly. Of course, don't even think about escaping. This place is heavily guarded. If you take one wrong step, you might lose your life."
Su Ruanruan asked in confusion, "Young Master? Isn't it Master Zhao?"
"Girl, you only need to know what you need to do. There are some things that are better left unsaid."
The two maids stopped talking and began to help her take off her clothes.
"Sigh, this..."
Su Ruanruan was about to speak up to stop them, but her clothes had already been thrown into the brazier not far away.
“Young lady, this is the rule here. You can’t bring anything with you, including the bottles and jars in your sleeves and the silver needles on your body.”
Holding white handkerchiefs dipped in strong liquor, they carefully wiped away her disguise, revealing her original porcelain-white skin.
When they touched Su Ruanruan's left little finger, they discovered that the finger was wrapped in gauze.
"Oh, you can't touch this spot, it's injured and hurts a lot," Su Ruanruan said, frowning.
The maid shook her head. "Miss, according to our rules here, nothing can be left behind, including the bracelet on your wrist. It must be burned."
Su Ruanruan objected, "This won't do. I don't care who your master is, but if you ruin my bracelet, I will never submit to him."
The maid shook her head. "There is no such rule."
Su Ruanruan removed the bracelet from her wrist. "Go and ask your master. Tell him that if I lose it, he will lose me."
Helpless, the maid left with the bracelet in her hands. The remaining maid then went to pull at the gauze on Su Ruanruan's fingers.
Su Ruanruan put her hands behind her back, "Let's talk about it when she gets back."
The maid didn't insist, and wiped other parts of her body with strong liquor.
Soon, the maid returned and gave the bracelet back to Su Ruanruan. "Young master examined it. It's just an ordinary bracelet of love beans. Why would you risk your life for it?"
Su Ruanruan was too lazy to waste her breath arguing with her.
She carefully unwrapped the gauze from her finger, revealing a bright red cut on her fingertip.
"It hurts so much from the cut. Don't touch my little finger."
But the maid said, "I'm sorry, I can't comply. Please bear with it."
Su Ruanruan quickly took the cloth from her hand, "Never mind, I'll do it."
She gently dabbed the wound with a cloth; the strong liquor stung the wound, and Su Ruanruan hissed.
But then another maid threw her shoes and socks, along with the gauze wrapped around her fingers, into the brazier.
Su Ruanruan was stunned. Wasn't this a bit too strict?!
She became even more curious about the other person's identity.
Su Ruanruan held up her little finger and soaked in the hot spring for about half an hour.
The maid also went into the water, loosened her hair, and carefully examined her hair, even her mouth.
Finally, they dressed Su Ruanruan in a light blue gauze dress, left from another part of the hot spring, and led her to a room.
After Su Ruanruan went inside, the door behind her was closed.
The room was brightly lit, yet several candles still burned on the candlesticks, and the table was set with exquisite dishes and drinks.
Hmm, it's kind of like a candlelight dinner, but this is during the day.
But where did that mysterious man go?
Su Ruanruan walked forward again, lifted the curtain beads, and entered the archway, where she saw a row of bookshelves with all kinds of books.
She became interested in a medical book and had just reached out her delicate hand when the bookshelf suddenly opened.
A person emerged from the dimly lit tunnel, and Su Ruanruan could only make out his appearance when he got closer.
It wasn't an overweight old man, but a handsome young man.
His clothes were intricately patterned, and the jade pendant at his waist was particularly exquisite.
Everything, inside and out, was telling Su Ruanruan that this man was no ordinary person.
Su Ruanruan consciously stepped aside, showing no embarrassment at being caught.
The man lifted his thin eyelids slightly, revealing a look of amazement.
"Indeed, she is a beauty of unparalleled grace, even more captivating than Su Qingyu, the most beautiful woman in the capital."
Su Ruanruan didn't respond. Who was Su Qingyu? She didn't know her.
She has a hard time commenting on that.
The man noticed that she was just looking at him, without any fear on her face.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
"If I'm afraid of you, will you let me leave?" Su Ruanruan asked innocently.
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