Chapter 54 Pingrong: "She seduced me..."
The long street was bustling. The two stood in the middle of the street, with crowds of people coming and going around them.
Huiyin stared at Pei Yu's indifferent face, her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously let go of Pei Yu's hand and turned to look at Feng Cheng, but Feng Cheng was no longer there, and even the servants beside him were nowhere to be seen.
How could this be? Could it be that Pingrong discovered something?
Worried that something had happened to Feng Cheng, Huiyin quickly said to Pei Yu, "Let me explain this to you slowly. Brother Feng is missing. Please help me find him."
Pei Yu looked at Huiyin's anxious face, and jealousy rose in his heart. He gritted his teeth, a metallic taste rising in his throat, and said, word by word, "Feng Cheng, you only have Feng Cheng in your heart, you go to him for everything, what use is he!"
Huiyin frowned, looking at him with suspicion, "What are you talking about?"
Pei Yu sneered, grabbed Huiyin's arm and left the street. His strides were too big, and Huiyin could only stumble after him, turning into a small courtyard with blue bricks hidden in the street.
In the middle of the courtyard, Feng Cheng and his servants were knocked unconscious, tied up, and thrown in a corner. Guards from the Pei family stood beside them, along with Chi Yan, who looked at her with an embarrassed expression.
Inside the central room, tables, chairs, and tea sets were scattered all over the floor. A person lay on his back, his hands bound behind his back, struggling incessantly. Beside him was a broken wooden box, from which a pearl earring gleamed.
Huiyin instantly understood everything. The people Pei Yu had sent to monitor her had never been removed, and Pei Yu knew everything she did.
He had known all along that she and Feng Cheng were going to join forces to capture Ping Rong today, so he laid an ambush early on, like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Huiyin's body began to feel cold. She suddenly couldn't understand Pei Yu anymore. A strong force came from her arm, and Huiyin cried out in pain.
The next moment, the restraints on her arms disappeared, and she crashed into a firm embrace, her whole body enveloped in his embrace, Pei Yu's hot breath pressing against the back of her neck.
Pei Yu placed one hand on Huiyin's neck, half-forcing and half-gently lifting her head, pointing at the unconscious Feng Cheng and the struggling Ping Rong in the room, his tone unusually gentle, "Can you tell me why those two are here?"
Huiyin understood his implied meaning. She pursed her lips and said with difficulty, "It was I who asked Brother Feng to arrest him..."
Pei Yu stared at her fair profile and said in a low voice, "Don't call him brother. You two are not related by blood. What kind of brother is he to you!"
He got angry when he heard "brother". He was clearly the closest person to Huiyin, so why was it that whenever something happened, Huiyin always turned to Feng Cheng?
He's really had enough of his brother.
Huiyin felt a slight pain as he gripped the back of her neck. Pei Yu was furious, so she could only endure it to avoid provoking him further. Tears slowly welled up in her eyes. "I asked Feng Cheng to grab him. This has nothing to do with Feng Cheng. Let him go!"
Pei Yu released Huiyin, pulled her into his arms, gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, and whispered, "What did you send Feng Cheng to look for outside the city? What secrets do you two share?"
Huiyin's breath hitched; she hadn't expected him to know even this. A chill ran through her as she turned to look at Pei Yu, incredulous. "You've been spying on me all this time?"
Pei Yu neither dodged nor avoided the question: "Yes."
Looking at his indifferent face, Huiyin felt extremely distressed. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall, forcing herself to hold back her anger. She couldn't accept Pei Yu's actions, but she didn't want to argue with him in front of others. She forcefully pushed away from Pei Yu's embrace, standing a zhang away from him, her face cold and silent.
Pei Yu watched helplessly as the affection in Huiyin's eyes turned to unfamiliarity, his heart aching. Even now, Huiyin still wouldn't say; what was she hiding from him?
"Fine, if you don't want to talk about this, then you have to tell me why you tied Ping Rong up?" Pei Yu felt a dull pain in his chest and was the first to give in to Huiyin's cold gaze.
Huiyin glanced at Feng Cheng, who was lying unconscious on the ground, but remained silent.
Pei Yu felt a lump in his throat and almost couldn't exhale. He waved his hand angrily, "Release them."
After all of Feng Cheng's men left, only the two men facing off remained in the courtyard, along with Ping Rong, who was writhing on the floor like a caterpillar.
Ping Rong finally managed to roll around on the ground and spit out the white cloth that was stuffed in his mouth. He had heard Huiyin and Pei Yu's conversation clearly.
He caught a glimpse of Pei Yu's gloomy face out of the corner of his eye and shouted, "General Pei, it was that fickle and shameless woman, Song Huiyin, who seduced me! She flirted with me yesterday and asked me to meet her here today. I was so caught off guard that I was deceived!"
Pei Yu could no longer bear it. He had been holding his breath and couldn't get it out. When he saw Ping Rong insulting Huiyin, he immediately stepped forward with a dark face and started attacking her acupoints. In just three punches, Ping Rong lay on the floor like a dead fish, groaning weakly.
Pei Yu raised his hand and slapped Ping Rong across the face, knocking out one of his teeth. He roared, "Who do you think you are? She seduced you?"
Ping Rong, his face bruised and swollen, said, "She...really...seduced me..."
Pei Yu chuckled, twisting his wrist slightly, his knuckles bending and striking his chest, digging downwards forcefully, "She seduced you?"
Huiyin only heard Pingrong let out a bloodcurdling scream, utterly shrill. She frowned, turned to look at the crazed Pei Yu, and snapped, "Shut up!"
Pei Yu paused, raised his hand and pressed Ping Rong's acupoint to relieve his speech, and the courtyard returned to tranquility.
Huiyin looked at Pei Yu, who was squatting beside Pingrong, sulking. He turned his head away, only showing her the back of his head. She walked into the room and sat on the brocade mat in front of the two of them. "He's right. I deliberately seduced him."
Ping Rong twitched her fingertips slightly and looked at Pei Yu with her eyes half-closed, as if to say, "See, I didn't lie."
Pei Yu frowned upon hearing this.
Huiyin continued, "I lured him here and captured him in order to kill him."
Ping Rong looked terrified and hunched over, hiding behind Pei Yu. He let out muffled cries. Song Huiyin was utterly insane; how dare she plot against a high-ranking official!
Pei Yu stood up and looked down at Huiyin. "You want to kill him because of the dead Pingzhen. What was your relationship with him that you would go to such lengths for him?"
Huiyin suddenly smiled and looked at Pei Yu with amusement, saying, "What does this have to do with Pingzhen? I killed him for someone you've already forgotten."
"Someone you all think deserves to die."
Ping Rong stared wide-eyed, her face filled with confusion. Pei Yu also looked puzzled.
Huiyin looked out the door expressionlessly, “The most innocent person in the whole incident was Xiao Fen’er, who was drowned by you.”
Pei Yu frowned: "The culprit, Su Xin, is dead. Why won't you let this go?"
Huiyin stood up, took two steps up the stairs, and stood a head taller than Pei Yu, looking down at him. "Isn't Pingrong innocent? I want him dead. Are you going to protect him?"
Pei Yu stared at Huiyin, his eyes filled with anger, "If you explain in detail, you are the one who orchestrated the whole thing. You want Ping Rong to pay for Xiao Fen'er's life, but actually, you are the one who should pay for it the most."
Huiyin took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger surging in her chest. Her face was cold, her voice hoarse, "You're right. I killed Pingrong only to ease my own guilt. I don't want to see that pale face again in my midnight dreams, I don't want to hear that scream echoing in my ears day and night!"
"You may take me to the Court of Justice, or you may execute me on the spot."
“Song Huiyin!” Pei Yu shouted angrily, interrupting her.
Huiyin couldn't help but shed tears, large drops rolling down her cheeks. Ignoring Pei Yu, she continued, "Didn't you want to hear it? What happened? Now you don't want to hear it anymore?"
Pei Yu stepped forward, trying to grab Huiyin, but she slapped him away and dodged.
Huiyin wiped away her tears and walked aimlessly outside. She was so tired. She wanted to go back and sleep. She missed Yan Niang's warm embrace. In this world, only Yan Niang would stand firmly by her side and would never betray her.
Actually, there was another person. The more Huiyin wiped away her tears, the more she cried. Her younger brother, Pei Yu, had not been heard from for half a year. Huiyin kept telling herself that no news was the best news.
However, self-deception is useless. Today, she has to accept the fact that Jingchuan is dead, and after losing her parents, she has lost her younger brother.
She also lost Pei Yu—no, perhaps she never had Pei Yu at all.
After wiping away her tears, they ended up streaming down her face. Huiyin couldn't understand why, after experiencing so much, she still cried so easily.
Huiyin staggered out of the courtyard, ignoring Chi Yan and the others, and wandered aimlessly into the street. She saw many people, each accompanied by family, friends, or lovers, but she was all alone.
"Where are you going? The Pei residence is behind." Pei Yu's familiar voice came as his wrist was grabbed.
Huiyin struggled to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly. Her struggles were futile, and her anger intensified.
Pei Yu looked down at the whorl of hair on Huiyin's head and sighed helplessly, "I was wrong, don't cry."
Huiyin remained silent, but her tears fell even more fiercely. She gritted her teeth and tried to pry Pei Yu's wrist open, but she couldn't.
"Let me go!" Huiyin looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Pei Yu felt a pang of pain in his heart. Ignoring her protests, he pulled her into a tight embrace, gently kissing away Huiyin's tears, his voice trembling slightly.
"Don't cry, it was my fault."
Huiyin struggled fiercely in his arms, suppressing her anger. She bit Pei Yu's shoulder and said resentfully, "What do you take me for? A kitten or puppy that you can summon and dismiss at will? Or your kept canary that you can do whatever you want with? Let me go! Let me go!"
She struggled fiercely, and Pei Yu, not daring to exert too much force, actually managed to barely hold her. The surrounding crowd, drawn by their playful tussle, gathered to watch the spectacle.
"Young master, how did you anger your wife? Tell me."
“It is my lord, your wife is so beautiful, how can you bear to make her cry.”
"The young couple had a disagreement, but they made up before they even got out of bed."
Huiyin felt humiliated for a moment, stiffening as Pei Yu pulled her into his arms. She buried her head in Pei Yu's chest, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Let's go."
Pei Yu looked down at Huiyin, who was dressed as a quail, picked her up in his arms, covered her face with his sleeve, and strode away. As soon as they got into the carriage, Huiyin crawled out of Pei Yu's arms, sat down to the side with her arms crossed and a cold face.
The tear stains on her face had disappeared, and her eyes, washed clean by tears, were clear and bright. Pei Yu silently sat down next to her and reached out to take Huiyin's hand.
Snap—
"Don't touch me." Huiyin slapped his hand away and turned her head away with a look of disgust.
Pei Yu took a deep breath, forcefully pulled Rang into his arms, pinched Huiyin's cheek with his large hand, and said fiercely, "I haven't even caused you any trouble yet, and you're already getting angry! Do you know that Ping Rong is protected by the Ping family's secret guards? If it weren't for me today, you and Feng Cheng would be dead already!"
Huiyin stopped prying his hand away, looked up at Pei Yu, and saw that he looked really angry, his face was tense, the veins on his temples were bulging, and there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't rested well for several days.
Her heart softened, but she refused to back down, glaring at Pei Yu and saying, "This is not a reason for you to send people to spy on me."
Pei Yu seemed to be stung by those words, coldly releasing Huiyin and angrily closing his eyes. If he hadn't sent someone to follow Huiyin, he wouldn't have known that in her heart, Feng Cheng was the closest person to her.
The more he thought about it, the more bitter he felt. He mentally listed her crimes: she lied to him, secretly took contraceptives, and even though she knew he hated Feng Cheng, she always met with Feng Cheng alone. She even asked Feng Cheng for help with something as important as killing Ping Rong. Where did she put him, her husband?
The carriage suddenly fell silent, the only sound the wheels rolling on the blue brick floor. Huiyin rubbed her numb cheeks, speechless as she stared at Pei Yu. He leaned back against the carriage with his eyes closed, his face showing utter despair. It was as if Huiyin had truly cheated on him, seducing Pingrong and being caught red-handed.
Huiyin: "Where are you taking me?"
Pei Yu twitched his nostrils, turned to the side, and turned the back of his head toward Huiyin, the ends of his hair swaying gently.
Huiyin asked a few more questions, but the man impatiently covered his ears, saying, "You'll know when we get there."
"You..." Huiyin was furious. She hadn't even gotten angry yet, and this person had already given her attitude. She pounced on him, punching and kicking him from behind. Did he really think she had no temper if she didn't show it?
"You hired someone to spy on me, inexplicably lost your temper with me, and even hit me. Don't you want to stay with me anymore?!"
Huiyin blushed with anger and shouted loudly.
Pei Yu's back stiffened. Huiyin's strength wasn't great; her pounding on his shoulder felt like a massage. What touched him was her question, "Don't you want to live with me anymore?" It turned out she did want to live a good life with him.
He turned around stiffly, pulled the angry Huiyin into his arms, and held her tightly.
"I want to have a good life with you, what about you?"
Huiyin felt a little suffocated by his grip. She pulled Pei Yu's arm down, wondering what was wrong with him.
She asked softly, "Pei Yu, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Pei Yu looked into Huiyin's bright eyes, the question that was about to come out of his mouth couldn't be uttered. He remembered the expression on Huiyin's face when she saw him today. She was so happy to see him, and she ran up to him and spoke softly to him.
Huiyin definitely likes him. The reason she takes contraceptives must be because of her own difficulties. She will tell him when she wants to.
After comforting himself, Pei Yu raised his hand and touched Huiyin's red cheek. She was so delicate, with fair skin, that even a little pressure could leave red marks on her. "I got jealous when I saw you and Feng Cheng together, and I couldn't help getting angry. Does your face still hurt?"
Warm fingertips stroked her cheek, and Huiyin shook her head. "It doesn't hurt. You didn't use enough force."
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you don't like it, I will try my best not to meet with Feng... Cheng anymore. Please don't send anyone to monitor me anymore, I don't like that."
"Okay." Pei Yu responded softly. He pulled Huiyin into his arms again, his chin brushing against her soft hair, and his tormented heart slowly calmed down.
He will be more careful next time and will not let Huiyin discover his surveillance. He needs to know everything about the people around Huiyin and what happens around her.
She's so good; if we don't keep a close eye on her, she'll be coveted and snatched away.
Huiyin hugged Pei Yu tightly. She liked Pei Yu's embrace; it was broad and steady, allowing her heart to calm down completely and be free of worries.
She tilted her head back and kissed his Adam's apple. "Where are we going?"
Pei Yu finally smiled, his hands stroking Huiyin's back back and forth, burying his face in her hair and kissing her. He couldn't bear to part with the soft, fragrant body beneath his hands.
He leaned lazily against the carriage, his eyes squinting upwards. "Didn't you want to kill Pingrong?"
Huiyin opened her eyes wide and murmured, "Weren't you going to protect him?"
"Protect him?" Pei Yu scoffed, leaning down to kiss Huiyin. "I don't care whether he lives or dies. What I care about is whether you're still angry."
“There’s one more thing.” Huiyin stared at his bobbing Adam’s apple. She hadn’t been intimate with Pei Yu for four days, and she couldn’t help but feel a little restless.
She was captivated by Pei Yu's appearance at first sight and felt a surge of joy. If Pei Yu were a woman, with that alluring charm, he would surely be very tempting.
Pei Yu lowered his voice, staring intently at Huiyin with a predatory look in his eyes, "Then what will it take for you to stop being angry?"
Huiyin unconsciously licked her lips, her eyes darting around, "Just..."
She was pinned against the carriage floor, and Pei Yu's kiss came quickly and urgently. Before she could react, her lips were pried open and penetrated.
Pei Yu cradled her head, tilting her chin slightly upwards, a gesture that made it easier for him to penetrate her. He sucked on Huiyin's lips, gently biting her vulva, their lips and teeth intertwining.
Huiyin felt weak all over, her nostrils filled with Pei Yu's scent. She closed her eyes and responded to him weakly.
Her belt was untied, and Huiyin opened her eyes in a daze. She stopped Pei Yu's mischievous hand and said breathlessly, "No."
Pei Yu lowered his head and used his teeth to open her clothes, revealing Huiyin's clear and beautiful collarbone. He raised his head, his eyes misty, his dark pupils staring straight at Huiyin, exceptionally alluring.
Pei Yu's voice was hoarse, "Don't you miss me?"
Huiyin blushed deeply and covered her face shyly, saying, "Not in the carriage, there are people outside."
Pei Yu wrapped his hands around Huiyin's waist and gently pressed on her lower back. Huiyin instantly went limp and fell into his arms, letting him do as he pleased.
"If you don't say anything, they won't know."
Huiyin's breathing became rapid. Pei Yu's sleeve slipped from her hand, leaving only a strand of soft black hair. Her legs were restrained, and she was powerless to stop him.
Pei Yu kissed Huiyin's arm and laughed, "If you can't help pulling my hair, I'll be gentle."
——
It was dusk when the carriage stopped. Huiyin didn't even have time to see where she was before Pei Yu carried her into the farmhouse. She buried her head in Pei Yu's arms, pretending to be dead, forcing herself not to think about the scene in the carriage, and not daring to look up at the guards following outside.
The farmhouse was simple, with only two rooms and a kitchen, but it was relatively clean. Pei Yu placed Huiyin on the couch and fetched water to help her wash up.
Huiyin was hungry, so she ate a few bites of pastry to fill her stomach. "What are we supposed to sit here for?"
Pei Yu helped her fasten her belt, walked to the window and opened it. The courtyard was on high ground, and from the window, one could see a huge lake below.
An answer dawned on Huiyin's mind. She got out of bed and went straight to the window. "Is this Shuangxi Forest?"
"Mmm." Pei Yu stroked her head, feeling affection in his heart.
Huiyin couldn't see his expression, but she heard him say from above her head, "You said during the day that you always see Xiao Shi in your midnight dreams. I think that drowning her here should comfort Xiao Shi's spirit, let her pass away peacefully and no longer haunt you, and put your mind at ease."
Silence reigned all around, even the wind seemed to have stopped. Huiyin trembled slightly. Pei Yu's words seemed to have struck her like a heavy stone, stirring up a thousand waves in her heart. She asked, trembling, "Pingrong is dead. Will it affect you?"
Pei Yu calmly replied, "No."
He was confident and capable of making Ping Rong die quietly and unnoticed, and even to stop the Ping family from investigating the matter. He was not a good-for-nothing like Feng Cheng.
He looked down and asked, "Shall we go take a look?"
Huiyin shook her head. "I'm not going."
Pei Yu nodded and ordered Chi Yan to take the man away.
Torches were lit in the pitch-black night, and shouts and curses came from outside, gradually fading away. Huiyin heard the sound of a heavy object falling into the water, which startled her so much that she was stunned for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, Pei Yu finally took her back to bed.
He stroked Huiyin's stiff back silently to comfort her, and said softly, "It's too late tonight, let's stay here for the night."
Huiyin nodded stiffly, letting him do as he pleased. She lay on the bed and snuggled into Pei Yu's arms, feeling a mix of fear and relief.
She knew she was despicable, but she wasn't selfless enough to risk her life to atone for Xiao Fen'er's sins; this was all she could do.
Huiyin gripped Pei Yu's clothes tightly and closed her eyes.
The room wasn't well-lit, with only a faint moonlight shining into it. Pei Yu stared at that moonlight, Huiyin in his arms. He really couldn't sleep, but he had exhausted her in the carriage during the day, and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable in this simple place.
In the darkness, he gazed at Huiyin's silhouette and said, "From now on, tell me anything that happens, and I'll help you solve it, okay?"
Huiyin's eyelashes trembled slightly. She could feel Pei Yu's heavy gaze on her face, as if it were tangible. At this moment, she couldn't help but want to tell him everything. Huiyin's throat tightened, and she couldn't help but tentatively ask, "And Su You, he was an accomplice too."
Pei Yu remained silent for a long while, then said, "He can't move."
Huiyin gritted her teeth, "Why?"
Pei Yu seemed lost in thought. He rolled over and lay flat on his back, his tone calm. "The Crown Prince and Su Jinghao are about to get married. From now on, the Su family will be entirely dependent on the Crown Prince and cannot be touched."
Huiyin's eyes stung slightly, and she couldn't help but raise her hand to rub them. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, she was still very sad when she heard those words.
She replied softly, "I understand."
It's alright. If she needs Pei Yu's help, she can also take down the Su family herself. The most important thing she's learned these past few days is that one can only rely on oneself and cannot place one's hopes on others.
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