Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I fled that day in disgrace.

On the road back to the capital, I mustered enough pride to decide that if Xie Lingchao truly had fallen for another woman, I would beat him soundly before throwing the letter ending our engagement in his face.

But when I actually heard those words and saw those shadows, all I wanted was to run.

After hiding beneath my quilt and crying for three days, I finally admitted between sobs that Xie Lingchao mattered to me far more than I wished.

…

“Later, I came to my senses.”

I sniffed and affected a carefree air. “If his heart belongs to someone else, then of course I don’t want him. But I have to beat him before ending the engagement, or I’ll never get over the insult.”

Yet after waiting at the Xie residence long enough to drink three cups of tea, I still had not seen him.

As dusk gathered, my patience finally broke. I followed the path I remembered to his courtyard and found Xue Miao sitting glumly on a swing while Xie Lingchao stood behind her, coaxing her with sighs.

“All right. I’ll tear down this swing and build you a new one. Will that make you happy?”

Only then did she smile. “As you should. I don’t possess Liao Yuzhu’s horrifying strength. How am I supposed to move such a heavy swing?”

“Yes, yes. Lady Xue, please stop being angry.”

To my surprise, the sight did not hurt as much as I had feared.

Mostly, it made me furious.

Could they not have waited until I had beaten him and ended our engagement before carrying on like lovers?

I had waited an entire hour!

I stormed forward, but the instant I took a step, the world spun.

An unbearable heat swept through me. Two pairs of hands caught me at just the right moment and guided me into a secluded bedroom.

A rat-faced man came forward to take me. One glimpse of his ugliness sobered me enough to wrench free and run.

I blundered through the Xie residence like a headless fly until I collided with an embrace faintly scented with plum blossoms. I looked up into a face bright as rosy clouds and lustrous jade—and kissed him before I could stop myself.

…

“And that is why I… committed such an unforgivable offense against you.”

My head sank lower and lower. As memory returned, I recalled how desperately he had resisted and how brutally I had pinned him to the couch and done as I pleased.

Xie Xuechao’s expression darkened.

Anger flared in his eyes.

I barely dared breathe, certain his next words would condemn me. Instead, after a moment of silence, he mastered himself, rose, and bowed.

“Lady Liao, after the Luo River burst its banks, I was ordered south to build embankments and provide disaster relief. I have been away from the capital for a long time and did not know Lingchao had become so reckless. The Xie family has wronged you. I will give you a satisfactory—”

Firelight suddenly blazed outside the window. A knock followed, and Xie Lingchao’s anxious voice sounded beyond the door.

“Elder Brother! Yuzhu has returned to the capital, and she came to our house. I’ve searched everywhere. The gatekeepers swear she never left.”

“Your courtyard is the only place we haven’t looked. Elder Brother, have you seen her?”