Ruan Ning cried out in pain, tears welling in her eyes. Meng Chi immediately released her, pulling her outer garment up to her chin before stepping back.
Ruan Ning found her hand was fine, but her body continued to tremble uncontrollably, frightened like a rabbit at the slightest shock. She wanted to put on her inner garment quickly, but Meng Chi kept staring at her, his gaze unreadable. Ruan Ning didn’t dare move.
After a long while, a mocking smile appeared on Meng Chi’s lips: “I searched for so long, only to find you’ve become a nun.” He received no response, as Ruan Ning continued to cry, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Meng Chi snorted and dropped the carriage curtain.
His anger flared as he kicked the horse’s rear, causing it to bolt in fright. The girl in the carriage let out a suppressed cry. That sound lingered, making Meng Chi feel restless. His expression grew colder, but he tightened his grip on the reins, controlling the galloping horse.
The carriage stopped before a blue-brick courtyard. Meng Chi leaned in, lifting Ruan Ning around her waist and jumping down from the carriage.
The original body was weak, and after a day of turmoil, Ruan Ning felt her heart racing uncontrollably, involuntarily letting out a soft cry.
A hidden pleasure surged in Meng Chi, but he coldly said, “Be quiet. Don’t imitate your shameless mother.”
Ruan Ning trembled, biting her lip and remaining silent. She felt confused; he called her sister but insulted her mother—weren’t they from the same parent?
This was not the most miserable situation. Ruan Ning left home at around ten and, as she grew older and more beautiful, became a target for local ruffians who caused trouble at the nunnery. She was abducted by Liu Bingchun and imprisoned in the Liu family. Despite being rescued by Zheng Yu, who wanted to marry her, rumors spread by the Meng siblings about her being already [censored] led to the Zheng family refusing to accept her. In the latter half of the story, she was left to cry, faint, cough up blood, and attempt suicide.
Due to criticism in the comment section about the female protagonist being too stupid and weak, the author abandoned the story.
Ruan Ning felt complex emotions.
If the man from before was indeed Liu Bingchun, she had narrowly escaped, but she was unsure if falling into Liu Bingchun’s or the Meng siblings’ hands would be more miserable.
Her body felt cold as Meng Yao pulled away the outer robe covering Ruan Ning. Her eyebrows rose, and she gritted her teeth, saying, “So it’s you! Shameless woman, how dare you use my brother’s clothes!”
Ruan Ning’s exposed body in the bright daylight revealed a slender waist and pale skin that appeared cool but soon burned intensely in the hot air.
Hugging herself in embarrassment, Ruan Ning was quickly pressed against Meng Chi’s body as he exclaimed, “Yao Yao!”
Meng Yao was stunned, never expecting to find such a sight under her brother’s clothes. The image of her mother naked with her father flashed before her, making her feel sick.
Why was her brother protecting her? Was this shameless woman trying to seduce him? While Meng Yao was caught in her thoughts, Meng Chi carried Ruan Ning towards the room. Feeling sour and bitter, she ran after them, cursing, “Brother, how is she dressed like this? She’s simply a [censored] like her mother—so cheap!”
Meng Chi frowned. Wang’s mother had always used harsh words to scold them, and Meng Yao, with her good memory, was resentful. Now, she was using those same words to curse Wang’s daughter.
Shortly after being taken away by Liu Bingchun from Yuanning, Zheng Yu arrived in the capital city. The urgent task was to leave the Meng family and find Zheng Yu.
“You bitch, what evil scheme are you plotting now!” Meng Yao’s voice rang out.
The room was narrow and dark. Meng Yao stood at the doorway, looking down at Ruan Ning, seemingly ready to pounce.
Ruan Ning narrowed her eyes. Meng Yao had been cursing her since they met, which was irritating. Since she wanted to leave, she decided to confront her. With Meng Yao’s volatile temper, she would likely be kicked out.
Ruan Ning asked calmly, “What gives you the right to scold me?”
Meng Yao didn’t expect that response. Usually, Yuanning was a weak, pitiful creature, who never dared to retaliate when faced with Wang Shi’s abuse. Meng Yao wondered if Yuanning believed that her brother rescuing her meant she now had the right to act defiantly.
She raised her hand and slapped Ruan Ning, cursing, “You bitch, what gives you the right to have my brother save you? You deserve to be ridden by men!”
Ruan Ning dodged, but Meng Yao’s fingernail still scratched her cheek, leaving a bloody mark from her ear to chin. Ruan Ning covered her face and coldly laughed, “So young, yet so vicious!”
“Vicious? I’m not even half as vicious as your mother!” Meng Yao retorted. “She killed my mother and wanted to harm my brother and me. I want you to pay for her sins!”
Ruan Ning coldly smiled, “By that logic, you should kill yourself first.”
“What do you mean?” Meng Yao asked viciously.
“Nothing,” Ruan Ning retreated to the wall corner, secretly grabbing a club nearby. “My mother wasn’t good, but what about your father? If your father was a good man, could my mother have seduced him? Every time you were beaten, it was your father’s hand. My mother only instigated a few words. If your father truly cared about you, would he beat his own children? To my mother, you were irrelevant outsiders. It’s understandable that she wasn’t good to you, but your father? He’s your biological father!”
Ruan Ning’s lips curled with a mocking smile: “Following your logic, if parents do wrong, their children should pay. Then you should kill yourself now, or your brother.”
Meng Yao’s chest heaved with anger, and she rushed to attack Ruan Ning. Ruan Ning swung the club in front of her, but she soon became breathless. Meng Yao managed to snatch the club and was about to strike Ruan Ning when Meng Chi intervened, seizing the club from her.
Looking at Ruan Ning, he said softly, “Little sister, it’s been many years, and you’ve become quite sharp-tongued.”
Ruan Ning felt helpless; this body was truly weak and unsuitable for physical labor, especially escaping. Even if she did manage to escape, who could guarantee that a beautiful nun without self-defense skills and money wouldn’t encounter someone dangerous?
She needed a proper plan. With Meng Chi’s willingness to help her, she could try to persuade him to take her to the Zheng family.
“Where is sister planning to go?” Meng Chi’s voice suddenly rang out as he emerged from behind a tree, silently observing his stepsister.
She was startled by his sudden appearance, her petite body trembling slightly, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
Meng Chi remembered how she had always been afraid of loud sounds. In their youth, he and Meng Yao would make loud noises behind her to provoke her, causing her to cry and crouch on the ground.
Now, grown up, she no longer trembled or cried out loud. She silently shed tears; she had changed quite a bit, learning to argue, fight, and even escape.
Meng Chi approached her, but Ruan Ning spoke first: “Brother, the room was too stuffy, and I was feeling uncomfortable, so I came out for a walk.”
He was surprised; when he brought her back, she hadn’t spoken a word, but now she obediently called him brother.
He recalled the first time he saw her, in a bright red outfit with her hair in two buns, looking delicate like a silk doll, timidly calling out, “Brother…”
Was it the peak of summer? Even the night felt sultry. Ignoring the strange feeling in his heart, Meng Chi asked with a half-smile, “Is that so? Wasn’t sister afraid of the dark? Daring to go out?”
