“Brother, what’s wrong?” Just as Lan Ling’er started practicing, she heard her brother’s call for help and hurried over.
“Lan Ling’er, how are you? Hey!” Luo Ran patted her cheeks anxiously.
“Brother, what happened? She was fine when I left earlier. What did you do to her?” Lan Ling’er scolded him.
“I don’t know! I threw a snake in earlier, and then I heard her scream. When I came in, she was already like this!” Luo Ran said softly.
“Brother, you’re going to be the death of me! Why play with snakes? What should we do? Is the snake poisonous?”
She couldn’t understand why her brother’s mistakes always became her responsibility to fix.
“I don’t know! I just grabbed it and threw it in here! I’m not sure if it’s poisonous!” He dreaded his sister’s nagging, and knowing he’d made a big mistake, he braced for a lecture.
“You! I’m completely defeated by you! Go call a doctor quickly!” It always ended the same way, with him acting tough and her cleaning up the mess.
“Oh! Isn’t this the snake I just threw? Look, this snake isn’t poisonous!” Luo Ran smiled as he held the snake’s head in front of Yan.
“Thank goodness it’s not poisonous, or you’d be deeply sinful!” Yan sighed, then glanced at the unconscious Lan Ling’er. “Why isn’t she waking up?”
“Never mind her! She probably fainted from fright!” Luo Ran was excited; this was his first prank, and he had completely fooled someone!
“Slap!” Lan Ling’er opened one eye and kicked Luo Ran’s head.
“Despicable! You pretended to be unconscious to trick us!” Luo Ran exclaimed, aghast. No one had ever kicked him before.
“What does that have to do with me? Who told you to throw a snake in here?”
Oh, Yan, I truly sympathize with you for having such a brother. What a pity for a sister like you! If I had a brother like this, I’d have crashed into a wall!”
“Stop talking nonsense! Do you know what I want to do right now? I really want to strangle you!” Luo Ran clenched his fist and crushed the snake in his hand.
“Shh! Don’t be so angry! I was just joking. Isn’t this going too far? Yesterday, I burned down your outhouse, and you weren’t this mad!” If Yan hadn’t been holding her clothes, she would have argued to the end. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers!
“What? You burned down the mountain villa’s outhouse? You’re so bold! And you, Yan, you actually helped her deceive me!” No wonder Yan didn’t let him go to the outhouse yesterday; it had been burned down. The most infuriating part was that Yan had helped her deceive him.
“Brother, it’s not like that! Ling’er, you’ve gotten me killed! Brother, wait for me!” Yan chased after him. Her brother was good in every way, except he couldn’t tolerate deception. Now everything had been exposed by this loose-tongued girl.
What a group of weirdos. It’s just an outhouse; at most, she’d help them build a new one! Lan Ling’er leaned back and continued lying on the bed.
The sunlight outside the window was bright. After waking up, she found a letter from Yan saying she had important matters to attend to and would return in the afternoon.
Putting down the letter, she dressed and ate the meal brought by the maids. How boring!
“Good morning, Miss Lan!” Steward Shen greeted Lan Ling’er while directing the maids in cleaning.
“Good morning, Shen! Is there anything I can help with?” She was bored and wanted to do something.
“Miss, the young mistress instructed that you should walk around Hundred Flowers Villa alone. If you feel bored, you can go down the mountain to play but must return before sunset!” Shen said respectfully.
“Thank you, Shen!” Going down the mountain to play sounded nice. Yan really understood her. Lan Ling’er grabbed her handkerchief and ran down the mountain.
The outside air was refreshing! She thought the scenery at Hundred Flowers Villa was first-class, but the view down the mountain was even more delightful.
“Excuse me, how do I get to Hundred Flowers Villa?” A young, handsome gentleman dressed in fine clothes suddenly appeared before Lan Ling’er and asked softly.
“What? Oh, just keep walking, and you’ll see a large house. That’s Hundred Flowers Villa!”
“Outsiders always called Lin Youhua Villa ‘Hundred Flowers Villa,’ a fitting name with flowers throughout.
“May I ask which person you are from Hundred Flowers Villa?” the gentleman inquired with a faint smile.
“A friend of the young mistress of Hundred Flowers Villa!” Lan Ling’er thought he was strange for asking so many questions and walked past him.
“Stop right there! Since you’re familiar with everything in Baihua Manor, lead the way!” He grabbed her shoulder.
“Who are you? What business do you have in Baihua Manor?” she demanded, sensing his aggression against the manor. She daren’t become an accomplice. (I want to die, so this works out for me!)
“Less talk! Lead me quickly!” he forcefully gripped her shoulder, his calm voice masking underlying anger.
“You’re no saint. Do you think I’ll comply?” she thought, realizing she wasn’t afraid of death, but felt reluctant to thank this ‘benevolent’ brother after dying.
“What an arrogant tone! Die!” His eyes turned cold as he struck her viciously.
“Thud!” She fell to the ground, blood spilling from her mouth.
“Will you take me?”
He slowly drew a sword from his waist, pointing it at the fallen Lan Ling’er.
“No!” She bravely wiped the blood from her mouth, glaring at the white-faced scholar. Though just a woman, she understood that dignity was her greatest pride.
“No? Then die!” He sneered, taking out several throwing darts. “A woman like you who doesn’t know her place doesn’t deserve to be killed by my sword. These darts are enough to end your life!” He put away his sword and spread the darts, his expression cold.
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it! Why so long-winded!” These ancient people sure talk too much. If they don’t kill her, someone might rescue her soon—how annoying!
“Fine! I’ll make your death more comfortable!” He glanced at her, the darts already flying towards her.
Lan Ling’er slowly closed her eyes, hearing the sound of darts piercing flesh.
“Chu-ge? How did you get here?” She was incredulous. Yes, it was Chu-ge, still masked. Though they had only met briefly, those eyes were unforgettable. Why would he save her with his life?
“Quick, go!” Chu-ge wrapped his arm around her waist, stepping on a nearby tree and leaping to another.
Blood! She had been gripping his back tightly and realized she had touched a wound. Was the blood still flowing? Lan Ling’er’s heart suddenly raced.
“Chu-ge, put me down!”
“Chu-ge, put me down!” She pleaded anxiously without speaking loudly.
Chu-ge’s grip softened as he fell to the ground, still holding Lan Ling’er tightly.
“Chu-ge! Chu-ge!” Realizing he was injured while saving her, she patted his face, trying to wake him, but he remained unconscious.
Why did he protect her, even at this moment? Lan Ling’er’s tears fell on his face. This tenderness was rare for her; after seven long years without kindness, experiencing it again made her heart ache deeply.
Brother Chu nodded and coughed softly, his eyes reflecting tenderness.
“Here, drink some water!” Carefully helping him up, she poured water into his mouth and wiped the sweat from his face with her sleeve.
He leaned against her, appearing to have fallen asleep.
“Sleep! Everything will be better tomorrow!” The medicine was helping him forget the pain, at least temporarily.
“Where am I?” she wondered, standing up from the bed and calling out.
“You’re awake!” A figure appeared from the door and walked over calmly.
“It’s you, Dongfang Yu! How are you here?”
It was strange—she had only taken a short nap, yet she woke up to see him.
