“…” Si Yiyuan felt he should look in the mirror and see if he looked like a fool, which was why this little woman dared to stare at him with her big eyes and talk nonsense!
However, considering the young woman’s status, he immediately understood her. It seemed that she had never been comfortable or at ease in the Hua family for so many years. Just by looking at how lively and cheerful she was in the Li family, but how polite and courteous she was like a guest when she returned to the Hua family, one could get a glimpse of this. Oh well, it was just a casual sarcastic remark. It was fine to vent the resentment that had been building up in her heart for many years!
Anyway, once Li Hao brings back his runaway wife, they’ll have accomplished their mission and made their way out. At that point, this little woman will be his rightful wife, and he’ll never see her parents again, so she won’t have a chance to mock them!
Men immersed in love really have no principles. Judging from the journey of young master Si Yiyuan, his love for his wife has reached a point where there are absolutely no limits. He could be used as a model of a virtuous husband.
Meanwhile, Young Master Li Hao, who was eagerly hoping to return home, was secretly following a woman in a small town on the border of the Great Yu Kingdom. It seemed as if he was protecting her, or perhaps he wanted to kidnap her. Maybe he was also struggling with whether he should kidnap her or protect her.
Li Hao had indeed been torn apart in his heart for a long time. He had followed this woman for four days, starting from the day before the wedding when she ran away. He caught up with her in less than an hour.
For four days, he made no move, following the woman all the way to the border. Why didn’t he take her back? Li Hao kept asking himself this question. When he first learned that she wanted to elope, wasn’t his only thought to catch her, marry her, and then punish her properly?
That’s why he had his friend Si Yiyuan put on a show with the substitute wife at home to appease his parents and the Hua family, so he could secretly switch them out when he returned…
Why won’t he take action on his perfectly good plan? Frustrated, Li Hao patted his sleeves and decided to take action first, bring his runaway wife back, and then settle the score one by one!
Just as he was about to make his move, he noticed his young wife turn around and enter a tavern. Huh? A flash of anger crossed the man’s eyes. How dare she, a woman all alone, drink alcohol? With a stern face and an aura of coldness, the man followed her into the tavern.
As soon as he entered, he saw a petite woman sitting by the window, leisurely drinking her wine. She had only ordered a plate of peanuts as a snack, but she seemed quite content, staring out the window. Her hand holding the wine glass naturally moved towards her rosy lips, occasionally popping a few peanuts into her mouth.
This gesture, if made by a man, would be rugged and unrestrained, but when she did it, it had a touch of elegance. Li Hao pursed his lips and walked over to sit opposite her: “Miss, may I have a seat?”
Hua Qianqian turned her head to look at the other empty tables in the tavern, and then looked at Li Hao, who neither seemed to be trying to chat her up nor cause trouble, so she nodded indifferently: “Please, sir.” She continued to pour herself a drink, completely ignoring Li Hao.
Li Hao’s face darkened, and his already stern expression became even more serious. He ordered the waiter to bring over a few plates of delicious cold dishes. After a while, he said in a hard voice, “Drinking alcohol alone is bad for your health. Eat a few bites of food to suppress the effects of the alcohol.”
Hua Qianqian was already slightly tipsy. She looked at the man with a puzzled expression, wondering why this complete stranger was telling her all this. After thinking for a moment, she simply put down the wine pot and stared at Li Hao intently.
This man was quite handsome, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding an air of righteousness. If you said he wasn’t interested in her, why did he choose to sit at her table when there were so many empty tables in the room, even ordering side dishes in case she drank too much and harmed her health? Yet, if you said he was interested in her, why didn’t he ever show the slightest bit of affection from beginning to end?
Li Hao felt uncomfortable under her gaze and couldn’t help but frown: “Why are you staring at me like that?”
Hua Qianqian chuckled, “Of course I’m here to see how handsome you are! If you didn’t like me looking at you, why would you sit with me? Besides, your face is so good-looking, wouldn’t I be missing out if I didn’t look at you more!”
Li Hao’s face was almost as black as the bottom of a pot. Was this woman really Hua Qianqian? She was completely drunk, staring straight at a strange man, and even shamelessly making flirtatious remarks. She was a complete drunkard! Where was the slightest bit of a well-bred lady?
Hua Qianqian didn’t care what he was thinking. She ran away from her marriage to escape the obedient life she had lived since childhood. If she had to live so cautiously after leaving home, why did she even bother to come out?
Fueled by alcohol, the runaway bride became even bolder: “Hey! You’re so pretty, can you stop always wearing that long face? Smile, I want to see you smile.”
Li Hao, his face dark, ignored the drunkard’s words and said to himself, “It’s not safe for a woman like you to drink so much. I’ll take you home in a bit.”
Hua Qianqian was indeed drunk, but she hadn’t lost her senses. She still remembered to be wary of others, so she said, “Then there’s no need. You’re a strange man, so you should stay away from me to avoid making my fiancé jealous.”
Li Hao paused, then couldn’t help but ask, “You still remember you have a fiancé?”
Unfortunately, the drunken woman ignored his words and didn’t notice his question at all. She just casually rested her face on her left hand and poked around with her chopsticks in her right hand.
She then began to recount in detail: “From the time I was old enough to understand, my mother told me that I had a fiancé. So my parents did their best to raise me, hoping that I would become an elegant and graceful young lady from a respectable family, so that I wouldn’t be looked down upon when I married into the family.”
“So, from a very young age, before I even met him, I was already working hard to become his wife. But as I grew older, I understood less and less why I was trying so hard to suppress my nature and change my preferences.”
“Just to match my fiancé? But he never saw my efforts. When he met me and married me, I was already like that. He only knew that his wife was a lady from a respectable family, but he didn’t know the me behind that mask.”
“No one has ever considered what to do with the real me? What about the me who loves to laugh loudly and make a fuss? My fiancé only wants to marry a lady from a respectable family, but I’m not! Even if we get married, he won’t be marrying me!”
“So I ran away from my arranged marriage. I wanted to abandon my life as a well-bred lady. I wanted to see the outside world, I wanted to laugh out loud, I wanted to eat street food, I wanted to drink, and I wanted to experience a life I had never experienced before!”
“But I still can’t put my mind at ease. I’m still very worried. I’m worried about how my parents will explain to my fiancé’s family. I’m also worried that my fiancé will become a laughing stock because of my running away from the wedding. People say he’s very outstanding. I just want to find my former self, but I’m causing trouble for others because of this.”
The tipsy young woman, her face flushed, murmured softly, her words broken and intermittent, occasionally punctuated by a hiccup. She bore no resemblance to a well-bred lady, yet she sent a shiver down Li Hao’s spine.
So, getting engaged to him had put so much pressure on her; no wonder she wanted to run away. The man’s gaze softened, and he blinked. Taking advantage of his young wife’s drunkenness, he coaxed her, “Who told you that your fiancé likes ladies from respectable families?”
The young woman spoke with some sadness, and with the alcohol taking effect, her reply became even more dejected: “They all say that he is so outstanding, so capable, so polite. They all say that such a well-mannered gentleman must be attracted to a gentle and refined lady from a respectable family!”
Li Hao opened his mouth, but swallowed the rebuttal that was about to come out. She had drunk too much, and she wouldn’t remember anything he said now. He also remembered her aggrieved question, “What about the real me?” and couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. He sighed helplessly, picked up the little woman in his arms, threw down a few copper coins, and walked out of the wine shop.
The personal attendants had already prepared the carriage. They were all overjoyed to see their young master carrying the young mistress out. Xiao Jiu excitedly said, “Young master, now that we’ve brought the young mistress back, shouldn’t we set off home?”
Li Hao glanced at him: “When did I say I was going home? Let’s find an inn to rest. The young mistress has had too much to drink.”
Xiao Jiu paused for a moment, then turned and went to find an inn, muttering to herself, “Not going home…”
Li Hao looked at the tipsy little woman in his arms. She wasn’t asleep; she was just too lazy to pay attention to the sounds around her because of the alcohol. She was half asleep and half awake, leaning against him. She didn’t know his identity, but he could choose to get to know her again. Hua Qianqian, let’s start as strangers.
After finally settling the drunkard down, it was completely dark. Li Hao couldn’t help but recall the first time he met Hua Qianqian. It seemed to have been at a banquet. He only remembered a group of girls, all of whom were elegant and graceful, but there was one little girl who couldn’t help but secretly make a face when she looked down.
Later, when no one was looking, she slipped out of the banquet and climbed up a peach tree in the garden to count the petals. Her little maidservant was so frightened that she circled around the tree and begged her to go back quickly. Annoyed by the pleading, she angrily climbed down from the tree and said as she walked back, “Going back is just torture!”
At the time, he didn’t know that she was his future wife. He just thought the girl was very interesting. She clearly didn’t like being restrained, but she still pretended to be. She was annoyed by the maid’s nagging, but she never got angry at the maid. She was a little spoiled and cute, but kind-hearted.
Later, back at the banquet, he overheard people talking and learned that the girl was his betrothed since childhood. He had been secretly looking forward to it for so long—his lovely and interesting little wife! Who knew the Hua family was so ignorant! They actually thought he would like a dignified and elegant woman!