“Alright.”
Gu Jianshen didn’t hesitate at all and immediately agreed to Zhang Tao.
As long as Zhang Tao liked her, marrying a maidservant would not be a problem.
Yet, while Zhang Tao was able to marry the person of his heart, where on earth was her own beloved?
That day, Yingyue had brought three women for Gu Jianshen to identify, but it turned out to be all in vain—a false joy.
The feeling was entirely wrong; no matter how similar their figures were, they were ultimately not the person he was searching for.
Jiang Ning felt that tonight she would finally be able to sleep comfortably.
She washed herself until she smelled fragrant, enjoyed a wonderful midnight snack, read storybooks for a while, and then went to bed to sleep.
Perhaps due to staying up for several days, her biological clock was completely disrupted, and Jiang Ning still hadn’t fallen asleep near midnight.
Just as she was barely dozing off, someone knocked on her bedroom door.
Yan’er didn’t have the habit of knocking on doors in the middle of the night, did she?
Besides, the person knocked without saying anything, which didn’t match Yan’er’s habits; Yan’er usually stated her business directly after knocking.
“Who is it?”
Jiang Ning asked timidly.
“It’s me.”
Oh, my goodness!
Jiang Ning’s sleepiness was instantly jolted nine heavens away.
This deep, rough voice belonged to Gu Jianshen, the man who had scared her half to death the moment they met.
Why on earth would he come running to knock on her door at this hour…
Jiang Ning desperately wished to perform an on-the-spot human vaporization, unwilling to face what was coming next.
What should she do? Could she just not open the door?
While Jiang Ning was hesitating and wondering how to shake off this rough brute, the person outside ran out of patience and directly broke the door down!
Jiang Ning was so startled she almost screamed. Realizing she was only wearing her inner garments in bed, she hurriedly wrapped herself in the quilt and shouted, “Stop right there!”
Having obtained Gu Jianshen’s promise, Zhang Tao had been overwhelmingly excited all night, unable to control himself. The more he thought about Jiang Ning, the more restless his body became.
Now that he saw Jiang Ning, Zhang Tao simply could not control his hunger and thirst any longer.
How could he possibly stop when Jiang Ning told him to? He strode forward with unslackened speed, impatiently pouncing directly onto Jiang Ning in the bed.
“Wife, you are mine! You are mine! Let me kiss you.”
I’m done for!
With that mouthful of large yellow teeth, if he were to give her even a single kiss, her lips would be completely ruined!
Jiang Ning’s reflexes were still quite nimble. The moment Zhang Tao pounced, she wriggled out of the quilt and ran toward the bedroom door.
Suddenly, her body lifted into the air as Zhang Tao scooped her up from behind. “Wife, where are you going?”
Where she was going didn’t matter; the important thing was to get away from him!
Immediately!
Right now!
In a desperate gamble, Jiang Ning fiercely grabbed Zhang Tao’s vulnerable spot. Zhang Tao instantly doubled over in agony and loosened his grip.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jiang Ning broke free, sprinted out the door, and ran forward nonstop, not daring to pause for even a second because she refused to be caught.
Wen Ya had remained chaste and faithful to her first love, Situ Nan.
Sob, sob… She too wanted to preserve her chastity for the senior student whose hand she held back in university; or failing that, preserving it for her imaginary dream-boyfriend would do just fine—she absolutely refused to fall into the hands of this rough brute!
Sob, sob… Having offended the rough brute like this, she would definitely die a horrible death.
Sob, sob… This place was simply too dangerous to stay in any longer.
Terrified and panic-stricken, tears already blurred her vision, but she still managed to run precisely toward the kitchen back door. She had to get out of here.
The East Courtyard.
“What? Crying and running wildly through the estate? And wearing only her inner garments?”
Awakened from his sleep, Gu Jianshen irritably climbed out of bed, though his movements didn’t show a hint of sluggishness. “Has this woman lost her mind?”
The guard on duty at night looked completely troubled. “The Head Guard sneaked into Qingxiang Quarters.”
Gu Jianshen: “…”
The guard reported, “Master, the brothers all stepped out of the way, but if Concubine Jiang keeps running, she’s going to run right out of the estate.”
She was the master’s woman; no one dared to touch her or even spare her an extra glance.
Meanwhile.
The kitchen back door led directly to the alleyway, and stepping through this gate meant leaving the Gu residence.
However, the door was locked.
Jiang Ning wiped away her tears, picked up a large rock from the side, and began smashing the door lock. She didn’t have the key, so breaking it was her only option.
Clang—Clang—Clang—
Jiang Ning hauled the heavy rock and smashed it against the lock again and again. The lock turned out to be surprisingly sturdy and refused to break.
Gritting her teeth, Jiang Ning mustered all her strength and continued to smash.
From the shadows of the eaves, a slender-figured man slowly stepped out. He lightly pressed his thin lips together as he watched Jiang Ning’s slender back, her fair hands lifting the rock as she struck the door with all her might.
Gu Jianshen’s gaze paused for a second before lighting up as if a long-standing puzzle had suddenly been solved.
It was her.
In his dreams, he had countless times torn such inner garments and embraced such a delicate body.
Right on her shoulder, there was a dark red cinnabar mole.
Gu Jianshen strode forward.
Ripping sound—
“Ah—!”
The sound of the fabric tearing at Jiang Ning’s shoulder erupted right alongside her scream. She could no longer care about smashing the door; she immediately hurled the rock in her hand backward and scrambled to hide in a corner.
The heavy rock didn’t even brush against the hem of Gu Jianshen’s robe before it clattered to the ground.
He lowered his gaze slightly, looking utterly disappointed.
—Jiang Ning’s shoulder was smooth and fair, completely devoid of any cinnabar mole.
Hiding behind a pile of firewood, Jiang Ning poked half her head out to look. Recognizing the handsome face from the martial arts training ground earlier that day, she figured it must have been the sound of her smashing the door that attracted this night-duty guard over.
Jiang Ning pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture. “Mister guard, I’m begging you. Have mercy and let me go just this once! I can’t stay here anymore; I’m going to die, I really am going to die.”
Gu Jianshen raised his eyes, fixing his gaze on Jiang Ning’s tear-stained little face. She did indeed possess a pitiful charm that touched the heart—no wonder she had been specifically chosen and sent to his side.
He took off his outer robe, handed it to Jiang Ning, and said, “If you don’t cause trouble, nobody is going to take your life.”
A spy who was completely transparent and easily frightened did not pose any real threat; replacing her with someone else might not turn out as manageable.
Blocking is worse than channeling; since others insisted on planting a spy by his side, he might as well keep this Jiang Ning.
Therefore, Gu Jianshen decided to maintain the status quo and keep her.
Jiang Ning looked at the extended outer robe, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately took it, draping it over her shoulders. With a wronged expression, she said, “You don’t understand. Someone as terrifying as Gu Jianshen… sleeping in his arms would literally get me killed.”
Ah yes. On that day, he had sent Zhang Tao to interrogate Jiang Ning under his identity.
To this day, Jiang Ning still believed that Zhang Tao was none other than Gu Jianshen himself.
Gu Jianshen replied, “Gu Jianshen won’t hold you in his arms while you sleep. Rest assured and return to Qingxiang Quarters.”
Creeping out of the firewood pile step by step, Jiang Ning cautiously walked up to Gu Jianshen and said softly, “Then you lead the way in front.”
Gu Jianshen asked, “Are you scared?”
Lowering her gaze, Jiang Ning nodded.
As the two stood close together, Gu Jianshen could clearly catch the fresh magnolia scent lingering on Jiang Ning. Watching her lower her eyes submissively with her delicate body trembling slightly, she looked just like a startled little deer.
It seemed she really had been frightened quite badly tonight.
Gu Jianshen immediately turned around. “Then follow me back.”
Yet the moment Gu Jianshen turned his back, Jiang Ning’s head shot up instantly. With a resolute look in her eyes, she gathered all her strength and swung a fierce palm strike straight toward Gu Jianshen’s carotid artery!
Wen Ya, who would truly protect her, was no longer around. Earlier at Qingxiang Quarters, she had also violently grabbed that place of Gu Jianshen’s, and she had no idea how severe the injury was. To put it in the worst possible terms—if she had crushed it, Gu Jianshen would be left without any heirs.
Gu Jianshen would certainly never spare her, nor would the elders of the Gu family let her off.
If she went back now, it would spell certain death; her only choice was to escape.