“Let go!”
A cold, ruthless male voice rang in her ear.
Yuan Wanru opened her tear-filled eyes, momentarily lost as to what time or place she was in.
A man with a stern expression was inches away from her. His breath brushed against her nose, and her hands were actually wrapped around his neck.
Having never been this close to a member of the opposite sex, she hurriedly pushed him away and retreated.
But as she stepped back, she realized with a start that they weren’t standing on solid ground—they were floating in water.
Caught off guard, she swallowed several mouthfuls of water. A suffocating sensation spread from her lungs, and her body went limp.
Lu Jiangnian’s eyes were filled with impatience, yet he was forced to reach out and pull her up again.
Yuan Wanru continued to cough uncontrollably, as if she were trying to hack up her very lungs, and her throat burned with a searing pain.
Lu Jiangnian could still hear her soft, raspy voice whispering, “It… hurts…”
The summer clothes they wore were thin. Now that both of them were soaked through, he could clearly feel the curves of her figure as she coughed violently.
He barked in a low voice, “Stand properly.”
His voice was deep and husky, yet clear and indifferent.
Yuan Wanru furrowed her brows and looked at him, tears forced out by her intense coughing clinging to the corners of her eyes.
As the sunlight cascaded down, the shimmering reflections of the water played across her thick eyelashes. Lu Jiangnian’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
A scream pierced the air: “Ah! Miss Yuan, Eldest Young Master, what are you doing!”
A short while later, Yuan Wanru had changed into clean clothes and sat in the main hall of Lingshui Residence, staring blankly into space.
She had figured it out: she had transmigrated into a book she once read, becoming the male lead Lu Jiangnian’s future ex-wife—Yuan Wanru.
Her father had been the personal guard of Lu Song, the Marquis of Zhongyong. Seven years ago, he had died tragically while saving Lu Song’s life.
The original host’s mother had passed away early, and the Lu family, pitying the orphaned girl, had taken her in to be raised.
Unexpectedly, the original host developed feelings for the Marquis’s heir, Lu Jiangnian. Taking advantage of being rescued after falling into the water, she had maneuvered him into marrying her.
After becoming the Eldest Young Madam of the Lu family, however, the original host felt unloved and engaged in an affair. She was eventually caught in bed with her lover and met a miserable end.
The book didn’t describe the original host much, focusing mostly on the plot between the male and female leads. Yuan Wanru truly didn’t have many memories regarding the character.
As for her current situation, she had likely transmigrated exactly at the plot point where the character used a suicide attempt by drowning to force a marriage.
Sitting solemnly at the head of the room was Wang Min, the Marchioness of Zhongyong.
She was about forty years old, wearing a dark red outer robe. Her hair was styled in a snail bun adorned with a gold butterfly hairpin with dangling pearls. She had a gentle expression and a dignified, elegant aura that inspired immediate goodwill.
“Jiang Nian, what exactly happened?”
Lu Jiangnian had changed into a dark robe embroidered with gold thread in a cloud-and-bat pattern. His peerlessly handsome face was cold and indifferent. “You should ask her.”
This entire affair had been stirred up by this woman; he had merely saved someone on a whim.
Wang Min’s questioning gaze turned toward her. Yuan Wanru smiled bitterly in her heart. She didn’t know how long she had been choking in the water, but her throat hurt so much she could barely speak.
With great difficulty, she managed to say, “Aunt… Min… don’t… blame… Brother… Lu… he…” He was just saving me.
Her voice was extremely raspy, and her volume was weak and small. Never mind others, even Yuan Wanru herself found it painful to listen to.
No, in this life, she absolutely could not force the male lead to marry her. Otherwise, only a tragic ending awaited her.
After just those few words, she felt a scorching pain in her throat and couldn’t help but cough again.
Nanny Pang, the original host’s wet nurse, looked at Yuan Wanru with heartache. She knelt down and kowtowed to Wang Min. “Madam, the young miss cannot speak right now. Please, stop questioning her.”
“Regardless of the details, everyone saw the state the young miss and the Eldest Young Master were in while in the water just now…”
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiangnian subconsciously looked at Yuan Wanru, wanting to see her expression.
He saw her clutching her chest, looking as though she were in extreme distress.
The corners of her eyes were red from coughing, and her shimmering gaze held a hint of pitifulness.
As if sensing his gaze, she also turned to look at him, her brows tightly knit as she bit her red lip. Her eyes were filled with confusion and helplessness.
Lu Jiangnian’s eyes darkened slightly, and he sneered inwardly. Isn’t this exactly the goal of her scheme?
Wang Min had raised Yuan Wanru for many years and truly cared for her.
She knew that nothing had actually happened between Jiang Nian and Wanru, but now that such an incident had occurred, Wanru’s reputation was tarnished, and finding another marriage prospect would be difficult.
“Jiang Nian, what do you think?”
Lu Jiangnian stated indifferently, “Today, I was hosting guests at the water pavilion. Everyone in the manor knows that my clothes were accidentally dirtied. I was returning to Lingshui Residence via the Green Bamboo Path when I passed Wangzhu Lake and saved her.”
His eyes suddenly shot a chilling light toward Yuan Wanru. “You live in the Ink Plum Pavilion in the west of the manor. Both Lingshui Residence and Wangzhu Lake are in the east. Why were you here?”
Wang Min looked at Yuan Wanru with an indecipherable expression, but she couldn’t bring herself to press her for an answer.
Wanru was usually a woman of few words and had a sensitive nature. If she were pushed too hard and driven to a dead end, what then…?
Meeting Wang Min’s cautious gaze, Yuan Wanru lowered her head and nervously fidgeted with her fair, jade-like hands.
This wasn’t her fault; it was the original host’s mess…
While she was struggling to find an explanation, Nanny Pang began to wail, “What does the Eldest Young Master mean? Do you think our young miss fell into the water on purpose? How could she have calculated exactly when you would pass by!”
Nanny Pang hugged Yuan Wanru, sobbing breathlessly. “She lost her mother as a child and her father at a young age. Her life is so bitter!”
Wang Min frowned, momentarily unsure of how to proceed.
Lu Jiangnian had lived in the military camps with his father for years and possessed a resolute, hardened character.
Moreover, he was the heir to the manor and the family’s greatest hope.
While men and women should not have physical contact, today’s incident required an explanation. However, his marriage was of paramount importance, and she couldn’t simply agree to anything on a whim.
Lu Jiangnian stood up slowly, tall and straight. His eyes, deep as dark pools, were as cold as blades. His handsome face radiated a cold, ascetic aura. “If no one in the capital will marry her, then she can go elsewhere.”
“Do not dream of manipulating me. I will not marry her because of this.”
The fierce summer sunlight poured through the carved windows. The bright light gave his face a masculine air, blending mature coldness with the vigorous rebellion of youth.
Yuan Wanru looked toward Lu Jiangnian and forced her voice out, word by word. “It’s… not… necessary. No…thing… happened…” Just let this matter go. I will leave the capital.
Just as the atmosphere reached a boiling point, the door suddenly opened.
A physically robust middle-aged man with thick brows and a square jaw walked in.
The newcomer was the Marquis of Zhongyong, Lu Song.
His sharp gaze swept the room before landing squarely on Lu Jiangnian. “Wanru is a good child. Before her father passed away, he and I had already settled a marriage between the two of you.”
“The twenty-sixth of June is an auspicious day. You two shall wed then.”
What?!
This single sentence sent shockwaves through the room. No one had expected Lu Song to say such a thing.
A marriage contract?
Since when was there a marriage contract?
It seemed the original book hadn’t detailed this point? It only mentioned that the two were married after the drowning incident.
Why was it that even though she hadn’t forced the marriage—had even tried to stop it—the plot was still moving toward their marriage?
Furthermore, today was already the twenty-second of June. Were they really going to be married in three days?!