“Something terrible has happened—the eldest young lady jumped out of the carriage!”
“What are you standing around for? Go catch her!”
In the pouring rain, the carriage that had been hurrying along its route suddenly fell into chaos.
Jiang Qingning gritted her teeth. Taking advantage of her slender frame, she leaped out through the unsealed window of the carriage.
It was the first time in her life she had done something so “rebellious and unconventional,” and lacking any experience, she slammed hard onto the ground.
The rain pelted down on her like drumbeats, and the rough ground scraped her body until it ached all over.
But it was precisely this that finally returned control of her numb, limp body to her.
Yet her movements were too drastic—even in the torrential rain, she startled the coachman.
Jiang Qingning had no time to cry, and absolutely no time to waste. She scrambled to her feet, using both hands and feet.
“You shameless wretch, you dare to run! The master and mistress have already decided to send you to Commandant Chen. Even if you run your legs off, it won’t do you any good!”
“Eldest young lady, you’d best accept your fate. Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!”
No, I refuse to accept my fate!
Jiang Qingning shook her head desperately in her heart. The moment she thought of Commandant Chen’s infamous reputation spread throughout the capital, her mind became crystal clear.
The coachman was tall and burly, so she relied on her slender advantage, fleeing only into the narrow alleys and small paths.
[Oh my god, the female supporting character actually dared to jump out of the carriage and run away—I’m totally shocked!!]
[Has the plot been altered?]
[Aaaah, I’m so nervous watching this. Female supporting character, run! Don’t get caught!]
[Don’t run to the left! There’s a coachman waiting to cut you off up ahead!]
Jiang Qingning stumbled along the way, not daring to look back even once.
By the time she noticed the golden text warning her, the coachman was already waiting ahead with murderous eyes for her to walk right into the trap.
“Heh heh, got you!”
Jiang Qingning gasped in terror. As wind and rain rushed into her mouth, the coachman had already seized her wrist.
“Ah, let go of me!”
Jiang Qingning was like a startled bird, her pale little face full of fear and panic, but deep in her eyes surged a resolute determination.
She immediately pulled out the only plain hairpin from her head and stabbed it wildly into the coachman’s arm.
“Damn it, you little tramp, you dare to hurt me!”
The coachman released his grip, letting out an unexpected cry of pain.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Qingning quickly retreated back into the narrow passage and turned to run in the other direction.
[No good—those two coachmen are definitely going to block both ends of this small path. The female supporting character will be caught sooner or later.]
[That’s hopeless. She finally fought so hard, but she still can’t escape her destined fate.]
[Nooo, I actually kind of like this slightly clumsy, soft cannon fodder character.]
Jiang Qingning watched these floating words, and the hope that had just risen suddenly extinguished.
She…
She still couldn’t escape?
Jiang Qingning bit her lower lip hard, tears involuntarily streaming down her face, mingling with the rain.
The Commandant’s residence—that was absolutely out of the question.
Rather than be tormented to death by that old beast, she’d rather be beaten to death by someone.
Faced with two paths that both led to “death,” Jiang Qingning resolutely chose the latter.
She had heard of the sixty-year-old Commandant Chen—his face was now covered in age spots, his skin sagging, like a toad that had cultivated into a spirit.
Jiang Qingning shuddered violently and made up her mind to run toward the main road.
[Is the female supporting character giving up on herself? Running out into the street—she’ll get caught way too easily.]
Sure enough, Jiang Qingning had barely shown her face when the coachman who’d been chasing her spotted her.
“Stop right there! Where do you think you’re running to?!”
[Whoa whoa whoa, they’re really coming after her!!]
[Look, there’s a sedan chair up ahead!]
[Hurry, hurry, hurry—female supporting character, hide in that sedan chair and ask for help!]
[But that sedan chair doesn’t look like anything ordinary, does it?]
[Who cares if it’s ordinary or not—no matter how bad the situation is, it’s still better than being sent to an old man as a concubine and dying in his bed.]
The coachman was closing in fast from behind. With no other option, Jiang Qingning had no choice but to follow what the golden text said, sprinting desperately toward the sedan chair.
“Stop! Who are you—do you know—”
“Help! Please help me!”
The servant boy standing guard outside the sedan chair never expected that a woman would come charging over in the middle of such a torrential downpour.
Before they could even block her, Jiang Qingning had already half-leaned into the sedan chair.
[Holy crap, it’s the main villain!]
[What kind of luck does the female supporting character have?]
[Was this part in the original story??]
This time, Jiang Qingning realized it before the golden text did.
She had been running for so long that her strength was nearly spent—she’d pushed through on her last breath.
She knelt half-inside the sedan chair, and when she looked up, she saw a figure draped in an exquisite purple round-collared robe.
The light inside the sedan chair was dim, half of the man’s face hidden in the shadows, making his features look sharp and deep, carrying an air of danger.
“Pei… Tutor Pei…”
Jiang Qingning’s eyes flickered slightly as she murmured his name.
Regardless of whether Pei Ji was the “main villain” the golden text spoke of, at this moment, seeing someone familiar made her unable to hold back a choked sob.
“Milord…”
The servant boy outside tried to pull Jiang Qingning out, which frightened her into desperately clutching at Pei Ji’s robes and shaking her head frantically.
She wanted to say something, but her voice failed her—all she could do was open and close her little mouth, gazing at Pei Ji with tear-filled eyes.
She was too terrified. From jumping off the carriage to fleeing, she had already used up every ounce of courage she had in this life.
Pei Ji furrowed his brows and gave a subtle signal with his eyes. The servant boy took the hint and withdrew.
“What are you doing?”
Pei Ji’s voice matched his gaze—looking down at her from above, with a hint of dark menace hidden within.
He had been on his way back to the residence when a sudden downpour hit, so he’d ordered the servants to stop the sedan and take shelter. He never expected Jiang Qingning to barge in.
Seeing her twice in one day—and the last time had been a setup—made Pei Ji instinctively wary.
But it had only been two hours since he’d last seen her. How had Jiang Qingning become so disheveled?
He lowered his gaze to examine her.
The fair-skinned, delicate beauty from before now looked like a fragile white flower ravaged by a storm.
Jiang Qingning knelt on the ground, a few strands of messy hair clinging pitifully to her cheeks. She wept with pear-blossom tears, her shoulders trembling slightly.
She wore a garish pink dress, soaked through, clinging to her figure and outlining her curves—and upon closer inspection, there were several tears in the fabric.
Pitiful, yet alluring enough to stir the heart.
[Whoa whoa whoa, this scene—never mind men, even I’m getting worked up.]
[This kind of soft, delicate cannon fodder beauty who’s also a bit dumb and not too bright—she’s perfect for doting on!]
[Aaaaah, don’t you guys think the main villain looking down at the female supporting character with that scrutinizing gaze is also full of sexual tension?!]
[I’m a basic bitch, but I actually really want to see this kind of storyline—cold-faced powerful villain and a dumb beauty.]
The female supporting character had just narrowly escaped death and was only focused on crying, completely ignoring the main villain’s question.
A dark glint passed through Pei Ji’s eyes as he said coldly, “If you don’t speak properly, I’ll throw you out.”