The sound came from the other side of the artificial hill. The person who had been a dozen steps away moments before had somehow appeared. If Xie Jingyu hadn’t pulled her back, she would have been caught red-handed.
Shen Wan’s heart was pounding in her throat.
The heir of Marquis Yongqing coaxed Xu Zhiyi, “I missed you so much, cousin. It’ll be over in a minute.”
Xu Zhiyi pleaded, “Cousin, please let me go today! I still have to dance…”
“Dance for whom? Do you want to marry someone else?”
“Cousin, be gentle….”
The shameless murmur continued.
Shen Wan was terrified, angry, and ashamed. If she were the only one eavesdropping, it wouldn’t be so bad, but there was someone else with her, a man, a man she wanted to kill and grind to dust. Shen Wan felt like dying.
She felt even more sorry for her elder sister.
She knew that the heir of Marquis Yongqing was having an affair with her cousin, even resulting in her pregnancy and the death of her elder sister, but she never imagined he would be so shameless. This was the residence of Princess Shunyang, he had come for a rendezvous, seeking thrills, completely disregarding propriety and morality.
This place was secluded, but that didn’t mean no one would come. If they were caught, both the Yongqing Marquis’s residence and the Xu family would lose face.
Shen Wan’s chest heaved with anger, her breath warm and ticklish against Xie Jingyu’s palm.
It made his breath catch.
Shen Wan dared not look him in the eye, in her anger, she didn’t even notice.
Voices came from the other side, startling the two who were about to have their tryst, and they hurriedly left.
As they left, Xie Jingyu put his arm around Shen Wan’s waist and led her to the other side of the artificial hill, thus avoiding exposure.
Thank goodness they left, otherwise she and Xie Jingyu would have witnessed a live show.
Once she was sure the person was far away, Shen Wan struggled, and Xie Jingyu finally released his hand from her mouth, his palm hot and wet.
Shen Wan tried to leave, but Xie Jingyu grabbed her and pulled her back against the rockery. “You saw me but pretended not to. I just helped you, and you didn’t even say ‘thank you’?”
As he drew closer, Shen Wan trembled with fear, her face deathly pale.
“Are you afraid of me?”
It wasn’t just fear, it was terror.
Shen Wan couldn’t utter a single word, her eyes filled with defensiveness and a hidden murderous intent.
What had he done? This woman not only feared him, but even wanted to kill him.
Shen Wan was so afraid she didn’t dare breathe. Xie Jingyu took a step back, and Shen Wan, ignoring her breath, ran away quickly.
Watching her flee, a barely perceptible hurt flickered in Xie Jingyu’s eyes.
Shen Wan ran back to the garden, where she saw Shanhu and the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Zhaoping waiting by the lake. She hurried over. Seeing this, Xie Jingyu’s handsome lips pressed into a straight line.
Shen Wan walked over, and Shanhu greeted her, “Where did you go, Miss? The Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Zhaoping has been waiting for you for quite a while.”
Shen Wan apologized, “I’m sorry to have kept the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Zhaoping waiting.”
The Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping said, “Did Second Miss Shen need something from me?”
Shen Wan nodded slightly.
She glanced at Shanhu, who tactfully took a few steps away.
Making sure no one was around, Shen Wan looked at the Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping, “I’ve always hoped you could become my brother-in-law.”
The light in the Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping’s eyes instantly died down, “Your elder sister and I are destined… but not fated.”
Shen Wan said, “My elder sister has been married for two years, why haven’t you married yet?”
The Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping didn’t speak.
Shen Wan asked again, “Do you still like my elder sister?”
Each question was more presumptuous than the last.
The Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping’s face turned ugly, and he turned to leave.
Shen Wan didn’t stop him, but asked again, “If my elder sister gets divorced, would you still be willing to marry her?”
The heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping paused.
He turned to look at Shen Wan, “Divorced? How could your elder sister get divorced?”
“She definitely will!”
Shen Wan’s voice was firm.
She looked at the heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping, “If you’ve already let go of my elder sister, I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Just pretend I said nothing…”
“I’ll marry her!”
Cheerful and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Shen Wan’s nose stung with tears.
She felt sorry for her elder sister, yet she also felt she deserved it.
But she had to say some things upfront, “My elder sister will only get divorced once in her life. After that, there will only be widowhood, no more divorces.”
“I won’t betray her.”
Just the fact that the heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping still went to pay respects to her elder sister after her death made it worth the gamble. Shen Wan said, “The Taoist priest who’s recently become famous outside Huguo Temple is one of my men. If you’re sure you don’t mind that my elder sister was married before and still want to marry her, then find a way to have your mother go to that Taoist priest to have your marriage fortune told.”
“If you mind, that’s only natural. After my elder sister’s divorce, I will find her a beautiful place with clear mountains and rivers, where she can spend the rest of her life in peace..”
This was Shen Wan’s initial plan: after Shen Yu’s divorce, she would find a scenic place to settle down, and after she had taken her revenge, she would go to be with her elder sister.
But that day while shopping, she saw Shen Yu frantically avoiding the Heir of Zhaoping, and after he left, she secretly glanced at him. Shen Wan knew that her elder sister hadn’t let go of the Heir of Zhaoping, and she also happened to discover that the Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping hadn’t forgotten Shen Yu either.
She hoped that in this lifetime, her elder sister and the Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping would live without regrets.