The unfamiliar environment, the humiliating marks, and that sickeningly sweet, strange fragrance intertwined to form an impenetrable net, trapping Qin Yao completely.
Her mind raced, connecting all the clues.
Qin Hongmei had lured her into the room, the Datura pollen that could induce drowsiness, and the out-of-control man from last night…
Everything became clear.
This was no accident—it was a thorough, premeditated scheme!
Qin Hongmei, her dear cousin who had always been competitive and envious of her since childhood, to escape this undesirable marriage, had resorted to the most vicious and despicable means—destroying Qin Yao’s innocence and pushing her into the fire pit!
A chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
Who was that man last night?
Huo Jingshen?
Rumors said that this favored son of the Huo family was heroic and extraordinary, but there were also whispers that he… had a physical ailment and was unable to have children.
It was precisely because of this that Qin Hongmei would rather die than marry him, thus devising this poisonous scheme of substituting a civet cat for the crown prince!
But what if the man last night wasn’t Huo Jingshen?
What if he was some ugly, worthless nobody, just any stray cat or dog…
Qin Yao’s heart clenched, her stomach churned, and a wave of nausea surged up her throat.
Weak and drained, she slumped limply onto the edge of the bed, her mind a tangled mess.
Just then, the door creaked open from the outside.
The sudden noise startled Qin Yao into looking up. Her mind was still reeling from the chaotic fragments of the previous night, and for a moment, she forgot how to react, remaining frozen in her seated position.
A familiar, tall figure rushed in first—it was her father, Qin Guoqiang.
Qin Guoqiang had searched for his daughter all night, his eyes bloodshot and his face etched with anxiety.
But when he saw the scene in the room, when he saw his daughter sitting by the bed with disheveled clothes and marks all over her body, it was as if he had been struck by lightning. He froze instantly in the doorway.
His broad shoulders, which had borne the weight of the family for years, slumped uncontrollably at that moment.
His lips trembled as he tried to call his daughter’s name, but his throat felt stuffed with cotton—not a single word came out.
His heart ached as if repeatedly gouged by a knife.
His precious daughter, whom he had cherished in the palm of his hand for eighteen years, his delicate girl to whom he had never dared speak a harsh word—how could she… how could she suffer such a fate!
Close behind Qin Guoqiang were Qin Yao’s seven older brothers.
When they saw the situation inside the room, they all froze in unison in the hallway, as if struck by a paralysis point, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
Each face bore the same expression of shock, anger, and helplessness.
“No one look!”
The eldest brother, Qin Wenbo, was the first to react. He turned abruptly, spreading his arms like a wall to block the view of his six younger brothers behind him. His voice, cold and hard, seemed squeezed through gritted teeth.
Only then did the younger brothers snap out of their daze. With reddened eyes, they turned their heads away one by one, their clenched fists cracking at the knuckles.
“My Yao Yao!”
A piercing cry shattered the deathly silence.
Mother Wang Xiulan pushed aside her husband, who stood frozen in the doorway, and rushed into the room like a madwoman.
“Bang!”
She slammed the door shut behind her with a fierce backhand, completely cutting off the view of everyone outside.
“My dear baby…”
Wang Xiulan’s gaze fell on the bruises and purple marks crisscrossing Qin Yao’s neck and collarbone. Her vision went dark, and she nearly lost her balance.
Staggering, she threw herself to the bedside, pulling her daughter tightly into her arms. The worry and panic that had built up all night finally burst forth, turning into heart-wrenching sobs.
“It’s my fault… I didn’t watch over you properly… My Yao Yao, my precious…”
Wang Xiulan cried until she was gasping for breath, tears falling like broken strings of pearls, scalding hot on Qin Yao’s shoulders.
Her mother’s weeping felt like a needle piercing straight through Qin Yao’s heart.
She wrapped her arms around her trembling mother, patting her back gently with a voice still hoarse from crying.
“Mom, don’t cry.”
“I’m fine, really.”
“If you keep crying, Dad and my brothers will hear outside and get even more worried.”
The more she said this, the harder Wang Xiulan cried.
Qin Yao took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Now was not the time to fall apart.
“Mom, first help me find some clothes to put on. We need to go out. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it outside.”
Outside the door, the atmosphere was so tense it felt almost suffocating.
The Huo family patriarch, Huo Zhenguo, leaned on a dragon-head walking stick, his face ashen, the air around him heavy and intimidating.
“What on earth is going on here!” he suppressed his anger, his voice not loud but carrying an imposing pressure that commanded respect.
Standing beside him, Huo Yuxuan, Huo’s father, also wore an expression of shock and confusion.
Meanwhile, Huo’s mother, Yang Sujuan, remained in a state of bewildered helplessness from start to finish.
“Old Master Huo!” Qin Guoqiang’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the tightly shut door, his voice grinding out from his chest. “I sent my perfectly fine daughter here to attend a wedding, and now this has happened!”
“Your Huo family must give our Qin family an explanation today!”
Qin Yao’s eldest brother, Qin Wenbo, stepped forward, shielding his father, his gaze sharp as a knife as it shot toward the Huo family. “If anything happens to my sister, our Qin family will never let this go!”
The anger from the father and son duo only fueled Huo Zhenguo’s own fury. He knew the Huo family was in the wrong.
“An explanation? Of course I’ll give you an explanation!”
He slammed his walking stick down hard, the floor emitting a dull thud.
“But first, I want an explanation from that disgraceful grandson of mine!”
He turned and roared at the servant Cai Ma behind him, “Go! Bring that little bastard Huo Jingshen out here!”
Cai Ma trembled at the old master’s roar, shrinking her neck and replying in a small voice,
“O-old Master, Young Master Jingshen… he’s not here.”
“Not here?” Huo Zhenguo’s eyes widened. “Where could he have gone on the first day of his wedding!”
“It’s… it’s that an urgent telegram came from the army,” Cai Ma’s voice grew even softer. “The young master left before dawn, saying there was an emergency mission at the border and he had to return to his unit.”
“That disgraceful brat!”
Huo Zhenguo trembled with rage, his walking stick pounding loudly on the floor.
“He does something like this and then runs off! Does he even have any respect for this family!”
Pointing at the tightly shut door, he fumed, his beard practically bristling, “He can’t even recognize his own wife! He’s completely disgraced the name of Huo Zhenguo!”
“Creak—”
Just then, the door opened.
Wang Xiulan, eyes red, helped Qin Yao walk out.
Qin Yao was wearing an oversized men’s shirt, likely belonging to Huo Jingshen.
The hem of the shirt barely reached her thighs, accentuating her slender and straight legs.
She had shed her initial panic and confusion. Though tear stains still marked her small face, her expression was remarkably calm and clear.
Instantly, the gazes of everyone in the courtyard focused on her.
When the Huo family members caught sight of Qin Yao’s exquisitely beautiful yet stubborn face, they all froze in unison.
Old Master Huo cursed inwardly: That wretched grandson of mine, he really doesn’t know his own strength! How could such a delicate girl withstand his rough treatment!
Huo’s mother, Yang Sujuan, felt her heart ache with pity as she looked on.
“Yao Yao!”
Qin Guoqiang and her seven brothers immediately gathered around her, each face etched with worry.
Qin Yao forced a reassuring smile for them.
“Dad, brothers, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
The more sensible she acted, the more it pained Qin Guoqiang and her brothers.
Qin Yao scanned the people in the courtyard, finally settling her gaze on her parents as she softly asked:
“Dad, Mom, how did you… find this place?”
At the mention of this, Wang Xiulan’s expression instantly twisted with rage. Gnashing her teeth, the hatred in her eyes seemed almost tangible.
“It was that little bitch Qin Hongmei!”
“She and that damned Zhao Weijian were fooling around in the cornfield at the east end of the village late at night and got caught red-handed!”