Yu Wan brought a plate of sour bamboo shoots and a few cornbread that her aunt had prepared and sat in the man’s carriage.
“I’m not used to riding in the same carriage with strange men. This request isn’t too much, right?” Yu Wan said indifferently.
The man smiled. “Okay.” With that, he alighted elegantly. However, after a while, he returned to the car with a black cloth in his hand. “Then we can only trouble Miss Yu first,” he said with a smile.
Yu Wan understood what he meant and did not struggle in vain. The man covered Yu Wan’s eyes with a cloth and tied a dead knot. Then, he alighted from the carriage again.
As if to prevent Yu Wan from remembering the direction, the carriage deliberately circled the city a few times, making Yu Wan unable to distinguish between north, south, east, and west. Only then did they finally get on the road without stopping.
Yu Wan sat quietly in the carriage. From time to time, she would pull off a small piece of cornbread, pinch it into a ball, and throw it out of the window.
They drove for a long time. At first, Yu Wan threw a piece every thirty counts. Then, she felt that there was not much cornbread left, so she changed to sixty counts. After the last cornbread was thrown away, the carriage finally stopped.
The man got into Yu Wan’s carriage and used a pair of scissors to cut the black cloth covering Yu Wan’s eyes.
The piercing light immediately shone over. Yu Wan subconsciously closed her eyes and used her hand to block it for a while. After adapting to the light, she followed the man down the carriage.
This was by the lake. Yu Wan did not know where the lake was, but she was sure that they had left the city gate. She had heard the voices of the guards guarding the city just now, so the only thing she could eliminate was the southern city gate. Because outside the south city gate was Lotus Flower Town, she was too familiar with the road there. Even if her eyes were covered, she could still feel it.
“Miss Yu.” The man smiled and walked up to Yu Wan. He weighed the cloth bag in his hand and handed it to Yu Wan. “Do you want to count?”
Yu Wan looked into the cloth bag. Wasn’t it the little marks she had left behind with her cornbread along the way?
The man smiled and said, “Miss Yu, we’ve been in the underworld for so many years. It’s not to the extent that we can’t even recognize this small trick. I won’t expose this to my master, but let me remind you not to be smart.”
Yu Wan glanced at him coldly.
The man gestured to a small dock by the shore. “Miss Yu, please.”
Yu Wan walked towards the docks and boarded a pleasure boat.
The pleasure boat did not look huge, but there was something else inside. Yu Wan was led by the man to an elegant and unique room.
The man stopped at the door and said to Yu Wan, “My master has been waiting for Miss Yu for a long time. Miss Yu, please come in.”
Yu Wan walked into the room. What she never expected was that the person who appeared in front of her was Yan Ruyu.
“Why is it you?”
Yu Wan was surprised. But soon, she didn’t seem so surprised anymore. After all, other than Yan Jiuchao, the only other person who could pick up the three little lads from the Xiao Manor was her biological mother. However, even though the conditions were met, the motive did not make sense.
“Yan Ruyu, are you crazy? In order to lure me out, you even used your own sons!” Yu Wan frowned.
It was said that even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs. In Yan Ruyu’s eyes, she did not treat them as her own children at all.
“It seems that you still don’t know…” Yan Ruyu smiled faintly. She had always been worried that Yan Jiuchao had already found out the truth. Now, it seemed that perhaps he hadn’t. After all, Yan Jiuchao cared so much about this wild girl. If he really found out that she was the child’s biological mother, would he not tell her this news? In that case, she was relieved.
“What don’t I know?” Yu Wan asked indifferently.
“Nothing.” Yan Ruyu looked at the sleeping children on the bed and put down the curtain, not letting Yu Wan look at them.
Yu Wan clenched her fists.
Yan Ruyu naturally noticed Yu Wan’s reaction. Bloodline was really a strange thing. For example, she had raised them for two years, but she could not get familiar with them no matter what. Yu Wan had only seen them a few times and was already worried about them. But… So what? The children were hers. They used to be, were, and would be.
Yan Ruyu stood up elegantly and walked to the short table. She pointed at the cushion on the ground. “Sit, Miss Yu.”
Yu Wan walked to the small table.
Yan Ruyu sat down and did not look at Yu Wan. She only picked up a kettle on the stove and poured tea while saying, “Miss Yu, do you like Longjing tea?”
Yu Wan sat down opposite her. She was used to sitting on a chair, so this method of sitting cross-legged was really a little tiring.
“I’m not picky,” Yu Wan said.
Yan Ruyu’s movements were very elegant. “Miss Yu, are you curious why I called you over?”
Yu Wan said calmly, “What’s there to be curious about? Who can’t tell that you’re up to no good? I just didn’t expect you to lose your bottom line in order to deal with me. Yan Ruyu, sometimes I really wonder if they’re your biological children.”
Yan Ruyu’s hand that was pouring tea paused. “Of course it’s my biological children. If it’s not mine, could it be yours?”
Yu Wan looked at the tightly shut curtain. She hoped that the children were hers. That way, her children would still be alive. They were her favorite children.
Yan Ruyu took in Yu Wan’s expression. Her eyes moved and she poured a cup of tea for Yu Wan. “I gave you a chance. Miss Yu, if you were more sensible and didn’t dream of something that doesn’t belong to you, there might not be this tribulation today.”
“It’s still too early to say whose tribulation it is. I wonder if Miss Yan has heard of such a story?” Yu Wan picked up her teacup and took a sip carefully. Although she was not good at brewing tea, some people’s elegance was born in their bones. They did not need to deliberately perform anything, and their every move was elegant.
Yan Ruyu narrowed her eyes.
Yu Wan smiled faintly and said, “It’s about the students of the two directorates. They were drunk the night before and missed the exam at the end of the year. The teacher, who had always valued the two of them, asked them why they couldn’t rush to the examination hall. The two of them had an idea and lied to the teacher. They said that the wheels of the carriage were broken, causing them to delay the time. They were sure that the teacher would give the two of them another chance. The two of them were talented and both of them were students that the teacher thought highly of. Therefore, the teacher agreed to let them take the exam again. Their essay was done very well, but the last question stunned the two of them. Miss Yan, guess what the last question is?”
“What is it?” Yan Ruyu asked.
“‘Which side of the carriage wheel did it break?’” Yu Wan replied with a smile.
Yan Ruyu frowned.
Yu Wan spread her hands and said, “Look, their lies are exposed just like that. Some people think they’re smart, but they don’t know that everything they do has already been seen by others. As the saying goes, smart people are fooled by their own intelligence.”
“You want to call me a smart aleck?” A cold light flashed across Yan Ruyu’s eyes.
Yu Wan said, “I just think that people shouldn’t be optimistic about bad things.”
Bad things? Ha. Yan Ruyu smiled sarcastically and looked at Yu Wan again. “You’re quite good at telling stories. I also have a story here. Do you want to hear it?”
“No,” Yu Wan said bluntly.
Yan Ruyu choked.
Yu Wan took a sip of tea.
Yan Ruyu lowered her eyes and composed herself. She smiled and said, “It’s about you. I heard that you don’t remember the past.”
“You heard? Or have you investigated?” Yu Wan put down her cup. It had to be said that Yan Ruyu was a little vicious, but her tea skills were really superb. The foundation of the big clans could be smelled from the fragrance of tea.
“That’s not important,” Yan Ruyu said. “Miss Yu, do you want to know about yourself?”
Yu Wan pointed at the cup, indicating for her to pour another cup. “If I don’t want to hear it, can you not say it?”
Yan Ruyu poured it for her. “If we weren’t enemies, we would definitely become bosom friends.”
“You’re wrong. Someone like you can’t be a confidant.” Yu Wan didn’t stand on ceremony.
Yan Ruyu had victory in her hands, so she didn’t mind being retorted by her. Yan Ruyu smiled and said, “Do you know what kind of person you are? Do you know how unbearable those pasts that you forgot are? You still want to marry into the Young Master Manor and be my son’s mother?”
Yu Wan tightened her grip on the teacup. Yan Ruyu even find out about this?
Yan Ruyu raised her chin and looked at Yu Wan arrogantly. “You entered a brothel and even gave birth to a child with another man. Unfortunately, that child was accidentally killed by you not long after he was born.”
Yu Wan was shocked!
Yan Ruyu looked at her with a faint smile. “Why? You don’t believe me? You gave birth to two children. The first one died of illness, and the second one fell to death by your hands accidentally. It was raining very heavily…”
Yu Wan looked at Yan Ruyu coldly. She did not know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Yan Ruyu was laughing crazily.
Yu Wan took a deep breath and secretly warned herself not to trust Yan Ruyu. She had snatched Yan Ruyu’s sweetheart, and Yan Ruyu hated her to death. Naturally, she would think of ways to torture her. If she believed her, she would lose.
“You don’t believe me? Why don’t you believe me?” Yan Ruyu was furious.
A second ago, she was still smiling, but now, her expression changed. Yu Wan looked at her strangely and felt that there was something wrong with her brain.
Yan Ruyu placed the teapot on the table. “Why? Tell me! Why!”
If she didn’t believe it, she didn’t believe it. Why else? This woman was probably really crazy.
“Miss!” Aunt Lin walked in with small steps. “Dinner is almost ready. Do you want to have it here?”
Yan Ruyu was stunned for a moment before she suddenly regained her usual expression. She smiled elegantly and said, “Put it in the dining hall. Don’t wake the children up.”
Yu Wan felt that it was very strange. If she had not seen it with her own eyes, she would not have believed that Yan Ruyu’s change in expression was real. However, Yu Wan was not in the mood to sigh about Yan Ruyu’s change. She was led to another room and the door was locked.
Although she did not know why Yan Ruyu had captured her, it was definitely not a good thing. The worst case scenario was that Yan Ruyu would kill her.
Yu Wan didn’t know if she should call Yan Ruyu stupid or stupid. Did she think that she could marry into the Young Master Manor after killing her? Did Yan Jiuchao not like her just because she “interfered”? Didn’t she think about whether Yan Jiuchao had ever looked her in the eye before she appeared?
Forget it, she could not talk reason with a crazy jealous woman. Yu Wan quickly calmed down and began to calculate how to escape.
There were many experts on the pleasure boat. It was not easy to escape from Yan Ruyu’s clutches without alerting them. However, she was good at swimming and did not lose to men. This was much better than on land. After all, Qinggong was useless in the water. They could not catch up to her. Her only hesitation was whether to take the three children with her.
Logically speaking, even a vicious tiger would not hurt its cubs. As their biological mother, Yan Ruyu should not have harmed their lives. However, for some reason, she was always worried about Yan Ruyu.
Yu Wan was in a dilemma. The locked window lintel darkened. Either it was dark or the sky had changed.
In the other room, the three little lads woke up.
Yan Ruyu asked the servants to bring hot water over so that the three of them could sit in the bathtub and gently bathe them.
“Look, I’m really a good mother,” she said with a smile. “In the future, you guys should only like me, and not others, okay?”
The three little lads looked at her with wide eyes.
Yan Ruyu scooped a spoonful of warm water and gently poured it on their shoulders. “Do you like me?”
The three little lads were in a daze and were silent.
“It’s fine. You’ll like me.” Yan Ruyu put down the ladle, took a dry cotton cloth, and began to wipe their wet hair. Then, she carried the three of them out of the bathtub that was about to turn cold.
Rumble—
A terrifying thunder suddenly came from the sky.
Yan Ruyu, who had just taken a dry cotton cloth and was about to wipe the little munchkins’ bodies, froze.
Boom—
Another bolt of lightning flashed, and Yan Ruyu’s body swayed. In the next second, her eyes turned sharp and she roughly threw the cotton cloth to the ground!
“Wahhh—”
Yu Wan suddenly woke up from her sleep when she heard the child’s cry. Only then did she realize that she had fallen asleep leaning against the bed.
What was that sound? Was the child crying? Or was she dreaming? Yu Wan had an ominous feeling in her heart. She stood up, walked to the door, and pulled it. It did not move at all. She simply raised her foot and kicked the door open!
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside the pleasure boat. The sound of her kicking the door was covered by the thunder. She could fall asleep after such a big commotion. It seemed like someone had drugged her.
Yu Wan was indeed drugged, but it was not in the tea and rice. Instead, someone blew a puff of smoke into her room when she was not paying attention. The effect of the smoke would last for at least an entire night. No one expected her to wake up in half a cup of tea’s time. The guards guarding the door had all gone to hide from the rain.
Yu Wan found Yan Ruyu’s room.
The thunder was too loud. When she got closer, Yu Wan heard that Yan Ruyu’s room was already in chaos.
A guard rushed over and a maidservant stumbled out.
Aunt Lin’s screams were endless. “What are you doing? Don’t just stand there! Stop Miss!”
Stop Yan Ruyu? What did Yan Ruyu do?
“Ah—” Another maidservant fell out. After running a few steps, she staggered and fell again, rolling to Yu Wan’s feet.
Yu Wan thought to herself that she was going to be exposed, but the maidservant did not even look at Yu Wan and fled as if her butt was on fire. What exactly happened? Why was she so frightened? Where did the children go? Were they also in that room?
“Miss—Miss, stop—stop—”
It was Aunt Lin’s scream.
Yu Wan knocked out a trembling maidservant. She quickly removed her clothes and changed before quickly entering Yan Ruyu’s room.
The room was in chaos. Aunt Lin had been knocked unconscious, and the maidservants had disappeared. Only a few guards were left, afraid to go forward. Yan Ruyu stood by the bed, holding a child in one hand and a sword in the other.
The remaining two children sat at the head of the bed and looked at her in fear.
The guards did not dare to hurt Yan Ruyu, but Yan Ruyu was not afraid of hurting anyone at all. Even the child in her hands was roughly pulled around by her like puppets.
The fire in Yu Wan’s heart burned! She walked over coldly and slapped Yan Ruyu onto the chair. Then, before Yan Ruyu could react, she snatched the sword from her hand and threw it onto the ground. She then pried open her fingers and brought Xiaobao over.
Xiaobao was frightened and his little body trembled.
Yu Wan’s heart ached! It was really painful! She resisted the urge to stab Yan Ruyu to death. She hugged the trembling Xiaobao and carried Dabao and Er’bao over.
The room was dark. She was wearing the clothes of a maidservant and her hair was loose. The guard did not recognize her as Yu Wan for a moment. She said in a low voice, “You guys guard her. I’ll bring the little masters to the room next door.”
The guard did not suspect anything and nodded for her to go.
Yu Wan carried the three children to the room next door and placed them on the cold bed. She squatted down and looked at them. “Dabao, Er’bao, Xiaobao, it’s me!”
The three children were frightened and even forgot to cry. It was not until they heard Yu Wan’s voice and saw her face that they cried!
