Yue Yao’s pupils constricted as she stared at Ling Xiao in near disbelief—he actually wanted to call off the engagement?!
“Marquis…” Chen Shiyun frantically shook her head. “No, this was just a momentary oversight…”
Ling Xiao had no patience left to waste here. Without another word, he grabbed Jiang Yueyao and strode away.
Chen Shiyun stood frozen in place, her legs trembling so violently she nearly collapsed.
Yulan hurriedly steadied her. “Miss!”
Chen Shiyun’s face was deathly pale, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her throat felt blocked, rendering her speechless.
She never imagined that today’s mishap would ruin her promising marriage.
All for that woman?
How could she possibly be worth it!
—
Ling Xiao dragged Jiang Yueyao out of the villa, where the Ling family’s carriage was already waiting.
He pulled her inside.
This time, he didn’t ride his horse.
Inside the cramped carriage, the two sat facing each other. Ling Xiao’s imposing aura remained unchecked as he fixed her with a dark, piercing gaze.
Yue Yao could barely breathe under the suffocating pressure.
Her lips parted slightly, and she forced herself to explain, “I—I really have nothing with Mo Ziqian. I was taken to that room to change clothes, but then I realized someone had laced it with aphrodisiac incense. I injured the maid trying to escape, but Mo Shujie had already surrounded the area with his men. I couldn’t get out.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his, only to flinch away immediately under the scorching intensity of his glare.
“So many people were searching for me. I was afraid of being caught when I ran into Mo Ziqian. He happened to be there checking accounts and said that small room was hidden and unlikely to be discovered. That’s why he took me there to hide.”
Yue Yao continued her defense, but Ling Xiao’s oppressive presence never wavered, and her voice grew smaller and smaller.
“We really have nothing…”
Ling Xiao’s hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves. The restless fury churning in his chest had nearly erupted when he saw her clinging to Mo Ziqian, unwilling to step out from behind him.
Nothing?
If there was nothing, why did she trust and rely on him so much?
But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Some answers couldn’t be forced.
Besides, why should he even care about her?!
Yue Yao shivered, her skin prickling with cold dread as she endured Ling Xiao’s suffocating aura alone. She almost wished he’d just end her misery quickly.
For the first time, the journey home felt agonizingly long, every second unbearable.
Ling Xiao remained silent the entire time, leaving Yue Yao to wait in dread for her execution.
Finally, the carriage halted, and the coachman called out, “Marquis, we’ve arrived.”
Ling Xiao glanced at her. Her head was bowed, her delicate fingers twisting together until they turned red.
His brow furrowed slightly as he spoke coldly, “Get out.”
Yue Yao wordlessly stepped out of the carriage.
Ling Xiao followed immediately after, his sharp eyes sweeping over Chun’er, who stood waiting outside. “Take Madam back.”
Chun’er trembled as she bowed. “Yes.”
Yue Yao stared at him blankly. The entire ride, she had imagined a thousand ways he might punish her—yet she never expected he’d simply let her go.
Did he believe her?
But if he did, why did he still look so furious?
His icy gaze flicked toward her, and Yue Yao hastily averted her eyes, hurrying into the mansion.
His moods were always unpredictable. She had never once guessed his thoughts correctly.
Since he was letting her off, she should count her blessings and not push her luck.
Yue Yao rushed back to her courtyard, immediately bathing and changing out of the maid’s attire she had been wearing.
Only after washing and donning fresh robes did she finally feel somewhat settled.
“Madam, should we inform the Elder Lady?” Chun’er asked.
Yue Yao pressed her lips together, considering for a long moment before shaking her head. “It’s not my place to speak.”
If it were just about Mo Shujie, she might have explained.
But Ling Xiao’s decision to call off the engagement complicated things.
From his demeanor today, it didn’t seem like an idle threat.
With barely over a month left until the wedding, everyone had been overjoyed about the union—especially the Elder Lady, who had been eagerly awaiting the grand occasion.
Yet he was ready to cancel it without hesitation.
“The Marquis called off the engagement today to stand up for you, Madam!” Chun’er said indignantly.
“You overestimate my importance.”
Ling Xiao calling off the engagement for her sake? Preposterous!
Yue Yao gripped her ivory comb, biting her lip. “Perhaps he saw through Chen Shiyun’s schemes. Or maybe… he already wanted to end it himself.”
Chun’er’s eyes widened. “Why would the Marquis want that? Wasn’t Miss Chen his own choice?”
Yue Yao shook her head. She didn’t understand either.
She had never understood Ling Xiao.
Her head ached from overthinking, so she gave up and collapsed onto the bed. “In any case, he’s the one calling it off. Let him explain to the Elder Lady himself.”
Chun’er sighed softly, tucking the blankets around Yue Yao. “Don’t dwell on it, Madam. Rest for a while. You haven’t slept well these past few days, and today’s events must have exhausted you.”
Yue Yao was indeed exhausted—but sleep wouldn’t come. Every time she closed her eyes, Ling Xiao’s piercing glare haunted her, sending chills down her spine.
—
As dusk fell, the already grim prison was shrouded in an even more sinister atmosphere.
Screams echoed intermittently from the cells below.
A red-robed official hurried in and out, scanning his surroundings before finally spotting a lone figure perched on the rooftop across the way.
Clad in black robes that blended into the night, the man sat with one knee propped up, his elbow resting on it as he idly swirled a wine flask. His dark eyes coolly observed the comings and goings below.
The red-robed official, upon finding him, hastily ordered a ladder to be brought over and climbed up.
“Here you are, enjoying the moon while the world’s in chaos! You saw me running around looking for you and didn’t even call out?”
Ling Xiao tilted his wine flask, his voice flat. “What is it?”
Ji Huaizhu sat down, catching his breath before speaking. “The Chen and Mo families are searching everywhere for you! Since they couldn’t find you, they’ve all come to me—as if I dare make decisions for you!”
“You’re the Vice Minister of Justice. With Mo Shujie locked up in the imperial prison, who else would the Mo family beg for help?”
“Beg me? Should I just release him then?”
Ling Xiao shot him a look, and Ji Huaizhu grumbled, “See? You act like I have any say in this!”
Ling Xiao’s irritation flared. “Ignore them.”
They were like grasshoppers in autumn—bound to jump around before their end.
Ji Huaizhu clicked his tongue, studying him with amusement. “What’s gotten into you today?”
First calling off an engagement, then throwing the Mo family into disarray, and now drinking alone like this?
It was a spectacle.
They had known each other for years, and this was only the second time Ji Huaizhu had seen Ling Xiao drinking in frustration—the first being after his elder brother’s death.
“Don’t tell me it’s over a woman?” Ji Huaizhu suddenly said.
Ling Xiao’s grip on the flask tightened imperceptibly.
Ji Huaizhu grinned. “I knew it!”
“Get lost.”
“Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao! To think even you’d be sulking over a woman!”
Ji Huaizhu shook his head, chuckling. “Regretting that canceled engagement now, aren’t you?”
Ling Xiao: "…"
"Hey, it's no big deal. I get it—you were just angry and said you wanted to call off the engagement, but now you regret it, right?"
Ling Xiao expressionlessly picked up the wine jug and took a sip, clearly unwilling to entertain the conversation.
Ji Huaizhu, however, grew more animated, chattering away. "I’ve told you before, this stubborn personality of yours… If you like her, just admit it. What’s the big deal?"
Ling Xiao’s grip on the jug tightened, his knuckles turning white.
Seeing no rebuttal, Ji Huaizhu pressed further. "You, an old iron tree that never blooms, finally sprouting feelings—now that’s a rare sight! But listen, if you don’t act fast, she might end up with someone else, and then you’ll be left crying in regret."
Another man?
Ling Xiao recalled how she had hidden behind Mo Ziqian earlier that day, staring at him with fear in her eyes.
His expression darkened instantly, a dangerous glint flashing in his gaze, barely restrained.
Ji Huaizhu, oblivious, continued rambling. "Women, you just need to coax them a little—"
A sudden crack cut him off. Ji Huaizhu jumped, turning to see Ling Xiao had crushed the wine jug in his hand.
He sucked in a sharp breath and immediately shut his mouth.
Ling Xiao abruptly stood and leaped down.
By the time Ji Huaizhu processed what had happened, Ling Xiao had already landed, strode out of the prison gates, mounted his horse, and vanished in a cloud of dust.
Ji Huaizhu stared blankly for a long moment. Wait… he’s actually fallen for her?
Ling Xiao galloped through the empty streets, heading straight for the Marquis's Mansion.
Dismounting at the gates, he stormed inside, his icy aura keeping the servants at a distance.
He didn’t return to the study in the front courtyard. Instead, he took the winding corridor leading to the inner residence, passing through the garden, stepping past the moon gate, and heading straight for Bright Moon Pavilion.
A single thought roared in his mind—he needed to see her.
Just as he stepped out of the corridor, his footsteps halted abruptly. His sharp gaze landed on a slender figure by the lakeside pavilion, leaning against the railing as she fed the fish.
Her hair was half-down, free of ornaments, and a pale silver cloak draped over her shoulders, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.
It reminded him of that morning in the hunting grounds after she’d been injured—she had looked just like this.
Her face bare of makeup, standing there so delicately, yet inexplicably alluring.
Yue Yao had come out to sit for a while, unable to sleep. Too much had happened today, and she didn’t know how things would unfold. Had Ling Xiao truly let her off, or was he just biding his time to deal with her later?
Tossing and turning, she gave up on sleep and stepped outside to feed the fish and clear her mind.
Then she felt it—a scorching gaze burning into her back. She turned slowly, her pupils shrinking in shock.
Ling Xiao.
What was he doing here in the dead of night?
Had he come to settle the score?
Yue Yao’s face paled slightly as she stood, greeting him cautiously. "Marquis."
Ling Xiao saw the wariness in her eyes—the same guarded look she always gave him, devoid of trust.
Yet she trusted Mo Ziqian so easily.
He had saved her twice, and still, she couldn’t tell friend from foe.
But Ling Chen? He’d saved her just once, and she clung to that memory like a lifeline.
His dark eyes locked onto her, fathomless as an abyss, as he closed the distance between them step by step.
The oppressive aura made Yue Yao’s back prickle with cold. She bit the inside of her lip. "Marquis, why are you here at this hour? Is it about what happened today?"
Ling Xiao remained silent, stopping right in front of her.
Yue Yao struggled to breathe under his intensity, retreating a step. She forced herself to stay composed. "I really did run into Mo Ziqian by coincidence earlier. I only hid behind him because I had no other choice. I know it was improper—"
Every word out of her mouth was about Mo Ziqian, as if she were deliberately provoking him.
Yet the way her lips moved was its own kind of temptation.
When he still didn’t speak, she nervously bit her lower lip, the flesh beneath her teeth paling.
His gaze darkened, his throat bobbing as the last threads of his restraint snapped.
Yue Yao’s scalp tingled under his stare, her heart pounding wildly. The look in his eyes now—it reminded her of that dream, where he had seemed like a beast gone mad.
Her face drained of color, her voice barely a whisper. "I… I should go to bed now."
She turned to leave, desperate to escape.
But she had barely taken two steps when a searing hand clamped around her arm, yanking her back.
Before she could even gasp, he bent down, one hand cradling the back of her neck, locking her in place and forcing her to look up.
Then he crushed his lips against hers.
