The cold, piercing wind blew in, and Gu Ying's body swayed unsteadily. She hurriedly wrapped her arms tightly around Zhao Changdu's waist. When she opened her eyes again, the two of them had landed steadily within the wall.
Her face turned pale for a moment as the cold wind hit her face-on, yet she also felt somewhat feverish. "Prince, you can put me down now."
Zhao Changdu lowered his eyes to glance at her, but did not let her go. His sexy, thin lips pressed together as he refused uncompromisingly, "I'll take you back."
"No!" Gu Ying rejected without thinking, "You can't go to my residence, or Yanzhi and Yin Lan will easily discover us!"
They had secretly met tonight already going against propriety, he could not go to her courtyard, it would be too easy for them to be discovered by Yanzhi and Yin Lan!
What was this feeling of secrecy?
Gu Ying clutched his lapel tightly, shaking her legs as she tried to jump down.
But she had overlooked the disparity in strength between men and women. No matter how she struggled, she could not budge the iron grip of the man's arms one bit.
Frustrated, her face flushed as she said, "If the Prince is going to be so unreasonable, it seems I have no need to marry you after all."
The man's eyes dangerously narrowed, "Threatening me? Do you know, if you don't agree to marry me, I have a hundred ways to make you voluntarily marry me?"
Gu Ying bit her lip, recalling his madness over Huo Qiyun in the past, and a wave of fear rose in her heart.
How could this man be so temperamental?
Her own temper flared and she could not restrain herself, "If I'm unwilling, can the Prince still kidnap me again?"
As soon as she said this, Zhao Changdu's face instantly turned cold, a layer of frost covering his exquisite, handsome face.
His kidnapping attempt years ago had failed, and he had been ridiculed for many years in front of so many officials and nobles when he was abandoned by a woman. That incident was still probably an incurable scar on his heart.
Gu Ying realized lightning fast that she had spoken impulsively and said the wrong thing. Taking advantage of his inattention, she jumped out of his arms.
"Well...I'll go first..."
Without waiting for the man's reaction, she directly turned and ran, as if there were wolves and tigers behind her.
Zhao Changdu's eyes were frighteningly cold as he watched her fleeing back. The scene of being abandoned years ago was as if it were just yesterday.
He curled his lips self-mockingly, an indescribable sourness spreading through his body.
Thinking of something, the chiseled, handsome face was filled with a terrible anger, his brows furrowed with a frightening rage. That little girl had dared to stab him in his heart, angering him until his teeth itched.
...
Gu Ying anxiously fled back to Twilight Snow Studio, although it was freezing weather, she was drenched in sweat.
Standing at the door looking back, in the distant darkness, he had not followed.
How could she not restrain herself!
With his love for Huo Qiyun, what could he do to her?
She had just lost her temper for a moment, speaking recklessly. Now calming down, if he refused to marry her, it left only a wave of panic.
The more she thought about it, the more regretful she became. She thought there might still be a chance if she hurried back to apologize to the Prince.
But when she walked back to under the flower wall, Zhao Changdu's figure was already gone...
Her heart sank, her heart twinged painfully, and she stood blankly in place for a good while.
In the end, she sighed weakly, turned around and walked towards Twilight Snow Studio.
However, in the overlooked corner, a tall jade-like figure had seen Gu Ying and Zhao Changdu's secret meeting completely.
He was hidden in the gloomy corner, looking at Gu Ying's delicate petite figure and innocent, gentle little face, his eyes as dark as the abyss.
In that abyss, the undercurrents surged violently, the flames of karma blazed furiously.
"Gu Ying, so you've abandoned me, wanting to marry Zhao Changdu to fly up a branch and become a phoenix." A hint of sinister smile appeared on Jiang Yin's lips. "What a pity, I won't let you get your wish, I will also let you taste the feeling of being schemed against like I was."
...
The next day when Gu Ying woke up, she felt somewhat dizzy and muddled headed, probably because of the cold wind last night. When she returned, she did not dare heat water to wash up, and went straight under the quilt to catch a chill.
Yin Lan stood by the bedside, reaching out to feel her burning forehead, "Miss don't worry, it's probably just sleeping uneasily last night and accidentally catching a chill. Just wait for me to grab some medicine to take and it will be fine."
Gu Ying lay powerlessly on the bed, "Alright, thank you for the trouble, Yin Lan."
Yin Lan smiled, "Why stand on ceremony, Miss?"
Gu Ying's face was pale, "I just didn't cover the quilt properly last night..."
The corner of Yin Lan's mouth tilted up, "It's fine, Miss doesn't need to explain to me. I've been serving Miss these days, I understand you. Miss does sleep restlessly, always liking to kick off the quilt. This habit still needs to be changed. The winter chill in Bianjing, Miss your body is weak, you still have to be careful."
Hearing Yin Lan speak for her like this, it made Gu Ying feel somewhat uneasy and embarrassed on the contrary.
"Well...you go busy first, I'll sleep some more."
Yin Lan and Yanzhi hurried off.
Her head really hurt badly, she didn't have the energy to think about anything else, she could only bury her head in the quilt to sleep.
Halfway, Yin Lan came in to feed her medicine, and half of the quilt on her was lifted again.
Yin Lan laughed, "Miss is still like a child."
In a daze, she drank it. Yin Lan even praised her for not fearing bitterness at all.
Gu Ying lay curled up in the bedding, wrapped up thickly like a cocoon by Yin Lan.
She laughed self-deprecatingly, where was she not afraid of bitterness? It was just in her previous life, in order to conceive Jiang Yin's child, the medicine she drank was far more bitter than this.
At first she was afraid of the bitterness. Later on, drinking medicine was as commonplace as eating meals, so much so that Yanzhi scolded her for being unworthy.
At that time, her face was washed with tears every day, her health deteriorating more and more. Not to mention conceiving a child, even a gust of cold wind she could not stand. She thought she would not live much longer.
Later she was thrown into the dilapidated temple, humiliated and bullied by so many people.
Countless times she had wanted to die, yet she could not die no matter what.
The workings of fate toyed with people. Just like now, she wanted with all her heart to get rid of Mrs. Liu and the rest, yet she was still confined in this cage called the Gu family.
Even when she finally made up her mind to marry Zhao Changdu, she happened to offend him with a careless sentence.
The ups and downs of this marriage left her temporarily without backbone.
"Miss?" Yin Lan called softly, seeing the person curled up in the quilt with red eyes, seeming to be crying, yet on closer look there were no tears on her face.
Gu Ying felt extremely suffocated in her heart, wrinkling her brows. Powerlessly, she pouted her lips, "Yin Lan, what is it?"
Yin Lan gently patted the quilt twice, tucking the corners tightly, seeing that Gu Ying still had a young girl's manner, hearing her tender voice, it reminded her of her own child that could not be born. She smiled, "Nothing much, Miss rest a while more to warm up your sweat."
Yin Lan's voice was too gentle.
Gu Ying let down all her defenses, truly falling asleep curled in the quilt.
When she awoke again, noisy, clamorous sounds could be heard from outside.
She opened her eyes, dazed for a moment.
Yin Lan drew the curtains and walked in, a flash of anger on her face vanishing instantly as she smiled and asked, "Does Miss feel a little better?"
