Shen Xuejin was also somewhat surprised; she had not expected to run into Huo Nanchi’s carriage here.
"I... I want to go back and see my mother," Shen Xuejin said, her tone tinged with a hint of pleading.
"Get in." Huo Nanchi released his grip, and the carriage curtain fell back into place.
Shen Xuejin had no choice but to board the carriage. The handsome man with sharp, sword-like eyebrows came into view, his deep, dark eyes fixed steadily upon her.
Shen Xuejin stiffened. Regaining her composure, she lowered her head and said softly, "Second Young Master Huo."
"Is Sister Xuejin worried about me?" Huo Nanchi adjusted his cuffs with an air of indifference.
Shen Xuejin replied sheepishly, "It is not that I am worried about you, Second Young Master. I am truly just deeply concerned for my mother."
"If you go back, do you think you will be able to come out again?" Huo Nanchi’s voice was as cold and clear as a snow lotus blooming on the Tianshan Mountains.
Shen Xuejin had naturally considered this. She bit her lip and asked, "Could I ask you, Second Young Master, to inquire about my mother's condition once you enter the Shen Residence?"
Huo Nanchi did not respond, closing his eyes slightly to rest.
Shen Xuejin’s fingertips grew cold. After hesitating for a long time, she mustered the courage to speak. "I hear you serve in the Imperial Capital Garrison, Second Young Master. I imagine your soldiers must be injured from time to time. While living at the villa, I had nothing but spare time, so I developed a type of styptic powder. It is highly effective at stopping bleeding. Would you like to take some and try it?"
Huo Nanchi remained silent with his eyes closed. Feeling disheartened and despondent, Shen Xuejin said no more.
The carriage moved slowly forward; the interior was deathly quiet. Although the carriage was not cramped, it made Shen Xuejin feel as though she were sitting on needles and pins, especially as the scent of cold, solidified incense clinging to Huo Nanchi seemed to swirl around her, invading her senses at every moment.
"Sister Xuejin, why do you feel so aggrieved? Where are you trying to escape to this time?"
The man’s overbearing yet cold words from her dreams echoed in her ears. With the culprit sitting right before her, Shen Xuejin’s face turned even paler.
"Sister Xuejin, are you so afraid of me?" Huo Nanchi’s cold voice rang out in the carriage once more, startling the dazed girl.
Shen Xuejin’s lips parted, wanting to say something, but the carriage came to a sudden, jarring halt, causing her to stumble forward.
Huo Nanchi reached out to steady her arm, his thick palm pressing against her elbow through the thin layer of fabric.
Shen Xuejin’s gaze fell upon his hand. It was this same hand that, in her dreams, had gripped her waist…
In her dreams, he was savage, overbearing, and rapacious, yet in reality, he was cold and indifferent. For a moment, Shen Xuejin did not know how to face him.
She remained silent, as did he.
Outside, the coachman’s voice sounded: "Second Young Master, Miss Shen, the axle of the carriage has broken."
Like a startled deer, Shen Xuejin pulled her hand away in a flurry.
Huo Nanchi rubbed his fingertips together, lifted the curtain to survey the street, then turned back. "Sister Xuejin, we are not far from the Shen family home. I shall simply walk the rest of the way."
"You may wait here in the carriage. Once it is repaired, the coachman will take you to the gate of the Shen Residence to await my return."
"Very well." There was nothing else to do.
His tall frame stepped out of the carriage. He ordered the coachman to fix the vehicle and return to wait for him at the gates of the Shen Residence that afternoon.
*It was nothing more than an absurd dream,* she told herself. *Dreams are the opposite of reality anyway. If I continue to lose my composure like this, I fear it will only lead to further misunderstandings.*
The carriage was repaired quickly, and the coachman pulled it up to the entrance of the alley.
Shen Ning sat restlessly inside the carriage, lifting the edge of the curtain from time to time to see if Huo Nanchi had emerged.
At the other end of the alley, a young woman in a light green dress was walking toward them.
"Don't be angry, Second Miss. Father will surely find a way to drag the eldest sister back and force her to take your place in the marriage," a maid with prominent cheekbones said fawningly.
The person approaching was none other than Shen Xuejin’s younger half-sister, Shen Wanya.
Inside the carriage, Shen Xuejin gripped her sleeves tightly, her heart pounding. She fought the urge to leap out.
Shen Wanya said bitterly, "To think that someone raised in a villa dares to dream of marrying into the Pingnan Marquis Estate. It is pure delusion. This marriage belongs only to me!"
"Don't worry, Second Miss. That woman in the East Courtyard probably won't live for more than a few days. Once she dies, your father will surely elevate Concubine Qin to the position of wife," the maid chimed in.
Hearing this, Shen Xuejin felt even more desperate. If even the maid beside Shen Wanya was saying such things, she feared her mother's condition was critical.
Unable to wait any longer, she threw open the curtain and leapt out of the carriage. She looked coldly at Shen Wanya. "I am afraid that will disappoint you. My mother is destined to live a long and healthy life."
"Shen Xuejin?" Shen Wanya gasped. "Where have you been hiding these past few days? Someone, seize this bitch and drag her back!"
Shen Wanya had brought two guards with her; they hurried toward the carriage upon her command.
One guard stepped forward, pinned Shen Xuejin’s arms, and began dragging her toward the residence.
Shen Xuejin struggled with all her might, but the disparity in their strength was too great. Not only did she fail to break free, but her hair fell into disarray in the struggle.
Shen Wanya stepped forward and slapped Shen Xuejin hard across the face, hissing, "It was an honor for you to be asked to marry in my stead, yet you dared to run away?!"
A distinct palm print appeared on Shen Xuejin’s fair cheek.
"If you had just obediently taken my place, I might have pitied you and given you a bit more dowry, but since you are so shameless, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"Take this bitch inside! Father will certainly teach her a lesson!"
"Yes."
Shen Xuejin was shoved toward the house by the guards. Whenever she slowed down, they gave her a hard push, causing her to stumble and nearly fall.
***
In the reception hall of the Shen Residence.
After Shen Hong and Huo Nanchi exchanged a few polite words, a woman of some beauty swayed into the room. Her eyes lit up upon seeing the many gifts.
Qin Rong looked at Huo Nanchi and smiled. "This must be the Second Young Master of the Huo family? Truly a dashing and graceful young gentleman."
Huo Nanchi cast a faint, indifferent glance at Qin Rong and asked Shen Hong with distant, formal politeness, "Is this the Madam of the Shen family?"
Qin Rong’s expression froze. She desperately wanted to be the Madam, but Huo Nanchi’s words sounded like nothing but sarcasm and contempt to her ears. Though she was furious, she had to force a smile.
Shen Hong coughed into his fist. "Second Young Master, this is Concubine Qin."
Huo Nanchi said nothing, simply lifting his teacup to take a sip.
But the air was thick with disdain.
Shen Hong was a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Revenue, a high-ranking official, yet he placed his preference for a concubine over his wife so blatantly that he clearly no longer cared about his own reputation.
Perhaps realizing the impropriety himself, Shen Hong said sheepishly, "Xuejin’s mother is unwell. I was worried about being an inattentive host to you, Second Young Master, so I asked Rong’er to help receive you."
"Father, I have caught the bitch Shen Xuejin!" Shen Wanya’s voice arrived before she did. "This lowly creature has angered you time and time again; you must punish her severely with the family law!"
With that, she reached the room. She snatched Shen Xuejin from the guards and shoved her toward Shen Hong, snarling, "Father, this wench even pushed me! You must get justice for me!"