Chapter 81: Imprisonment

Chapter 81: Imprisonment

"Who are you?"

The young woman, seeing Qiu Shuiyi's appearance, stared in shock, her pupils contracting. "...Why... do you look exactly like me?"

Suddenly encountering her double in the world, Qiu Shuiyi inevitably felt somewhat disoriented.

She finally understood why everyone who saw her mistook her for Qiu Lianying.

Apart from the mole on her own nose, their appearances were truly identical.

"Speak, who are you?"

The young woman hugged her knees, leaning against the bed, her deer-like, lively eyes filled with vigilance.

Qiu Shuiyi collected herself and said softly, "You... are Qiu Lianying?"

Qiu Lianying lifted her chin, her lowered eyelashes revealing a hint of pride. Her voice was cold. "You know me? Who exactly are you?"

Qiu Shuiyi took a step toward her.

The young woman tensed up and said sharply, "Don't come any closer!"

Qiu Shuiyi ignored her, walked to the bedside, sat down, and gazed deeply into her eyes.

She was Qiu Lianying.

Her biological sister, and also the source of her suffering at the hands of Han Zicheng.

At first, she resented Qiu Lianying.

Just because of a face identical to hers, she had been plotted against and nearly killed by Han Zicheng.

After returning home, out of consideration for her parents and brother, she no longer resented or hated her, but she couldn't bring herself to feel close to her either.

At most, she thought that when she returned, they could be sisters who maintained a decent relationship on the surface.

But at this moment, an indescribable emotion surged in her chest.

It was somewhat bitter, but more than that, it was moving.

She thought that perhaps this was the strange connection between twins.

Even after being separated for sixteen years, the moment she laid eyes on her, she felt a closeness born of the same bloodline.

Qiu Shuiyi sighed silently and, under Qiu Lianying's wary gaze, whispered, "My name is Qiu Shuiyi."

"Qiu... Shuiyi?" Qiu Lianying furrowed her delicate brows. "You're also surnamed Qiu?"

Seeing someone who looked so much like her, Qiu Lianying first suspected that the Marquis of Yun'an had done something unfaithful to Lady Mei outside.

However, before this thought fully formed, she shook her head and dismissed it herself.

Her father loved her mother so much—how could he bear to hurt her?

Surname Qiu, given name Shuiyi.

Qiu... Shuiyi...

Shuiyi...

Lian... Ying

A memory surfaced in the depths of her mind: Lady Mei's sorrowful face, weeping. Qiu Lianying's eyes widened suddenly, and she stared intently at Qiu Shuiyi.

Her voice trembled. "You... are you... my younger sister?"

She uttered the last two words extremely softly, afraid of scaring her away.

Qiu Shuiyi's lips curved into a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, sister."

Qiu Lianying's eyes reddened. She crawled forward on her knees, wrapped her arms around Qiu Shuiyi, and said excitedly, "It's wonderful that you're alive. Mother and Father will be overjoyed when they find out."

She held Qiu Shuiyi tightly, her hands trembling slightly against her back.

Qiu Shuiyi was momentarily stunned.

After a while, a gentle smile spread across her face. She returned the embrace and said with a smile, "I've already met Mother and Father."

"You've met them?" Qiu Lianying asked in surprise.

Qiu Shuiyi nodded. "I came here specifically to find you."

Qiu Lianying released her, lowering her gaze slightly. "Are Mother and Father very angry?"

Qiu Shuiyi shook her head. "They're both very worried about you."

"I've been unfilial, causing them such worry," Qiu Lianying said, her eyes reddening, but her gaze firm. "But I don't regret my choice."

Seeing the clarity in her eyes, Qiu Shuiyi avoided the topic. "Speaking of which, sister, how did you end up here?"

Qiu Lianying gritted her teeth. "I was captured and brought here."

Qiu Shuiyi was startled by the hatred in her eyes and asked tentatively, "By whom?"

"Han. Zi. Cheng."

Qiu Lianying spat out each word as if she wished she could skin him alive.

Qiu Shuiyi's lips parted slightly in shock.

"It was actually him?"

"You know him?" Qiu Lianying asked.

"More than just know."

Just mentioning the name made Qiu Shuiyi's teeth itch with hatred. She immediately recounted how Han Zicheng had tried to kill her in Guo Family Village.

Hearing that Qiu Shuiyi had nearly been killed by Han Zicheng because of a face similar to hers, narrowly escaping death and being mistaken for her to return to the Marquis of Yun'an's residence, Qiu Lianying vented her anger by gripping the cotton quilt beneath her hands tightly.

Tears streamed down her fair cheeks as Qiu Lianying said, "Yi'er, I've wronged you."

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered this ordeal."

She wept bitterly, choking back sobs. "If only I hadn't saved him back then, how much better things would be."

"If I hadn't saved him, you wouldn't have nearly lost your life, and the entire Mu family wouldn't have been wiped out."

She raised her head, her eyes bloodshot.

"Thirty-eight lives, a full thirty-eight lives!"

Qiu Lianying broke down sobbing. "I spent every day with them for several months. Every single one of them treated me like family, caring for me, looking after me. Yet I could only watch them die before my eyes, completely helpless."

"And A'mu... Han Zicheng snatched me away and severely injured A'mu. I saw him collapse in a pool of blood, and even now, I don't know whether he's alive or dead."

"I hate him—I wish I could kill Han Zicheng myself. But I hate myself even more."

Qiu Lianying choked on her sobs. "If I had never saved him, none of this would have happened."

The Mu family massacre—was it Han Zicheng's doing?

Qiu Shuiyi was momentarily stunned by this revelation, her mind going blank.

Qiu Lianying cried with despairing, heartbroken sobs, seemingly trapped in a kind of torment. Qiu Shuiyi quickly tried to comfort her, "When you saved him, how could you have known his true nature? It's all his fault for being such a good liar, for fooling you."

But Qiu Lianying remained lost in her own thoughts.

Seeing her like this, Qiu Shuiyi was at a loss.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She grabbed Qiu Lianying's hand. "I went to the Mu residence, but there were only thirty-six bodies. How do you account for thirty-eight lives?"

Qiu Lianying lifted her tear-swollen eyes, her voice hoarse as if scraped by gravel. "Including A'mu, the Mu household had thirty-nine people. He and I managed to rescue Mu's father, who was on the brink of death, but before we could find a physician, he breathed his last."

Recalling the scene, Qiu Lianying closed her eyes in pain. "A'mu and I buried him outside the city walls."

"There's one more person," Qiu Shuiyi said, tightening her grip. "Mu Sichuan, he didn't die."

"What?"

Qiu Lianying's eyes snapped open.

Gazing into her tear-washed eyes, Qiu Shuiyi spoke with solemn earnestness. "Mu Sichuan is alive. When the incident occurred, he crawled out through a dog hole and later hid in the home of an Auntie Yang. I visited the Mu residence; he saw me and mistook me for you."

"He's currently staying at an inn within the city."

"Is all of this true?"

Qiu Lianying grasped Qiu Shuiyi's hand in return, her eyes shining brilliantly. "Xiao Chuan... Xiao Chuan is really alive?"

"I swear it's true," Qiu Shuiyi smiled. "The first time we met, he kept calling me 'little auntie'."

"That's right, Xiao Chuan always loved calling me 'little auntie'. A'mu scolded him many times, but he never changed."

A smile finally appeared on Qiu Lianying's face, her expression clearing somewhat.

Wiping her tears, she murmured, "He's still alive. That's wonderful."

Relief mingled with a trace of melancholy.

Qiu Shuiyi said, "Once we escape from here, I'll take you to find him."

"We can't escape," Qiu Lianying shook her head, her eyes tinged with mockery. "Han Zicheng guards this place extremely tightly. Just outside this room alone, there are over twenty guards. How could the two of us possibly escape?"

"I left clues along the way. His Highness will find us."

"His Highness?" Qiu Lianying was puzzled. "Which prince?"

"Prince Duansu, Shen Yuchao," Qiu Shuiyi replied softly.

"Shen Yuchao?"

Mentioning that name reminded Qiu Lianying of the marriage contract she had so strongly resisted. She couldn't help but frown. "Yi'er, why are you with him?"

"His Highness was also traveling to the Jiangnan region, so I traveled with him."

Seeing Qiu Lianying's indifferent expression, Qiu Shuiyi smiled and said, "His Highness and I are engaged. Sister, you don't need to avoid him anymore in the future."

"Engaged?!" Qiu Lianying was shocked. "You... you and Prince Duansu?"

Qiu Shuiyi nodded with a smile.

"Is it because of me?" Qiu Lianying's face turned grim. "Because I went missing, the marriage with Shen Yuchao had to fall upon you?"

She placed her hand over Qiu Shuiyi's, her tone serious. "No, I can't ruin your lifelong happiness."

Qiu Shuiyi was taken aback, then shook her head with a light laugh. "Sister, you've misunderstood. He and I..." She paused, then said softly, "I'm in love with him."

Qiu Lianying was skeptical. "Really?"

"How could that be false?" Qiu Shuiyi smiled.

"If you're willing, then I can rest easy."

"Speaking of which, sister, why were you unwilling to marry His Highness?" Qiu Shuiyi asked.

She had been curious about this for a long time.

Qiu Lianying pursed her lips. "Don't you think he's too... fake?"

"Huh?"

"I've interacted with him twice. Each time, he presented this harmless, gentle facade. Whenever people speak of Prince Duansu, they all praise him as gentle as jade, elegant and refined. Listening to it all, it seems besides these traits, he has no other emotions, like a mannequin." Qiu Lianying expressed her distaste. "The thought of spending a lifetime with a man like that made me extremely uncomfortable."

Qiu Shuiyi hadn't expected this to be the reason.

Indeed, to outsiders, Shen Yuchao appeared as a cultured and elegant imperial prince of the highest rank, blessed with good lineage and an easygoing nature, easily winning others' favor.

But he seemed to have no particular preferences—no strong likes in food, no care for what clothes he wore, and most of the time, his emotions were as bland as plain water.

He held no passion for life. He was capable in many things but harbored no affection for any of them.

The only thing he seemed to genuinely enjoy was painting those eerie and bizarre pictures of his.

Without understanding his past experiences, one could easily misunderstand him.

Qiu Lianying had been raised with abundant love. She was adept at receiving affection from others and accustomed to being surrounded by it. Feeling not a trace of genuine emotion from Shen Yuchao, she instinctively resisted.

"Besides, I already have someone I love."

Lost in thought, Qiu Shuiyi suddenly heard Qiu Lianying's soft murmur. She instinctively asked, "Is it that young master from the Mu family, named Yuanxi?"

Qiu Lianying's face flushed instantly, and she said shyly, "You... you know about him?"

Qiu Shuiyi nodded. "When I found the Mu residence, I heard that sister was to marry him. Sister, if Father and Mother find out about this, they..."

"We are already married. Whether Father and Mother agree or not, I am A'mu's wife," Qiu Lianying interjected urgently. Under Qiu Shuiyi's astonished gaze, she bashfully changed the subject. "Speaking of which, since you were with Shen Yuchao, how were you kidnapped?"

Qiu Shuiyi’s lips parted slightly, and it was a long moment before she managed to say, “I don’t know. I was sleeping when I was kidnapped out of the blue. What does Han Zicheng even want with me?”

Qiu Lianying naturally had no idea and shook her head gently.

For a moment, silence hung in the air. Qiu Shuiyi remained bewildered, her mind in complete disarray.

Hold on, how did she end up married?

Had the male lead and the male supporting character been outmaneuvered by a random side character who had never appeared before?

Was this the butterfly effect caused by her?