Chapter 21 Appointment He shouldn’t have come.

Chapter 21: The Appointment

He shouldn't have come.

Zhong Yao was certain Chen Luoling was concealing a guilty conscience.

Putting herself in Chen Luoling's shoes, if their positions were reversed, she would do everything she could to avoid the other person, just like at the Yong'an Marquis Estate that time, rather than be the one to invite her.

Daring to take the initiative meant Chen Luoling must have regained her composure and devised an effective countermeasure against her.

After two days of thought, Zhong Yao felt the most effective method would be to take this opportunity to kidnap or kill her. But since the other party had openly sent an invitation, that was clearly impossible.

Besides, Xie Chi was going too.

Although he hadn't replied or given an answer, with her threat, he was definitely going!

Working up her courage, Zhong Yao dressed meticulously and went to meet her, on high alert.

Madam Zhong, fearing her daughter might encounter ruffians again, originally wanted to go along but was persuaded by Zhong Yao to stay. However, she sent several servants instead. By the time they arrived at Qingyue Mountain outside the city, the entourage following Zhong Yao was even larger than Chen Luoling's.

Chen Luoling had already arrived, dressed in an elegant dress of plain white, resembling a serene lotus standing gracefully in the center of a pond.

Seeing Zhong Yao, she showed none of the panic from last time, instead calmly observing Zhong Yao with steady eyes.

Zhong Yao found her gaze odd. Before she could speak, Chen Luoling said first, "You don't look like your elder brother at all."

Zhong Yao muttered, "My eldest brother has a face like that. If I resembled him, how could I show my face in public?"

Chen Luoling pursed her lips and smiled.

Girls of sixteen always have romantic notions. Zhong Yao had privately discussed men's appearances before, but mostly with close friends.

She and Chen Luoling were hardly close friends, yet Chen Luoling not only mentioned her eldest brother of her own accord but also naturally mentioned his appearance...

It was strange.

Zhong Yao eyed Chen Luoling suspiciously.

Chen Luoling grew somewhat flustered under her gaze, turned her face slightly, and said softly, "Censor Zhong isn't ugly... it's just that his looks are a bit too severe for a young lady's taste..."

Zhong Yao of course knew her own brother wasn't ugly, but would Chen Luoling actually speak up for him?

"Are you very familiar with my eldest brother?"

Chen Luoling shook her head slightly. "We only met a few times in Jiangzhou."

Because servants were following behind, the two only exchanged a few brief words before stopping.

It was almost June now. Spring flowers had faded, and the intense heat hadn't yet arrived. Hibiscus flowers bloomed all over Qingyue Mountain, attracting many talented scholars and beauties to admire them.

Those with such leisure were mostly from wealthy families. They chased and played among the flowering trees in twos and threes, or composed poems and verses halfway up the mountain. When tired, they had servants lay out soft cushions and refreshments in open areas, enjoying themselves immensely.

The two, sharing the same intention, dismissed their attendants and walked side by side along the winding gravel path.

Without servants following closely, they could finally converse freely.

"My two siblings and I returned to our hometown to visit relatives. On the way back to the capital, because my elder sister caught a fever, we stayed in Jiangzhou for a few days," Chen Luoling said slowly. "With many servants accompanying us, nothing should have happened. But my younger brother was playful and befriended some local ne'er-do-wells who took him gambling..."

"My elder sister and I thought this was a bad influence, so we sent him to stay with Censor Zhang and Censor Zhong, who were investigating a case in Jiangzhou. We thought the two officials could keep him in check, and if they had spare time, perhaps even guide his studies..."

"Unexpectedly, my younger brother was mischievous. Seeing Censor Zhong was easygoing, he kept pestering him to play..."

Chen Luoling's attitude was better than Zhong Yao had imagined, and this explanation seemed reasonable, but Zhong Yao didn't believe it.

She paid close attention to Chen Luoling's expression and probed, "My brother mentioned First Miss Chen in his letter as well."

Chen Luoling showed slight surprise, then said, "My elder sister hadn't recovered from her illness and spent most of her time resting in her room... She only met Censor Zhong once, and that was through a curtained hat. How could Censor Zhong mention her?"

This was even more off.

If First Miss Chen was ill, there must have been many maids and matrons by her side. Since she didn't leave her room, it could only mean her elder brother drunkenly stumbled into her room by mistake.

Even if no one noticed this process, wouldn't she herself cry out?

Unless she didn't want to, or couldn't make a sound.

Zhong Yao leaned towards the latter, because between the Crown Prince and her own brother, anyone with eyes wouldn't give the latter a second glance.

She suspected First Miss Chen had been drugged at the time.

The only ones who could do this silently were those close to her.

The more Zhong Yao looked at Chen Luoling, the more something felt wrong.

She thought for a moment and replied, "I don't know the specifics. It's just that in his letter, my brother said First Miss Chen's marriage to the Crown Prince would likely be postponed."

Chen Luoling's expression clearly flustered.

She tried to cover it up, but seeing Zhong Yao staring at her, she suddenly sighed and said quietly, "Since it's come to this, I'll tell the truth. Please, Miss Zhong, keep it a secret for my sister and me, considering we are both women..."

"Go ahead."

Chen Luoling hesitated a moment longer, then said as if resigned to fate, "Actually... actually, my elder sister doesn't want to marry the Crown Prince..."

Zhong Yao's eyes widened in shock.

She carefully recalled: the marriage between the Crown Prince and First Miss Chen was decreed by imperial edict. Everyone knew the Crown Prince was deeply devoted, but no one had ever mentioned First Miss Chen's feelings.

Thinking about it now, everyone has their own aspirations. Perhaps First Miss Chen truly had no interest in the Crown Prince?

If First Miss Chen didn't like the Crown Prince, and Chen Luoling had previously praised her elder brother's appearance... these sisters used to like wearing identical dresses, so their taste in men was probably similar too.

Could it be that First Miss Chen had taken a liking to her elder brother and eloped with him?

If so, what her brother wrote in his letter would be correct, and Chen Luoling's fearful avoidance that day could also be explained.

But Zhong Yao still felt something wasn't quite right.

She glanced at Chen Luoling a few more times and saw the other also seemed to have more to say but was holding back.

Just as Zhong Yao hesitated whether to speak more plainly, the sound of barking suddenly came from behind the flowering trees nearby, instantly pulling Zhong Yao's thoughts back to the inn a month ago.

The sound of sharp teeth tearing flesh, screams, and the blood staining the ground flooded Zhong Yao's mind. Her heart gave a sudden jolt, her knees went weak, and she nearly stumbled and fell.

Fortunately, Chen Luoling caught her.

"What's wrong?"

Zhong Yao's teeth chattered, and she trembled, about to speak, when a nimble dog suddenly darted out from the grass ahead. It leaped forward like a launched blade, lunging straight for Zhong Yao's calf. The words on Zhong Yao's lips changed.

"Help... help me..."

Zhong Yao's ashen face and terrified voice startled Chen Luoling. Before she could react, Zhong Yao had already slumped weakly to the ground.

The Zhong family servants following not far behind saw this first. Several of them panicked instantly, shouting from a distance, "A mad dog is biting someone! Quick, save the young lady!"

This cry set off a commotion. Servants from both households were thrown into disarray, their alarmed voices disturbing other sightseers on the mountain. For a moment, exclamations of shock rose all around.

Amid the chaos, someone suddenly exclaimed, "Why is it you?"

The dog that had pounced on Zhong Yao had just been dragged off by the servants. She was now curled up in her maid's arms, trembling uncontrollably, not daring to look elsewhere.

"Zhong Yao, what trick are you playing now?" the person demanded.

Now, even without looking, Zhong Yao knew who had arrived.

Fei Anxuan—the man who had recently called off their engagement and spread the wild stories she'd made up to achieve it.

Normally, Zhong Yao would have given him a piece of her mind, but right now, she couldn't.

Her mind was filled with the image of the vicious dog's sharp teeth, stained with shreds of flesh and blood. Her whole body trembled, and she couldn't even stand up.

Mortified, Zhong Yao forced herself to suppress her terror and stammered, "Y-y-your dog..."

"This dog was given to me by your second brother, who got it from a dog breeder. It's only four months old—how could it bite anyone?" Fei Anxuan's voice was strained with suppressed anger as he snatched the puppy from the maid's hands. "Those conditions were your own idea, spoken with your own lips. Now that your reputation is ruined, are you resorting to such despicable means to frame me?"

His words were harsh, yet no one present refuted them.

Even those inclined to defend her, upon seeing the pitiful puppy swinging from his grip and then looking at Zhong Yao cowering on the ground, terrified, found nothing to say.

...Such a small puppy, its baby teeth still soft—where could it possibly bite anyone?

Hadn't they seen the puppy pounce on Zhong Yao's leg, gnawing away, only leaving a soggy bite mark on the hem of her skirt?

But Zhong Yao was simply terrified.

Her second brother had always loved raising dogs—common yellow dogs, curly-haired dogs from Gaochang—he was fond of them all. The Zhong residence still kept six of them. Zhong Yao used to enjoy playing with puppies too.

But ever since she personally witnessed a vicious dog attack someone, she had become afraid at the mere sound of barking. Her mother had ordered all of her second brother's beloved pets sent to a separate courtyard to be looked after by servants.

Zhong Yao recognized this puppy—it was a sibling of her second brother's long-haired dog.

Before, Zhong Yao had found it adorably clumsy. Now, she saw only its sharp little teeth, terrifyingly keen, capable of piercing her throat at any moment.

Supported by her maid, Zhong Yao stood up awkwardly, warily eyeing the puppy. Glancing sideways at Fei Anxuan, she stammered, "Y-you, this dog of yours..."

"You're calling me a dog?" Fei Anxuan asked incredulously.

Zhong Yao: "..."

That really wasn't what she meant.

She had wanted to say that Fei Anxuan's dog had grown quite a bit, and to avoid scaring children or letting it run off, it would be best to leash it when taking it outside.

But calling him a dog... well, that worked too.

With that vicious dog in Fei Anxuan's hands, Zhong Yao was terrified and just wanted to find a safe place to hide.

Giving up on explaining, she warily watched the puppy barking in her direction and said to her maid, "I want to return home..."

Her timid voice was cut off by Fei Anxuan's anger. "How convenient for you," he said. "You toss out an accusation about my vicious dog, ruin my name, and think you can just walk away? Is this how the Zhong family raises its daughters?"

Seeing him shift the blame to her parents, Zhong Yao's face flushed crimson from its previous pallor.

But she still couldn't overcome the shadow of the vicious dog. Fear and anger intertwined, making her lips tremble; she was momentarily speechless.

Chen Luoling, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. "It was I who saw the dog pounce and thought it intended to harm someone, causing this misunderstanding. Later, I will have someone clarify the matter. Young Master Fei, I apologize to you and ask for your magnanimity and restraint in your words."

Fei Anxuan turned to her and asked, "You are?"

Chen Luoling gave a graceful bow. "This humble girl is of the Chen family. My father holds the official position of Minister of Rites."

Fei Anxuan immediately understood her status and hurriedly returned the courtesy. "You are too kind, young lady."

Turning back to Zhong Yao, his tone was stiff. "Since Miss Chen has interceded, let today's matter be settled. However, our engagement is already broken. To avoid suspicion, all other ties should be severed completely. As for this dog..."

He raised the puppy in his hand. "It was your brother who helped obtain it in the first place. You take it back and return it to him."

With that, he lifted his arm and threw it. The mere four-month-old puppy was tossed through the air toward Zhong Yao like a worthless trinket.

Zhong Yao instinctively reached out to catch it, but seeing the puppy suddenly airborne, yelping and baring its little sharp teeth, the scene overlapped once more with the nightmare image in her memory.

Her face turned ashen, and she froze stiffly in place.

Just as the puppy seemed to transform into a vicious dog with bared fangs, about to pounce on her neck, a figure in pink somersaulted through the air to land before her. Zhong Yao only saw a blur before her eyes. By the time she realized what had happened, the puppy had already been caught.

"It's mine now!" Xue Fang declared loudly, turning around with the puppy in his arms.

Zhong Yao stared blankly at him, then heard a voice behind her say calmly, "That dog is too fierce; it might hurt people. You are not allowed to keep it."

Zhong Yao turned around and saw a familiar figure stepping out slowly from behind a cluster of snow-white hibiscus flowers.

The moment she recognized the newcomer, her heart ached, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

But Zhong Yao didn't let the tears fall.

Choking back a sob, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then kicked out hard with her foot. A small pebble was sent flying, tumbling through the air before striking Xie Chi's robe hem.

Xie Chi: "..."

He shouldn't have come.