Chapter 4 004 An Unexpected Encounter at the Lin Mansion

Chapter 4 004 A Chance Meeting at the Lin Mansion

A petite figure hopped down from the carriage, her pink skirt fluttering, making her look charming and cute. Qiao Wanyue came to see Lin Susu. She had a servant announce her while she waited outside to avoid going in.

The servant acknowledged and rushed off to deliver the message. She waited at the gate with Hongmei, and after a while, Lin Susu still hadn’t come out. Qiao Wanyue began grumbling to herself—she was just going out with her, but she still spent ages getting ready, like she was meeting a sweetheart.

Thinking about sweethearts made Qiao Wanyue think of all the trouble at home. After Sister broke off her engagement, she should be getting engaged to Ding Chengyou soon, right? But there had been no movement for so long. What exactly were her sister and father thinking? The matter remained unresolved, and she had to stay cooped up in the manor on edge.

She had sneaked out today through the back gate without telling her mother. As soon as she got back and her mother found out, she would definitely scold her. The noble households in the capital had so many rules—life was much freer when she was a child back home.

With so many rules at the Qiao residence, the marquis’s household, being of an even higher rank, must have even stricter regulations. Fortunately, her mother wanted her to marry into a modest family. How wonderful.

She was easily satisfied, with no grand ambitions or aspirations. A peaceful life was all she needed to thank her lucky stars.

Qiao Wanyue sighed softly, growing bored from waiting, and looked around. Not far off, the sound of wheels and hooves drew near. A carriage approached from a distance, stopping at the Lin residence’s gate. She wondered whose carriage it was.

Qiao Wanyue stepped aside, casting a glance, and saw a tall figure step down from the carriage. Her small frame stiffened, and she moved behind the servant, hoping not to be seen.

She didn’t know why she felt guilty—it wasn’t her fault. But seeing Qin Yan, Qiao Wanyue instinctively wanted to hide. After a moment’s thought, she figured it was because of the lie she told that day at Qingxin Temple.

The servant, being stout, could easily block her from view, but her pink skirt kept swaying, making it all too noticeable. It was hard not to catch attention.

Her slender neck bowed slightly, revealing a small patch of snow-white skin, delicate and smooth, so pale it was almost blinding. She occasionally stole a glance to see if he had gone inside. Turning her head, she saw a pair of boots and a navy-blue robe right in front of her.

Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked up and, sure enough, met Qin Yan’s stern yet handsome face. She swallowed nervously, clutching her skirt.

Why didn’t he go inside? Why come over to her? It made her flustered, as if she had done something wrong.

“Marquis.”

She forced a smile, which came out awkward.

Qin Yan gave a low hum. A rare curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, but it was a cold smirk, making the girl quickly wipe the smile off her face.

“You... you should go inside. Don’t let me keep you.”

Every “you” dripped with exaggerated politeness, a clear dismissal.

He hadn’t planned to bring up Qingxin Temple, but since they ran into each other today, he decided to ask a few questions.

“That day at Qingxin Temple, you were covering for your elder sister, weren’t you?”

Even without asking, Qin Yan knew the answer was yes. Qiao Wanyue knew full well that Qiao Yingxin and Ding Chengyou were meeting secretly in the garden, yet she boldly blocked him, trying to cover it up, thinking no one would know.

Did she take him for a blind fool?

The girl’s face paled with tension, a visible mix of guilt and panic, though her words remained stubborn. Without batting an eye, she said, “What about my sister? What do you mean, Marquis? I don’t understand.”

Pretending to be innocent and clueless—that was her specialty.

Too bad her acting was terrible, easily seen through.

Qin Yan’s face darkened as he pressed on, “Qiao Yingxin was meeting Ding Chengyou in secret, and now the engagement is to be called off. Don’t you know about that, Second Young Lady?”

She knew. She knew everything.

“Ah? No way. I don’t know anything.”

Looking at her innocent eyes, Qin Yan frowned, took a step closer, and said coldly, “Your father Qiao Zhuofan said he would provide an explanation. Pass along that I’ve been waiting for days and ask Lord Qiao to make up his mind soon.”

You two see each other at court every day—why do I have to pass along the message? Qin Yan was deliberately giving her a hard time.

Qiao Wanyue glared at him unkindly. “I don’t dare tell him. I snuck out today. If my parents find out I went out, I’ll be punished. Please don’t make things hard for me, Marquis.”

Judging by his attitude, he was an impartial, stern man who wouldn’t go easy on her just because she was a girl. Qiao Wanyue thought quickly and added, “Surely the Marquis wouldn’t stoop to arguing with a mere girl?”

Qin Yan looked at her eyes—they were indeed beautiful, bright and captivating, hard to forget. But she was a liar and a deceiver. But what was that to him? There used to be an engagement. Once it was called off, he’d have nothing to do with the Qiao family. Who she fooled was none of his business.

He looked at her in silence for a moment, then turned and walked away. After a few steps, he heard a quiet complaint from behind: “You stepped on my skirt and got it dirty. This is new.”

She hadn’t even worn it twice, and now it was dirty. So annoying. She should never have gone out today—bad luck all around.

Qin Yan stopped, glanced back at her, then looked down at her skirt hem, which was smudged with a bit of mud. It was indeed dirty. His look clearly asked, “Did I do that?”

The girl who had been playing dumb suddenly perked up. She immediately nodded and said, “You stepped on it just now.”

Qin Yan hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ll get you a new one another day. I’ll have it sent to your house.”

“No need. You don’t have to replace it.”

She waved her hand frantically. It was just a dress—how could she dare ask him to replace it? She was just miffed that her skirt got dirty for no reason and wanted to vent.

Qin Yan acted like he hadn’t heard her. Indifferently, he said, “I’ll have it sent this afternoon.”

With that, he walked inside, leaving Qiao Wanyue no chance to respond.

Shortly after Qin Yan went inside, Lin Susu finally came out, all dolled up with lip rouge, looking truly beautiful. Qiao Wanyue looked down at her dirty skirt and was so annoyed she wanted to stamp her foot.

“Yueyue, sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go.”

“You kept me waiting forever. You’re treating today.”

Otherwise, she’d feel cheated.

Lin Susu linked arms with her. “Alright, alright, I’ll treat you to something good.”

As they walked out, Lin Susu, who had made sure to dress up, glanced at Qiao Wanyue and noticed she looked the same as always. But a quick once-over showed the dirty skirt. “Yueyue, how did your skirt get dirty? Come to my place and change.”

“Someone accidentally stepped on it. Forget it for now. Come on, let’s hurry.”

She hurriedly tugged Lin Susu along. Since she’d snuck out, she couldn’t stay out too long, or she’d be caught and in trouble when she got home.

The two bought sugar cakes on the street, drank sweet rice wine, picked up some rouge, and had their fill of fun before heading back. By the time Qiao Wanyue returned to the Qiao residence, three hours had passed.

After all that fun, she was exhausted, her eyes glazed over. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep, forgetting to even change out of her dirty skirt, let alone take Qin Yan’s words seriously.

As daylight faded, the horse’s shadow lengthened. The rider dismounted neatly and walked toward the Qiao residence’s main gate.

This was Chang Sheng, Qin Yan’s trusted servant, sent to deliver something to the Qiao household and pass along a message. The gatekeeper recognized him and hurried off to report. As luck would have it, he ran into Lady Wang on the way.

-

Why would Qin Yan send someone to look for Qiao Wanyue now? Lady Wang, puzzled, invited the visitor in.

Before long, Chang Sheng entered carrying a box, bowed in greeting, and said, “My master ordered me to deliver this to the Second Young Lady as an apology.”

“What is the meaning of this?”

Qiao Wanyue was lively by nature and loved to go out, but she knew her limits and never interacted excessively with men outside the family. How could she have gotten involved with Qin Yan? Madam Wang couldn't help worrying.

Chang Sheng smiled. "I'm not clear on the matter, Madam. You can ask Second Miss."

He handed the box to one of Madam Wang's maids, then added, "My lord asked me to pass along a message: when will Lord Qiao give the Qin family an explanation?"

Madam Wang's expression changed instantly. She knew immediately what Qin Yan meant. Qiao Yingxin was still kneeling as punishment before the ancestral tablets, insisting on breaking off the engagement. Qiao Zhuofan had been annoyed these past few days, trying every means to save this marriage.

But Qin Yan had run out of patience. If the matter were not resolved soon, gossip would spread outside.

Madam Wang took a deep breath and said, "Go back and tell your lord that the Qiao family will give an explanation when the time is right."

"Yes."

Chang Sheng left. Madam Wang sighed heavily and opened the box to find a pink skirt—the latest style, suitable for Wanyue's style.

But why had it been sent?

With the skirt in hand, Madam Wang went to find Qiao Wanyue, who was still asleep. Madam Wang dismissed the other servants and stayed alone in Wanyue's room.

"Yueyue, wake up. Why are you sleeping in broad daylight?"

Wanyue was sleeping so soundly that Madam Wang called her several times with no response. Her little face was rosy, strands of hair stuck to her cheeks. Madam Wang brushed them aside and pinched her cheek.

"Still not awake."

"Ouch, Mother, that hurts!"

This time she woke up from the pain.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, Madam Wang caught the scent of rice wine. She immediately scolded her, "Drinking during the day? Is that any way for a young lady to act? Did you go out?"

Wanyue knew she couldn't hide it, so she told the truth. "Yes, I went out with Su Su for a little while. We had some rice wine, just a little."

She emphasized "a little," afraid her mother wouldn't believe her. Her cheek still stinging from the pinch, she rubbed it while watching Madam Wang's expression.

Madam Wang didn't press her about going out; her main concern was the matter with Qin Yan.

"What is going on between you and Qin Yan?"

Wanyue's eyes widened in bewildered innocence. As far as she knew, nothing had happened between her and Qin Yan—she had only told him a few fibs. Surely that wasn't a big deal. He wouldn't be so petty as to tell her mother, would he?

"Just now, he sent someone with a skirt, saying it was as an apology."

Oh, so that was it. That scared her to death.

She knew she couldn't hide the truth, so she confessed honestly.

"When I went to find Su Su today, I ran into him. He accidentally stepped on my skirt and dirtied it, so he said he'd buy me a new one. I didn't think much of it. I never expected him to actually send one."

The skirt was lying by the bedside. Qiao Wanyue only noticed it now. She picked it up and examined it—it was actually quite pretty, and the fabric was nice.

"Is that all? Nothing else happened?"

She shook her head firmly. She'd rather die than say anything else.

"No."

Madam Wang nodded. As long as there was nothing else, she could relax. The Qiao family already had enough troubles; she didn't want Wanyue dragged into this.

"Behave yourself. Don't sneak out again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, yes, I hear you."

When she came back, Su Su had said she wanted to take her to the outskirts in a few days—she'd found a great place.

She'd worry about that later.

After Madam Wang left, she returned to her own courtyard. Not long after, the head maid came to report that Qiao Yingxin had fainted and asked her to come.

Madam Wang hurriedly sent someone to get a doctor and then went to check on Qiao Yingxin. The girl had already been helped back to her room, and her maid was changing her clothes. Madam Wang arrived to find she still hadn't woken up.