Chapter 8 008 Imprisoned

Chapter 8 008 Jail Time

The arena was packed with people shoving to get through. The two short girls couldn't squeeze to the front, so they had to jump up and down in the back to catch a glimpse. They tried to push through the crowd to stand in front, but they were too weak and failed after several attempts.

Lin Susu asked anxiously, "We can't see anything. What do we do?"

She really wanted to see it. From the excited atmosphere around them, she could imagine how intense and thrilling the fight on the field was. Lin Susu wasn't the only one; Qiao Wanyue felt the same. This was a rare trip, and she didn't want to come all the way for nothing.

Her eyes darted around, and she pointed at the ground and shouted, "Ah, whose silver fell on the ground? Quick, pick it up!"

The trick worked. As soon as they heard about the silver on the ground, the people nearby bent down to look for it. Taking advantage of the moment, Qiao Wanyue grabbed Lin Susu's hand and squeezed through to the very front. They finally got to see everything in the arena. The people who had bent down to look for the silver found nothing and gave up, without bothering to question who had shouted.

Lin Susu clutched the wooden railing and grinned, "Yueyue, sweetie, you always have a way."

Qiao Wanyue felt an excitement she had never experienced before. The rebellion long imprisoned deep inside her was now fully unleashed, stimulated by the thrill. She waved her hands and feet in excitement, getting caught up in the same fervent atmosphere as everyone around her.

"Of course, of course. Come on, come on!"

The two men in the arena were both decent-looking, bare-chested, with wheat-colored skin glistening with sweat that trickled down their firm muscles. Strong, oozing masculinity.

The two young girls had never seen such a sight. Their faces flushed red with shyness. At first, they peeked with one eye open and one eye closed, but after a while, they cast aside their embarrassment entirely and watched openly.

The two men in the arena fought fiercely, blow after blow landing on flesh. In no time, they were wounded. Lin Susu asked worriedly, "They won't die, will they?"

"No," Qiao Wanyue reassured her. "If someone dies, it'll cause legal trouble. The boss here isn't that stupid. Besides, look—they're about the same height and build, evenly matched. They can't kill each other. Don't worry."

Hearing her analysis, Lin Susu nodded repeatedly. That made sense. She felt relieved.

The people around them were shouting loudly, calling out "Number Four" and "Number Five" alternately. Qiao Wanyue looked around and began to understand. They were placing bets, just like gambling.

She patted Lin Susu's shoulder. "They're betting. Gambling on whether Number Four or Number Five wins."

"Should we bet?"

Qiao Wanyue shook her head. "We're here just to have fun. No betting."

Even though they didn't place bets, they went with the flow and joined the crowd shouting for Number Four. Lin Susu laughed and glanced at her, then shouted, "Number Five, Number Five!"

She was so loud that the people around were provoked, shouting even louder: "Number Four! Number Four wins!"

Qiao Wanyue shot her a look, raised her hand high, and shouted the opposite of Lin Susu. The two of them yelled back and forth, having a lively and joyful time.

This place was so much fun. You could shout freely, cheer loudly, and no one would look at you or care about you. You could let your true nature run wild.

The fight on the field grew increasingly intense. Number Four seemed to be losing strength, but just then, someone threw money into the arena, shouting for Number Four to encourage him, urging him to stand up and not lose.

Perhaps the atmosphere was so intoxicating that Qiao Wanyue's mind went blank. She started throwing money in too. "Number Four, Number Four, you have to win!"

Lin Susu joined in the fun, "Number Five, Number Five, Number Five is definitely winning!"

"Number Four! Number Four!"

Qiao Wanyue had little pocket money and had only brought a bit with her. After a few throws, it was all gone. She turned and grabbed Lin Susu's money pouch, then excitedly threw it into the arena. "Number Four, Number Four wins!"

Lin Susu stared at her blankly for a moment, not reacting at first. Then, after a while, she burst out laughing, following Qiao Wanyue's actions and playing happily.

"Reward! Reward! Keep going!"

The two shouted excitedly, nearly running out of silver, and didn't stop until Number Four won. They hugged each other tightly, jumping for joy, and it took a long time for their excitement to subside.

Soon after they calmed down, two more men came on stage for a new round of fighting, endless and relentless.

Their just-settled emotions reignited, and they indulged freely.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, facing the noisy crowd below, Qin Yan sat calmly, sipping tea unhurriedly. He showed no interest in the fight downstairs, as if he had simply come here for tea, looking leisurely and carefree. In contrast, Zhang Shigong stood by the railing on the second floor, watching with keen interest. Amid the sea of heads, he easily spotted those two heads.

After watching for a moment, he curled his lips and smiled. "Isn't that Miss Lin? No wonder you said she sounded familiar. Hey, who's the one next to her? I haven't seen her before."

He let his gaze wander freely, looking her over from head to toe with great attention. A delicate, pretty face, bright, shimmering eyes, skin as white as snow, an extremely slender waist—so narrow it seemed one could encircle it. A rare beauty, hard to miss. Especially when she smiled, so bright and cheerful, unforgettable.

Zhang Shigong stroked his chin, pondering. He really hadn't seen her before. How could there be such a stunning girl in the capital without him knowing? Which family did she belong to? How had he never met her?

He turned back to look at Qin Yan and asked him, "Who is that beside Miss Lin? Radiant eyes and lovely teeth, truly captivating. Introduce us."

As he spoke, he turned to look again. The two girls were hugging and cheering wildly. Interesting. Although they were dressed in men's clothing, anyone who wasn't blind could tell they were girls.

Zhang Shigong didn't notice the subtle change in Qin Yan's expression. He waited a long time, but Qin Yan didn't answer. Turning around, he asked again, "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you know her or not? Which family?"

The man quickly composed himself. Instead of answering Zhang Shigong's question, he asked him, "Is she very beautiful?"

Hearing this, Zhang Shigong walked over and sat down beside him. "Seriously, she is. Don't you think she's beautiful? Your standards are too high."

"Besides being beautiful, is there anything else?" Or perhaps, any other strengths?

Zhang Shigong gave him a meaningful look, glanced downstairs, quickly withdrew his gaze, cleared his throat, and said, "Beautiful, lively, enthusiastic, and generous."

He pointed at Qiao Wanyue downstairs. "See how generous she was when she threw the silver? I think her personality is the complete opposite of yours. You're dull, and she's cheerful."

Not a bad match, he thought to himself. Just personality-wise.

Qin Yan followed his pointing finger and glanced downward. He frowned when he saw the girl playing so boisterously. So rowdy—if she entered his household, wouldn't she turn everything upside down?

Wait. Why did he have such a thought? Ridiculous.

Zhang Shigong laughed. "Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'll leave."

"Qiao Yingxin's younger sister."

After dropping that single sentence, Zhang Shigong froze on the spot, then laughed in disbelief. "Qiao Wanyue, huh. She and Lin Susu are good friends. Well, this... haha, how interesting."

Even though she was Qiao Yingxin's sister, Zhang Shigong still wanted to get to know her. He nudged Qin Yan's elbow and proposed, "It stinks down there. How about we ask the young ladies to come up?"

Qin Yan nodded without hesitation. "Go ahead."

Zhang Shigong acknowledged and was just about to get up when he suddenly heard a commotion from downstairs. The crowd scattered in panic. Zhang Shigong looked down and his face changed dramatically. Something had gone wrong. In the arena, one of the two fighters had collapsed and died after the death.

Zhang Shigong searched for the two girls, but they had already been swept away by the panicked crowd.

"Huai'an, something's happened."

Qin Yan stood up and looked, then said, "First, let's find them."

-

There were too many people, and they were noisy. With a death on their hands, everyone was running around frantically. Qiao Wanyue held Lin Susu's hand and tried to push towards the entrance, but the door had already been locked.

Lin Susu's face turned pale. "We're doomed, doomed. Didn't you say no one would die? Why are we so unlucky? The first time we come, this happens."

"The back door! Let's go."

Lin Susu nodded repeatedly. "Right, the back door it is."

The two turned back and asked several people in a row, but all said they didn't know where the back door was. Qiao Wanyue stood in the corridor, looking around, then headed in the direction where the crowd was thicker, walking quickly until she finally spotted that narrow small door.

They exchanged a glance and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. At last, they could get out.

Just then, a group of officers suddenly came in from outside, surrounding everyone who was about to leave. The officer in charge announced, "Take them all away. The magistrate will release you once the case is resolved."

Qiao Wanyue tightly gripped Lin Susu's hand. Neither had ever been through something like this, and they were too frightened to speak for a long while. Once they calmed down, they huddled together and whispered.

"Susu, we're doomed. We didn't look at the almanac before going out today. Now we're facing jail time."

Lin Susu's hands were trembling with nerves. "What do we do? Should I mention my father?"

The officers stared at them. Qiao Wanyue whispered back, "Let's wait. If anyone hears, it'll hurt our reputations as proper young ladies."

"Right, right. I forgot."

The two were muttering when an officer noticed and barked, "Shut up."

Qiao Wanyue pursed her lips and fell silent. Lin Susu also stopped talking. For the first time in their lives, they were locked up just for going out to have fun. Both were frustrated and irritated, their minds spinning as they tried to figure out a way to escape.

Not far away, Qin Yan stood watching, not moving a muscle. Zhang Shigong asked, "Should I go take care of it?"

"Forget it. Let it be a lesson to them."

Young ladies misbehaving, picking up bad habits from ruffians and loafers, coming here for fun—they deserve to be punished. Qin Yan planned to go to the Shuntian Prefecture to fetch them that evening. A half-day in jail should be enough.

Any longer and they might be scared silly.

At that moment, in the Shuntian Prefecture prison, dozens of people were crammed into one cell, chattering away, giving everyone a headache.

Qiao Wanyue and Lin Susu crouched in the corner, behaving themselves, not even daring to speak loudly, trying not to be noticed.

Time slowly passed. The magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture started the interrogations. People were taken out one by one and then brought back. It was almost dark.

They had been gone so long that their families would surely be looking for them by now.

Lin Susu said quietly, "If I don't get home soon, my dad will kill me."

"Tell me about it. My mom will never let me out again."

Qiao Wanyue bit her lip and whispered, "Let's go see the magistrate."

"Okay."

The two silently moved to the door and said to the guard, "Officer, we need to see the magistrate. We have important clues."

Lin Susu stared at her in shock, eyes lighting up. Right, why didn't she think of that? If they said they had clues, the magistrate would see them first.

"Yes, we have clues. Please, Brother, pass the message."

Lin Susu reached into her pocket, intending to bribe him with some silver, but found it empty—she had spent it all at Feiyun Manor.

Qiao Wanyue exchanged a look with her and gave an awkward smile. She hadn't expected this either.

The guard glanced back at them and said gruffly, "Stay put. You'll be seen when it's your turn."

They wouldn't have to wait until midnight, would they? They couldn't wait that long.