After a Contractual Romance with the Scumbag Movie Queen - Chapter 52.1

There was only one day left until the wedding of the Third Miss of the Ye family.

Pei Ying had spent another sleepless night and finally succumbed to exhaustion during the day, falling into a fitful slumber.

As dusk arrived early these days, she glanced at the dim sky outside the window, pressed her lips together, and headed downstairs with her luggage to check out.

A string of red double-happiness characters was pasted on the reception desk of the Ye Family Inn.

It was painfully glaring.

“Welcome to stay with us again.”

Pei Ying took the returned deposit and had only taken a few steps when she saw someone rush into the inn and whisper to the receptionist:

“I just heard that the Third Miss of the Ye family, unwilling to be forced into marriage, ran away and threw herself into the river.”

Amidst the gasps and murmurs behind her, Pei Ying’s breath hitched, her body swayed, and she struggled to keep her balance.

She clenched the money in her hand until it crumpled, her knuckles turning white.

Even though she had known this would happen, hearing the words still made her heart ache unbearably.

Because that person was truly risking her life.

It wasn’t until a few people nearby cast curious glances her way that Pei Ying lifted her feet, walking stiffly out of the inn.

As the star performer of Wucheng’s opera house, Pei Ying was a skilled actress. Yet, it took her a long while to compose her expression before she could hail a rickshaw and tell the driver her destination.

Her heartbeat jolted with the rickshaw’s bumps.

“Miss, are you heading to Weijiang to buy fish?”

Upon arrival, the driver wiped his sweat and collected the fare, casually asking.

This season was when a type of expensive fish migrated through Weijiang. After nightfall, they often leaped out of the water in schools, and fishermen took the opportunity to set out on boats to catch them.

Seeing Pei Ying remain silent, the driver didn’t mind. After counting the money, he pulled his rickshaw and hurried off.

Though it was late at night, the small fishing village by Weijiang was bustling with people coming and going.

Busy hauling fish, few noticed the slender, solitary figure.

“Are you Miss Pei?”

In an inconspicuous house in the fishing village, a plainly dressed woman, holding her daughter’s hand, greeted Pei Ying.

Noticing Pei Ying’s pale lips and somber expression, the woman sighed softly. “Miss Ye said you are someone very important to her, and we should treat you as we would treat her.”

Pei Ying struggled to open her mouth, her voice slightly hoarse from disuse. “How is she now?”

She knew the question was pointless, no one could provide an answer at this moment.

But she couldn’t help it. The words had been lodged in her heart all night, grating until they felt raw.

The woman remained silent for a moment before saying, “Miss Ye once saved me and my daughter. She has a kind heart and is blessed with good fortune. Everything will go smoothly.”

In the boundless night, any words felt hollow. Everything now rested on waiting.

Four days later, in the dead of night, Pei Ying and the woman returned from their boat.

Seeing the heavy despair etched on Pei Ying’s face, the woman moved her lips, wanting to offer comfort, but her own eyes reddened first.

Pei Ying lowered her head and dragged her exhausted body into the room she was staying in.

“It should only take two days. If things don’t go smoothly, at most three days. Beyond three days.” That day, Ye Su had left her words unfinished.

Both of them understood the unspoken meaning.

“The Third Miss of the Ye family has finally been found. They say only fragments of her clothes and accessories remain, everything else” Earlier by the river, people had been murmuring.

In front of the mirror, Pei Ying braced herself against the dressing table, her breathing growing heavier.

She roughly tugged open her collar, staring at her shoulder and neck.

The dark red bite mark had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only pale, smooth skin.

“Liar”

A bitter smile tugged at Pei Ying’s lips, her eyes reddened as tears streamed down uncontrollably from the corners.

Though she cursed with her words, her heart stubbornly clung to belief.

How obstinately deluded.

It was the fifteenth of the month, and the moon hung full and luminous in the sky.

Yet its fullness felt unbearably irritating. Pei Ying closed the window, extinguished the lamp, and sat motionless before the dressing table, her form nearly dissolving into the night.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a muffled tapping sound came from the window. For a moment, she thought it was her imagination.

But the sound persisted, unrelenting.

Suddenly, Pei Ying snapped back to reality, forgetting how to breathe in that instant.

Her heart clenched violently, then began to race uncontrollably.

Her limbs had grown cold from sitting in the night. She stood up abruptly, only to have her vision darken and collapse back into the chair.

Occasionally, drifters would find their way to this fishing village, and her mother had warned her not to open the window or door carelessly.

But now, an overwhelming premonition seized her, trembling so violently she could hardly maintain composure.

She scrambled to the window, almost stumbling in her haste, and flung it open without hesitation.

Before her eyes was a delicate yellow flower.

Held up in the air, it swayed fragilely in the riverside night breeze.

Pei Ying remembered, this type of flower occasionally sprouted along the village paths.

Nestled within its petals lay a ring, seemingly woven from grass. The craftsmanship was clumsy, resulting in a rough and messy appearance.

“Ah Ying.”

The young woman’s delicate skin was marred with streaks of wounds, her lips pale with a purplish hue. Her heavy breaths hinted at utter exhaustion.

Dressed in coarse, damp clothing, she shivered violently as the wind blew, her entire appearance disheveled and pitiful.

But her eyes shone brighter than the moon overhead, piercing straight into Pei Ying’s heart.

She extended the flower toward Pei Ying, smiling softly as she whispered, “Will you marry me?”

Pei Ying stared at her, fingers gripping the wooden window frame until they ached.

Her lips trembled, her eyes misting over. Just as she was about to speak, she watched as the figure before her swayed unsteadily in the wind, then vanished from the window along with the flower and the ring.

Pei Ying’s heart tightened. She leaned out hastily and saw Ye Su collapsed outside the wall.

She had truly reached her limit, unable to even hold on long enough to hear Pei Ying’s answer.

When Ye Su awoke, she was disoriented, unsure of the time or day.

Her heart felt hollow, and she was about to frantically call out that person’s name when Pei Ying pushed the door open and entered.

Her heart settled back into place, reassured.

She watched intently as the woman sat by the bed, scooping medicine from a bowl and feeding her spoonful by spoonful.

The medicine was bitter, but Ye Su drank obediently, her gaze lingering greedily on Pei Ying’s face.

When a drop of medicine trickled from the corner of her lips, Pei Ying wiped it away with her fingertip.

Ye Su turned her head and bit down on the finger, her tongue licking away the medicinal residue.

Pei Ying paused, her ears growing warm. “Let go.”

In the past, whenever Ye Su did something like this, it would later leave her with a sore back.

Now, weakened and frail, Ye Su couldn’t stir up much mischief, so she obediently released the finger and finished the medicine.

Pei Ying set the empty bowl aside and reached out to feel her forehead.

It was slightly better, but the fever hadn’t completely subsided.

Before Pei Ying could pull away, Ye Su eagerly wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her face in the crook of her neck, and sighed softly, “Let me hold you quickly.”

“My Ah Ying” A tender murmur whispered by her ear.

For this embrace, she had nearly lost her life.

Pei Ying’s nose tingled with emotion, and tears fell silently as she held Ye Su tightly in return.

“It’s all my fault.” Ye Su’s entire body radiated warmth, her slightly heated breath brushing against Pei Ying’s skin. “Ah Ying had finally found a stable job and a peaceful life. but because of me, she’s been uprooted again, forced to endure anxiety and pain she never should have faced, and she’s grown so much thinner.”

Her voice trembled with heartache: “But I’m just this clumsy and selfish. Even so, I don’t want to let you go for even a moment. I want to be entangled with you for the rest of my life”

“Does Ah Ying think I’m terrible?” she asked cautiously.

Pei Ying was silent for a moment before replying softly but firmly, “Ye Su, the future you gambled your life for… is also the one I’ve longed for all my life.”

Ye Su savored her response, holding her even tighter, and finally, a smile broke through her tears.

After calming down for a moment, she asked, “What was your answer last night?”

“…” Pei Ying felt the ring on her left ring finger and knew this woman was feigning ignorance.

“I already told you last night. If you missed it, then forget it.”

Her long-suppressed emotions finally began to ease, trembling and unsteady, and Pei Ying even felt a hint of playful levity.

Ye Su immediately looked aggrieved, tugging pitifully at Pei Ying’s sleeve and insisting she say it again.

When Pei Ying remained unmoved, Ye Su’s hand slipped under the hem of her clothes. Since soft tactics didn’t work, she had to resort to more drastic measures.

The move proved effective. Soon, the pitiful expression had shifted to Pei Ying’s face.

Her eyes reddened with discomfort, forehead pressed against Ye Su’s shoulder, she gasped lightly and said, “I said, I’ll marry you.”

Ye Su, pushing her luck, nibbled on her ear and made her repeat those two words countless times.

Ye Su’s recent life-or-death gamble had nearly cost her half her life.

Her health fluctuated, alternating between fever and recovery.