Reborn As The Wicked Little Sister-in-Law - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Falling Into the Water

The crowd of onlookers was vast and the bridge congested. Lyu Guiyan finally squeezed through the throng to the edge of the bridge, her gaze cautiously shifting toward Wei Chengyan.

Today, Wei Chengyan wore a warm-colored, double-stranded woven forehead ornament. Strands of hair fell along the sides of her face, adorned with small pearls. She was dressed in an orange-yellow, round-collar, narrow-sleeved robe of gold-woven brocade, featuring a complete embroidery of the auspicious beast Qilin stretching from her left chest to her waist. A piece of white Han jade hung from her belt, and she wore “Soaring Cloud” boots.

This ensemble made Wei Chengyan look exceptionally noble, brightening her usually somber face. At first glance, she truly appeared as a spirited and elegant young noble.

Lyu Guiyan stared for a long while before retracting her gaze. At that moment, Jing Ruoyun’s maid pushed Zou Shengsheng into the water.

With a loud splash, the crowd gasped.

Lyu Guiyan stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over the bridge, when suddenly her body lost balance and tilted uncontrollably to the left—where the river lay.

It happened too fast for Lyu Guiyan to react. In an instant, she was pushed into the river.

The river water rushed into her ears, muffling the voices on the bridge. She couldn’t swim and struggled helplessly. Her body sank straight down, her pupils filled with terror and helplessness. Her silk dress was soaked, and the thin gauze of her skirts drifted upward, obscuring her vision.

In this moment, Lyu Guiyan deeply regretted not learning how to swim.

The bone-chilling water hammered her limbs as she sank rapidly toward the bottomless riverbed. Just as she was about to give up, a hand suddenly grabbed her, pulling her sinking body forcefully toward the bank.

Lyu Guiyan held her breath with all her might, struggling to push aside the gauze covering her eyes. She managed to blink them open. A golden glint entered her vision—it was Wei Chengyan.

She hadn’t expected the first person to save her would be Wei Chengyan. Thinking about how she was still trying to find ways to frame her, Lyu felt a pang of guilt. But it was short-lived; the first sentence out of Wei Chengyan’s mouth once they were on land dispelled any remorse.

“I saved you. This cancels out the fact that Heyu pushed you in.”

The first thing Lyu Guiyan did on the bank was take a massive gulp of air; she had almost suffocated. Hearing Wei Chengyan’s words, she looked over at Heyu.

Fine. You’ve targeted me once, twice… then don’t blame me. Just wait until we get back to the manor; I’ll have my revenge.

Heyu stood with her arms crossed, her eyes full of triumph. She showed no remorse or embarrassment for pushing Lyu Guiyan; her expression was nothing short of arrogant.

Lyu Guiyan coughed heavily. Feeling her voice return, she was about to speak when Mu Yan’s urgent voice rang out nearby. “Miss Zou, Miss Zou! Wake up!”

Zou Shengsheng was unconscious, her face deathly pale from near-drowning. Though she had spat out some water, she remained unresponsive.

Lyu Guiyan cried out in panic, “Hurry, take her to the clinic!”

Mu Yan, soaked to the bone, picked up Zou Shengsheng and ran toward the medical clinic.

“Mu Yan! Men and women should not have such physical contact!” Wei Chengyan shouted, wanting to give chase. Knowing what was on the Heir’s mind, Lyu Guiyan immediately grabbed her, eyes welling with tears. “My… my legs are weak.”

At the same time, Jing Hongyi arrived. Seeing Mu Yan carrying Zou Shengsheng, he didn’t need to guess to know his sister was behind it. He took off his outer robe to cover Lyu Guiyan. Seeing this—and perhaps agitated by the sight of Mu Yan holding Zou Shengsheng—Wei Chengyan snatched Jing Hongyi’s robe, threw it violently to the ground, and scooped Lyu Guiyan up herself to follow Mu Yan.

Lyu Guiyan didn’t want Wei Chengyan to disturb the leads. “I’m fine, no need for the clinic. Let’s just go home.”

Wei Chengyan’s face was grim. She barked, “Shut up! Another word and I’ll throw you back in the river.”

Sensing that Wei Chengyan was barely suppressed her rage, Lyu knew the volatile Heir was capable of anything. One more word and she might actually be tossed back in. Forget it, I’ll wait until I learn to swim before I act up. She wisely shut her mouth.

On Nanyuan Bridge, the onlookers had yet to disperse. Jing Hongyi dropped his usual playful grin, his voice stern and sharp. “Haven’t you seen enough of the ‘show’?”

The bridge, which had been packed a moment ago, cleared almost instantly. Seeing Jing Hongyi’s expression, Jing Ruoyun thought: Oh no, he’s actually angry.

“Brother, look at how the Wei Heir is holding that strange woman. Could the rumors be true—that he doesn’t like girls?”

Jing Hongyi’s gaze was razor-sharp. “That is his father’s concubine.”

“Oh, so that’s it. Well, Brother, I’ll leave you to your business. I’m going.”

“Stay right there!” Jing Ruoyun was terrified of her brother. Though he usually seemed aimless, the Jing family knew he was ruthless and efficient; everyone in both the front court and the back chambers feared him.

“Brother, I did nothing wrong! That wench looked for trouble first.”

Hearing his “goddess” insulted, Jing Hongyi’s fury flared, but he held it back only because she was his sister. “Didn’t you see Mu Yan’s expression? If anything happens to Miss Zou, nine of your lives wouldn’t be enough to pay for it.”

Jing Ruoyun was used to being pampered. As the eldest daughter of the Jing family, she got whatever she wanted and looked down on commoners. In her mind, she had simply taught a lesson to a girl who dared try to climb into the Mu family’s social circle. How could her life be at stake?

“Don’t scare me, Brother. Why would Brother Mu Yan blame me over a commoner?”

Jing Hongyi said coldly, “In the army, Mu Yan is called the ‘Iron-Blooded Yama.’ Soldiers who make mistakes lose half their lives if he catches them. If the offense is serious, they’re crippled for life.”

This terrified Jing Ruoyun. She stammered, “S-surely not…”

“Go. Apologize to Miss Zou.”

“I…” Before she could say “no,” Jing Ruoyun saw the predatory look in her brother’s eyes and swallowed the word whole.

Inside the Ping Medical Clinic, Lin Feng examined the unconscious Zou Shengsheng and spoke to the anxious Mu Yan behind the screen. “Do not worry; the lady is only temporarily unconscious.”

Mu Yan, who had tried emergency resuscitation on the bridge to no avail, was pacing restlessly to vent his stress. Seeing the usually steady Mu Yan lose his composure, Wei Chengyan finally accepted that Zou Shengsheng was someone special to him—someone who had already eclipsed her.

Wei Chengyan grit her teeth, a fire burning in her heart that threatened to consume her reason. Her hands were clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms, drawing beads of blood.

“It’s breaking… it’s breaking…”

The pained voice of Lyu Guiyan beside her snapped her back to reality. She realized her right hand was crushing Lyu Guiyan’s wrist. Lyu was crying from the pain. Wei Chengyan let go immediately, but the small wrist was already bruised red, marked with deep nail indentations and tiny droplets of blood.

Lyu Guiyan’s hand was numb. She cursed herself for coming to watch the drama; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen in or suffered this collateral damage to her wrist.

Heyu grumbled dismissively, “What are you acting for? It’s not like you’re dying.”

“SHUT UP!!!”

The shout came from Mu Yan, Jing Hongyi, and Wei Chengyan simultaneously. Heyu burst into tears of fright, shrinking into a corner. Jing Ruoyun wasn’t much better.

About fifteen minutes later, coughing sounds came from behind the screen. Mu Yan and Jing Hongyi both broke into smiles. Mu Yan ignored all decorum and rushed behind the screen. Jing Hongyi wanted to follow, but Lyu Guiyan, quick-eyed, stopped him.

“Master Jing, I am truly sorry about your robe.”

Jing Hongyi realized Lyu Guiyan was intentionally blocking him. “It’s nothing.”

Jing Ruoyun noticed something strange and asked curiously, “Brother, how do you know the Marquis’s concubine? You two…”

Before she could finish, Wei Chengyan cut her off sharply: “Is it your place to speak? Keep your mouth shut!”