The Abused Female Protagonist In The Angst Novel Is Actually A White Lotus - Chapter 4

Madam Ling wiped the sweat from her brow and forced a smile as she shook her head. “Madam, what are you saying? Since Young Miss Shen insists she never left, I must have misunderstood Qingyi. Everyone, please disperse.”

The crowd, never particularly eager to continue the spectacle, scattered at once, resuming their earlier chatter. Yet Madam Shen remained standing before Shen Sijing, her expression unchanged.

“I trust Madam Ling will conduct herself with dignity,” Madam Shen said before entering the wood shed with the help of her attendant. The shed was damp and stiflingly hot, and Ling Qingyi watched the crowd with wary eyes before quickly adopting a wounded expression.

“Madam, please don’t blame my mother. She’s just worried and confused. But I don’t understand why she claimed I wanted to wear this wedding gown myself… I don’t even know where this dress came from,” Ling Qingyi said, tears welling in her eyes. Shen Sijing, frozen in place by Ling Qingyi’s pitiful appearance, felt a pang of sympathy and knelt down to gently take her shoulder.

Madam Shen looked down at Shen Sijing, who was openly displaying her true emotions. A headache began to throb behind her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sijing, how did you come to know her?”

In Madam Shen’s understanding, Shen Sijing had always been confined to their estate due to her illness. How could she have possibly met anyone else, let alone someone with such a… questionable reputation?

Madam Shen prided herself on her discerning judgment. She knew better than to rely on hearsay and harbored no particular prejudice against Ling Qingyi. However… someone of Ling Qingyi’s status and history was simply beyond the reach of the sheltered Shen Sijing.

As Shen Sijing was about to speak, Madam Shen patted her head. “Come, let’s step outside first. Yun Nian, apply the medicine to Third Young Miss Ling properly.”

Madam Shen pulled Shen Sijing out of the room, leaving her feeling somewhat bewildered. She gazed at her mother, who clearly didn’t understand her, and stammered, unsure how to explain.

Shen Sijing hadn’t yet figured out how to explain things to her mother. To her surprise, Madam Shen wasn’t pressing for details about their acquaintance. Instead, she voiced her concern: “I know you feel sorry for Ling Qingyi, but… even though our family appears prosperous, we must tread carefully. What if those people shift their focus from Ling Qingyi to you? Sijing, do you have a way to extricate yourself unscathed?”
Shen Sijing was stunned. She had been so focused on rescuing Ling Qingyi from physical harm that she had completely forgotten to protect herself.

Though she was accustomed to acting alone, this time, she might have to bear many responsibilities. But the Shen family was in the same boat.

“Mother…” Shen Sijing murmured, knowing she was in the wrong. She closed her mouth, her apricot eyes looking at Madam Shen with a hint of distress.

Madam Shen didn’t understand why Shen Sijing was so determined to help Ling Qingyi, but she had no intention of stifling her daughter’s wishes. She ruffled Shen Sijing’s hair and smiled. “Sijing, you’re kind and gentle. That makes me very happy. Just be more cautious in the future. The Shen family isn’t as fragile as you think. Understand?”

Shen Sijing nodded, the tassels at her ears swaying wildly from the force of her nod. Madam Shen reached out to steady the tassels, admiring Shen Sijing’s features with a surge of emotion.

“Sijing, you truly resemble me when I was young,” Madam Shen said, her eyes welling with tears. Her daughter possessed peerless beauty, yet she had been confined to the inner quarters for so long. Now that she had finally turned eighteen, the entire Shen family would undoubtedly cherish and protect her.

After a few more words of caution, Madam Shen left, presumably to deal with Ling Yunliu’s matter. Shen Sijing lifted her skirts and reentered the wood shed, relieved to see that ointment had already been applied to Ling Qingyi’s arm.

“Thank you… thank you, Sister Shen, for saving me,” Ling Qingyi said, her voice initially reserved but now tinged with sweetness, giving her a different kind of charm. Shen Sijing touched her ear self-consciously, her cheeks flushing.

Fortunately, Shen Sijing remembered what she needed to do and quickly regained her composure. She needed to bathe and change Ling Qingyi. Getting out of that soiled red wedding gown first would be a good start. She smiled and extended her hand. “Come with me,” she said. “Your clothes are dirty. I’ll take you to find something clean to wear.”

Shen Sijing’s voice was truly lovely. Ling Qingyi looked up at her, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes before she reached out and took Shen Sijing’s hand. The warmth that flowed from their palms made Ling Qingyi realize, for the first time, that she was a person of flesh and blood, capable of feeling warmth and cold, not just someone meant to grovel on the ground.

At the same time, Shen Sijing sensed something was wrong. Why was Ling Qingyi’s hand so cold? Ling Qingyi had always been healthy. Even after Ling Yunliu’s torment, she had only developed a fever overnight. Why was she so cold now? Could it be because the woodshed was too damp?
Ling Qingyi noticed Shen Sijing’s frown and quickly released her hand, feeling flustered. “I’m so sorry, Young Miss Shen… I… I didn’t realize you were uncomfortable with being touched.”

Ling Qingyi’s voice trembled slightly, tugging at Shen Sijing’s heart. Shen Sijing gripped Ling Qingyi’s hand in return, her eyes shining. “No, no, it’s just that your hand is so cold. Is the wood shed too damp?”

As soon as the words left her lips, Ling Qingyi’s gaze flickered evasively before settling back into its usual composure. “I woke up here, lying on the ground. I don’t know how long I was there, but I’m freezing now.”

Ling Qingyi’s explanation sounded off, but Shen Sijing chose not to press further. Her heart ached with sympathy.

Even if Ling Qingyi was hiding something, it was likely just her natural caution. How could someone as beautiful and vibrant as her be trapped in a loveless relationship? Especially with a scoundrel.

Shen Sijing suddenly tightened her grip on Ling Qingyi’s hand, her eyes flashing with anger. Startled by the sudden force, Ling Qingyi studied Shen Sijing’s expression before soothing her like a ruffled cat. “Young Miss Shen, there’s no need to feel indignant on my behalf. Someone like me isn’t worth it anyway. My mother’s willingness to keep me at the Ling Residence is already an immense kindness.”

Each word Ling Qingyi spoke pierced Shen Sijing’s heart like a needle. Shen Sijing didn’t consider herself particularly sentimental, and Ling Qingyi’s words were undeniably self-pitying. Yet, hearing such words from someone so beautiful filled Shen Sijing with profound heartache.

“You deserve the best,” Shen Sijing said coldly, hoping Ling Qingyi wouldn’t speak such words again. “Why degrade yourself?” Ling Qingyi nodded, appearing remarkably docile.

After standing in silence for a while longer, Shen Sijing took Ling Qingyi’s hand and led her toward her own courtyard.

Along the way, Ling Qingyi’s eyes swept over the Prime Minister’s Residence’s exquisite furnishings, but her gaze held no warmth.

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