“I’ll give you two choices. One: be my mistress. I’ll hide you somewhere, and Father will never find out.”
Before he could finish with “two,” Gu Heng spat in his face, her expression full of defiance.
“Get lost! Just the sight of you makes me sick!”
Infuriated, Gu Feng licked his teeth, his eyes flashing with cruelty.
“Fine. I tried to save you out of kindness, but you don’t appreciate it. Since you won’t drink the toast, you’ll drink the punishment wine!”
He grabbed her throat with one hand, the other roaming her body, violently tearing open her outer robe.
“You filthy little thing—no one’s coming to save you now! If you obey, maybe your suffering will be less.”
Though Gu Feng had always been more of a loafer, cockfighting and dog racing rather than real martial training, he was still tall and strong. Gu Heng, weakened from illness, couldn’t fend him off.
In desperation, she fought back wildly, kicking and hitting with all her might.
By sheer luck, she kicked him squarely in the groin. He cried out in pain and released her, clutching his crotch.
Seizing the moment, Gu Heng tried to escape—but he grabbed her ankle and dragged her down. He pounced on her, pinning her with overwhelming strength.
She couldn’t move at all.
“You little wretch, trying to run? Did your big brother give you permission?”
At that moment, moonlight filtered through a small hole in the window, landing squarely on Gu Heng’s face.
Her eyes were already red from crying, yet in Gu Feng’s view, this only added a pitiful kind of beauty that stirred something in him. His throat suddenly went dry.
This wretch, temperamental as she was, truly had stunning looks.
In a surge of lustful desire, Gu Feng lowered himself, attempting to force a kiss on her.
Gu Heng turned her head away and shut her eyes tightly, filled with revulsion. She didn’t want him to touch her, not even a little.
Just then, at the most critical moment, a dull thud rang out. Gu Heng’s eyes snapped open—Ah Zheng had woken up without anyone noticing. In his hand was a thick wooden club, and it was he who had just struck Gu Feng hard on the back of the head with all his might!
Seeing Gu Feng collapse suddenly to the ground, Ah Zheng didn’t release the club. Instead, he raised it high again, aiming to smash it down a second time.
“You b*stard! How dare you bully Ah Heng—I’ll kill you!”
But just as he was about to strike, Ah Zheng’s strength gave out. He suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed back to the ground.
Gu Heng was terrified. She rushed to cradle Ah Zheng in her arms, bursting into frightened tears. “Ah Zheng! Ah Zheng, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
His eyes had already closed, and he made no response to her cries. Panic surged within her.
“Is anyone there? Help me! Somebody, please help!”
But it was deep into the night. Everyone was already asleep. And even if anyone heard, who would dare offend the master of the house by intervening?
Thankfully, when she checked Ah Zheng’s breathing, though faint, it was still there. He was alive. She felt slightly more at ease.
She then trembled her way over to Gu Feng. Ah Zheng’s blow had been heavy—she was afraid he might have killed Gu Feng outright.
If the legitimate heir of the Gu household died because of her, then she and Ah Zheng would truly have no way out.
Compared to that, even being forced to marry into the Wang family might offer a sliver of hope.
Gu Heng squatted down and checked Gu Feng’s breathing. Finding that he, too, was still alive, she finally felt some relief.
But he couldn’t be left here unconscious.
Luckily, when Gu Feng had come in earlier, he had unlocked the door. That would make things easier for her now.
She dragged Gu Feng out, dumped him in a random side path, then quietly returned to the woodshed.
She had considered escaping right then, but Ziyun and Qin Momo had been punished because of her and were now gravely injured.
Ah Zheng had also been poisoned and was on the brink of death—she couldn’t bring herself to abandon them and flee alone.
After returning, she held Ah Zheng close and finally drifted into a deep sleep.
She didn’t wake again until midday the next day.
When she opened her eyes, she found that the woodshed door had been locked again.
Outside, there was a commotion. Several young servant girls were chatting noisily. Something big seemed to be happening in the household today.
Gu Heng walked to the window, pressing her ear against the small hole to eavesdrop.
“Did you hear? Last night, no one knows what happened to the young master—he ended up sleeping by the roadside! When the master heard, he assumed the young master had gotten blind drunk and passed out somewhere random. He scolded him for a long time!”
“Well, that scolding wasn’t undeserved! The master had summoned the young master back yesterday because an important guest is arriving today. If that guest sees the young master looking like a total disgrace, what then?”
The gossip piqued the curiosity of the surrounding girls. They crowded closer.
“Sister Hong, do you know who this important guest is? To cause such a fuss! I’ve been in the Gu household for years and never seen anything like this.”
“Yes, yes! Sister Hong, tell us!”
Sister Hong, seeing everyone so curious, cleared her throat and lowered her voice, “I heard this from one of the maids in the eldest young lady’s quarters. The guest is a marquis from the capital!”
At this, everyone gasped.
“A marquis?! Someone of that rank—we lowly maids might never see someone like that in our whole lives!”
“Exactly! Let’s go to the front courtyard and take a peek from afar!”
In an instant, the maids scattered.
Inside, Gu Heng’s heart thumped.
An important guest. From the capital. A marquis?
Could everything really be unfolding like it did in her dream?
Could this visitor… actually be her biological father?
Suddenly, a strange sense of fear gripped her—a kind of anxiety that comes from being near home.
She had been adopted and raised in the Gu household, always living under others’ roofs. Of course, she had longed to find her birth parents.
But what if she returned to the capital and became entangled again with the crown prince from her dream?
For a moment, Gu Heng let out a bitter laugh.
Even if that did happen… maybe it would still be better than now. Ah Zheng’s life hung in the balance, and she was being forced to marry an old man. Going to the Wang family might kill her faster than returning to the capital.
This marquis—he might be her only chance to escape this fate.
Gu Heng thought: these recent days have already diverged quite a bit from the dream. In the dream, she hadn’t reunited with Ah Zheng so early, nor had she suffered this kind of abuse or been locked in the woodshed. Maybe destiny could be changed.
With that thought, her resolve firmed.
Bathed in the light filtering through the window hole, Gu Heng began to rub wood to make fire. When the flame finally flared to life, it lit up her face—her eyes were no longer lost, but full of clarity.
***
Gu Changfan had been pacing in the main hall for quite some time.
Just yesterday, he had publicly declared that he would punish Qin Rou and Gu Yue. Though he hadn’t truly carried it out, he still had to make a show of it.
Now, both women were confined to their rooms, and only Gu Feng was by his side.
Seeing Gu Feng looking dazed and out of it, Gu Changfan reached out and flicked his forehead, making him stumble back two steps.
“You! You useless thing! The guest is arriving any minute, and you still look half-asleep.”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He marched forward and twisted Gu Feng’s ear.
“When the marquis arrives, behave yourself, understand? This man is from the capital—he’s Yongning Marquis. His wife is the biological daughter of the Grand Princess! People like that—we’d be lucky to lay eyes on once in a lifetime!”
Only then did Gu Feng show some reaction. “Oh. Got it.”
Gu Changfan was about to scold him further when his personal servant rushed in.
“My lord! My lord! The marquis has arrived—he’s almost at the door!”
At those words, Gu Changfan’s face lit up. “Good, very good! Come, let’s go welcome him!”
As the front gates opened, Gu Changfan saw a tall, imposing figure walk in.
The man carried an extraordinary presence—handsome, with piercing hawk-like eyes. Gu Changfan felt a chill down his spine from just one glance.
Still, with the guest now present, there was no room for slip-ups. He forced himself to smile and greeted, “Marquis, your visit honors us! Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner.”
Quan Minghao gave him a nod. “No need. I’m here on some business and will be staying at your residence for a few days. I hope I won’t be imposing.”
Gu Changfan quickly wiped the sweat from his brow. “Not at all! Your presence brings glory to my humble home!”
After saying this, he pinched Gu Feng on the arm. Only then did Gu Feng react and bow. “Greetings, Marquis.”
Noting Gu Feng’s distracted, unkempt appearance, Gu Changfan quickly smiled apologetically. “This is my son, Gu Feng. Forgive him if he appears lacking.”
Quan Minghao gave Gu Feng a brief glance. Pale, dark circles under his eyes—a typical pampered, idle dandy. Not worth another look.
As for Gu Changfan himself—though respectful in tone, his eyes glinted with calculation. Not a trustworthy man either.
If not for his mission to observe local affairs, Quan Minghao would’ve left as soon as his business was done. This place wasn’t worth lingering in.
After sitting for a bit and exchanging small talk, his gaze fell upon a painting in the corner.
In it were two girls—one older, one younger—chasing butterflies in a garden during spring.
Drawn in, he walked over and stared at the painting for a long time.
Gu Changfan grew increasingly anxious, finally mustering the courage to speak. “Marquis, is there something amiss with this painting?”
