At that moment, Quan Heng felt a tremor in her heart.
Just now, she had truly been angered by Xie Fengyun—and she knew well that with her own strength, she would never have been able to break free from him.
But in the moment she feared most, Ah Zheng had appeared—like a god descending from the heavens—rescuing her from her distress.
These past few days, she had begun to feel that just seeing him brought her a sense of security.
Right now, feeling his hands trembling from tension and anger, her heart skipped a beat.
“Ah Zheng, let’s not bother with him. Let’s just go.”
Hearing Quan Heng’s words, Ah Zheng took a deep breath, cast a cold glance at Xie Fengyun, then led Ah Heng away.
His heart truly ached—burning like fire, so painful he almost couldn’t speak.
As he’d come over just now, it wasn’t like he hadn’t heard the whispers around him.
They said that now that Ah Heng had returned to the Marquis Manor, she must shoulder the responsibilities of the household and enter into a marriage alliance with the Xie family.
Others said the Xie family’s eldest son was spoiled rotten, a good-for-nothing scoundrel—how could someone like that be worthy of the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Household?
But more people said that this was simply Quan Heng’s fate—to be able to return to the capital from the countryside and marry the son of the Shilang of the Ministry of Revenue was already a stroke of fortune.
Hearing these things made him want to lash out—to drag these gossiping fools out and give them a sound beating.
But now, what he felt most was deep powerlessness.
After all, everything they said was true. What right did he have to refute it? To stop any of it?
And yet, in the moment he saw Xie Fengyun tugging at Ah Heng, all his reason shattered.
He didn’t care what position he held—he only wanted to take Ah Heng away from here.
In this life, if Ah Heng was unwilling, then even if the emperor himself descended, he would never allow anyone to force her to marry that wastrel.
Hand in hand, he clutched her tightly as they walked. Unknowingly, the two of them arrived at a secluded garden.
Behind a massive rockery, Ah Zheng suddenly stopped, but his grip did not loosen—in fact, it tightened.
Quan Heng felt discomfort and patted the back of his hand. “Ah Zheng, you’re hurting me. Let go.”
“I won’t let go. Not for my whole life.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng hesitantly raised her head and met Ah Zheng’s serious eyes.
“What do you mean? Are you going to hold my hand for the rest of your life?”
Ah Zheng nodded. At this moment, all his composure and restraint had vanished. His eyes were red, fixed intently on her.
“Do you like that Young Master Xie?”
Quan Heng shook her head. Even without that dream haunting her, just from their first meeting, she could tell—he was so unreasonable, she could never fall in love with a man like that in this lifetime.
“I don’t. Why?”
Hearing that, Ah Zheng finally let out a breath.
Even though he had resolved to stop them no matter what, if Ah Heng genuinely liked that man, then there would be nothing he could do.
Well, perhaps not nothing. He could always kill Xie Fengyun.
But Ah Heng had always disliked his hands being stained with blood. If he really killed that man, he and Ah Heng might never be the same again.
In that moment, a wave of deep grievance welled up in his chest.
Eyes red, mouth downturned, he whispered, “It’s good you don’t like him… because I like you. Do you like me?”
For a moment, Ah Heng stood frozen.
Since their reunion, Ah Zheng had never spoken so bluntly before. The last time was the night she’d just returned to the manor, and even then he’d shown a bit of restraint.
But today—he actually—
Confessed so directly.
The impact left her mind completely blank.
If she were to say she didn’t like him, that would be a lie.
These past days, they had depended on each other, walked side by side. With him there, she felt safe.
Without him, she felt uneasy and worried.
But to say she liked him?
Such bold and candid words—she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
In the few seconds she hesitated, Ah Zheng’s face shifted—from anticipation, to unease, to overwhelming fear.
He was afraid—afraid that now that he had spoken his heart, if Ah Heng didn’t feel the same, they wouldn’t even be able to remain friends.
But he liked her so much—so much it made him want to cry.
For her, he was willing to suppress his deep-rooted desire to kill. For her, he’d turned himself into a gentle, refined young master.
If she said she didn’t like him… he really might go mad.
He couldn’t—absolutely couldn’t—bear to hear that answer.
A blaze erupted in his heart, burning wildly.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, supported the back of her head, and in the next moment—kissed her fiercely.
The passion of youth could burn down everything.
He had never kissed anyone before, but instinct took over. He devoured all the breath from her lips.
He was greedy—he wanted all of her.
And in the moment he kissed her, a quiet joy stirred in Ah Heng’s heart.
Though she didn’t respond, neither did she push him away.
But when his kiss grew too intense—when she felt she could no longer breathe—she began to struggle.
She pushed at his shoulders, but he grabbed her hands, holding her in place.
Finally, just as she was about to suffocate, he released her.
He murmured against her ear in a voice tender and laced with longing:
“Ah Heng, I love you… don’t push me away.”
With that, he kissed her again. The two of them were entangled for a long time.
Only when Ah Heng felt herself about to suffocate did he finally let her go.
This time, Ah Heng was both embarrassed and angry.
Not because of the kiss, but because of how overbearing he had been.
If he hadn’t taken the initiative to end it, she really might have suffocated.
The next moment, she shoved him hard and turned to leave.
“Get away from me! I don’t want to see you again today!”
Watching her back as she stormed off, Ah Zheng touched his lips, still warm from her kiss.
Just thinking about what had just happened filled his heart with immense joy.
He knew—just now, Ah Heng hadn’t resisted him. That was already an answer.
Right now, she was leaving—but it was only because she was shy. If he chased after her now, she’d only get angrier.
Thinking this, he let out a low laugh, his face full of delight.
He would never let go of her. Not now. Not ever.
***
After stomping off, Quan Heng was mortified.
She didn’t even have to look to know her face was flushed red. Her lip rouge had probably been completely eaten by Ah Zheng. How could she possibly show up at the banquet like this?
She walked along the edge of a small pond, taking deep breaths to steady herself.
That d*mned Ah Zheng—how dare he bully her like that.
She swore she wouldn’t talk to him for at least three days.
As she walked, she suddenly heard voices ahead. She pricked up her ears to listen—it was a man and a woman.
And the girl seemed to be crying—the voice sounded familiar.
Quietly, she tiptoed forward, not making a sound. She hid behind a large stone and peeked out.
The moment she saw the pair, her heart skipped a beat.
It was none other than Quan Rui and Jiang Suifeng!
Right now, Quan Rui was leaning against Jiang Suifeng’s chest, sobbing and complaining in a broken voice, “Brother Suifeng, you don’t understand—ever since Sister Heng came back, no one in the whole Marquis Manor likes me anymore. Father even beats and punishes me, completely forgetting the affection he used to show. Even my mother, who loved me most, now shares that love with Sister Heng!”
Hearing this, Jiang Suifeng looked heartbroken, gently patting her back in comfort. “They don’t like you because they’re blind. I think you’re wonderful—so beautiful, talented, and gentle. How could that Quan Heng compare to you?”
Hearing that, Quan Rui seemed comforted. “Really? Am I really that great?”
Seeing him nod, she burst into a smile through her tears and hugged him even tighter. “I knew it—you’re the best, Brother Suifeng.”
She sniffled, then sighed. “Actually, I know Sister Heng is a good person. Even though I’ve been so willful lately, she hasn’t blamed me. But… I just feel unbalanced. Ever since she came back, Father and Mother’s love for me has waned so much.”
Jiang Suifeng gently stroked her head, his tone soft—but his eyes were full of calculation.
“It’s okay. As long as you’re willing to marry me, I’ll love you—love you for a lifetime. I’ll give you everything. Don’t be afraid.”
At that moment, the expression on his face was completely captured by Quan Heng—and it made her seethe with rage!
This Jiang Suifeng had only been staying at the Marquis Manor as a guest for a few days, and he was already seducing a daughter of the household.
Though Quan Rui wasn’t the biological daughter of her parents, she had long been adopted and listed under Zhao Qingrong’s name, making her a legitimate young lady of the Marquis family.
And Jiang Suifeng was nothing more than a concubine-born son of a remote prefect—how dare he aspire to marry Quan Rui?
But Quan Heng knew—Quan Rui was sensitive and delicate. If she jumped out now and tore the two apart, not only would she fail, it might even backfire.
This would make Quan Rui feel as if the entire world was against her, bullying her, even going so far as to rob her of the right to pursue true love.
And with how thin-skinned she was, if such a thing were discovered in someone else’s manor, she would be so mortified she might want to jump into a river!
Quan Heng didn’t want to push her into such a desperate situation.
For now, the only solution was to pretend not to know anything and plan for the long term.
She had to force Jiang Suifeng to slip up, catch hold of his weakness, and strike precisely—hit the snake where it hurts most—so she could get rid of him completely.
Trying to take advantage of the Yongning Marquis Manor? Not a chance!
At that moment, the two people ahead finally finished crying. Still sobbing, Quan Rui said the banquet was about to start and she had to attend it.
Jiang Suifeng wiped away her tears and spoke gently, “Alright. Go to the banquet first, and when you return to the manor tonight, I’ll come find you at your Zhaoxia Pavilion.”
With that, the two parted ways, each taking a small path toward the main courtyard.
Quan Heng nearly cursed aloud in her heart.
No wonder it had only taken three days for Jiang Suifeng to coax Quan Rui into being so obedient—turns out they’d been secretly meeting in the manor every day!
If her mother found out about this, who knew if she might faint from rage.
That d*mn man—sooner or later, she’d deal with him.
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