Chapter 77 Accident
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Well, if the mountain won’t come to me, then I’ll go to the mountain! Shen Ruilin was indeed a decent person… even when drunk, he was so restrained. He would never be lured away by a vixen in the future. It was really worth the risk! After a moment of contemplation, Mingzhu once again strengthened her resolve and whispered, “Shen Ruilin? Shen Ruilin?”
Shen Ruilin remained silent, but his breathing became slightly hurried.
However, Mingzhu was so nervous that her mind was completely blank, and she didn’t notice this at all. Regardless! With closed eyes, Mingzhu leaned down, kissed him on the face, and quickly moved away as if her butt was on fire. This was her first time doing something so bold, and she was so scared that she couldn’t catch her breath.
Shen Ruilin showed no reaction, still lying quietly without moving.
Seeing no response from him, Mingzhu became bolder and wondered whether he was awake or really drunk. She lowered her head again to investigate, but as soon as she got close, Shen Ruilin quickly grabbed her shoulder, forcefully leaving a mark on her face, his lips burning like fire.
Mingzhu was greatly startled, about to shout out loud, but Shen Ruilin quickly released her, rolled over, and lay still on the bed, breathing slightly.
Though Mingzhu was bold and unconventional, openly expressing her fondness for Yuwen You at a young age, giving him gifts didn’t mean she wanted to marry him. It was simply an expression of her feelings within the bounds of propriety.
Throughout her life, even across lifetimes, she had only been this intimate with Yuwen You after marriage. Suddenly being kissed by Shen Ruilin, her first reaction was sheer terror, followed by anger and then a bitter smile.
Was this what she deserved?
Shen Ruilin indeed seemed to have some feelings for her, but he was a gentleman. Even in his drunken state, with her willingly entering this dark room alone with him, he didn’t make any further advances. He was a good man, honest and honorable, someone she could entrust her life to. But… tears suddenly welled up in Mingzhu’s eyes without warning.
For the years gone by, for the foolish and lovesick Fu Mingzhu of the past, and for this impending marriage.
However, she had promised that even if she didn’t love Shen Ruilin, only felt grateful to him, she would do her best to treat him well, not let him down, strive to be virtuous and kind, and not cause him trouble.
When noticed her crying, Shen Ruilin cleared his throat and slowly handed something over to her. Mingzhu didn’t take it, so he somewhat rudely stuffed it into her hand. Mingzhu pinched it and realized it was a neatly folded handkerchief, still warm from his touch.
Looks like he’s sober now. Mingzhu wiped away her tears with the handkerchief, then sternly said, “Shen Ruilin, you’re really crossing the line! Who gave you the right to do that?”
Shen Ruilin remained silent, slowly sitting up and facing her, adopting a posture of silent admission of fault.
Mingzhu was assertive by nature, so seeing him not speaking, she couldn’t miss the opportunity to accuse him of several offenses. She also wondered if he knew about her previous attempt to kiss him. She felt she had to establish his guilt first to avoid losing in future arguments.
Shamelessly, she began to list his wrongdoings, “You’ve seen alcohol before, yet you managed to get yourself drunk to the point of being unconscious. I kindly came to check on you, fearing you might die of intoxication with nobody knowing. I even poured you water in the dark when I saw you were thirsty. But what did you do? You placed a stool in the middle of the road, causing me to trip and fall. And you dared to have ulterior motives, trying to take advantage of me? I never knew you were such a person. I respected you for nothing.”
In her opinion, if Shen Ruilin truly had feelings for her, he should confess accordingly. But Shen Ruilin just sat there as if he were dumb, not saying a word in the darkness.
Isn’t he being too much? Is he dumb? Mingzhu was annoyed and reached out to twist his arm forcefully, gritting her teeth, “Tell me, what should we do now? You bullied me, we can’t just leave it like this! You must give me an explanation!”
Shen Ruilin couldn’t help but start coughing violently, and Mingzhu became suspicious. What was he coughing for? She wanted to ask but feared losing her momentum, so she endured it. Meanwhile, outside the room, Su Lan and Su Mei were extremely scared.
Sensing that something was amiss, they trembled and whispered, “Miss, miss?”
“Shut up. Don’t make a sound!” Mingzhu lowly scolded them, then twisted Shen Ruilin again, aggressively asking, “Are you mute? Dare to do but not to admit it?”
Shen Ruilin finally managed to suppress his coughing and hoarsely asked, “What do you want me to do?”
That’s more like it.
Mingzhu finally felt a bit relieved, but she didn’t have the courage to directly ask him to marry her. Because she felt guilty and didn’t want to reveal her intentions, she indirectly explained, “I came here to ask for your help. I can’t stay in the capital anymore…”
Seeing Shen Ruilin listening quietly, she spoke continuously about Yuwen You’s situation and mentioned Yuwen Long again, pretending to be pitiful, “It was my fault in the past for not understanding, for being blind and falling for Yuwen You. I brought it upon myself, so I accept the consequences, even if it means ruining my reputation and never getting married. But just as I’m trying to sort things out here, they’re already trying to match me with Yuwen Long. What kind of person is he? He’s just a hungry ghost wandering in the world of lust. The thought of him makes me sick. They want me to marry such a person? I’d rather die or never marry.”
“I thought that maybe I could ask for your help to leave here, to get away from these people and things. That’s why I secretly came to find you… I didn’t expect you to be like this…” Mingzhu waited for a response, but Shen Ruilin remained silent, not even offering a word of comfort.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, she stood up with a forced smile, wanting to escape, “But on second thought, it might cause you a lot of trouble. I didn’t think it through. You must be busy, so I’ll leave.”
Just as she took a step, her wrist was grabbed by someone. The hand was as hot as fire, making her tremble. “Shen Ruilin, you…”
“I’ll marry you.” The voice was clear and cold, each word distinct, completely different from the hoarse and obscure tone before. Moreover, it was not Shen Ruilin’s voice at all. It sounded like someone entirely unexpected.
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 10 more chapters of Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
