Chapter 242: She Was Just Scared
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Nighttime.
The Marquis Mansion was brightly lit, with lanterns casting a soft glow everywhere. Maids and servants walked around with their heads lowered, the atmosphere tense and filled with unease.
“Madam, Master requests your presence in the main hall,” a maid whispered.
Jiang Yun Jin’s personal maid looked nervous, but Jiang Yun Jin herself remained calm and composed. She adjusted her clothes and touched the pearl flower in her hair. With a slight, cold smile on her lips, she strolled leisurely back to the main hall.
The main hall was a mess, broken tea cups littering the floor. Jiang Yun Jin glanced around and let out a derisive laugh just as she entered.
A teacup flew straight at her head. She shifted slightly, and the cup grazed past her temple.
“Lu Jing Huai, do you really think you’re still the esteemed son of a marquis? Living off your wife’s dowry, who gave you the nerve to throw things?” Jiang Yun Jin sneered. “When I married into this house, there were only a few walls left. You couldn’t even pay the maids. Everything in this house was bought with my money!”
“Even if you rely on a woman to live, you should at least have the decency to act like it!” she mocked.
Lu Jing Huai, looking gaunt, coughed violently at her merciless words. He coughed so hard he spat blood. His mother, Madame Pei, rushed to his side in panic.
“My son…” Madame Pei’s eyes were red with anger. “You ungrateful woman, how dare you speak to Jing Huai like that?” Her voice was filled with both hatred and sorrow, wishing she could tear Jiang Yun Jin apart.
“Which of my words was wrong? Everything in this house, from the decorations to the pots and pans, was bought with my dowry money! Even the cup you just broke was mine!” Jiang Yun Jin’s voice was fierce.
“I’m not like Madam Xu, letting you all bleed me dry! If you want to live off a woman, at least have the decency to do it properly. Forcing it down might just choke you!” she said, unafraid.
Madame Pei had threatened to send her back to her own family, but Jiang Yun Jin had always known that Lu Jing Huai wasn’t a gentleman like Lu Yan Shu. He was a scoundrel, and once you got involved with him, you could never clean yourself of the filth.
Jiang Yun Jin’s eyes were red with fury.
“You think I’m unfaithful? What a joke!” she laughed so hard tears nearly fell from her eyes. “You, an outsider, dare talk about fidelity? Even your son, that vile creature, takes after you perfectly. He’s as dirty as you are!” She pointed at Madame Pei, laughing hysterically.
Madame Pei never expected her past to be exposed by her daughter-in-law. Her face turned a mix of shame and rage, her eyes filled with venom. Even the maids at the door shivered in fear.
“Who allowed you to speak to your mother-in-law like this? Who gave you the right!” Madame Pei screamed.
Jiang Yun Jin’s face remained indifferent. “Didn’t I learn this from you? How you treated your mother-in-law, that’s how I treat you. You’ve almost driven the old lady to her grave.”
Madame Pei seemed choked, her face twisted with anger and frustration.
“You are my son’s wife. How dare you seek out Lu Yan Shu, that bastard!” Madame Pei’s voice was filled with spite. She had spent her life competing with Madam Xu, and she couldn’t stand to lose. She had stolen Madam Xu’s husband, her status, and now her daughter-in-law. She couldn’t bear to see Jiang Yun Jin chasing after Lu Yan Shu.
Lu Jing Huai sat on a chair, drenched in sweat. His health had deteriorated completely.
“Why did you seek out Lu Yan Shu?” he rasped, his voice hoarse, fingers trembling. He had worked so hard to take everything from Lu Yan Shu, but now everything seemed to be slipping back into his rival’s hands.
Jiang Yun Jin lifted her eyelids slightly but said nothing.
“You don’t expect Lu Yan Shu to take you back, do you?” Lu Jing Huai laughed bitterly, his eyes wild with madness. Jiang Yun Jin clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly.
“You personally broke off the engagement and abandoned him! And it was you who seduced me and insisted on marrying me! Before we even married, you were already… involved with me. Do you think Lu Yan Shu would take back someone as filthy as you?” Lu Jing Huai laughed maniacally. “Jiang Yun Jin, we are husband and wife. If I am in hell, you won’t escape either! You brought this on yourself!”
His face was twisted with malevolence and obsession. He would never let her go.
Jiang Yun Jin’s body shuddered. Why did she abandon the honorable gentleman and virtuous Madam Xu? Her face pale, she returned to her room, closing the door behind her.
“Don’t come in,” she told the maids, shutting them out. She was filled with regret. She wished she could go back to that summer.
She had playfully shaken off her maid and accidentally fallen into the water. She struggled frantically, but the more she thrashed, the faster she sank. As she was about to drown, water filling her lungs, she saw through the water a young boy throwing his book aside and diving into the lake to save her.
She was so scared. She grabbed onto Lu Yan Shu like he was her last lifeline, pulling him down in her panic. He struggled but managed to push her to the shore, only to slip and fall back into the water himself.
She had panicked and run for help, but when she saw her maid, she hid behind the rock garden, too afraid to call out.
“What if Lu Yan Shu drowned? What would I do?” she thought. “He was everyone’s favorite. Would I have to pay with my life? If he drowned, how would I explain it to the Lu family? I couldn’t let anyone find out.”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“It wasn’t my fault,” she whispered to herself, terrified, hiding behind the rock garden. She covered her ears, blocking out the increasingly urgent calls for help. She didn’t dare to respond.
Eventually, the maid found her, soaking wet and panicked. Before she could stop her, the maid shouted, “I found the Miss!”
Everyone crowded around her. She saw Madam Xu and, in her fear, blurted out, “I didn’t see Yan Shu. I don’t know anything!” Her tension broke at the sight of Madam Xu, and she nearly collapsed.
“It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my fault!” she cried.
Madam Xu had already been searching for Lu Yan Shu and was terrified at the implication. “Jin Niang, you saw Yan Shu, didn’t you? Where is he? Please tell me!” Madam Xu pleaded, trembling.
“You’re soaking wet. Did you fall into the water?” Madam Xu’s voice shook with dread. “Did Yan Shu… fall into the water?” Madam Xu’s despairing gaze frightened her. It was one of the reasons she couldn’t face Madam Xu. She hadn’t meant for it to happen; she was just so scared, so very scared.