Chapter 144: Dependence

Amidst the chuckling and laughter, Lu Ying could not be bothered to care about the noble figure holding her waist and the arm that forcibly wrapped around her. She rested her cheek against his arm, turned her gaze toward the crowd, and failing to find Lady Yuan, she withdrew her sight.

Just at that moment, the low and magnetic voice of the noble figure sounded from right above her head: "Am I a paper tiger?"

His voice was calm and steady.

Lu Ying gave a start, but a moment later, she gave an earnest shake of her head and replied, "My Lord is naturally a real tiger... But even the fiercest of beings must tolerate a cat giving it a bite and a scratch, right?"

As soon as these words left her lips, with such a metaphor made, it was a clear display of weakness and an attempt to ingratiate herself. The noble figure seemed to be in a much better mood. He let out a low chuckle, brought his lips close to her ear, and asked with a soft sigh, "No more struggling?"

He was asking whether Lu Ying had accepted her fate with him and would no longer put up pointless struggles.

Discerning the satisfaction and tenderness in his tone, Lu Ying wryly laughed inwardly: *You have no intention of letting me go anyway; what good would my struggling do? All I can do is strive to become the most special person in your life before you forcibly stash me away in your inner courtyard, so that when the day comes that I thoroughly provoke you, you might at least refrain from dealing a fatal blow.*

Thus, she lazily replied to him, "I am Lu Wen now, your Lordship's beloved..." Therefore, she was merely acting, just playing along with him for fun.

Hearing Lu Ying's reply, the noble figure's arm tightened abruptly. His pupils contracted as he recalled what she had once said: *When I lived as a man, I had no concept of personal chastity.*

A moment later, he loosened his grip on her, smiled faintly, and drawled, "Very well. I happen to have taken a fancy to male beauty lately and have studied some arts of the bedchamber. How would you like to warm my bed tonight, my beloved?"

Lu Ying: "..."

She should have known long ago that when it came to the real thing, she was never his match.

She foolishly lifted her head. Under the lamplight, that handsome, jade-bright face stiffened, wearing an expression that made her look like she wanted to cry, plead for mercy, and yet desperately try to maintain her composure all at once. This truly pleased the noble figure. Right then, he pressed the corners of his lips downward and lazily tightened his arms around her once more. Conveniently, he even pressed her head back down into his embrace.

Feeling that he had let her off the hook, Lu Ying instantly became well-behaved. She quietly snuggled against his arm and obediently gazed out at the river scenery.

At that moment, a burst of string music rang out. Following this, more than a dozen beauties clad only in thin gauze drifted out from the cabin and danced toward the prow of the ship.

As they danced, the illumination grew even brighter. Under the daylight-like brilliance, the intimate parts of the beauties beneath their gauzy garments were vaguely visible, and an intoxicating fragrance drifted over heavily.

The beauties who could appear here were invariably one in a thousand. With such a group of exceptionally alluring women half-revealing their charms, quite a few people began to breathe heavily. As for the middle-aged men embracing the young youths, some had already started wandering hands.

Not expecting such a scene here, Lu Ying slowly detached herself from the noble figure's embrace. Feeling the gazes that the crowd cast upon her from time to time, Lu Ying simply lifted her head.

Clad in a red robe, her handsomeness and the jade-like beauty of her cold, proud demeanor were fully accentuated. As Lu Ying raised her head to look at the noble figure, several distinct sounds of swallowing were inevitably heard all around.

With her dark hair, red robe, and skin as white as jade, Lu Ying still wore that refined expression of haughty disdain. In full view of the crowd, she was seen tugging at the noble figure's lapels, forcing him to lower his head. Ignoring his deep, dark eyes and his intimidatingly handsome face, Lu Ying bit lightly at his lips and whispered lingeringly, "I am growing somewhat weary of this scenery. I shall go downstairs for some fresh air first. You had better behave yourself here."

Although her voice was lowered, it was still clearly audible. Those around her heard her words, and as they watched Lu Ying stride away with effortless grace, quite a few of those who favored male beauty found their gazes locking fixedly onto her retreating back.

...Such allure and such carriage were truly not something one saw every day.

As Lu Ying descended the stairs, several middle-aged men had already surrounded the noble figure, indirectly inquiring about Lu Ying's background and identity. The noble figure was clearly looking for an opportunity to converse freely with them, and within just a few words, he deftly steered those men toward the topics that interested him.

Lu Ying gradually faded into the shadows.

Upon reaching the first floor, she recalled the noble figure's increasingly profound eyes from just moments before, and a slight headache came over her. A moment later, she thought to herself: *I wonder what end he hopes to achieve by using the Qixiang Pavilion as his breakthrough point?*

After letting her thoughts wander for a bit, Lu Ying decided to put that man out of her mind.

She lazily leaned against the ship's railing, letting the spring river breeze blow over her.

At that moment, a light, soft footstep approached, followed by Lady Yuan's somewhat cautious whisper: "Has milord not gone up to enjoy the festivities?"

Lu Ying raised her head.

Standing quietly in the faint light, Lady Yuan was dressed in thin attire. Clearly born of a distinguished aristocratic family, the gaze she directed at Lu Ying—just like the one she gave to Young Master Yang—carried a hidden wariness and caution. It seemed she had spent a great deal of time living by second-guessing the intentions of others and carefully trying to please them; it seemed she had always been entirely alone, as if failing to properly maintain a single smile might cause her to lose everything...

Looking at Lady Yuan like this, Lu Ying suddenly understood why someone of her aristocratic background could endure someone as tyrannical as the Zheng clan member to such an extent. Her endurance and caution had truly been etched into her bones, becoming a second nature.

In the shimmering, faint light, Lu Ying nodded toward Lady Yuan and asked softly, "Have you seen the Zheng woman?"

"I have."

Lady Yuan leaned against the railing just as Lu Ying had, replying in an equally soft voice.

"How is she?"

"She is finished." Lady Yuan spoke very slowly, her tone lacking much variation and carrying a certain numbness. "She alternates between chills and fevers, and having just lost her child as well, the doctor on the boat says she may not survive this ordeal."

Lu Ying turned her head to look at her and smiled. "You didn't help?"

Lady Yuan turned to look at her as well.

In the dim light, her eyes were actually very bright. Looking at Lu Ying, Lady Yuan said carefully, "I actually hate her. I want her to die." Lowering her gaze, she added blankly, "The doctor was summoned by me. When he said the Zheng woman would die, I didn't feel sad at all."

Lu Ying let out a soft laugh and said, "She treated you like that, keeping you under her shadow for all these years, yet you still feel sad for her? Then you are truly beyond saving."

Lady Yuan let out an "ah" sound, and after a good while, she said, "Young Master Yang has been distressed over there all this time. When I told him about this, he even shouted for her to go die."

Hearing her mention Young Master Yang, Lu Ying actually grew interested. She turned her head to look at Lady Yuan and asked earnestly, "What are your plans for when you return this time?"

"What plans?"

Lady Yuan looked at her in incomprehension.

Lu Ying smiled faintly. "Have you never thought about a divorce?"

Lady Yuan lowered her head, and after a long silence, she softly replied, "My parents passed away long ago, and my maternal family has always disliked me. After a divorce, I have nowhere to go." She spoke very calmly, yet her voice conveyed a heartfelt loneliness.

Lu Ying stared at her in a daze, then suddenly sighed and said, "Sometimes, people must learn to walk out." That was all she said. In truth, she was not someone who particularly liked meddling in other people's affairs.

As Lu Ying pondered, feeling the night breeze blowing, Lady Yuan—dressed in such thin garments—wrapped her arms around herself and huddled into a ball. Lu Ying could not help but say softly, "Actually, I am a woman."

As soon as these words were uttered, Lady Yuan was so startled she forgot all about the cold. She foolishly lifted her head to stare at Lu Ying. After looking for a moment, Lady Yuan's eyes lit up, and biting her lip, she happily said, "That's wonderful."

With that, she inched closer to Lu Ying, pressing near so that her body heat could warm herself. Looking at Lu Ying with a mixture of wariness and attachment, Lady Yuan smiled ingratiatingly and asked, "What is your name? Are you heading to Wuhan? When we reach Wuhan, won't you come visit my home?"

Lu Ying curved her lips into a smile. She leaned closer to Lady Yuan and whispered, "Do not speak of the fact that I am a woman to anyone."

Without even asking for the reason, Lady Yuan foolishly nodded her head.

Only then did Lu Ying answer her question: "My name is Lu Wen, and I am heading to Wuhan." Turning her head, her eyes shone like stars in the night. "We are friends; perhaps when we arrive in Wuhan, I really will go visit your home."

As soon as these words left her lips, Lady Yuan beamed with joy. Even when she was overjoyed, her smiles still retained a trace of caution and reserve.

Looking at her, Lu Ying could not help but wonder inwardly: *Just what kind of environment must she have lived in before to make her lead her life with such extreme caution?*

By all logic, her family background should be exceptionally good. After all, the expenses at the Qixiang Pavilion were staggering; for her husband to be able to linger in a place like this for months on end was something no ordinary wealthy family could accomplish. Furthermore, since even the noble figure had taken notice of them, they were even less likely to be mere commoners.

While Lu Ying was deep in thought, she heard Lady Yuan ask timidly, "Ah-Wen, may I lean against you?"

Meeting her hopeful gaze, Lu Ying nodded. "Of course you may."

Lady Yuan smiled and genuinely rested her head on Lu Ying's shoulder.

Feeling the warmth radiating from her body, Lady Yuan giggled foolishly, "I've always wanted an older sister like Ah-Wen."

Lu Ying turned to look at her.

Although Lady Yuan had been married for half a year, in reality, she was merely a young girl of sixteen or seventeen. Stripping away her cautious and numb outer shell, she was actually a childish, lonely girl yearning for warmth. Someone she had met by chance had suddenly evoked such a strong sense of dependence within her.

This reliance softened Lu Ying's heart. She gave Lady Yuan a gentle hug and said softly, "Come, let's go put on another layer of clothing."

"Okay." Seeing that Lu Ying was accompanying her, Lady Yuan appeared exceptionally happy.

When Lady Yuan emerged once more wearing an outer garment alongside Lu Ying, the two of them had already become bosom friends who spoke of everything. Of course, most of the time, it was Lady Yuan doing the talking.

Lady Yuan had always been sheltered in deep boudoirs, having little contact with outsiders. Coupled with the cautious way she had lived her life, she had few friends. Suddenly receiving warmth from Lu Ying, she practically worshipped Lu Ying like an elder sister, being entirely docile and obedient toward her.

To be honest, although Lu Ying's initial impression tended to come across as somewhat aloof, she possessed a steady, rational, and poised demeanor that easily inspired a sense of reliance and trust in others. People like Xiao Yan and Shang Ti, after spending a long time in Lu Ying's company, also tended to obey her implicitly and rely on her as an elder sister.

This time, Lady Yuan was no exception.

The two young women chatted and laughed all the way. Half an hour later, the handsome middle-aged man who had applied makeup for Lu Ying came downstairs. He bowed to Lu Ying and said, "Ah-Wen, the Lord orders you to go up."

The noble figure wanted her to go up?

Lu Ying raised her head. By this time, it was truly the dead of night. The string music from the second floor exuded a debauched and dissolute melody amid its luxurious lightness, and the charming, sweet laughter of youths and maidens drifted continuously on the night breeze. On the large ships to either side, half-naked youths could still be seen dancing.

Lu Ying thought to herself: *He is calling me up at this hour; could it be that the main event is finally here?*

Thinking of this, she nodded and replied, "I will be right there."

Turning back to look at Lady Yuan, she issued a direct command: "You just sneezed five times, so you must have caught a chill. Go back into the cabin right now, drink a cup of hot water, and cover yourself with a quilt to sleep. Whatever we have to say can wait until tomorrow."

Though she spoke quite bluntly, Lady Yuan was very obedient. She submissively replied, "Okay." Honestly turning around, she truly walked toward the cabin.

Seeing her depart, Lu Ying returned to the cabin to tidy up her appearance, adjusted her collars and sleeves, and strode toward the second floor with effortless grace... (To be continued)