Chapter 14: The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

Xie Zhiyun shielded Manman behind him, fearing that Shen Jin might snatch her away, his gaze following the two as they walked off into the distance.

With a sudden exhale, the man finally let out a breath he had been holding.

“Be good, Manman. Don’t mistake someone else for me again,” Xie Zhiyun said, unable to hide his own selfishness. Pointing to Shen Jin’s retreating figure, he added, “That man is very fierce. Don’t provoke him, understand?”

Manman nodded obediently, only half-comprehending, her small hand firmly gripping Xie Zhiyun’s.

As they left the medical hall, Jiang Jiu Yue, puzzled, spoke up, “So that’s the little madam’s daughter? She’s truly adorable—looks just like a tiny Lu Qingqing.”

“Yes,” Xie Zhiyun replied.

Inside the carriage, Shen Jin sat with furrowed brows, Manman’s image lingering in his thoughts. A strange, indescribable feeling gnawed at his heart.

Jiang Jiu Yue tried to reason with him, her tone earnest and gentle. “I know you can’t let go of the past, but, A-Jin, she has her own family now, a child of her own. For the sake of that poor child, let it go.”

Silently, Shen Jin loosened his grip. He heard Jiang Jiu Yue’s words clearly, but he stubbornly imprisoned himself in memories of yesterday.

“Let her go,” Jiang Jiu Yue urged, patting the back of his hand with utmost gentleness.

“Alright,” Shen Jin finally agreed. Thinking of Manman’s clear and innocent eyes, he realized he did not wish to become the villain who would hurt her.

—

Shen Jin agreed to let Lu Qingqing leave. Yet when the carriage returned to the General’s Manor, he saw thick smoke billowing in the distance, flames raging fiercely.

The fire was roaring sky-high in the direction of the woodshed. Shen Jin leapt from the carriage, panic rising within him. He rushed through the crowd, demanding a report from his men—the woodshed had caught fire, and the blaze was out of control.

“Where is Lu Qingqing?” he questioned the people fighting the fire, but not one dared answer.

They exchanged uneasy glances, none willing to speak. Shen Jin didn’t hesitate—without another word, he dashed into the inferno. Jiang Jiu Yue hurried to block him. “The fire is too great! The beams are already burning through, the house could collapse at any moment, A-Jin—”

But her words could not hold him back. Shen Jin plunged straight into the flames, searching frantically through the thick smoke for any sign of Lu Qingqing.

But she was nowhere to be found.

Jiang Jiu Yue’s face was lit by the glow of the fire, her hands clenched tightly beneath her sleeves. Her eyes reddened as she gazed into the sea of flames. “No matter how hard I try, can I never sever the bond between the two of you? Shen Jin, she betrayed you—she’s married, she has a child—why are you still willing to risk your life for her?”

Jiang Jiu Yue could not understand. The story seemed to be unfolding exactly as she had planned, so why did Shen Jin still rush heedlessly into the flames?

He did not find Lu Qingqing, for she had already escaped from the manor before the fire.

When the blaze was finally extinguished, Shen Jin sat a short distance away, utterly exhausted, his brows deeply knit.

“Find out where she’s gone.”

“Yes, sir.”

—

Watching Shen Jin, as if possessed by some obsession, Jiang Jiu Yue decided to yield in order to advance. “You still can’t let her go, can you, A-Jin? If you still care for her, why not try pursuing her again?”

“Yueyue, what nonsense are you talking about?” Shen Jin denied her suggestion. “She’s truly clever, using such a trick to fool us all.”

He sounded aggrieved, but it was impossible to tell whether it was because Lu Qingqing had escaped, or for some other reason.

At this moment, inside the Marquis’ residence, Lu Qingqing—disheveled and battered—had no concern for anything else. Looking at Manman, weak and frail on the bed, tears streamed down her face.

Suddenly, she grabbed Xie Zhiyun by the collar, demanding, “Didn’t I tell you to look after Manman? It’s one thing for you to betray me for your own gain, but how could you fail to protect her as well?”

Her emotions ran high as she looked at her daughter, so pale and helpless, not knowing what kind of suffering the child had endured.

Xie Zhiyun stood silent, unable to offer any explanation, allowing Lu Qingqing to vent her fury.

At last, he spoke quietly.

“Manman has been poisoned. The physician said it’s a rare toxin—something that could never have appeared in the marquis’s residence. Someone is trying to harm her!”