Chapter 4: Staying by His Side

Lu Qingqing was in pain from the ordeal. Having drunk so much on an empty stomach, she already felt a storm raging inside her.

Shen Jin was on the verge of madness, his grip crushing her wrist.

“Qingqing, do not defy—”

“Shut up. This isn’t your place to speak,” Shen Jin snapped, silencing Xie Zhiyun completely.

Old Madam Xie looked as though she might faint, but there was nothing she could do. They’d all heard the rumors of Shen Jin’s ruthlessness, and now they were the ones begging for his help.

Beneath the table, Lu Qingqing trembled uncontrollably.

She didn’t know what Shen Jin truly wanted—was he intent on grinding her into the dust?

“Are you crying?” Shen Jin’s voice sounded by her ear, laced with disgust. “How disappointing. So this is the extent of the Marquis Manor’s sincerity.”

Suddenly, Shen Jin rose to his feet. Lu Qingqing wavered, reaching out to grab him.

“Shen Jin, what do you want from me?”

Seeing the tears at the corner of her eyes, Shen Jin felt a strange pang in his heart. He instinctively wanted to wipe away her tears. In the past, whenever she cried, he was utterly undone, willing to give in to her every whim.

But things were different now.

Suppressing his revulsion, Shen Jin lowered his voice. “Stay with me for three days, and I’ll take care of the Old Marquis’s troubles. Do we have a deal?”

Lu Qingqing took a deep breath but gave no reply.

Shen Jin, fearing she might refuse, threatened, “If not, the Marquis Manor is finished. And so is your Lu family.”

“All right.”

Shen Jin was taken aback.

“I said all right, Shen Jin,” Lu Qingqing replied, her voice choked with tears. She forced a smile, one so bitter it stung Shen Jin to the core. The once proud and unruly daughter of the Lu family, who had never bowed to anyone, now looked like a stranger.

Xie Zhiyun let out a sigh of relief, eager to send Lu Qingqing away. They had never truly been husband and wife, and he had never cared for her. All he could think of was the Xie family’s salvation.

Shen Jin left the manor alone, without taking Lu Qingqing with him.

Old Madam Xie hobbled over and knelt before Lu Qingqing, knowing how outrageous all of this was.

“You’ve suffered, Qingqing.”

“Enough of that,” Lu Qingqing replied coldly, staring at the two before her. “From the moment I married in, the Xie and Lu families have shared fortune and misfortune alike.”

Old Madam Xie was relieved to hear such sensibility from her.

But Lu Qingqing’s next words offered them no comfort.

“Without my father’s backing, you could never have come this far.”

She looked at them with icy detachment. Her agreement with Shen Jin was not for the Xie family’s sake, nor for the Lu family’s, but for herself. She knew how much Shen Jin had suffered—he would never let her go easily.

Rather than flee, it was better to face him head-on.

Lu Qingqing had never been one to retreat.

That very night, she made arrangements for Yuanyuan and her wet nurse, then left the Xie Manor alone. As she was about to depart, the old madam came out to see her off.

“We’re both women; I know how hard this is for you. But, Qingqing, the entanglement between you and Shen Jin—”

“Madam,” Lu Qingqing said, not once calling her mother, but remaining polite. “You were happy to accept the gains. Spare me the pretense now. Who knows what Shen Jin truly feels towards me?”

“I do care for you.”

The old madam tried to say more, but Lu Qingqing turned and walked away. They only said such things to ease their own conscience.

If word got out, would the century-old Marquis Manor have any dignity left—sending their daughter-in-law to serve a powerful official in exchange for the family’s safety?

Utterly laughable.

Seated in the sedan, Lu Qingqing gazed out at the bustling Vermilion Bird Avenue, recalling how Shen Jin had once scoured the entire street just to buy her a fox mask.

She loved collecting strange trinkets and enjoyed carving things by hand. The fierce, monstrous mask Shen Jin wore was her own handiwork.

Lost in memories, Lu Qingqing was startled when the sedan suddenly lurched violently.

She heard a commotion outside and was frightened by the noise!