Chapter 12: Returning to the Residence

After a long while, the young girl finally spoke with a soft, trembling voice tinged with the remnants of tears.

“Let me think about it... I’ll decide when we return home.”

The meaning was clear—at the very least, one thing was certain: she wanted to leave this place first.

Lu Zhi said nothing. Upon hearing her words, he calmly stood up and coldly instructed the maid, “Prepare a bath for Miss Shen.”

With that, he glanced once at the hazy figure behind the curtain before stepping away.

Qing Lian let out a slight breath of relief. No matter what, the young lady was finally willing to speak.

She approached to help her up, carefully tending to her needs—feeding her some porridge and water, assisting her with bathing and dressing, and then doing her makeup.

Though the inner garments had been changed, at least the outer cloak remained as clean as before.

Yan Xi barely glanced at the soiled clothes before looking away.

She remembered most of what had happened in the room yesterday at noon.

The memories were haunting; even the slightest thought brought tears to her eyes again.

Once everything was ready, Lu Zhi entered precisely at that moment.

Yan Xi slowly lifted her gaze. Upon seeing him, she naturally averted her eyes.

Lu Zhi said, “Enter the manor through the back gate.”

Yan Xi nodded slightly, stepping aside, then followed Qing Lian toward the exit.

But just as they were about to step out, a man’s frenzied, anguished cries reached her ears.

The young girl’s heart trembled in fear, and instinctively she looked toward the sound.

There, a disheveled man with wild hair and bloodshot eyes was staring directly at her, running in her direction. It was Wang Qing’an!

“Ah!”

Seeing his face filled her with fear, dread, disgust, and anger—fear foremost among them.

She immediately turned and fled back, only to stumble straight into Lu Zhi’s arms behind her.

In her panic and confusion, the young girl neither dodged nor resisted but clung tightly to the man’s clothes.

She rested her head against his shoulder.

Lu Zhi slowly lifted a hand to wrap around her delicate shoulder, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

---

“Young master, young master...” Wang Qing’an knelt immediately upon seeing him.

Before he could speak further, Lu Zhi spoke calmly:

“Silence him. Leave him a corpse.”

The words “leave him a corpse” made Yan Xi shiver, pulling her back from her panic as she realized she had sought refuge in Lu Zhi's arms in her fright.

She struggled gently.

As she struggled, he loosened his hold.

Her lips quivered, her eyes shimmering like water, and she looked up at him briefly before lowering her gaze again, her voice trembling:

“If you kill him and the family finds out, what then? How will you explain?”

Lu Zhi smiled faintly, brushing his clothes with his hand, and said meaningfully, “Such a vile man, after doing something so terrible, why spare him?”

Then he chuckled softly, “Besides, if I don’t kill him, and he goes around spreading lies, ruining my reputation, what would I do?”

“So...”

His gaze darkened and returned slowly to the young girl’s face as he folded his arms behind his back.

“This... will be our second secret.”

Yan Xi’s face flushed deeply.

What the first secret might be was obvious.

She slowly lowered her head, turned away, and said nothing more.

Leaving the courtyard, they boarded a carriage and soon returned to the Lu family estate.

Everything went smoothly—apparently, the guards at the back gate had already been replaced by Lu Zhi’s men.

Upon entering the mansion, she and Qing Lian nearly ran straight to the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

Once inside, Yan Xi instructed the maid to bolt the door.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Yesterday and early this morning, her thoughts had been in turmoil. The events had just occurred; she had been dazed, barely thinking clearly.

But on the journey back, she had come to understand that Lu Zhi was effectively stating how this matter would be handled.

It was a secret between the two of them.

He intended to take her out of the Lu estate and hide her away.

---

Though afraid—she had never even dared to crush a bug since childhood—she knew Wang Qing’an was truly a scoundrel, a ruinous man who had destroyed many young women’s lives and was deserving of death.

Even if she tried to ignore that matter, another issue remained: what to do next?

She could not really run away with Lu Zhi...

Setting aside her fear and unwillingness to be with him even for a moment, what of her future and their relationship?

Moreover, for some reason, she felt something was amiss...

Before she could ponder further, a sharp pain surged from below.

Yan Xi’s face flushed crimson as she took two steps back and found a chair to sit.

In truth, she had been suffering intense pain since yesterday, and it was just as bad this morning.

But so many events had unfolded over the past day and night that she had been caught off guard, unable to pay it much mind.

Now, with her mind clearer, the bodily sensations intensified the more she thought about them.

Finally, Yan Xi called for the maid.

Qing Lian came over. “Miss, what’s wrong?”

Yan Xi said, “Could you get me some medicine...?”

Her words, accompanied by her flushed face, made Qing Lian understand immediately.

“Of course. I will buy it for you.”

Yan Xi cautioned, “Please be very careful...”

Qing Lian nodded knowingly. This matter concerned the young lady’s reputation and must not be revealed to anyone.

“Miss, rest well. Lie down on the bed for a while.”

“Mm.”

Yan Xi nodded as Qing Lian helped her to the bedside.

But just as she sat down, hurried footsteps approached—the maid Taohong entered quickly, her eyes red from crying.

Though her voice was still choked with sobs, urgency was clear in her tone:

“Miss, there’s news from outside—the Young Master Jiang has arrived...”