Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
âThatâs enough, stop crying.â Father Liu waved his hand annoyedly.
âFather, you must help me.â Liu Xinyue held Father Liuâs arm.
Father Liu sighed. âNow the rumors outside have changed. As long as we make them believe it was that evil creature meeting the man in private, youâll be fine.â
âBut...â
âBut what, do you want to take the blame?â Father Liu scolded her with a black face. âThat evil creature is originally not our Liu familyâs daughter.â
Liu Xinyue was of course happy in her heart. But in order to make Father Liu completely follow her lead, she couldnât reveal her real emotions.
Liu Xinyue nodded after a long time. âFather, Qingqing has changed so much. Was she just pretending before?â
Liu Xinyue had a worse guess in her heart.
That she came from another book like her... or crossed time and space to this world. In this book, the female protagonist Qin Ling came here through time and space.
She is more like the former than the latter.
If she was indeed a modern time-traveler, it would be much more difficult to deal with her than these ancient people.
She didnât mean to target Liu Qing, though. She just wanted to live a good life. In this world, reputation was life, so one of them must sacrifice herself.
This one couldnât be her.
âI know. Youâre not going out for a few days, stay at home; and donât go to find that bastard, either.â
âFather, Iâm still a little worried.â
âCome on, donât you trust your father? Iâm not gonna hurt you. Leave this matter alone and Iâll see to it.â
â... Yes.â
Liu Xinyue left full of worry. Father Liu said he would help her deal with this matter, but she always felt something was not right.
â
The rumors in the village were divided into two sides.
One side believed it was Liu Xinyue who had a private meeting with man. Because she was beautiful, and it seemed normal for her to do so.
The other side thought it was the unimpressive Second Young Lady, namely Ming Shu, who had done it. As thereâs a saying goes that mute dogs bite people.
Father Liu should take the credit for such a situation.
Ming Shu ate and drank all day. Because of what Ming Shu said at breakfast that morning, Father Liu didnât dare to find her for trouble again, fearing that the lies might be exposed or something similar.
Three days later, at midnight...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ming Shu was about to go to bed when a sound came from the window.
She stared at the window for nearly a minute, but no one came in. The noise kept sounding and even became faster and faster.
Ming Shu fell into bed, covered her head with the quilt and went to sleep.
But the noise continued.
Ming Shu was kept awake and even became a little hungry.
She turned over to get out of bed and walked to the window, pushing it open.
Outside was total blackness and Ming Shu didnât see anyone or anything...WTH? Is there a ghost haunting here?
This world should be about the countryside, not ghost stories!
âTwo...â
A slight noise came from below the window.
Ming Shu looked down and saw a black shadow huddling under the window, a strong smell of blood around it.
âDonât die here. Ahead is Liu Xinyueâs room, just go there.â Ming Shu leaned over the window and talked to the panting person below.
âSecond Young Lady Liu...â Li Shen sounded very weak. âLiu... Old Man Liu wants to kill me.â
Li Shen felt the person at the window leave. He growled in his heart but couldnât gather any strength to vent his anger.
Soon the footsteps came back, and the kacha-kacha sounds sounded from overhead.
Accompanied by that sound was the girlâs sweet voice. âUnderstandable. He couldnât do anything to me, and he wouldnât allow his daughterâs reputation to suffer, so he could only turn to you. Who let you be so easy to bully.â
â...â Canât you get me in there first?! âSecond Young Lady Liu, IâIâll be your witness and prove that they framed you. Old Man Liu... will hunt me when he finds out Iâve escaped. I... I donât want to die, please help me.â
The only person in the Liu residence who could help him now was this Second Young Lady Liu.
Li Shen felt the shadow on the top of his head get bigger. He looked up with difficulty and saw a head sticking out of the window.
âItâs not my job to save people. Youâre turning to the wrong person.â
It was still a smiling tone. In the night, the girlâs voice was still pleasant to ears, but it made you feel gloomy and creeped out for no reason.
Li Shen was afraid that Ming Shu would really not help him, so he continued hurriedly. âI have something against Liu Xinyue in my hands. As long as you help me, I promise Iâll clear your name.â
âDo you have any food?â Ming Shu suddenly asked.
âFood?â Li Shen was stunned.
He was captured and taken over to the Liu family, all belongings taken away. So he didnât have any food, and he was also very hungry.
âIf you give me some food, Iâll help you,â the voice overhead continued.
Li Shen was completely lost. Why does she mention food now?
âNo? Then just help yourself, I wonât play with you.â Iâm going back to sleep.
Li Shen heard Ming Shu close the window and got a little anxious. âWait, wait, I haveâI haveâI have some money stashed away, and as long as you help me, Iâll give you the money.â
Money could buy snacks with money.
Ming Shu turned back. âWhere did you hide the money?â
âCan you let me in first?â What if Old Man Liu appeared to bring him back?
âDo you think you can just walk into a young ladyâs boudoir? Or did they pay you to get into my room and grab... do bad things?â
Li Shen thought Ming Shu meant bad things like raping or something... He shook his head immediately. âNo no no, just look at me now, what kind of bad things do you think I can do like this? I was cornered. I donât want to die, and you donât want your reputation to be ruined, right?â
âIt doesnât matter.â No one will live forever, so just be casual.
Li Shen: â...â
What could he do with a girl who didnât care about her reputation?
Li Shen gritted his teeth. He lifted his foot and drew several bank notes from the shoe sole. âThis is all my savings. Iâll give them to you.â
Ming Shu: â...â
Pa!
The window was slammed shut without any hesitation.
Li Shen, who was holding his bank notes high: â...â
â
There were only villagers with the surname of Liu living in Yunli Village before. Later some people with different surnames moved in, but the villageâs principal heads were still the elders Liu.
Right now at the Liu Family Ancestral Hall, in the middle of the night, the lights were blazing and the crowd was moving.
The villagers who had fallen asleep were all gathered in the ancestral hall. They were sleepy and confused.
âWhatâs happening?â
âI donât know. At this late, I feel so sleepy.â
âThere shouldnât be something wrong?â
âWho knows. The village head gathered us here, so there should be something important. Donât guess randomly and just wait and see. Arenât we almost here?â
âOnly missing the Liu residenceâs people in the east.â
âEvery time something happens, theyâll be the last to come and make so many of us wait.â
âTheyâre rich people.â Someone picked up the topic with jealousy.
They discussed for a long time before Father Liu finally arrived.
The village head was an old man, who sat in the chair set by two sides of the ancestral hall. He looked at the villagers standing outside chattering with a gloomy face, and then at Father Liu who suddenly broke through the villagers and walked into the ancestral hall.
âVillage head.â Father Liu made a symbolistic greeting. âItâs so late, what do you gather us here for?â
The village head stood up but didnât answer Father Liuâs question. Instead, he raised his voice and said, âI called everybody here because thereâs an important matter.â