Volume One, Chapter 13: The Carriage Lures the Eldest Young Master

As she finished speaking, she lowered her head, revealing a section of fair, tender neck, her hair falling onto his chest.

Well, she was quite good at pretending.

A faint, ambiguous smile curled at the corner of Ji Yu’s mouth as he leaned closer to her ear. “Oh? Then I’ll do the gentleman’s part and see you safely home. How about that?”

In these times, men and women were even more cautious than before; not to mention the fact that a brother-in-law and his sister-in-law were alone together in a carriage.

If anyone with ill intentions saw the two disembark from the same carriage, the consequences would be more than Yun Xi could bear.

No sooner had he spoken than the girl in front of him took a sudden step back, nearly falling to the ground.

Fortunately, he caught her.

Tears welled in her slightly reddened eyes, inexplicably stirring a sense of familiarity within him.

Just as he reached out to lift her chin, a voice, faintly trembling with tears, came from her lips: “Thank you, brother-in-law, but it’s late. If you could let me off somewhere near home, I will go the rest of the way myself. No… please don’t trouble yourself.”

She added softly, “It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”

Her words, coupled with their current posture, were undeniably suggestive and forbidden.

Anyone with a sense of propriety would have already pulled her into an embrace and indulged in some flirtation.

Yun Xi herself thought so.

Earlier, she had been chased and feared she might not make it home that night. Unexpectedly, she ran into the Hou family’s carriage at a corner—it was like finding a needle in a haystack.

She had to seize this opportunity; for his sake, she had endured great hardships tonight.

Yet, Ji Yu was the unfeeling blockhead who, upon hearing her words, abruptly released his hold.

In the darkness, Yun Xi’s eyes widened in surprise, unprepared, and she stumbled before regaining her balance.

He remained concealed in shadows, only his tense jaw visible, his expression unreadable.

“Then, as my sister-in-law wishes,” Ji Yu said, reclining against the carriage seat, one hand propping his head as he closed his eyes to rest.

“Ha—”

His entire plan for the day had been ruined by that “Third Miss.”

Originally, he had plotted for the eldest son of the Minister of War to be accidentally killed by the grandson of Grand Tutor Li.

Unexpectedly, Yun Xi had appeared halfway through.

Now that Zhou Yu, that useless man, was frantically searching for her everywhere, he hadn’t even gone to the Spring Breeze Brothel.

Ji Yu let out a soft chuckle.

That was nothing.

He opened his eyes, dark and brooding, staring at the pink handkerchief in his hand—that had been “accidentally” left behind by Yun Xi as she fled.

The important thing was that he knew his plan had been completely disrupted by her, yet he did not lose his temper.

By his usual nature, anyone who dared to ruin his schemes would have been “secretly dealt with” long ago.

The only reason he had shown any mercy upon first meeting her was because...

Ji Yu clenched the handkerchiefI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.