NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Attraction Begins with Lust
The man stretched out his arm and lifted the partition’s pearl curtain. A silhouette in a red dress appeared under the light. He smiled gently, and the gaze in his almond-shaped eyes softened.
“My lady, you’ve been waiting for a long time!”
“No, no. Please, come in, Young Master!” Nanny answered respectfully.
Ji Yuxian’s gaze landed on Su Jiu, who was sitting on the bed. She donned a red dress and had a veil over her head. Taking a step closer, he was stunned to see the “servant girl” next to her. This servant girl is a little too tall. The room was dark, and the servant girl bowed her head. Ji Yuxian could only see a pretty chin and nose. His gaze turned somber as it swept along the girl’s neck. Although Ji Yuxian could not see an Adam’s apple, his pupils contracted subtly.
“All of you may leave!” The man spoke nonchalantly.
“Young Master, you have not lifted the veil and drunk the cross-cupped wine for the nuptials,” Nanny reminded.
“I’ll do it myself. You may leave!”
“Yes!” Nanny said and looked at Su Jiu, worried. Then, she pulled away Chang Huan.
“I want to stay with my young lady!” Chang Huan suddenly said. How can he let Chief stay here alone? Who knows if this man is proficient in martial arts; will he bully Chief?
Ji Yuxian’s gaze swept over them. He was still smiling, but his voice was cold and authoritative. “Leave!”
Nanny hurriedly tugged at Chang Huan’s arm. “Huan’er, the Young Lady needs to consummate her marriage. What are you doing here? Let’s go.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Chang Huan as a hint, but Chang Huan remained unmoving. “I’m going to stay with my young lady!”
Su Jiu coughed. “Huan’er, go out first.”
Chang Huan heard Su Jiu’s order and did not refuse. He tightly pursed his thin lips and said reluctantly, “Yes, then Chi—I mean, my lady—be careful!”
Nanny was embarrassed and dared not look at Ji Yuxian. She pulled Chang Huan away and hurriedly walked out. After they left and closed the door, Chang Huan put his ear to the door to listen.
“Master Huan, let’s go!” Nanny said in a low voice.
“I’m not leaving. If there’s a fight in there, I’m going to go in and save Chief!” Chang Huan declared stubbornly.
“Master Huan, you worry too much. No one can bully Chief with her martial arts skills. You can rest assured!” Nanny advised, “I think there was something wrong with the way Young Master looked at you just now. If you stay and reveal yourself, we’ll all die.”
The two were muttering under the porch when, suddenly, a servant girl came over and asked, “Are the two of you Young Mistress’ family members? We have arranged a place in the manor for you. Please, follow me!”
Generally, the status of a nanny and the servants a bride brings with her to her new household is higher than that of the manor’s original servants. Thus, even if Ji Manor’s servants looked down on the Su Family, they were still very respectful to the Young Mistress. Today, at least, they would be polite. In any case, after tonight, if the Young Mistress received the Young Master’s favor, her power in the Manor would rise in the future.
“Yes, yes!” Nanny replied hurriedly and dragged Chang Huan along.
Chang Huan was anxious about Su Jiu, but he also knew that he could not be rash. He had to wait until later, when no one was around, before he could look for Qiao An and the gang to discuss.
The crowd dispersed, and only Su Jiu and Ji Yuxian remained in the room. The atmosphere immediately quieted down. The red candle carved with dragons and phoenixes was as thick as a person’s arm. It burned brightly, and the fire reflected the room’s red decor. The curtains billowed, and a seductive atmosphere lingered.
Su Jiu did not know what to do next, so she just sat still. She remained calm, ready to counter all reactions. Ji Yuxian walked over and looked down at the woman. A shade of intoxication colored his gaze. His eyes narrowed as he took a nuptial ceremony rod and lifted her veil. Su Jiu looked up and made eye contact with the man’s charming gaze. She froze.
He was dressed in red and as alluring as fire. His handsome face reflected a red light. His gaze was deep and bewitching; a person could be sucked in with one look. This man’s face was so perfect that any time people glimpsed it they couldn’t help but gasp.
Ji Yuxian looked down at the woman’s gorgeous face, impeccably made-up. His gaze turned brooding as he reached out, flippantly, to hold the lady’s delicate chin. Smirking, he said, “Regardless of what others say, you are worth marrying because of this face, my lady!”
The beginning of love, therefore, was the beginning of lust. Su Jiu looked at him with her large doe eyes. In her heart, there was no difference between men and women, so she was not aware of Ji Yuxian’s frivolous intentions. She just had one question: Should she knock this man out?
Almost instantly, several plans popped into Su Jiu’s head. The first was to knock Ji Yuxian out then escape at night with Qiao An and the gang, taking the dowry and valuables with them. The second was to knock out Ji Yuxian and kidnap him. Then, they would threaten Ji Manor for ransom.
However, as soon as the two plans flashed in her mind, she immediately rejected them. The first was dangerous. Even if they could transport several boxes of her dowry out of Ji Manor unnoticed, the city gate was now closed. When Ji Yuxian woke up, Ji Manor would know that the bride and dowry were both gone. Inevitably, they would report this to the officials and then close the city gate. News of Miss Su’s disappearance would spread like wildfire in the city, and they’d have no place to hide. So, the first plan won’t work!
The second one could not succeed, either. Even if they could steal Ji Yuxian away, they could not get out of the city tonight. Once the Ji Manor summoned the officials, they were bound to be searched and arrested. Even if Ji Manor did not report the crime and handed over the ransom for Ji Yuxian, this little matter of pretending to be Miss Su would still be exposed. Then, they would be wanted by the government, the Ji Manor, and the Su Family. Before they could leave Daliang via ship, they would have already been arrested. The second one doesn’t work either.
Su Jiu dismissed her plans and suddenly came up with a better idea. Why couldn’t she always be Ji Manor’s Young Mistress? She could lead a life of luxury and buy some property in Shengjing then divorce Ji Yuxian.
This approach is safe and lacks loopholes. Why hadn’t they thought of it before?