Chapter 101: [Unbenevolent in Wealth] (Part 1)

Le Yao's beautiful eyes widened as she saw a young man suddenly rush out from among the lotus flowers; she was so frightened her body went limp and she nearly fainted. Hu Xiaotian had his arms around Le Yao's delicate body, covering her mouth. At this moment, both of their clothes were soaked through, clinging tightly together, almost indistinguishable from their skin.

Hu Xiaotian originally had no improper thoughts about Le Yao, but holding such a peerless beauty in his arms, any normal man could not remain unmoved; he unconsciously had a physical reaction. Although Le Yao's mouth was covered and she could not speak, their bodies were pressed together, and she clearly felt the slightest changes in his body. Her pretty face flushed all the way to her ears, and her delicate frame trembled slightly.

Hu Xiaotian leaned close to her ear and said, "I'm not a bad person; I won't harm you." After saying this, he even felt a bit regretful, thinking, "What the hell am I saying this for?" At this very moment, appearing in someone's back garden and behaving like this, claiming he's not a bad person—no one would believe him.

Hu Xiaotian whispered, "I'm only fleeing from my enemies; I took a random route and ended up here. That vicious dog lunged at me wanting to bite, so I killed it. I don't want to harm anyone—if you don't call for help, I absolutely won't hurt you. If you agree, just blink your eyes."

Le Yao indeed blinked her eyes. Although she had blinked, Hu Xiaotian still did not immediately release her, whispering, "I hope you keep your promise; once I let you go, if you dare to call for people, you'd better think about the consequences. I've seen clearly what just happened—if they find me, they'll surely think I'm your lover hiding here for an affair. That would benefit neither of us." Hu Xiaotian naturally couldn't fully trust this strange woman, so he resorted to verbal threats and intimidation.

Le Yao blinked again. Facing this unexpected visitor Hu Xiaotian, she remained relatively composed. Hu Xiaotian slowly lowered his right hand that had been covering her mouth; Le Yao broke free from his embrace, glared at him fiercely, raised her left hand and slapped his face. Hu Xiaotian reacted swiftly, seizing her wrist. Le Yao, being a woman, could not match his strength, and they were locked in a struggle when Wan Yuanwai returned, calling out loudly, "Yao'er!"

Hu Xiaotian had nowhere to hide; frightened, he plunged his head into the water. He felt utterly miserable. Just moments ago, embracing that nation‑toppling beauty, his heart had been restless and his mind wandering—bone‑eroding, he actually forgot their respective positions; this little widow could never possibly speak in his favor. Underwater, unable to speak to Le Yao, he could only lightly pat her thigh—not to take advantage. He truly had no intention of taking advantage; Hu Xiaotian merely wanted to remind her absolutely not to speak recklessly. If he truly exposed himself, he could not rule out ending up locked in a deadly struggle while clutching this little widow.

Le Yao glared at Wan Yuanwai and said, "Are you really trying to drive me to death?"

Wan Yuanwai sighed and said, "How could I bear to let you suffer? I'm only worried about your safety, so I came back to check. You're fine, that's good, that's good—I'm leaving, I'm leaving. Hurry up and come out; don't catch a chill."

Le Yao watched her father-in-law leave the garden. Only then did she let her heart settle completely, and she whispered softly, "He's gone—why aren't you coming out?" After speaking for a while with no response, she remembered he was hiding underwater and might not hear her clearly, so she raised her foot and kicked underwater, striking Hu Xiaotian's body. Hu Xiaotian then surfaced from the water, too out of breath to speak, he gasped a few times and whispered low, "I'm about to suffocate!"

Seeing Le Yao soaked from head to toe, her exquisite jade‑like figure fully revealed, he couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva—her beauty was a feast for the eyes. This little widow's figure was truly sexy and alluring to the extreme. Yet, thinking that if it weren't for her covering for him, he would likely have ended up besieged by a crowd, he made a courteous bow amid the lotus flowers: "Thank you, Miss, for saving my life; if fate allows us to meet again, I will surely repay this great kindness." He turned, giving Le Yao a suave back view as he prepared to flee, but then he heard Le Yao say, "Stop right there!"

Hu Xiaotian asked, "How come?" He felt a flicker of curiosity, wondering if his male charm was truly irresistible, possessing such lethal allure toward contemporary beauties that any beautiful woman would fall head over heels at first sight.

Le Yao said, "Do you really intend to just swagger off like that?"

Hu Xiaotian immediately understood her meaning; Le Yao wasn't worried about his safety but feared that if he were caught in this back garden, it would damage her reputation. Feeling secretly ashamed, he realized he had been getting carried away. He said to Le Yao, "Please, Miss, point me the way." Trapped and in someone else's manor, he could only seek help from Le Yao, whom he had just met.

Le Yao said, "Just hide here for now; we'll make plans after it gets dark."

Hu Xiaotian had thought she might come up with a good idea, but after all that fuss, she merely left him to soak in the pond—good heavens, if this continued he'd soon be as soggy as instant noodles. In truth, there really wasn't a better option at hand; earlier he had scaled the wall relying entirely on the help of that Black Miao woman, but later she left to attract her tribespeople, and he fell from the wall, leaving the situation completely out of his control.

At that moment, Le Yao's personal maid Cai Ping also entered the garden from outside, anxiously calling, "Miss, Miss!"

Le Yao responded with a sound and gave Hu Xiaotian a glance; he hurriedly hid himself again among the deep lotus leaves. Le Yao, stepping with uneven steps, came to the pond's edge; Cai Ping reached the shore and hurriedly pulled her up. Hu Xiaotian took the opportunity to feast his eyes on Le Yao's flawless back view. "What a beauty, truly a beauty!"

Cai Ping saw Le Yao drenched from head to toe and felt distressed: "Miss, how did this happen?"

Le Yao said nothing about what had just occurred, responding calmly, "I just accidentally slipped into the pond; I'm fine, you know I'm a strong swimmer." Mistress and maid then returned to the inner chambers to bathe and change clothes.

Hu Xiaotian could only stay put in the pond, waiting honestly; regardless of whether Le Yao would help him, the Wan family's wall alone was something he doubted he could climb, and in broad daylight he certainly couldn't just walk out the main gate. All he could do was wait until late at night, when all was quiet, to devise an escape plan. Hidden in the pond, though the lotus leaves stretched boundlessly green, the flowers lovely and fragrant, being actually immersed there was far from idyllic romance—he had to endure mosquito bites, and beneath his feet lay sticky mud. At that moment Hu Xiaotian wore a canopy of lush green lotus leaves like a verdant hat, standing alone in the lotus pond, his feelings of gloom reaching their peak.

After waiting anxiously for about an hour, dusk finally arrived. During that time, the guards patrolled the pond's surroundings twice, not missing any grass clumps at the corners, yet they completely overlooked this pond covered in lotus leaves, apparently not believing anyone could be hiding inside it.

After Wan Yuanwai left, he did not appear again. When mealtime came and someone brought food, Le Yao's personal maid Cai Ping went out to meet them, taking the food container at the pond's edge. The servant delivering the food saw Cai Ping smiling, eyes crinkled, and they exchanged a few low words—too far for Hu Xiaotian to hear clearly. Later he saw the servant hand a black porcelain bottle to Cai Ping, who carefully put it away. The servant gave her a few more instructions, and as Cai Ping was about to leave, he furtively pinched her buttocks; she let out a coquettish cry, and her face flushed with a lustful look.

Hu Xiaotian saw it clearly and dared to conclude that Cai Ping definitely had an affair with that servant; he just wondered what the black porcelain bottle the servant had given her was. Full of doubts, he thought the internal relations of the Wan family were truly tangled and complex.

After Cai Ping departed, the servant stood in place for a moment, also preparing to leave. After walking just a few steps, he encountered a young man with a sinister complexion coming from the opposite direction—none other than the Wan family's Second Young Master, Wan Ting Sheng. Seeing him, the servant hurriedly bowed and paid his respects, then leaned in to whisper something; Wan Ting Sheng nodded repeatedly, a sly smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Although Hu Xiaotian couldn't make out their conversation, from their expressions he sensed that these people were up to something shady.

Unaware, night had already fallen; Hu Xiaotian finally dared to lift his head out of the lotus leaves. He had been soaking in the pond for half a day, to the point that the skin on his palms and soles was wrinkled from the water. He was now calculating how to escape; if Le Yao didn't come again, he feared he would have to rely on himself alone. Reflecting on today's events, it was truly a case of yin‑yang misfortune: Murong Feiyan didn't understand the customs of the Black Miao people, thereby stirring up this great trouble, while he himself had followed that Black Miao woman, fleeing heedlessly to this place; after she left, she never returned, presumably she would not care whether he lived or died.

As for Murong Feiyan, she certainly wouldn't abandon him; perhaps she was even now painstakingly searching for his whereabouts together with Liang Da Zhuang—being cared for is also a kind of happiness. Hu Xiaotian suddenly recalled his previous life, wondering whether anyone in that world missed him. He quickly found the answer: it was negative. His relatives had died early, he had been obsessed with work and fame, leaving him without a single close friend in that world, and every girlfriend he'd dated eventually turned into an enemy and was discarded. Looking back now, his past emotional intelligence was truly lamentable.

Lost in thought, Hu Xiaotian saw Le Yao come to the garden again; she first glanced around, then her gaze turned toward his direction. He was about to reveal himself to greet her, but seeing Cai Ping follow her, he hastily shrank back.

Cai Ping said, "Miss, the meals are ready."

Le Yao sighed softly and said, "I don't want to eat."

Cai Ping said, "Miss, I know your difficulties, but no matter how hard it gets, you must stay strong and keep living; no matter what happens, I, your servant, will always stay by your side to protect you."

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