CH 126

Chapter 126

(46.2)

Ming Zhu raised her wet eyelids and heard the person holding her waist whisper a few words in her ear, “Excuse me for my rudeness.”

Ming Zhu was fished out of the water by Song Huaiqing. Zhao Zhi’s face had turned black, his expression could not look uglier. He was extremely unhappy.

The other men on the boat self-consciously avoided looking over there.

Song Huaiqing’s clothes were already thoroughly soaked, he took a glance at Zhao Zhi and explained, “It was an emergency, I didn’t mean any offense.”

Zhao Zhi took Ming Zhu into his arms, wrapped her body tightly with a blanket, and walked into the cabin compartment with big strides, “Prepare hot water, and bring a set of clean clothes.”

Ming Zhu was shivering in his arms from the cold, her lips were white, and the wet clothes against her body made her feel very uncomfortable.

Zhao Zhi’s cold face was taut. He stretched out his hands towards her to undo the buttons on her lapel.

Ming Zhu refused to let him take it off, “I’ll do it myself.”

Zhao Zhi’s face was as murky as water, his fingers pinched the buttons of her clothes and, without saying a word, stripped off her wet clothes from her body.

Ming Zhu’s face turned red from embarrassment, and she shrank inside the quilt. As her body gradually warmed up, she did not even look at Zhao Zhi. She remained quiet, in a daze, as if he didn’t exist.

A maidservant brought the clothes over, put them on the table, and quietly retreated, not daring to disturb these two people.

Zhao Zhi looked at her with cold eyes and asked, “What were you running around for?”

Ming Zhu was counting the mandarin ducks on the pillow and quilt, and re-counting them because she made a mistake, not paying attention to what he was saying.

It was only when the man suddenly took her chin that she realized he had just been talking to her.

“I was not running around, I just wanted to see if the fireworks were over or not.”

“And then you fell into the water?”

“Mmh. I lost my footing.”

Ming Zhu didn’t want to tell him that she had been pushed by someone. At that time, the person was behind her, and she didn’t know whose evil hand had done it. Bringing up the matter without any evidence was like making excuses for herself.

Zhao Zhi stared into her eyes and laughed coldly. The pain in his smile appeared in a flash before disappearing, as he asked in a hoarse voice: “Wasn’t it that you wanted to take this opportunity to seek death?”

Jumping into the lake to seek death, seemed like something that she could do. She had before in the past also held a knife to her throat to try and force him to let her go.

Ming Zhu was dumbfounded, he thought that she had jumped into the lake to kill herself? She wouldn’t do such a stupid thing. Besides, why would she want to die? She hadn’t lived enough in this life.

“I didn’t, don’t slander me.”

Zhao Zhi leaned down and lowered his head. His eyelashes were long and thick. He looked at her quietly as he spat out the words, “It better be.”

After saying this, Zhao Zhi placed the dress that the maid brought over in front of her and said indifferently, “Go soak in hot water for a while to get rid of the cold.”

Ming Zhu said in a low voice, “You go out first.”

Zhao Zhi turned around, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

The pleasure boat had already returned back to the pier and Song Huaiqing had already changed into a new set of clean clothes. He was standing on the pier with his hands behind his back. His gaze landed on a distant point, his expression indistinguishable in the night.

His concubine was shivering as she stood behind him, biting her lips to hold back the cries that were about to leak out, while her nails had already scratched her palms with blue and purple marks. She was so scared in her heart that she fell down on her knees.

After a long time, Song Huaiqing turned sideways and gave her one glance from above, smiling, “Get up.”

She didn’t dare.

Just then, her mind had been deluded, she thought she would not be discovered, and that was why she had pushed the miss accompanying the crown prince.

She was originally a maid serving under Song Huaiqing’s grandmother. Because she was good-looking and could serve people well, she was sent to Song Huaiqing’s courtyard by the old Song lady. It didn’t take long for her to climb into his bed, just as she wished.

There were other women in the young master’s backyard, but she was the most favored one, it was this extra favor that had blinded her eyes.

The young master merely took two extra glances at Ming Zhu, but she felt like her position was in jeopardy, and on impulse, pushed her into the water.

Song Huaiqing’s gaze lightly looked towards her trembling body, “What are you afraid of? Did I say I was going to reprimand you?”

Although he was smiling, his gaze was cold as he looked at her, “It’s okay for a woman to be a little ruthless, it’s quite cute.”

After saying this, Song Huaiqing had someone escort her back.

Song Huaiqing knew that those women in his backyard were not some kind of simple and innocent women, he had always turned a blind eye to their schemes, regarding them as a joke.

But now, he did not even find any interest in watching this joke anymore, he suddenly felt it was dull.

When Ming Zhu was pushed by her, Song Huaiqing was standing behind them, he was a spectator watching a good show.

Song Huaiqing knew that his little bed-warming maid was extremely jealous, and when she pushed Ming Zhu into the lake, he even thought it was quite funny.

But looking at Ming Zhu’s being pitifully tormented inside the water, without realizing, he jumped in to save her.

The slender waist he had touched through her clothes was really… difficult to forget.

At some point, Zhao Zhi had appeared in front of him. The two people were standing while remaining silent, not saying a word.