Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 539: So Close, Yet So Far

Jiao Wan’er was both furious and anxious. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Let you be a bride once more,” Xia Qingqing replied with a somewhat eerie smile.

Looking at her own attire, Jiao Wan’er quickly realized what Xia Qingqing was planning. She couldn’t help but curse, “You and that person are really the same! D!sgusting, shameless, desp!cable!”

Xia Qingqing sighed. “Wan’er, it doesn’t matter how much you curse me. I admit I wronged you first, but Brother Song did nothing to offend you. You’re trying to destroy his ambition, and I can’t just let you act recklessly.”

“Who says he didn’t offend me? He… he…” The events of that night were too hum!liating for Jiao Wan’er to even mention. She wanted to bear it silently without others knowing. But after stammering for a while, she couldn’t articulate anything substantial.

Xia Qingqing, having tied Jiao Wan’er up and brought her here, felt a heavy burden. She didn’t notice Wan’er’s abnormal reaction and continued, “You’re planning to use what happened between me and him to threaten him. I admit my guilt, and I can’t k!ll you either, so this is the only solution I came up with. Once you become like me, you’ll have no standing to speak out.”

“Who wants to be like you!” Jiao Wan’er felt guilty. ‘If only you knew… I’ve been no different from you for a long time now…’

Jiao Wan’er understood Xia Qingqing’s intention: if she too had an affa!r with Song Qingshu, she wouldn’t dare to speak out. After all, doing so would ruin her own reputation as well.

“Let me go. I promise I won’t say anything,” Jiao Wan’er sighed in resignation. She didn’t want to face that man again.

“I don’t trust you,” Xia Qingqing shook her head. “We’re not children. A verbal promise means nothing. I’ll only feel at ease if you’re in the same boat as me.”
“You don’t know, but he’s already…” Jiao Wan’er grew truly desperate. The thought of facing that demon again made her prefer to reveal her secret. But before she could finish, Xia Qingqing struck her mute acupoint.

Xia Qingqing cautiously glanced out the window, concerned. “By now, the guests should be on their way here. To avoid any slip-ups, I’ll have to trouble you for a while longer.”

Seeing the anxious and teary expression on Jiao Wan’er’s face, Xia Qingqing sighed softly. “Wan’er, I know this is hard to accept right now, but don’t think of it all as bad. Brother Song is not only handsome and dashing, but he also possesses great skills and is dedicated to restoring our Han people’s kingdom. To share even a fleeting moment of intimacy with him is something many women in this world dream of. In a way, you could say you’re lucky.”

Hearing this, Jiao Wan’er nearly fainted from rage. That demon def!led me, and now you’re saying I’m the lucky one?

“Alright, wait here. In a bit, Brother Song will treat you like a cherished bride,” Xia Qingqing said as she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly threw a red veil over Jiao Wan’er’s head and slipped out the door, waiting outside.

Before long, the groom, surrounded by a crowd, staggered toward the room. Seeing Song Qingshu, drunk and swaying, Xia Qingqing felt a mix of heartache and relief. With him in such a state, he wouldn’t notice anything amiss.

Xia Qingqing had been worried that Song Qingshu would recognize Jiao Wan’er and ruin her plan, but she didn’t know that the man she feared wasn’t exactly a moral paragon.

“Huh, where are the guards at the door?” Situ Bolei was in high spirits today. After all, Zeng Rou was like a daughter to him, so he drank heavily. Even so, he sensed something was off. He had personally assigned the guards to this spot.

“I sent them to the front hall to drink. Today is a joyful day for the Leader, and the Leader has always treated his men well. How could I let them stand out here in the cold?” Xia Qingqing replied calmly. The guards she had knocked out earlier had already been discreetly moved to a nearby thicket.

“I see.” Situ Bolei nodded, not questioning it further.

“Ah, Youyou, what are you doing here?” Song Qingshu’s eyes lit up when he saw Xia Qingqing and he staggered toward her.

Xia Qingqing swiftly sidestepped and said urgently, “Leader, you’re drunk. It’s time to head to the bridal chamber.”

She secretly clenched her fists in anxiety. If Song Qingshu blurted something out in his drunken state, with his usual reckless behavior, he might drag her into the bridal chamber with him. If that happened, their secret affair would be exposed in front of everyone.

Luckily, Song Qingshu retained a sliver of sobriety. Realizing her avoidance, he smiled sheepishly. “Alright, alright, I’m going.”

Everyone was too drunk to notice the brief interaction, and those close to Song Qingshu helped him into the room.

“Little bride, we’ve delivered your husband,” Luo Liru’s voice rang out, causing Jiao Wan’er, sitting on the bed, to tremble.

“Sister Rou, you’d better serve our Leader well tonight.”

“Why are you calling her ‘Sister Rou’? From now on, she’s ‘Big Sister’!”

“True, true. How could I forget?”

“…”

Jiao Wan’er was utterly tense. Her “husband” stood just a few feet away, yet she couldn’t alert him.

But even if she could, what difference would it make? Exposing such a scandal in front of everyone would not only fail to solve anything, but it would also ruin her and Song Qingshu’s reputations.

She alternated between hoping her “husband” would recognize her and rescue her, and praying that he wouldn’t recognize her at all. By the end, she no longer knew what she truly wanted.

The group continued to joke, and when the bride on the bed didn’t respond, they assumed she was just shy and paid it no mind.

“It’s getting late. Let’s not disturb them any longer. Off we go!” Situ Bolei, feeling protective of his disciple, ushered the crowd out.

“Leader, we’ve always admired your martial arts, but we’re curious about your… bedr0om skills…”

As they reached the door, someone shouted.

“Our Leader is a dragon among men! Seven rounds in one night is nothing for him!” another voice chimed in, followed by l*ewd laughter.

“Leader, if you can’t keep your br!de in bed tonight, we won’t recognize you as our leader tomorrow!” Luo Liru’s voice boomed, with a chorus of cheers in response.

Hearing her “husband’s” words, Jiao Wan’er almost fainted. 

‘My foolish senior brother! Don’t you know the one being “kept in bed” is your beloved wife? Where did you learn such f!Ithy talk, and now of all times, you’re using it to hum!liate me…’

As these thoughts swirled, Jiao Wan’er’s tears flowed uncontrollably.

Xia Qingqing, standing nearby, was likely the only one who could understand her feelings. Glancing between Luo Liru and Jiao Wan’er, she silently cursed the rowdy group. 

‘If I ever marry Brother Song, I won’t let these people ruin my wedding night with their crude behavior.’

Lost in thoughts of her own future wedding, Xia Qingqing briefly daydreamed. But she quickly sobered, remembering her complicated situation, and her face darkened.

“Don’t worry, tonight I’ll make sure she can’t walk tomorrow, so you’ll all see the Leader’s prowess,” Song Qingshu boasted. He had long since become one of the gang, and under the influence of alc0hol, he unwittingly adopted their crude language, causing the two sober women in the room to silently curse him.

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