Gu Yan Chen's breath hitched.
Even holding her now, he still felt a profound sense of dread. He suppressed his anger, "And then what?"
"Then I negotiated with the Madam Jin inside. With my silver tongue and ample wealth, I bought Lingyan Pavilion."
Gu Yan Chen: ...
"What did you say?"
He suspected his ears were playing tricks on him.
Lu Nian Fu patted his hand, signaling him to calm down, then recounted the events at Lingyan Pavilion.
The more Gu Yan Chen listened, the stranger his expression became. "Why do I feel like you're unusually familiar with this Lingyan Pavilion?"
Otherwise, how could she have so easily persuaded the madam?
Brothels dealt in flesh, but how many women truly willingly fell into such a life? It was all through those means of manipulation, wasn't it?
Madams were masters of this craft. If any random sold woman could charm them into handing over their establishment, this industry wouldn't be so prosperous.
Lu Nian Fu paused. Crap, she’d forgotten what her man did for a living. Her eyes darted rapidly, and she smiled, "That's all thanks to Qing Ya. Besides reading novels, this girl loves listening to gossip from all over. She told me about Lingyan Pavilion's situation, saying it had the worst business in the capital, a waste of such a prime location."
The words sounded reasonable at first glance, but they wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.
Fortunately, Gu Yan Chen had no intention of probing further. He just buried his head in her neck and nuzzled, "No matter what method you used, the important thing is that you're safe."
Today, he had led his men searching the streets for a full hour, yet found no clue. If she hadn't cleverly escaped on her own, it might have been too late by the time he found her.
The thought of her potentially being disgraced in a brothel made him lose control and want to inflict violence.
That tailor shop was definitely suspicious. Tomorrow, after he investigated its owner, he would avenge his wife. Even if he couldn't immediately prove its connection to her ordeal, he would find some other pretext to target it.
The Dali Temple could easily find fault with a tailor shop; there were countless excuses.
The bedroom was lit by a single dim lamp, its yellow glow casting a warm ambiance. Gu Yan Chen breathed in her scent, leaving soft kisses in her hair.
They had both been busy lately and hadn't been intimate for a long time.
The lingering fear ignited Gu Yan Chen's possessiveness even further. At this moment, it felt as though only by merging her into his very bones could his unease be soothed.
The kisses grew heavier. Lu Nian Fu turned and wrapped her arms around his lean, strong waist, yielding to him like a willing sacrifice. Clothes were shed one by one, and the bed curtains swayed in the candlelight, painting the room with an amorous haze.
Qing Miao, who was outside preparing to call her master for dinner, flushed red as soon as she approached and quickly retreated.
Lu Nian Fu woke up hungry.
Since leaving in the afternoon, she hadn't eaten a single bite, only sipping two cups of tea while talking with Madam Jin. After the fright and a physical exertion, her energy was severely depleted, and she just wanted to sleep until the end of time.
However, her stomach disagreed.
She rubbed her abdomen and opened her eyes. Gu Yan Chen was no longer beside her.
"Someone."
Qing Ya, who had been waiting outside the door, entered, "Miss?"
Lu Nian Fu said in surprise, "Why is it you?"
Since entering the capital, she had intentionally encouraged Qing Ya to move beyond her role as a mere maid, sending her out more often. The indoor chores were mostly assigned to Qing Miao and Mian Er, and she no longer had her stand guard at night.
Qing Ya's eyes were red and swollen, her voice hoarse, clearly having cried. "I only looked away for a moment, and Miss suffered so much. Qing Ya will never leave your side again."
"Silly talk. This was just an accident."
Qing Ya pursed her lips, not arguing with her, but rather abruptly changing the subject. "Miss must be hungry. Shall I help you get up?"
Qing Ya was always stubborn. Once she made up her mind, it wasn't easy to change. Lu Nian Fu didn't know how to dissuade her for the moment and could only nod. "Where is Master?"
"Master woke up about fifteen minutes before you. He's eating now. Shall I help you get up?"
"Mhm."
She was desperately hungry, the hunger even overriding the soreness in her body. Fortunately, Qing Ya didn't fuss with anything complicated. After helping her get dressed, she loosely tied her disheveled hair into a bun, securing it with a green jade hairpin. "Alright, Miss, hurry and eat, or it will get cold soon."