Chapter 25 Entanglement
The small boat rocked on the river's surface. Tonight, there was no moon, only scattered stars. The river reflected the lights from the shore, faintly revealing the rippling silhouette of her own shadow on the water.
The guard rowed the boat toward the lavishly decorated pleasure barge at the center of the river.
He Yan kept her head lowered, silent. The guard couldn’t help but glance back at her. The girl sat rigidly straight at the stern, her hands bound behind her back with rope, motionless. Sensing his gaze, she lifted her head and met his eyes. The guard shuddered, nearly dropping the oar into the river.
That glance was chilling. He couldn’t quite describe it—it was like a corpse staring blankly at him. The murmuring river waves, dreamlike in the night, made her seem all the more ghostly.
It was truly strange. The guard felt uneasy. She barely spoke, asked no questions, and was eerily quiet. Any ordinary girl would have at least uttered a word or two by now, wouldn’t she? But He Yan didn’t. She was like a silent doll, so still she hardly seemed alive.
The water shimmered under the night sky, its ripples like whirlpools, dragging her thoughts back to that day when He Wanru’s people had held her head underwater, drowning her in the pond.
In her past life, she had known how to swim—quite well, in fact. But now, every taut nerve in her body screamed that she was afraid of water.
Afraid of falling from this boat into the river, afraid of being sucked into an endless whirlpool, afraid of struggling in vain as the surface light grew farther away, powerless to escape. Afraid that this life, like the last, would end abruptly.
She despised herself for this moment of cowardice and fear, yet she could think of no way to overcome it. So she sat stiffly in the boat, silently allowing the guard to deliver her to that gaudy pleasure barge.
The barge must have belonged to a wealthy family—smaller than a mansion boat but far larger than a fishing skiff. The guard helped He Yan aboard, lifted the curtain of the cabin, and ushered her inside before rowing away, as if under orders not to linger.
He Yan fixed her gaze on the man before her.
Fan Cheng had dressed meticulously today, adorned in flamboyant, expensive attire. The cabin was filled with incense and colorful lanterns, their hazy glow casting a soft, seductive ambiance over the plush furnishings.
Wrenching her mind free from the whirlpool of memories, He Yan looked at Fan Cheng and said, "Young Master Fan."
Fan Cheng approached, pressing her down onto a chair. "A-Yan, you’ve suffered."
He Yan remained silent.
"I never imagined that woman could be so vicious—kidnapping you, locking you away. If not for my men keeping watch to ensure your safety, who rushed to rescue you the moment they learned of this, the consequences would have been unthinkable. A-Yan, surely you understand my good intentions now?" Fan Cheng lamented.
He Yan glanced at the ropes binding her ankles and shook her head. "No, I don’t."
From start to finish—whether it was Fan Cheng’s guards escorting her out of the residence, onto the carriage, or delivering her to this boat—he had never once loosened her bonds.
The coarse ropes had long since chafed her wrists raw, but she felt no pain. Only silence.
"I feared you might misunderstand me and refuse to board, so I didn’t untie you," Fan Cheng explained hastily, following her gaze. Yet despite his words, he made no move to free her.
"We’re on a boat," He Yan said with a faint smile. "It’s not like I can run. You can untie me now."Her smile was like morning glow upon snow, radiant beyond words. Fan Cheng was momentarily dazed, thinking to himself, "Good heavens, how has He Yan grown up to be so stunning? She's even more captivating now, with an added air of heroic spirit she never had before."
The more he thought, the more his heart itched. He reached out to touch He Yan's face, but she turned her head, causing him to miss. His smile faltered slightly, and he simply crouched down, staring at her intently. "It's not that I won't let you go, but A-He, you must understand your current situation."
"My wife is inherently jealous and will never let you off. Even if you return to the He family today, she'll find a way to come after you tomorrow. My father-in-law holds the position of Chengwu Lang, while your father is merely a captain. If she wants to cause trouble, there are plenty of opportunities. But more importantly, it's about you."
"You're a woman with no one to protect you. Once she catches you, she'll find ways to torment you endlessly. I... can't bear to see that."
Fan Cheng gazed at her with deep affection. "How could I stand by and watch you suffer?"
"Oh?" He Yan, whose hands were tied behind her back, was secretly loosening the knots. She feigned indifference and countered, "Then what do you plan to do?"
Seeing her tone soften slightly, Fan Cheng was overjoyed and blurted out without thinking, "I want to hide you in a safe place where you'll still have maids and servants to attend to you. That way, my wife won't be able to find you. After some time has passed, I'll divorce that woman and bring you back to the Fan family. Then, you'll be the mistress of the household, and no one will dare bully you again."
"Legitimate wife?" He Yan asked.
"Exactly," Fan Cheng placed a hand over his heart. "A-He, I swear to you, there's only you in my heart. If this marriage hadn't been arranged long ago, I would never have married her! Rest assured, I'll love only you in this lifetime. You will be my only wife, but you'll have to wait a little..."
He Yan chuckled softly upon hearing this.
Fan Cheng was taken aback.
"So, you want me to be your secret mistress," she said coolly.
If the real Miss He were here, she might have been moved to tears by such vows. But she wasn't Miss He. Those involved are blind, while onlookers see clearly. When a man wants to deceive a woman, he'll say anything. Did Fan Cheng truly intend to marry her as his legitimate wife? He was just trying to trick her first.
She wondered if when she had once been infatuated with Xu Zhiheng, He Wanru had looked at her the same way she now looked at Miss He—with equal parts amusement and pity.
"A-He, you..." Fan Cheng frowned.
"Master Fan, I've made myself very clear. Since you're already married, I've let go of the past. From now on, we go our separate ways. I have no interest in being your legitimate wife, and I hope you won't persist."
As she spoke, the knot in her hands loosened and came undone.
Fan Cheng didn't notice the rope falling to the ground. At first, he looked at her in surprise, but after a moment, he suddenly sneered. "He Yan, you really refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. I've been coaxing you nicely, and now you're getting bold! Persist? There are plenty of women in the world—why would I need to cling to someone like you? But the time and effort I've spent on you won't go to waste!"
"Master Fan, surely you don't expect me to compensate you in silver?" He Yan laughed."This young master isn't short on money. You can repay me with yourself." He flashed a lewd grin. "If you serve me well, I might even reward you with some silver."
Before He Yan could respond, an enraged voice suddenly erupted, "What kind of bullshit are you spouting!"
He Yan turned in surprise to see the curtain flung aside as a drenched figure strode in—it was He Yun Sheng.
(End of chapter)
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