The falling beauty - Chapter 3
Baozhu frowned slightly as she glanced at Mo Jin’er, who was drinking water over there. In her eyes, Mo Jin’er was shining like a fairy, and Baozhu snorted, “Ling gege belongs to himself, not to me.
Besides, I think Jin’er and Ling gege are very compatible. It would be best if they were together!” “Baozhu, you, you are really silly…” The wealthy girl who had intended to sow discord was left speechless.
Baozhu no longer paid attention to the wealthy girl. Instead, she happily ran over to Mo Jin’er. Mo Jin’er, who was aware of the disdainful attitude of those noble-born girls towards her, did not approach them.
Seeing Baozhu running over cheerfully, she hesitated instinctively, wondering whether she should find a secluded corner and quietly leave.
Actually, that was what she had planned to do…
The guard Xiaoqi came again and, after bowing to Baozhu and Mo Jin’er, asked her to accompany him to the general’s place, which was where Ling’an Che was.
Mo Jin’er couldn’t believe it and subconsciously shook her head in refusal, “Why should I go there? I’m not going…”
Although the Duke’s Mansion could barely be considered a noble family, it was declining more and more, having only a reputation left. She had never truly suffered what was called physical hardship, and she had not been treated well either, being an illegitimate daughter.
In fact, she couldn’t even recognize most characters; the few she knew, she had secretly learned.
Let alone things like hunting or horse riding…
“Can I go with Jin’er?” Baozhu asked eagerly, her eyes shining brightly, seeming very hopeful.
Xiaoqi smiled, “Princess, General only wants Miss Jin’er to go.”
She looked disappointed after hearing this, but soon cheered up and looked at the absent-minded and pale-faced Mo Jin’er, “Jin’er, Ling Gege must want to take you hunting. Go, Ling Gege is very capable…”
As she spoke, her face was full of pride and arrogance.
Mo Jin’er had never seen someone so foolish, but she simply shook her head gently and continued to refuse.
Xiaoqi continued respectfully, “Miss Jin’er, General said if you go, he will let you visit the old lady at home.”
Her eyes flickered. She really wanted to return to the Duke’s Mansion, even if nobody there truly cared about her, but there was still her grandmother…
But the thought of Ling’an Che made her really scared. The innocent infatuation and fondness she once felt had turned into fear. He was not as she had imagined.
She thought he would be gentle and reasonable, treating people well, but inexplicably, he revealed his inherent cruelty, deliberately bullying her…
So even though she really wanted to see her grandmother, her intuition told her she didn’t want to go.
“Miss Jin’er.” Xiaoqi seemed somewhat helpless. Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from outside, and Ling’an Che rode over in a sturdy outfit. He was extraordinarily handsome, with a hint of a gentle smile on his lips, looking like a pampered young master from a prestigious family, elegant and spirited.
His arrival caused some of the female members present to exclaim in surprise, followed by low murmurs.
However, he ignored the shy and timid gazes of those girls. He lowered his eyes and looked at the pale-faced Mo Jin’er, who had lost some weight in the past few days, her chin becoming sharper.
“Come up.” His magnetic voice, tinged with a hint of a smile, was directed at her.
Mo Jin’er wanted to retreat behind Baozhu, but when she saw him reaching out his hand, Baozhu pushed her forward.
Her delicate wrist was grabbed by Ling’an Che before she could react, and then he bent down to hold her waist, causing her to fall into his arms.
She was startled. Sitting sideways on the horse, she instinctively grabbed onto his clothes.
She felt both scared and aggrieved. Although Great Qin was open-minded, such intimate gestures between a man and a woman wouldn’t occur in public. Ling’an Che’s actions left her wondering what he was thinking…
“Why are you crying?” Hehad her sit facing him in his arms, with one hand around her waist and the other holding the reins, as he smiled and asked softly.
“What exactly do you want to do…” A few days ago, she was afraid, and he treated her intimately. She kept insisting that she wasn’t the one who scratched Baozhu’s face, but he seemed to not care about the answer.
“Take you hunting,” he said concisely.
She bit her lip, trying hard to hold back her tears. He was intimate with her for a moment, adjusting her sitting position and teaching her how to ride a horse and shoot arrows, guiding her hand by hand.
“Your body is too weak; you need to exercise more in the future. Don’t faint easily…” He taught her how to hold the bow and arrow, aiming at the woods. She didn’t want to hunt at all. Her slender fingers rested on the string, while he hooked his fingers with hers.
Finally, with a swish, she accurately hit a deer hidden in the woods.
She didn’t like hunting. She was scared when she saw the small animals struggling after being shot, even trembling with fear.
But he didn’t care. He only cared about Baozhu. Baozhu couldn’t even bear to watch because the scene was too bloody.
Girls were naturally timid and would feel sorry for such scenes.
But Mo Jin’er was just a sheltered girl who knew even less about the world than those girls…
“Kuishui hasn’t left yet?” He whispered in her ear amidst intimacy.
She was not accustomed to riding horses and felt dizzy. Seeing the animals being shot made her tremble with fear and tension.
She didn’t answer, feeling weak.
He had no scruples. He only cared about what he wanted, and he knew how to take care of it. But it wasn’t Mo Jin’er he cared about.
A humble girl, delicate and beautiful, and naive enough to maybe secretly like him. But for the sake of Baozhu, he could spare her.
It was like… keeping a beautiful little pet in the mansion.
When he brought her back, she got off the horse, her legs weak and even aching. She had never ridden a horse before and was injured.
Baozhu came over to care for her, surrounding her and asking how she felt, praising Ling’an Che for his skills, and so on.
Finally, seeing her pale and shaky, Baozhu finally realized something, her mouth opening in surprise, “Jiner, are you feeling unwell…”
“It’s nothing…” Mo Jin’er shook her head.
At night, in the general’s mansion.
Mo Jin’er, in light clothing, bit her lip, on the verge of tears. Ling’an Che applied medicine to her, and afterward, scolded her for being delicate.
In fact, her menstrual cycle had ended yesterday. Today, she tied it again, fearing that he would want to do those things with her again. She was too afraid…
But now she had been found out…
“Can we not… I’m injured…” She sniffled, her eyes turning red as she looked at him, her big black and white eyes pleading.
He leaned closer, pinching her delicate chin and kissing her.
She felt like she was dying. Her injury was on her leg, and she had never experienced anything so terrifying. She cried while thinking that she would never like him again.
She woke up in the afternoon the next day, her eyes red and swollen like a little rabbit.
She felt dizzy and couldn’t get up.
When she woke up, there was a maid waiting outside, handing her a bowl of blackish soup.
She remembered the events of last night, her face even paler, and as her gaze fell on the soup, she understood what it was.
“Miss, please drink it.”
The maid’s attitude towards her seemed kind, but there was a hint of sternness in her cloudy eyes. If she dared not to drink it or played tricks, the maid naturally had ways to make her drink it.
Sitting on the bed, the young girl was only sixteen years old. Although her face was pale and her eyes swollen, her breathtaking beauty could still be faintly seen. She sat there delicately, quietly ethereal, no wonder the young general was infatuated with her for the first time.
She held the bowl of soup and drank it in one breath.
The herbal soup was good; after all, she didn’t like Ling’an Che anymore, and she didn’t want to have children.
But when would this end…
Thinking of this, she felt extremely sad.
Her mother died when she was young. At that time, the Duke’s Mansion still had some power, not as declining as it is now. Her mother was extremely beautiful, entrusting the old lady to take good care of her and instructing her not to become a concubine when she grew up. She would rather be a poor man’s wife than a rich man’s concubine.
She had never thought of becoming a concubine, nor had she ever thought of climbing the social ladder, even if she liked Ling’an Che. But in her current situation, she seemed worse than even a maid.
And she knew that everyone looked down on her.
“Miss, would you like some candied fruit?” The maid saw the young girl taking the lead and smiled as she handed her the fruit plate. However, she shook her head, her soft voice still a little hoarse, “Do you have water? I want to drink water.”
Her mouth was so bitter.
Bitter to the point where she wanted to cry again.