The Runaway Bride in a Substitute Marriage Novel 11
"I'd say Yi'an wants to as well. It's just that those stuffy adults can't see past your shell to the scholar underneath." Chen Yao winked at her.
Even though, in the original plot, Xie Yi'an had a habit of blindly supporting the vicious female lead, her reputation as the Xie family's little prodigy was still well deserved.
Mainly, that reputation was what allowed the supporting character to attend literary gatherings later on, so she had to play along.
"Sister Jiang, don't tease me." Xie Yi'an turned her head slightly, her face burning from the direct praise.
"I'm just stating facts." Chen Yao raised an eyebrow.
Even as she chatted with Xie Yi'an, she remained alert for any sign of trouble.
After all, her plan was simply to make Xie Yi'an believe she had saved her life—it only needed to be subjective, not necessarily involving a dunk in the water like in the original plot.
Chen Yao didn't consider herself kind-hearted; she was the scheming villainess, after all. She just wanted to save herself the effort.
But they stood at the bow for a long time, and even when Xie Yi'an's third brother, Xie Chengjing, came looking for her, nothing happened.
Chen Yao: "..."
She stared at the lake surface, now dark as undiluted ink.
"System, is this right?" Chen Yao's gaze was distant. "Are they making me stand guard all night?"
System 04 remained silent—it didn't control the plot.
*
The Floating Cloud Boat's route started from Yuepo Ferry south of the city, drifting downstream to Maplefall Lake, twenty li beyond the city walls, where they enjoyed the autumn maple scenery before turning back.
In terms of time, it was exactly one night and a day.
A few drizzles had fallen last night, and in the morning, a thick fog enveloped the boat, a vast expanse of white obscuring even the surrounding water.
In the cabin on the second floor of the pleasure boat.
Chen Yao sat by the window, dark circles faintly visible, unable to suppress several yawns behind her hand.
"Miss, did you not sleep well?" Chuntao asked with concern as she inserted a jade hairpin into her mistress's bun.
Chen Yao nodded slowly, her movements sluggish. "The boat rocks a bit; I'm not used to it."
A few tears welled up in her eyes, making them look wet, giving her a pitiful yet adorable air.
Chuntao felt a pang of fondness. "Would Miss like some hawthorn and lotus seed porridge for breakfast? It might help."
Chen Yao wasn't actually seasick, but the maid meant well, so she nodded.
But even after breakfast, she still felt drowsy, her eyes barely staying open.
"System, give me something to wake me up." Chen Yao said.
System 04, ever considerate, said "As you wish" and quickly looped a rendition of "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" in her mind.
The cheerful, piercing suona notes flooded her senses, as if piercing her very soul, nearly sending Chen Yao to the afterlife.
She grimaced. "Stop, stop! My system, please spare your divine powers."
But System 04's playful antics did manage to wake Chen Yao up quite a bit.
However, thanks to the girl's fair complexion, even a hint of fatigue was obvious, and even eight-year-old Xie Yi'an noticed it the moment they met.
She asked with concern, "Is Sister Jiang feeling unwell today?"
Chen Yao had no choice; she couldn't exactly say she'd stayed up all night worrying about something happening to her.
So she used the same excuse of seasickness and sleeplessness to brush it off.
The flower hall was still lively, even more so than yesterday.
After all, unlike yesterday, these young ladies and gentlemen were now playing pitch-pot.
A double-eared pot was set in the center of the open space, and they took turns throwing arrows into it. The loser had to compose a poem or drink a cup of wine as a penalty.
Among them, Xie Yi'an's third brother, Xie Chengjing, stood out the most, hitting the pot's mouth several times, drawing the gaze of many ladies present.
"Third Brother's poetry isn't great, but he's always been precise at pitch-pot," Xie Yi'an commented.
Being young and increasingly familiar with Chen Yao, she occasionally forgot to maintain her prim and proper little lady facade.
"Being good at pitch-pot also counts as quick-wittedness," Chen Yao said with a smile.
Though she didn't participate herself—mainly because she wasn't sure of her skill and didn't want to embarrass herself—watching others play was still quite entertaining.
Xie Yi'an tilted her head and thought: In that case, she should practice pitch-pot on the sly too.
*
Chen Yao rested her chin on her hand, the lively sounds of pitch-pot still filling her ears, occasionally interspersed with Xie Yi'an's soft, childish voice.
But gradually, the surrounding sounds began to feel muffled, as if separated by a layer, or as if drifting in from afar.
She continued to force herself to blink quickly, yet her eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, slowly pressing down.
Just as she was about to succumb to the call of sleep, the entire pleasure boat suddenly gave a violent jolt.
The cups and dishes on the eight-immortal table clattered and collided with the tilting of the boat.
The young noble scions and ladies who had been gathered around the pitch-pot game froze mid-action, then burst into noisy clamor.
"What's going on?"
"Did we hit something?"
"Damn it!" The Minister of Personnel's son, who had been in the middle of a throw, lost his aim, and his arrow wobbled to the ground.
He then flew into a rage at the servants. "Go ask how they're steering the boat! These blind fools!"
Chen Yao snapped awake from her drowsiness, most of her sleepiness gone.
The flower hall had two sides facing the ship's rail, with latticed windows pushed open to reveal the lake views on both banks. She was seated near a window.
Because the plot's accident was always at the back of her mind, the moment she felt the boat tremble, she instinctively reached out and grabbed Xie Yi'an, who was about to fall outward.
"Sister Jiang!"
The near fall shocked Xie Yi'an, her face turning pale, and she unconsciously called out.
"It's okay, it's okay." Chen Yao pulled her back to her seat and let out a sigh of relief.
Having not slept all night, her body still felt as soft as cotton, with a vague weakness.
The noise around her kept flooding into her ears, making her temples throb. She couldn't help but shake her head.
The beaded hairpins in her bun swayed lightly, and the white jade pearls at the ends clinked together crisply.
But then the boat lurched again, a heavier impact suddenly striking.
It seemed someone had lost their footing and fallen overboard. The clamor in the cabin finally turned into a uniform chorus of screams.
Chen Yao felt her body go light and weak. After pulling Xie Yi'an back again with all her might, she herself lost her balance, was jolted over the railing, and plunged into the water.