The Runaway Bride 12
Chen Yao: "..."
Fine, after all, the plot demanded that someone take a plunge eventually.
Just before she hit the surface, she heard the girl's shrill screams, muffled.
Water rushed into her ears, and the cool autumn lake gave the dazed Chen Yao a jolt that snapped her fully awake.
The good news was, of course, that she knew how to swim.
But with the pleasure boat's massive shadow looming overhead, she dove a little deeper to avoid any risk of being struck.
After a moment's thought, she decided to swim a short distance before surfacing, where she would keep up the pretense of being helpless and wait to be rescued.
Chen Yao: Plan's a go!
---
Meanwhile, on the official road outside the capital, a convoy of luxurious yet understated carriages crawled forward, with dozens of guards on tall horses encircling the periphery.
Xie Qingyan, clad in a deep green brocade robe, wasn't riding in the center carriage. Instead, he sat tall astride a snow-white steed, one hand holding the reins.
His assignment to Yunzhang City for the autumn imperial examinations had been hastily dispatched.
After all, the original chief examiner appointed by imperial decree had been Pei Zhao, the Crown Prince's household steward, not him, the deputy steward.
But a few days earlier, Pei Zhao had met with an accident on his way out of court, injuring both legs; per the imperial physician, he'd need at least three months to recover.
Thus, an imperial edict was hastily drawn up and thrust upon him.
Though the appointment was last-minute, from receiving the decree to departure he'd had a total of three days, but he was the eldest son of the Xie family.
By the time he set out, even a hastily assembled escort from the household presented an imposing, grand spectacle.
"Young Master."
Ban He, who accompanied his master, naturally wasn't seated in a carriage either, but rode alongside on horseback.
He pointed toward a magnificent pleasure boat gliding slowly along the nearby waterway. "I think I saw the Fourth Young Miss by the window."
In truth, the eldest miss of the Pingyuan Hou manor was also there, but Ban He harbored a small thought of his own and deliberately left her out.
Then he slyly glanced up at his master's expression, and sure enough, the once indifferent face rippled with a slight stir.
"...And Miss Jiang as well." Ban He added.
Xie Qingyan's fingers tightened on the reins. He caught sight of a graceful figure lazily leaning by the window, chin propped on her hand, then quickly lowered his gaze.
"Keep moving."
He gave the white horse's mane a light pat, and the steed let out a low snort, its hooves resuming their unhurried clip-clop along the stone road.
Sunlight filtered through the willows lining the road, casting dappled shadows across the man's handsome, refined features.
Then—with a loud bang—a sound came from far across the water.
Xie Qingyan snapped his eyes up, his gaze landing on the ornate pleasure boat not far away.
Sure enough, the smoothly sailing vessel seemed to have struck a submerged rock, lurching sharply to one side.
Through the open windows on both sides, people inside the banquet hall could be seen stumbling about in panic, shoving each other in disarray.
"Whoa." Xie Qingyan abruptly pulled tight on the reins.
He furrowed his brows, watching Jiang Chenyao and Xie Yi'an standing by the outermost window, a foreboding feeling flashing through his mind.
Until he witnessed the pink-and-white figure plummet straight into the water like a kite with a snapped string—his pupils violently constricted.
He didn't even have time to think; the reins in his hand were already flung away, and with a swift, clean motion, he dismounted.
The moment his boot soles touched the ground, he was already sprinting in great strides toward the water's edge.
"Young Master!"
Ban He was left dumbfounded as he watched his master, not even bothering to remove his outer robe, plunge unhesitatingly into the water like an arrow released from a bowstring, accompanied by a splash.
---
In the water, Chen Yao stared at the man who was rapidly swimming toward her as if cleaving through waves, and she was still a little dazed.
"Wait, how did the male lead suddenly show up?" She felt like she had a head full of question marks.
System 04 shrugged. "He passed by on the shore and saw it."
So, your strong one came over.
Chen Yao: "..."
But there was no time to dwell on it now. As the eldest miss of the Hou manor, she obviously shouldn't know how to swim.
So, once she snapped out of it, Chen Yao quickly closed her eyes again, letting her body drift weightlessly as she feigned drowning.
Her pink-and-white skirt billowed in the water, and her jet-black hair spread loose, floating gently with the waves. From a distance, she looked like a seductive mermaid from the deep sea.
Seeing her sinking further and further, Xie Qingyan's heart remained twisted with anxiety. He quickened his strokes, closing in on her.
Until he wrapped his arm around her slender waist, he almost unhesitatingly leaned down and pressed his lips tightly against her already pale ones.
Chen Yao's long, slender lashes fluttered rapidly. She worked hard to relax her body.
For a moment, all she felt was the man's cool, gentle breath, carrying an irresistible force, prying open her lips and teeth, and then fresh air mixed with water was channeled in.
"I'm not pure anymore." Chen Yao said blankly, then, as she snapped back to reality, she screamed internally, "Ahhh, the male lead isn't pure either!"
System 04 let out a light sigh. "My condolences."
As she was forcibly given air, her body was also being pulled upward swiftly. Even with her eyes closed the whole time, she could gradually sense the brightness of the surface.
"Splash!" The sound of breaking through the water was clearly transmitted to her ears.
Even with her eyes shut, Chen Yao could tell she had been brought to the shore.
But Xie Qingyan, who held her, still hadn't let go, keeping her firmly enclosed in his arms.
Then his palm patted her on the back in steady strokes. It wasn't painful, and Chen Yao initially tried to endure it, but in the end, she couldn't hold back and started coughing.
"The male lead wouldn't have discovered I'm faking drowning and is taking revenge on me, would he?" She couldn't help complaining quietly between coughs.
System 04 looked at Xie Qingyan, whose jaw was taut and whose dark, ink-like eyes still held a lingering trace of fear, and said truthfully, "Doesn't seem like it."
But seeing the male lead acting so abnormally, it already had a vague, ominous premonition about the plot lines to come.
"Cough, cough."
Chen Yao instinctively clutched at the robe beside her. She was soaked from head to toe, and even her just-opened eyes held a hint of water.
Her entire delicate, frail appearance was like a peony flower drenched by rain.