The Runaway Bride in a Substitute Marriage 17

As if convinced no one was watching, the figure braced both hands against the wall, swung up, and perched on top.

In the darkness, Xie Qingyan's brows knit as his gaze locked onto that graceful silhouette. His eyes were dark and unreadable.

* * *

Chen Yao let out a soft breath.

When she'd climbed the tree earlier, the hem of her skirt—which she'd tied at her waist—had come loose. Thankfully, it hadn't gotten in the way.

A fine sheen of sweat had broken out on her forehead. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, then tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

From her vantage point atop the wall, she looked down and felt her scalp prickle.

She swallowed quietly. "System, is this... a bit high?"

She hadn't noticed while climbing the tree, but now, eyeing the outer wall, it had to be at least five meters—easily two stories.

System 04 watched with growing concern. "Host, be careful."

Chen Yao squeezed her eyes shut. She opened them quickly, then bit her lower lip, steeling herself to jump.

It's fine. As long as she remembered to break her fall when she landed, she probably wouldn't break her legs, right?

The girl's pretty face was taut with tension. Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and her gaze was resolute. She'd already assumed the stance to leap.

And yet, another moment passed.

System 04: "...?"

"Wah, it's so scary, I don't dare jump. What if I break my legs?" Chen Yao wailed internally.

"Then how about not running?" System 04 drawled. "Host, go back the way you came, and marry the male lead tomorrow."

Chen Yao covered her face. "...System, get a grip! How is the plot supposed to move forward like this?"

System 04 replied flatly, "Then what are you hesitating for? You'll be in trouble if the patrolling guards catch you."

"You heartless, awful system!" She jabbed a finger at it in accusation.

System 04: "Yeah, yeah, you're right."

After their quick back-and-forth, the nervousness and fear in Chen Yao's heart finally subsided a little.

She thought it over carefully. Jumping straight down was too risky. Maybe it was safer to slide down the wall slowly instead.

After giving herself a mental pep talk, Chen Yao felt like she could do it after all.

Holding her breath, she carefully pressed her palms against the top of the wall, turned to face it, and gingerly extended a foot, testing for a foothold.

As she drew closer, Xie Qingyan could no longer pretend to himself. The figure perched on the wall, about to make a getaway, was truly the bride who was to cross his threshold tomorrow.

He felt his heart plummet, sinking rapidly into a void.

But the next moment, as he watched Jiang Chenyao disregard the height of the wall entirely and prepare to leap without a second thought, his heart shot straight up into his throat.

His breath seemed to freeze. He dug his heels hard into the horse's flanks, and the steed shot forward like the wind, thundering toward the base of the wall.

Xie Qingyan lunged forward, thrusting out both arms, and caught the girl mid-air as she leaped from the wall, catching her firmly in his embrace.

Chen Yao felt strong arms catch her waist and back. Before she could react, she was pressed tightly against a solid chest.

The scent of pine intermingled with a faint trace of ink filled her senses.

System 04: "It's over."

Seeming to realize what had happened, Chen Yao quickly lifted her head. Looking at the man before her, his jaw set tight and his handsome face nearly black with barely suppressed fury beneath the moonlight, she fell silent too.

This is bad, she thought.

"Explain yourself." Xie Qingyan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a hint of red had crept into his deep gaze, and he asked in a low, restrained voice.

What was there to explain? She simply wanted to escape the marriage.

Chen Yao quickly averted her gaze. Her lips moved in a barely perceptible mumble, but she didn't speak. After all, given how furious he looked, it was better not to add fuel to the fire.

"What, you don't want to talk to me?" Xie Qingyan asked again. His voice grew more strained, carrying a suffocating pressure like a storm about to break.

Chen Yao had never heard him speak in such a fierce tone before. After all, as a noble son, Xie Qingyan had always been the epitome of a courteous gentleman—warm and refined as jade.

She actually found it faintly novel.

But then, recalling her role, Chen Yao immediately stiffened her neck and began to act unreasonably. "Xie Qingyan, how dare you yell at me?"

Xie Qingyan lowered his gaze, looking at the girl's puffed-out cheeks and her self-righteous expression that suggested she saw nothing wrong with her actions. He countered in a low voice, "On the night before the wedding, my bride-to-be tries to run. Should I not be angry?"

Chen Yao's heart twinged with guilt, but she quickly lifted her chin, stubbornly trying to save face. "Who said I was trying to run? I just wanted to go out for a stroll."

Out for a stroll... in the middle of the night... in such a sneaky, wall-climbing manner. The words were barely out of her mouth before even she was embarrassed by them.

Clearly, Xie Qingyan was also amused by her excuse, a low, dismissive scoff escaping his throat. "Fine. You want to go for a stroll? I'll accompany you. Where do you want to go?"

Chen Yao knew all too well that she couldn't fool him. She kept her face set and stubbornly insisted, "I don't feel like it anymore."

She deliberately turned her face away, mumbling indignantly under her breath, "Anyway, seeing you just ruins my mood."

Xie Qingyan felt as if a sharp blade had pierced his heart, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

His voice came out hoarse. "Do you hate me that much?" Hate him enough to flee the night before their wedding, to disregard the face of both their households?

Chen Yao hardened her heart and said in a dry, matter-of-fact tone, "I just hate you! From the very first moment I saw you, I didn't like you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Xie Qingyan and noticed that the corners of his eyes seemed to have reddened from anger.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she hastily looked away again, pretending not to have noticed.

After all, she was the vicious supporting female character, not the female lead. It wasn't her place to feel sorry for the male lead.

In the clear moonlight, Xie Qingyan watched the girl's red lips part and close as she spoke, yet the words she uttered were like blades, mercilessly piercing the softest part of his heart.

The horse beneath him seemed to sense its master's foul mood and let out a soft snort, the sound unusually clear in the still night.

Xie Qingyan looked up at the festive red lanterns decorating the Pingyuan Hou mansion, but found the sight harsh and grating to his eyes.

It's fine, he thought silently.

Tomorrow's ceremony would proceed as planned. Jiang Chenyao would marry him. Once they were wed, they'd have a lifetime together. There would be plenty of time to nurture their feelings.

The heart that had been squeezed tight loosened again, slowly resuming its steady beat.

But for now, his bride-to-be had tried to flee. She deserved a small punishment.