The Runaway Bride in a Substitute Marriage 22

Chen Yao ran through the motion in her mind a few times, feeling like she was getting the hang of it.

So she looked up at the innocent female lead in front of her and said, "I'm a little thirsty. Could you pour me a cup of water?"

"Alright." Jiang Lingxuan agreed.

Chen Yao took a deep breath, and while the other girl turned around to pour the water, she quickly stood up and prepared to chop the side of her neck with a hand blade.

"Wait!"

System 04 hastily called out to stop her.

Chen Yao's motion halted abruptly, her raised hand frozen mid-air.

"What?" She frowned, nearly not reacting in time.

Just then, Jiang Lingxuan turned back around, and Chen Yao had no choice but to calmly let her hand fall onto her own shoulder, pretending to smooth out a wrinkle in her clothes.

System 04 wiped its face, looking world-weary. "The spot you were aiming for just now was wrong. A single hand chop like that wouldn't just knock someone out — it could kill them."

Chen Yao: "..."

"I'll just drink it myself." She naturally took the teacup from Jiang Lingxuan, tilted her head back, and gulped down a big mouthful.

"Then what do I do?" Chen Yao's head ached. "I'm not a professional. Who in their right mind would know this stuff?"

System 04 waved a hand, equally helpless, and could only express its inability to help.

Jiang Lingxuan silently placed the empty teacup Chen Yao handed back onto the round table, looking at the girl in bridal attire before her. After a long moment, she couldn't help but sigh.

Her voice was low as she asked softly, "Sister, are you... thinking about running away from the wedding?"

Chen Yao's first instinct was, of course, to deny it three times over: It wasn't me, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!

But looking at the female lead's obvious sincerity, and the fact that she'd clearly noticed her little movements just now, Chen Yao decided to behave herself.

"Fine. I just don't want to marry into the Xie family."

Chen Yao's pretty face was taut, wearing a look of great displeasure, her tone full of reluctance. "I don't even like Xie Qingyan. The way he looks at things, he's as stiff as a rock — dull and boring."

"But the parents' command and the matchmaker's word..." Jiang Lingxuan tried to persuade her further.

"I don't care." Chen Yao pouted.

As if a thought struck her, her eyes darted around before she suddenly grabbed Jiang Lingxuan's hands with both of hers.

"Lingxuan, you wouldn't bear to see me marry into the Xie family so unwillingly, would you? Can you help me?"

Jiang Lingxuan met her gaze, confusion in her eyes. "Me? What could I possibly do to help?"

"No." She caught on quickly, and sensibly pulled her hands free, turning her back. "I won't help you escape—"

Her voice cut off abruptly. She only felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck, and in an instant, she lost consciousness.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Yao had steeled herself and delivered a hand chop to the back of Jiang Lingxuan's neck. Flustered, she hurriedly reached out to catch the female lead, whose body had gone limp and was about to collapse onto the floor.

"That's already a huge help to me." She said with a beaming smile.

Then she struggled to prop the unconscious Jiang Lingxuan up against the bedside, letting her lean diagonally against the bedpost.

Afterward, she lightly clapped her hands together, her tone rising with delight. "Done!"

But this was only the first step of success; Chen Yao wasn't about to relax just yet. She quickly lowered her head and started trying to strip off the elaborate bridal gown she was wearing.

She thought to herself: In a moment, I'll hide in the chest, and then the female lead will be carried off as the bride in my place. Perfect.

But just as her fingertips landed on her sash, she suddenly felt a tap at the center of her back, and then her entire body froze.

Chen Yao remained in her stiff position, eyes wide. "...Who?"

"Young Madam." Ying Qi, still dressed in the plain clothes of a servant girl, quietly stepped around from behind. Her voice was calm. "Forgive your subordinate's presumption."

Chen Yao was dumbfounded. "...System, where did she come from?"

She'd been only a hair's breadth away from victory, only to be cut off just as her heart filled with joy. Chen Yao could have cried from frustration.

System 04 sighed. "She was probably in the room the whole time." After all, shadow guards were always appearing and disappearing without a trace.

"How dare you! Untie my acupoints right now!" Chen Yao had no choice but to grit her teeth and command hatefully.

Ying Qi answered in a flat, robotic tone. "Rest assured, Young Madam. Once the time it takes to burn one stick of incense has passed, the acupoints will release on their own."

Chen Yao: "..."

By the time one stick of incense burns out, everything would be cold by then.

She watched Ying Qi walk over to the bedside, apparently preparing to wake the unconscious Jiang Lingxuan, and couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

"How dare you offend me like this! Wait until I tell Xie Qingyan — you'll be in for it!" Chen Yao threatened in a fit of helpless rage.

But clearly, Ying Qi wasn't going to listen to her. In the end, the female lead, whom she had shamelessly sneak-attacked and knocked out, was revived anyway.

When Jiang Lingxuan's bright, lively eyes looked over with a startled expression, Chen Yao stood rooted to the spot, feeling a twinge of guilt as she averted her gaze.

But she knew that her task was truly doomed now.