Villainous Miss of the Marriage Swap 03

The thought that he had witnessed her humiliating display and was laughing at her made Chen Yao's temper flare again.

"How dare you! You dare laugh at me? Do you know who I am?"

Her almond-shaped eyes widened into round orbs, and her fair, delicate face flushed crimson, making her look like an angry little rabbit.

Jiang Suijing had to admit—watching this young lady puff up like a bristling kitten was genuinely endearing.

He had grown up in military camps since the age of eight, surrounded only by rough, grizzled men. How could he not be charmed by such a lively, spirited, and beautiful young lady?

She fit his fancy perfectly.

He chuckled softly, then with a flicker of movement, landed nimbly from the beam above.

The dust on the ground was indeed thick, and despite his careful landing, it stirred up a bit of grime.

Chen Yao's small face tightened. She parted her lips to curse at him, but worried she might inhale the floating dust, so she snapped her mouth shut again, sulking.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she widened her eyes even further, glaring at the man before her with what she believed was a fearsome expression.

"You're adorable. Which household do you belong to, young miss? How did you end up bound in a place like this?" Jiang Suijing asked.

He leisurely dusted off the grime clinging to his robes, then stepped closer, looking down at the girl bound and seated atop a pile of straw.

Chen Yao raised her chin slightly, ready to blurt out her true identity on reflex, to make him realize whom he had offended.

But then it occurred to her—he had already seen her in this pitiful, disgraced state. If word got out, wouldn't she become a laughingstock?

Her eyes darted about, and an idea struck. She cleared her throat, then declared in a crisp, clear voice, "I am Lan Yiqing, the eldest daughter of the Minister of War! How dare you, a lowlife, show me such disrespect! I'll tell my father, and he'll have you thrown in jail and make you pay!"

How fierce—like a sharp-clawed little kitten.

Jiang Suijing smirked, his eyebrow arching slightly as a faint flicker of amusement passed through his eyes.

But... the eldest daughter of the Minister of War—she must be Lan Qingxiao's sister? However, as his deputy general, Lan Qingxiao was currently stationed thirty li away at the army camp, not accompanying him on this trip.

He looked at the girl before him. Even as she made such rude remarks, her beautiful, delicate face made it impossible to stay angry with her. In fact, it seemed oddly entertaining.

Chen Yao felt uncomfortable under his gaze. His lofty stance, while she was still bound and seated on the straw, only fueled her irritation.

Her face scrunched up, and she snapped impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help me up! Can't you see I'm still sitting on this filthy pile of straw?"

Jiang Suijing let out a low laugh. He didn't reply, only deliberately slow-stepped closer.

Then, he bent down and pulled a dagger from his waist. A flash of cold steel, and in a few quick moves, he sliced through the rough hemp ropes binding her wrists and ankles.

The man's movements were practiced and swift—so precise he didn't harm her in the least.

So familiar with cutting people loose? He really is something shady.

Chen Yao muttered inwardly.

But as soon as the ropes fell away, she ignored him, quickly moving her stiff wrists and ankles.

The girl's skin was fair and delicate, making the red marks left by the ropes on her wrists stand out starkly.

A frown flickered across Jiang Suijing's brow; his gaze darkened almost imperceptibly.

Chen Yao noticed it too. She pressed her lips together and quickly tugged her sleeves back down over the marks.

Then she tried to stand from the pile of straw, but her body was weak.

She puffed out her cheeks, glaring at the man with clear displeasure, convinced he had no sense of awareness at all.

Jiang Suijing looked at her and knew she was about to scold him again.

Before she could speak, he smiled and extended his hand, gently pulling her to her feet.

No sooner had she stood than her legs gave way. She staggered and nearly pitched forward.

Fortunately, Jiang Suijing was quick—he caught her arm in an instant, steadying her.

But she was ungrateful. Instead of thanking him, her first instinct was to raise her other hand and slap him across the face.

Jiang Suijing reacted even faster. The moment her hand flew up, he caught her wrist.

A smirk tugged at his lips. He gave her a gentle tug, spinning her half-circle, and she fell back against his chest, held securely in his arms.

The crisp scent of grass and wood emanating from the man enveloped her completely.

He lowered his head, warm breath brushing past her ear, and murmured with a low laugh, "Miss Lan, what do you think you're doing?"

"Bastard! Lecher! Let go of me at once!"

Chen Yao felt her hands pinned behind her back, her face flushing crimson as panic and fury warred within her.

She twisted and thrashed with all her might, but Jiang Suijing was impossibly strong. Her struggles did nothing but leave her breathless.

Worse, she only ended up pressed more firmly against his chest.

Jiang Suijing had been stationed at the border with his uncle since he was eight, surrounded every day by burly, rugged men.

When had he ever been this close to a soft, fragrant young lady?

A tender beauty cradled in his arms. He had only meant to restrain her, but now, feeling her soft, pliant body pressing tightly to his, he felt a tingling sensation surge up his spine, racing through his limbs, seizing him in an instant.

He froze in place.

Finally, he released her, stumbling back a step in a hurry to put distance between them.

But the moment he pulled away, the girl, who had been leaning against him, lost her support and began to fall to the ground.

"Ah!" Chen Yao gasped, panic in her voice.

Jiang Suijing's heart clenched. He reached out, catching her by the shoulders and instinctively pulling her back into his arms.

The girl's soft, delicate body collided with his chest again.

Chen Yao's humiliation burned even hotter. The moment she recovered, she twisted aside and swung her hand at his face again.

This time, Jiang Suijing was ready. He caught her hand easily, raising a teasing brow as he adopted a deliberately wicked expression, his long fingers gently squeezing her soft palm.

"Miss Lan, I just saved you. You're not going to bite the hand that feeds you, are you? If I hadn't caught you, you'd have hit the ground just now."

Chen Yao struggled to yank her hand free, and only when she failed did she retort furiously, "If you hadn't made me angry, I wouldn't have almost fallen! It's all your fault!"

The girl tilted her pretty face up, her almond-shaped eyes round and blazing. Anger made her pupils luminous, like gemstones polished with water.

Jiang Suijing felt his heart skip a beat, barely restraining the emotions surging in his gaze.

He quickly composed himself, sighing helplessly in agreement. "Fine, fine. It's all my fault."

But her soft form pressed against him, and the sweet scent of powder kept drifting into his nose, making his muscles unconsciously tense.

After what had just happened, though, he didn't dare let go of her again, afraid she'd topple over once more.

Chen Yao didn't care about his thoughts; she was convinced he was a lecherous scoundrel deliberately toying with her for his own amusement.

Her fury blazed hotter. Her flushed little face tightened with indignation, and she began kicking and flailing in his arms.

Jiang Suijing watched her squirm like an angry kitten, her feet kicking wildly—she even landed a few solid hits on his shins.

At his wits' end, and only after he was certain she had her footing, he slowly released her.

He heaved a deliberate sigh and spoke gently, "Miss Lan, please calm down. Look around--we should focus on the matter at hand, don't you think?"

Chen Yao was still seething and had no attention for his words.

But when she realized she couldn't slap his face, she clenched her fists and pounded heavily on his chest.

The girl had no martial training. Her punches were slow and weak, and Jiang Suijing could see them coming a mile away.

But seeing her grit her teeth, puffed up like an angry little kitten waving its paws, his heart softened. He let her little fists land against him.

"There. You've hit me. Feeling better now?" he said indulgently.

Chen Yao finally felt she'd regained some ground. She lifted her chin, keeping her face cold, and gave a light snort. "Fine. I'll spare you for now."

This lecher—once she returned home, she'd have someone teach him a lesson!

A scheme forming in her head, she declared with utter confidence, "Alright. How did you get in here? Just lead me back out the same way."

"No need for that," Jiang Suijing said with a lazy laugh.

There was a carefree tone to his voice as he turned and sauntered toward the door.

Chen Yao frowned, not comprehending.

But in the next moment, she heard the clash of weapons from outside, interspersed with short, furious shouts and the dull thuds of heavy objects crashing to the ground.

A start ran through her. Before she could react, there came the sound of a lock being hacked apart.

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open from outside, sending dust and splinters flying.

A soldier clad in dark armor stood at the threshold, a broad blade in hand, his robe flecked with blood. He stepped in, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dimness and landing on Jiang Suijing, who stood just inside.

He seemed to freeze for a moment, then quickly bowed with clasped hands. "General! So you're here!"

Chen Yao blinked slowly, utterly stunned.

But soon, she frowned, her gaze darting between Jiang Suijing and the soldier before finally locking onto the former.