Chapter 260: Chapter 260: If You’re Saved from Drowning, Must You Marry? 31

But thinking about the fact that the maple leaves are at their best recently, it’s normal for Second Young Master Shen to come here.

It was surprising to Ying Bairong to hear that the two were engaged.

Looking at Second Young Master Shen, he seems extremely fond of Miss Lin. He doesn’t have any prejudices, and while many people outside are talking about this, he actually feels a sense of camaraderie with Second Young Master Shen. He truly understands the feeling of liking someone so much that nothing else matters.

It’s just that his family has high expectations for him, and now is a critical moment. He can only find excuses to refuse the marriage, but he cannot express his feelings for Song Su to his family.

Doing so would not be good for Song Su and would only harm her.

If his mother knew he wanted to marry Song Su, she would try every means to send Song Su away.

He was a bit envious of Second Young Master Shen.

Shen Xuan inexplicably wondered, what was the meaning behind Ying Bairong’s gaze? He recalled things he had heard before and discreetly shielded Ah Chen behind him, unable to forget that she had once been infatuated with Ying Bairong.

Thinking of this made him extremely depressed.

She even conspired with Shi Wen to fall into the water because of Ying Bairong. Even though she was instigated by Shi Wen, she had liked Ying Bairong.

Ying Bairong was not bad-looking and was good at studying, someone likable.

And he was a playboy.

Even though he came from an enlightened world and was well-educated, he could not compete with these ancient scholars, he admitted to himself. Those texts were a bit of a headache for him.

“What’s wrong?” Ah Chen asked.

Suddenly unhappy? Who upset him?

She noticed Shen Xuan was shielding something, took a step, and saw Ying Bairong, then understood somewhat.

Shen Xuan said, “It’s nothing.” He took another step, pretending not to care, blocking Ying Bairong’s figure, and looked around, “Just enjoying the scenery.”

But he found her looking at him and smiling. Seeing that her future father-in-law hadn’t approached, he leaned closer to her to ask something, but when the words reached his mouth, he didn’t know how to ask.

“What do you want to ask?” Ah Chen asked, “Just say it directly. We are already engaged. In no time, we will be married, so there shouldn’t be anything you can’t tell me.”

Shen Xuan was just afraid she would be unhappy to hear it?

After all, Ying Bairong was not a good memory for her.

Yes, they were already engaged. Why was he still fixated on Ying Bairong? Since she had talked it out with Ying Bairong and promised him, she certainly wouldn’t think about the past anymore.

Shen Xuan felt relieved and said, “It’s nothing, I figured it out.”

“Alright then, I just saw Ying Bairong and was afraid he might take you away, so I was a little worried,” he said softly.

After all, since she had asked, not speaking would not be good. Many misunderstandings were caused by not speaking up. So, he decided to talk about it.

Ah Chen opened her mouth: “I don’t like him, and he doesn’t like me. What are you afraid of?”

“I like you.” She added, in a voice only he could hear.

Shen Xuan was completely stunned, unable to control himself, and just stayed beside her, unable to react.

Knowing she wasn’t the shy type, but such directness still caught him off guard.

Now his mind was full of this sentence, his heart was filled with joy, knowing that even ten Ying Bairongs couldn’t affect him.

Skilled in martial arts, Lin Daming, who overheard the conversation, took a deep breath and thought, well, seeing that silly boy being completely smitten, what’s wrong if his daughter liked him a little?

[System, did you hear that? She likes me.]

System: [Congratulations, host.]

[What a nonchalant blessing, you single system, you really don’t understand anything.]

System: …

Shen Xuan came back to his senses, feeling his heart warmly, he looked into her beautiful eyes and softly said, “I like you very much too, Chenchen.”

After he finished speaking, he looked around furtively like a thief and saw Lin Daming snorting. The future father-in-law was an expert and must have heard it.

But he just wanted to say it.

“Like a lot.” He added, “If you hadn’t appeared, I might have spent my entire life alone.”

“I understand.” Ah Chen said with a smile.

Lin Daming looked around, hmm, no one was around, and the voices weren’t loud, so no one would hear. Let them talk.

When it was time for lunch, Shen Xuan asked the servant to set up the things, and they cooked a hot pot to eat.

In the afternoon, people started to disperse from Red Maple Mountain.

Ying Bairong’s group also finished and planned to return to the academy together. After a while, when they reached a secluded road, a figure suddenly appeared and knocked everyone down. Afraid of being discovered, the person dragged them one by one into the bushes and finally carried Ying Bairong away.

Not long after the person left, Qin Cheng was the first to open his eyes. He took a piece of paper from his pocket, which read: Ying Bairong is the person that Mistress Erniang has taken a fancy to and has taken away today.

He chuckled, threw the paper aside, and was about to wake the others, as they still needed witnesses for the matter.

These people might suggest reporting to the authorities. Reporting was certainly necessary, but someone also needed to bear witness. Whether others followed or not didn’t matter to him.

He wanted Ying Bairong to remember this favor.

Today, Ying Bairong had no choice but to marry his cousin.

Of course, another reason was naturally jealousy.

Ying Bairong was too perfect, and although he wanted to curry favor, the other’s excellence made him uncomfortable.

Marrying a woman like his cousin in such a way gave Ying Bairong a flaw.

He suddenly sensed something amiss, turned his head, and saw two people standing there. When they walked up and showed their waist badges, Qin Cheng’s face changed drastically, and his legs went weak.

“Scholar Qin, the official requests your presence.”

After Qin Cheng was taken away, Lin Daming and Ah Chen in the bushes said, “Chenchen, did you see it clearly? That’s their scheme.”

Ah Chen nodded, “Dad, I saw it clearly.”

Shen Xuan: Sure enough, the future father-in-law came for this matter.

But it did solve one issue. Not sure if dad could catch the person behind this.

As for Ying Bairong, Mistress Erniang had placed him in a mountain temple, woke him up, and then drugged him again, tying him inside, saying, “Young man, finally meeting again. I’ll come to find you later.”

Of course, she wouldn’t come back, just giving him a chance to escape.

When Lin Daming brought Ah Chen over, Ying Bairong had already escaped from the mountain temple, face flushed, heading down the only path.

Shen Xuan, however, worriedly said, “Will nothing happen this way? Ying Xiucai sacrificed too much to lure the snake out of its hole.”

Lin Daming: “He won’t die anyway.”

He naturally didn’t like Ying Bairong, hmph, whoever made his daughter Chenchen unhappy, he wouldn’t like.

Ah Chen told him, “You don’t have to worry about this.”

Just watch, as County Magistrate Shen isn’t a simple person.

The other side had so many capable people, and entrusted with a significant task by the Emperor, shouldn’t be easily annihilated. That Reincarnator might not just be a Reincarnator but probably had something powerful.

That Mistress Erniang had already been captured. She was apprehended not far after leaving the mountain temple.

As for the person who had contact with Shi Wen, Shen Dai wouldn’t let them go, and there would be arrangements, although capturing someone skilled was no guarantee.

The three followed down, and soon Ying Bairong met Shi Wen with a backpack.

Seeing Ying Bairong’s staggering appearance, Shi Wen quickly went to support him: “Ying Xiucai, what’s wrong with you?”

Seeing Ying Bairong’s uncontrollable state, she helped him into the woods, worrying out loud: “You’ve probably been drugged.”

When he entered the woods, Ah Chen sensed many people there.

“Ying Xiucai, seeing you like this, I have no choice but to resort to this.”

Shi Wen went to untie Ying Bairong’s clothes, but as soon as she did, Ying Bairong’s entire body grew bigger and more muscular, stretching his skin.

Shi Wen was stunned for a moment and heard the voice say: “Thank you, Miss, I will marry you.”

“Ah—”

After seeing clearly, Shi Wen quickly retreated in fright. This was not Ying Bairong at all, but a tall, unfamiliar man.

Shen Xuan rolled his eyes: He felt like an idiot.

His dad hid it so deeply; having such talents indeed made him the Emperor’s trusted aide.

[Why didn’t you remind me that wasn’t Ying Bairong?]

System: [Host, you didn’t ask. Since he meant no harm to you, I naturally wouldn’t mention it.]

The people around fell down, and at this moment, Shi Wen realized what was happening and collapsed to the ground.

When she was brought out, she saw Ah Chen standing outside, and at that moment, her face turned even paler.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep