Bai Qingqing gently poked Bai Rui’s waist from behind. “Stop shouting. It’s not something to be proud of.”
“Sis, people like him should be utterly humiliated. Don’t worry about it—just stay back.”
Bai Qingqing sighed helplessly and hid further behind Bai Rui, so much so that Fu Yi couldn’t even see the last trace of her clothing.
Fu Yi didn’t want to argue with Bai Rui. He introduced himself, explaining that he had no intention of being disrespectful. If he had frightened Bai Qingqing, he sincerely felt guilty and promised to visit another day to formally apologize.
“There’s no need to apologize. Just don’t let me see you bothering my sister again.”
Only after Fu Yi left did Bai Rui turn around. “Sis, it’s fine now. In the future, bring more people with you when you go out.”
Bai Qingqing smiled and nodded, then suddenly asked, “Didn’t you say you had an appointment today? Why are you here?”
“Don’t even mention it. I was supposed to go to the estate, but those Jinyiwei took it over at the last minute. They didn’t give me any leeway. You wouldn’t believe how overbearing they are—”
As Bai Rui animatedly described the situation, he suddenly noticed Bai Qingqing trembling slightly. He immediately stopped talking. “That was thoughtless of me. Did I scare you? I won’t say another word about them. Honestly, they’re not that terrifying. As long as you don’t break the law and fall into their hands, they’re nothing more than paper tigers.”
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“I… I’m a little tired. I’ll return home first. You shouldn’t stay out too late either—don’t make Father angry.”
Bai Qingqing quickly got into the carriage. Bai Rui regretted his words. His elder sister was timid; he shouldn’t have mentioned such things. Maybe he should buy her something as an apology.
Inside the carriage, Bai Qingqing leaned against the wooden walls with her eyes closed, looking pale. She truly seemed frightened.
Those people weren’t paper tigers. They were the emperor’s most ruthless hounds, capable of tearing an entire family apart in an instant!
Heaven had given her a second chance—not for indulgence. She didn’t wish for revenge against the Fu family. She only wanted to prevent the Bai family from being completely destroyed, to stop her father from being wrongfully accused!
However, in her previous life, she had known little about the incident. She had only received news that the Bai family was convicted of treason and that every member had been arrested. She had fainted on the spot.
She had begged Fu Yi to help the Bai family. He had only told her not to act rashly, promising to investigate. Bai Qingqing had believed him. Yet, the next day, she heard that Fu Yi had left the capital—personally traveling to escort Lu Qingyun to the palace.
How ridiculous! While his lawfully wedded wife’s family was in peril, the person he cared about most was his childhood sweetheart…
Bai Qingqing took a deep breath. There were still a few years before disaster struck the Bai family. She didn’t know all the details, but she couldn’t just sit and wait for fate to repeat itself. She had to find a way to protect her family.
Just as they neared the Bai residence, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
Zidai stepped outside to investigate, then returned. “Miss, there’s another carriage blocking the road. Ours can’t get through.”
Bai Qingqing lifted the curtain and saw a carriage parked under a tree by the roadside. It appeared to be empty.
“It’s fine. We’ll walk from here.”
After stepping down, Zidai supported Bai Qingqing while muttering, “Whoever owns that carriage has no manners, leaving it there and forcing Miss to walk in this freezing weather…”
Bai Qingqing and Zidai were very close, and seeing her complain, Bai Qingqing couldn’t resist teasing her. “Zidai, have you ever heard of a certain rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“There’s a tale about a strange carriage that appears and disappears mysteriously, with no driver in sight. One day, someone grew curious and decided to peek inside. Can you guess what they saw?”
