Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 047

Chapter 47. Changing Hands

Realizing her mission was doomed to fail, Lu Wan felt a pang of unease. Xiao Bai had only said that success would allow her to return, but had not mentioned the consequences of failure.

If she failed, would she disappear completely?

Her mouth, stuffed with rough burlap for so long, felt dry, aching from the small wounds, yet she still managed a feeble twitch of her right lip.

If she died here now, would they spare her brother?

She struggled to lift her head, only to see the tall, elegant figure on the platform turn and leave without hesitation.

The tears in Lu Wan’s eyes vanished instantly, and she curled up even more, her brow furrowed. She shifted and crawled on the ground, trying to avoid the approaching figures.

Her wrists, raw and bleeding, throbbed with pain, but she could not care less.

Xie Yu was unreliable; she had to find a way to save herself and her brother.

Just as she desperately racked her brains for a way to save herself, the crowd that had gathered around her parted, grumbling, and she was carried back to the tea room like a sandbag.

“Young Lady Lu, please forgive me.”

Pei Lin seemed to be in a very good mood. He waved his hand, and someone untied her ropes. He even personally poured her a cup of tea.

Lu Wan pursed her dry lips, picked up the tea without hesitation, and drank it all in one gulp.

“Are you not worried that this tea is poisoned?”

“I’ve been pushed into the water before, and I’ve been ambushed by bandits. If you really do not want me to leave this room, whether the tea is poisoned or not is irrelevant.” Her voice was a little hoarse.

This man talked a lot, and even more nonsense. Lu Wan lowered her eyes, pondering the possibility that Pei Lin would release her and her brother.

Pei Lin tapped the gleaming, lacquered nanmu table with his fingertips, slightly surprised. “I underestimated you.”

He scrutinized the woman before him, her cold indifference only fueling his growing dislike.

Not only did Xie Yu remind him of that person from years ago, but this woman also reminded him of that femme fatale.

Therefore, he was even less inclined to see these two overcome their differences and come together.

“Just now, I told Judicial Minister Xie that if he would tell me whether the Crown Prince had left the city, I would release you.”

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. “But he refused without hesitation, saying it was up to me to decide his fate.

That’s a betrayal of the marriage he painstakingly arranged.”

Originally, Lu Wan was only half-convinced by Pei Lin’s words; especially now that she saw him relentlessly smearing Xie Yu, her suspicions only deepened.

She did not want to investigate the truth of his words for the time being.

But this man had captured her, not to threaten Xie Yu nor to kill her in revenge, but instead to sabotage her relationship with Xie Yu. What was he after?

Right now, the palace was probably in chaos, and this man, a high-ranking official comparable to the prime minister, was playing these petty romantic games with her.

It was truly bizarre.

Lu Wan had some thoughts. She pursed her lips tightly, her face paled further, and she lowered her head slightly, looking utterly devastated.

Her voice was not only hoarse but also choked with emotion. “I am merely engaged to Xie Yu; it is not worth his trouble.”

Pei Lin seemed moved. “If I could lend you a hand and have someone secretly escort you and the Lu family away from Luoyang, ensuring Xie Yu can never find you again, what does Young Lady Lu think?”

Lu Wan raised her eyes, a hint of joy appearing, then quickly dimming. She hesitated. “My marriage to him was originally bestowed by His Majesty…”

“It’s alright, I have my own methods. Besides—”

He drew out his words, “His Majesty can now be called the late Emperor.”

The Emperor was dead?

Lu Wan quickly lowered her eyes, concealing the shock within. It seemed Luoyang was about to descend into chaos; her mother could not stay any longer.

“Then why do you want to help me?”

She knew she could not agree immediately, lest she arouse the old fox’s suspicion, so she asked hesitantly.

“Perhaps you cannot bear to see an old friend fall into misfortune?” Pei Lin smiled faintly. “Young Lady Lu, simply respond with ‘yes’ or ‘no.'”

He spoke as if he were not the one who had tried to kill her before.

Lu Wan nodded with feigned gratitude, then stammered, “Are you not worried I will leak those details?”

“Even if I did, do you have any witnesses or evidence?”

Seeing her shake her head, he added insult to injury: “Besides, Xie Yu already knows.”

Lu Wan forced a smile, then her expression returned to one of desolation and despair.

To Pei Lin, this demeanor seemed as if time had reversed, and he was finally able to make amends for his regrets.

More than twenty years had passed in a daze; the spirit of his old friend had never appeared in his dreams, yet the blood splattered on his hands was still warm, and those who had aided and abetted him back then had all been sent by him to keep that person company.

The current situation in Luoyang was the final act of his painstaking efforts over nearly half a lifetime.

Pei Lin looked at the seemingly heartbroken young woman and gave a self-deprecating smile.

Who could have imagined that, as he approached the end, he could still use such a ridiculous method to feign reconciliation for past regrets?

Lu Wan’s arrest was sudden, and her release was equally sudden.

The scholar-like man took her back to her carriage, and as soon as Lu Wan got in, she saw Lu Xiao still unconscious.

“Brother, brother!” She patted Lu Xiao’s face, then pulled a water pouch from the corner of the carriage and poured it over his face.

She then did the same to A-Miao, pouring water over her face and beginning to shake and pat them both.

“Hiss, Ah Wan…” Lu Xiao slowly woke up first, clutching the back of his neck, but the moment he opened his eyes and saw Lu Wan’s appearance, he was so frightened that he suddenly leaned back. “Ah Wan, what happened to your face?”

Lu Xiao’s expression was one of utter shock. Lu Wan touched her cheek and noticed some uneven, swollen bumps. Since she did not have a mirror, she could only guess it was probably an allergic reaction.

After all, she had a sensitive constitution in her previous life and was allergic to certain substances. Could it be that her face had touched the ground earlier and picked up some allergen?

Lu Xiao recovered his composure, carefully examined her face, and sighed.

“Did you touch something dirty in that damp, dark room again? You’ve been like this since you were little, never learning your lesson. Look at this rash on half your face.”

He took out a handkerchief, dampened it, and gently wiped her face. “You’d better be more careful in the future, or if Lord Xie sees you like this, he will be terrified.”

Lu Wan’s nose stung with tears. Not wanting to explain the problems between her and Xie Yu, she mumbled, “Well, my brother does not mind.”

After wiping her face clean, Lu Xiao asked in confusion, “Who were those who captured us just now, and why did they release us so easily?”

Lu Wan lowered her head, unsure how to explain. This matter was far too complicated.

Moreover, she did not know why Pei Lin had gone to such lengths to orchestrate this.

It could not have been all this trouble just to separate her from Xie Yu, could it?

At this moment, Lu Xiao’s eyes casually glanced over and saw the abrasions on her wrist, and he immediately became furious.

“Who did this?!”

He was frantic, but the medicine and other supplies in their packed luggage were all in Lady Zhou’s carriage. He could only carefully hold Lu Wan’s wrist, soak a handkerchief, and wipe away the dirt and pale red blood from the wound.

His hand, supporting her, even trembled slightly. “Who captured us? Did they do this to your hand?”

Lu Xiao’s eyes reddened, his face turning angry, as if he would fight to the death if Lu Wan gave him a name.

This was someone who truly cared for her.

Lu Wan did not want to hide it from him anymore. After all, once they arrived at the estate, she still needed to persuade them to leave the capital as soon as possible.

She lowered her head, half-truthfully saying, “They originally wanted to capture me to threaten Xie Yu, but he did not care about my life or death at all. They were disappointed and released me.” Seeing that Lu Xiao’s temples were throbbing with veins and that he did not doubt her words at all, Lu Wan half-heartedly recounted the imperial examination scandal and Xie Yu’s selection of officials.

She added two more sentences at the end: “What Pei Lin said might not be true. He also promised to secretly send someone to escort us out of Luoyang.”

But Lu Xiao clearly took it all seriously.

He had not expected there to be such a hidden story.

He now believed that Ah Wan had only agreed to marry Xie Yu to save him, and his hatred for him only intensified.

The more he had admired Xie Yu’s talent and charm in the past, the more he now resented him for enticing his sister to agree to his marriage proposal.

Even more, that Xie Yu had shown no concern for Ah Wan’s life or death today.

He looked at Lu Wan with a pang of heartache, yet he did not know what to say to her, afraid of upsetting her. He gripped his fists tightly, his teeth clenched.

Lu Wan noticed him out of the corner of her eye, seeing his hesitation and indecision, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She did not really want to hear anyone comfort her at that moment.

Given Lu Xiao’s reaction, the rest of the Lu family were even more furious.

When they arrived at the estate and reunited with the others, Lu Xiao, enraged, revealed the whole affair. His face flushed with anger, and his words were filled with harsh denigration.

“I thought he genuinely loved Ah Wan, but I never imagined he would resort to such despicable means! I used to think he was a gentleman, but he’s nothing but a treacherous villain!”

Lu Yuan and Lady Zhou frowned deeply, remaining silent.

“Sister, do not marry him.” Even Lu Ling looked at her with teary eyes.

Lu Wan sat to the side, letting someone carefully apply medicine to her, and nodded upon hearing this.

She had anticipated their strong reaction, but there were more important matters at hand. Lu Wan looked at Lady Zhou with concern and spoke.

“Let’s put Xie Yu’s matter aside for now. I heard His Majesty passed away last night. Luoyang will likely be in chaos for a long time. Perhaps we should head south to avoid the turmoil.”

“That’s feasible,” Lu Yuan said, frowning.

“Even because of the national mourning, your marriage to Xie Yu must be postponed. We can return and find a solution once Luoyang is settled.”

He turned to Lady Zhou and said, “Even if Pei Lin’s words are mostly fabricated, Xie Yu was willing to abandon Ah Wan once, and I will never marry my daughter to him again.”

Lady Zhou’s brows relaxed slightly, and she smiled at him. “In that case, your forced resignation from your official post some time ago was actually a good thing. Otherwise, how could you leave so easily?”

Lu Xiao and Lu Ling naturally had no objections, and the matter was settled smoothly.

Finally, it was time to leave. Lu Wan breathed a sigh of relief, but she had not expected things to go so smoothly.

Not knowing the consequences of mission failure, it seemed like taking the family into hiding for now was a good idea; who knew what trouble might arise in Luojing?

That night, A-Miao carefully helped Lu Wan remove the layers of cloth wrappings from her body. It was precisely because these strips of cloth were so thickly bound that she had no visible injuries.

“It’s already hot today; my young lady cannot wear these anymore, or she will really get a rash.”

Finally, the wrappings were removed. Lu Wan stroked the cat, Xiao Bai, that had just been brought to her, feeling much lighter.

“It’s just a waist wrap to change your figure; it is only useful today. Once we are on the road, with a large group of guards protecting us, we will not need to be so careful.”

A-Miao sighed, carefully applying medicine to the wound on her wrist. “This servant feels like these past two days have truly been a dream.”

Who could argue with that? Lu Wan leaned against the soft pillows on the headboard, thinking about everything that had happened today, especially that resolute, elegant figure leaving. It was hard to believe.

His favorability rating was as high as 75, yet he could give up so easily.

Could it be that he did not recognize her?

This thought had barely surfaced in her mind when she dismissed it.

Even though the high platform was a bit of a distance, he might not be able to see her clearly.

But Pei Lin would definitely tell him her identity. Besides, Xie Yu’s people had already discovered the incident at the Lu residence last night and immediately informed him.

Was this not enough to make him hesitate?

It really was difficult to find an excuse for him…

Lu Wan’s gaze fell on the candlestick on the table, watching the flame flicker, her mind wandering elsewhere.

Just as she was lost in thought, the door creaked open. She looked up and saw Lady Zhou being helped in.

“Mother, why have you come so late?”

Lu Wan quickly rose to help her sit down, frowning and feigning complaint. “It’s dark, and the paths are slippery; what are you doing here?”

Lady Zhou, using the bright candlelight, examined her daughter. Seeing no tear stains on her face and no redness in her eyes, she felt relieved and waved for the maids to leave.

“There are some things I should not ask during the day. Right now, it is just the two of us, mother and daughter. I came because I was worried about my daughter; is there anything wrong?”

Lu Wan sat down beside her, hugging her arm. Suddenly feeling wronged, she called out softly, “Mother…”

Lady Zhou gently stroked her hair, her face appearing even more gentle in the candlelight. “Did you agree to marry Xie Yu only because you wanted to save your brother?”

Of course not entirely. Lu Wan shook her head decisively.

At that time, Xie Yu had been flogged in court and lay weakly in bed, yet he still comforted her, yearning to marry her. His love was so deep and humble; she had been moved by his words and agreed to marry him.

“Mother, I do not believe Pei Lin’s words are entirely true.”

Lu Wan looked up at her, speaking slowly, “If Pei Lin’s words are true, of course, I will be sad.”

She wanted to say something, but considering that Lady Zhou was unaware of many things likely related to Xie Yu, she could only force herself to speak.

“But what he did today truly chilled my heart.”

What hurt her most was realizing that in Xie Yu’s eyes, she might be nothing more than that.

She feared she would never gain the remaining 25 points of favor.

How could someone so cold-hearted and hard-edged, so full of calculations, possibly treat her wholeheartedly?

Lady Zhou paused. “Then what do you intend to do? Just come with your father and me to escape to Jiangnan, leaving this matter here?”

To be honest, Lu Wan did not know.

She was worried about failing the mission and being unable to return, yet she could not abandon her family’s safety to stay in Luoyang.

Furthermore, she genuinely did not want to see Xie Yu right now, so she wanted to give herself some time to reconsider.

“Mother, let me think about it.” She buried her face in Lady Zhou’s arms. “Let’s go to Jiangnan first. Perhaps I will have made up my mind by the time we return, and then we can consider these things.”

Lady Zhou held her tighter, gently comforting her. “Your father and I both hope you can follow your heart.”

She had come that night only to check on her daughter, and seeing that she seemed fine, she gradually felt relieved.

*

On the third day, the Lu family dismissed some servants, and, with the prepared carriages and belongings, the group set off for Jiangnan.

“Once we reach Fenghuai, we can change boats. When we pass through Xingnan County, we can pay our respects to your maternal grandfather…”

Lu Yuan, in high spirits, was planning the route when someone outside reported that a severely injured young man had been found in the roadside bushes ahead. Judging from his clothing, he seemed to be of noble birth.

Lu Wan was sitting beside Lady Zhou at the moment, and upon hearing this, she wanted to go and see.

“Father, you stay with Mother. I will go and see. If he’s from a prominent family in Luoyang, I should recognize him.”

She got up from the carriage and walked to the area surrounded by guards.

In the waist-high weeds, the severely injured man had been turned over. Large patches of dark blood covered his waist, and only his chest was still rising and falling weakly.

Although his face was smeared with blood, dirt, and grass, and his body was soaked with dew and blood, making him look quite disheveled, Lu Wan recognized him at a glance.

She hurried over to Lu Yuan, saying urgently, “Father, that man looks like Shizi of Prince Xin, Zhou Yan.”

Lu Yuan immediately got out of the carriage and went to Zhou Yan’s side, calling for people to clear half the carriage so he could be helped into it.

“His injuries are quite severe,” Lu Wan instructed someone to fetch hemostatic powder, looking rather puzzled.

“I heard Zhou Yan only recently set off to return to his fiefdom. How could he be in such a state, with even his personal guards nowhere to be found?”

Lu Yuan was also somewhat helpless. This place was desolate; even if he wanted to save him, there was no physician.

“He saved you before, so we cannot stand idly by. But there’s no physician here. Let’s get the powder and apply it to him first. Whether it works or not depends on his fate.”

Lu Wan looked at the still-bleeding wound and Zhou Yan’s face, which was as white as paper, and felt that it was probably hopeless.

With such a long wound, by the time they reached the next populated area, Zhou Yan’s body would likely be cold.

The most urgent task was to stop the bleeding.

She ordered hot water to be boiled, and after briefly disinfecting the needle and thread, she had A-Miao clean Zhou Yan’s wound with alcohol and stitch it up, as instructed.

He was truly badly injured; without anesthesia, the needle pierced his flesh without him uttering a sound.

After this simple treatment, seeing that the bleeding from Zhou Yan’s wound had lessened, she took A-Miao back to her carriage.

Inside the thickly padded carriage, Xiao Bai, who had been scratching a furry ball, happily jumped into her arms as soon as she entered.

【Ding! Detected that the host has lost confidence in the target. You can choose a new target!】

She could choose a different target? Wan was stunned.

Before she could even react—

【Ding! Low rating detected! Ding ding ding! Automatically reclaimed…Current rating sufficient!】

Meanwhile, inside the Xie residence in Luojing, Xie Yu, who had not slept for two days, was ashen-faced.

At that moment, he heard a strange voice suddenly emerge in his mind.

【This system has been reclaimed. The host has been unbound. Please take good care of yourself in the future!】