Chapter 15

When Jiang Mei returned to Yun Courtyard, Fu Yu was already awake.

He watched her return, sitting there without saying a word, his gaze cold and quiet.

Jiang Mei also remained silent.

She sat there coldly and, without any attempt to hide it, placed the ‘Yu’ token on the table.

“You finally went to see him?” Fu Yu’s face was as cold as frost.

“Fu Yu, why do you always lie to me? Brother Gu saved you! He has no intention of fighting you for anything! Why won’t you let him go?”

“What did you say? He doesn’t want to fight me for anything? You’re joking. He wants to take away the most important thing to me—he wants to take you!” Fu Yu’s eyes were red; fueled by the alcohol, his eyes were entirely bloodshot.

“You’re wrong, Fu Yu. He didn’t take me from you; you abandoned me! You didn’t want me! Moreover, I am willing to be with Brother Gu!”

Fu Yu abruptly stood up. “Jiang Mei, I told you, as long as I don’t give the word, you will always be my, Fu Yu’s, woman! If you keep tangling with him, I’ll kill him!”

“Fu Yu, you are eternally cold and ruthless. I regret ever falling in love with you…”

Before Jiang Mei could finish, Fu Yu suddenly snapped. He flipped her over, pinned her beneath him, immobilized her arms, and kissed her fiercely…

“Do you know that hearing you call him ‘Brother Gu’ over and over makes me want to kill him right now?! And you even tried to please me for his sake, got me drunk, and stole my token to go see him! Jiang Mei, you are mine. Your entire life can only belong to me, and I will not let you go!”

Fu Yu pressed against her soft lips as he spoke. His anger surged like a tide, jealousy and hatred gnawing at his heart as if a thousand insects were biting him. He had endured it for a very long time.

Jiang Mei struggled, the pain causing her to cry out involuntarily. Taking it as an invitation, Fu Yu pressed against the side of her face, his breathing rough yet steady against her ear.

His eyes were wicked, profound, like the deepest parts of the ocean, tinged with a bloodthirsty coldness.

He knew she had a wound on her chest and tried his best not to touch it, yet he tore away all the clothing covering her chest…

His lips descended, covering her neck overwhelmingly—brutal, ferocious, like an uncontrollable beast.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Jiang Mei finally managed to speak: “Fu Yu, you bastard!”

He stopped, staring blankly at her. In his eyes, she saw jealousy, longing, loss, hesitation, sorrow…

And even love—so much love…

Jiang Mei was taken aback. “What’s wrong with you?”

Fu Yu closed his eyes, and Jiang Mei felt a sharp, intense pain. As if he had suddenly become a different person, he invaded her body without a shred of pity.

Jiang Mei was helpless and despairing. With her neck held tight, she couldn’t make a sound.

The wound on her chest hadn’t healed yet. Her violent struggles tore the wound open, and blood seeped out. Fu Yu felt his own heart was just as ruined as her wound…

The winter night was freezing cold.

After calming down, Fu Yu sat up, looked into Jiang Mei’s eyes, and covered her with the quilt.

“Release Gu Ming, and I will return to your side. Otherwise, I will not live another day,” Jiang Mei said in a low voice, tears flowing down her face.

Fu Yu left her and slowly walked out.

Gu Ming could not be kept. Releasing him meant letting a tiger back into the mountains; keeping him here only added to his troubles. The only solution was to make him disappear.

Jiang Mei began a hunger strike. She had no other way to fight Fu Yu, so she could only torture herself.

She didn’t eat anything the entire next day. That night, hearing chaotic noises and disorganized gunfire from the front courtyard, Jiang Mei sat up. Having not eaten, she felt weak.

“What happened now?” she asked Xiao Ju, who was outside the door.

“I don’t know. The guards won’t let anyone out. They said bandits have come…”

Jiang Mei knew it was Gu Ming’s men. Surprisingly, she felt a wave of relief.

A sleepless night.

Just as the sky began to lighten, Fu Yu arrived. His face was pale, and the dark stubble on his jaw couldn’t mask his imposing, heroic aura.

“You got your wish. Gu Ming escaped.” He slumped heavily into a rosewood chair, spreading his legs and leaning his head back. It seemed he hadn’t slept all night.

Jiang Mei let out a breath of relief without any attempt to hide it.

For the next two days, a heavy snowstorm raged. Amidst the piercing, howling wind, the clashing of iron hooves could faintly be heard.

Zijun Villa was exceptionally quiet.

Wearing a thick apricot woolen coat and holding a small hand warmer, Jiang Mei stepped outside. Xiao Ju followed her.

Jiang Mei caught the falling snowflakes in her hand, watching them land on her palm and melt away. The distant sky was a hazy gray, just like her mood.

“Miss, it looks like there’s going to be a war,” Xiao Ju said.

Jiang Mei stopped walking.

She was surprised to discover that in the entirety of Zijun Villa, there were only her, Xiao Ju, and a few guards standing outside the gates.

She looked up at the roofs and over the walls—shadowy figures were moving about.

Jiang Mei smiled tragically. “Xiao Ju, if there is a next life, I want to be a man too!”

“But I think being a woman is quite nice. You don’t have to fight wars everywhere; you just need to wait patiently,” said the fifteen-year-old Xiao Ju.

“That’s true. Having someone to wait for is also a kind of happiness. You should leave, it’s not safe here.”

“I’m not leaving. The Eldest Young Master ordered me to stay by the Miss’s side at all times.”

The heavy snow fell for two days, swirling thickly and piling up without melting, burying all the loves, hates, passions, enmities, and the memories of the past.

On the third day, the snow still hadn’t stopped.

Dense gunfire echoed from the distance. In this chaotic era, Jiang Mei had grown accustomed to the sound, yet it still made her tremble with fear.

“Boss, Gu Ming is attacking us from both the front and rear. Our men just went through a major battle and haven’t regrouped yet. If this continues…” Zhan Yong furrowed his brow, whispering to Fu Yu.

“Gu Ming just wants that woman! Boss, this world is made of men and women. For one woman…” Before Jiang Yuanqi could finish, he caught Fu Yu’s icy glare and abruptly shut his mouth.

“Don’t be angry, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that my, Jiang Yuanqi’s, women are usually used as gifts, so I don’t understand…”

Dressed in a light gray military uniform, Fu Yu pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze cold.

“Gu Ming is far more powerful than we imagined,” Liu Hao said. He had never underestimated Gu Ming; he was no ordinary bandit.

He understood strategy, knew how to lead troops, and was very protective of the commoners at the foot of Shiyang Mountain. Though branded as bandits, they simply refused to be governed by the government.

Jiang Mei tucked the pistol Gu Ming had given her into her waistband and slipped a small dagger into her boot. She changed into a practical, padded cotton jacket.

She asked Xiao Ju to go to the kitchen and make her a bowl of soup, saying she was craving it.

As soon as Xiao Ju left, she set fire to Yun Courtyard. The flames roared, and thick smoke billowed. Hiding in the rockery behind the courtyard, she heard Xiao Ju crying loudly and saw more and more people gathering.

The previously empty estate was now swarming with soldiers. Jiang Mei didn’t know where they had all come from; she only knew she no longer wanted to be bait. She had to leave this place.

The fire was fierce; no one could enter.

*If everyone thinks I’m dead, will no one ever use me as bait again?*

However, things didn’t go as she imagined.

She actually saw Gu Ming. He stood among the soldiers, his brows tightly furrowed. Jiang Mei recognized him instantly.

When did he sneak in? By himself? How dangerous must that be?

She also saw Fu Yu, galloping over on a horse. As his furious gaze swept the area, the soldiers fought the fire with even greater panic.

As the fire gradually died down, someone rushed in, and Fu Yu shoved past the crowd to rush in as well.

No one found Jiang Mei’s body.

The fire was finally extinguished. Only half of Yun Courtyard remained, the area littered with fallen, blackened wooden beams.

Thick smoke continued to billow.

With ashes smeared across his face, Fu Yu stood there, his eyes slightly narrowed.

He finally spotted Gu Ming.

The two men drew their guns simultaneously.

Trembling, Jiang Mei had thought that by burning Yun Courtyard and making them think she was dead, they would put an end to all this.

Gu Ming was still alone. Fu Yu’s men surrounded him layer by layer.

Jiang Mei stepped out of the rockery, pressing her gun against her own temple.

She slowly walked forward.

“Fu Yu, let Brother Gu go, and I promise to be with you!”

“Xiao Mei, you’re alive?” Gu Ming’s voice was filled with pleasant surprise. Seeing this inexplicable massive fire, he actually knew it was Jiang Mei’s doing. He also figured she wouldn’t let herself burn to death, but not seeing her had kept his heart uneasy.

“Brother Gu, why did you come back! Do you really have a death wish?” Jiang Mei sighed.

Fu Yu’s face was icy. With a gentle flick of his wrist, Jiang Mei felt a sharp pain, and the small gun dropped to the ground.

Fu Yu bent down and pulled her into his arms.

“You’ve learned how to threaten me?” He held her tightly, his cold breath brushing the top of her head.

“Since things have come to this, how could I possibly let him go! You, I will keep; him, I cannot spare!”

“Fu Yu, I hate you!” Jiang Mei felt a profound sorrow. Gu Ming was her only remaining family.

“Jiang Mei, I am your man! Gu Ming harbors ulterior motives and has always coveted you. How could I let him live?” Fu Yu’s voice was cold, his face twisted with malice.

“Gu Ming, you managed to escape last time, yet you came back. Should I call you deeply devoted, or just plain stupid!” Fu Yu smiled, a chilling edge to his grin.

Holding Jiang Mei and using her as a shield, he rested his gun on her shoulder and aimed at Gu Ming.

Bang! Jiang Mei’s ears rang. Gu Ming ducked, but he was still hit, blood spraying from his left shoulder.

Gu Ming didn’t return fire, as Jiang Mei was shielding Fu Yu.

Bang! Fu Yu fired again, hitting Gu Ming in the right leg. Gu Ming stumbled but remained standing.

Jiang Mei gritted her teeth, her heart shattering!

She secretly drew the dagger from her boot and plunged it viciously into Fu Yu!

She didn’t know where she had stabbed him; in that moment, she only wanted to save Gu Ming.

Fu Yu felt a sudden coldness, and blood slowly began to flow. Startled, he looked down at Jiang Mei.

The small dagger was buried deep in his chest. Blood gushed out, staining the white snow red. He slowly slid down from behind her, kneeling on the ground.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events; even the usually quick-witted Liu Hao stood frozen on the spot.

Like a fool, Jiang Mei reached out her arms to embrace him, carefully resting his face in the crook of her arm, tears streaming down her face.

She had just stabbed him blindly, yet he had actually fallen? Wasn’t he Fu Yu, the invincible, arrogant Fu Yu?

She saw that he was actually smiling. It was a gentle, clean smile, devoid of any malice. He looked at her, his eyes filled with so much sorrow, so much regret…

“You… you finally wanted my life. Good, I owed you anyway, giving my life to you is worth it… Liu Hao, let them… let them go, go…”

Large tears rolled down Jiang Mei’s face, landing on Fu Yu’s cheek. She pressed her hand over his wound. “Quick, help!”

Fu Yu grasped her hand. “The rest of your life is still long, forget me.” His eyes were filled with profound reluctance to part.

Furious, Jiang Yuanqi roared and aimed a machine gun at Gu Ming. “No! We can’t let him go!”

“Everyone step aside!” A furious roar echoed from behind, as Da Qing walked over, holding Fu Yu’s mother hostage.

“Step aside, let them go!” Liu Hao pushed Jiang Yuanqi’s gun down.

Limping but with a smile on his face, Gu Ming vaulted onto the horse Da Qing provided, pulled the utterly dazed Jiang Mei up with him, turned, and vanished…

Fu Yu watched her silhouette gradually disappear, as if seeing her clear, fair, devastatingly beautiful face—the face that had finally caused his downfall…

This was fine too.

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