Finest Servant

Chapter 290 Falling Into the Water

At some unknown point, a light rain had begun to patter down. Walking on the main street under the gloomy sky, the biting chill of early spring pierced through one's bones, causing cheeks to sting with cold. Countless households lit their lamps, casting a faint mist in the drizzling rain, as if they were flowers blooming underwater, indistinct, hard to discern. Several oil-paper umbrellas, held aloft, moved slowly. People's faces were obscured, only the canopy of umbrellas, like a swath of clouds, could be seen progressing through the darkness.

Lin Wanrong stood on this cold street, looking around, yet all he saw was an endless mist of rainwater. He didn't know where to start searching for Xiao Yuruo.

He had experienced such a search before. Last time, in Hangzhou, when the Eldest Miss was looking for the solution to her destined marriage divination, she had waited a whole day in Lingyin Temple [TL: Temple of the Hidden Spirits]. No one could match her piety, yet it was this dedication that led her into a deadlock. Fortunately, Lin Wanrong was quick-witted enough to solve the divination riddle, only then was the Eldest Miss able to set her mind at ease. Now, reflecting on the marriage divination, it seemed to have been specifically written for them. The cryptic divination had somehow become reality. Could it be that fate was at play?

Lin Wanrong sighed, feeling an increasing worry. Having spent a long time with Eldest Miss, he had come to understand her temperament deeply. This young lady was stubborn and resolute, never easily bowing her head. Now, having left in anger, in this unfamiliar capital city, who could assure what actions she might take under the weight of her sorrow and disappointment?

If something were to happen to the Eldest Miss, how could he face Yushuang and Madam Xiao?

He thought for a moment, his mind then shifted to An Biru. This wily fox, it was clear she came only to stir up trouble. She came in, caused havoc, and didn't even bother to close the door on her way out, wasn't she just giving the Eldest Miss a perfect opportunity to run? Dammit, if it weren't for the fact that she was Xian'er's master, he would have shot her down long ago.

"Uncle, have you seen a young lady about this tall, wearing a lotus-colored dress, and very beautiful, pass by here? Oh, she looks very well-matched with me—" He glanced around, truly uncertain of which direction to take, and in his desperation, he grabbed a passerby, a man in his fifties, to ask.

"Nuts! Plenty of women who match you can be found in the brothel ahead!" The old man gave him a glance and said disdainfully.

‘Damn, are all the people in the capital this arrogant?’ He raised a middle finger to the receding figure of the man, and then asked several more people, but either received no answer or met with a cold shoulder.

Strangely enough, he usually joked and quarreled with the Eldest Miss. There were many times when they didn't get along, but now that she had run away, he felt as if something was missing. Dammit, this must be the universal fault of men—being fickle!

The rain showed no sign of stopping, and the air became colder and colder. Considering the cold reception he had received while inquiring about one person in the vicinity, he couldn't help but worry about the Eldest Miss, a helpless woman alone in this night, and moreover in a state of heartbreak. What if she encountered some evil person? What then?

"Eldest Miss, Xiao Yuruo, where are you—" Overwhelmed by anxiety, he disregarded the strange glances of the onlookers. He cupped his hands around his mouth and began calling out loudly as he walked.

By the end of the street, his throat was raw, but the number of pedestrians had dwindled, and the surroundings were desolate. Where could he see Eldest Miss's figure? He wiped the rain off his face, the feeling of desperation intensifying within him. This road led to Jinghua Academy, the only place in the capital where Eldest Miss, a stranger with no relatives, had any connections—it was with the Second Miss in the academy. Left with no other choice, he decided to head there. If worst came to worst, he could ask Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan for help, mobilize their tens of thousands of soldiers, and turn the capital upside down until they found the Eldest Miss.

He had just walked this road not long ago and did not expect to return so quickly. He gave a bitter smile at the thought. He saw the foggy rain over the misty lake, void of any human figures, and without further delay, he was about to enter the academy from the main gate when he heard a splash from the lake, like the sound of something falling into the water.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked toward the source of the sound. Under the distant flickering lights, he made out the scene, and his mind went blank.

There, on the water surface near the shore, ripples were gradually spreading out. Floating on the water was a woman's long hair, bobbing with the waves.

"Eldest Miss—" He yelled, feeling as though his heart had been ripped apart. With tears in his eyes, he ran to the lake, not bothering to remove his clothes, and dived into the icy water.

The freezing lake water stung his skin, but his heart felt colder. He swam towards the floating hair while shouting, "Eldest Miss, Eldest Miss, where are you, you can't die—"

He was already a swift swimmer, and under this urgency, he swam even faster. In a few strokes, he reached the spot where the hair was floating. He reached out and grabbed at the water below but felt nothing. The water was empty. There was no trace of Miss. He hurriedly pulled up the clump of hair. It was light to the touch. Upon closer examination, it was nothing but a tangled ball of thread.

He was stunned for a moment. A cold wind blew, and he realized that he was drenched, his body icy cold. Who the hell was it, throwing a ball of thread into the water in the middle of the night for fun? He thought resentfully, yet there was also a touch of sadness. He murmured, "Silly girl, where are you?"

He was about to swim back to the shore when a thought struck him. This was clearly someone who had tied a stone to a ball of thread and thrown it into the water. But where was that person? Who had done it?

Frustrated, he wiped the water droplets off his face and paddled a few strokes in the water. He yelled, "Eldest Miss, I know you're here. Please come out. Things are not as you imagine. Please come out—"

He yelled several times, but the forest by the shore was utterly quiet. The only sound was the patter of the drizzling rain falling on the leaves. There wasn't a single figure in sight.

"Damn it, this is absurd! Where am I supposed to find the Eldest Miss now?" He shook his head in disappointment and began to swim towards the shore. As he neared the bank, before he could even stand up, a petite figure suddenly rushed towards him, brandishing a dry branch, and crying, "I'll kill you, you bully, you terrible person—"

The tree branch stung as it hit his head, but upon hearing her voice, he felt as though he were listening to the music of heaven. His heart bloomed with joy, barely noticing the pain. Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "Eldest Miss, you're really here."

Upon hearing him, Xiao Yuruo burst into tears, pushing him forcefully back into the water, sobbing, "Get away, get away, I don't want to see you, I hate you—"

Seeing her emotional turmoil, Lin Wanrong felt a twinge of guilt. He didn't argue, but swam a good distance away, floating in the water, and asked, "Eldest Miss, can I speak to you from here?"

The Eldest Miss covered her mouth, tears falling like rain, and squatted on the ground, too overwhelmed to speak.

Thinking back on their history, from the first time they met when she wanted to punish him, to later events like underwear development, perfume making, standing by each other in the White Lotus Cult, cleverly resolving their marital fate by the Su Causeway, comforting him softly when he went to the army... all these experiences flashed across Lin Wanrong's mind like a film — this girl really treated him well!

He sighed. His usually eloquent self didn't know what to say, seeing Xiao Yuruo crying so sorrowfully. Unsure how to comfort her, he said, "Eldest Miss, stop crying, I, I'm a little cold."

Remembering their experiences together, Xiao Yuruo felt as if she had been bewitched, step by step she fell into a trap she could not escape from. Hearing him speak, she wanted to laugh but found herself crying bitterly instead, "I wish you would freeze to death, I don't want to live either—"

Lin Wanrong mournfully replied, "There's no need for anything as troublesome as freezing to death. I can just die right now."

With that, he began to sink into the water like a stone tied with weights. His chin, nose, forehead disappeared one by one, until even the last strand of hair was no longer visible.

"Then go die!" The Eldest Miss, in her anger, picked up a small stone and threw it into the lake, causing a splash which slowly overlapped with the spot where Lin Wanrong had vanished, eventually disappearing.

Xiao Yuruo saw no sign of him and didn't bother looking, sobbing a few times. Her sense of grievance seemed to lessen and her mood calmed slightly. Suddenly, she felt something was wrong.

The drizzle on the lake made it as still as a mirror, not even a ripple disturbing its surface. Lin Wanrong's figure, like the moistening spring rain, had sunk into the water and disappeared.

A wave of panic swept over the Eldest Miss. Thinking about his usual behavior, something seemed different today. Could it be that her words had truly upset him, and he had— She didn't dare continue the thought. She stopped crying and called out tremulously, "Hey—"

The lake was serene, with not a sound to be heard. Her voice, gentle as the spring rain, fell back into her own ears, unadulterated by any noise.

"Hey, where are you—" Her heart fluttered in confusion, her voice raised a little, calling out delicately. The lake was peaceful, the sound of the drizzle falling into her ears, so palpable.

As time continued to pass, she suddenly felt frantic. She called out loudly in urgency, "Lin San, Lin San, where are you? If you don't come out, I'll never speak to you again—come out now!"

The surface of the water remained eerily quiet, with only her own breathing audible. Her face instantly turned as white as a sheet. Her vibrant red lips trembled slightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sobbing, she cried, "Lin San, you fool, you fool. I hate you. If you die, I won't live either—"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she closed her eyes and jumped from the shore into the lake.

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