Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 100: “I’m Waiting For The Day He Regrets It.”

　　An Jiu slept straight through until Ming Yi wrapped up the banquet, saw off the guests, and pushed open the door to the bridal chamber.

　　Since he was standing in for his father at the wedding, Ming Yi only needed to lift the bridal veil. The rest, like the traditional wine ceremony, was skipped — it would’ve been too much.

　　The young heir had downed glass after glass of wine. It hadn’t even been his wedding, but with each drink, it felt more and more like it was. Maybe the alcohol had gone to his head, but in his hazy state, he started believing he was truly the groom.

　　He had gone through all the motions. He was the one who brought the bride home, the one who walked her into the bridal chamber, and now, he was the one coming to lift her veil and see her face painted in bridal makeup.

　　Just thinking about it made his heart race. So he drank one more cup, then another.

　　And that’s how he ended up truly drunk.

　　Drunk enough to be bold. Drunk enough to want to do something.

　　Ming Yi had thought about it before. This marriage between Miss An and his father was nothing but a political arrangement. So why couldn’t Miss An marry him instead?

　　His father had not returned for a long time, and even had him take his place in the wedding. Maybe that was his father's intention all along.

　　Miss An clearly didn’t like his father either. She even ran away once to avoid marrying him. That alone said how unwilling she was.

　　And then there were the rumors. Lately, the city had been whispering that Miss An and he had been involved long before this marriage. When he was sober, Ming Yi never dared to take it seriously. But now that he was drunk, he couldn’t help but believe it a little.

　　Maybe she really did like him. Maybe that’s why she agreed to marry into their house.

　　With that thought and a burst of courage, Ming Yi pushed open the door.

　　He thought he’d see a bride in red sitting beside the candlelit bed, waiting for him. He imagined lifting her veil and finding her shyly lowering her head, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.

　　But it was all just his imagination.

　　There were red candles in the bridal chamber, and a wedding bed too, but no bride sitting there waiting for her groom.

　　Ming Yi sobered up in an instant. His muddled head suddenly cleared as if splashed with cold water.

　　He stepped forward, only to be stopped by Ji Xiang, who had been sent out to guard the door. Seeing the change in his expression, she quickly explained, “Young Master, my lady said she was too tired from waiting and went to sleep. After all, you’re the stepson. It’s best to be mindful of your reputation. If there’s nothing urgent, maybe skip lifting the veil and go rest instead.”

　　At that point, Ming Yi finally noticed a small bump on the bright red bed, like someone was lying there. But the bed curtains had been drawn, and all he could see was a vague silhouette through the sheer fabric.

　　Scattered across the floor were dried fruits—red dates, longans, lotus seeds, peanuts—all of them seemingly shaken off the bed. They rolled everywhere around the room, with even one longan making it all the way to the doorway.

　　The courage that came from the alcohol had mostly vanished, leaving only a trace behind. Still a bit unwilling to give up, Ming Yi asked, “Isn’t this... a bit improper?”

　　Ji Xiang replied quickly, “What’s improper about this? Letting you in would be really improper!”

　　She hated those messy rumors swirling around the city. They had seriously damaged her young miss’s reputation. She even suspected that this very Young Master Ming was the one who started them. He liked her miss—that much was obvious.

　　After a pause, Ji Xiang added, “Young Master, my lady also said, she hopes you haven’t forgotten what you said.”

　　She didn’t say exactly what words her young miss was referring to, but she guessed they weren’t very pleasant.

　　Whatever it was, as soon as Ming Yi heard it, the redness on his face drained away and turned ghostly pale.

　　That one sentence knocked the last of the alcohol out of him. Completely sober now, he lifted a hand to rub his face and let out a helpless sigh. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m sorry. I overstepped just now.”

　　After speaking, he bent down and picked up the longan by his foot. With a pale face, he turned and walked out.

　　He really had been out of his mind just now. What chance did he even have? Miss An clearly liked Divine Doctor Pei. How did he ever get the idea that she liked him?

　　Bitterness swelled in his chest, but as the heir of the Ming Wang, Ming Yi still had to keep smiling. He had to smile while preparing a carriage for the woman he liked, then personally send her away... straight into the arms of his love rival, Divine Doctor Pei.

　　Ji Xiang looked curiously at the young heir’s unsteady figure and asked kindly, “Young Master, are you drunk?”

　　Ming Yi waved a hand behind him and replied, “No, I'm perfectly sober.”

　　Only this kind of soberness could let him truly taste the bitterness of heartbreak.

　　With a broken heart, Ming Yi walked away, while An Jiu—woken up by the noise from his conversation with Ji Xiang—blinked sleepily and slowly sat up in bed.

　　Hearing the sound, Ji Xiang quickly came over to help her.

　　“Miss, I noticed you were sweating while you slept, so I wiped you down a little. Would you like to take a proper bath and change into fresh clothes before resting again?” As she spoke, Ji Xiang added, “The weather really is too hot. Even with an ice jar in the room, it doesn’t help much. You’ve always been sensitive to heat. If only the wedding had been postponed a bit, at least until autumn, you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.”

　　An Jiu took the chilled tea Ji Xiang offered and downed it in one go. The dryness in her throat eased slightly.

　　She wiped her mouth and handed back the empty cup. “Another one.”

　　Ji Xiang blinked. “Miss, are you that thirsty?”

　　An Jiu nodded without a word and quickly drained another full cup.

　　She couldn’t help it. She’d been crying and sweating all day, lost a lot of fluids, and after sleeping, her throat felt like it was on fire.

　　“Get some water ready. I’m going to bathe and change.”

　　The innocent little maid simply assumed her young lady’s hair was damp from the heat and had wiped her face, neck, and arms, completely unaware that other places also needed cleaning.

　　Thinking of that, An Jiu’s expression twisted with frustration.

　　She was definitely going to remember this grudge!

　　The Prince's Mansion didn’t slack on efficiency. In no time, the tub and hot water were brought in. After shooing everyone out, An Jiu bathed herself, finally feeling refreshed.

　　Of course, she also checked herself over—there were no injuries. Pei Ji had still held back... he had only rubbed against her.

　　After changing out of the heavy ceremonial dress and into a lighter everyday outfit, An Jiu sat quietly in her room, waiting.

　　Waiting for what?

　　Not the rendezvous at the third quarter of the hour of the rat.

　　She was waiting for Ming Yi to come back.

　　Pei Ji had no idea that An Jiu had made plans with Ming Yi to leave the Prince's Mansion.

　　And with An Jiu’s personality, she wasn’t the type to become obedient just because someone threatened her. So this marriage—she was still going to run from it.

　　That was just how a proper young lady like her was. Sharp-tongued, headstrong, always ready to bite back. She was never the kind of girl who followed the rules or stayed quiet in her boudoir. She definitely wasn’t some delicate, timid thing. Most girls would’ve given up the moment they were threatened like that, but not her. She was still going to fight.

　　Even if she was as powerless as an ant, she’d never give in.

　　Time ticked by, and no one knew how long had passed before the door was finally knocked on softly.

　　It was around eleven at night.

　　In ancient times, people usually went to bed shortly after sunset, so eleven was already deep into the night. The entire Prince's Mansion was silent, and even Ji Xiang, who had insisted on staying up with her, had fallen asleep after An Jiu gently persuaded her to rest.

　　An Jiu quietly opened the door and saw Ming Yi standing outside, looking all sneaky. He kept his voice low as he whispered, “The carriage is ready. It’s by the side gate. I’ll take you there.”

　　He had come alone, without any guards, and An Jiu hadn’t planned on bringing Ji Xiang either.

　　She knew full well that running away tonight would only end in one thing—being dragged back to Qiansha Pavilion by ‘Fei Yi.’

　　So she had to go alone.

　　To avoid being spotted, the two of them moved through the estate in darkness.

　　After the wedding banquet ended, Ming Yi had given the estate guards the night off in celebration. So now, the huge estate was completely empty, save for the soft chirping of summer insects in the dark.

　　An Jiu didn’t know her way around the estate, so Ming Yi led the way.

　　Since she wasn’t sure whether Pei Ji would be waiting for her in the garden, she had specifically told Ming Yi not to go that way.

　　Thankfully, the trip was smooth and uneventful, and they soon arrived at the secluded side gate.

　　Once the gate opened, a small carriage was waiting outside, pulled by a single horse and a driver dressed in black.

　　The night was dim, but the weather was clear. Under the faint starlight, she could just make out the coachman’s plain and unremarkable face.

　　Ming Yi said softly, “I won’t go any farther. It’s a long journey from the capital to Shu county, and it might be dangerous for a young lady like you to travel alone. I’ve arranged for one of the Xuan Yi Wei guards who protect me to escort you. He’ll take you to Medicine King Valley and return once you’re safe.”

　　An Jiu didn’t refuse. She nodded and replied quietly, “Thank you.”

　　After a pause, she hesitated and asked, “If your father asks…”

　　She had already run from this marriage once. That alone had slapped Ming Wang’s face. And now, even after marrying in, she was fleeing again. That would definitely strain the cooperation between Minister An and Ming Wang.

　　Ming Yi answered, “I’ll explain it to him. I’ll say you were kidnapped by bandits.”

　　As for whether Ming Wang would believe that or not—well, that was another story.

　　An Jiu figured there wasn’t really a need for Ming Yi to explain anything. Let the alliance between Ming Wang and Minister An fall apart—serves them right. The two of them working together was a bad sign to begin with. It screamed “treacherous court official plotting rebellion” from a mile away.

　　The thought spun through her mind for a moment, but in the end, she said nothing.

　　It wasn’t her business anyway. Her own life was hanging by a thread. Who had time to worry about other people?

　　Respect others' fates. Let go of the savior complex.

　　Amen.

　　An Jiu climbed into the small carriage. To avoid drawing attention, it was built super simply—just a wooden plank for a seat. Every time it moved, the whole thing wobbled like crazy, making the ride unbearably bumpy.

　　The carriage swayed its way out of the inner city and arrived at the gates, which were already shut for the night.

　　Up front, the Xuan Yi Wei guard handed something over to the gate soldiers. After glancing at it, the guards quietly opened the gate again.

　　An Jiu lifted the curtain to peek outside. Watching the carriage slowly roll through the gate and disappear into the depths of night, she finally felt a little more at ease.

　　Her tense body relaxed a bit. She leaned back against the carriage wall and poked the system. “System, show me what Pei Ji’s doing right now.”

　　The next second, a projection screen lit up in front of her. Since it was nighttime, the system helpfully added a soft night-glow filter to make it easier to see.

　　In the image, the prince’s garden was quiet and still. The man stood under a plum tree, tall and graceful like a jade sculpture carved from moonlight and bamboo.

　　He had absolutely no idea that An Jiu was already gone.

　　Seeing him stand there so clueless, waiting, An Jiu couldn’t help but press her lips together to stifle a laugh. Her eyes curved with amusement.

　　Wait all you want. He could stand there till morning and still not see her.

　　Just then, the system asked,【Host, since you’re already prepared to be dragged back eventually, why bother doing all this?】

　　The system really couldn’t make sense of most of An Jiu’s actions.

Like this whole escape plan—it just felt unnecessary.

　　She was going to be caught and brought back anyway, and the host already knew that. All she had to do was go with him quietly, and everything would’ve been fine. But no, An Jiu just had to pull a stunt like this.

　　The system could already predict what would happen. Once the target found out, the host would get ruthlessly punished again. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble? Bringing suffering on herself?

　　Hearing the system’s question, a faint smile appeared on An Jiu’s lips as she replied inwardly, “This isn’t some pointless move. Don’t just look at the surface—look at what it leads to in the end.”

　　“Sure, running away won’t work. But Pei Ji will be furious, and his anger will make him lose control and treat me even more harshly. Once he falls completely in love with me, everything he did before will become a blade turned against himself.”

　　“The way he treats me now will become the regret that shreds him apart later.”

　　“I’m waiting for the day he regrets it all.”

　　As those thoughts settled in her heart, the girl’s pitch-black eyes shimmered with quiet clarity in the thick night.

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T/N: OMG, Chapter 100!!! 🎉 Can y’all believe we’ve made it this far? I deserve a medal. Or cake. Or at least a week in a Pei Ji-free zone. 😂

Sorry, no bonus chapter today. Why? Because Chapters 98 and 99 nearly fried my brain. 💀 Half of it was smut, and I had to translate it like I was defusing a bomb — one sentence at a time, breath held, soul halfway to the astral plane.

Do you know how hard it is to stay emotionally stable when red dates are being used like that? 😩💢 I still have minor PTSD, thank you very much. 😭

So yeah. No extras today. I'm emotionally limping through life now. Haha. 🤣

　 

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