Chapter 61: The Problem
Anning stared at Gu Ruiqing, the gears in her head spinning. The more the woman talked, the less sense her words meant.
At first, Anning had told herself receiving threats like this were normal, maybe even a few insults and another blow to the head. But here she was, chained to a pillar while this woman...
This woman poured out stories about her crushed family dreams, lost children and Wanqing.
It was all too much. She found it simply exhausting.
She did feel a pang of sympathy for her, losing a child sounded like a nightmare she didn’t want to imagine. But she didn’t want any part of this weighing on her.
She was already stuck here, her life back home was gone. Her boyfriend, soon to be finacè might have already moved on.
"Just let me go," Anning said, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
Gu Ruiqing froze, staring at her with narrowed eyes.
Anning swallowed hard and forced herself to say, "I don’t know what you want from me. But if you keep dumping all this on me, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with it."
The older woman’s face darkened like a storm was rolling in. Then she stepped forward and grabbed Anning’s forearm, fingers digging into her skin. "You have to leave my daughter alone."
She shook her head, her head shaking from side to side. "You both cannot be in love, I won’t allow it."
Anning tried to shove her off, as much as the chains allowed. As her body moved, her stomach churned in discomfort. The headache from earlier seemed to be getting worse with each jolt.
"Stop..." She gasped, biting on the inside of her cheek.
But Ruiqing didn’t, "You need to go. You don’t deserve this life."
"Can you stop shaking me?!"
The scream tore out of Anning’s throat, the desperation in her words was hard to miss. Ruiqing finally stopped, her grip loosening.
For a split second, real horror flickered across her face. Her eyes grew wider, lips parted as she took a step back.
Then her expression turned back into that cold, controlled mask, like whatever she had done... didn’t just happen.
Anning sucked in shaky breaths, trying to settle her churning stomach. Her wrists burned as the chains had rubbed them raw.
When she finally lifted her head, her voice came out low but firm. "I’m not leaving."
Gu Ruiqing calmly stared at her.
"Maybe my attitude caused problems. Maybe I even got Wanqing hurt, but I’d rather stay here and help take care of her than run away like some coward." Anning said, her words tasting bitter.
Then she stared at Gu Ruiqing in the eyes without flinching, "Well, unless she tells me to leave herself."
Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. The expression Ruiqing had on her face was something Anning couldn’t quite read.
Then her head snapped toward the door, brows pulling together.
"What?" Anning found herself asking.
"Who’s out there?" Ruiqing demanded, completely ignoring her.
Anning frowned, staring at the door but she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The door was still closed and the room quiet except from the sound of their breathing.
’Was this woman finally cracking?’ She wondered.
Before Wanqing could ask, Ruiqing shot her a sharp glare. "You will regret everything turning down my offer."
"What offer?" Anning shot back, frustration bubbling in her. "The one you thought it was okay to discuss after kidnapping me?"
Gu Ruiqing pressed her lips into a thin line. "Sooner or later, someone else will get rid of you."
The certainty in her voice sent a chill down Anning’s spine.
The older woman moved quickly then, crossing the room and retrieving her outer robe. She slipped it over her shoulders slowly, as if nothing unusual had happened.
And right on cue, the door slid open.
Anning’s eyes widened as five guys walked into the room. Han Luo led them in, his posture straight and alert.
Relief washed over Anning so strongly that her knees nearly buckled. For the first time since waking up in chains, she felt like she could breathe again.
Gu Ruiqing, on the other hand, looked utterly unimpressed. "What poor manners," she said, voice dripping with disdain. "Entering a lady’s chamber without knocking?"
The guard bowed low and then said in unison, "Our apologies, Madam Gu."
Han Luo’s gaze flickered briefly to Anning, who raised a brow at him. He looked away quickly, pressing his lips into a thin line
"Hello to you too." Anning muttered.
Han Luo ignored her and turned to Ruiqing, "Young Mistress Wanqing had requested that her slave be returned to her immediately."
Ruiqing glanced at Anning, one corner of her lips curving into an almost amused smile. "We were merely chatting."
Anning nearly choked at her words. "One doesn’t usually chain someone to a pillar for a friendly conversation."
Han Luo closed his eyes for a second, looking like he would prefer just to leave Anning here. One of the younger guards looked shocked by what Anning just said.
Ruiqing waved a hand dismissively, her smile dropping. "You may take her. I have no use for such an insolent slave."
She drew the keys at Han Luo, who caught it immediately, then she turned and disappeared into a side room. She didn’t even bother looking back once.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.
Han Luo approached Anning and unlocked the chains around her. First her wrist, then her ankles.
When he was finally done, the sudden freedom felt strange to Anning, her arms felt still. She rubbed the red marks on her wrists, wincing.
Han Luo sighed as he looked at them. "You truly need to stop getting yourself into trouble."
Anning felt irritated instantly, "There it is again."
"What?"
"That thing everyone keeps saying to me." She said, pointing to herself. "I literally did nothing wrong and I was still kidnapped!"
Han Luo pinched the bridge of his nose and said softly, "That’s not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean?" Anning demanded, her voice rising.
His expression turned into one of frustration. "Every time something happens, the young miss ends up cleaning up YOUR mess."
Anning ran a hand through her hair then said, "I never asked her to protect or clean up the mess. I never asked for this."
Han Luo stared at her for a long time, shook his head before turning around. "That’s the problem."
