C10 Chapter 10
Backed into a corner, with Yunhua no match for Chu Jiuge, and unwilling to let his family be humiliated, Xiao Jing'an had only one choice...
“You win!” Xiao Jing'an forced the words out, eyes shut tight, each one sounding like it was squeezed through clenched teeth. “Miss Chu, I’m sorry. I was out of line today, and what I said earlier was wrong too. I hope you can be the bigger person and not hold it against me.”
For Xiao Jing'an, saying the words “I’m sorry” was worse than death, but...
Chu Jiuge’s threat scared him even more. Weighing the lesser of two evils, he had no choice but to apologize.
“If you’d done that from the start, none of this would’ve happened.” Chu Jiuge didn’t stand in awe of powerful families, but she knew how much influence they had. She had no interest in making enemies of them. She just wanted to protect herself.
The moment Xiao Jing'an apologized, Chu Jiuge let go. “Young Master Xiao, remem—”
“Seize her!” The second Xiao Jing'an was free, Yuen Yunhua shouted the order to the officers nearby. The officers froze for a beat, then immediately rushed forward with their weapons to grab Chu Jiuge.
“Xiao Jing'an, you broke your word.” Chu Jiuge’s face changed, and she quickly dodged out of the way.
She had assumed people from powerful families were proud and valued their word. No matter what they were really like behind closed doors, they always acted with the polished honor of gentlemen in public. She never expected someone to agree to something and then take it back the very next second.
She’d been too confident.
“Don’t worry, Miss Chu. My family won’t cause you any trouble. As for anyone else, that’s out of my hands.” Xiao Jing'an rubbed his neck, a sly smile curling on his lips.
Trying to outplay him?
Chu Jiuge was still too green for that.
If they didn’t teach Chu Jiuge a lesson today, people would start thinking the Xiao family was easy to push around.
“Fine. My loss.” She had clearly been played, but she had no one to blame but herself for being naive.
Chu Jiuge said nothing more. More and more officers closed in. With her quick, nimble movements, she barely managed to avoid them, but she couldn’t break through their encirclement.
Chu Jiuge wanted to make a move several times, but forced herself to hold back. These were government officers. She didn’t dare act recklessly.
As the officers’ attacks grew fiercer, Chu Jiuge dodged more and more frantically, anger rising in her chest. “Yuen Yunhua almost scratched my face to pieces just now, and where were you then? But now you’re taking orders from her to arrest me? Are you officers of the law, or just lapdogs for powerful families?”
“You offended Miss Yuen and Young Master Xiao. You deserve to die,” one officer snarled, malice written all over his face as the spear in his hand sliced past Chu Jiuge’s arm.
Chu Jiuge felt a sharp sting in her arm. She turned to look and saw a strip of skin had been torn away.
“Miss Chu, stop resisting and surrender. Otherwise, if we accidentally kill you, your death will be for nothing,” the officer threatened. His spear kept thrusting at her, every strike aimed at a vital spot.
The more Chu Jiuge dodged, the more disheveled she became. By now, her body was covered in scrapes and cuts.
The townspeople standing nearby didn’t say a word. Not one of them stepped forward. Since Chu Jiuge and the others were blocking the road, they simply stood off to the side, acting as if they saw nothing at all.
Seriously, this eldest daughter of the Chu family had publicly taken Young Master Xiao hostage. It was already merciful enough that the Xiao family hadn’t flayed her alive. What more could anyone expect?
The man in white who had come down from the teahouse glanced at Chu Jiuge, surrounded and driven back in a miserable scramble by the officers. Then he looked up at the teahouse not far away, let out a soft laugh, and then...
He grabbed a white-haired old man and walked off.
As for whether Chu Jiuge lived or died?
Come on—her own future husband wasn’t bothering to help. Why should some random passerby care?
