DTTM 55

Chapter 55: Revolution for the Wo people

“…Man?”

“Jiang Man…”

I struggled to wake up. In my still blurry vision, the overhead light was blindingly bright, its orange-yellow glow uncomfortable. I squinted, and the next second, the light was blocked. Zong Yanlei’s head appeared above me.

“Awake?” He reached out and gently caressed my eye with his thumb, asking softly, “Had a nightmare? Or does your eyes hurt?”

I blinked to see his expression more clearly, but my vision was veiled by something. It slid from the corner of my eye, hot and wet.

Zong Yanlei clicked his tongue, bent down, and touched my forehead.

“You don’t have a fever,” he said after a while. He sat up straight, his voice tinged with confusion, “What exactly is wrong with you…”

Before he could finish speaking, I reached out, hooked my arm around his neck, and pulled him down slightly.

His body was forced forward, and I took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms.

“I had a nightmare…” I buried my face in his neck, rubbing against him repeatedly, and replied in a hoarse voice, “It’s nothing.”

Zong Yanlei turned his face to the side, pressed his lips to mine, and gently kissed away the tears that had welled up in the corners of my eyes. His breath fell on my skin, bringing a cool sensation.

“What nightmare made you cry like this?”

“…I forgot.” I tightened my arms and pulled him closer to me.

We didn’t get out of bed until the tear stains had completely dried.

My eyes still couldn’t fully focus, but it was much better than yesterday, and I believed they would be fully recovered after another night.

While washing up, Zong Yanlei told me that Mr. Wen Nan, the treasurer who served the Crown Prince, was also present at the banquet last night. Although he spent most of his time in Baiyujing, he was actually a native of Zengcheng. His return home this time was solely to preside over the engagement banquet of his youngest daughter and the son of the mayor of Zengcheng.

His youngest daughter was no ordinary woman either. Born into a prestigious family, she was beautiful and intelligent, a renowned talent and model of elegance in Zengcheng’s high society. The track design for this Zengcheng leg of the race was her own creation.

Last night, Wen Nan personally invited the four members of the Sun God Racing Team to stay today for his daughter’s engagement banquet. Out of politeness, Zong Yanlei agreed. Therefore, we will remain in Zengcheng today until after the engagement banquet before returning to Baiyujing.

“Understood.” I picked up a clean, soft towel to wipe the water droplets from my face, and turned to go back to my side, but Zong Yanlei grabbed my waist and pulled me back.

He had a toothbrush in his mouth, didn’t say anything, and wouldn’t let me leave. He just watched me passively, letting me figure out the most appropriate course of action in this situation on my own.

I thought for a moment, then tentatively leaned in and kissed his cheek: “I’ll go wake the children up first.”

The arm around my waist loosened as if it had been unlocked with the correct combination.

“Go ahead,” he mumbled, his hand rising to pat the top of my head. As he finished, his fingertips traced the back of my neck, leaving a few distinct tingling sensations on my skin.

I trembled, endured the sensation as I passed through the hidden door, and then raised my arm to cover the burning back of my neck.

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Feeling that the engagement banquet was a complicated occasion with many unfamiliar faces, and that there might be security risks, Zong Yanlei ultimately decided not to let Zong Yinzhuo attend. In the afternoon, he had Aunt Chun take the child and go back to Baiyujing with Xu Chengye and the others.

When it was time to say goodbye, the two children cried their hearts out. Especially Wei Jiarui, whose chubby little face turned bright red, and his cries were urgent and loud. I was worried that he might not be able to breathe.

“Daddy, I want to go with you… Waaah, I don’t want to be separated from Xiao Mitang…”

“Daddy, please buy Rui Rui home… hic, I want to play with him forever…”

I held one child and gently coaxed him, while Zong Yanlei held the other one and patiently comforted him.

The two children cried for a long time before their emotions gradually calmed down. Finally, probably because they were tired, they simply leaned on our shoulders and fell asleep.

Wei Bao and Aunt Chun had been waiting nearby for a long time. Seeing that the time was right, they quickly took the children from our arms. Only then were the two children finally separated.

“Then Rui Rui and I will be leaving now. Take care of yourself.”

I escorted Wei Bao to the elevator: “Okay, you too.”

Further down was the public area, where we might encounter reporters, so it was really inconvenient for me to continue accompanying them.

Wei Bao nodded, hesitated for a moment, glanced around the empty corridor, and said in a low voice, “If that lunatic bullies you again, just tell me, and I’ll beat him up for you.”

I paused, looking at him with some surprise, trying to discern the meaning behind his words from his expression. However, Wei Bao quickly looked away, and at the same time, the elevator doors opened with a “ding”.

“I’m leaving, see you next time.” He carried Rui Rui into the elevator, and the doors slowly closed. I had no choice but to swallow back all my doubts.

In the afternoon, Zong Yanlei was, as always, tied up with meetings, his schedule full. I, on the other hand, was asked to accompany Yi You and Tan Yunmei shopping, acting as their temporary guide.

Although Xu Chengye and his men left, most of the bodyguards stayed behind. There were five of them who came with us this time.

The mall was bustling with people. The bodyguards were all dressed casually, wearing masks and hats, trying to keep a low profile. But the five of them were so tall and strong that they attracted attention. Even without wearing black suits, just surrounding us, they drew frequent glances from passersby.

Tan Yunmei went to try on clothes, and I took the opportunity to go to the restroom, but two bodyguards insisted on following me.

I felt they were being a bit too tense, so I couldn’t help but whisper, “Isn’t this a bit much? This is a shopping mall; there shouldn’t be any danger here.”

The two exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and then retreated to a spot a little further away from the restroom instead of going in with me.

The bathroom was empty except for the sound of running water. As I washed my hands, I looked up and saw a young man who had just walked in reflected in the mirror. Because my eyesight hadn’t fully recovered, I could only barely make out that he had a wheatish complexion, and was a rather handsome Wo man.

He came in but didn’t go inside to relieve himself. He just stood silently behind me, watching me furtively.

I pulled out a tissue to wipe my hands, my fingertips unconsciously tensing, my eyes constantly fixed on him.

I hope I don’t actually run into someone who’s not afraid of death.

The young man behind me suddenly reached into his shirt pocket.

I was prepared. I grabbed a decorative vase from beside the sink, turned around to threw it at him. The vase whistled through the air, about to hit his head…

“Mr. Jiang, please help me!”

The young man suddenly pulled a letter out of his pocket, then lunged forward and knelt down right in front of me.

The vase flew right next to his forehead. A gentle breeze ruffled a few strands of his hair, but he didn’t blink, his face showing no fear.

“Please help me, please deliver this letter to Miss Wen Fu!” He knelt down, raised his hands to me, and his voice trembled with nervousness.

“…”

I looked down at him, then glanced at the crumpled letter he had been clutching, my heart still pounding in my chest.

This development took me by surprise.

The young man said his name was Mu Ke, he was 22 years old, and he originally worked as a servant in the Wen family. He had grown up with Miss Wen Fu since childhood. The two were close in age and spent every day together, so their feelings for each other quietly took root.

Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived. Six months ago, Miss Wen’s mother discovered their affair. In the middle of the night, she had him dragged out of his sleep, poured a basin of ice water on him, gave him a severe beating, and kicked him out of the Wen family home, forbidding him from ever returning. Not long after, Miss Wen’s marriage to the mayor’s son was finalized.

He’s been waiting at the hotel entrance since yesterday, looking for an opportunity to see me, thinking that I, a fellow Wo, might be able to help him.

“I just… want to confirm one last time.” He looked up at me, his eyes filled with an almost desperate stubbornness, “to confirm whether she has really forgotten me.”

He handed the letter to me with trembling fingers.

I didn’t agree immediately; I just took the letter, opened it in front of him, and glanced at it.

The handwriting was beautiful, clean and crisp. The content contained no sentimental love words, nor any grand vows, just two extremely brief and direct sentences: “Two o’clock at midnight, the usual place. If you’re willing, I’ll take you away.”

A servant from Wo, a noble lady from Penglai… If it weren’t for the fact that my relationship with Zong Yanlei was unknown to the outside world, I would suspect that there were hidden cameras around me playing some kind of prank variety show.

It was too absurd, too coincidental. I chuckled, folded the letter again, put it in my pocket, and told the other person, “Understood, I’ll do my best to deliver it to you.”

In situations like this, refusing might only lead to unnecessary entanglement, so it was better to agree first to extricate myself as quickly as possible.

As expected, when Mu Ke heard what I said, his expression immediately softened, and he thanked me repeatedly, even wanting to kowtow to me.

I quickly reached out to support him: “Alright, you can go back now.”

He nodded repeatedly, turning back again and again as he left, as if he had placed all his hopes on the letter in my hand.

When Tan Yunmei returned from trying on clothes, she had already chosen a dress and even picked out an exquisite necklace for Miss Wen Fu as an engagement gift.

In the evening, the hotel where the engagement banquet was held was right where we were staying. We didn’t even need to prepare a car; we just had to go downstairs to get to the banquet hall.

Zong Yanlei received another phone call before leaving. I stayed in the room to wait for him. With nothing to do, I couldn’t help but take out the letter and read it again.

Why do these people always make me deliver letters? Do I look that much like a postman?

While I was lost in thought, the letter was suddenly snatched from my hand.

I was started and turned around to find Zong Yanlei already standing behind me, having been there for who knows how long.

“What is this?” He looked down at the letter with a raised eyebrow.

I briefly recounted to him what had happened when I met Mu Ke in the mall restroom that afternoon.

“Are you going to deliver the message for him?” Zong Yanlei asked.

“Of course not.” I took the letter back from him, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can. “That kid is a toad trying to eat swan meat; we don’t need to pay him any attention. As long as their social classes remain the same, there’s absolutely no chance for them. Even if Miss Wen really went to the appointment, Penglai is so small; where could they escape to?”

If I were to actually give the letter to Miss Wen, I would only be harming Mu Ke. If he were caught by the Wen family again, he wouldn’t just be facing a simple beating. It would be better to part ways now, endure for five or six years, and wait until everything in this country has settled down. Perhaps then they could rekindle their relationship.

“Escape abroad, to a place where nobody knows them?” Zong Yanlei said, glancing at the trash can.

I stood up, turned around and smiled at him: “Young Master, even if they go abroad, they still need to eat, right? How can a servant support Miss Wen? Besides, I don’t think there’s any happiness in living a life of hiding.”

“But what if Miss Wen is willing?” Zong Yanlei’s eyes were half-closed, his cold eyes tinged with a warm amber hue by the lamplight. “If she is willing to suffer, willing to hide, and find happiness in it, do you still believe that they will not have a good outcome?”

As he asked, he held my cheek, gently lifted my head, and lowered his head to kiss my lips.

“Fleeting happiness is an illusion brought by love; prolonged unhappiness is the objective reality.” Our breaths mingled, our temperatures close, and I tentatively deepened the kiss, following his lead. My tongue had barely peeked out, before we could truly touch, Zong Yanlei suddenly pulled back.

I was stunned for a moment, and before I could react, he chuckled softly as if he had succeeded.

“Then what should they do? How can they get together?” A small smile played on his lips, as if he were asking a question, yet also lost in thought.

The lamplight cast shadows on his face, obscuring his expression, but his eyes alone were bright.

“If class cannot be changed, then destroy it. Kill all the nobles of Penglai? Start a… revolution for the Wo people?”