Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 9
Lin Chu was startled, suddenly recalling that there was indeed someone lying beside her.
She suppressed all her thoughts and calmly replied,
“I just think that Mrs. Han, a weak woman traveling a thousand miles with her child to find her husband in this borderland, must be feeling quite distressed since there hasn’t been any news of him…”
Lin Chu hadn’t paid much attention to Jiang Wanxue’s petty antics; she was more interested in gathering information about Han Zicheng.
The male lead’s father had been mentioned in the original story—Han Zicheng, the heir of the Han Guo Gong Mansion, known for his ‘refined beauty’ and ‘peerless charm.‘ However, he had died in battle during the Qiang City conflict, and Jiang Wanxue would also perish there, leaving only Han Junye to bear the deep hatred as he grew up.
Now that Jiang Wanxue had arrived in Qiang City, Lin Chu estimated that the brutal battle must be imminent.
What she truly wanted to understand was that the original story repeatedly mentioned that Han Junye had witnessed Yan Mingge kill his parents. Initially, Lin Chu thought it was a love-related crime; after all, villains destroy what they can’t have.
But in reality, the relationship between Yan Mingge and the Han couple was clearly not shallow. What could possibly motivate him to kill Han Zicheng and Jiang Wanxue?
Her comment caught Yan Mingge off guard. He turned his head to glance at her and noticed her serious expression, as if she genuinely cared for Jiang Wanxue.
After staring at her for a moment, he looked away.
“I will have someone inquire about Brother Han’s whereabouts.”
With this single sentence, Lin Chu concluded that Yan Mingge’s previous words had been meant to deceive Jiang Wanxue.
Han Zicheng hadn’t been here for a month! Otherwise, Yan Mingge would surely know where Han Zicheng was!
What had Han Zicheng written in the family letter to Jiang Wanxue that compelled Yan Mingge to continue fabricating this lie to keep Jiang Wanxue calm?
Wait!
Lin Chu suddenly realized another problem and cautiously glanced at Yan Mingge.
“Husband, how did Mrs. Han know we were staying here?”
Even if she knew they were in this location, considering the war and the dangerous people on the road from the capital to this border area, it was puzzling how Jiang Wanxue could arrive safely in Qiang City while being alone with a child, especially given her beauty.
“Tan Yun.” Yan Mingge suddenly called her name.
Lin Chu was taken aback for a moment before realizing he was referring to her. She softly replied,
“Hmm?”
Yan Mingge’s warm hand gently rested on the back of Lin Chu’s neck. Instantly, a chill ran down her spine.
His voice was soft as he said,
“Smart people usually don’t live long.”
A shiver crept up from her feet. Despite lying under warm blankets, Lin Chu felt a chill gripping her entire body.
This was a warning.
She had let her guard down and crossed the safety line in her relationship with Yan Mingge!
The darkness seemed to give Yan Mingge strength, and under the flickering candlelight, his features took on an inexplicable allure.
He lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand, watching Lin Chu, who was desperately trying to maintain her composure. A faint smile curved his lips, but his eyes were cold and cruel as his hand slowly moved upward, caressing her neck. The gesture was tender, yet his gaze was devoid of warmth, filled instead with malice.
“Guess how long you can survive?”
This version of Yan Mingge felt both unfamiliar and extremely dangerous.
Even lying down, Lin Chu trembled like a leaf in the wind. She bit her tongue, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, helping her to stay somewhat composed.
“I’ll live until you no longer need me.”
This answer undoubtedly surprised Yan Mingge. He revealed a captivating smile and suddenly leaned closer to her, playfully exhaling into her ear, his half-lidded eyes obscuring whatever icy or mocking emotions lay beneath.
“Heh, interesting. You’re so obedient…” His calloused fingers pulled open the collar of Lin Chu’s clothes, and he murmured,
“It makes me reluctant to kill you!”
Lin Chu dared not move a muscle, her body stiff as a stone.
Fortunately, Yan Mingge’s fingers only lingered at her collarbone for a moment before withdrawing.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, the candles in the room suddenly extinguished, plunging the surroundings into a suffocating darkness. Lin Chu’s heart raced once more.
She held her position, motionless for what felt like an eternity, until she sensed the man beside her had fallen into a steady breath. Only then did she exhale a long, shaky breath.
It felt like she had danced with death once again!
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
When the rooster crowed for the first time the next day, Lin Chu got up with dark circles under her eyes. Lying in bed had terrified her so much that she couldn’t sleep; now, as she rose, she felt dizzy, and her head throbbed.
With no time to dwell on her discomfort, she walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Today, only Jiang Wanxue and her son would be joining for the meal. Lin Chu initially thought of moving the table outside to serve them, but Jiang Wanxue’s words subtly hinted that she wanted to eat with Yan Mingge.
Since the others didn’t mind, Lin Chu didn’t want to bother moving the table. So, she set the meal in the main house.
During the meal, Jiang Wanxue inevitably tried to pick on Lin Chu, but Lin Chu felt sluggish and ignored her completely.
A person on the verge of death could only flail about like a grasshopper in autumn.
With the food tasteless in her mouth, Lin Chu occasionally stole glances at Yan Mingge. The fear he instilled in her last night was too profound; this morning, he seemed like an entirely different person, as if he had completely forgotten about the previous night’s events.
To Jiang Wanxue, Lin Chu’s actions suggested that Yan Mingge must have scolded her yesterday, which was why she was serving him so cautiously.
Jiang Wanxue felt a sudden lift in her spirits after a night of pent-up emotions. If Yan Mingge was scolding Lin Chu for her sake, did that mean he still liked her like before?
In high spirits, she used the communal chopsticks to place a meatball in Yan Mingge’s bowl.
“Yan Gege, you were injured. You need to replenish your strength.”
These communal chopsticks had been prepared by Lin Chu after listening to Aunt Song’s advice yesterday. She had anticipated Yan Mingge might want to serve a dish to little Han Junye, but she hadn’t expected Jiang Wanxue to use them first.
With a gentle smile, Jiang Wanxue glanced at Lin Chu, her expression warm and sincere, as if to say that she was simply serving Yan Mingge a dish, with no ulterior motive.
Unfortunately, Lin Chu didn’t look up at all.
Jiang Wanxue assumed Lin Chu was too tactful to confront her and smiled even brighter.
That was until Yan Mingge picked up the meatball and placed it in Lin Chu’s bowl.
He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.
“Did you throw a tantrum with me last night, and are you still sulking?”
Not only was Lin Chu stunned, but Jiang Wanxue was also taken aback.
Yan Mingge’s mention of last night was a silent threat.
Lin Chu glanced at the meatball in her bowl, which had magically appeared, and with a resolve to face death, she picked it up and ate it.
However, Yan Mingge smiled at Lin Chu with utmost tenderness, as if they were a loving couple, which made Jiang Wanxue’s expression grow increasingly sour.
Lin Chu felt a shiver run down her spine, confused about what game Yan Mingge was playing this time.
After a torturous breakfast, Lin Chu began cleaning in the kitchen. The little gray dog lazily sprawled on a pile of straw, while in the yard, a hen led her ten fluffy chicks, clucking as they pecked around for worms.
Little Han Junye was very interested in the fluffy yellow chicks, crouching down to watch them all morning.
Just as Lin Chu prepared to find some vegetable leaves to chop and feed the chickens, she suddenly heard Han Junye’s crying.
She thought Jiang Wanxue should be outside, so she didn’t pay it any mind. However, after a while, since the crying hadn’t stopped, Lin Chu put down her work and stepped out of the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Chu was startled to see little Han Junye sitting on the ground with tear-streaked cheeks.
Though Han Junye had once disliked Lin Chu, without any other adults in the yard, he could only raise his red, swollen hand for her to see.
Lin Chu examined the swollen injury on his hand and then looked over at the protective hen nearby. She quickly guessed what had happened:
Han Junye had probably tried to play with one of the chicks and had gotten pecked by the hen.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry. I’ll find some medicine to put on it,” Lin Chu soothed as she pulled Han Junye to his feet. As she got closer, she noticed a strange smell on him and realized that he had been sitting in chicken droppings.
A headache suddenly struck her. “Where’s your mother?”
Little Han Junye only sobbed without responding.
Since Jiang Wanxue was unfamiliar with the area, Lin Chu speculated that she might be at Aunt Song’s house, so she took Han Junye there.
To her surprise, Jiang Wanxue wasn’t there either, which left Lin Chu puzzled.
However, with Jiang Wanxue absent and Aunt Song busy inside, Lin Chu had no choice but to find some clothes for Han Junye herself.
Entering the room where Jiang Wanxue and her son were staying, Lin Chu felt hesitant to rummage through their things, so she asked Han Junye if he knew where his clothes were.
Probably feeling embarrassed about the chicken droppings on his clothes, Han Junye pointed to the place where Jiang Wanxue kept their bundle.
Lin Chu opened the bundle and found a set of Han Junye’s clothes. However, she accidentally discovered a small bottle wrapped in one of the dresses.
If it had been any other bottle, Lin Chu might not have paid it much attention, but this white porcelain bottle… it was identical to the small bottle Lan Zhi had given her before!
Lin Chu’s heart began to race.
Despite his young age, Han Junye was perceptive. Lin Chu didn’t want to appear too unusual, so she pretended not to notice the white porcelain bottle and told Han Junye,
“You should take off your dirty outer robe.”
She feigned tying up the bundle, and Han Junye indeed stopped staring at her and focused on unfastening his own little robe.
Taking advantage of that moment, Lin Chu discreetly tucked the white porcelain bottle into her sleeve before returning the bundle to its place.
After changing Han Junye’s clothes and applying some anti-swelling ointment to his hand, Lin Chu finally headed back home.
Just then, Doctor Hu happened to arrive to change Yan Mingge’s bandages, and Jiang Wanxue, who had previously been missing, was in the kitchen brewing medicine. Upon seeing Lin Chu, Jiang Wanxue warmly greeted her as ‘sister-in-law’ and smiled,
“The doctor came to change Yan Gege’s bandages earlier and brought a few packets of medicine. Since you weren’t home, I thought I’d help him by brewing the medicine in advance.”
She looked at Lin Chu shyly,
“You won’t blame me, will you?”
Lin Chu was too preoccupied with thoughts of the white porcelain bottle she had seen in Jiang Wanxue’s belongings to care about any provocation.
“The bottle contains a medication that can cause an infection in wounds. With Commander Yan’s severe injuries, if the wound becomes infected, it could lead to his demise, and no one would suspect you.”
Lan Zhi’s earlier words echoed in Lin Chu’s mind, causing her hands and feet to grow cold.
Jiang Wanxue seemed to notice Lin Chu’s odd behavior, furrowing her brows as she carried the medicine bowl past her into the room.
“Yan Gege, I’ve brewed the medicine.”
In a reflexive response, Lin Chu shouted toward the room,
“Don’t drink it!”
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