The Villain's Counterattack Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Yinghong acted as if she hadn't heard and got straight into the carriage. The driver had also been instructed in advance and cracked the whip and set off. The carriage wasn't slow, but it gave Xu Kaixuan enough time to react. 

Xu Kaixuan also hurriedly rushed onto his carriage and shouted at the driver, "Quick, quick, chase that carriage ahead."

The marquis household's driver was quick too. After repeatedly agreeing, once Xu Kaixuan got into the carriage, he tugged the reins, ran a few steps, jumped onto the shaft, and cracked the whip. The two carriages, one behind the other, raced toward the Song residence.

Up in the teahouse, Xu Kaicheng watched the scene before him with satisfaction. As long as Yinghong lured the man near the Song residence and got off quickly, and the driver, once caught, said that the young lady was the Song family's eldest daughter, then the matter would be considered done.

He smiled and raised his teacup for a sip. Even the astringent tea he usually didn't care for tasted sweet and fragrant now.

This side of things was more or less settled. Xu Kaicheng set down his finished teacup and was about to slip away. Casually sweeping his gaze past the window, he saw a woman standing at the second-floor window of the teahouse across the street, her face twisted with fury.

He nearly choked to death on his own saliva. Xu Kaicheng's pupils dilated as he stared at the person in the window across the way.

If it wasn't the Song family's eldest daughter, Song Yue, then who else could it be?

He was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to curse or not. Song Yue was looking in the exact direction where Xu Kaixuan had just left in the carriage. For a moment, Xu Kaicheng even wanted to shout out an explanation, but the female lead across the way didn't give him the chance to play the good guy at all. She turned around furiously and left directly.

Xu Kaicheng's mouth opened and closed several times. With a trembling hand, he covered his face and sat back down.

What kind of sin was this?

Xu Kaicheng sat in the teahouse the whole time and didn't leave. A quarter of an hour later, someone came into the room and, separated by a screen, lowered their head and said the matter had been handled. Xu Kaicheng didn't make a sound, and tossed over five taels of silver.

The person who had handled the matter took the silver and left quite briskly.

Only he was left sitting there stiffly, helplessly looking up at the sky. It seemed heaven had its own arrangements and was determined to make this substitute-bride plot proceed in a reasonable way.

He gave a helpless, light laugh and shook his head. He wasn't actually too concerned about this outcome. After all, he had prepared for both possibilities from the start, so it wasn't too far outside his expectations.

Things really did turn out just as Xu Kaicheng had guessed—Song Yue no longer wanted to marry.

In the Song family's inner courtyard, Song Yue sat in her room, gazing with resentment at the things laid out before her. The betrothal gifts the Xu family had sent as compensation were many, but they felt more like slaps across Song Yue's face, making her feel only humiliation.

But when those gemstone hair ornaments and famous paintings and calligraphy were laid out on the table, Song Yue still convinced herself to give Xu Kaixuan a chance.

Perhaps it really was as the matchmaker had said—because the marquis household's elders had one after another met with trouble, her future mother-in-law had been unable to attend to things properly. Song Yue found a hundred reasons for the other party, and only after persuading herself did that morning's events happen.

What others said might be false. She wanted to go see the Marquis of Jing'an household for herself. If she could run into that Xu Kaixuan, she also wanted to hear that Xu Kaixuan's explanation in person.

Unfortunately, reality once again slapped her hard in the face.

Xu Kaixuan was actually the lecher from the back mountain of Baiyun Temple that day. And what embarrassed her most was that he had actually harassed a woman in broad daylight! The kind of lecher who couldn't walk straight when he saw a woman — even with a handsome face, he was still infuriating!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Song Yue viciously smashed the teacup at her side. The crash startled Huahong outside so badly that she shrank back. Only when everything went quiet inside did she come back in with a pot of hot water, looking attentive and careful.

"Miss, Miss, calm down. Getting angry over someone like that isn't worth it!"

Song Yue currently had only Huahong by her side, and naturally brought her along when going out. Even though Song Yue hadn't said anything, once they reached the outside of the Marquis of Jing'an household, Huahong understood Song Yue's meaning. Now she was just glad she had understood too late and hadn't flattered the wrong way.

Her eyes darted around, greedily sweeping over the various exquisite jewels and glittering treasures on the dressing table. "Miss, a man with such shallow eyes has surely never seen a beauty like you. After you're married and he sees you, there definitely won't be any other vulgar women in his eyes."

Huahong tried hard to flatter her, but little did she know that after hearing this, Song Yue became even more furious. He had clearly already seen her, and now that Xu Kaixuan still acted like he couldn't move the moment he saw another woman, was he saying she had no charm!

The more she thought, the angrier she got; the angrier she got, the more enraged she became. She waved Huahong away. Song Yue gritted her teeth, thinking only of how to make that man look bad and lose face just as she had.

Just thinking about how little that man cared about her—when there were only a few days left until the wedding, and yet he still hadn't come to the Song family—made her think of how dispensable she was in his heart, and Song Yue's fury would not subside no matter what.

Unconsciously, she thought again of Lu Lande, whose eyes had been full of only her.

Song Yue's gaze suddenly became firm.

The matter of Xu Kaixuan chasing a woman and missing his report at the Ministry of War was unexpectedly spread around. When Xu Kaicheng heard the news, he also clicked his tongue in wonder.

He could only say that he was indeed the male lead—every move he made drew so much attention. The driver and Yinghong had completed their tasks very well, luring the man to the area around the Song residence and also saying that the person was the Song family's eldest daughter, Song Yue.

Just from the way Xu Kaixuan came back looking all springtime and lustful, anyone could tell he was also very satisfied with this outcome.

As for the rumors circulating in the capital again, he just smiled and ignored them. In Xu Kaixuan's mind, he had only been chasing after his own fiancée — after the wedding, it would even make for a romantic story.

Once Xu Kaixuan was satisfied with this marriage, things proceeded even more smoothly. Originally, the marquis and his grandson had only wanted Yang Wanhe to lend her name, and hadn't truly intended for Yang Wanhe to do anything.

But they couldn't withstand the fact that Yang Wanhe was capable and knew how to handle people. At first it was only matters of the wedding betrothal gifts, then the wedding arrangements, and finally the urgent reissuing of invitations, the banquet provisions, and hiring the chefs.

Item by item, all of it was shown to the old marquis for review, and many details concerning the newlyweds were even relayed to Xu Kaixuan through messengers.

Everything was afraid of comparison. Under this comparison, the grandfather and grandson finally realized that when Wei Cai'e had managed the household, she had actually left so many things undone just on the matter of the wedding.

More and more tasks were assigned to Yang Wanhe. Xu Gandang was astonished to discover that his courtyard had gained servants for sweeping and cleaning, his clothes were changed more frequently and were cleaner, and there was even incense. His three meals a day became more nutritious and abundant, and the prescriptions and medicinal meals for nourishing his health were delivered on time.

Xu Kaixuan was even more astonished to discover how much decorating his courtyard needed when it was to become the bridal chamber. In just five short days, the grandfather and grandson were living so comfortably that even Xu Kaixuan was about to forget his own mother's existence.

Xu Kaicheng secretly delivered medicine to Song Yao three times a day, furnishing that small corner with all kinds of inconspicuous things to make it warm. Song Yao's complexion finally recovered, and the marriage between the Song family and the Marquis of Jing'an household finally arrived.

The night before the wedding, Song Yue, with a shy expression, received a large group of capital noble ladies, acquaintances and strangers alike, and unceremoniously accepted the additional dowry gifts they offered of their own accord. Deep into the night, after the entire Song residence had fallen into deep sleep, Song Yue packed up her fine jewelries, took the hidden pieces of silver and silver notes, and ran away with Huahong over the wall.

Huahong was pale the entire way, yet she didn't dare utter a word of protest. Her limbs weak and aching, she could only pack as quickly as possible and follow Song Yue out of the Song residence.

Before dawn the next day, with an hour still left before the groom's procession was to arrive, a terrified scream rang out from the Song family's inner courtyard. When Madam Song rushed over and found Song Yue's farewell letter, she nearly fainted on the spot.