Chapter 142: Heartache for Myself, Unable to Resist
The competition in Dengyun Building was entering its final stage, and countless scholars were cheering wildly for the brilliant essays.
In a private room on the third floor, a group of dandies, having had much to drink, were running completely wild.
"He Chengfeng, you claim she’s your fiancée, so why won’t she even let you steal a kiss? It’s all a sham, isn’t it?"
"Exactly! The moment she refuses, you’re too scared to make a move. What gives? Has our dashing, untamable He Heir finally met his match?"
"She’s this strict and you’re not even married yet. Once you are, won’t she have you completely wrapped around her little finger?"
"Whoa! He Chengfeng is henpecked! How pathetic!"
This group of idle dandies usually spent their days eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. Since they couldn’t bring courtesans to such a refined place today, they brought their own fiancées instead.
They treated their fiancées like courtesans, holding them close while flirting with others and stealing public kisses as if it were all a joke.
After drinking, they grew even more brazen. Some had even slipped their hands inside their fiancées’ robes.
The whole group was a mess of leaning, sprawling bodies, clinging to one another. Their behavior was simply too indecent to watch.
Amidst this chaos, Wang Wanqing, sitting perfectly upright without having touched a drop of wine, was a glaring eyesore.
He Chengfeng was the Heir of Xuanping Marquis. Though he was a rake, he hadn’t forgotten that the Wang family was the most prominent aristocratic family of the day—the current Empress herself was a Wang. This was the first time he had brought Wang Wanqing out, and he knew he couldn’t be too outrageous.
However, his companions were a pack of degenerates. They all knew how wildly He Chengfeng usually carried on, and now that he was suddenly acting reserved, they couldn’t resist goading him.
They were all well aware of what kind of people they were and couldn’t stand to see He Chengfeng pretending to be respectable. Besides, they loved a good spectacle, and the bigger the mess, the better the show.
This was especially true for the other young ladies from aristocratic families. Having already been thoroughly taken advantage of, they were now being watched by Wang Wanqing. Shame and jealousy made it unbearable for them to be wallowing in the muck while Wang Wanqing remained a pristine lotus, unstained by the filth.
’We’re all sitting here together, so who’s to say they’re any more noble than the rest of us? What’s the point of putting on airs and pretending to be so pure?’
One of the women draped herself coquettishly over He Chengfeng’s shoulder. Her movements were intimate and bewitching, but her words were aimed at Wang Wanqing. "Miss Wang, you and the Princely Heir will be married soon. What’s the harm in a little kiss? Don’t be so uptight. We won’t laugh at you. Besides, we’re all out to have fun. With you looking so frosty, how is our Princely Heir supposed to keep any face?"
A woman beside her added sarcastically, "Sister Peony, don’t even bother. She’s a young lady of the Wang family, you know. Far too pure for the likes of us."
The woman called Peony gave a seductive laugh, her actions worthy of a brothel courtesan. She stroked He Chengfeng’s neck and chest suggestively. "The Princely Heir is so devilishly handsome. Countless young women are lining up for a shred of his affection. Miss Wang, you really ought to seize your chance."
As she spoke, she leaned in and kissed He Chengfeng’s neck, even giving it a suggestive lick.
Wang Wanqing’s already shattered sense of reality trembled once more.
This "Peony" was actually Jiang Xuan, the second daughter of the Jiang Family. More shockingly, she was the wife of Xiao Changsheng, the grandson of Prince Lu, who was sitting right there beside them.
Yes, they were already married, yet Jiang Xuan had just kissed He Chengfeng right in front of her own husband.
Judging by He Chengfeng’s nonchalant reaction and the casual expressions on everyone else’s faces, this was clearly not the first time. In fact, they had probably done things far more licentious.
Wang Wanqing’s heart turned so cold it felt as if it had frozen solid, the chill bringing an ache to her chest.
The ache wasn’t for He Chengfeng fooling around with another woman. It was for herself, for being powerless to resist this engagement.
She had explicitly stated her refusal, but her grandfather and father had insisted on the match. She hadn’t planned on leaving the house today, but her mother had forced her to go out with He Chengfeng to see the lantern festival, insisting she needed to "cultivate their relationship."
She had thought they were just going to see the lanterns, and since Dengyun Building was a gathering place for scholars and other refined people, she assumed everything would be fine. She should have known a leopard can’t change its spots.
Even in a place supposedly sacred to scholars, they were still utterly shameless, debauched, and without restraint.
SWISH!
She shot to her feet. "I’m going home."
Wang Wanqing wanted to leave, but how could this pack of hyenas possibly let her go?
At a nod from the man beside her, one of the women hurried to block her path. The other women quickly closed in as well.
"Miss Wang, why the rush to leave? The fun is just getting started."
The men sitting to the side immediately started jeering. "If you’re going to leave, you have to give him a kiss first! It’s only proper."
"Chengfeng, are you just going to let her disrespect you like that? She’s showing you such contempt! If she’s like this before you’re even married, what’ll she be like after?"
He Chengfeng had been drinking, but he had an extremely high tolerance and was still mostly sober. However, his friends’ constant goading had already chipped away at his composure. Now, with Wang Wanqing trying to leave and their renewed taunts ringing in his ears, the blood rushed to his head. "Wang Wanqing," he roared, "get your ass back here."
Knowing full well she was in a den of wolves, Wang Wanqing would have to be a fool to go back.
She shoved the woman aside and bolted for the door. Panic consumed her. She knew with terrifying clarity that she had to get out, or she was done for.
"Grab her!"
The moment He Chengfeng gave the order, the maids and servants in the room lunged at Wang Wanqing.
"Ah!" Wang Wanqing shrieked, grabbing the nearest object and hurling it at them.
He Chengfeng’s face darkened. "Don’t be shameless when I’m trying to be gracious!" he roared. "It’s not like I have to marry you! If you don’t come back here right now, I’ll go and have the engagement annulled tomorrow!"
Jiang Xuan, who had only been hugging He Chengfeng, now settled completely into his lap and began kissing him suggestively, her lips even brushing the corner of his mouth.
Wang Wanqing didn’t spare her provocative display a single glance. Her only thought was to escape, to get as far away from that scumbag as possible.
"Get away! Get away from me!"
The Wangs were a family of civil servants, and Wang Wanqing had loved reading since she was a child, looking down on those who brandished blades and spears. Now, she hated that she didn’t know any martial arts.
All the books she had ever read were utterly useless at this moment.
"Get away!"
She screamed, fighting back with all her might.
But she was outnumbered and was quickly caught.
She kicked and thrashed, even biting like a madwoman, until with a loud RIIIP, her dress was torn.
It was warm inside, so everyone had taken off their cloaks and were only wearing their thick outer robes.
Now, her outer robe had been violently ripped apart, and her inner chemise slid from her shoulder, exposing a large expanse of pale skin.
"Ooooh!"
The crowd of dandies cheered, spewing all sorts of lewd and vulgar remarks.
Humiliation made Wang Wanqing’s heart feel like it was bleeding, but she knew with even greater certainty that she could not stay here.
Biting her lip until it bled, she gathered all her strength and thrust a porcelain shard she was holding toward the person blocking her way.
The person recoiled in pain from the wound, and Wang Wanqing seized the chance to wrench the door open and run out, heedless of everything else.
From downstairs came a roar of cheers as the winner of the competition was announced, but even the earth-shaking shouts couldn’t drown out the sound of footsteps pursuing her from behind.
He Chengfeng panicked. The moment Wang Wanqing escaped through the door, he finally remembered who she was: a daughter of the Wang family, the niece of the Empress.
As long as they were inside that room, it wouldn’t have mattered what they did. He had been sure Wang Wanqing would be too ashamed to ever speak of it herself—after all, that’s how all the other girls had been.
But now, with Wang Wanqing fleeing outside in a state of disarray, if anyone saw her, the incident could no longer be covered up.