The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

70. A Ride

Translator: Iris Guo

A’Chou really liked the deck chair, and she believed that Zhong Mingwei would find it nice too. The seat was very wide, and its size was just perfect. He would definitely enjoy the sunshine lying in that chair…

“It just costs three qian of silver ingots. What’s the big deal?” murmured A’Chou while pounding on her legs with her fists, “Why are you always so stingy with money? Now the chair’s gone. Are you happy?”

A’Chou walked back home languidly, extremely listless and depressed.

“A’Chou.”

When A’Chou went out of the market, she suddenly heard someone calling her, but no one knew her there. She was so startled that she looked up and saw a man in armor standing three paces away. He was tall and strong, full of power and energy. There was a donkey cart beside him, and that deck chair was…tied to the cart!

“Officer Kong.” A’Chou stared at the deck chair wonderingly, moved forward, and stopped in front of Kong Wenjie: “You…Why are you here?”

“Waiting for you.” Kong Wenjie was short-spoken as usual. He patted the cart: “Get on. I’ll give you a ride.”

“You…You…” A’Chou didn’t get it. During their journey from the capital to NingGuTa, Kong Wenjie had never treated her nicely, so she didn’t think that she had the luck to enjoy his rare kindness. She hastened to wave her hand and decline: “It’s okay. I’ll just walk back…”

Actually, A’Chou didn’t fancy Kong Wenjie’s offer at all. Besides, the chair was on his cart, which she wanted but now belonged to him.

“Come on up!” Kong Wenjie frowned slightly, got into the cart, patted the seat opposite to him, and said in a low voice, “Don’t make me say it again.”

“Okay.” A’Chou had no choice but to listen to Kong Wenjie and get on the cart reluctantly. As soon as she sat down, he whipped the donkey, and it ran forward while braying. At that moment, she lost her balance, suddenly grabbed his arm, and then hastened to let go and hold the frame hard to steady herself.

“Has he found out?” asked Kong Wenjie while driving the cart smoothly along the country road.

“Huh?” A’Chou was stunned. Then she understood Kong Wenjie immediately. After thinking for a while, she whispered: “No… Just like you and your brother said, he has never met the real Miss Duan, so…I guess we’re fine.”

When it came to Zhong Mingwei, A’Chou had to be very careful. Besides, she knew that Kong Wenjie and Lao Jiang were quite close, so she needed to keep her eyes peeled.

“Good.” said Kong Wenjie in a low voice. He glanced at A’Chou, gave the donkey a slight whip in the backside, and continued slowly: “From now on, my brother and I will stay in NingGuTa. We’ll usually be at the County Government Office. You can find me there if something comes up.”

“Oh, thanks a lot, Officer Kong.” whispered A’Chou. Then, she paused, and couldn’t help turning to him and asking cautiously: “Well… Lao… No, Officer Jiang… Where is he?”

Kong Wenjie frowned and looked at A’Chou: “He went to see you?”

“No… No! He didn’t!” A’Chou hastened to wave her hand, “I was just wondering.”

“He was ordered to return to the capital a few days ago, so he left in a hurry.” Kong Wenjie paused for a while and then he continued: “He’ll never be back.”

A’Chou breathed a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, Lao Jiang would never be back. She was so afraid of him that she barely went downhill these days.

In the breeze, A’Chou fixed her hair. Then, she lowered her head, gripped the red string with her teeth, and wore her hair in a small bun slowly and neatly. Kong Wenjie glanced at her fair forehead, and didn’t think her scarlet scar looked that ugly anymore.

“How is he?” Kong Wenjie looked away and asked.

“Not well, still paralyzed, and still has to depend on others to take care of him.” responded A’Chou hurriedly. She subconsciously hid the fact that Zhong Mingwei had begun to recover.