“Seventh Miss Sheng—”
“No wonder he told me that even though you’re young, you’re sharp-witted, and that I should be careful around you—”
Huang Yaning had already guessed who was behind this scheme against her…
Sheng Mingzhu might wish her dead, but right now she had her own problems to deal with.
Lin Zhijing wouldn’t resort to such roundabout methods.
If it were someone from the Murong family, they would have caused trouble for her yesterday.
Besides, the Murong family wouldn’t have been able to stir up chaos at her estate.
The only people who could cause such a commotion at the estate and know her movements instantly were Sheng Yong and Sheng Mingjian, whom Sheng Yong trusted.
Sheng Yong had invested so much in her; there was no way he would willingly abandon her…
So, the person behind this was Sheng Mingjian…
“The ‘he’ you mentioned… who is he…”
Huang Yaning heard her own voice tremble slightly.
She stared intently at Liang Mingcheng, noticing a hint of amusement creep onto his already twisted face.
“Seventh Miss, you’re so clever. I’m sure you’ve already guessed, haven’t you?”
“Who is it…”
Huang Yaning stubbornly demanded an answer, feeling tears well up unbidden, blurring her vision so she could no longer make out Liang Mingcheng’s expression…
All she could hear was his mocking voice.
“Who else? Your dear older brother, my future brother-in-law…”
Sheng. Ming. Jian.
It really was him!
Huang Yaning felt her heart clench as if gripped by an invisible hand—
It hurt so much she wanted to cry, overwhelmed by anger and a sense of injustice—
She didn’t understand…
She truly didn’t understand…
Her current identity was Sheng Mingjian’s own sister—
For Sheng Mingzhu’s sake, Sheng Mingjian had stooped so low as to send someone to ruin her innocence…
Just so Sheng Yong would abandon her and she would no longer stand in Sheng Mingzhu’s way—
To force her to marry a scumbag, letting Liang Mingcheng torment her for the rest of her life, making her existence a living hell—
Even back at the Third Princess’s birthday banquet, Sheng Mingjian had already been harboring such vicious intentions…
Killing someone outright would be merciful, but Sheng Mingjian didn’t want to kill her; he wanted to torment her for his own amusement…
Sheng Mingjian… did he even have a heart?
In the past life, had Sheng Mingjian done something equally despicable to Minmin?
Just the thought of it made Huang Yaning’s chest ache so much she could barely breathe, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face…
Not wanting Liang Mingcheng to see her misery, she raised her bound hands to shield her face.
“Seventh Miss Sheng, ever since I witnessed your grace at the Third Princess’s residence, your image has been etched in my heart.”
“My future brother-in-law is also very pleased with me. He arranged a ‘hero saves the damsel’ scenario for me, but unfortunately, you were too cautious to take the bait—”
“I’m a timid man by nature. I was afraid that if we delayed, someone else might snatch you away, so I had no choice but to resort to this—”
“Seventh Miss, just surrender to me. I’ll treat you well from now on—”
As Liang Mingcheng spoke, his claw-like hand reached out toward Huang Yaning again.
The moment Liang Mingcheng started speaking, Huang Yaning knew she had no time to wallow in her emotions.
Perhaps it was because she had lived a second life, or maybe it was because she had taken lives before.
Even though her heart was in utter turmoil, a part of her mind remained calm and clear.
She absolutely couldn’t let a scumbag like Liang Mingcheng defile Minmin’s body!
She couldn’t just sit there and do nothing!
So, quickly wiping her tears on her sleeve, Huang Yaning fixed a sharp gaze on Liang Mingcheng and declared loudly,
“Liang Mingcheng, Sheng Mingjian has tricked you!”
“You think he’s helping you, but he actually wants you dead!”
This caught Liang Mingcheng’s attention. His hand froze mid-air, his brow furrowed.
“What do you mean?” Liang Mingcheng asked.
“I was swapped at birth and grew up in the countryside. I’m not some obedient, well-bred young lady!”
“If you dare touch me, not only will I refuse to marry you, I will kill you in the cruelest way possible!”
“My mother won’t let you off either! Nor will she spare your family!”
“One wrong decision, and you’ll plunge yourself into an endless abyss!”
“So you’d better think carefully!”
“If you stop now, I might just spare your life!”
In wealthy families, a young woman who lost her virtue either married the man, shaved her head to become a nun, or ended her life with a white silk rope…
Liang Mingcheng figured that with Sheng Mingjian’s help—the two of them playing off each other—they could twist the truth of today’s events however they liked.
As for the Seventh Miss’s words, once she belonged to him, why would Lord Sheng care about what she thought?
Besides, Liang Mingcheng prided himself on his handsome looks, his charm, and his status as a scholar with a bright future.
He believed that once the Seventh Miss was with him, she would come to appreciate his qualities…
And if her only alternative was becoming a nun up in the mountains, even if she harbored resentment, she would ultimately marry him…
That was Liang Mingcheng’s reasoning. Deep down, he vaguely sensed that these assumptions were full of uncertainties.
But he had already completely offended the Mu family. Without aligning with a new power, he saw no way forward.
What’s more, he and his family had narrowly escaped death in a fire, and now they were all living in misery.
All these misfortunes hitting him at once had shattered Liang Mingcheng’s composure.
He was desperate to become the Sheng family’s son-in-law, eager to take this gamble!
And that’s how they’d ended up here today!
Hearing Huang Yaning’s words now, Liang Mingcheng was filled with doubt and uncertainty.
What if the Seventh Miss truly preferred becoming a nun to marrying him?
The murderous intent in her eyes didn’t seem fake.
Sensing his hesitation, Huang Yaning added,
“Sheng Mingjian knows my temperament. If you force yourself on me, I will definitely kill you!”
“Then, he would have ruined me and gotten rid of you at the same time—”
Liang Mingcheng’s face dramatically changed.
If he did lay a hand on the young woman before him, and Sheng Mingjian suddenly turned against him and refused to help, what would he do?
His mind instantly turned into a chaotic mess.
Still, he gritted his teeth and said,
“Impossible—”
“If he didn’t need me, why would he have sought me out in the first place?”
Huang Yaning understood that Sheng Mingjian’s goal from start to finish was to ruin her and torment her, not to simply kill her outright.
Otherwise, the arrow would have struck her, not the horse.
But Liang Mingcheng didn’t know that.
She let out a cold laugh. “Sheng Mingjian originally approached you hoping you could seduce me, make me willingly fall into your trap—”
“He only said a few words back then, nothing that could be used as evidence against him…”
“But it’s different now. He’s done so much this time, leaving traces everywhere—”
“If he lets you live, wouldn’t that be leaving a loose end that could threaten him at any moment?”
“Wake up!”
“He wants to use you as a knife to destroy me, and then have me kill you!”
Seeing cold sweat forming on Liang Mingcheng’s forehead and the growing terror in his eyes, Huang Yaning seized the opportunity.
Assuming a commanding tone, she ordered,
“Now untie me! Your only chance of survival is to stay by my side!”
