As everyone left, Wei Qingge couldn't help but recall the events of last night, a dense fear and terror churning in her heart.
"Mu Rou, do you think he'll kidnap me again? I'm so scared."
Lan Mu Rou also felt a sense of dread, her hand trembling as Wei Qingge gripped it.
Seeing their distress, Ye Luan offered comfort, "No."
"Ah?"
"Li Qiongyu has arranged for hidden guards to be by your side. No one will be able to snatch you away unnoticed. Don't worry, don't be afraid."
Wei Qingge nodded, her swollen eyes looking rather pathetic.
Ye Luan stood up, wet a handkerchief, wrapped ice in it, and handed it to her for her eyes.
"You have no idea, he's so shameless. What he says is disgusting, and his voice is terrible, hoarse and gravelly."
The thought of her body being seen by such an ugly man made her want to vomit. Her face turned from pale to purple, and she cursed through gritted teeth.
"He must be very ugly."
After speaking, she couldn't help but think about the man's body she had touched while resisting. His arms were powerful and solid, with perfect muscle definition.
It felt nothing like the monstrous ugliness she had imagined.
Seeing her lost in thought, Ye Luan asked, "Is there something you're puzzled about?"
Wei Qingge felt ashamed, unable to voice it. After a long silence, she shook her head.
How could she possibly explain being groped all over by a strange man?
It was too humiliating.
She would never be able to get married now.
Big Brother Liu.
They had grown up together. She had liked him since their innocent affections began to bloom. Now, after suffering such a great humiliation, he would surely dislike her even more.
The more she thought about it, the more miserable she became. Wei Qingge couldn't help but bury her red eyes in her arms on the table.
Seeing her like this, neither of them could offer any words of comfort. Unless the perpetrator was found, anything else they said would be futile.
When she finally cried herself out and fell asleep on the bed, Ye Luan and Lan Mu Rou left.
Wei Qingge slept restlessly, her mind replaying the man's low threats from the previous night. She was so terrified that her lips turned pale, and a fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead.
She felt as if her mind was trapped, dazed and disoriented.
When it was already dark outside, she let out a startled cry and sat up on the bed, her head stiffly turning to scan her surroundings.
There were no shackles, no glass bed.
She was in an inn.
She breathed a sigh of relief, pushing away the lingering shadow in her heart, and slumped onto the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
"Knock knock—"
The door sounded.
"Wei Qingge, are you awake?"
It was Li Qiongyu's voice.
Wei Qingge immediately ran barefoot from the bed. Without even lighting a candle, she rushed to the door and opened it.
"How is it, have you found him?"
Her almond-shaped eyes blazed with anticipation.
Li Qiongyu glanced at her bare feet on the floor, a fleeting darkness flashing in his eyes, too quick to discern.
He rebuked, "What kind of behavior is this, not wearing shoes?"
"Oh, stop the nonsense. Have you found that pervert yet?"
"How could it be so fast? You know nothing, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."
He strode in and poured tea.
Wei Qingge followed him, anxiously asking, "Then what should we do?" She gnashed her teeth in anger, then seemed to recall something and asked hesitantly, "Can you ask the Prince to have the Blood Corpse people investigate?"
The Blood Corpse people were everywhere; if they took action, they would surely find him.
She absolutely had to know who this pervert was who had tormented her for half a year!
Li Qiongyu's expression remained unchanged, his throat bobbing as he slowly drank his tea.
"Say something."
She impatiently nudged him.
"You call yourself a good friend? I've gone through something so major, and you're not even worried. I feel like you're just watching a show."
The more Wei Qingge spoke, the angrier and more wronged she felt. Her nose twitched, and tears welled up, about to fall.
"The Blood Corpse people are all busy, they can't spare anyone to come here."
After speaking, he took the last sip of tea and turned to look at her.
His enchanting peach blossom eyes were impossibly beautiful in the darkness, like spring blossoms.
But Wei Qingge, lost in her pain, didn't notice his expression. If she had just looked up, she would have seen the mischief in his eyes.
"What you said today was too vague. Tell me the details of your abduction carefully so I can investigate."
Hearing the man above her, Wei Qingge came back to her senses, her face flushing. She couldn't speak.
How could she explain the details? Although they had known each other for years, he was still a man, and it was too awkward for her to talk about such things.
Besides, she didn't want to recall those details at all.
A deep-seated disgust.
She felt miserable.
Seeing her silence, Li Qiongyu lazily adjusted his robe, lay down on the soft couch by the window, crossed his hands behind his head, and half-closed his eyes.
"Li Qiongyu, how can you even sleep?"
Wei Qingge's eyes reddened involuntarily at his posture.
"Put on your shoes, come here and tell me meticulously. Otherwise, you can just wait for him to find you next time."
His voice was light, with a hint of coldness.
Wei Qingge's eyes, already red with anger, turned even more so at his demeanor.
She shuffled over in her shoes and sat on a stool beside the couch, looking at the person lying on the couch. "What else do you want to ask?"
Li Qiongyu slightly opened his eyes and tilted his head to look at her.
Inside the room, the candles were unlit, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the gauzy window, illuminating her delicate little face.
Her eyes were red from crying, and teardrops still clung to her lower eyelids, making her look pitiful.
He asked, "Do you know where you were held?"
Wei Qingge thought for a moment and quickly said, "I feel like the place was quite high up. I could hear the cicadas on the trees very clearly at night, the wind was very cold, it was outdoors."
"Also, when I woke up, I heard various animal sounds from that place, so it might have been in the wilderness."
"Oh." Li Qiongyu shifted his body and continued, "What did he do to you?"
Hearing this, Wei Qingge was momentarily speechless.
"Hmm?"
She pursed her lips and said, "He touched me."
"Touched you where?"
Wei Qingge's lips trembled instantly, turning pale. She felt too mortified to speak.
Li Qiongyu propped his head with one hand, looking at her indifferently, "How far did it go?"
'N-not finished.'
She finished speaking with a shiver, then instinctively curled up.
Her entire face turned somewhat pale, as if recalling unpleasant memories.
Li Qiongyu looked at her complexion, his eyes darkening slightly.
A moment later, he jumped off the couch, walked behind her, gently patted her back, and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, he won't come again."
"Li Qiongyu—" She clutched his robe, her eyes moist as she looked up at him, and said sadly, "I've been touched by someone else. Big Brother Liu won't like me anymore."
Still thinking about your Big Brother Liu at a time like this.
Li Qiongyu narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned down, squatted in front of her, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and replied earnestly.
"He never liked you in the first place."