Chapter 0008: Unsuitable

The situation changed so rapidly that the onlookers were momentarily stunned, unable to react in time.

First, Feng Qingsue suddenly lost her footing for reasons unknown and fell into the water.

At that moment, they saw Feng Qingsue entangled with Zhao Dacheng in the water, and Zhao Dacheng was supporting her in this manner as he made his way to the shore.

Feng Qingsue couldn’t swim and was flailing in the water, but was it truly appropriate for Zhao Dacheng to be holding her by the hips like that?

Still, seeing Feng Qingsue rescued and brought ashore safely without any fatalities eased their worries somewhat. They anxiously awaited Wei Zhitao’s swift arrival to find Ning Ruyun.

The longer the delay, the more dangerous Ning Ruyun’s situation would become!

However, none of them noticed that Ning Ruyun had already appeared quietly behind them.

Seeing Feng Qingsue fall into the water and cling to Zhao Dacheng, and the fact that she had just attempted a sneak attack, Ning Ruyun’s face paled slightly, but a faint, mocking smile curled at the corners of her lips.

All of Feng Qingsue’s schemes had ultimately backfired on herself.

She wanted to see if Wei Zhitao and Feng Qingsue could continue their charade for the rest of their lives, whether they could put aside these matters and stay together.

With Feng Qingsue being held and rescued by Zhao Dacheng—and even having torn his vest in the process—their actions seemed excessively deliberate, almost staged.

Now, the affair between Feng Qingsue and Zhao Dacheng, done so openly in front of everyone, had become difficult to explain away.

Given the conservative nature of rural society, Feng Qingsue’s days ahead would likely be very difficult.

Of course, Feng Qingsue was shameless and would probably not give up easily or stop clinging to Wei Zhitao.

But how she would resolve this matter with Zhao Dacheng and suppress the ensuing rumors would not be so simple.

In order to counter Feng Qingsue, Ning Ruyun had just expended considerable internal energy in her attack, which had taken its toll.

After being reborn, she had quietly come ashore from the water and had already done much within her space to restore some internal strength, regaining a measure of self-defense.

To deal with Feng Qingsue silently, Ning Ruyun had employed this method—though it consumed some energy, it was sufficiently discreet and unlikely to arouse suspicion.

Even Feng Qingsue, inexperienced in such matters, would never have expected she could be struck this way.

Now that Feng Qingsue had fallen into the water, all the adverse consequences fell upon her. This allowed Ning Ruyun to shake off the rumors, preserving her own reputation.

Since Feng Qingsue still wished to scheme against her, let the backlash befall Feng Qingsue instead.

What surprised Ning Ruyun greatly, however, was Wei Zhitao’s current behavior and attitude.

Wei Zhitao had changed somewhat, which unsettled Ning Ruyun; she felt something was off.

Although the Wei family had been arranged to break off the engagement, clearly showing disdain for her, everyone assumed she had been swept away in the water. So why was Wei Zhitao now so eager and proactive, even diving in to save her?

Given Wei Zhitao’s dislike for her, even if pressured by others to act, he would only make a show of it, never being so earnest, nor wishing to be entangled with her because of his rescue.

Furthermore, after seeing Feng Qingsue fall into the water, Wei Zhitao did not immediately attempt to rescue her. Instead, he merely glanced once, watched as Zhao Dacheng carried her away, said nothing, and resumed searching among the water plants.

Was Wei Zhitao still searching for her?

Witnessing this scene, Ning Ruyun’s brow furrowed tightly.

Regardless of Wei Zhitao’s actions or intentions, Ning Ruyun no longer wished to be entangled with him.

In her previous life, she had been betrayed by both Wei Zhitao and Feng Qingsue, then witnessed their suffering and painful deaths from illness—her revenge served. She had since enjoyed a happy life, which was acceptable enough.

In this life, she would not marry Wei Zhitao. Shortly, she would return to annul their engagement.

From now on, they would be strangers, best to have no further dealings.

Standing quietly at the back of the crowd, Ning Ruyun pretended to be a newcomer unaware of the details, calmly watching the unfolding drama and treating Wei Zhitao, Feng Qingsue, and the others as strangers.

Since she was far away, it was understandable that she couldn’t see clearly the figures in the water and near the shore. It was reasonable not to know the details immediately and better to wait a while before stepping forward.

Meanwhile, in the water, Zhao Dacheng and Feng Qingsue remained entangled.

Feng Qingsue was terrified, trembling all over. Her beautiful dress clung to her body, revealing part of her curves. Holding tightly to Zhao Dacheng, their bodies touched more closely, which only fueled the low murmurs of gossip among the crowd.

Moreover, as Zhao Dacheng carried her toward the shore, the hem of Feng Qingsue’s floral dress snagged on a branch.

The branch caught the hem, but Zhao Dacheng, unaware due to the strong current, kept struggling forward.

People on the shore reached out their hands, ready to pull them ashore.

At that moment, a sharp tearing sound rang out. A large section of Feng Qingsue’s dress was ripped from the hem upward.

This left Feng Qingsue even more disheveled and embarrassed.

Once Zhao Dacheng and Feng Qingsue were helped ashore by others, Feng Qingsue, having swallowed some water, was laid on the ground, dazed and exhausted. She collapsed, coughing and gasping for breath.

Zhao Dacheng, also struggling after being dragged down and having swallowed water, slumped to the ground, coughing violently, clearly in great discomfort. For the moment, he could not attend to Feng Qingsue.

At this time, people from the bridge were hurrying over, their voices filled with various emotions.

Among them were criticisms of Zhao Dacheng and Feng Qingsue’s conduct.

Though exhausted, Zhao Dacheng knew nothing had gone according to plan and everything had become chaotic. He was worried and kept an eye on his surroundings, naturally hearing the voices.

Realizing that although the current plan had failed, changing the target could still work to his advantage, he suddenly perked up, an idea forming swiftly.

Snapping back to attention, Zhao Dacheng quickly turned to look at the weakly coughing Feng Qingsue beside him, watching as she lost strength and passed out.