Chapter 31: No One Will Ever Love You!

"The night road is treacherous. I bumped into someone, and they gave me this lantern," Su Yao said, lowering her gaze.

She stole a glance at Lu Huaijin, only to find him staring fixedly at the lantern, his expression so grim it sent a chill down her spine.

Su Yao’s heart skipped a beat. She could not fathom why a simple lantern would provoke such displeasure in him. The atmosphere inside the carriage turned stifling, making the already cramped space feel even more suffocating.

After a long silence, Lu Huaijin finally spoke.

"Do you even know who that lantern belongs to?"

Su Yao shook her head. She did not know.

"Stay away from him in the future. He is no good man."

"But I found him to be quite reasonable. I offended him just now, yet he did not blame me. Instead, he gave me the lantern."

"Su Yao!"

Lu Huaijin barked. The sound echoed within the small carriage, startling even the two people driving outside. His eyes burned with rage. "Do you remember your status?"

The carriage wheels rumbled across the night, emitting a dull, rhythmic thud. Lu Huaijin’s eyes grew colder.

"Remember your identity. Your father was a traitor who colluded with the enemy. You are the daughter of a criminal."

His words lacked any warmth; they were like a sharp blade piercing Su Yao’s heart. She felt a sudden wave of suffocation. The brief flicker of gratitude she had felt toward him evaporated instantly.

Pale-faced, she looked at Lu Huaijin. This time, there was no tenderness in his eyes, only bone-chilling coldness.

In the depths of her heart, a voice whispered to her, "Su Yao, don't believe him. Your father would never do such things." The voice echoed, growing louder: "Su Yao, you are truly a fool."

"A little act of kindness is all it takes to cloud your judgment."

"Have you forgotten what kind of man Lu Huaijin is? He is overbearing and treacherous."

"Only a simpleton like you would be swayed by his scraps of 'goodwill'."

"Your possessions can only come from him. You must not accept anything from others, not even a lantern."

As she mused, Lu Huaijin suddenly reached out and snatched the lantern away.

"Do you understand?"

Su Yao bit her lower lip, stubbornly refusing to speak. Her lips turned white, nearly drawing blood. Seeing her defiance, Lu Huaijin’s anger flared further, and he simply turned away and closed his eyes, ignoring her.

The voice inside Su Yao’s heart began to mock her again: "You really deserve this!"

"You are nothing but a pathetic creature!"

Su Yao’s eyes turned red, but she stubbornly held back the tears. She did not make a sound.

She was a woman who valued dignity above all else; this was what her father had taught her. Over the past three years, she had almost forgotten this worthless sense of dignity, but in this moment, it surfaced with painful clarity.

In a trance, she heard her father whisper in her ear: "A-Yao, to be a person, one must keep their spine straight."

Su Yao took a deep breath. "I did nothing wrong. It is you who are being unreasonable."

As soon as these words left her lips, Lu Huaijin’s face turned icy. His voice dropped, low and dangerous.

"Su Yao, three years later, and you still haven't learned to be obedient. So, these are your true thoughts."

Su Yao glared at him, her eyes filled with resentment and stubbornness.

"Speak!"

"Yes, Lu Huaijin! You are always like this, completely irrational! A man like you will never be loved by anyone!"

"Stop the carriage."

Lu Huaijin shouted suddenly. Changting, who was driving, exchanged a glance with Chuntao. They had heard every word of the argument inside. His eyes filled with worry, but he pulled on the reins nonetheless.

Changting asked cautiously, "Master, what are your orders?"

Lu Huaijin’s fists were clenched so tightly the veins on the back of his hands bulged. He spoke coldly.

"Su Yao, get out."

His voice was frigid, as if Su Yao were nothing more than an insignificant ant in his eyes. Su Yao bit her lips, her nails digging deep into her palms, and stood up to step out of the carriage. She held her spine straight—it was the dignity she had just reclaimed, and she would not let it be broken again.

She knew that Lu Huaijin’s attitude toward her was a near-pathological possessiveness, a thrill of conquest. She was a small beast that had not been fully tamed in three years, struggling desperately under his control.

In the night, the biting wind felt like small knives cutting into her skin. Her stomach churned with nausea.

From the carriage, a voice drifted out lazily: "Walk back to the Lu estate yourself. If I do not see you before the third watch, you know the consequences."

With that, the carriage pulled away, disappearing into the distance within moments, leaving Su Yao standing alone on the empty street.

Lonely and helpless.

Su Yao walked along the bluestone road. Blisters formed on the soles of her feet, each step stinging with pain. Yet, as if she could no longer feel the agony, she walked forward mechanically.

She should be thankful; she was already some distance from the Imperial City. She knew the way to the Lu estate and turned into a small alley, simply because the shortcut was closer.

Su Yao looked up at the sky. There was no moon tonight, nor any stars. There was only endless darkness.

"Mother, Sister, you have also hidden away and refuse to see A-Yao. Did I do something wrong?"

The Imperial Palace was a cage that trapped her in a world of power, where even a lowly eunuch could bully her at will. The Lu estate was a cage that broke her wings and trapped her behind high walls. The capital itself was a cage that buried her freedom and hope entirely.

But she, Su Yao, would not be broken. She would eventually make it to the North to find her father and brother.

When the drum for the third watch sounded, Su Yao finally reached the gates of the Lu estate. Her hair was disheveled, clinging to her face, and her body was stiff from the cold. Her stomach churned violently, and she felt dreadful. She had vomited three times in the alleyway, and now her legs were so weak she could barely stand.

She stumbled toward her room. The room was pitch black. Su Yao reached out to push the door, which creaked open slowly.

"Where have you been?"

The man’s low voice sounded from the darkness. Upon hearing this, a surge of irritation rose in Su Yao’s heart—it was truly absurd that he would even ask.

She suppressed her physical discomfort and said weakly, "I... I didn't go anywhere. I just walked back."

Her teeth chattered uncontrollably as she spoke.

A candle was lit, and the dim, yellow light illuminated the room. His gaze fell upon the blood seeping through Su Yao’s shoes.

"You walked back?"

Su Yao glanced at him but said nothing. In the middle of the night, who else would be wandering the streets like her?

Seeing her silence, Lu Huaijin approached and swept her up into his arms.

"Put me down," Su Yao struggled, the pent-up grievances of the day suddenly rushing to the surface. She kicked wildly, but his large hands pinned her down.

He placed her on the bed and removed her shoes. The blisters on her feet had burst, oozing pus, and the skin around the wounds was red and swollen.

"Someone come here! Call the estate physician."

"Stop pretending. Isn't this exactly what you wanted to see?" Su Yao gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hatred.

Not long after, the physician rushed over. He carefully examined Su Yao’s injuries, cleaned the wounds, and applied medicinal herbs. Once finished, he whispered a few words into Lu Huaijin’s ear.

Lu Huaijin’s expression darkened...