Everything was pitch black and chaotic, and she could only barely make out the shadows of the trees. With a little memory and intuition, she finally found the iron gate on the other side of the park.
A dog hole had been torn open beneath the dilapidated fence, the broken ends gleaming sharply in the moonlight. Without hesitation, Mu Xing knelt on the ground, barely managing to crawl through the hole before he could even catch his breath.
Her consciousness gradually faded, but she gritted her teeth and walked forward purely by memory. She didn't know how long she walked, but finally, the faint sounds of singing and dancing began to rise. The vibrant voices cut through her nerves like a steel saw, causing waves of pain.
Huff... Huff... Where is Shu Wan?
"I've only been gone for a little over half a month, how come you've already hooked up with another young master Sun?"
Flicking her cigarette ash, Fei Hua said jokingly, "I heard from the principal that this is quite a fat fish. How come its fierce attack is no less than that of Young Master Mu?"
"Stop talking nonsense." Bai Yan rolled her eyes at her and said, "I returned all those things to him."
"Oh my, is our Yan'er finally turning over a new leaf?" Fei Hua teased, lowering her voice, "What's going on between you and that Miss Mu?"
Everyone in the brothel was busy in the front hall. There was no one else on the balcony. Facing the cool breeze, Bai Yan said softly, "I've figured it out."
Fei Hua frowned and said, "Are you sure? That's a path with no guarantees."
Twirling the beautiful fan in her hand, Bai Yan turned to Fei Hua and asked, "Do you feel completely at ease following Principal Zhang?"
Fei Hua had told Bai Yan about Principal Zhang's family affairs before—what a strict and ruthless first wife she was, and how many beautiful women she had beside her. Fei Hua herself knew that she was never the most important one, and she would never be the last.
Bai Yan said slowly, "If we don't know what tomorrow will bring, why not choose a path that will at least bring me joy today?"
After a moment of silence, Fei Hua lowered her head and smiled, saying in an ambiguous tone, "Hearing you say that, I'm actually a little envious of you."
Just as Bai Yan was about to speak, her hand suddenly loosened, and the white jade fan slipped from her grasp, falling towards the bottom of the building with the wind.
"Ah." Without even speaking, Bai Yan hurriedly leaned out to find a fan.
Knowing that the fan was a gift from that esteemed person, Fei Hua also looked down and asked, "Is anyone downstairs? Let them bring it up."
However, the balcony was behind the study, facing the back alley. At that moment, the front hall was busy, and no one was coming this way.
Bai Yan had no choice but to turn around and go downstairs: "Fine, I'll go down and pick it up." Since she had nothing else to do, Fei Hua followed Bai Yan to the back alley.
Bai Yan picked up a fan and was about to blow away the dust when she suddenly sensed something was wrong: "What's that smell?"
"There seems to be some kind of smell..." Fei Hua glanced out of the corner of her eye and frowned, "...Who is that...?"
Bai Yan turned her head at the sound and saw what appeared to be a person slumped against the wall at the alley entrance. In just one glance, she felt as if she had been punched in the eye socket, almost fainting, and her back instantly broke out in a thick sweat.
She tossed aside the fan, ran over quickly, grabbed the person, and turned to look at their face. The pale, bloodless face was clearly Mu Xing's!
She seemed to have lost consciousness, her body contorted against the wall, her hands, which were covered in blood, clutching her waist.
"How could this happen, how could this happen..." Bai Yan was almost scared out of her wits. She tried to help Mu Xing up, but her trembling hands couldn't muster any strength and slipped several times.
Fei Hua, sensing something was wrong, had already returned to the brothel and dragged Bai Yan's maid over.
The maidservant rushed over in quick steps: "Miss, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry... Oh dear, what happened?! This, isn't this Mu..."
"Stop shouting here! Go help her up!" Fei Hua said, pulling Bai Yan away. "Yan'er, don't rush, let the maid help her up first. Don't panic, don't panic..."
After the initial fear subsided, Bai Yan gradually calmed down. Recalling how Mu Xing had stopped the woman's bleeding that day, she hurriedly wiped her eyes and, imitating him, took out a handkerchief and pressed it firmly against Mu Xing's waist. She then directed the maid to carefully help Mu Xing up, and the three of them rushed back to Bai Yan's room.
"Gently, gently!" Fearing that the wound would be torn open again, Bai Yan supported Mu Xing's upper body with all her might and, together with the maid, gently placed Mu Xing on the bed.
"Where is she injured? Is it on her waist?" Fei Hua asked, and then tried to take off Mu Xing's already tattered coat.
Grabbing her hand, Bai Yan turned to her aunt and said, "Auntie, go boil some water, make sure there's plenty. Also, have a maid clean up the blood in the alley, quickly!"
The maidservant responded and left.
Bai Yan then turned around, her hands trembling as she gently unbuttoned Mu Xing's coat and then pulled up her shirt.
Fei Hua promptly brought over a light bulb, its orange-yellow light illuminating the gruesome wound on Mu Xing's waist.
The once smooth and firm lines of the waist were abruptly severed, leaving a narrow, finger-length wound with wisps of remaining flesh. The bleeding seemed to have stopped somewhat.
After just one glance, Bai Yan couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. She tried her best to breathe and calm down.
Ah Xuan still needs her; she can't break down, she can't break down...
Fei Hua was also frightened by Mu Xing's injury. She said anxiously, "He must have been shot or something. Shouldn't we clean the wound first? I'll go get some medicine from Mom. Wait a moment!"
As soon as she ran out, the maid brought in hot water. Bai Yan first covered Mu Xing's body with clean clothes, then found a new handkerchief to wipe her wounds.
The moment the hot handkerchief touched Mu Xing's wound, she felt her waist tremble violently, and at the same time, Mu Xing let out a low groan.
Afraid of hurting her, Bai Yan immediately stopped, hesitant to continue.
His chest heaved violently a few times, and Mu Xing barely managed to half-open his eyes, whispering in a hoarse voice, "...Shu Wan...?"
Upon hearing her voice, Bai Yan quickly moved closer to her: "Ah Xuan, Ah Xuan! How are you? I'm here, I'm here."
After catching his breath, Mu Xing forced a smile and whispered, "Did I scare you? Don't be afraid..."
Upon hearing her say this, Bai Yan's previously controlled emotions instantly crumbled, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Even though she was the one who was seriously injured, he was still worried about scaring her at this moment...
Hastily wiping away her tears, Bai Yan said, "Ah Xuan, don't fall asleep. Tell me what to do, and I'll bandage you up first. Try to wake up..."
Mu Xing closed her eyes and paused to catch her breath. Just when Bai Yan thought she had fainted again, she hissed, "I... I checked myself just now... It's a gunshot wound, but there's no debris, and it didn't break any bones... Please help me, help me clean the wound, and use... use cotton or something..."
As Mu Xing spoke, Bai Yan quickly wrote it down and then began to treat Mu Xing's wounds as instructed.
While cleaning the wound, she could clearly feel Mu Xing trembling. Her heart ached terribly, but she could only grit her teeth and clean away all the debris bit by bit.
Fearing she might be too nervous, Mu Xing paused after explaining the steps, then said, "I came to see you today to tell you... my engagement has been cancelled..."
Bai Yan gritted her teeth, trying not to let her voice betray her tears: "Okay."
Mu Xing added, "It's just a pity... I wanted to put your mind at ease, but I didn't expect to make you worry instead..."
"Since you know I'm worried, you should get better soon." After cleaning the wound, Bai Yan took the padding and gauze that Fei Hua had found and was about to bandage Mu Xing's wound.
First, she fixed the padding to the wound. Then, Bai Yan got up and knelt down next to Mu Xing, wrapping the gauze around Mu Xing's waist.
Her slightly raised waist revealed a firm yet smooth muscle curve, and her fair fingers repeatedly brushed across her smooth skin, rubbing against her slightly exposed pubic bone... until they tightly bound her waist muscles, fully revealing the curves that belonged to a woman.
After finally treating the wound, Bai Yan was about to give Mu Xing some water when Fei Hua suddenly rushed in, her expression hurried, "Uncle Li said a team of police officers has started searching people from Youfeng! They said some bandits have moved here and they came with a search warrant!"
Bai Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked Mu Xing, "What! They're here to investigate you, aren't they?"
Mu Xing caught his breath and said, "I guess... the woman we rescued that day had some problems... which is why I was implicated."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan felt a pang of guilt. If she hadn't said she wanted to save that woman that day…
But time was of the essence, and there was no time to dwell on right and wrong. Bai Yan and Fei Hua discussed it and decided that since guests were never allowed to stay overnight in the brothel, and this was the time when guests were leaving, they might as well take advantage of the chaos to send Mu Xing directly out of Yuejiang.
After thinking for a moment, Fei Hua added, "But those people are focusing their search on men. She's covered in blood, so the search will give her away!"
Turning to look at Mu Xing, Bai Yan bit her lip and said, word by word, "They're investigating the third young master of the Mu family. What does that have to do with the young lady of the Mu family?"
Fei Hua and Mu Xing were both taken aback.
Fei Hua reacted first and immediately said, "Okay, I'll go outside and stall for time. You...you guys hurry up and handle it."
She called the maid in and took all the bloodstained handkerchiefs to the kitchen to burn. Bai Yan opened the window to let the smell of blood dissipate, lit an incense stick, and then opened the wardrobe.
Mu Xing lay in bed, feeling a mix of emotions, even more uneasy than on the day the big candles were lit.
Even though he had already revealed his identity, Mu Xing still presented himself as a man to Bai Yan.
Although Bai Yan also expressed her willingness to accept Mu Xing's female identity, before everything was completely settled, this male attire was like her last layer of disguise, a tacit understanding between them.
Once this disguise is removed, there will be no more concealment between them...
Will she... regret it...?
Because Mu Xing's injury was in his waist, Bai Yan did not choose a typical fitted cheongsam, but instead took out a loose-fitting jacket and skirt that was popular a few years ago.
A moon-white vest, a lilac-colored petticoat, and a pair of apricot-red embroidered cloth shoes. It was a completely different look from the young master Mu, who usually wore black and white.
That's the feeling Miss Mu should have.
The clamor outside the door rose higher and higher, completely shutting out the noise from this time and place.
In a tacit silence, Bai Yan gently helped Mu Xing up and let her lean against the four-poster bed.
The crimson curtains cast a layer of false rouge on Mu Xing's face, giving her pale complexion a touch of color and even a strangely alluring appearance.
After taking off the half-covered shirt, vest... and finally, the strapless bra.
Mu Xing's eyes were slightly closed, as if she were undergoing some subtle yet solemn ritual. Bai Yan leaned closer to her, reached out, and with trembling hands, gently unfastened the clasp on her shoulder.
A tear, whose name is unknown, silently fell onto the brocade quilt, like the last plum blossom falling in the winter night, finally spinning and welcoming its spring.
Chapter Sixty
After changing her clothes, Bai Yan used hot water to comb away the bloodstains and hair gel from Mu Xing's hair. The once-stiff black hair gradually softened, gently lying against Mu Xing's face, concealing all the sharpness and wildness in his eyes.
As the comb moved, the concept of "Miss Mu" gradually took shape.
The commotion outside grew closer, and the hard-toed leather boots of the police officers pounded on the ground, making everyone on the ground feel uneasy.
After combing her hair, Bai Yan hurriedly applied a layer of rouge to Mu Xing's face, making her originally pale face look like she was drunk, which could also be considered a cover-up.
"Slow down, slow down..." She helped Mu Xing slowly move off the bed.
The moment his feet touched the ground, a sliver of clarity flashed through Mu Xing's muddled mind.
She murmured, "Wait, my pocket, something in my pocket..."
"What? What is that?" Bai Yan hurriedly reached for her tattered coat. She hadn't noticed it when she took off her clothes earlier. Now, as soon as she got the coat, she could clearly feel something heavy weighing down inside.
Upon closer inspection, it was a gift box that had almost exploded; blood had soaked through the padding, staining it filthy. She quickly handed it to Mu Xing: "Is this it?"
The aftereffects of blood loss were eroding his consciousness; Mu Xing could barely see anything, only muttering, "Give it to you...to exchange...to exchange the bracelet..."
After a moment's reaction, Bai Yan finally understood what she was talking about. Blinking her sore eyes, she clutched the tattered gift box in her hand and said, "Is it the bracelet you gave me? I'll put it on now and take it back to your house. Wait for me, just a moment..."
She immediately got up and rummaged through the jade bracelet. Bai Yan found a bag and put both items in it. After thinking for a moment, she also took out the money she had kept in the locker, just in case.
Just as I finished tidying up, a commotion suddenly broke out in the second-floor corridor.
"Open the door! Police search!" Then came a series of clanging and breaking sounds, and screams and curses from women and men.
If they went out directly to confront the patrol team at this moment, the risk of being discovered was too great. However, the smell of blood in the room had not yet dissipated, and they absolutely could not let the patrol team break into the room. Bai Yan gritted her teeth, poured all the alcohol she had brought to disinfect Mu Xing into the room, smeared some on Mu Xing's body, and then helped her up and walked towards the door.
The sound of footsteps was already close enough that Bai Yan kicked open the door just as several armed police officers walked over. Hearing the noise, the officers looked over and shouted, "Halt! Emergency search!"