Chapter 227 - 224: Accepting the Hit
Su Yaoguang tugged at her clothes, only to have Zhou Wangshu hold on tightly, making it impossible to pull free.
She gently patted his back and lowered her voice: "Alright, it’s too late, let’s rest for today and talk about it tomorrow."
Ever since Zhou Wangshu returned, he’s been stuck to her like glue, and she couldn’t pull her arm away. Now her hair was dry, and she wanted to go to bed, but he wouldn’t let go.
She called his name, and he ignored her.
One might say he was drunk, rendering her unable to break free.
"If you don’t want to move, just sleep here. Shall we go to bed now?" Su Yaoguang coaxed.
The unresponsive Zhou Wangshu finally made a sound, wrapped his arms around her neck, and, with sleepy eyes, led her to the bed.
At the bedside, he pressed her onto the bed, holding her tightly.
Su Yaoguang pushed a little, but despite her usual strength, she couldn’t break the grip of this drunkard. She was exhausted and didn’t want to struggle anymore, so she resignedly closed her eyes.
As she closed her eyes, she didn’t notice the slight smile at the corner of his mouth or his open eyes.
In the following days, Zhou Wangshu’s social engagements increased, and every time he returned, he sought out Su Yaoguang, even if she locked the door, he would knock from outside.
When the drunkard would call and knock outside, whining her name with grievance, to avoid being labeled a fickle lover, Su Yaoguang reluctantly took him in.
Over time, Su Yaoguang prepared hangover soup for him daily and let him settle beside her. The next day, she would either find herself in his arms or him in hers.
Habit is the most daunting thing. It took just five days to go from discomfort to usual; within those five days, she got used to Zhou Wangshu’s presence, even to his clingy demeanor like chewing gum.
At a secluded courtyard. Zhou Wangshu rushed over as soon as he received the news. Upon arrival, his subordinate reported the latest developments.
"Hall Master, someone wants to buy your life. Isn’t that strange?" a brother from the provincial branch laughed. "I demanded five hundred taels of silver from the other party. You’re the top scorer in the rural exam; you are worth that much, aren’t you? The person said he’d gather the silver in three days, and then we’re to take care of you."
Another brother chimed in, "That’s not all. The other party also posed a condition that you must be dealt with in front of your wife, so you’d die before her eyes."
Zhou Wangshu sneered, "Not many in this world hate me so much, and only that one person knows where I am now. Did he come in person?"
"No, he didn’t. If he’d come in person, we’d have taken care of him first. He followed our hall’s rule and placed the contract for the hit under the God of Wealth Temple’s statue. We’ve been watching, but we didn’t see how he took our message away. This guy’s got some skills."
"He wants me dead, so let’s fulfill his wish," Zhou Wangshu replied. "I want to take my wife to burn incense tomorrow. Pass this information to him and then wait for him to take the bait."
"Alright."
Chen Buyu married a new wife and wanted to take her to see his parents-in-law, so he returned to the county first.
Zhong Chushan, having achieved such good results, naturally wanted to go sightseeing and have fun with his classmates, so he didn’t travel with them.
After the others had left, Zhou Wangshu suggested to Su Yaoguang that he wanted to worship the local Bodhisattva. Afterward, they needed to rush back to the county.
Su Yaoguang rented a carriage and had the driver take them to the area’s most famous temple. The temple was situated on a very high mountain, and they had to climb once reaching the foot of the mountain.
Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu climbed the mountain.
After a quarter of an hour, a few people suddenly blocked their path.
Seeing these people’s fierce looks, Su Yaoguang shielded Zhou Wangshu, sharply asking the people in front: "Who are you, and what do you want?"
Not far away, Xiao Yanci watched the scene unfold, madness filling his eyes.
All the changes were because of Zhou Wangshu. As long as Zhou Wangshu disappeared, the Champion Scholar title would still be his. Therefore, before the metropolitan exam, the first variable he needed to eliminate was Zhou Wangshu.
The day before, he went to the temple to seek a divination and received a great fortune. The Bodhisattva was telling him, as long as he removed this obstacle, his life would be on an auspicious path.
The spot Xiao Yanci chose afforded him a great view, and he could clearly see the fight on the other side. He even saw every move Su Yaoguang made to protect Zhou Wangshu.