In a red dress

It wasn't hard for Liang Wenqian to get Fen Hua out of the house. He was the second son of the house after all, who would dare to question him? He dressed her in a scarlet dress, her head was covered by a veil, and her arms were adorned with bracelets. If anyone were to see this woman, they would instantly assume she was a prostitute. Having a prostitute or two leaving with Liang Wenqian was nothing new or novel to the household. In fact, some of the slaves murmured amongst themselves about how there was only one this time. Especially since it had been so long since one before. At least two months, if they thought hard enough.

"You don't have to touch me so much," Fen Hua grumbled from beneath the veil.

"I will do what I want. Touch what I want," Liang Wenqian said with a smile on his lips, "the only thing you can do about it is play along."

"You good for nothing piece of crap," Fen Hua bit back.

"Now that's no way to talk to your savior," He teased. "Should I take you back?"

Fen Hua bit back every angry word that clung in her throat. She would have to endure this man's presence. Despite how awful he was, she was thankful that he was helping her, even though she still wasn't sure what his motive was and hoped with all her heart it had nothing to do with the way he kept touching her.

Liang Wenqian stared at Fen Hua from the side of his eyes. There was something about her that both repulsed and excited him. When ever she was close to him, he was drawn to her. She had control over him. Maybe this is why she disgusted him, maybe the feeling of not being able to control these feelings caused it.

He stared at her veiled face, he could just make out the shape of her lips behind the dark curtain. He wondered what it would feel like to touch them. Not even kiss them, just touch. The urge to reach his hand out was almost overwhelming. He wasn't known to show restraint, but for once in his life, he cared about what someone would think about him if he did. He clenched his hands at his sides and turned away from her.

'It's best to get her as far from me as possible,' he thought. Though this sent a panic in his heart, a feeling that was both emotional and painful at once.

"Where are we going?" Fen Hua asked pulling him from his misery.

Her words pulled him back to the present and for this he was thankful. "I won't tell you yet."

"Won't tell me?"

"What happens if you get caught on the way there? Then they will torture you and you will say Master Liang Wenqian was going to bring me to xxxx. Then I would have to change where I like to escape to every now and then."

Fen Hua was a little surprised at how honest his response was. She decided not to ask anymore questions about it. If he was going to help her, he would help her. If he planned something bad for her, then she would take that as it came.

After the two of them left the house Liang Wenqian rented a carriage from a man who seemed used to this request. Liang Wenqian tossed him a small bag of coins and then gestured for Fen Hua to get inside. She followed his directions, expecting him to be the driver, he instead got in and sat right next to her. To close to her. She could smell his scent, a mixture of ashes and spice. Somehow it was neither pleasant, or unpleasant. What was unpleasant to her was the proximity. This carriage was too small for the two to sit in here comfortably.

"You're not going to drive?" She asked, almost accusingly.

He snorted and gave her a look that clearly said 'as if'.

The man that had been given the coins was the one to drive. He seemed to know what Liang Wenqian wanted without the two of them speaking a single word. She wondered if this had all been planned before everything happened tonight. For a moment she considered if what she heard from Liang Delun had actually happened. Maybe it was Liang Wenqian who had said those words, maybe she had somehow gotten everything mixed up because of the shock. She wanted to believe this, even despite everything that she had overheard, she wanted to believe that he wasn't as awful as he was.

She peeked at Liang Wenqian; he was resting against the back of the carriage. She could see that he was tired. His eyes had bags under them. She felt obligated to say something like "you can sleep if you want" or, "get some rest, you look tired", but how could she dare say something like that to this man? She had watched him not that long ago beat Da Cheng as if he was nothing more then a fly. A person like him didn't deserve concern or sympathy.

What she didn't know was that Liang Wenqian felt the same way about himself. He had been treated and acted like a monster for so long, he wasn't even human in his mind. At least that's what he told himself. It was easier to want to destroy things, to want to hurt people, then it was to be hurt himself. He'd already had his share of pain in this lifetime.