Chapter 7: Shameless

Bai Cheng'an had never encountered such a bold woman before. Even when he pinned her to the bed, she remained calm, holding onto him as if she genuinely intended to consummate their relationship.

Despite her delicate appearance, her nature was surprisingly audacious. Frustrated, he roughly pulled her hands from around his neck and threw them aside.

"Shameless," Bai Cheng'an spat, turning away from her abruptly.

In his haste, he missed the flash of cunning in Lin Ruanru's eyes. A moment ago, she had been gazing at him with seductive eyes, but now, she seemed calculating.

She had no intention of actually consummating the relationship with this man, a mere rough stranger she had met by the roadside. Why would she give herself to him so easily?

She had noticed from the start that this rough man was quite naive. He couldn't even look her in the eye and was kind enough to give food and water to a lone woman, proving his kind nature.

Understanding his character meant she could manipulate him. The more forward she was, the more this man, who intended to scare her, would become embarrassed.

Seeing him leave the room, flustered and with red ears, Lin Ruanru knew she had judged him correctly.

Such an honest man wouldn't treat her poorly as his wife. Since she had nowhere else to go and owed him a jade pendant, she might as well stay here for now.

Staying would help her avoid the henchmen of Ding Caizhu and provide a temporary shelter.

Once she earned enough money to redeem the jade pendant, she could consider her next steps.

This era wasn't one she had studied in books. Other than the scant knowledge of the original owner of her body, she knew nothing about this place.

The original owner had grown up in a small mountain village, seeing the world like a frog at the bottom of a well.

During her stay here, she could adapt to the local lifestyle.

Bai Cheng'an paced irritably in the outer room. He had no idea how to deal with the woman inside.

She didn't resist but acted seductively while he held her. Yet, he wasn't someone who took advantage of others easily.

Damn it. He regretted giving her food and water out of kindness, which had now brought him a troublesome guest.

As night fell, Lin Ruanru, exhausted from the day's events, quickly fell asleep. Bai Cheng'an sat outside for half the night, but eventually, his irritation won out, and he joined her on the bed.

The autumn night brought a sudden chill. The house, made of flimsy wooden boards, let in cold drafts through the gaps, making him shiver.

Bai Cheng'an watched in horror as the woman next to him snuggled into his arms, seeking warmth.

She didn't seem to consider him an outsider at all, curling up close and wrapping her arms around his waist. Her head nestled against his chest, her soft breaths tickling his neck.

Trying to avoid her injury, he attempted to push her away gently. But the more he pushed, the tighter she clung.

He avoided touching her wound, which looked severe, wondering how she had managed to get such a large bump on her forehead.

As he pondered, he reminded himself that she wasn't an ordinary woman. Why was he even worrying about her...

A strong gust of wind blew through the cracks, and the grip around his waist tightened further.

Bai Cheng'an furrowed his brow. It didn't seem fair. How could a man and a woman share a bed, and the one being taken advantage of was him, a seven-foot-tall man?

The cold autumn wind gave way to dawn. Lin Ruanru woke up in the warmth of Bai Cheng'an's arms.

Even with her usual composure, she was startled to find the man so close when she woke.

So close that she could clearly see his Adam's apple.

Whether it was because he was thirsty or something else, his Adam's apple moved up and down visibly.

Lin Ruanru squinted her eyes. This man actually dared to take advantage of her!

Quietly clenching her fist, she was about to teach him a lesson when she suddenly realized that her fist was behind him.

Damn, she was the one holding him tightly.

The one being taken advantage of was this man...

Sneaking up quietly, Lin Ruanru, like a child who had done something wrong, didn't dare make a sound.

The wooden house still had some rice, so she cooked some porridge. The autumn wind was biting, and a bowl of hot rice porridge was quite comforting.

Leaving enough breakfast for Bai Cheng'an, Lin Ruanru tidied up and prepared to leave.

One foot out the door and the other about to follow when a large hand suddenly gripped her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Bai Cheng'an's voice was icy.

He knew this woman was cunning. Holding him all night was just a ploy to lower his guard.

Look, now that she had a chance, she was sneaking away.

Caught red-handed, Lin Ruanru wasn't the least bit flustered. She turned around leisurely and gave him a very sweet smile.

"You...you...you're awake?" Her stammering made Bai Cheng'an wonder if her tongue was in a knot.

"If I hadn't woken up, you would have gotten away, wouldn't you?" He sneered, his stubbled face colder than the autumn wind.

Escape? Lin Ruanru was stunned. Who said she was trying to escape?

She just wanted to earn some money to redeem his jade pendant from that damned pawnshop.

"N-n-not escaping," she stammered out an explanation.

"Not escaping? Then where are you going?" Bai Cheng'an clearly didn't believe her.

"To e-e-earn money," Lin Ruanru stuttered, trying to keep her words to a minimum.

Looking at the woman in tattered clothes with disdain, Bai Cheng'an wanted to search her thoroughly.

A jade pendant—he couldn't believe she had hidden it anywhere else.

Thinking this, he acted on it. His large hands squeezed her sleeves and waistband, but he didn't find the pendant.

If it wasn't in those places, the only place left was...

He eyed her collar, lips pursed.

"Take it out," he demanded in a deep, gravelly voice, still sounding earnest.

Lin Ruanru was truly helpless. She wasn't deliberately withholding the pendant. She had pawned it and needed four taels of silver to get it back.

"To e-e-earn money, to re-re-redeem the pendant."

"Redeem the pendant? It's mine, and you expect me to pay to get it back?" Bai Cheng'an took a deep breath, frowning.

Killing her and taking the pendant from her body would be quicker than asking for it back.

"N-n-not you, me," Lin Ruanru said, pointing at her nose, finally making herself clear.

"You? So the pendant isn't with you?" Bai Cheng'an scrutinized her, trying to see what other lies she might concoct.

"It's not here." Lin Ruanru shook her head. She had pawned it to that unscrupulous shop, so it wasn't with her.

From the time he gave her food and water to when he found her again, no more than an hour had passed.

When he returned, she was still on the same road, proving she hadn't left.

Bai Cheng'an only appeared naive; he wasn't actually stupid. Such an obvious lie, he saw through it immediately.

"Are you saying you pawned the pendant?" he asked, sneering.