Chapter 17 : Rainfall and Red Umbrellas

Duan Ling’s eyelashes, damp from the rain, appeared long and delicate. 

He lowered his gaze to look at Lin Ting, whose face was drenched by the rain. 

Her burning palm was still pressed tightly against his back, as if the warmth could seep through the layers of clothing.

Just as he was about to push Lin Ting away, she hugged him even tighter, pulling him down to the ground and rolling under the flower carriage. 

The moment they tumbled into the petal-strewn space beneath the carriage, a volley of arrows rained down.

The sharp sounds of arrows piercing through the air echoed—”Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”—as the cold arrows embedded themselves into the flower carriage, turning it into a sieve.

One arrow even pierced through the wooden panels of the carriage and landed right next to Lin Ting. 

The arrow’s tail still quivered. 

That was close. 

Her heart pounded like a drum, but when she heard the words “Mission accomplished,” she felt it was worth it.

Before taking action, Lin Ting had prepared herself for failure. 

If Duan Ling managed to dodge again, she had planned to dive under the carriage alone—after all, her own life came first. 

She hadn’t expected it to succeed.

Perhaps she had chosen the perfect moment, and Duan Ling assumed she was “saving” him, so he remained still, watching her rush over without avoiding her.

Lin Ting sneakily peeked outside, gasping for breath, before realizing something. 

She looked down at Duan Ling, who was pinned beneath her. 

Their waists and abdomens pressed closely together in an intimate position.

Duan Ling was looking at her too.

Their eyes met. 

Embarrassed, Lin Ting quickly loosened her grip around him, lifting herself slightly to ease the pressure on his body. 

Forcing a smile, she said, “I didn’t do it on purpose. Are you alright, Lord Duan?”

Even though he didn’t need her help to deal with the arrows, Duan Ling still responded kindly, “Thanks to Miss Lin Qi, I am unharmed.”

“It was nothing,” Lin Ting replied, lacking confidence. 

She knew Duan Ling could have handled the arrows himself, that he didn’t need her to “save” him. 

But she had to try. 

If she hadn’t, how else would she have gotten the chance to hold him? 

Some opportunities had to be created.

With the mission complete, it was time to leave before causing more trouble. 

Lin Ting prepared to get up, but the carriage’s wooden panel pressed against her lower back. 

Caught off guard, she nearly fell right back onto Duan Ling.

Fortunately, she reacted in time, placing her hands on the ground to prevent another accident.

However, their posture became even more inappropriate. 

With her hands propped up near Duan Ling’s head and her knees on either side of him, it looked as if she was straddling his waist.

At that moment, raindrops slid down Lin Ting’s face, carrying her warmth as they dripped into Duan Ling’s collar, trickling down his chest.

The last drop of water, heated by her body, seeped into his clothes, also warm.

Amidst their tangled movements, Lin Ting’s slightly loosened collar revealed a golden amulet of the God of Wealth, hanging from a red string around her neck. 

It swung in the air a few times before landing right in front of Duan Ling’s eyes.

This was the first time Duan Ling had seen someone wear the God of Wealth as an accessory, especially a golden pendant of him. 

He wasn’t familiar with the jewelry preferences of noblewomen in the capital, but he was fairly certain gold wealth charms weren’t among them.

Lin Ting coughed lightly, freed a hand, and stuffed the pendant back under her collar as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, her wet hair, sticking together in damp strands, swept past Duan Ling’s neck, brushing against his skin like a feather.

Duan Ling’s fingers twitched, instinctively wanting to brush it away.

But before he could, Lin Ting suddenly lowered herself, her breath skimming across his skin as she rolled to the side, lying down next to him. 

Even though they were no longer pressed together, the distance between them was less than the width of a finger, their robes overlapping in a tangled mess.

She wasn’t sure if the people who had ambushed Duan Ling would shoot more arrows, so she didn’t leave the space under the carriage just yet. 

Instead, she cautiously peeked out to observe.

Unlike Lin Ting, who was careful and on guard, Duan Ling stepped out without hesitation, tilting his head to look up at the high-rise buildings.

The windows of the buildings were wide open, and many people craned their necks to watch the commotion. 

Ordinary citizens feared trouble, but the nobles upstairs did not, making it difficult to pinpoint where the arrows had come from.

The hurried sound of footsteps echoed through West Street as the imperial guards arrived. 

They orderly saluted Duan Ling before bowing their heads in guilt. 

“My Lord, we arrived late. Please punish us.”

The rain had yet to stop, pouring heavily and drenching their faces, making it difficult to even keep their eyes open.

Duan Ling withdrew his gaze and looked toward the place where the courtesan had collapsed earlier—now, it was completely empty. 

She, Xie Wu, and the man had all disappeared.

Were the arrows meant to cover their escape, or were they aimed at killing him?

Duan Ling lowered his eyes slightly and, in a mild tone, asked, “Why did you arrive late?”

As he spoke, he did not look at them.

He rarely lost his temper at the Jinyiwei. 

In fact, he was known to be the most mild-tempered Deputy Commander they had ever encountered. 

The Jinyiwei lowered their heads and reported, “There was a disturbance on the way here, which delayed us.”

He asked again, “Who caused the disturbance?”

The Jinyiwei did not dare to hide anything. 

“We were in a hurry to get here and did not investigate in detail. If you require, we can send people to look into it immediately.”

Duan Ling smiled faintly, bending down to pick up a wandering flower that had been knocked down by the rain. 

His fingertips brushed lightly over the damp petals before slowly crushing them. 

The flower’s juice stained his fingertips red, only to be washed away completely by the rain.

He placed the petal-less flower back onto the carriage and said leisurely, “Set that matter aside for now. Instead, investigate the buildings in the southeast direction of West Street and find out who was there today.”

“Understood,” the Jinyiwei replied.

Just as their words fell, they saw someone crawling out from under the flower carriage.

Lin Ting, having confirmed that there was no danger outside, finally climbed out. 

Staying under the carriage for no reason? 

What was she, a masochist? 

She wasn’t about to lie there just to make herself uncomfortable. 

Seeing the Jinyiwei, she even waved at them in a friendly manner.

Some of the Jinyiwei in the group recognized Lin Ting and quickly stopped their colleagues who, assuming she was up to something suspicious, were ready to draw their swords.

Lin Ting swiftly slipped behind Duan Ling.

A Jinyiwei officer stepped forward and asked, “My Lord, what exactly happened here on West Street?”

They had rushed over as soon as they saw the signal but had no time to gather any information. 

When they arrived, all they saw was Duan Ling, a flower carriage riddled with holes, scattered petals, and several arrows littering the ground.

Duan Ling responded concisely, “The fifth young master of the Xie family hid inside the flower ball, intending to use the courtesan’s parade to leave the city. I discovered him, and just as I was about to apprehend him, arrows were fired from the buildings in the southeast direction.”

The Jinyiwei immediately understood. 

Gripping their weapons, they bowed slightly and said, “We will investigate at once.”

The rain showed no signs of stopping; in fact, it looked like it would last until nightfall. 

Duan Ling glanced up at the sky—lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and thick clouds loomed, the rain forming a curtain that blurred his vision.

Raindrops struck his face with a light sting, but Duan Ling was long accustomed to it. 

If anything, he felt that it wasn’t enough.

Suddenly, the rain stopped.

No—that wasn’t right. 

The rain hadn’t actually stopped. 

It just no longer fell on him. 

Instead, it mysteriously arced away, falling to the ground in a curve, avoiding him completely.

Duan Ling turned his head and was first met with the sight of a delicate hand gripping the handle of an umbrella. 

The fingers were slender, the skin on the back of the hand so thin that the veins underneath were visible. 

Then, his gaze moved upward to a fair, snow-white face, still dotted with a few lingering raindrops.

His eyes paused slightly.

Lin Ting had somehow acquired a red oil-paper umbrella—just one. 

She raised her arm to hold it over him, her eyebrows curved in a smile, her lips red and teeth white. 

“Lord Duan, let me escort you back to the Beizhen Fusi .”

With her mission completed, she was in a good mood. 

Taking a detour to walk him back wasn’t a big deal.

[Villainess Mission Triggered: The host must kiss Duan Ling within one month. The kiss must last at least thirty breaths; any duration shorter than that will be considered a failure.]

Her good mood instantly vanished.