When Luo Huanghun woke up again, she was already back in her room at Baima Temple.
The room was quiet. She was about to call for Qingmei to ask what had happened, but then she saw Ren Jingsi sitting by the bed, his face icy cold.
Ren Jingsi’s brows were tightly furrowed, his expression frosty. “Luo Huanghun, you’re the daughter-in-law of the Ren family. What do you think you look like, running off alone?”
Luo Huanghun rubbed her sore throat. “Husband, you’re overthinking it. I was just taking a walk.”
Ren Jingsi clearly didn’t believe her. He sneered, “A walk? You twisted your ankle and tore your clothes—do you really think I’m that easy to fool?”
Luo Huanghun hadn’t expected him to notice such details. She sighed, “Didn’t we agree to leave each other alone?”
Anger flashed in Ren Jingsi’s eyes. “That doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!”
Luo Huanghun lowered her head slightly, her neck forming a graceful arc. “Yes, husband. I won’t act recklessly. I’ll keep both families’ reputations in mind.”
Seeing her so meek and compliant only made Ren Jingsi more irritable. He felt like something about Luo Huanghun had changed.
He stood up and paced a few times, suddenly realizing something.
Looking down at her, his words were sharp: “You’re getting back at me, aren’t you? Because I wasn’t there on our wedding night, now you pull this disappearing act.”
Luo Huanghun was speechless. Getting back at him? She couldn’t wait to be done with the Ren family and never see them again.
She couldn’t let him keep misunderstanding.
Luo Huanghun looked up, her gaze sincere. “Husband, why don’t you bring Li Linger into the house? She can be a noble concubine for now, and in six months, she can become your wife.”
The room fell silent. After a long pause, Ren Jingsi’s voice was cold: “You’ve been investigating me?”
Luo Huanghun sighed. “The Ren family’s servants gossip about it constantly. I don’t need to investigate.”
The circle of noblewomen was small; Luo Huanghun had always known about Li Linger, the neglected concubine-born daughter from a noble family.
But she’d only learned about Li Linger’s ongoing relationship with Ren Jingsi on her wedding night in her previous life.
That night, Ren Jingsi had gone to see Li Linger instead of spending the night with her. The servants, looking down on her, gossiped openly, so she found out quickly.
Luo Huanghun withdrew her gaze and smiled gently. “Bring her here. I can move to a side courtyard.”
Ren Jingsi stared at her, his expression ugly. He squeezed out, “You used to cling to me and wouldn’t let any other woman near. Now you want Linger to move in? What are you really thinking?”
Luo Huanghun shook her head slowly, almost amused. Ren Jingsi only ever got this worked up when it came to Li Linger.
But so what? She didn’t care anymore.
She nodded calmly. “I was foolish before. Now I understand I shouldn’t stand in the way of your happiness.”
She had no intention of suffering the same fate as in her past life, dying imprisoned. Whether it was Li Linger or anyone else, it didn’t matter—she already had the divorce agreement. All she needed to do was find the seal within six months and leave the Ren family.
Ren Jingsi opened his mouth, but couldn’t say a word. He flung his sleeves and stormed out.
Luo Huanghun breathed a sigh of relief and called Qingmei to ask what had happened after she went missing. To her surprise, it was Ren Jingsi who had found her!
“How is that possible?” Luo Huanghun frowned. “Are you sure?”
Qingmei’s expression was complicated. “It was the young master. You were gone all afternoon. Even the young lord said you knew the area well and wouldn’t get into trouble, but the young master insisted on searching and found you in a mountain cave.”
Luo Huanghun was stunned. What did Ren Jingsi mean by that?
She thought for a moment. It was probably just for the Ren family’s reputation. After all, if the daughter-in-law went missing, it would look bad.
Why would Ren Jingsi ever truly care about her?
For some reason, Luo Huanghun suddenly thought of that mysterious man. Before she realized it, she blurted out, “Was I alone in the cave?”
Qingmei looked at her in confusion. “Of course you were. Was there someone else?”
Luo Huanghun smiled. “I remember seeing a beautiful white fox in there.”
She wondered how that man’s injuries were, and whether his enemies had caught up to him.
She lowered her head and touched her lips, as if the heat of that kiss still lingered, impossible to erase.