After faking my death, the male lead’s cousin went crazy - Chapter 2

Perhaps due to the rain last night, the forest soil carried a faint, damp musk. Shang Rongyue hoisted her heavy skirts, running with uneven steps through the undergrowth.

In the original plot, the host body had been driven north to the edge of a cliff, where she jumped to her death to preserve her dignity.

Fine, then I’ll do the opposite. I’ll go south.

This mountain wasn’t particularly high, and the dense thickets made for a perfect hiding spot. She had already draped all the valuable jewelry from the “dowry” onto her person. If she could just survive this encounter and live off this money for a while, she could wait until her father, Old General Shang, returned in triumph. Then, she could go home and settle the score on behalf of the original Shang Rongyue.

Faint voices drifted from behind—Wang Wu and the others were catching up. Shang Rongyue crouched low behind a tree, peering cautiously back. The three pursuers had split up. One was heading straight for her.

It wasn’t Wang Wu. This man didn’t look like a martial artist; the way he held his blade was more akin to someone holding a kitchen knife. He was just a common farmer. As long as she stayed hidden, he shouldn’t be able to find her.

Clutching her chest, Shang Rongyue tried to steady her pounding heart. When she looked up, she realized that right next to her hand on the tree trunk, a two-inch-long caterpillar was wriggling toward her fingers.

In a reflex of pure terror, she yanked her hand back and fell to the ground. The movement caused the dangling ornaments in her hair to jingle softly.

That tiny sound was enough. The driver’s eyes snapped toward her tree, and he began to approach, step by deliberate step.

Shang Rongyue suppressed her fear, snatched the hairpin from her hair to silence it, and scrambled backward. Suddenly, her shoulder collided with something hard.

She turned around. A figure stood bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the fiery horizon rimming their silhouette in gold. The woman wore a simple dress with dark patterns, giving her the air of a wandering swordswoman.

Yes, a woman. Shang Rongyue saw it clearly. A long sword hung at her waist.

The woman stood with her hands behind her back, her posture commanding and her clothes fluttering in the breeze. Her cold, handsome features carried an innate authority that demanded respect without her having to utter a word.

The woman glanced at Shang Rongyue, then jerked her chin toward the approaching driver. “Looking for you?”

Before Shang Rongyue could speak, she noticed other “shadows” hidden among the trees. Their eyes were all fixed on the woman in front of her. Clearly, these people took orders from her.

Shang Rongyue’s mind raced through the plot. In this era of war, with Gaoji invading and the country in chaos, even local thugs dared to bully a General’s daughter. And here, in the middle of nowhere, was a group of armed people in plain clothes…

Could they be… bandits?!

“I’m asking you a question!” The woman’s voice crackled with impatience. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Shang Rongyue steeled her nerves. Fine, bandits it is. Anything was better than the man-eating tigers behind her. Besides, they were both women—surely that made this her best bet. The most important thing was to stay alive.

In an instant, crystalline tears spilled from her eyes. With trembling fingers, she grabbed the hem of the woman’s robe and sobbed, “Sister, save me.”

At the sight of the girl’s tears, Gu Wan felt a flicker of genuine interest.

While she hadn’t intentionally dressed as a man, she was frequently mistaken for one. This girl had realized she was a woman at a single glance. Moreover, the girl had shifted her demeanor in a heartbeat; the transition to tears was so seamless and her expression so moving that, had Gu Wan not been on guard, she might have felt a stir of pity.

This girl has something to her. She might very well be the person I’m looking for.

Gu Wan knelt down and reached out to brush away a tear, but as soon as she wiped one, another took its place. “You dare ask me for help without knowing who I am?” Gu Wan asked playfully, continuing to wipe the fresh tears.

Shang Rongyue’s lashes fluttered as she carefully whispered two words: “Bandit… Chief?”

Gu Wan’s finger paused. Bandit? Was that the secret code for the exchange?

She didn’t nod, but she didn’t correct her either. She just stood there, staring at the tearful girl. A look of surprise crossed her face, followed by a slight upward curve of her lips. She seemed find Shang Rongyue’s words fascinating.

In Shang Rongyue’s eyes, this look confirmed her suspicion. If she knew the woman’s “identity,” her motive was easy to guess. A bandit—especially a female one—wanted money.

Shang Rongyue pulled the hairpin from her sleeve, surreptitiously pushing the gold bangles further up her arm to hide them. She offered the pin with both hands. “I am willing to give you my entire dowry, Sister, if only you will save my life.”

The man who had been searching nearby spotted Shang Rongyue’s red dress and shouted for his companions. But before he could finish his sentence, several men in black swarmed him and pinned him to the ground.

“Who—who are you people?!”

Hearing the commotion, Wang Wu and the other driver arrived quickly. They saw their companion pinned down and the “Second Miss” kneeling before a woman, weeping piteously.

Wang Wu was quick-witted. He immediately assessed the situation and slapped his thigh in mock despair. “Oh, my lady! There’s a limit to how much you can act out!”

Wang Wu turned to Gu Wan and spun a tale: Their master had betrothed his daughter to a wealthy family who promised to make her the legal wife, not a concubine. But because the groom was a bit older, the lady had thrown a tantrum and jumped out of the wedding sedan to hide.

“I say, Miss,” Wang Wu sighed, sounding aggrieved. “A woman’s marriage is decided by her parents and a matchmaker. If you were truly this unwilling, why didn’t you say so before we left? Stirring up this trouble now… you’re going to be the death of me! Besides, the groom is older, but older men know how to dote on people. What do young brats know? He’ll treat you right, and that’s what matters!”

Wang Wu bowed to Gu Wan. “Young Master, my lady is young and headstrong. I hope you won’t take offense.” He pulled a silk pouch of coins from his robe. “This is a small token for you and your brave men to buy some wine. Please, forgive my lady’s rudeness.”

Throughout the speech, Shang Rongyue shook her head frantically, now a complete mess of tears. She gripped Gu Wan’s robe so hard her knuckles turned white, soaking the fabric. “It’s not… it’s not like that.”

Gu Wan tilted Shang Rongyue’s chin up, waiting for her version of the “story.”

But Wang Wu cut her off. “Second Miss, have a conscience! Have you ever seen a girl sold for debt who came with a chest full of dowry? This marriage was arranged by the Madam herself—your legal mother! Would she ever harm you?”

Gu Wan looked down, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her expression was unreadable.

Shang Rongyue didn’t dare say too much. She knew Wang Wu would contradict anything she said. If he revealed his identity as a member of the General’s Manor and bribed the “bandits,” she was finished.

She had one card left. Betting on the fact that the leader was a woman, she took a final leap of faith.

“Chief,” Shang Rongyue whispered, changing her tone. “I’ll give you everything. Just take me with you. Don’t give me back to them… please?”

Gu Wan hadn’t gotten the answer she wanted. Specifically, she hadn’t gotten a straight answer at all. This “bride” just clung to her and cried without explaining anything.

Suspicious. Extremely suspicious.

Before the man arrived, the girl was articulate. Now, she wouldn’t say a word. Why? Clearly, she was afraid of making a mistake. If her lie was exposed in front of everyone, there would be no turning back.

And what role did the man play? He wasn’t her ally; they were clearly enemies. He was desperate to take her away. Why? To intercept a secret report? Or was there something even more valuable?

There was a third possibility: a deal gone wrong, leading to this chaotic scene.

Regardless of the truth, this “bride” was the most suspicious element present.

Gu Wan thought for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the coin pouch the man offered. It was made of “Floating Light Silk” from the Li Family shop in the east of the Capital. The pouch was small and made of mismatched scraps—likely leftover offcuts from a tailor.

Gu Wan weighed the silver in her palm. Finally, she spoke. “It would indeed be a shame to miss the auspicious hour for a wedding.”

Shang Rongyue’s heart felt like a stone dropping into a bottomless well.

“Chief…” she murmured. But before she could finish, Wang Wu signaled the drivers to seize her.

“No! No!”

Shang Rongyue scrambled behind Gu Wan, gripping her wrist tightly. But the woman didn’t move. Her eyebrows didn’t even twitch.

I lost the bet, Shang Rongyue thought. Of course—they were bandits. They robbed people for a living. How could she have been naive enough to trust her life to someone like this?

But she hadn’t had a choice. Perhaps as the “White Moonlight,” death was her only destiny. Her death was required to turn the hero dark and kickstart the plot.

As the drivers grabbed her, Shang Rongyue used the last of her strength to look back at the woman. The stranger stood tall and valiant, hands behind her back.

When their eyes met, the woman looked away, intentionally avoiding her gaze.