Chapter 5: The Vicious Hound

The faint flush on Su Yao’s earlobes vanished in an instant, and the tendons in her pale neck stood out in sharp relief.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, the taste of blood spreading across her tongue. She was terrified that if she parted her teeth, the sob surging in her throat would escape.

“Answer me!”

Su Yao lifted her gaze to meet Lu Huaijin’s eyes, which were cold as ice. She shook her head, the red agate earrings swaying against her cheeks, making her look all the more innocent.

“Cast aside your unrealistic thoughts. The woman Chuyao marries will undoubtedly be the legitimate daughter of a prestigious, noble family.” Lu Huaijin stepped closer, his cedarwood scent washing over her. “It will not be the daughter of a disgraced official.”

A pang of bitterness struck Su Yao’s heart.

Lu Huaijin continued in a cold voice, “Do you recognize your own status?”

She nodded, her innocent almond eyes clashing with his dark gaze.

“Go back on your own. I will wait for you in the small courtyard tonight.”

When Lu Chuyao returned, he found only Lu Huaijin standing there, his expression stern.

He looked around, failing to see Su Yao, and could not help but feel puzzled. “Father, where is Sister Ayao?”

“She left first.” Lu Huaijin’s voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

“Oh no, why didn’t she wait for me! It was so hard to run into her, and now I don’t even know where to find her again!” Lu Chuyao was filled with regret. “If I had known, I should have dragged her to the carriage with me. In just this short moment, she’s already gone.”

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a pity, and he couldn’t help but complain, “Father, why didn’t you help me keep her here?”

Lu Huaijin’s gaze was sharp, sweeping over the jade belt hook at Lu Chuyao’s waist—a decorative knot that Su Yao had hand-woven years ago.

“Did I not tell you not to look for her?”

Lu Chuyao was startled by his tone. “I… I just happened to run into her.”

“Happened to run into her?” Lu Huaijin sneered. “How many times a day do you come here? How much do you love these pastries? I’ll have them all bought for you, but starting tomorrow, you are not to come again.”

“Father…”

Lu Chuyao wanted to argue, but seeing Lu Huaijin’s stern expression, he dared not say another word.

Lu Huaijin had always been a man who knew boundaries. Lu Chuyao understood well that his father did not wish to be associated with the daughter of a disgraced official. Yet, Su Yao was Su Yao, and her father was her father; what did that have to do with anything?

Lu Chuyao thought this to himself, but he dared not speak his mind before his father, letting out a silent sigh.

When Su Yao stepped into the small courtyard, her hem was stained with mud. Her maid, Chuntao, supported her, feeling her hands trembling slightly.

The lanterns under the veranda swayed in the wind, casting mottled shadows on the grey brick floor. Lu Huaijin stood under the eaves with his hands behind his back, his python-patterned brocade robes rustling in the breeze.

Su Yao’s complexion was pale, though it was unclear whether from the cold wind or terror.

She kept her head lowered, avoiding Lu Huaijin’s gaze. She could not understand how a man who was the upright Grand Secretary in the imperial court could, in private, force himself upon a weak woman.

No one would believe it if they heard it.

Lu Huaijin’s eyes fell upon the oil-paper parcel in Su Yao’s hand. “What are you holding?”

“It’s… it’s pastries.”

Su Yao subconsciously tried to hide the parcel behind her, but he seized her wrist in a tight grip.

“You want pastries?” Lu Huaijin’s fingertips brushed over the bruise on her wrist. “I can have someone send them to you. If your maid can’t even handle such a small task…” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the trembling Chuntao. “It would be better to sell her off.”

Behind her, Chuntao collapsed in terror, her forehead striking the blue stone floor with a heavy thud.

“It has nothing to do with her!” Su Yao looked up abruptly, her eyes brimming with tears. “I was the one who wanted to go out. Lu Huaijin, I am not your pet! Do I not even have the right to take a walk?”

“You promised me you wouldn’t see him.” Lu Huaijin’s voice suddenly turned frigid, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist.

“We just happened to meet… we only said a few words before you arrived.” Before Su Yao could finish, her chin was clamped firmly in his hand.

“Happened to meet?” He sneered. “If I hadn’t arrived, what else did you plan to do? Run away with him?”

His grip tightened, leaving red marks on her fair skin.

Su Yao bit her lip in humiliation, feeling an unbearable sense of injustice. She would not admit to any wrongdoing, for this was not her fault.

Lu Huaijin’s palm caressed her face, icy and sharp. “Truly a beautiful face. It is no wonder Chuyao has been unable to forget you all these years.”

His eyes seemed laced with poison, his voice low. “Do you remember? If I hadn’t saved you back then, you would still be serving men in the Ministry of Rites’ entertainment bureau.”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Tell me, if Chuyao knew you were seducing his father, would he still cherish you so?”

Su Yao trembled with rage and pushed him away. “Lu Huaijin, you…!”

Before she could finish, he pressed her back into his arms. The man’s long fingers stroked her back, sending shivers down her spine. “Yao’er, I am in a bad mood today. Do not provoke me further.”

Su Yao dared not move, freezing in his embrace, for her peripheral vision caught two dark shadows in the courtyard.

Two vicious dogs were staring at her, their fangs gleaming with cold light under the moonlight.

“Black Tiger, Iron Armor.”

Hearing their master’s call, the two dogs wagged their tails excitedly.

Su Yao’s pupils contracted. The memories came flooding back like a tide, and her feet retreated involuntarily.

That night when she had tried to flee the Lu estate, it was these two beasts that had pursued her relentlessly. She had fallen into the mud, her skirt torn, while Lu Huaijin’s cold voice echoed in her ears: “Let her learn a lesson.”

Lu Huaijin held her, noticing her fear, and felt a shred of regret that his methods back then had been perhaps too harsh.

He pulled her closer. “Don’t be afraid. They won’t hurt you.”

Su Yao did not believe him; she could clearly see their sharp fangs. She bit her lip until her nails dug into her palms.

How could she forget the terror of that night?

Black Tiger’s teeth had been mere inches from her throat, and Iron Armor’s claws had left ribbons of blood on her arms. And Lu Huaijin had stood nearby, watching coldly until she broke down and begged for mercy.

Su Yao closed her eyes, the sound of barking and his whispers echoing in her ears: “Yao’er, you cannot escape.”

Lu Huaijin swept her up into his arms. The scent of cedar enveloped her, and she remained rigid, not daring to resist. Her eyes remained locked on the two beasts.

As they walked past the dogs, Su Yao clearly heard a low, threatening growl emanating from their throats.

“Kneel.” Lu Huaijin commanded coldly.

The two dogs hesitated for a moment, then actually lowered their front legs to the ground.

Su Yao watched this scene in shock; it was a level of submissiveness she had never seen before.

“They only listen to me.” Lu Huaijin bowed his head, his breath brushing against her ear. “Just like you, Yao’er.”

Su Yao clenched her fists, finally understanding that this game was far from over. Black Tiger and Iron Armor were not a threat, but a warning… she would never escape his control.

“Did you bring them here to punish me?”

Lu Huaijin chuckled, his fingertips brushing her pale cheek. “The palace has been unsettled lately. I cannot watch over you at every moment.” He paused. “Only with them here can I be at ease.”

Su Yao’s knuckles turned white. “There is no need… I am fine here, I am safe. Take them away.”

Lu Huaijin’s expression darkened, and he pulled her tighter. “With me here, they will never hurt you again.”

He looked down, his breath grazing her ear. “Do you want to pet them?”

Su Yao shook her head violently, instinctively shrinking into his chest. Sensing her resistance, Lu Huaijin did not force her, merely letting out a soft sigh.

He had always known that Su Yao was a stubborn one.

Lu Huaijin’s gaze shifted from her eyes to her cherry-red lips…