Lu Yu, who was hiding under the bed, frowned slightly after hearing what Zhu Zhuyun said. Things seemed to have exceeded her expectations.
Even Lu Yu, a modern man, would feel uneasy if a strange man appeared in his fiancée's room in the middle of the night.
Moreover, in this feudal Star Luo Imperial Family, hadn't Lu Yu experienced royal life before, or watched palace dramas?
A prince's fiancée, multiple men in his room at night—what would the emperor think if he found out?
"No, we can't stay here any longer. We have to leave with Zhu Zhuqing."
Having figured out the key point behind this, Lu Yu had already made a decision. Calming herself down, she reached out and gently tapped the wooden board under the bed.
Knock knock...
Zhu Zhuqing, who was sitting on the ground hugging her knees and sobbing softly, suddenly stopped, rubbed her red eyes, and looked around blankly.
Thump thump thump...
Then, three more light taps were heard.
Zhu Zhuqing turned her head to look at the bare bed board, her gaze lingering on the wooden planks under the bed.
Zhu Zhuqing swallowed hard, pushed herself up from the ground, and slowly walked to the bedside, stopping to listen intently.
I wonder if I misheard.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Zhu Zhuqing tentatively called out.
" Lu Yu, is that you?"
Knock knock...
Two more taps were heard on the wooden board.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened; he hadn't left and was still in the room.
She cried not out of fear of royal punishment, but out of remorse for the betrayal.
Her fiancé Dai Mubai, abandoned her and ran away because he feared the cruel succession rules of the Star Luo Imperial Family; the person she saved last night also abandoned her and ran away, fearing discovery by the Zhu Family.
This helplessness, this feeling of being abandoned by everyone, shattered her seemingly strong but incredibly fragile heart.
After confirming it was Lu Yu, Zhu Zhuqing wiped away her tears and quickly bent down to examine her, wondering how Lu Yu had managed to hide inside.
Finally, at the foot of the bed, they found obvious pry marks where the wooden planks were joined. Zhu Zhuqing's fingernails grew longer and she inserted them into the gaps.
She dared not insert it too deeply, afraid of piercing Lu Yu who was hiding inside. She gently pried along the gap, and the entire wooden board fell down, revealing half of Lu Yu's dusty head.
Hearing the noise, Lu Yu reluctantly raised her head, smiled at Zhu Zhuqing, and gave her an apologetic smile.
I'm sorry to have troubled you!
Before Zhu Zhuqing could even react, Lu Yu reached out a hand and grabbed the wooden frame, trying to climb out.
The moment she exerted herself, excruciating pain shot through her wounds, and Lu Yu couldn't help but groan.
"Ugh~"
"Don't move, I'll pull you out!" Zhu Zhuqing quickly stopped him, grabbing Lu Yu's outstretched hand and carefully pulling him out.
"Thank you!" came the very soft voice.
After crawling out from under the bed, Lu Yu leaned wearily against the edge of the bed. After a while, she suddenly spoke:
Come with me!
"W-what?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at Lu Yu in confusion.
"I heard what your sister said just now. I never imagined you were the prince's fiancée. I'm so sorry to have caused you trouble!"
Lu Yu looked like she was about to run out of breath, paused for a moment, and then spoke.
"As the prince's fiancée, if this matter reaches the ears of the Star Luo Emperor, you know the consequences without me having to tell you."
Rather than waiting to die here, come with me; perhaps there's still a chance to survive.
This whole mess started because of me. Even if it means death, I will do everything in my power to protect you.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth, staring at the half-dead man in front of her whom she had only met once.
Then think of Dai Mubai, her perfectly healthy fiancé who abandoned her and ran away alone simply because he couldn't withstand the competitive pressure within the royal family.
It's obvious who is stronger and who is weaker.
Zhu Zhuqing, who was originally feeling down, felt much better after hearing Lu Yu's words. Born into an imperial family, she had long since become indifferent to life and death; it was simply a matter of dying sooner or later.
What saddened her was why everyone around her would leave her; Dai Mubai was like that, and so was her beloved older sister Zhu Zhuyun.
She had previously assumed that Lu Yu had done the same, abandoning her and running away alone.
Zhu Zhuqing sniffed, her tone surprisingly gentle, "Looking at you, I think it's more like I'm the one protecting you."
Lu Yu smiled and didn't refute, "So, do you want to leave with me? Delay might cause problems, so I plan to leave tonight."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. She also wanted to find Dai Mubai and ask him face-to-face why he had abandoned her and run away alone.
Is it really that hard to face it with yourself? You haven't even tried, how do you know you can't do it?
During the years that Dai Mubai was away, Zhu Zhuqing lived under the oppression of Zhu Zhuyun, facing restrictions in every aspect and a significant reduction in cultivation resources.
But Zhu Zhuqing did not give up and continued to secretly inquire about Dai Mubai's current whereabouts, though she didn't know where the information came from.
They actually said that Dai Mubai went to the Heaven Dou Empire and even joined a Soul Master Academy in Suotuo City.
Upon hearing this news, Zhu Zhuqing felt a glimmer of hope, thinking that Dai Mubai hadn't given up; he just wanted to find a place where Dai Weisi couldn't interfere to cultivate in peace.
When they reach a higher level in the future, they can come back and face Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun together.
What saddened Zhu Zhuqing was that Dai Mubai ran away alone, leaving nothing behind. Even the news of Dai Mubai's escape was told to her by Zhu Zhuyun.
Time flew by, and Zhu Zhuqing spent the entire afternoon walking around, figuring out the personnel arrangements in the surrounding area.
She had also heard about the announcement made by the Zhu Family, which is why the Zhu Family is now under very tight security. Even the city guards have sent twenty people, divided into four groups to patrol in shifts.
This undoubtedly made it more difficult for Lu Yu and Zhu Zhuqing to escape.
Zhu Zhuqing's contrasting behavior was noticed by some people, and Zhu Zhuyun was both shocked and expectant when she found out.
Shockingly, Zhu Zhuqing was indeed hiding a man, and that man was currently hiding somewhere in the Zhu Family compound; what she hoped for was that man could help her sister escape the vortex of the royal family.
At midnight, Zhu Zhuqing sneaked back from outside, carrying a bundle on her shoulder, presumably containing some money or valuables.
Zhu Zhuqing walked to the window and gently knocked on the wooden board twice. Lu Yu, familiar with the place, crawled out from under the bed.
"How about it, are you ready?" Lu Yu looked at Zhu Zhuqing expectantly.
Now that you're gone, you might be mine, little kitty!
Its overwhelming momentum is truly irresistible.
Zhu Zhuqing gave a soft "hmm," her tone gentle yet cool, and told Lu Yu about the Zhu Family's current defensive arrangements and her planned escape route.
Lu Yu Lu Yu nodded in agreement, pretending not to care. If they were discovered, he would simply take Zhu Zhuqing and leave on Somersault Cloud.
That would be too simple; it wouldn't provide the experience of being on the brink of life and death, and therefore wouldn't be able to deepen the relationship between the two.
What will happen if it's discovered in the future?
Lu Yu said that if he still couldn't win over Zhu Zhuqing by then, he wouldn't need to call himself a time traveler anymore.
Now that she's won him over, why would Zhu Zhuqing care about some of his petty schemes? A simple apology and some coaxing afterwards will suffice!