Su Xiaoqi snorted coldly and, using the momentum, dove into the lake, submerging herself and swimming ten meters away.
Then, she used the lily pads to conceal herself and swam to the other side of Xishan Lake.
She had already surveyed the area upon arrival.
On that side stood a mountain, densely covered with trees, offering numerous hiding spots.
Her clothes were now wet, and her immediate priority was to get ashore and find a secluded place to dry them.
Once her hands were free, she would properly reason with Su Yuru.
Shen Yun, who had been observing the situation below from the Lotus Appreciation Pavilion on the mountainside, suddenly grew anxious and hurried down the mountain.
Others might not know, but he did.
Su Xiaoqi could swim.
Her falling into Xishan Lake wouldn't drown her.
Her constitution was weak; even though it was the height of summer, it was still cold.
He had to find her immediately.
He scanned the lake shore and, after deducing Su Xiaoqi's likely route, quickly formed a plan.
Sharing the same thought was another person – Su Jia Mo.
He quietly retreated, breaking away from his classmates and friends, and headed towards Xishan Lake at the foot of the mountain.
However, he was unaware that Su Xiaoqi could swim, and he was heading in the direction from which she had fallen.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi's fall into the water had been witnessed by everyone, pushed by Xiao Qi.
This made Xiao Wu's earlier explanation somewhat unconvincing.
After all, most people sympathize with the weaker party.
However, Xiao Qi's master was Su Yuru, and behind her was the Su family.
Therefore, people dared not voice their accusations as they might have towards Su Xiaoqi.
Yet, their gazes towards Xiao Qi and Su Yuru were full of unspoken meaning.
"Quick, quick, quick, rescue her," Su Yuru hadn't expected this turn of events.
She had instructed Xiao Qi to embarrass Su Xiaoqi, merely to make her look foolish in front of everyone and ruin her reputation.
This was so that Shen Yun would have a stronger case when he divorced her, and also to vent her own anger. She had never intended to actually harm her to the point of death.
However, most of the guests who had come to admire the lotus scenery today were young ladies from wealthy families.
None of them knew how to swim.
They had to wait for the wet nurses attending them to arrive.
A few ladies, in twos and threes, jumped into the water.
But after searching for a long time in the lake, they couldn't find even a trace of her.
Someone began to murmur, wondering if she had perished like this.
Terrified, Xiao Qi's legs went weak, and she collapsed on the lake shore, crying as if she had lost a loved one.
At this moment, Su Xiaoqi had already swum through the vast expanse of lotus flowers and reached the other end of the lake shore.
She dragged her waterlogged body ashore, cautiously looking around.
Once she was sure no one was there, she ventured into the woods.
However, no sooner had she entered than she heard the sound of hurried footsteps.
She trembled with fear and huddled under a camphor tree, remaining motionless.
But then, she saw the person slowly emerge, and it was Shen Yun.
"Don't move, I'm coming," he called out, waving to her as he approached.
A mountain breeze swept through, and Su Xiaoqi shivered uncontrollably from the cold. She quickly hugged herself.
The lake water was flowing, fed by springs. In summer, it was bone-chillingly cold.
She had been on the verge of collapsing for a while.
She just hadn't dared to succumb when she was alone.
Seeing Shen Yun now, she felt as if she had found her support.
The pent-up grievances surged within her.
She cried and threw herself into his arms.
Upon touching the icy-cold Su Xiaoqi, Shen Yun's heart ached. He immediately took off his outer robe and wrapped her in it.
He then led her to a sheltered spot behind a mountainside, laid out some straw, and started a fire.
He had her dry herself near the warmth.
With the heat from the fire, Su Xiaoqi finally felt a little better.
She finally remembered to ask Shen Yun why he was here and how he had managed to help her at such a crucial moment.
Shen Yun pointed to the mountain above them.
"I was in that pavilion up there and saw you."
Before he could observe her further, he noticed she had fallen into the water.
He rushed down without a second thought, fortunately in time.
Su Xiaoqi followed his gaze, but as they were at the foot of the mountain, they couldn't see the lotus appreciation pavilion on the mountainside.
However, she recalled glancing up instinctively when she first arrived at the lake, and she had indeed seen the corner of an octagonal pavilion.
Su Xiaoqi then asked him why he was here.
Weren't they studying at the county school?
After all, the provincial examinations were just over two months away.
That was a truly decisive moment in a scholar's life.
"Those who can succeed will succeed, and those who can't won't achieve it even in two months," Shen Yun replied.
Shen Yun told Su Xiaoqi that at the county school, their studies mainly involved the teacher assigning topics, them writing essays, and then receiving evaluations and guidance.
It wasn't necessary to pore over ancient texts day in and day out.
Su Xiaoqi remained silent, spreading her hands in a gesture that implied, "You're handsome, so whatever you say is right."
Shen Yun, in return, asked her why she had come, and especially with such a group of people.
Shen Yun's tone made Su Xiaoqi feel offended.
"What do you mean by that?" Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow.
Before Shen Yun could answer, she explained,
"I am a young lady of the Su family, and I knew them before.
Just because I married you, does that mean I should disown my pre-marriage friends?"
Shen Yun smiled, but Su Xiaoqi's feeling of being offended only grew stronger.
Shen Yun clearly didn't believe her words.
Trying to cover up her lie, she insisted, "Really, I was very familiar with them before." So familiar, in fact, that apart from Su Yuru, she didn't recognize anyone else now.
Seeing her struggle to explain, Shen Yun reached out and took her hand.
Inside, she cried out, "No way, no way, could it be that he already knows I'm an imposter?"
Shen Yun's eyes narrowed, and he desperately wanted to tell her: Yes, he knew everything, so she didn't need to pretend anymore.
But he didn't. He believed that if he uttered the first two words,
She wouldn't listen to his explanation at all and would turn and run.
Fortunately, Su Xiaoqi wasn't one to dwell on things.
She merely muttered a few words and was soon distracted by her hunger.
She asked Shen Yun for something to eat.
However, he shook his head, as he hadn't brought any.
Xishan was only about half an hour away from the county school.
They would return before noon.
Su Xiaoqi grumbled dejectedly.
Saying she was hungry, she announced she was going to find something to eat.
Her clothes were still not completely dry, and Shen Yun wouldn't let her go.
He said he would go, and she should continue sitting there to dry her clothes.
Su Xiaoqi offered no objection.
As soon as Shen Yun left,
She immediately took out a prepared chicken from her spatial dimension, arranged some stones,
Plucked two large lotus leaves from the lakeside, sprinkled them with various seasonings she had stored, wrapped them up, and covered them with a handful of wet mud before burying them to roast in the fire.
Shen Yun returned after a fruitless search, having only managed to pick some wild fruits.
There were too many people sightseeing in this area, making even wild rabbits and pheasants scarce.
He had considered walking further away, perhaps to the other side of the lake to buy something.
But he couldn't rest assured about Su Xiaoqi, so he returned early.
Su Xiaoqi accepted the wild loquats and couldn't help but pout.
Although people in the Great Liang Dynasty knew that loquats were edible,
They had not improved their taste, so they were sour and astringent, quite unpalatable.
Su Xiaoqi didn't say anything, instead asking him to sit down and add more firewood.
She needed to dry her back.
But as soon as she turned her back, she heard a soft burst of laughter.
A woman's voice said, "Hahaha, come chase me!"
A man's voice replied, "Flower darling, here I come!"
The woman quickly interrupted, "Shh, keep it down! There are so many people today.
Your old man watches me so closely. If it weren't for that incident, I still couldn't have slipped out."
The man scoffed, "What's there to fear? Didn't they all leave because of the person who fell into the lake, ruining the mood?"
"Alas, what a shame. Your father had already taken a liking to her..."
"Really? In that case, you're free, and you can spend some good time with me."
...
As Su Xiaoqi listened, she finally realized who the two people hiding in the dense woods were.