The scent was peculiar, rather than pleasant, it was quite pungent.
Song Chaoyu instinctively covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve. Tiao Hong also let out a surprised sound, "What kind of spice is this? Why does it smell so strange and unpleasant?"
But that wasn't the most important thing.
As soon as they entered the boat's cabin, Song Chaoyu saw Hu Xiaoye's two maids lying on the floor.
She gestured to the maid who had sought her help, "You, come and see if these are your people."
"Oh dear, what happened to them?"
The maid hurried inside and, after examining the two, confirmed their identities. "They are the ones who serve the young lady. It seems they've only fainted; there's no danger to their lives."
Song Chaoyu nodded and continued further inside.
She looked around, instructing Tiao Hong to open all the windows to dissipate the strange aroma.
The cabin of this pleasure boat was well-equipped.
On the table were fruits and pastries, along with a pot of wine. Beside the wine pot were two empty wine cups, one of which had lipstick on it, suggesting it had been used by Hu Xiaoye.
Song Chaoyu signaled to Tiao Hong, who then picked up the wine pot and the empty cups.
Behind the table, there was a screen.
Beyond the screen, there seemed to be a small couch.
Song Chaoyu stepped past the screen and saw Hu Xiaoye lying on the couch!
Hu Xiaoye had dressed up meticulously for the banquet at the Duke of Liang's mansion.
Now, she lay unconscious on the couch, her cheeks flushed, a light sweat on her forehead. It was hard not to suspect that in the not-so-warm cabin, she had consumed something she shouldn't have.
If it were just a pot of wine, it wouldn't have had such an effect!
Fortunately, Hu Xiaoye's clothes were still intact, with only the collar slightly loosened.
Song Chaoyu stepped forward and gently patted Hu Xiaoye's cheek, "Xiaoye, Xiaoye? Can you hear my voice? Xiaoye? Wake up!"
"Mmm—"
Hu Xiaoye stirred and managed to open her eyes slightly.
Her gaze fell upon Song Chaoyu, and her eyes brightened. "Ayu... you... you've arrived?"
Knowing how uncomfortable she must be, Song Chaoyu quickly helped her up.
She wanted to pour her a cup of water, but Song Chaoyu didn't want Hu Xiaoye to consume anything from the boat.
So, she simply placed one of Hu Xiaoye's arms over her shoulder. "I'll take you away. Once we're off the boat, I'll find you some water. Just hold on."
Hu Xiaoye leaned most of her body weight onto Song Chaoyu's shoulder.
Song Chaoyu supported Hu Xiaoye as they walked out. When they reached the cabin entrance, Hu Xiaoye saw Scholar Xie and instinctively flinched. "Ayu, he—"
"It's alright. He couldn't do anything to you!"
Song Chaoyu had specifically checked Hu Xiaoye's body. Indeed, there were no signs of her clothes being undone, and the bed was clean, proving that Scholar Xie hadn't had a chance to do anything to Hu Xiaoye.
Scholar Xie dared not look at Hu Xiaoye any longer. After Song Chaoyu helped Hu Xiaoye out, Qiu Qing had already prepared a small boat.
The sunlight outside made Hu Xiaoye feel a bit dazed.
Sensing her discomfort, Song Chaoyu quickly helped her to the railing and gently stroked her back. "If you feel like vomiting, just do it. You might feel much better after."
"Ugh—"
Hu Xiaoye followed Song Chaoyu's advice obediently, trusting her implicitly.
Indeed, after vomiting, the dizzying sensation lessened significantly, but her body still felt unstable.
As Hu Xiaoye was about to board the small boat with Song Chaoyu, Scholar Xie stepped forward, unsure what to say. "Miss Hu, this—"
Upon hearing his voice, Hu Xiaoye instinctively recoiled.
Song Chaoyu turned and glared at Scholar Xie. He then shrunk back, not daring to utter another word.
Song Chaoyu, however, helped Hu Xiaoye off the large boat and onto the small one, saying to the boatman, "Let's go back to shore."
Once they were in the small boat heading towards the shore, Hu Xiaoye finally felt much better. She held Song Chaoyu's hand tightly, her body trembling slightly.
Song Chaoyu knew she must have been terrified today.
She said that after drinking the wine, she felt dizzy, but she was mostly aware of what Scholar Xie was saying and doing, only unable to move.
She thought she was going to be ruined here today.
Scholar Xie had intended to "consummate" their relationship on the pleasure boat and then propose to the Hu family. He planned to tell the Hu family that it was Hu Xiaoye who was deeply in love with him, and they had acted on their passion. Although the Hu family would be displeased, they would consider it Hu Xiaoye's "initiative" and would not hold it against them, merely expediting their marriage.
At this point, Hu Xiaoye's tears flowed freely.
No wonder... in her previous life, Song Chaoyu remembered that Hu Xiaoye had married Scholar Xie in haste.
Although everyone at the time said they were a perfect match, Scholar Xie treated Hu Xiaoye poorly after marriage, causing such a wonderful girl to waste half her life!
Song Chaoyu handed Hu Xiaoye a handkerchief. "Xiaoye, don't cry! We'll be at the shore soon, and there will be many people. You must act as if nothing happened, and that you were just feeling unwell. Otherwise, if others find out about what happened today, even if nothing happened between you and Scholar Xie, your reputation might be ruined. Do you understand?"
Song Chaoyu's words were gentle, and the handkerchief carried a faint scent of osmanthus, which greatly soothed Hu Xiaoye's heart. "Yes, I understand. I'll wipe away my tears now!"
She then looked towards the shore. "Oh? Isn't that my mother! Wasn't she feeling unwell? Why is she here too?"
Song Chaoyu also looked towards the shore and indeed saw figures on the bank that resembled Madam Hu.
There were also other figures, whom Song Chaoyu couldn't see clearly and didn't recognize well.
By the time their boat reached the shore, Madam Hu was the first to greet them. "What happened? Are you alright? Xiaoye, are you alright?"
It seemed the maid from before had gone to report.
Even though Madam Hu was feeling unwell, she had to come for her daughter.
Song Chaoyu helped Hu Xiaoye ashore and then nodded to Madam Hu. "Madam Hu, please rest assured, Xiaoye is fine. We were out boating together, and Xiaoye perhaps felt a bit seasick, which is why she felt unwell! I had a maid call for a small boat to take Xiaoye ashore. Madam, please don't worry, Xiaoye is not seriously ill."
Madam Hu, by now, naturally understood what had happened on the boat and, more importantly, that Song Chaoyu had saved Hu Xiaoye.