I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

Her words were harsh enough that no one present dared to utter a sound.

Only after watching her walk away did someone whisper among themselves.

"This woman is indeed extraordinary. I think she is a demon reincarnated. Who knows, Xiangxiu might have been drunk by her blood or locked up by her."

"No, I think she's more like a female ghost. Look at her eyes, they're bloodshot, she might be a bloodsucker."

"Tsk tsk tsk! It's fine to say this in broad daylight, but if it were at night, it would be terrifying."

"..."

The murmurs of the crowd terrified Xiangxiuniang so much that she fainted. The crowd hurriedly took her home. Some of the others went to help look for her, while others wandered aimlessly around the village. In short, only a few good-for-nothing hooligans went to search outside the village.

Lan Zhi arrived at the village entrance and saw Old Wu dozing off. She quickly greeted him:

"Uncle Wu, I'll hire your donkey cart today. We'll head towards Binjiang Town along this road."

Old Wu watched her get onto the donkey cart, and as he cracked the whip, he asked in surprise,

"Are you going to see Xiangxiu?"

"Ah."

"You don't even know where she went, so looking for her is pointless."

“I will look for her too. She left from my house. If anything happens to her, I will be held responsible.”

At this point, she let out a long sigh of relief. If she had known this would happen, she should have let her stay for the night.

But it's too late to regret it now. Xiangxiu is gone, and no one knows where she went.

She sat on Old Wu's donkey cart, her eyes constantly darting around. Whenever she came across a grove or a ditch, she would get off and take a look, hoping to find Xiangxiu somewhere.

But the result was a huge disappointment to her; she didn't see Xiangxiu even after arriving in Binjiang Town.

She asked Old Wu to wait for her at the street corner, and she went to the county government office alone.

She wasn't familiar with Binjiang Town, so perhaps Nie Yuan could help her.

After she explained her purpose to the officials at the government office, they glanced at her and went inside to call Nie Yuan.

A moment later, Nie Yuan appeared before her, looking surprised.

"I was just wondering who was looking for me, and it turns out it was you! What brings you here?"

Seeing Nie Yuan's grinning face, Lan Zhi immediately gave him a serious reminder.

"Nie Yuan, Xiangxiu is missing."

"What?"

Nie Yuan's eyes widened instantly.

"How...did she get lost?"

Lan Zhi sighed, shook her head with a solemn expression,

“She left after you left yesterday. She said she was going home, but this morning Aunt Liu came to my house looking for her. She said she didn’t come home last night and she didn’t know where she went.”

"Didn't come back all night?"

Nie Yuan raised his voice and repeated those four words.

"Where could a girl like her have gone all night?"

Lan Zhi shook her head.

"I don't know either, so I came to ask you for help. You are quite familiar with Binjiang Town and work in the county government. Could you ask someone there to help me look for it?"

Nie Yuan glanced in the direction of the government office, then shook his head.

"Finding a person is a big deal for ordinary people, but for the county government, it's a trivial matter. They have many things to do every day and won't bother with such a small thing. Wait for me a moment, I'll go and tell the head constable, and then I'll go with you to find Xiangxiu."

Although the county officials couldn't help them, Nie Yuan could search with her, which would increase their chances. Besides, Xiangxiu's disappearance was also related to Nie Yuan, so it wouldn't be bad to take this opportunity to get closer to him.

A moment later, Nie Yuan led a horse out from the backyard of the government office. He gestured for Lan Zhi to mount, but Lan Zhi shook her head and refused.

"It's really inconvenient for me to ride a horse with you in the street. I'd better walk!"

Helpless, Nie Yuan had no choice but to give up riding a horse and accompany her as she wandered around every corner of the town.

They wandered around the city but couldn't find any trace of Xiangxiu, and Lanzhi couldn't help but get a little anxious.

She couldn't help but ask.

“Nie Yuan, why don’t you like Xiangxiu? She’s a very kind girl, and she likes you a lot.”

Nie Yuan turned his head to look at her.

"Just because she likes me, does that mean I have to like her back? I like you too, so why don't you like me?"

This……

She frowned slightly and gave a serious reminder.

"I'm already married, so don't ever joke like that with me again."

"Lan Zhi, I'm not joking. I really like you. How about this: if you agree to be with me, I can take care of Mo Ning with you. In the future, if we have a child, he can call me Dad. I don't care what others say. I really don't care. I just want to be with you."

"Nie Yuan..."

Lan Zhi never expected him to say such things to her. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have come to find him.

“Mo Ning is my man, now and forever. The way you’re talking to him is extremely disrespectful. I hope you will stop having any unrealistic ideas about me. I’m already married, and we can never be together.”

"But all the changes I've made are for you. I know you don't like idle people, so I came to the county government to work as an official and do my job properly. I also know you don't like irresponsible people, so I try my best to appear mature and stable. I also know you like people with a sense of justice and kindness, so now I'll give everything I have to a beggar I see on the street. You don't like me visiting you all the time, so I restrain myself and only visit you once every few days. I can also take care of Mo Ning with you. I've done everything I can. Can't you consider being with me?"

His words left Lan Zhi feeling helpless.

He has indeed changed a lot during this period, and all of it has been for the better. This has made her look at him differently. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to see him today.

However, this was not the reason she accepted him.

She shook her head again, solemnly reminding him.

“Nie Yuan, I hope we can always be friends, because I am already Mo Ning’s wife. If you and I had met before him, perhaps I would have chosen you now. But there are no ifs. As a friend, I hope you are doing well and that you find the girl you like soon. Or, I think you should consider Xiangxiu.”

Nie Yuan pressed the corners of his mouth down and gently shook his head.

"I've lived for nineteen years and never known what it felt like to like someone. But from the day you married into our family, when I saw you at your doorstep, I knew I had fallen for you, even fallen in love with you. I felt that I could never like anyone else in my life. Really, if you don't want to be with me, then I... will never marry again."

He left behind these meaningful words and strode forward, while Lan Zhi stood frozen in place.

She never expected that this playboy would be so infatuated with her, a married woman.

She took a deep breath. Since she couldn't explain it to him, she couldn't travel with him anymore; otherwise, he would misunderstand even more.

Thinking of this, she turned her head and ran away from him.

Nie Yuan suddenly stopped, turned around to look at her back, clenched his fists tightly, and looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.