At this point, he wryly smiled and amusedly said with his magnetic voice: “You’re always furious like this whenever you see me. You keep looking at me with so much animosity. I would ask you every time, but you never give me an answer.”
He was apparently in a good mood. There was a rare gentleness and clarity in his dark, bottomless eyes. On his chiseled face was also a faint smile.
This was a Ran Min not often seen.
Chen Rong gave a brief glance at him before quickly looking away.
Ran Min was still looking at her.
She tried her best to appear milder. With a dutiful look, she softly replied, “You haven’t offended me.”
Ran Min slapped the carriage shaft in laughter. Almost suddenly, he outstretched his right hand towards her and smilingly said, “In that case, would you like to go for a drive with me?”
His large hand was placed out in front of Chen Rong, its slender and caloused fingers that carried his body warmth, too, were in front of her.
He looked at her with a focus she had never seen before… Faintly, might there even be persistence?
Seeing Chen Rong hesitate, Ran Min’s deep and powerful voice came to her: “Little lady, aren’t you angry with me? Why don’t you come here and give me a beating?” His eyes flickered over to the whip hanging in her carriage. “Or give me a few whips, if that would make you feel better,” he continued to tempt her.
And indeed, his were tempting words. They were precisely speaking to Chen Rong’s heart.
She whipped her head up, glaring at him. If only she could kill this man with her eyes. “Do you mean it?” Chen Rong asked. “Can I hit you and give you a few whips?”
She had barely spoken when two riotous laughters simultaneously sounded. Aside from Ran Min, his driver was also laughing.
The driver laughed in utter hilarity; he slapped the carriage shaft and cried to Ran Min: “General, it seems this young lady really hates you.”
Ran Min was also laughing in delight. He narrowed his eyes in amusement and regarded Chen Rong with interest, saying: “You’ve just said I have never offended you. How soon you forget.”
Chen Rong didn’t think her blurting words would cause two grown men to laugh without a care for propriety. The startled passers-by kept looking their way. She bit her lip, then turned around to tell Old Shang to drive away.
At this point, Ran Min’s right hand reached out like a flash and accurately grabbed her arm, easily picking her up.
Finding that her body was suddenly in the air, Chen Rong cried out in fright.
Ran Min was still laughing at this time. He carried her as he laughed, gently pulling her out of the carriage. It was a very difficult maneuver, but he did it ever so effortlessly.
Instantly, the tall and lithe Chen Rong was placed like a child into his carriage.
Glancing at a paling Chen Rong who was staring at him speechlessly, his intensely fiery eyes squinted in great relish.
He turned to Old Shang with a hardened face and ordered, “Go back on your own!”
To have a battle-hardened and lethal general speaking to him with such a glower, even a learned Confucian would be terrified, much less Old Shang who was a mere servant.
Color instantly drained from his face. He involuntarily repeated, “Aye, aye,” while steering the carriage away in hasty departure.
A dozen paces later, Old Shang recovered from his fright and quickly looked back in concern for Ah Rong.
But their carriage was already driving away. From time to time, a man’s laughter and a woman’s hissing could be heard. Old Shang was still completely flummoxed.
Ran Min placed Chen Rong inside next to him. After he had scared Old Shang away, he shouted at his cackling driver: “Let’s go.”
“Aye, General!”
The carriage advanced forward.
Ran Min turned to look at Chen Rong.
She dazedly blinked back at him.
He smiled at her.
Chen Rong suppressed her fury and shouted, “Look here you Ran fellow, I’m an unwed lady, how can you take me into your carriage with absolutely no regard like this? Y-you, this is despicable!”
The driver howled with laughter: “Aye aye, well admonished. General Ran is indeed despicable!” As if he had become addicted, he roared with laughter again. “Shucks, the general has carried out many an abduction, but this is the first time he abducts a young lady. How despicable! How very despicable!” He slapped the shaft and laughed.
Because of the driver’s interjection, Chen Rong’s righteous accusations had all of a sudden turned into flirtation. She was furious. She shot daggers at the driver before turning to see that Ran Min was still looking at her with interest. She glared back and gave him a low bark: “Let me down!”