Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1237 - 631: Trapped (Part 2)

Hearing that Xiao Qi was inside, Lian Manman couldn’t be bothered with Cai Xiu and stepped into the room.

"Xiao Qi..." Lian Manman called out as she walked in.

Not hearing a response, Lian Manman suddenly stopped, one foot in the door and one foot out, turning sideways to look at Cai Xiu.

Xiao Qi had fallen and was brought here for treatment, even alarming Shen Liu. Why was no one outside the room, and why was it so quiet inside? Concerned about Xiao Qi, Lian Manman had overlooked many other issues. At this moment, her natural instinct told her something was wrong.

Before Lian Manman could ask Cai Xiu, Cai Xiu’s expression changed, and she suddenly pushed Lian Manman at the waist.

Lian Manman was caught off guard, stumbled, and fell into the room. Cai Xiu quickly stepped forward to close the door, while Lian Manman, in a panic, steadied herself and reached out to grab Cai Xiu.

"What are you doing?" Lian Manman angrily asked.

Cai Xiu said nothing, slamming the door shut with a bang. By this time, Lian Manman had already grabbed Cai Xiu’s clothing and naturally wouldn’t let go. The two struggled as the door closed with force.

Lian Manman watched the door shut in front of her, holding a piece of Cai Xiu’s clothing.

Outside, Cai Xiu seemed to mutter a curse, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Lian Manman tried to open the door but it didn’t budge, possibly locked from outside. Unable to open the door, Lian Manman ran to the window nearby. The windows were thick with glass, and through them, Lian Manman could only see Cai Xiu’s figure hastily running away.

She had been set up!

Lian Manman suddenly realized this, and her heart eased a little. Cai Xiu’s claim that Xiao Qi was injured was likely a lie; Xiao Qi should be fine.

Relieved that Xiao Qi was alright, Lian Manman immediately tensed up again. If Xiao Qi was fine, then trouble might be brewing for her!

"Someone help, is anyone there, come out." Lian Manman pounded the window and called out twice, but there was no response outside, and inside was dead silent.

Knowing she couldn’t call for help quickly, Lian Manman turned away from the window and for the first time began to assess the room.

The room wasn’t very large, roughly the size of a standard room, and it was simply decorated; a large desk, with a Taishi Chair behind it and two chairs on each side. Further in, there was a screen, surprisingly similar to the study of Shen Liu.

Standing by the window, thoughts raced through Lian Manman’s mind. Cai Xiu lured her here with obvious bad intentions. What could her malice be, and what was she planning to do?

In a secluded cottage with tightly shut doors and windows, she was just a young girl. Lian Manman couldn’t help but recall the novels she’d read in her past life that were set in ancient times, telling tales of the dark secrets of wealthy families and their sinister schemes.

Among those schemes, the most insidious and commonly used against young girls her age, perfectly matching her current situation, was the "ruin reputation" tactic.

Was there a curtain behind the screen, and behind the curtain another room, where a coarse man was hiding? Soon, regardless of whether anything happened between her and the man, someone would come, see them alone, and her chastity would be gone. Then, she’d have only two paths to choose from.

One was death, and the other was marrying that man. It would be a relief if marrying the man was possible, but if he already had a wife, she might be forced to become a concubine.

"Cai Xiu, you wretched girl!" Lian Manman couldn’t help but curse.

Having cursed, Lian Manman took a deep breath to calm herself. Settling accounts with Cai Xiu was for after she got out; for now, she had to face the current situation.

If a man really did come out from the room... Lian Manman looked around the room once more and suddenly felt another jolt of realization. Something was wrong!

Although the furnishings were simple, the desk and chairs were all made of huanghuali wood, and the large desk wasn’t pieced together but carved from a single piece of wood.

Such a room built inside a cave was clearly not ordinary. Of all the people in Nian Garden, less than three were qualified to use this room.

Shen Liu, Shen Qian, and Shen Jin.

Since it was a matter of ruining reputation, Shen Jin was ruled out first. Would a mere maid like Cai Xiu dare to orchestrate such a scheme with Shen Liu or Shen Qian? That seemed impossible. But would Cai Xiu dare to involve another man in such a place? Even if Cai Xiu dared, would that man?

Of course, from a purely logical standpoint, there was another possibility, that Shen Liu or Shen Qian were orchestrating this behind the scenes. But realistically, this possibility could be dismissed. If Shen Liu or Shen Qian were such people, Lian Manman would never have allowed her family to have such deep interactions with the Shen Family. Lian Manman had confidence in Shen Liu and Shen Qian’s character in this regard.

Thinking of this, Lian Manman took a few steps towards the desk. When she reached the desk and saw what was on it, she couldn’t help but shiver.

The desk was clean, with only a pen rack, brush pot, brush washer, and other items on the right side. Besides brushes and ink, there were two stacks of letters and several small bamboo tubes.

The letters were sealed with wax, the seal pattern strange, neither words nor recognizable shapes. The seal was opened, and from the envelope protruded half a sheet of paper, densely covered with writing. The bamboo tubes were small and exquisite; others might wonder what they were, but Lian Manman recognized them. Those bamboo tubes were clearly used to hold messages tied to the legs of carrier pigeons.

Almost immediately, the scene of her first meeting with Shen Liu flashed through Lian Manman’s mind.

This was Shen Liu’s secret study, and Cai Xiu didn’t intend to ruin her reputation, but intended for her to die!

＊＊＊＊＊＊ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Here’s a bonus update, asking for pink tickets, genuine subscriptions, and recommendation votes for support O(∩_∩)O

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Recommending Ruoyan’s completed book: "The Brocade Screen Chronicles" light house fight farmland tale, family life and grievances in the grand mansion.

Book number: 1771214

There’s a direct link below; click to go straight there. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)