After wandering for over half an hour, the only shop that caught his eye was a small store selling tofu pudding. The location was excellent; the window paper on the second floor of the small building had turned waxy yellow, casting the silhouette of an old woman busily at work.

With no men present, it wasn’t appropriate for William Carter to go in and discuss business, so he turned around and headed back.

It was getting late, and the tourists on Yanglou Street were gradually heading home.

He jogged along the road by the inner river. There were no streetlights, and it was pitch black. In the dimness, he could just make out a figure walking slowly ahead.

The woman had narrow shoulders and rounded hips—a good sign for childbearing. The view below her waist was quite striking. As she walked, she muttered to herself, “The light rain on Heavenly Street is as fine as oil, the grass looks lush from afar but disappears up close...” She was so lost in thought that she nearly walked into a willow tree by the riverbank before suddenly stopping, then changed direction and continued muttering with her head down.

He stopped in his tracks, feeling a bit smug.

It seemed he really had stunned the whole crowd. He wondered if Victor Knight had managed to win the beauty’s heart.

But soon, the woman ahead gave the answer: “The best place to go in a year, the peerless beauty is in the imperial capital... starts strong but ends weak... definitely not written by the same person, how strange...”

What? The best place to go in a year, the peerless beauty is in the imperial capital?

He stood there dumbfounded for a long time, unable to recall ever telling Victor Knight those two lines. It must have been that brainless fool, deliberately changing it to please the beauty.

Seeing the woman ahead so lost in thought she was about to walk into the river, he quickly called out, “The best time in a year is spring, far surpassing the misty willows of the imperial capital.”

The woman shuddered all over, stood frozen for a long while, then murmured, “The light rain on Heavenly Street is as fine as oil, the grass looks lush from afar but disappears up close. The best time in a year is spring, far surpassing the misty willows of the imperial capital. No wonder, turns out Victor Knight tried to be clever and messed it up...”

At this, the woman suddenly remembered something, turned around excitedly, and ran back, wanting to pay her respects to the great talent who composed this poem.

Their eyes met!

A glance confirmed it was the last person she wanted to see.

He was utterly stunned. He hadn’t expected the woman ahead to be the official’s daughter he had nearly insulted earlier—the only daughter of Censor Ethan Brooks, Lily Brooks.

Dressed in a gauze robe, Lily Brooks stepped forward, paused for a moment, and finally recognized the disguised tyrant of the capital.

After that terrifying night, she had barely dared to leave her house for days. Her father’s official rank was low and powerless to defend her, so she had no choice but to swallow the humiliation. She never expected this villain would secretly follow her in the middle of the night.

“Ah!”

With a shrill scream, Lily Brooks was scared out of her wits as if she’d seen a ghost. All poetic inspiration vanished as she stumbled backward, lost her footing, and fell hard onto the ground with another cry of pain.

Seeing this, he hurried forward to help her up, but as soon as he reached out, Lily Brooks scrambled up like a madwoman and shouted angrily, “I’d rather die than give in to a villain like you!”

With that, Lily Brooks turned and dove headfirst into the inner river, determined to preserve her honor with her life.

Splash! Water sprayed everywhere!

“Damn!”

He was shocked and rushed to the riverbank, diving in after her...

===Chapter Seven: The Villain===

“Help... glug glug...”

Early spring in February, the river water was still icy cold.

The woman flailed helplessly as soon as she hit the water, swallowing several mouthfuls in the blink of an eye.

Rescuing a drowning person is dangerous—even the best swimmers can’t be careless. William Carter was only an average swimmer. In the freezing water, he swam over to the woman, wanting to knock her out with a punch but worried that, if she was skilled in martial arts, he might kill her outright. He could only forcefully lock her upper body and drag her toward the shore.

The woman, held tightly and still in the water, could only kick wildly in panic. When she tried to speak, river water rushed into her mouth.

“You... glug glug... get...”

He bobbed up and down in the water, using all his strength to drag her to the bank. Supporting her with his hands, he pushed her up onto the shore before grabbing the stone steps to climb out himself.

The woman collapsed on the grass, coughing violently, her body trembling slightly. Her hair was disheveled, and her soaked clothes clung tightly to her body.

But before he could even sit down to catch his breath, the now-clearheaded Lily Brooks dove headfirst into the river again.

This time, he was prepared. He lunged forward and pinned her to the grass, scolding angrily, “Behave yourself!”

He was truly a bit angry now. He’d seen people with no regard for their lives, but never someone this reckless. If she jumped in again, he might not be able to get out himself.

Lily Brooks’s hair stuck to her cheeks, dripping wet, her eyes filled with fury and hatred. “You scoundrel, I’d rather die than let you have your way. Let me go...”

Pinned to the grass and unable to break free, Lily Brooks resorted to her old trick and bit down hard on his wrist.

In her desperation, she bit with all her strength, drawing blood instantly. He gasped in pain and, without thinking, slapped her: “Are you a dog?”

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out in the night wind.

Lily Brooks’s body trembled violently, her eyes wide in shock, stunned on the spot—completely dazed by the sudden blow.

After cursing, he found the sensation oddly satisfying and subconsciously squeezed her, but quickly realized what he’d done.

Crap, now he was in trouble!

“You...”

Lily Brooks trembled again, her face flushing bright red. This time, she truly lost it. She tried to cover her aching backside but couldn’t lift her hand, so in her fury, she pulled out the jade hairpin from her hair and stabbed it straight at the man’s chest.

Of course, he couldn’t just stand there and get stabbed. He raised his hand and grabbed the woman’s slender wrist.

Lily Brooks was practically clawing and biting, unable to break free and trying to bite him again.

Smack!

Another crisp sound.