The Lucky Heiress

The moment Wei Ruo spotted the three men, the two men and Wei Yilin also saw Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo quickly regained her composure, casting her indifferent gaze elsewhere, pretending not to recognize Wei Yilin.

She acted as a passerby who hadn’t recognized Wei Yilin nor the two men with him as kidnappers, and nonchalantly walked away.

The two men watched Wei Ruo warily, but seeing her demeanor unaltered, and assuming she hadn’t recognized them, they gradually relaxed.

As long as they weren’t discovered, they would stick to the principle of avoiding trouble, and not unnecessarily harm passersby.

Wei Ruo naturally turned around and started walking back.

Meanwhile, in her mind, she was praying – Don’t make a sound, Yilin. Don’t call my name, pretend you don’t see me! If you stay silent, I can return with help to rescue you! If you call out, we’re done for!

Wei Yilin, who had never sincerely called Wei Ruo “older sister,” saw her clearly notice him and then turn to leave. He yelled out, “Older sister!”

We Ruo froze, feeling a chill running down her spine.

Internally cursing Wei Yilin for his recklessness, she started running.

But she hadn’t run far when one of the men caught her.

“Don’t be rough. I’ll come willingly!” Wei Ruo, fearing their brutality, quickly begged for mercy.

The area was deserted and barren; the chances of her cries for help being heard were slim. If no one could come to save her in time, her resistance could trigger their violent treatment, and she might even be killed on the spot.

Hoping to survive and avoid physical harm as much as possible, Wei Ruo surrendered willingly.

Wei Ruo was taken next to Wei Yilin, and they were tied up together.

Then the two men began communicating in a language Wei Yilin couldn’t understand.

Wei Ruo had a rough idea that the two men were speaking Japanese. Upon first sight of them, she had guessed their identities as Japanese pirates.

Although they had used headscarves to hide their distinctive hairstyles, their physique and appearance greatly differed from the emaciated locals who were cultivating the land on the city outskirts.

After a brief discussion, the two Japanese men led Wei Ruo and Wei Yilin up the mountain.

The pirates found a cave, which was deep enough to barely accommodate two adults, and then threw Wei Ruo and Wei Yilin in like mere objects.

Once locked in the cave, Wei Ruo looked at Wei Yilin and laughed, “Well, now we can die together.”

“It’s all because of your cold-heartedness. You saw me in danger, but you turned and walked away,” Wei Yilin retorted without a hint of remorse, even feeling slightly satisfied.

We Ruo just laughed upon hearing this.

“Why are you laughing?” Wei Yilin asked in discontent. In such a dire situation, how could she still laugh?

“I thought you were just a bit silly, but now I realize you’re complete fool.”

“Who are you calling a fool?”

“Aren’t you the fool? How was I supposed to rescue you single-handedly from two skilled Japanese fighters? Do I look like an immortal to you? If I pretended not to recognize you, they wouldn’t have thought that I knew they were kidnappers, they’d let me go, and I could have gone to find help. Do you think I stood a better chance of saving you alone, or bringing the Wei family guards and the government officers?”

Wei Yilin fell silent, dumbfounded by Wei Ruo’s argument.

He’d initially believed that Wei Ruo had cold-heartedly abandoned him, convinced that his Sister Wanwan wouldn’t have done so. However, he hadn’t considered Wei Ruo’s approach to the situation.

Upon reflection, Wei Ruo’s strategy was indeed more practical. Neither Wei Ruo nor Sister Wanwan had the ability to save him from the ruthless Japanese pirates. In such a situation, it would have been more effective to summon help.

Understanding his rashness, Wei Yilin, however, refused to admit his mistake to Wei Ruo:

“Even so, how would we know if you’d have really gone to get help? Now, we’re both captured, and if I die, you can accompany me. That would be a fitting vengeance for my Wanwan!”

“Ha, if you want to die Wei Yilin, be my guest. I won’t be joining you,” Wei Ruo sneered.

“Keep bragging. These men are not from Xingshan County, they’re Japanese pirates who kill without blinking. You think you can survive them? I don’t believe it!” Wei Yilin taunted back.

Wei Ruo smirked, choosing not to converse further with Wei Yilin.

She leaned against the stone wall of the cave and took a short rest.

She had a rough understanding of the situation – the two pirates were likely survivors of a war. To survive, they imposed upon themselves the danger of crossing the Wangyue Mountain and hid on the city outskirts, waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Regarding Wei Yilin, he must’ve been off his rocker to end up in the city outskirts, consequently getting captured by the disguised pirates and used as a hostage as a precaution against discovery.

Her current goal was to buy time, to create an opportunity to survive. If something were to give them away, they’d undoubtedly choose the manageable Wei Yilin as the hostage, not her.

Moreover, these pirates were ruthlessly brutal – as a thirteen-year-old girl, who knew what atrocities they could commit against her. A swift death would be a mercy.

Hearing a pirate coming in, Wei Ruo opened her eyes.

She immediately spoke, “Honorable warriors of Great Japan, I have a solution to redeem your honor.”

Earlier, Wei Ruo had picked up on some Chinese words from the pirates’ conversation and surmised that they had learned some Chinese after spending some time in the East Coast area.

We Ruo’s proposal left Wei Yilin bewildered. He looked at her with contempt. Could she really aid the pirates in redeeming their honor?

The pirate in front of them, however, stopped and asked Wei Ruo in heavily accented Chinese, “You, what mean?”

“You lost the war. Although some of you narrowly escaped death and weren’t captured, according to your Japanese customs, you should commit suicide to apologize to your Emperor for your failure,” Wei Ruo calmly expressed.

“You know, us?” The pirate appeared extremely surprised.

Wei Yilin was also shocked, looking at Wei Ruo with disbelief. How did Wei Qingruo know so much?

“I know a little.” Wei Ruo replied, “I just said I could help you redeem your honor. You understand what that idiom means, right? It means you can return without facing punishment and even be commended for your accomplishments..”