Chapter 50: Persuading Him to Get Back on Track

Jiang Ninghui closed the door and bolted it shut.

She leaned against the door, her fingertips gripping a corner of her clothes tightly, listening to the approaching footsteps outside.

She heard Pei Duo walk to the doorway.

I heard him stop walking.

Jiang Ninghui recalled how Pei Duo had called her "sister-in-law" so intimately earlier.

That soft, lingering moan sent chills down her spine, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

She hoped that Young Master Pei would stay away from her.

The farther the better.

She hoped that Young Master Pei would not linger outside her house.

She only wanted to avoid contact with Young Master Pei as much as possible until she found a suitable courtyard.

But things didn't go as planned.

Two knocks on the door broke the eerie silence.

Pei Duo's clear, melodious voice came from outside the house, its cool tone carrying a hint of mystery: "How are you feeling, sister-in-law? Are you still feeling dizzy and weak?"

Jiang Ninghui gripped a corner of her clothes tightly with her fingertips.

She turned around, took a few steps back, and looked at the bolted door, feeling a little less afraid.

As long as I don't have to face Young Master Pei, that's fine.

Otherwise, she feared he would press her relentlessly, just like he did last night, forcing her to admire the paintings with him.

Admire the portraits he painted of her, each one revealing and shameful.

Jiang Ninghui tried to make her voice sound less trembling: "Thank you for your concern, Young Master Pei. I'm much better now, but I'd like to rest for a quarter of an hour. If you have nothing else to do, Young Master Pei, please go back to your room."

Pei Duo: "There is something I want to tell my sister-in-law."

Jiang Ninghui's heart leaped into her throat, fearing that he would say something shocking again.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked softly, "What is it?"

Pei Duo: "My friend was very satisfied with the sachet my sister-in-law sewed, and has already given me the wages and bonus. Sister-in-law, please open the door, and I will give you the money in full."

Jiang Ninghui wanted Pei Duo to simply leave the wages outside.

But I also felt that this was very impolite.

She bit her lip, her mind in turmoil.

Outside, Pei Duo lowered his eyes and listened carefully to his sister-in-law's increasingly heavy breathing as she hesitated and struggled.

He did not rush or urge them.

Just wait patiently.

As time slowly passes.

In just a few breaths, the sound of a woman's footsteps came from the closed door. Then, the door opened, and she stood inside, her head bowed, her pale fingers clutching a corner of her dress, which was already wrinkled.

Jiang Ninghui didn't dare to look up at Pei Duo.

They dared not meet the young man's eyes, which were like a deep pool that could draw out one's soul.

She extended her hand slightly, palm open: "Give it to me, Young Master Pei."

Pei Duo silently gazed at that slender, white hand.

He took out a jade-green money pouch from his sleeve and placed it in Jiang Ninghui's palm. Before she could pull her hand away, his five fingers climbed up the back of her hand, slipped into her sleeve, and easily grasped the woman's slender wrist.

Not only detailed.

It is also very fragile.

He only needs to exert about 20% of his strength to break this fragile wrist bone.

Jiang Ninghui felt a chill run down her spine and her scalp tingle at Yu Peiduo's sudden action of gripping her wrist.

She was so frightened that she tried to pull her hand back, but she couldn't budge his strength at all.

Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes instantly filled with a damp mist of shock.

It's damp.

They are so pitiful.

“Young Master Pei, you…you let go of me. If people see you holding me like this, it will ruin our reputations, we will be criticized and cursed by the world, and it will also ruin Young Master Pei’s future.”

She tried to use these things to bring Pei Duo back to his senses.

Tell him to stop being so absurd.

But it seems to be to no avail.

In his eyes, so-called etiquette and ethics seemed to be meaningless.

The young man stared intently at her with his narrow eyes. He stepped over the threshold, forcing Jiang Ninghui to retreat step by step.

She wanted to escape.

But her wrist was firmly in his grasp, and she couldn't break free.

Jiang Ninghui was cornered against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

The person in front of her was like a rugged mountain peak, shrouding her in his unique shadow.

The faint scent of cedar on him, like its owner, carried a strong sense of aggression.

They crawled into her trouser leg—

They ruthlessly tore her apart, covering her with their owner's scent.

This forced her to confront their owners.

Jiang Ninghui tilted her head back, tears welling in her almond-shaped eyes, her lips trembling uncontrollably.

She was both surprised and frightened, and her slender neck arched alluringly due to her heavy breathing.

Pei Duo felt the woman's rapidly beating pulse with his fingertips.

He asked knowingly, "Is your sister-in-law afraid of me?"

Jiang Ninghui bit her lip and shook her head.

He kept shaking his head.

She couldn't utter a single word at that moment.

The moment he opened his mouth, his voice trembled uncontrollably.

"If my sister-in-law isn't afraid of me, why has she been avoiding me ever since she saw me last night?"

"But what did I do to make my sister-in-law dislike and fear me so much?"

The young man patiently and gently said, "Sister-in-law, you can tell me, and I will change."

What is Jiang Ninghui supposed to say about this?

He said he shouldn't have painted her explicit portrait? He said he shouldn't have had other thoughts about her?

If they were to speak out, wouldn't that completely tear away the last veil of pretense between them?

She could no longer pretend to be stupid in the future.

The only solution now is to move out as soon as possible.

Jiang Ninghui lowered her head, trying to struggle to pull her wrist away. She suppressed her trembling voice and said, "Young Master Pei, please let me go. It is improper for us to be like this. If others see us, it will not be good for either of us. I have already told you this. I hope that Young Master Pei will restrain himself and follow the proper etiquette."

She thought: Now that she has said that, Young Master Pei should let her go.

But he didn't.

It even moved an inch closer than necessary!

Jiang Ninghui had nowhere to avoid it and could only let Pei Duo get close to her.

The young man's tall back pressed down, his strong arms passing through the woman's lower back pressed against the wall, and gently pulling her forward. Jiang Ninghui gasped as her soft, slender body was forced into the young man's strong, hot embrace.

Her face drained of color from fright, and she frantically pushed against the young man's lean, muscular waist with both hands, her voice trembling with sobs: "Young Master Pei, please let me go, please... don't do this, my husband will be back soon, I don't want him to misunderstand."

Ignoring her shoving, Pei Duo laughed wildly in her ear: "Since you won't tell me why you're afraid of me and avoid me, then I'll tell you. Listen carefully and see if what I'm saying is right."

Jiang Ninghui's shoulders and neck suddenly stiffened.

The soft sobbing stopped.

She wanted to stop Pei Duo from continuing, not wanting him to tear off that fig leaf.

But she couldn't stop it.

The young man's almost nasty voice drilled into her ears, tearing away the thin veil of modesty with each word.

He said—

“My sister-in-law came to my room and saw the secret in the portrait. She knew about my hidden feelings for you, which is why she avoids me like the plague.”

"Sister-in-law, am I right?"

Jiang Ninghui closed her eyes, and tears of shame rolled out, soaking the young man's clothes.

If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have gone to peek at the painting box last night, let alone verify it.

Therefore, nothing further would have happened.

She still thought of Young Master Pei as a refined and elegant gentleman, just as she always had.

Until the autumn imperial examination in August, Young Master Pei passed and obtained his own residence.

Once he moves out, the last bit of contact between her and Pei Duo will be completely severed.

Jiang Ninghui regrets it.

She regretted that she had insisted on verifying whether the person in the portrait was her.

Before Jiang Ninghui could dwell on her regret, she heard Pei Duo laugh.

He said knowingly, "It seems that Pei was right."

"but--"

The young man's breath continued to linger on Jiang Ninghui's ears: "I heard everything your sister-in-law and your husband said. Not only does your sister-in-law avoid me like the plague, but she even wants to move out with your husband."

"My sister-in-law wants to escape, she wants to get far away from me."

"I want to live a life with your husband where the two of you can live undisturbed."

"whether?"

Jiang Ninghui hadn't expected that he had overheard all of this.

Pei Duo has ruthlessly torn away the fig leaf hanging between the two, forcing Jiang Ninghui to confront the truth.

She kept churning and pondering the words she wanted to say in her heart.

After carefully choosing his words, he spoke in a low voice, despite the chilling feeling that made his scalp tingle.

“Young Master Pei, we are worlds apart, there is absolutely no possibility between us.”

“You are the only son in your family, and high hopes are placed on you. You have been exceptionally talented since childhood, and your future is immeasurable. I am older than you and already married. My husband and I are loving and harmonious. We both sincerely regard you as family and friends, and I have never had any other thoughts about you.”

“I know you are young and have little contact with women, and you happen to live with my wife and me in the same courtyard every day…”

At this point, Jiang Ninghui found it difficult to speak.

She bit her lip, suppressing her shame, and continued, "I'm afraid that Young Master Pei overheard my intimate moments with my husband at night. Over time, this caused Young Master Pei to develop romantic feelings for me and draw those portraits. As a result, Young Master Pei gradually developed a misplaced affection for me."

At this point, Jiang Ninghui raised her head, her bright, watery eyes looking at Pei Duo.

At this moment, she was adopting the demeanor of an elder, persuading the misguided child to return to the right path.

“Young Master Pei, I am more than a year older than you and your sister-in-law. How can I just watch you go astray? Please listen to my advice and don’t go any further astray. My decision to move away from you with my husband is for your own good. As long as you don’t see me in the future, these thoughts will gradually subside.”

Pei Duo's dark eyes stared at the woman's almond-shaped eyes, which were filled with affection, and his sharp, thin jaw gradually tightened.

These eyes can express tears, emotion, grievance, or even allure and captivation.

The only thing that cannot be is loving-kindness.

It's an eyesore!

And it's extremely offensive!

He couldn't help but laugh, a dark mockery seeping into his eyes.

Although she was a year older than him, she was far less experienced and knowledgeable than him.

So what if he's younger than her? He can give her anything she wants.

So what if she's already married? It's not like she can't get a divorce.

The young man released Jiang Ninghui's wrist and raised his hand to cover the woman's loving eyes.

He lowered his tall frame, his handsome thin lips capturing the woman's blushing earlobe.

To hold or suck.

Lick | Bite.

The sudden darkness instantly sharpened all of Jiang Ninghui's senses.

Before she could react, she felt Pei Duo tormenting her by putting his teeth into her earlobe.

Just like that night when Pei Duo was under the influence of an aphrodisiac.

He squeezed in, hugged her tightly, bit her earlobe, and breathed heavily.

He was on her knees—

They are doing wicked things.

Pei Duo felt the stiffness in the person's body in his arms and hugged her even tighter, wishing he could meld her into his body.

It is intertwined with his blood and flesh.

He whispered in her ear, saying things that sent chills down Jiang Ninghui's spine.

“Sister-in-law, you said it yourself, it was you and your husband who made love at night that made me feel lustful towards you, which drove me to make one portrait of you after another, and made me have feelings for you that I shouldn’t have. You led me astray, and made my mind sink into you, unable to extricate myself.”

“Sister-in-law, you should bear the consequences of the mistakes you have made.”

“You should take responsibility for me, instead of abandoning me and running off with your good husband.”

"Sister-in-law, I beg you, please have some mercy and save me this once."

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Author's note: Update before 10 PM tomorrow night, may be earlier~