Chapter 295 She became Yao Qingling's substitute!

Zhou Zhining stared at Zhan Xingzhuo for a long time.

She took out the gourd-shaped sachet, and the fragrant powder spilled out, filling the air.

Zhan Xingzhuo blinked, looking bewildered, and murmured, "Qingling?"

A surge of indescribable pain and anger welled up in Zhou Zhining's heart, burning her like fire.

Zhan Xingzhuo didn't hear a response. Relying on his past habits, he sat up and looked at the woman in front of him: "Qingling, these clothes are uncomfortable. Could you loosen them for me?"

He hugged Zhou Zhining, kissed her face, then moved to her neck, and his large hands became restless.

Zhou Zhining trembled with anger, but she forcibly suppressed her pain and did not refuse the man.

She desperately wanted to ask him, "Who do you take me for?"

But she couldn't.

She couldn't make Zhan Xingzhuo sober.

These days, they have been together day and night, and there are no other women in the new mansion. However, they have never crossed the line.

She was deliberately playing hard to get, pretending to be aloof, but Zhan Xingzhuo was a man, a man who had tasted the forbidden fruit. He couldn't resist taking Hongying as his concubine in Luozhou, so how could he possibly resist in the new mansion?

When they were intimate, Zhan Xingzhuoruo strongly expressed his desire for her, and Zhou Zhining could not resist his demands.

However, he always knew when to stop and preferred to bear it himself.

In the past, Zhou Zhining thought this was his way of treasuring and respecting her, and that she would be moved by it.

But now that I think about it, the reason he didn't want her was simply because... because she wasn't Yao Qingling.

She's not even as good as Hongying, who resembles Yao Qingling!

This discovery caused Zhou Zhining immense pain.

But she still didn't interrupt Zhan Xingzhuo.

She lay on her back, closed her eyes, and let the man do as he pleased with her.

The aroma still lingered in the air, growing stronger and stronger, accompanied by sweat and panting.

Zhou Zhining consciously accepted the man's demands, listening to him call her "Qingling" with satisfaction.

How pathetic that she had to use that sachet to get Zhan Xingzhuo to take her.

She became Yao Qingling's stand-in!

Zhou Zhining gripped the bedsheets beneath her tightly, feeling no pleasure whatsoever.

After a long time, the rain finally stopped.

Zhou Zhining glanced at the man sleeping soundly beside her, wiped away her tears, then snuggled into his arms, draped his arm over her waist, and mimicked the posture of a man holding her as she slept.

The night passed, and dawn broke.

Zhan Xingzhuo was half-awake when he realized he was holding someone in his arms.

He was stunned for a moment, mistakenly thinking he was still dreaming.

The fragrance reminded him of the wisteria blossoms in mid-spring that year, clusters of purple, like a deep purple haze. She picked only one flower and pinned it in her hair for him to see.

“…Qingling.” Zhan Xingzhuo rubbed against the woman’s smooth shoulder, hugged her tightly, and before he even opened his eyes, he kissed her face.

But the kiss tasted salty and bitter.

The man frowned; the dome of the dream was collapsing.

No, he and Yao Qingling are divorced, and she avoids him like the plague. How could she possibly be comfortably held in his arms?

Who is the person in his arms?

Men have a sense of fear, like stepping into thin air and falling from the clouds.

He opened his eyes with a start, only to see Zhou Zhining looking at him with tears streaming down her face.

Startled, Zhan Zhuo sat up abruptly: "Zhi, Zhi Ning, how is it you?"

He glanced down at himself in a panic, frantically groping for something on the blanket, but after a while, he calmed down.

The woman he had a passionate dream with last night was Zhou Zhining.

This realization left him bewildered and unsure how to cope.

Zhou Zhining got up, clutching the blanket, and looked at him accusingly through tearful eyes: "Who do you think I am? Who am I supposed to be?"

"Zhining, I..."

"Yao Qingling?"

"No, Zhi Ning... I..." Zhan Xingzhuo stammered, not knowing how to explain to her.

In the end, all I could say was, "I slept with Yao Qingling, and subconsciously I mistook you for her. I'm sorry."

Zhou Zhining sniffed and gave a bitter smile: "I understand."

She didn't say anything more, tears streaming down her face as she picked up her clothes from the ground and put them on one by one.

Zhan Xingzhuo looked at the bruises on her body, all from where he had pinched her hard, and felt a pang of guilt, not daring to look at her again.

Zhou Zhining dressed slowly, making sure he could clearly see the marks he had left on her body, before wrapping the last belt around her waist.

She sniffed and said with a wronged expression, "Brother Xingzhuo, even though you mistook me for Yao Qingling, I don't regret being with you... I don't regret it."

"Just next time, don't treat me like anyone else, okay?"

Zhan Xingzhuo felt heartbroken and guilty. Hearing her words, his heart was breaking: "Zhi Ning, I..."

"Brother Xingzhuo, it's dawn. What would you like for breakfast? I'll tell the kitchen to make it." Zhou Zhining interrupted him, glancing back at the man. Her eyes were red, with tears still welling up, giving her a broken beauty.

Zhan Xingzhuo felt his heart clench. He opened his lips, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to start, and could only stare blankly at her.

Zhou Zhining gave a poignant smile: "Then let's keep it the same as yesterday."

He turned around, opened the door, and went out.

Stepping outside, the cold morning wind swept through, and Zhou Zhining's face lost all traces of grievance and gentleness, replaced only by ruthlessness.

She clenched her fists and swallowed her humiliation.

Only in this way can she solidify her position in Zhan Xingzhuo's heart.

She wanted him to feel guilty and heartbroken towards her, and to always feel guilty and make amends to her.

Only in this way will there be no possibility for him and Yao Qingling to ever be together again.

Zhou Zhining gave a cold laugh, glanced back slightly, then turned and resolutely stepped into the morning mist without looking back.

Inside the room, Zhan Xingzhuo was still in shock, unable to process the reality.

He and Zhou Zhining...

How could he mistake her for Yao Qingling?

The two women have absolutely nothing in common.

The man clenched his fist and pounded his head, regretting drinking so much.

However, he loved Zhou Zhining, and even if he had a relationship with her, he should have received her joy. Why wasn't he happy?

What is he feeling guilty about?

What is there to regret?

Whom should we apologize to?

No, he felt no guilt or remorse. If anyone should feel remorse, it should be for causing Zhou Zhining to suffer.

He is the one who wronged Zhou Zhining.

He should be in a sober state, and on their wedding night, he should be sweetly consummating their marriage with her.

He was the one who made a lewd move towards Zhou Zhining.

The man looked at the silk handkerchief on the ground, got up, and picked it up.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Xiao'er ran in.

"Father—" Xiao'er's voice was childish and cheerful as he held up a small walnut boat in his hand. "Father, Mother said this is a gift from Father to Xiao'er."

Looking at the little toy in the child's hand, Zhan Xingzhuo felt a sense of peace in his heart.

He picked up Xiao'er: "Do you like her?"

Xiao'er hugged his neck and said softly, "I like it... Daddy, Mommy asked me to call you to have breakfast. Mommy cooked some glutinous rice balls; she said we didn't finish them yesterday and we can't waste them..."

Once a child starts talking, they chatter on and on.

But his lively demeanor eased Zhan Xingzhuo's complicated emotions.

He carried the child out of the room, and Xiao'er asked him, "Dad, did you sleep with Mom yesterday? Can Xiao'er sleep with Dad and Mom?"

Zhan Xingzhuo paused, turned to look at the child, and asked, "You know?"

Minglu was standing not far away, and he happened to hear the child's words.

Zhan Xingzhuo looked up, then put Xiao'er down and said a few words to him.

The child grabbed the small boat and ran away.

Minglu walked over, touched his nose, and whispered, "Second Master, Miss Zhou came out of your room this morning and was seen by the maids in the courtyard, and the news spread."

Actually, it's nothing.

The two had been together for a long time, and they were mutually attracted to each other. Their child was already calling him "Dad," so they should have been sleeping in the same bed long ago, which would save some people from having designs on them.

Minglu almost blurted out what she had seen last night, but she held back in the end.

He promised Zhou Zhining he wouldn't tell.

If I were to say it, it would spoil the good thing and upset the Second Master.

The two of them are doing well, that's better than anything else.