The man moved closer to Shi Lan, and the steam from his shower, combined with his overheated body temperature, filled the space between them.

Shi Lan closed her eyes tightly, held her breath, her long eyelashes pressed against her eyelids, and her beautifully shaped lips pursed tightly. Her face, which was so cunning and changeable when she ate, was all scrunched up. The man thought of a little puppy he had raised when he was a child.

It's small and soft, and when it's proud, it's arrogant and domineering, with its tail sticking up to the sky; when it's scared, it doesn't know how to run away, it just curls up into a ball, pitifully closes its eyes, and waits for its fate.

The man lowered his head, staring intently at the small face just an arm's length away, which was growing increasingly red. Her moist lips were being bitten by her pearly white teeth with such force that they were almost bleeding.

The man couldn't bear to see her hurt herself, so he gently kissed her cheek and whispered, "I'm sorry for making you wait so long."

The warm, soft touch brushed against her cheek, and Shi Lan shuddered.

With a soft exhale and the sound of fabric rubbing together, Shi Lan guessed that the man had blown out the oil lamp and gotten onto the kang (a heated brick bed). Only then did she dare to open her eyes, staring blankly into the darkness before her.

A rustling sound came from beside my ear, as if something was moving again.

The mattress beneath her shifted slightly, and she quietly extended her fingers, slowly 'touching' the area.

It's soft, with the same texture as my own mattress.

It seems he dragged the mattress over.

Shi Lan grinned. After this period of time, she could see the general outlines of the objects in the room. Half a foot away, the man sat on the mattress and seemed to be looking at her from the side.

Shi Lan instinctively closed her eyes, but she quickly realized that the room was too dark and the man didn't have X-ray vision, so he probably couldn't see her movements.

Having figured this out, Shi Lan opened her eyes again. In the blink of an eye, the man had already lain down, and soon his long breathing could be heard.

Shi Lan pouted and quietly crawled out of the covers.

Mingxiao said that Haoze resonates with the Soul-Destroying Nail. So, if she summons it and touches it, will it make him realize his true identity?

The more Shi Lan thought about it, the more convinced she became of her reasoning. With a thought, the Soul-Destroying Nail came to her hand with great joy.

Shi Lan held the sharp end of the Soul-Destroying Nail and slowly approached the man. She first leaned close to his shoulder, but the light was too dim to see his mouth clearly. Shi Lan had originally planned to use the Soul-Destroying Nail to touch the little bit of clarity that Ming Xiao had mentioned, but she was worried that the Soul-Destroying Nail was too hard and might hurt him.

Shi Lan carefully slid down, touched the edge of the blanket, lifted it, and then tore open her clothes. Just as she was about to put her hand inside, she heard a voice above her head.

"My wife, I know you've suffered these past years. Please wait a little longer, and I will make it up to you properly in time."

The man's voice was low and gentle, his words carrying a hint of tenderness.

Shi Lan froze, instantly petrified.

What does he mean?

What kind of compensation?

They should make amends properly.

Could it be that she thought she was sexually frustrated and took advantage of him while he was asleep to have sex with him...?

Shi Lan couldn't help but think about it; the man's tone was too gentle, as soft as a gentle ripple on water, caressing her heart.

Shi Lan's face immediately flushed hot. She slowly pulled the man's collar together, obediently covered him with the blanket, and stiffly fell back onto the mattress.

The man reached out, felt for the corner of the blanket, gently covered her with it, and considerately tucked her in.

...

Shi Lan's face flushed red. At this moment, she wished there was a crack in the ground; if there were, she would plunge into it and never come out again.

At dinner, she righteously and angrily rebuked Zhou Yuxiu in front of everyone, and even sent her to the room to reflect on her mistakes while facing the wall on an empty stomach. As a result, that night she touched a man and was caught red-handed.

Shi Lan wanted to explain that she wasn't what men thought she was, but she knew men wouldn't believe her just by talking. If she said she was trying to use a small black nail to test whether he could sense a connection with it, he would probably think she was crazy.

Shi Lan grinned, feeling annoyed and wanting to roll around in bed a few times. She glanced at the man who was still maintaining his standard sleeping posture, and closed her eyes in resentment.

She thought she would be depressed for a long time, but to her surprise, she fell asleep without realizing it.

In her dream, she seemed much smaller, and she wasn't living in the courtyard she was in now.

The scenes flashed by frame by frame, and Shi Lan's gaze swept over them quickly. She soon realized that these were the memories left behind by this body.

The original owner was from a neighboring village. Her mother passed away when she was alive, and her father remarried. Her stepmother treated her fairly well at first, but her attitude changed drastically after she had a son. Her father had a serious preference for sons over daughters, and her stepmother, relying on her son's support, bullied the original owner even more.

From the age of eight, the original owner woke up earlier than the rooster and went to bed later than the dog, but even so, her stepmother was not satisfied and beat and scolded her all day long. Sometimes, when the beatings were too severe, the original owner had no choice but to fight back if she wanted to live. As a result, the original owner's gentle nature gradually became fierce under her torment.

Seeing the original owner's behavior, the stepmother gradually became more restrained.

A few years later, the original owner's father passed away. The stepmother claimed that she had no money for the burial and wanted to sell the original owner to an old peddler who often came to the streets as his second wife.

At that time, the original owner was sixteen years old. Of course, she refused. The ideal man in her heart was Yuan Lang, a scholar whom Shi Lan had met before.

Yuen Long's father died early, and the family was supported by his widowed mother. Fortunately, Yuen Long was promising and had already passed the preliminary examination. His teacher predicted that as long as he calmed down and studied for a few more years, he would definitely pass the county-level examination.

The original owner had considered asking Yuan Lang for help, but she quickly rejected the idea. The reason was simple: perhaps because of their difficult life, his widowed mother valued money very much, and she knew that his mother would not give her any money.

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