Chapter 52: Obsession

Upon hearing this, Sang Ying's blurry eyes snapped open, her wet eyes fixed on him, flustered and nervous.

Meeting his dark, deep eyes, Sang Ying realized that he wasn't joking.

Sang Yingxin panicked immediately, her body tensed, and she struggled fiercely with her wrist being grabbed, trying to cover his mouth.

But they were held tightly and couldn't move.

She could only look at the person in front of her with gloomy dark eyes, and speak towards the door: "Second Senior Brother".

Xiao Lingzhou, standing at the door, was taken aback, then asked, "Where is Junior Sister? What are you doing? I smell blood. Is she injured?"

Cool, slender fingers rested on her chin, the pads of his fingers tracing her veins. His dark, glassy eyes were fixed on her, his voice cold and obsessive as he slowly uttered each word: "My junior sister and I..."

The girl shook her head repeatedly. Her usually aloof personality had actually lowered, and her wet eyes looked at him hopefully, almost pleading. Her voice was muffled as she was being covered.

"Xie Lingyu...no..."

"exist……"

The girl's clear, bright eyes gradually dimmed, and her struggling wrists loosened their grip. The eyes he had been staring into revealed an indescribable emotion.

Xie Lingyu was burned by that gaze, and her heart trembled.

"...I accidentally broke a few cups while we were chatting, and my hand was cut by the broken porcelain."

Xiao Lingzhou, who was outside, breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this. It was good that his junior sister wasn't injured. "Where is my junior sister? Why isn't she answering when I call her?"

"She's drunk."

Xiao Lingzhou frowned. "Why don't you keep an eye on her? Why is she drinking so much? Don't go back to the Dragon Palace tonight. Her room is upstairs. I'll go make some hangover soup. You can take her to rest later."

The shadow on the door disappeared, the footsteps faded away, until they could no longer be heard.

Just as Xie Lingyu was about to speak, the girl's body suddenly trembled slightly. Uncontrollably, warm liquid slid across the back of her hand, and water droplets splashed onto the ground.

He paused slightly, then looked up at the girl.

In the dim moonlight, the girl's face was blurred, and large tears streamed down her cheeks, falling onto the cold ground.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, so quiet that only the girl's soft sobs and the sound of her tears hitting the floor could be heard.

She seemed to be trying her best to control herself, but her body was shaking more and more, her slender shoulders were trembling, and she even started to sob.

Xie Lingyu's pupils dilated slightly as she watched her tears fall in a steady stream. She instantly snapped back to reality, becoming somewhat flustered. She released her hands from her and the dragon tail that was wrapped around her, and backed away.

The girl lost her support and was about to fall to the ground, but he quickly scooped her up and carried her back to the soft chair covered with a thick carpet.

The Lingming Pearl in the room was bright, and with the light, her face could now be seen clearly. Hot, crystal-clear tears streamed down her face, one by one.

She cried harder and harder, gasping for breath, her frail body trembling uncontrollably, her nose red from crying.

Xie Lingyu was stunned. She had cried during the previous joint cultivation, but she only shed tears vaguely, unlike now, when she was wailing and crying as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances in her heart.

He had only ever seen him cry like that on his wedding night.

She lost her father, calmly accepting his passing for several days, but at that moment she finally couldn't hold back her emotions and cried for a long time while holding him.

He helplessly raised his hand to wipe her tears, but before his fingertips could even touch her, the girl dodged him and wiped her tears with the back of her hand herself.

But no matter how much I wiped it away, the tears kept flowing.

Xie Lingyu offered her a clean handkerchief, but she slapped his hand away, turned her face away, rolled herself up in the blanket, and became a ball of fluff, sobbing softly and pitifully.

Xie Lingyu stared at the twitching ball of fluff for a long time before saying in a muffled voice, "...I set up a restriction, so he can't hear your voice and doesn't know what you're doing."

He had lost control and gone mad, wanting Xiao Lingzhou to know what they were doing to provoke him, but how could he let anyone hear her voice at a time like this?

The fluffy ball ignored him and twitched again.

"...Don't cry."

The fluffy ball completely ignored him and continued crying on its own, starting to hiccup as it trembled, unable to stop.

Seeing that she was about to cry herself unconscious, Xie Lingyu scooped her up, held her in her arms, found a corner of the blanket, lifted it, and pulled her little head out. She let her lean against her chest, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.

He lowered his eyes, watching her head tremble: "Don't cry."

The person in his arms was sobbing, as if deflated, and angrily wiped all her tears on him.

After a while, she finally calmed down a bit and started sobbing softly, but her nose and the corners of her eyes were red and her hair was a mess.

After a moment of silence, Xie Lingyu gently tucked her stray hairs behind her ear, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "Since you like him so much, I won't stop you."

His long eyelashes drooped, concealing the emotions in his eyes. Alcohol really does lead to trouble. Why did he stop her from speaking? He made her unhappy for no reason, causing her to cry like this and harbor resentment towards him.

Once the other party is dealt with, the problem will be solved.

The person in his arms suddenly paused, abruptly raised their eyes, stopped sobbing, and stared intently at him with wet eyes.

Seeing that she had perked up, Xie Lingyu cupped her small face and said softly, "But a divorce is not an option. Our contract cannot be changed. However, you can take him as a male concubine."

The girl's eyes widened: "..."

"However, to avoid being discovered by outsiders, it would be best to have a house outside. In addition..."

The girl, with a sudden burst of strength, pushed him away and jumped down. Her voice, hoarse from crying, was filled with barely concealed anger: "Xie Lingyu, I hate you!"

After saying that, he ran to the door, opened it, and rushed out.

Like a gust of wind, he didn't even glance up at Xiao Lingzhou, who was just walking to the door with a bowl of hangover soup.

Xiao Lingzhou steadied the tray, watching the girl's figure disappear around the corner. "Hey, junior sister..."

Sang Ying ran all the way back to her room, locked the door, and buried herself in her bed, hugging a soft pillow and rolling inside.

She sobbed suddenly, sniffed, and buried her face in the pillow. Damn Xie Lingyu, damn damn damn damn…

He actually wanted to give her away!

What male concubine? He even arranged a house for her outside. He's really thoughtful. Should she thank him for his generosity?

There was a knock at the door, two knocks.

Sang Ying didn't even look at her, and directly scolded, "Don't bother me, go away, I don't want to see you!"

There was a pause outside the door, followed by a laugh.

"Huh, Junior Sister, you have quite a temper."

Sang Ying was stunned. She recognized Xiao Lingzhou's voice. The scene from just now filled her mind again, and her ears burned.

That despicable Xie Lingyu, he actually kissed her in that kind of place, with Xiao Lingzhou right outside the door. Even though he had just told her that Xiao Lingzhou couldn't hear him, his nervousness, guilt, and shame hadn't lessened at all.

Sang Ying buried her head in the pillow and her voice became softer, "Second Senior Brother, I wasn't talking about you."

"Of course I know that."

Xiao Lingzhou laughed, her voice coming through the door: "This is the first time I've ever seen my junior sister so angry. It's quite a sight. Tell me, what did he do to you?"

Sang Ying remained silent for a while, not wanting to speak, but she couldn't help herself and angrily said, "He thought I liked you and said he was willing to let you be my gigolo."

Xiao Lingzhou was stunned. The guy who treated Sang Ying like his own eyes, who was narrow-minded and would get jealous and angry if anyone touched her, would actually say such a thing?

"He really said that?"

Sang Ying said indignantly, "Not only that, he even thought about how to settle him down. He'll buy a house outside and keep him there."

Xiao Lingzhou couldn't help but laugh out loud: "He's quite magnanimous."

"I'm angry because of this."

Xiao Lingzhou leaned against the door, looking languid. "What's wrong? Your dignified second senior brother, who is popular with countless young girls in the Wuwen Sect, has condescended to become your male concubine, and you're still not happy?"

Sang Ying's voice was muffled, "Second Senior Brother, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now."

Xiao Lingzhou paused, then smiled, "So what do you want? To divorce him?"

Sang Ying shrank further under the covers, her voice even softer, "It's not that bad."

Xiao Lingzhou: "Then I'll go beat him up for you and vent your anger?"

Sang Ying: "...No need, my injuries from last time haven't fully healed yet."

Xiao Lingzhou: "Then I'll put on a show with you and make him jealous?"

Sang Ying: "...What if he takes it seriously? There was nothing wrong before, but then it will be even more complicated. Besides, Second Senior Brother, your acting skills are terrible. You've never been able to fool me since we were kids."

Xiao Lingzhou sighed slightly: "This won't work, that won't work, I say, junior sister, aren't you being a little too soft-hearted towards him?"

The room fell silent.

After a long while, a barely audible muffled sound was heard.

"Because he is Xie Lingyu."

Xiao Lingzhou's heart skipped a beat, and she pursed her lips.

He then raised his hand and rubbed his hair, his voice a little muffled: "Fine. Then you can ignore him for a while. Once he realizes his mistake, he'll apologize to you, and then you can consider whether or not to forgive him."

Xiao Lingzhou, who was outside the door, told her a few more words to get some rest before leaving.

Once again quiet, Sang Ying hugged her pillow, looking at the moonlight through the window, but her mind was a jumbled mess.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she bit her lip, the sandalwood scent still lingering on it—the most familiar and comforting smell to her.

The sensation lingered on her body; it wasn't exactly painful, but it felt like a mark, reminding her that it was a trace that belonged entirely to him.

Sang Ying buried her face in the pillow, looking aggrieved. She didn't dislike being close to him, but there was a right place to do such things.

She couldn't even accept the study, so how could she possibly accept a place like a banquet, let alone with Xiao Lingzhou outside the door?

The main reason she cried today was because of this. In the past, Xie Lingyu never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do, and always indulged her, even when she made all sorts of excessive demands.

But just now he didn't care about her feelings at all. This sense of loss made her both scared and panicked. She subconsciously wanted to ask Xie Lingyu for help, but suddenly realized that it was he who made her feel this way.

This feeling of helplessness made her burst into tears.

There was another soft knock on the door, two knocks.

Faintly, I could also hear the sound of dripping water.

Is it raining outside?

Sang Ying wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, thinking it was Xiao Lingzhou who had returned. "What's wrong, Second Senior Brother? Is there anything else?"

After a long silence outside the door, a low sound could be heard.

"It's me."

Sang Ying's body stiffened instantly, her fingers gripping the pillowcase tightly. "What are you doing here again?"

"Come and apologize to your junior sister."

Sang Ying snorted coldly and turned her face away. "Where were you if you wanted to apologize? You're only here now. You clearly have no sincerity at all."

The young man outside the door spoke very softly.

"Just now... I went to sober up. I think that admitting mistakes should be done when you are sober."

Sang Ying slowly turned around, hugging her pillow, looking at the shadow reflected in the moonlight at the door, and said in a low, muffled voice, "Then tell me, what did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have interrupted my junior sister's conversation with my second senior brother at the banquet, I shouldn't have done that kind of thing to my junior sister in the banquet hall, I shouldn't have..."

Hearing this, Sang Ying was still quite satisfied, until he said the following words: "Prevent junior sister and second senior brother from expressing their feelings."

Sang Ying got annoyed again, "Are you really sober now?"

A soft "hmm" came from outside the door.

Sang Ying was incredulous. He had been so suspicious and jealous before, always clinging to her, but now he had suddenly become so magnanimous. Did this mean he had come to his senses?

"Didn't you always say before that I could never leave you and that you could only be yours? Now you've suddenly changed your mind?"

"I was too selfish before. Our marriage was forced on me. My junior sister can like whomever she wants and do whatever she wants."

Sang Ying was shocked by his words, to the point that she began to doubt her own hearing. How could Xie Lingyu, who was psychologically dark, twisted, and possessive to the extreme, say such a thing?

She stopped being angry and instead started to care about his mental state. Was there something wrong with his brain? Had she driven him crazy with those few words?

She got out of bed and flung open the door.

As the clear moonlight shone in, Sang Ying was taken aback when she saw the young man in front of her.

Water droplets dripped down his hair and the corners of his clothes, and the young man was dripping wet all over. Water droplets hung on his pale chin, and there was even a layer of frost on his long eyelashes. He exuded a strong chill, which Sang Ying could feel even from a distance.

Sang Ying's eyes widened. "You didn't go to the Flowing Cold Spring, did you?"

The Chamber of Commerce has some goods that need to be stored at low temperatures, so they chose this location. There is an extremely cold place nearby where the water temperature is extremely low, comparable to thousand-year-old ice, but it does not freeze.

Most importantly, the spring water there blocks spiritual energy, making it impossible to use spiritual energy to protect oneself, and staying there for too long is life-threatening.

The young man gave a soft "hmm," coughed lightly, his face growing paler and his lips devoid of color.

"You're going to soak in a cold spring before your injury has even healed? Are you out of your mind?"

Sang Ying was furious. She pulled him into the house, took out a fleece blanket, and covered him completely.

Her little finger was gently hooked by her cool knuckles. The young man, like a puppy caught in the rain, was soaking wet and just stared at her.

"Junior sister, I was wrong."

Sang Ying lowered her eyes to meet his dark gaze. Seeing him like this, her heart softened, but then she heard him say the second half of his sentence, "I won't stop you from confessing to him anymore."

Sang Ying: "..."

My heart has hardened again.

And his fists hardened as well.

Sang Ying, expressionless, pulled a blanket over his head. "Instead of apologizing, you should go see a doctor to check your brain."

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and even a little amused. Sang Ying rubbed his head vigorously, and he made her laugh out of anger.

"Xie Lingyu, didn't you realize I was just saying that out of anger?"

Xie Lingyu paused, raised her hand to push aside the blanket, and looked at her.

"...Saying something in anger?"

Sang Ying really didn't understand. He was usually so smart, but he seemed to have lost his mind when it came to such a simple matter, fixating on the fact that she liked her second senior brother.

Sang Ying let go of his hand and crossed her arms: "Second Senior Brother has grown up with me since childhood, and I treat him like family. How could I possibly like him? I was just annoyed by your suspicions and said those hurtful things in anger."

The young man's long eyelashes fluttered. "Really?"

He pursed his lips. "Then why did you kiss him?"

Speaking of this, Sang Ying got even angrier. She covered his face with both hands and lifted it up, making the same gesture as before, and stared at him. "Back then, I suspected he had something wrong with his brain, just like I do now. I wanted to see if he was sick like you."

She pulled at her cheeks expressionlessly: "I was going to explain that you were mistaken, but did you give me a chance to explain?"

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, his cool knuckles grasped her hand.

As if relaxing, or perhaps lingering with affection, the young man rubbed his cheek against her palm, his voice low, "I misunderstood you, junior sister."

Sang Ying abruptly pulled her hand back, turned her face away, and said coldly, "Don't even think about it, I still want to take my second senior brother as my male concubine."

The young man coughed weakly twice. "Junior sister, I'm a little cold."

Sang Ying immediately turned to look at him, then took out a soft blanket and covered him with it. During this time, the young man took her hand and said softly, "I was wrong just now, I'm sorry, junior sister."

"Does it still hurt? I brought some medicine for the wound."

Sang Ying froze. "No need."

Although it felt a bit strange, it didn't hurt. Even though he was jealous and acting crazy, he wasn't very aggressive when he brought it in, so he probably wasn't injured.

Sang Ying pulled the blanket up, stared at his pale face for a while, and suddenly narrowed her eyes, "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately played the victim to make me soften and forgive you."

The young man paused almost imperceptibly.

...She knew it!

This cunning and wicked dragon is full of evil intentions.

Sang Ying sneered, abandoned him, turned and walked towards the bed, climbed onto it, wrapped herself in the blanket, and turned her back to him.

After a while, a soft voice came from behind, "Junior Sister."

Sang Ying said coldly, "You are not allowed in my bed."

The young man didn't actually come up this time, but Sang Ying could sense that he was right beside the bed, hear his breathing, and smell the cool sandalwood scent on his body.

After a long, long silence, Sang Ying finally turned around slowly and glanced at him.

The black iron washboard she had thrown up last time was placed on the ground, and the young man knelt on it quite consciously, his handsome figure standing straight like a pine or bamboo.

He looked rather disheveled, with water droplets still clinging to the ends of his hair and his face pale, like a little dog stubbornly waiting for its owner on the side of the street in the rain. His dark eyes were fixed on her.

Sang Ying quickly looked away, then turned back, pulled the blanket up, and buried her face in the darkness.

She bit her lip, unable to help but wonder why Xie Lingyu didn't think she would like him.

She's already kissed him so many times and even had sex with him. If she didn't like him, why would she do these things with him?

Sang Ying was naturally sleepy, and as she thought about it, she became tired and drowsy, and soon fell asleep.

Xie Lingyu looked at the girl's unguarded sleeping face in front of her, warmed her fingers, and gently touched her face.

Those voices echoed in my ears again, like a malignant sore that seeped into every bone marrow, impossible to eradicate.

Sang Jingming had long anticipated his death; his only worry was his sickly daughter.

So he made plans for her early on, choosing a husband who could protect her for life, taking him as his personal disciple, and cultivating their relationship from a young age.

When she turned fifteen and came of age, Sang Jingming asked her in private, jokingly.

"I've noticed you're always hanging out with Xiaoyu. Do you like her?"

He happened to be passing by, leaning against the wall, when he heard the girl angrily smash a cup on the spot. Her voice was filled with the annoyance of being misunderstood, and she denied it without hesitation.

"Father, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly like Xie Lingyu? I could like anyone but him."

"real?"

"Does being close mean you like him? I like my eldest and second senior brothers too. I only see him as a senior brother, Dad, don't overthink it."

...

The moon was still, its light scattering across the floor through the windowpane.

Xie Lingyu grasped the girl's fingertips, gently caressed them with his fingertips to warm them, and then slowly brought them to his lips for a tender, lingering kiss.

Even so...

I won't let go either, junior sister.

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He says he'll treat me like a senior brother, but he never calls me that _(:з」∠)_