Chapter 62 Dog Training (Part 1)

Liang Ye's return was unrelated to Shan He. He had left his purse here while bathing and changing, and inside was the secret letter from the Ouyang family that day. Now that Cheng Min had come to ask for his instructions, he needed it. Thinking that nearly an hour had passed and Shan He should have finished bathing, he came over, only to find such a sensual scene before him.

"Grandpa...I..." Shanhe cried out in distress, "I didn't!"

How could he trust her? He gazed intently, and saw Xue Shanhe, her black hair flowing down to her waist, her fair body bare, sitting on a rosewood chair, her legs tightly pressed together. She sat there petitely, her cheeks flushed, her skin smooth and supple, her limbs slender, her breasts trembling slightly, her bare feet on the ground, her entire being exuding a graceful and delicate charm, every part of her soothing, every part of her captivating his heartstrings.

Liang Ye's anger flared, and his ears turned bright red. He demanded urgently, "Xue Shanhe, what were you doing just now! Can't I satisfy you?!"

"You actually want..." His voice trembled along with Shanhe's, "You want me to do it myself?!"

Caught off guard by the bottle of medicine, Liang Ye's anger surged like a mountain, his eyes blazing with fury: "You need medicine again?! Hmm? Is this why you keep getting angry and throwing tantrums at Granny Wei? Did she catch you doing these dirty things, or are you taking your anger out on her because you're angry with me?!" He had just felt a little guilty towards her because of what happened last night, but it turns out she doesn't care at all!

He rushed over, grabbed Shanhe by the knees, and lifted her up in his arms. Shanhe cried out in alarm, frantically reaching out to hug his neck, stammering, "Put me down! Put me down! It hurts! It hurts!" But Liang Ye couldn't hear her; his heart was burning with rage. This lowly woman, this weak woman, this ungrateful woman, had trampled on his sincerity time and time again, and now she was even crushing his dignity as a man!

Shanhe felt his fingers tighten, and the skin gripped by his hand began to ache. Tears welled up in her eyes, but her mind suddenly cleared. Shanhe abruptly stopped speaking, looked deeply at Liang Ye with tears in her eyes, and then raised her hand high, slapping Liang Ye hard across the face.

A crisp, resounding slap sent Liang Ye's head snapping to the side, leaving him stunned on the spot.

Shanhe was stunned; this was the first time in her life she had ever slapped someone. Immediately afterward, a burning pain shot through her palm, and the side of Liang Ye's face that had been slapped began to turn faintly red, revealing the marks of her five fingers.

Fear and pleasure mingled within her. Seeing his violently heaving chest, taut jaw, and eyes burning with rage, Shanhe couldn't help but shed tears. She sobbed, "I didn't! You hurt me last night, so I had to apply medicine myself! That bottle of medicine was given to me by Mingrui. You have wicked intentions; don't falsely accuse an innocent person!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Ye was even more taken aback, stammering, "Apply...medicine?" He looked down at her, her eyes brimming with tears, which didn't seem feigned. His gaze involuntarily swept downwards; her legs were tightly pressed together, and his heart suddenly tightened, her eyes reddening with embarrassment. The events of last night suddenly flashed back, and he realized he had indeed lost his composure. Liang Ye held Shanhe, gently settling her back on the rosewood chair, half-squatting down to look up at her.

He braced his arms on either side of the rosewood chair, his tone slightly softened but still tinged with annoyance: "Where are you hurt? Does it still hurt?"

Shanhe gritted her teeth, staring at his face for a long time before speaking calmly: "There's no need for you to pretend to be a saint or a virtuous person now."

Liang Ye glanced at the medicine bottle on the small table; it had a red label on it, indicating it was a hemostatic and tissue-regenerating medicine. His voice softened further: "I shouldn't have made assumptions about you. But since you were injured, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Shanhe, however, was already disheartened. Silently, she picked up her nightgown and began to put it on, one piece at a time. Liang Ye pressed her hand down, pleadingly saying, "Shanshan, don't stay silent..."

Shanhe let him hold her down, her voice choked with sobs: "If I don't speak, you say I'm pretending to be mute; if I do speak, you say I'm easily angered and capricious. You ask me why I didn't tell you sooner, but when I woke up this morning, you were already gone. How could I tell you? Did you expect me to go find Chengmin and have him relay the message to you? Besides, last night—" Shanhe paused, tears streaming down her face. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed, "Last night I said no, I cried under you, I begged you like that, but you acted like you didn't see or hear me. You only cared about your own pleasure, you forced me to do that. I said no, so why are you blaming me for not telling you?"

Liang Ye paused, about to speak, but Shan He covered his mouth: "You're not allowed to say it!" Her lips curved downwards, tears streaming down her cheeks, falling one by one onto her bare legs, a continuous, pitter-patter. Shan He's words, once spoken, showed no sign of stopping: "Just now at dinner, you asked me if my willingness to stay obediently by your side was just an act. Liang Ye, you truly have no conscience! You know perfectly well how you snatched me away, you know perfectly well how you forced me, I finally convinced myself to stay by your side, only to be met with your constant suspicion and bullying! You still suspect me so much now, I was just applying medicine myself, yet you think I... think I... Liang Ye, no matter how much I want to live an obedient life with you, you will wear me down sooner or later!"

Having said that, Shanhe quickly pulled her nightgown from his palm, broke free from his embrace, and stood on the ground to put on her clothes. Turning back to look at him, she said, "I don't understand your intentions, sir. If you truly loved me, you would at least comfort me when I was sad, and when I was injured, you shouldn't have blamed me for not telling you sooner, much less have such filthy thoughts about me!"

"If you only see me as a bed warmer or a prostitute for your sexual gratification, then please go back to your room early, sir. I'll come and serve you in bed right now! You really don't need to say those insincere sweet words to me. I'm already used to being beaten and scolded by you, sir. You also say that I'm a tough nut to crack, and those sweet words won't fool me."

Shanhe glanced at him again: "The only person I can rely on is you, sir, but it is you who hurt me the most." Then she resolutely turned around, barefoot, and ran outside.

Liang Ye felt a little dizzy. Shan He's words struck him like a thunderbolt, causing a sharp pain in his heart and making it hard for him to breathe. When he saw Shan He run out in just a nightgown, he panicked. He grabbed the medicine bottle and chased after her, only to find that she hadn't gone far. Instead, she stood under the eaves, looking up at the three characters "Cangfeng Residence," letting her tears fall in the night wind.

“Shanshan…” Liang Ye frowned and approached.

Shanhe turned her head at the sound, her eyes indifferent: "Master, the other day you asked me what I should do after the mistress enters the house. Now I can answer you, after the mistress enters the house, just forget about me. I will quietly hide away, as you wish, and live my own life peacefully. I won't get angry with Granny Wei, and I won't put you in a difficult position. If you feel sorry for me, just come and see me every few months." She smiled coldly, and tears welled up in her eyes again, "That way, if I get hurt again, I can slowly heal it, instead of like this now."

"Shanshan!" Liang Ye took two steps to Shanhe and pulled her into his arms. His voice was urgent: "I'm sorry, Shanshan, I didn't pay attention to you, and I shouldn't have treated you like that or made assumptions about you!"

Shanhe numbly let him hold her, her head pressed against his chest, her voice half-swallowed by his magnificent robes. Shanhe said, "Whether I'm sorry or not, it's all useless now. Master, I just want to ask you, what do you take me for? Am I just a maid kept in your room, someone who warms your bed and sleeps with you, or something else?"

Liang Ye separated from her slightly, cupped her face in his hands, and carefully examined every inch of her face.

"Shanshan, I want to be with you. Otherwise, why would I go to all that trouble to keep you here?"

"Yes, that's what I used to think too. But why is it that every moment is torture for me to try so hard to stay by your side and try so hard to adapt to you?"

Liang Ye's hands trembled.

Shanhe pulled his hand down and wiped away her tears. "Master, I'll wait until you marry the mistress. It would be best if you got tired of me before she even enters the house! I'll take Qingyue and Miao'er and hide in a small room. I'll never linger in front of you or attract your attention!" With that, Shanhe turned and pushed open the lattice door of the bedroom, stepping inside.

Liang Ye stood there, stunned. Suddenly, he noticed a thin figure standing in the corner. He looked closely and realized it was He Niang. Her pretty face, with furrowed brows, bore a striking resemblance to Xue Shanhe, yet a strange unease stirred within him. Liang Ye turned away from her and went back to his bedroom.

Shanhe was carrying a roll of quilts as she stepped off the footboard.

Liang Ye asked urgently, "Where are you going?"

Shanhe looked up and said, "Don't worry, I won't leave. I'll still sleep in this room. But I won't be able to serve the master tonight, so I'll have to follow the rules for night watch maids and sleep on the soft couch." After speaking, Shanhe went straight to the soft couch and put down the quilt.

Liang Ye had caught up with her, pressed her hand, and pulled her to sit down. He then sat opposite Shanhe, wiped away her tears with his finger, and said gently, "Shanshan, it was my fault. Why should you wrong yourself?"

He was actually somewhat relieved. Shanhe had been so angry with him tonight, yet she had also said so much to him, which showed that she cared about him. Only those who care would get angry and try to please each other.

He continued, "So, you were angry with Granny Wei today because you wanted to take the opportunity to get a wound so you could openly ask for medicine?"

Shanhe nodded.

Liang Ye lowered his head, leaned close to Shanhe's face, and carefully observed the color in her eyes: "I'm sorry, Shanshan, I drank yesterday and seemed to lose control of myself. When I looked at you, all I wanted was you. I never thought I would hurt you."

Shanhe pursed her lips and remained silent.

A tear fell, sliding down Liang Ye's cheek. He said, "It was my foolishness to let you suffer such injustice. From today onwards, everything must be your consent first, okay?" He smiled gently, "A thousand pieces of gold cannot buy Shan Shan's willingness, alright?"

Shanhe slowly shifted her gaze to his face; the five finger marks were still red, starkly visible on Liang Ye's face. Shanhe bit her lip: "Really?"

He quickly replied with a smile, "It's true, of course. If it's fake, you can punish me as you please."

Shanhe replied, "How could I dare to punish you, sir..."

Liang Ye grasped her hand: "Shanshan, don't call me that anymore."

"Then how shall I address you?"

Liang Ye's Adam's apple bobbed: "Ah Ye, is this alright?"

Shanhe's lips twitched, her mouth slightly open. She remained silent for a moment before softly uttering, "Aye."

Liang Ye immediately smiled, leaned forward, cupped her face, and showered her with kisses.

Shanhe initially wanted to dodge, but faced with his intense passion, she knew she had to endure it, otherwise all the words she had painstakingly uttered tonight would be meaningless. She recalled what Liang Ye had told her earlier: "When you lie, there should be eight parts truth and two parts falsehood."

Yes, her deception tonight must have been incredibly clever; even someone as intelligent and astute as Liang Ye hadn't noticed her insincerity. Even she herself was somewhat bewildered—was she truly willing to stay by his side? So, she forced herself to recall Xue Shanhe from last night.

When Liang Ye released her, Shanhe's lips were already red from his kisses. She raised her hand and gently touched the side of his cheek where he had been slapped, asking softly, "Grandpa, does it hurt?"

Liang Ye's lips twitched slightly, and he felt his whole body stiffen.

"...It doesn't hurt."

"That's good." Shanhe turned around and started tidying up the quilt.

"What if it hurts?"