showdown
Lin Xu had been this intimate with him before. Sometimes, when their feelings were at their peak, she would temporarily set aside the hatred she had harbored for the Dou family and her usual fear of Dou Yanxun, indulging herself little by little in his endless tenderness.
She told herself that it was all just an act after all. She had gradually gone from being afraid and uneasy at the beginning to being used to it now.
Perhaps Dou Yanxun's change of expression was too quick today, leaving her filled with fear. For some reason, goosebumps suddenly rose on her body, and a tremor slowly rose in her long-dormant heart.
The discomfort of being blocked by sharp wooden frames behind her came through her thin clothing, reminding her where they were and how inappropriate their situation was.
Lin Xu finally couldn't help but speak softly, gently calling his name:
“Dou Yanxun…”
She rarely called him by his full name so directly; she always called him "husband" softly.
This woman, raised in the delicate beauty of the waterside pavilions of Jiangnan, exudes a tenderness that melts the bones with every casual word she utters.
However, upon being addressed by his full name, Dou Yanxun stiffened. As if a nerve had been touched, his previously dark, icy eyes suddenly narrowed, then flashed with a piercing light.
And the pressure between his lips and teeth suddenly increased several notches.
To her surprise, she couldn't help but furrow her brow in pain.
Lin Xu knew he was genuinely angry.
...But the reason for his anger was utterly inexplicable to her. If he didn't like her meddling in politics, why did he bother to keep her here in front of everyone? Why did he bother to ask for her opinion?
She thought he wanted her to help him.
The result was a sudden change in expression, leaving her in a difficult position.
Lin Xu's mind was in turmoil. Dou Yanxun noticed a hint of annoyance in her eyes, so he bent down and knelt in front of her.
He was already tall, and now his eyes were level with hers. His arms were propped up on the bookshelf behind her, making him look like a cage separated by his body.
His burning breath, as if determined to devour her bones and blood, lingered on her neck for a long time without dissipating.
This man, so opportunistic and predatory, was completely different from the Dou Yanxun who had shown her respect and affection in recent months.
Instead, it was more like when they had just met, whenever Lin Xu pretended to admire him, his eyes would reveal that kind of certainty and calmness as if he were observing his prey, along with a hint of coldness and amusement that seemed to flow from his very bones.
Just as Lin Xu realized this and tried to dodge, he was imprisoned in his broad, windless arms by Lin Xu's aggressive kiss.
Her lips, usually cool and soft, now seemed to have been tempered by fire, leaving scalding marks along the way.
"……pain……"
She couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
Lin Xu tried to push him away, but the difference in their physical strength was undeniable. No matter how she tried to push him away, it was all in vain. Instead, it made it easier for him to conquer new territories.
In her panic, all she could see was a crimson fire rising in his deep eyes. This sight of Dou Yanxun suddenly terrified her, as if he would really burn everything around him to ashes without a care.
But it was this cry of pain that brought back a sliver of his remaining clarity of mind.
Dou Yanxun raised his head again and looked at Lin Xu, who was sobbing softly in his arms and whose eyes were red.
She was so close to him, her slender body completely encircled in his arms. She had nowhere to escape and could only plead with herself in a low voice.
The thought only flashed through Dou Yanxun's mind briefly before a morbid sense of satisfaction began to rise uncontrollably in his heart.
She finally leaned against his chest.
Inside the vast and empty hall, there were only the two of them. She wanted to escape, but there was nothing she could do.
Just moments ago she was full of energy, even going so far as to pretend to be a country bumpkin who believed in feng shui in front of everyone, but now she is finally shedding all her pretense in front of him.
She was always so unpredictable. Having grown accustomed to her gentle and calm demeanor, her sudden display of wit and cunning only stirred his heartstrings more, and even made him feel a little more attracted to her.
She is so good at disguising herself.
So, which version of her is the real, unadorned version of her?
However, just the thought alone caused Dou Yanxun to feel as if something sharp had pierced his heart, and blood began to gush out, almost draining him of all his strength.
He was never a romantic man. Over the years, even with his notorious reputation, he had never been with anyone else. For him, matters of love and sex were more of a dull and uninteresting affair.
All he ever needed was a pretext to help him deceive everyone and regain Dou Yanzhou's trust in him.
He once thought that this was how he would live, like the reeds swaying by the river, spending his remaining days in solitude.
No one cared, no one investigated. He had long been used to it and didn't care about the loneliness by his pillow.
But then she showed up.
Not only that, she barged into his life without any discussion, disrupting what was once a life as stagnant and lifeless as still water.
Without any scruples, he turned everything he had become accustomed to upside down.
Some people, however, possess the power to destroy everything.
She repeatedly told him, in the most innocent and seductive tone, that she loved him.
Dou Yanxun, who had always been carefree and fearless, suddenly felt a little afraid. However, he dared not, and could not, look directly into those eyes and ask how much of her so-called love was truly genuine.
He used to pride himself on knowing countless people. During his days of wandering and drifting alone, he had seen many treacherous and cunning people who wanted to squeeze every last drop of blood out of you, as well as selfish and treacherous people who would turn their backs on all their vows and abandon them in the blink of an eye...
From the moment he first saw her, he knew immediately that she must be extremely intelligent.
He used to dislike anyone getting close to him, but in the case of Lin Xu, honestly, Dou Yanxun had almost immediately seen through her ulterior motives. He knew that once someone like her entered his fading life, everything would become uncontrollable.
But he was still hopeless and let her in himself.
He practically opened the long-sealed wooden door himself, the key of which had been lost somewhere. He even picked up the incredibly sharp axe and chopped the door open, blow by blow.
Until the flesh and bones were mangled, until blood was everywhere.
He used almost all his strength, letting himself be "naive" once again, and stood on the ruins of his own defenses, almost self-destructively, pretending to be nonchalant as he watched her smile and talk, watching her ulterior motives.
She was just a weak woman; how could she possibly hurt him?
Dou Yanxun thought so.
But in the blink of an eye, she was already by his side, spending spring, summer, autumn and winter with him, and sharing tender moments with him in bed.
Now, he no longer wants to let go and watch her leave.
It's no longer possible.
Lin Xu noticed that Dou Yanxun's eyes were gradually becoming vacant. At the same time, he lowered his arms, giving her some room to escape.
After being kissed almost roughly by him for a long time, her neck was already covered with red marks, and the thinnest skin on her neck was slightly sore.
Lin Xu breathed a sigh of relief, "...Why did you hurt me?"
He seemed to be brought back to his senses by her cry of pain, and now seeing her once fair skin now covered in red marks, a hint of regret welled up in his eyes.
Dou Yanxun's warm thumb slowly touched the places he had just tormented and bitten.
The moment he touched her, she bit her lower lip and let out a soft moan.
"I'm sorry. I lost my strength just now..."
Just moments ago he was all domineering and aggressive, but now he seems like a child who has made a mistake.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Dou Yanxun's smooth forehead, sticking a few strands of his hair to his temples, and his cheeks gradually turned red with regret.
Lin Xu, who was initially angry, saw this and his anger instantly subsided.
Dou Yanxun rarely displayed such a strong possessiveness in front of her. Once, he came to her angrily after getting drunk, and another time, what happened today, each time it caught her off guard, leaving her completely at a loss as to how to deal with it.
Each time, he was the one who would be the first to bow his head and apologize, as if that moment of losing control was merely a fleeting illusion in her mind. Dou Yanxun would then return to his usual calm and gentle demeanor.
Lin Xu paused for a moment, but she understood in her heart that if she could not be truly understood by Dou Yanxun when he was out of control, or if she could not truly accept him when he was out of control, there would always be an invisible and intangible wall between them.
Therefore, she was unable to truly enter his heart.
Lin Xu raised her eyes and silently looked at the face in front of her, with its bright red lips and teeth, which made her look unusually sickly and almost demonic.
A faint hint of regret lingered at the corners of his eyes, mingling with his alluring gaze and lingering warmth, making him all the more captivating.
“Dou Yanxun, if I am with you day and night, but do not know what you are truly thinking, then I will never be able to truly help you.”
Her voice was much calmer, carrying a reassuring calmness. Lin Xu met his gaze and slowly uttered each word.
She was calling his name again...
Looking into those eyes, as clear as a deer's pupils deep in a forest, Dou Yanxun felt a sudden tremor in his heart, as if a lake had been gently rippled across its surface.
How could he possibly let her know what he truly thought, what he was really thinking...?
He wanted to possess her; he wanted to force her to no longer hide her sharpness and to be honest with him.
He even thought that their first meeting was a mistake. She tried so hard to get close to him, and they acted out a fake relationship for so long. Now that they wanted to start over, they couldn't tell the difference between genuine and fake feelings anymore. It was all too late...
After a long while, his sharply defined profile twitched slightly, and the corners of his handsome lips curved upwards, revealing a faint smile:
"If I were to actually say what I'm thinking, would you dare to listen?"
Lin Xu's expression shifted.
She looked up at him, trying to see the expression behind the mist in his eyes.
Dou Yanxun, however, pointed his fingertips downwards and used both hands to straighten her clothes, which had become somewhat disheveled from the previous encounter.
As he gently and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes, he spoke casually, but his words made Lin Xu hold her breath instantly.
"—I'm wondering, Xuxu, you don't have me in your heart, yet you're determined to marry me. What is your reason?"
Seeing that she remained silent, he turned his head slightly, as if all his strength had been exhausted, and he also seemed to suddenly feel much more relaxed.
He sighed softly, and when he spoke again, he suddenly changed his tone, making it seem as if whatever she said was no longer important to him.
"Xuxu, marry me... what can I possibly offer you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
