Chapter 10 Grounding "What? Disappointed to see it's me?"...
Xie Chengyan is a man of pure character, with the spirit of snow and plum blossoms, and a demeanor of unparalleled clarity and purity.
Although she was a bit cold-hearted, upon reflection, she wasn't actually difficult to get along with. As long as she could keep her unspoken thoughts of nightly desecration well hidden, Xie Chengyan would be an excellent elder brother to her.
It doesn't seem that scary.
From that day on, Shen Xi stayed in his room for three whole days, memorizing books. Following his memory, he also memorized all the books that he had seen at Lin Anrong's place before but had not been able to hide in time.
When everything was finished, Shen Xi looked up wearily and rubbed his shoulders and neck. Just then, Qing Qiu handed him a letter.
"Miss, it was sent by Young Master Xie."
Shen Xi took the invitation and glanced at it. It was just another invitation to go to Wangxian Tower for fun and relaxation. She didn't pay much attention to it and put it aside.
Ke Qingqiu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Miss, you've been busy studying these past few days, so you may not know what's going on outside. I heard that Second Young Master Xie got into a fight with the only son of the Gao family in public, breaking his nose. The Duke of Wei was furious and seems to have severely punished Second Young Master Xie."
She had never heard of that.
Shen Xi frowned. Although Xie Wenlang was a playboy, he was still raised by a prominent family. He always thought it was reckless to fight himself and disdained to do it.
But now, what grudge did Gao Yinian have that made him resort to such violence in public?
Picking up the letter again, Shen Xi discovered that Xie Wenlang had arranged to meet her today. She couldn't help but worry about him and quickly told Qing Qiu to get ready so they could go to the appointment.
Wangxianlou has a long-standing reputation, and Xie Wenlang's private room is even more tranquil. Standing by the window, one can just see a bamboo garden, which is still green even in winter, and the wind rustles through the treetops.
Not long after, someone pushed the door open and came in. The person walked calmly and did not seem to be injured, which put Shen Xi at ease.
"How have you been these past two days? I've heard..."
He abruptly stopped mid-sentence, stood up abruptly, and his dark eyes widened slightly.
She saw that the man walked around the screen and revealed his entire face. He had a high nose bridge and sharp eyes. He possessed a composure and integrity that came from years of battlefield experience. No matter how hard the young noblemen in the capital tried to imitate him, they could hardly capture even a fraction of his essence.
The visitor was clearly Xie Wenlang's elder brother, Xie Chengyan.
Xie Chengyan noticed Shen Xi's surprise but pretended not to notice. He slowly sat down and poured tea. In the steamy atmosphere, no one spoke.
When the teacup was full and she still hadn't moved, Xie Chengyan tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and pushed the teacup to the opposite side.
"sit."
Shen Xi had no choice but to step forward to take it, but when she reached out, a section of her hand wrapped in gauze was revealed.
Xie Chengyan paused slightly, then pressed his hand on the rim of the cup, lifting his eyelids slightly: "What happened to your hand?"
Shen Xi then remembered the injury on her hand and quickly tucked it back into her sleeve: "It was just a minor injury from being splashed with hot soup a few days ago. No need for the general to worry about it."
Almost instantly, Xie Chengyan recalled her dream from that night, in which she was scalded by hot tea poured on her by Madam Xue.
Back then, was she also like she is today, wearing the most innocent face, softly telling lies to Xie Wenlang to cover things up?
But he is not Xie Wenlang.
It's not something that can be easily covered up with a few casual lies.
His gaze lingered briefly on her hand, but Xie Chengyan didn't point it out and simply stood up.
Shen Xi stood up immediately after him and saw him walking towards the door. She was a little at a loss, but she mustered up her courage and called out, "General Xie, may I ask how Erlang has been lately? Why hasn't he come today?"
Xie Chengyan paused, then turned around: "What? Are you disappointed to see it's me?"
"I'm not..."
Shen Xi didn't understand Xie Chengyan's intention and hesitated for a long time, unsure how to answer.
Anxious to refute but unable to organize her thoughts, Xie Chengyan clearly saw a light blush spreading from her earlobe and gradually rising to her cheeks.
He glanced at her hand, which she had unconsciously clenched in nervousness, and then focused his thoughts, recalling the cause and effect of her question.
This story begins a few days ago.
After parting ways with Shen Xi at the horse farm, Xie Chengyan made an appointment with someone at Wangxian Tower that night. As soon as he pushed open the door to the private room on the second floor, he heard a young male voice coming from inside.
"Finished with your work? You finally took the time to remember me."
This person was none other than Chu Chengji, with whom he had made an appointment.
We can't really be called friends, just people who get along well, and we can barely exchange a few words.
Chu Chengji didn't complain; instead, he fanned himself with great interest: "Tell me, why did you change your route halfway and go to the horse farm?"
The two had originally agreed to meet here at noon today, but when the time came, they did not see each other. He sent someone to inquire and found out that Xie Chengyan had actually turned off to the horse farm halfway and had the rare leisure to spend most of the day riding with a group of children.
"On a whim."
Hearing this nonchalant remark, he sat up straight and tapped his folding fan lightly on the table: "This is not like you."
Xie Chengyan slightly raised his eyes, his expression unchanged: "If I myself am not like me, then how can I be considered like me?"
"Yeah, you're not like the old you at all."
"What brings you here today? Just to pry into my private affairs?"
Xie Chengyan was unwilling to elaborate further.
Chu Chengji laughed: "It really doesn't look like it."
How could he possibly have such an outward display of emotion in the past?
However, it's not bad.
The banter ended there. Chu Chengji snapped his fan shut and finally became serious: "Speaking of which, you should have left the capital for Youzhou long ago. Why did you suddenly decide to stay?"
Chu Chengji is right. If it weren't for those bizarre dreams disturbing his mind, he should have left long ago instead of staying in the capital.
Xie Chengyan gently rubbed his fingertips, and for some reason, he thought of Shen Xi—his future sister-in-law.
Although they were clearly strangers, she always avoided him like the plague, while he was trapped in those dreams every night, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Each and every one of these events seems no coincidence.
Deep down, he felt he shouldn't just leave like this.
He should stay.
"There are some things I need to find out before I can leave in peace."
"What is it? Could it be related to the Duke's mansion?"
Xie Chengyan did not speak, but his slender fingertips tapped the table one after another.
Seeing this, Chu Chengji stopped asking questions. If Xie Chengyan was so worried about something important, and it was in the capital, it was probably related to the Duke's mansion.
After all, this was a matter within the Duke's family. Xie Chengyan, an outsider, naturally knew what to say and when to say it.
The two then got down to business, but a short while later, they heard a commotion outside.
Chu Chengji clicked his tongue and asked the guards standing outside, "Go and see what happened."
A short while later, a guard came in to report: "There are two people fighting downstairs, and it's gotten a bit serious, and..."
"And what? Why didn't you finish?"
The guard glanced at Xie Chengyan before slowly adding the second half of the sentence: "Moreover, one of them is none other than Second Young Master Xie."
"Oh? What a coincidence, your brother is here too."
Xie Chengyan remained seated as if he hadn't heard anything, calmly drinking tea.
Chu Chengji got up and walked to his side, draping his folding fan over his shoulder: "Alright, that kid has always been reckless. He's caused such a big commotion this time. You should go out and take a good look, lest you delay things."
"This place is not safe to stay any longer, I shall take my leave."
Hearing the growing commotion outside, Chu Chengji turned and left with his guards, hiding in the crowd and taking advantage of the chaos to escape from Wangxian Tower.
Xie Chengyan then slowly got up.
The private room was on the second floor. He walked out of the room, leaned on the railing and looked down. It was indeed Xie Wenlang who was fighting with someone downstairs.
After observing for a moment, it was discovered that he hadn't suffered any losses; on the contrary, he had the upper hand throughout. He was straddling someone, grabbing the other person's collar, and his punches were fierce and bloody. The people around him couldn't pull him away, and it seemed that he was really angry.
That's quite rare.
"Who do you think you are, to even mention her name?!"
After a few punches, Xie Wenlang's knuckles were stained with blood. The dull thud of flesh colliding with bone mingled with the man's cries of pain, but he was still not satisfied: "You better remember this, if you dare to use those foul words to talk about my Xi'er again, I will definitely pull out your tongue!"
With just a few words, Xie Chengyan had pieced together the cause and effect, and watched the farce unfold with a blank expression.
Only when he estimated that the other person might be unable to bear it did he slowly speak: "Xie Wenlang."
Xie Wenlang, who was in a frenzy, suddenly stopped and looked up. He saw a familiar figure. His elder brother had a cold look in his eyes and a solemn expression. He looked down from above, and Xie Wenlang was instantly terrified.
Fortunately, he had vented most of his anger. He stood up and spat angrily, "Gao Yinian, learn your lesson and stay away from her. She's not someone you can even dream of!"
Xie Wenlang was safely escorted out of Wangxian Tower by Xie Chengyan, but he did not get to spend the whole night in peace.
Although Xie Chengyan did not have the habit of filing complaints, the fact that he had assaulted someone in public eventually reached the ears of his father, the Duke of Wei.
Enraged, the Duke of Wei immediately invoked family law, whipping him ten times and confining him to his quarters for two months.
Xie Wenlang did not resist. No matter what, he did beat someone up, and he dared to take responsibility for his actions. He deserved to be punished according to family rules.
But this lockdown is quite troublesome.
The next day, Xie Wenlang could no longer wait and sent someone to the general's mansion to invite Xie Chengyan over.
After he became independent, Xie Chengyan rarely returned to the Duke's Mansion unless it was for important matters. On this day, Xie Wenlang had sent people to nag him many times, and he was so annoyed that he finally made the trip.
He was still dressed in white, standing under the golden plaque bestowed by the Duke's mansion, but his pupils clearly reflected a striking red, like blood, which spread in large patches across his clothes and even across his chest.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she was back to her original state, still dressed in plain white, with only a trace of crimson remaining in her eyes.
He came to his senses, his expression calm, as if he had already gotten used to it.
Xie Wenlang had twice as many guards outside his courtyard, but there was no one at the bedroom door, presumably because he had thrown a tantrum earlier and kicked everyone out.
Just as they were about to enter, they heard Xie Wenlang's voice: "Mother, could you please put in a good word for me with Father and not confine me to my quarters? I've already been beaten, why should I be punished with confinement?"
His mother, Madam Xue, was personally applying medicine to him inside the room. Xie Wenlang was lazily lying on the couch. Madam Xue was feeling sorry for the bloody wound on his back, and when she heard this, she became furious.
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You just want to go out and find that girl from the Shen family as soon as possible, right? Don't even think about it. This whole thing is her fault. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have caused this mess."
“Mother! What does this have to do with Xi’er? She’s the most innocent one, why should she be implicated by me…”
Xie Wenlang had only finished half of his rebuttal when Madam Xue tightened her grip on the medicine, saying, "Nothing you say will work. You're injured like this, why aren't you resting properly? What are you doing running around like this?"
Xie Wenlang cried out in pain, "Ah, Mother, it hurts! I know, I won't go out then!"
Madam Xue loosened her grip and earnestly advised, "When will you be able to settle down? You're already so grown up; you can't just keep playing around forever."
"So what? I won't starve. Besides, with my elder brother around, he'll surely achieve even more after inheriting the title. No, he's already quite capable on his own, so he won't abandon me no matter what."
“He is just your brother. No matter what benefits he brings you, they are not truly yours.”
"What's the difference? What's mine is what my brother has, isn't it?"
Madam Xue sighed.
"Don't worry, my elder brother and I are both your own sons, we are brothers born of the same mother, how could he treat me poorly?"
Xie Chengyan stood outside the door, his eyes dark and unfathomable. He knocked on the door frame to signal them after they had moved on from the topic.
A note from the author:
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Starting today, I'll resume daily updates. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I'll update promptly at 9 PM every night. [droopy-eared rabbit head]
By the way, I'd like to ask for a pre-order for "She Won't Be the White Moonlight" next door, please add it to your favorites! [Please!]
[A mad dog with a lewd personality forcibly takes a gentle married woman]
When Cheng Zhuoyan accompanied her husband to the capital for business, she inadvertently offended Lu Sui.
Lu Sui was the Marquis of Dingyuan in the current dynasty. At a young age, he became a close minister of the emperor, enjoying immense prestige and maintaining his integrity.
The only thing he looked at was his unexpectedly dark gaze.
It was only later that I learned that Lu Sui had been engaged to Meng Jingtang, the youngest daughter of Prince Duan. Unfortunately, the Prince's family was loyal and brave, and many years ago, the entire family died for their country, with no one surviving.
That person was the white moonlight in his heart.
And she looks exactly like Meng Jingtang.
She thought the two were just connected by a coincidence, but on the day she left the capital, Lu Sui used swift and decisive means to detain her husband.
In the dim light, Lu Sui leaned down and stroked her face inch by inch with his fingertips: "I can let him go, but you stay and be my wife."
"Keep me here because I look like her, right?"
Lu Sui's eyes churned, and the two fingers gripping her chin tightened suddenly: "No."
Cheng Zhuoyan naturally didn't believe it.
She knew that Lu Sui regarded Meng Jingtang as a celestial being in the clouds and the moon, while she was nothing but mud on the ground and roadside grass, contemptible and clumsy, not worthy of being presented on stage, and barely even a substitute.
But in the end, she was forced to submit to him.
From then on, he lowered his status and followed Lu Sui's preferences, forced to imitate Meng Jingtang's every move.
However, Lu Sui covered her eyes, his breath hot and his malice making her unbearable, but his tone was cold: "She's all form and no spirit. She's never been like this before."
*
Cheng Zhuoyan gritted her teeth, enduring all the ridicule for her poor imitation, and occasionally she would secretly pray: "Whether it is true or not, just forget about her."
Only then can she feel better.
Until one day, Lu Sui was drunk and, in his hazy state, he grabbed her wrist: "Mingyou, don't go."
Mingyou was Meng Jingtang's childhood name.
Meng Jingtang was ultimately a mountain she could never overcome.
After plotting for many days, Cheng Zhuoyan finally escaped from her prison and returned home to find her husband.
However, upon opening the long-awaited gate, one sees the Marquis's soldiers, their armor gleaming coldly against the snow, crowding the entire courtyard.
Behind the gleaming swords and spears, only one person stood with his hands behind his back, his face ashen—it was Lu Sui.
That night, the red candles flickered, her clothes were disheveled, and he gripped her ankle tightly as he leaned in, his eyes fierce.
"These legs are really disobedient."
"You care about him that much? Since you haven't learned your lesson, then tonight you'll use your body to remember who your husband is."
*
Lu Sui knew very well that every time Cheng Zhuoyan said "forget her," she was saying goodbye to him.
But he refused.
They could only be separated by death, not by life.
Consumption Guide:
1. Double C, he
2. Early on, it's a story of forceful acquisition; later, it's a dramatic tale of chasing after one's wife. Readers beware of this melodramatic plot.
3. The male and female leads are not perfect characters.
4. No stand-ins, always 1v1
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