Chapter 55 "Xi'er even dreamed that I kissed her here..."
Xie Chengyan paused, staring intently into her eyes, catching a fleeting emotion in them. He swallowed hard, about to say something.
Suddenly, Shen Xi looked away from him, lowered her head, and lightly kissed the scar again.
Her lips and tongue were soft, like a raccoon licking its wounds, crawling on his waist and abdomen, her hair brushing against his neck haphazardly, mixed with a hint of pity.
Xie Chengyan's eyes were dark and unfathomable. He simply held Shen Xi in his arms, buried his head in her neck, and took a deep breath almost greedily, inhaling the soft fragrance emanating from her body.
It was as if a drowning person had grabbed onto the only piece of driftwood and held the person in their arms even tighter.
After a long silence, he finally replied in a hoarse voice, "That's all in the past."
Shen Xi was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that he was answering her previous question.
Without the barrier of clothing, the strength of the arms around her back traveled through the warmth of his palms. Shen Xi clung to him, resting her chin on his shoulder, her eyes shifting slightly as she softly asked, "Now that it's over, it won't hurt anymore, will it?"
Xie Chengyan seemed surprised by her words. After a long pause, he chuckled softly, his thin lips brushing against her fair neck, his breath lingering on her skin.
"Is Xi'er feeling sorry for him?"
His tone was utterly irreverent, and the hands that were wrapped around Shen Xi's waist began to wander, instantly shattering the tender atmosphere that had just lasted for a moment.
Shen Xi stood up angrily and slapped him hard: "If you don't want to talk about it, fine, I don't want to hear it."
After saying that, she rolled off Xie Chengyan, grabbed all the blankets and quilts, wrapped herself up, and rolled into the bed, leaving him no room to breathe.
Xie Chengyan's arms were suddenly empty. Looking at the dissatisfied figure's back, he couldn't help but laugh. He leaned over and tugged at the arm.
It couldn't be moved.
After testing her twice and finding that Shen Xi was still sulking, he leaned down and hugged her from behind, his voice tinged with amusement: "You're angry already?"
Shen Xi ignored him and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Xie Chengyan picked up a strand of her hair, held it between his fingers, and casually brushed it across her cheek, deliberately bothering her.
After holding back for a while, Shen Xi finally turned around and glared at him: "What are you going to do now?"
Xie Chengyan raised his hand, indicating that he was only wearing a thin garment, and said with a smile, "Please, Madam, have some compassion and share half of your quilt with me to keep warm."
His clothes were not neat at the moment, but rather quite messy. His clothes were loosely draped around his waist. After being disturbed by Shen Xi, his collar was wide open, almost revealing his bare and muscular chest. The firm lines of his waist and abdomen could be vaguely seen, extending down.
Shen Xi narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, shifting her gaze from the scenery to the upwards, where she saw the playful smile in his eyes, and snorted coldly.
Using one's looks to seduce others.
She wouldn't fall for it.
So he wrapped the quilt even tighter: "If you're cold, go and get another quilt."
Xie Chengyan raised an eyebrow and said, "Madam, my injury is not fully healed yet."
As he spoke, he lifted his shirt, revealing his entire upper body, and deliberately ran his fingertips over the wound on his waist, pointing it out to her.
Shen Xi remained firm: "When I told you to stop just now, you didn't look injured at all."
Xie Chengyan moved closer, his body pressing down to block the candlelight, and said, "At a time like that, how could I disappoint my wife? Of course, I must do my best."
After spending a long time together, Shen Xi realized that beneath Xie Chengyan's aloof and noble exterior lay a wicked heart and a scoundrel's nature, especially in bed, where he could say anything without batting an eye.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by what he said, she couldn't help but kick him.
But before she could make a move, he grabbed her ankle. Before she could react, Xie Chengyan's hand had already traveled up her leg, pried open a crack, and then squeezed into the quilt, holding her tightly.
And yet, he still had the audacity to say, "It's freezing cold, Xi'er must be cold too, let me warm you up."
Shen Xi tried to dodge forward, but he pulled her into his arms with an unyielding long arm.
Despite her struggles and attempts to escape, Xie Chengyan naturally didn't let her go, and she ended up taking another bath for nothing.
The candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows.
The person in front of him couldn't take it and lifted his body up, trying to dodge, but he was pulled back by pressing on his waist.
Suddenly, a violent tremor ran through him.
Shen Xi trembled as she lay on top of him, breathing steadily with light breaths.
Xie Chengyan smiled and slowly rubbed his hand, his fingertips tracing her collarbone where fine sweat glistened.
As if remembering something, he chuckled softly and said, "Xi'er, in your dream, in bed, where did I kiss you?"
Is this the place?
As he spoke, he placed a burning kiss on her collarbone, then slowly moved it down, tenderly and lingeringly.
"Still here?"
His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with desire.
"Not going to tell? Are you shy?"
Shen Xi was too weak to speak, but Xie Chengyan relentlessly pressed her for answers, tossing and turning her around until late at night. She didn't know when it would end, but she finally fell into a deep sleep.
The next day.
When I woke up again, it was already broad daylight.
Shen Xi slowly opened her eyes. She had been up too late last night, and Xie Chengyan was still asleep, holding her close.
As she gradually regained consciousness, she noticed something was wrong; her lower body felt uncomfortably swollen.
With a gentle struggle, something slipped out.
Before she could react, suddenly, someone wrapped their arms around her lower abdomen and pressed her back down.
Shen Xi suddenly stiffened and woke up completely.
He didn't... all night...
Shen Xi dared not move. The person behind her had already woken up and was gently kissing the back of her neck, his voice hoarse from the morning: "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
She struggled forward, her voice trembling: "You, come out first."
Xie Chengyan moved with her and nudged her again, avoiding the question: "Sleep with me a little longer, okay?"
Shen Xi couldn't help but call out to him, "Xie Chengyan!"
After a moment of silence, he unexpectedly pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair: "Xi'er, we..."
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence and did not continue.
Then, as if remembering something, she chuckled softly, stood up, and pinched Chen Xi's earlobe: "Get up, it's getting late."
Shen Xi was taken aback and blinked.
In that instant, she seemed to know what he wanted to say.
The thought flashed through her mind, and Shen Xi herself was startled, her heart trembling slightly.
But in the end, he never said it.
Although she didn't know Xie Chengyan's intentions, Shen Xi tacitly refrained from mentioning this little incident that happened in the morning.
The two of them had a rare period of peace and quiet. Every day, Shen Xi would urge him to finish the bowl of medicine, and Xie Chengyan would not ask where it came from or why, but would just gulp it down.
However, the gaze directed at her was subtly obscure.
Before we knew it, the winter solstice had arrived.
Early in the morning, Shen Xi left the mansion with Qing Qiu.
Xie Chengyan sat in his study, looking through the window at the receding figure, his fingertips rubbing together.
Beside him, Liang Tuo reported in a low voice: "General, the Duke's mansion has sent his wife out of the mansion again today."
Xie Chengyan's tone was extremely flat, almost devoid of any emotion: "She went to see Madam Xue?"
Liang Tuo lowered his head and said, "The letter they gave to Madam yesterday said today, so it must be."
Upon hearing this, Xie Chengyan remained silent, his hand holding the memorial untouched for a long time, his brows furrowed and his expression turbulent.
Liang Tuo dared not look at his expression and tentatively asked, "General, should we have someone stop the lady?"
Finally, he withdrew his gaze, his eyes sweeping over her coolly: "No need, let her do whatever she wants."
However, Liang Tuo was still worried about Shen Xi. She was getting so close to Xue Shi, and these days she kept feeding Xie Chengyan herbal medicine.
The general didn't stop her at all, and even obeyed her every whim, making him almost suspect that she had given him some kind of bewitching potion.
So he couldn't help but say, "General, have you been feeling unwell lately? Perhaps I could secretly have someone examine the dregs of that medicine?"
Xie Chengyan's thin lips curled slightly: "With the Xue family's methods, what can be detected from the dregs of medicine? Besides, if Xi'er really has designs on him, with Wen Tingmao's help, how could you possibly see through her?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Tuo's heart clenched even tighter, and he said bitterly, "General, how can you continue to indulge her like this! If she uses medicine to ruin your health..."
Xie Chengyan glanced at her coldly and interrupted, "No need to say anything more, let her be."
"General!"
Liang Tuo gritted his teeth, extremely anxious. The general himself clearly didn't trust his wife, so why was he still so unprepared?
Having followed Xie Chengyan for so many years, I have learned that Xie Chengyan is always calculating and meticulous, never making a mistake in any step, and always keeping everything under control.
This was the first time Liang Tuo had ever seen him entrust his fate to someone else, gambling his life on a ridiculous unknown.
He wanted to persuade him further, but Xie Chengyan's cold and fierce gaze made him grit his teeth and swallow all his words.
*
Meanwhile, Shen Xi was already standing in front of the elegant pavilion where Xue Shi had invited her.
Shen Xi actually knew why Madam Xue had been frequently looking for her these days, but she just couldn't figure it out.
Since she couldn't find out anything from Xie Chengyan, she could only start with Xue Shi.
Upon entering, one finds Madam Xue already waiting inside for a moment.
Shen Xi curtsied, but this time Xue Shi was clearly much more anxious than before.
Instead of her previous subtle hints, she asked directly, "Shen Xi, did you not give the medicine I gave you to Cheng Yan?"
His sharp gaze was fixed on Shen Xi, revealing a hint of urgency.
Shen Xi's eyelids twitched slightly, and she calmly replied, "No, I gave it all to my husband according to my mother's wishes."
Madam Xue tightened her grip on the chair and leaned forward: "Did you watch him finish drinking?"
Upon hearing her question, Shen Xi paused slightly and looked up in confusion.
Thinking she had discerned the truth from her brief reaction, Xue sat back down in disappointment.
No wonder there's been no movement for so many days. It turns out that Shen Xi is such a blockhead; he was discovered but didn't even realize it.
Now that things have come to this, it seems that this path is blocked.
However, the General's Mansion under Xie Chengyan's control was heavily guarded, and apart from Shen Xi, she could not even get close to anyone else.
Madam Xue frowned, and after a long while, she gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and looked up at her again.
If she doesn't explain things clearly to this blockhead, she'll probably stay stupid forever.
Therefore, a smile returned to her face: "Shen Xi, you may have been wondering these days why I'm so concerned about Cheng Yan's health?"
Shen Xi blinked innocently and said, "You are my husband's mother, isn't it right for you to care about his health?"
Madam Xue was taken aback and it took her a while to recover. Suppressing her anger, she gently coaxed, "Actually, there are some things you don't know. For example, you probably don't know even a tenth of what Cheng Yan knows. He's a complete fraud from beginning to end."
Shen Xi keenly noticed her choice of words, her eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. She forced herself to remain calm and asked, "Why does Mother say that? My husband is a genuine person; how could he be fake?"
Madam Xue paused slightly, looked at her with pity, and said gently, "Chen Xi, I didn't tell you before because I was worried you would be scared, but now it's time. I can't let you stay in the dark like this forever."
Shen Xi continued to feign ignorance: "He is my husband, why would I be afraid of him?"
Madam Xue was getting annoyed by her repeated, illogical, and stupid questions, but she suppressed her anger.
“I’ve raised him for so many years, I see him better than you do. Don’t be fooled by his appearance. This man is heartless and treacherous, not someone you should entrust your life to.”
Unexpectedly, Madam Xue used such words to describe Xie Chengyan. Shen Xi frowned slightly: "Mother, no matter how difficult the knot in your heart may be, your husband is still the child you carried for ten months. How could you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, all the pent-up frustration in Xue's heart was unleashed. Her eyes widened, and her hands gripped the corner of the table tightly, her knuckles turning white.
He coldly shouted at her, "He's not my son!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com