Chapter 41 "Why are you brothers fighting each other...?"
The sun is setting in the west, casting its last rays.
Xie Chengyan stepped into Wangxian Tower, carrying a hibiscus cake he had bought from the pastry shop in the east of the city.
Inside the elegant room, Chu Chengji had been waiting for him for quite some time.
Seeing Xie Chengyan stroll in, he leaned back and couldn't help but ask, "Where have you been? I heard you came here an hour ago."
Xie Chengyan put the pastries aside and replied casually, "I took a detour to the east of the city."
Chu Chengji asked in bewilderment, "What are you going to the east of the city for?"
Xie Chengyan gave him a cool look and retorted, "What's it to you?"
"you……"
Chu Chengji choked for a moment, then shook his head: "Ever since you got married, it's really been hard to see you. With such a lovely woman in your arms at home, I wouldn't want to come out even if she were given to me."
Xie Chengyan sensed a hint of unease in his words, paused slightly, and changed the subject in a low voice: "How has it been over there lately?"
Chu Chengji pondered for a moment: "Everything will remain the same. By the end of the year, the time will be just right. However, we still need to add fuel to the fire at the Eastern Palace."
End of the year.
Xie Chengyan did not answer, but he mentally went over this timing twice.
Seeing his lowered eyes and somewhat detached expression, Chu Chengji's gaze secretly swept over the pastries he had placed to the side, and he couldn't help but frown.
Something's not right about Xie Chengyan.
Chu Chengji fanned himself, considered for a moment, and then said, "Since you've already married the one in your family, why bother with any more trouble? If you want to get revenge thoroughly, you should just ignore her and leave her aside. This is the only way to truly get revenge on your brother."
After speaking, Xie Chengyan cast a glance at him, his expression unreadable.
But Chu Chengji knew how difficult it was to get to this point, so he leaned forward and continued, "Xie Chengyan, we have been planning this for many years, and we can't let it all go to waste in one day. Even if I don't care, you should think about yourself."
"After all these years, are you content?"
Xie Chengyan withdrew his gaze, his voice extremely calm: "I didn't say we wouldn't continue."
Chu Chengji frowned and said, "But you have concerns, Chengyan. This is not a good thing, especially for people like us."
People like them.
Xie Chengyan couldn't help but chuckle, but his eyes remained cold, showing no emotion whatsoever.
A moment later, he stood up, his expression calm.
She picked up the pastry in one hand and said in a detached voice, "I won't change my mind about what I've decided. You don't need to worry about her delaying things. Just do what you need to do."
Having said that, he didn't linger and turned to leave.
But Chu Chengji stared at that tall figure, his brows furrowing even more. This was the first time he had ever sensed such a strong emotion in Xie Chengyan.
His displeasure was palpable.
Could it be that he has truly developed feelings for Shen Xi?
Chu Chengji thought to himself, a sense of worry rising within him.
When Xie Chengyan returned to his residence as the last rays of the setting sun shone through, the servants hurriedly came to greet him.
She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, and hurriedly said, "General, the Duke's Mansion sent two people over today."
Xie Chengyan strode towards his and Shen Xi's bedroom. Upon hearing this, he glanced at it briefly, but didn't take it to heart. He casually said, "No need to tell me, just refuse directly."
The servant followed behind, stammering out the rest of his sentence: "Madam... accepted it."
Xie Chengyan then became serious, raising an eyebrow slightly: "The manor doesn't lack servants, why would she accept them?"
After a few words, the servant was already sweating profusely, unsure of how to begin.
After a long silence, urged on by Xie Chengyan's intensely imposing gaze, he finally stammered, "The Duke's Mansion has sent two concubines to you, General. The Madam has already settled them in the West Courtyard."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
On a sweltering summer evening, the servant felt a chill creep down his spine.
He lowered his head, not daring to look at Xie Chengyan's face, which was so dark it was almost dripping with water.
The suffocating atmosphere dissipated in an instant.
After a long silence, Xie Chengyan gave a cryptic smile, his eyes filled with a chilling light, darker than the night itself.
He lowered his eyes and coldly ordered, "Go to the west courtyard and bring him here."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, almost as if he were gritting his teeth.
Shen Xi was completely unaware of the impending storm. Food was already laid out on the table, waiting for Xie Chengyan to return home.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, a servant came to report that Xie Chengyan went directly to the west courtyard after returning to the mansion.
Shen Xi looked down at the food on the table, and upon hearing the news, she felt strangely relieved.
Perhaps due to the heat of summer, she had little appetite today. She got up and asked Qingqiu to put the things away.
A sudden gust of wind rose outside, howling and howling past. I glanced at the sky; it was dark and oppressive.
Qingqiu stood behind her and whispered, "It looks like there's going to be a thunderstorm tonight."
Shen Xi frowned and sighed, "The wind is strong and the rain is heavy. I don't know if it will stop by tomorrow morning."
As the two were talking, a torrential downpour began, violently washing over the grass, trees, and rocks in the courtyard.
Shen Xi hurriedly returned to the house, thinking that Xie Chengyan probably wouldn't be back tonight, so she closed the door behind her.
The strong wind and night rain dispelled the summer heat and brought a slight chill into the room.
Come to think of it, this seems to be the first time she has slept alone since getting married.
Shen Xi suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She sat quietly under the candlelight for a while, her thoughts a jumble, unsure of what she was thinking, or perhaps, she wasn't thinking about anything at all.
Suddenly, a commotion came from outside the door, followed by a series of hurried footsteps heading straight for the door.
Chenxi's thoughts were interrupted by the noise, and she hurriedly got up to check.
As I approached the door, my hand had barely touched it when the door suddenly swung open, and a spray of rain mixed with the stench of blood rushed out.
A cold, indifferent face suddenly appeared before my eyes.
His clothes were soaked through, rain dripping down his sleeves. His brows were furrowed, and a faint bloodstain remained on his cheek, winding its way down with the rain.
That was someone else's blood.
His temples were soaked in the rain, making him look like a water ghost, his eyes cold and sharp as if they were real.
Shen Xi subconsciously took a half step back, hesitating: "Husband?"
Xie Chengyan stared at her, then strode in, carrying with him the chill of wind and rain, his voice even colder, as if something was weighing heavily on his heart.
"Xi'er, didn't the servants tell you that I went to the west courtyard?"
Shen Xi's eyelashes trembled slightly: "I know."
"You know?" Xie Chengyan sneered, stepping closer with sharp eyes. "You know and you still sit here unmoved, Xi'er, I really underestimated you."
Shen Xi's heart skipped a beat. Forced to retreat step by step by him, she frowned and said, "I don't understand what you're saying, my husband."
"Xi'er, why don't you tell me, what is your intention in accepting those people?"
Xie Chengyan's expression was cold, and his words were as if they were wrapped in layers of ice. His repeated calls of "Xi'er" made her tremble with fear, and she had a feeling that things would not end well today.
But she still forced herself to ask, "Isn't the person your father sent you inappropriate?"
"I asked you why you accepted it."
His cold gaze was fixed on her, never wavering.
Shen Xi felt as if those eyes had seen right through her, and her thoughts were completely exposed in front of him.
A strong wind blew in from outside, whipping up raindrops that stung Shen Xi's eyes, causing her to blink slightly.
"I can't very well go against the wishes of my elders."
Xie Chengyan, however, was not buying it at all and coldly retorted, "Shen Xi, your lies are really clumsy."
He knows her too well.
She was no pushover. If he had no choice but to accept her, she would try every means to get close to him as soon as she returned home, using her little bit of cleverness to win his favor.
But she didn't.
Even after learning that he had been sent to the West Campus, he remained calm.
Even now, she showed no sign of complaint.
Upon realizing this, Xie Chengyan felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, surging and almost bursting forth.
Shen Xi still couldn't understand why he was so angry. She stepped forward, hesitated, and tried to calm him down.
“If you don’t like those two people, just send them back. Why get so angry?”
As soon as she got close, Xie Chengyan grabbed her wrist instantly. Unlike when he teased her in the past, he was much stronger, so much so that Shen Xi almost thought his wrist was going to be crushed.
He couldn't help but groan, "It hurts..."
Xie Chengyan pulled her close, a chill emanating from him. His expression remained unchanged, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "So you do feel pain after all. Chen Xi, what were you thinking when you took them in?"
He came without an umbrella, and his clothes were soaked by the wind and rain outside. Now the two were pressed tightly together, and Shen Xi could feel his clothes getting wet.
And the arm that was wrapped around her waist was stronger than ever before, showing no mercy, as if it wanted to embed her into its embrace.
With her mind in a daze, Shen Xi didn't know how things had gotten to this point, nor did she know what to say, so she could only turn her head away to avoid eye contact.
But Xie Chengyan reacted quickly, grabbing her chin and forcibly straightening her jaw.
"Answer me."
Suddenly, Xie Chengyan changed his tone to command, his voice cold and deep, his gaze full of hostility fixed on her eyes.
A drop of rain that had lingered on his forehead rolled down and landed right on Shen Xi's face. It was icy cold and made her shiver.
Shen Xi closed her eyes slightly and subconsciously said, "When you face someone day and night, it's inevitable that you'll get tired of them after a while."
"So, do you think your husband should be surrounded by beautiful women and have a multitude of concubines, or...?"
At this point, Xie Chengyan suddenly paused, his grip tightened, and his expression turned completely cold.
"Or have you been looking forward to this day so you can extricate yourself from the situation?"
"I……"
Suddenly realizing she had said something she shouldn't have, Shen Xi immediately fell silent.
However, Xie Chengyan had already deduced the truth from her words before and after.
"Oh."
He immediately felt it was utterly absurd, and a cold laugh escaped his throat: "So that's how it is. All this time you've been so gentle and compliant, clinging to me and begging for my pleasure, just so I'd get tired of you as soon as possible and set you free, is that it?"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating Xie Chengyan's face in half-light and half-shadow.
Cold and stern, chilling, and those dark eyes surging with unprecedented rage, almost pinning Shen Xi to the spot.
His chin was already faintly red from being pinched, and he was forced to look up. There was no way to avoid it, and he could only endure his angry gaze.
“Chen Xi.” He almost gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out between his teeth, “You’re willing to use your own body as a bargaining chip. In your eyes, what am I? What have we been together for all this time?”
This was the first time Shen Xi had seen such an expression on his face; his brows were furrowed and lowered, as cold as ice in the dead of winter.
He leaned down on her, forcing her to take two steps back. Her back hit the screen, knocking over something else, creating an untimely thud in the dead silence following his angry questioning.
Shen Xi had nowhere left to retreat.
Knowing that her thoughts had been exposed, she simply stopped hiding them.
Unlike Xie Chengyan's fury, her voice was unusually calm, and her gaze was completely still, almost self-torturing as she dissected the truth beneath their peaceful facade.
"Xie Chengyan, isn't this exactly what you wanted? A docile plaything who obeys your every whim, and a handy tool to get revenge on Xie Wenlang. I've given you everything, what more could you want?"
It's Xie Wenlang again!
Like adding dry firewood to a raging fire, it instantly ignited an even fiercer fire in Xie Chengyan's eyes.
He clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot: "Xi'er, your mouth is especially repulsive when you mention that name."
Shen Xi looked up to confront him, bluntly exposing the dark secret in his heart: "Of course you hate him. You've always given in to him, but he took everything from you. You've held a grudge for so many years!"
Word by word, Shen Xi ruthlessly revealed her suspicions of the past few days, and the heavy weight on her heart shattered in that instant.
Thunder rumbled outside the window, and torrential rain poured down.
On this stormy night, the two completely tore away the fig leaf that separated them, facing each other frankly with their true faces, each revealing their own ugliness.
What a good elder brother, what a promise of getting whatever you want—it's all an illusion.
He had hated Xie Wenlang since he was a child.
No wonder he kept so many foals similar to Tafeng at the horse farm, and he went to great lengths to find and bring back more than ten of the ones he had lost.
If this applies to horses, what about people?
Wouldn't they retaliate a thousandfold or a hundredfold?
"Wen Lang stole from you when you were little, and now that you're grown up, you're trying to steal from him. Xie Chengyan, am I right?"
Xie Chengyan stared intently at her without refuting her. After a long while, he suddenly laughed, but there was no trace of joy in his laughter.
He leaned closer, his nose touching her face, his warm breath carrying the indelible smell of blood that he couldn't wash away, spraying it onto her face.
"What, you feel sorry for him?"
The voice was very soft, like a whisper, but the chilling intent between the words was impossible to ignore.
With just a few words, the mask was torn off, and the balance that the two had painstakingly maintained suddenly collapsed.
The resentment that had been buried deep in Chenxi's heart for many days was now beyond the control of reason, and she blurted out: "I hate you! Why do you brothers have to use me as a bargaining chip when you fight each other? What have I done to offend you!"
She spoke with resentment, forcefully pushing Xie Chengyan away and pounding his chest in anger, but a tear welled up in her eye and silently slid down her cheek.
"Xi'er..."
Xie Chengyan frowned, looking down at her as she vented her dissatisfaction. She was quite strong, but he still raised his hand to grab her thin shoulder, trapping her in front of him, and refused to back down.
Shen Xi realized that her struggles were futile. After a while, she also lost her strength. She pressed her forehead against his chest, her voice hoarse, with a hint of sobbing.
"Xie Chengyan, I know your true intentions. You stole your brother's wife just to see Xie Wenlang suffer time and time again. As for me, why should you care? If you're tired of me, just let me go. I won't appear in front of you or Wenlang again, is that better?"
Hearing her say that again, Xie Chengyan interrupted her.
"Chen Xi".
His voice had completely fallen silent, and his expression was cold.
Shen Xi, oblivious to everything, silently wiped away his tears with his clothes, his voice filled with unprecedented weariness.
"Xie Chengyan, you don't lack women, let me go."
The words had barely left her lips when suddenly her wrist was grabbed and pulled sharply.
Before Shen Xi could react, she staggered a few steps due to the force, and in the blink of an eye, she was pinned against the wall by Xie Chengyan. Her back hit the wall, and she felt a dull pain.
Shen Xi was no longer able to care about the pain in her body. In the next instant, Xie Chengyan's questioning came crashing down on her.
"Shen Xi, are you saying all this for your own sake, or because you can't let go of Xie Wenlang?"
Despite the pain, Shen Xi frowned and said, "I told you to let me go. What does that have to do with him?"
Xie Chengyan sneered, his cold gaze sweeping over her heart: "Chen Xi, ask yourself honestly, has he always been here?"
"Is there any room for anyone else with the half of your sincerity besides him?"
Shen Xi brushed his hand away: "Xie Chengyan, this is between you and me, it has nothing to do with him."
Xie Chengyan took the opportunity to grasp that hand in his own again, his voice deep and serious: "Irrelevant? You're still trying to exonerate him."
"Because he has always been innocent!"
"He's innocent, but everyone else is guilty? You married him, suffered your mother's harassment, and the Fifth Princess used her influence to force Xie Wenlang to divorce his wife and remarry. At that time, you even tried to kill yourself by jumping off the cliff, disregarding your own life. Even then, would he still be innocent?"
Another bolt of lightning flashed, completely illuminating Xie Chengyan's face, which had been hidden in the dim light.
His face was contorted and almost distorted, with a hint of inexplicable lingering fear hidden between his brows and eyes.
Shen Xi felt a burning sensation from his gaze: "What are you talking about? This is ridiculous!"
Xie Chengyan lowered his eyes, and after a long while, he finally managed to ask, "Chen Xi, do you really have to like him?"
After the big argument, Shen Xi was exhausted and didn't want to argue with him anymore: "I've already said it has nothing to do with Xie Wenlang."
"Heh, it really doesn't matter."
Xie Chengyan raised his eyes, his anger from just moments ago subsided, and his words were now almost gentle.
He lifted her chin, their eyes met, and he slowly uttered the second half of his sentence: "If it weren't for that, how could you share a bed with me and enjoy the pleasures of the bedroom in your dreams day and night?"
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