Chapter 15 The Caged Bird Moreover, she was his brother's wife. ...
Xie Yi observed Xie Chengyan's expression, but saw that his son's expression remained unchanged. He simply tapped the booklet lightly with his fingertip and nodded in agreement: "That's true."
Xie Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he didn't have any designs on the Shen family's daughter; he probably just indulged Xie Wenlang's nonsense.
After all, this was his most prized son.
"It's good that you can figure it out. You are quite accomplished at a young age, and countless eyes are watching you from all directions. You should marry someone who is compatible with you." Xie Yi couldn't help but ramble on for a bit, but seeing that Xie Chengyan remained silent, he didn't say anything more. "You can choose first. If you find someone you like, just tell me so that your mother can propose marriage as soon as possible."
Xie Chengyan remained noncommittal and had no interest in saying more to Xie Yi. He took the booklet and got up to leave.
Upon returning to the general's mansion, he immediately took a bath, changed his clothes, and lit an incense burner, filling the room with the fragrance of ebony.
Only the occasional gust of wind tapped against the windowpane, echoing with a dull sound.
Xie Chengyan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. In fact, Xie Yi had said one thing that was right all day, regardless of everything else.
Countless eyes were watching him, both openly and secretly, and this was just the beginning.
He was already used to and indifferent to this kind of life, where the slightest mistake could lead to his death. But what about others?
Everyone knows that when getting married, you should find a suitable and agreeable person. So, which word does he deserve?
What's more, she was his brother's wife.
As for the past life... it was just a baseless dream, not to be taken seriously.
In reality, she would smile so happily just by seeing a letter from Wen Lang. She and Wen Lang would be very happy together. It is truly rare to have someone you can confide in.
Xie Chengyan opened his eyes and casually threw the register he had brought from the Duke's mansion into the brazier. A moment later, billowing white smoke rose up, and the smell of burning smoke almost overpowered the fragrance of ebony on his body.
The sunlight couldn't penetrate his dark pupils. Xie Chengyan watched silently as the memorial was gradually consumed by the flames until it turned to ashes.
He's really bewitched lately.
If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have stayed.
*
After watching Xie Chengyan leave, Shen Xi sat back down at the table. The bowl of Jade Pearl Cloud Soup was still steaming. She tentatively took a bite and found that it really did taste somewhat like the soup her mother used to make.
Shen Xi's eyes lit up.
Seeing her barely concealed joy, Qingqiu smiled and said, "Young Master Xie is truly thoughtful, even informing General Xie of the young lady's preferences."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi blinked, smiled, but remained silent.
She knew perfectly well that if Xie Wenlang had known she liked this dish, he would have already searched far and wide for chefs and announced it to the world. Why would he wait until now, secretly entrusting it to Xie Chengyan, and not even taking credit for it in his letter to her? This was not his style.
Just like when she first met Xie Chengyan, she knew at a glance that the bottle of medicine was not Xie Wenlang's doing.
The two men acted in completely different ways; they were fundamentally different.
After finishing the soup, Shen Xi picked up her pen again and finished writing her reply to Xie Wenlang. As Xie Chengyan had instructed, she handed it to the servant boy from the General's Mansion who was waiting at the door.
After doing all this, he returned to the Shen residence with Qingqiu.
Since the last incident involving the burning of books, the Jiang family has been quite peaceful for some time now, and has not made things difficult for her. Shen Xi has also had a few rare days of peace and quiet.
In a particularly good mood today, and suddenly struck by a sudden urge, he asked, "Qingqiu, how about we play a game of leaf cards?"
Qingqiu wasn't going to spoil the mood and readily agreed: "Alright, this servant will go and fetch the leaf cards."
The two entered the room chatting and laughing. Shen Xi took off his cloak and handed it to Qing Qiu. Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly stopped and his smile faded.
She discovered an uninvited guest in the room.
The man sat at the table, leisurely flipping through the medical book that Shen Xi had just finished copying yesterday. His fingertips traced the pages one by one, making a rustling sound.
There was a cage-like object covered by a red cloth at my feet, and I couldn't see what it was.
The moment he saw him, Shen Xi's face turned cold: "Brother, you're busy with official duties, what brings you here today?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Wangchen put down his book. Only then did Shen Xi notice that his expression was not good either, and his voice was gloomy: "My dear sister, I haven't even asked you yet, where have you been again?"
The insincere tone immediately made Shen Xi frown. She didn't understand what Shen Wangchen was up to this time, so she didn't hold back and didn't want to get entangled with him any further.
"I don't need to report my whereabouts to you all the time. I'm tired after going out today, and there's nothing here to entertain you. If you have nothing else to do, you should go back first."
They wanted to kick him out after only a few words; they really didn't like him.
Shen Wangchen clenched his teeth, knowing that Shen Xi was trying to provoke him. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, and instead of arguing with her, he bent down, picked up the cage beside him, and placed it on the table.
"I've brought you something. Come and take a look. Do you like it?"
He spoke casually, but Shen Xi stood still, staring at him, not understanding what he was up to now.
But Shen Wangchen persisted, placing one hand on the cage, meeting her gaze, and insisting, "How can you see clearly from so far away? Come closer."
Shen Xi remained motionless.
"You always have such a big prejudice against me." Seeing this, Shen Wangchen sighed, reached out with his fingertips, and gently lifted a corner of the red cloth. "Don't worry, I won't stay any longer. I'll leave after you accept this gift."
"This time, it's the truth."
Shen Wangchen's eyes were filled with a smile, and his words were sincere, just like a loving older brother.
Knowing that he wouldn't leave easily and that continuing the stalemate wouldn't solve anything, Shen Xi had no choice but to walk forward with a mixture of disbelief and hope.
As she got closer, she vaguely heard some noises, and suddenly realized something. She quickly lifted the red cloth covering the gift to reveal its full appearance.
Surprisingly, it was a cage of baby sparrows that had just hatched.
Her eyes widened, and she abruptly took several steps back, hurling the red cloth in her hand at Shen Wangchen: "Shen Wangchen, haven't you caused enough trouble! What exactly do you want to do!"
Shen Wangchen quickly moved the items aside, frowning, but feigning ignorance in his tone: "I kindly gave you a gift, why are you so ungrateful?"
The sparrow chirped twice more in her ear, and Shen Xi instantly felt a sharp spasm in her stomach. The long-lost feeling of nausea surged up again, rushing to her throat in waves. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and bend over.
Shen Wangchen, however, seemed oblivious, sitting calmly in the same spot, even having the leisure to reach out and tease the little sparrow in the cage, saying to himself, "Little sister, as your older brother, I often really don't understand what you're thinking. When you were young, you cried your heart out when a pair of your pet sparrows died, but whatever I give you, whether it's a wooden bird carving or this living creature, you've never even looked at it."
As he slowly uttered these words, a string of memories that Shen Xi had forcibly forgotten broke free of their shackles and echoed unhindered in his mind.
The mournful chirping of birds, wings soaked with water droplets, and... a cage splattered with blood.
All those past events that had caused her pain and nightmares were brought back to life in just a few words from him.
Shen Xi's eyes were bloodshot as she glared fiercely at Shen Wangchen, barely suppressing her nausea, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
But Shen Wangchen merely glanced at her coldly, as if enjoying her pain.
"Or is it the wrong breed?" He leisurely fiddled with the birdcage, seemingly lost in thought. "By the way, what were the birds you had when you were a child? Sparrows, magpies, or cuckoos? If you only like that kind, tell me and I'll find them for you."
He continued to provoke her, each word like a dull knife, slowly cutting through her skin, piercing her flesh and tormenting her.
Those memories crashed against her, making her temples throb. Finally, Shen Xi couldn't hold back any longer and squeezed out a sound from her throat: "Yang Hong'er..."
"Ah, that's right, it's this one." Shen Wangchen revealed a satisfied expression. "It seems you only like the magenta one. I was careless and upset you. Don't be angry, I'll find it and give it to you again."
As his voice faded away, he finally stood up, walked step by step to Shen Xi, knelt down, and with an almost affectionate gaze, reached out and lifted her chin.
In an instant, Shen Xi turned his head, and his hand missed its target.
Shen Wangchen chuckled softly, then used some force to pinch Shen Xi's chin, forcibly turning her face towards him so she would look directly at him.
"Ah, it seems you're still very angry."
Despite the disparity in strength, Shen Xi was still subdued. She stared at him with bloodshot eyes for a long time, then suppressed her trembling hands and spoke again in a very soft voice: "Shen Wangchen, you strangled my pair of magenta babies."
For the first time since stepping into this room, Shen Wangchen frowned: "What did you say?"
Shen Xi sneered and repeated slowly, "I said, Shen Wangchen, stop pretending. I know you killed those two Yang Hong'er girls..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Wangchen suddenly flew into a rage and reached out with his other hand without warning, grabbing Shen Xi's neck tightly.
Shen Xi was thrown back a few steps by his movement. She hurriedly used her elbows to prop herself up, but Shen Wangchen's strength was too great. Her arm scraped against the bricks and stones, and she felt numb with pain. She couldn't help but frown, and the rest of her words were stuck in her throat.
"Who's spouting this nonsense in your ear?" Several blood vessels appeared in Shen Wangchen's eyes, and he was almost out of his mind. He squeezed out the words, "Tell me, and I'll deal with it."
Shen Xi looked at his terrifying face, but didn't back down. Instead, she scoffed, "Brother, I saw it with my own eyes. What are you going to do with me? Are you going to kill me like you did with those birds back then? I'm not... uh!"
Provoked by these words, Shen Wangchen's men increased their force, causing Shen Xi's face to turn bright red. He was speechless for a moment and almost suffocated.
It wasn't until Qingqiu, who had been left waiting outside, realized something was wrong and rushed in, that she saw the scene and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss!"
Shen Wangchen finally came to his senses, and Shen Xi took the opportunity to notice that the force on her neck had loosened somewhat. Without thinking, she used all her strength to push him away.
As soon as she broke free of her restraints, Shen Xi felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, her blood rushing to her head, and the air pressing into her lungs. She was momentarily stunned by the body's renewed vitality, but she still managed to stand firm and slowly get up from the ground.
"Shen Wangchen, you're always like this. You've done enough disgusting things, yet you still act superior and say that only you are truly good to me. This hypocritical and pretentious behavior is truly nauseating."
Hearing these words spoken by Shen Xi, Shen Wangchen panicked and looked up at her in disbelief to confirm, "You knew? You actually knew all along?"
Looking at Shen Wangchen's reaction, Shen Xi suddenly found it amusing: "I know everything that belongs to me."
Shen Wangchen thought he had been perfect for so many years, and as long as he wanted, he could always be her perfect older brother. It was only because he later refused to stop at being just siblings and inadvertently crossed the line that she became so resistant to him.
But it turns out, she knew everything from the very beginning.
All these years, she has been watching herself perform a ridiculous one-woman show!
No wonder she stopped being close to me after that incident.
I see!
Shen Wangchen prided himself on his intelligence, but now he's been brought down, and by Shen Xi no less.
He finally couldn't hold back any longer, and his face turned ashen.
"Weren't you always so good at pretending and enduring? Why have you torn off the mask now? Is it because that Xie family brat is finally going to marry you? Is it because you can finally leave the Shen family, so you're doing whatever it takes?!"
"Enough!"
The next moment, a loud slap rang out.
Shen Xi could no longer bear it, and a glaring red mark appeared on Shen Wangchen's face along with an incredulous expression.
"How long are you going to keep directing and staging this farce?"
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