Chapter 28 "You in my dreams, in bed..."
Despite being somewhat prepared, Chu Tingshuang was genuinely startled when Empress Xue's men stormed into the Cold Palace.
I thought Xie Chengyan would handle these matters quietly to avoid unnecessary trouble, but I never expected that he would do it in such a grand manner, directly having Empress Xue take Shen Xi away.
If it were only Chu Tingshuang, Chu Yi would certainly not give up easily when she learns that Shen Xi has been rescued and is in the Cold Palace tomorrow.
However, since Empress Xue could be involved in this matter, the Fifth Princess dared not act recklessly and could only leave the aftermath to the Empress.
However, the fact that Xie Chengyan was able to alarm the Empress, who was confined to her quarters, shows that he must have some skill, even though it's unclear what methods he used.
Watching the group hurriedly return to the palace to report their mission, Chu Tingshuang gazed at the boundless night, lost in thought.
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
When Shen Xi was brought to Jiaofang Palace by Xue Ningrong's men, she was still unconscious and unaware of everything around her.
Xue Ningrong lifted the curtains hanging around the bed, walked closer and took a closer look. She saw that Shen Xi's cheeks were flushed with an abnormal redness, and he looked sickly.
With her almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed and a Buddhist phrase uttered softly, Xue Ningrong then asked, fiddling with her prayer beads, "What's going on?"
Granny Chang walked in from outside the hall and recounted in detail the information she had just learned from the palace maid.
"So, it was that girl Chu Yi who sent someone to do it?"
Granny Chang replied in a low voice, "Yes, it's quite common for children to fight and bicker."
Xue Ningrong sighed: "This child's temperament has really been raised without restraint. Apart from those eyes, he doesn't resemble his sister at all."
The "older sister" she was referring to was naturally the one who died young, in the prime of her life.
"Your Majesty... such a kind-hearted person, who else in the world could be more like her?"
The person is gone, leaving only endless regret.
Xue Ningrong turned around, her gaze falling on the empty Jiaofang Palace, unfocused. She seemed to be recalling something, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "So many years have passed, and there isn't even a trace of my sister left in this place."
But she did not dwell on the memories for long. She glanced at Chen Xi on the bed and ordered, "Go and summon the imperial physician. Yi'er is ignorant, and I have to help her clean up the mess."
Even without the threatening secret letter, she still had to protect Chu Yi. The minister's daughter died in the palace because of the princess's fault, and this crime would not make things easy for Chu Yi.
After all, she was the only thing her sister left in this world.
These unspoken thoughts were unknown to others, but Granny Chang, who had served her for many years, understood them perfectly: "This girl is lucky. She met Her Majesty, who is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see her die. This old servant will send someone to summon the imperial physician right away."
Xue Ningrong nodded, left the bedside, her long robe trailing behind her as she slowly walked back to the Buddhist hall.
"Amitabha."
Faced with this sudden turn of events, she felt uneasy and could only start chanting Buddhist scriptures again. However, this time she was unable to dispel her distracting thoughts and instead found them even more vexing.
Tonight, Xue Ningrong was suddenly threatened with the question of who was who, and the person was mentioned. She couldn't help but think of the past, the days when she had just entered the palace.
She was gentle by nature since childhood and was used to being protected by her father and brothers at home. When she suddenly fell into the deep palace, where there was intrigue and hidden dangers, she couldn't get used to it for quite some time.
Thanks to the help of her predecessors, who carefully comforted her and helped her adapt little by little, she gradually gained a foothold in the palace.
Having served the emperor alongside the concubines in the harem, a situation that would have been filled with fierce competition and life-or-death struggles in the imperial court, was different in this case. Such a kind-hearted person was praised by everyone in the harem during his lifetime.
Later, even after Xue Ningrong became empress herself, she knew that she was far inferior to her sister.
Unfortunately, she died young. She treated everyone with kindness, but there were always people who were unwilling to reciprocate her kindness.
Back then, after giving birth to her only son, Chu Yi, she was unjustly poisoned and died.
Although the truth of the matter was eventually uncovered, it turned out that Consort Rou had poisoned the others out of resentment, and was subsequently ordered to be executed.
But what good is an eye for an eye? The person who was so good will never come back.
They have all remained forever in those vibrant years, while those who are still alive are now growing old with gray hair, and everything from the past is long gone.
"Your Majesty?"
After an unknown amount of time, Xue Ningrong's thoughts were interrupted by this sudden low call. She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. It turned out that Granny Chang had returned with the imperial physician.
"How is it?"
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that although the patient has a high fever due to the cold, there is nothing seriously wrong."
Xue Ningrong breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
As long as we can keep Shen Xi alive and keep her in our hands, the person threatening her will eventually show up.
"Has the investigation been completed? What is her connection to what happened back then?"
Granny Chang looked troubled and said hesitantly, "Your Highness, it's strange. Not to mention Shen Xi, the entire Shen family has no connection whatsoever with the former or the latter."
Upon hearing this answer, Xue Ningrong was also surprised, his brows furrowing: "Really?"
"This old servant has uttered not a single falsehood, Your Majesty, please be wise!"
Granny Chang was an old servant who had been by her side for many years, accompanying her through thick and thin in the palace. Naturally, Xue Ningrong had no doubts.
"That's strange. Is there any clue in that letter?"
"No, the assassin came and went without a trace; the Imperial Guards didn't see a single person."
Xue Ningrong stopped fiddling with her prayer beads and lowered her eyes after a long while: "Keep a close eye on Shen Xi. Whoever comes to me first these days is the person behind it all."
Granny Chang understood: "This old servant understands."
After speaking, he paused again: "Your Majesty, many people were alarmed tonight, especially the Thirteenth Princess. What should we do? Should we..."
As she finished speaking, Granny Chang raised her hand and made a gesture across her neck.
Xue Ningrong glanced at her briefly, understood what she meant, but frowned, put his hands together, bowed to the Buddha statue in front of him, and said "I apologize."
Then, he turned and walked out. Only after leaving the Buddhist hall did he say to Granny Chang, "How can we shout and kill in such a peaceful place as the Buddhist hall? I heard that foreign countries are currently negotiating peace. Send a message to my brother and ask him to find a way to send Thirteen to marry into the foreign powers."
"Your Majesty is right."
As he stepped out of the Buddhist hall, he saw palace maids and guards standing dutifully on both sides. Xue Ningrong calmly surveyed the scene.
There was no moonlight tonight, only her light, airy words falling into the dark night: "Those who know about this tonight need not stay any longer."
The next day, light snow began to fall.
A thin layer of white snow covered the black tiles of the palace. Xue Ningrong, holding a hand warmer, waited in the Jiaofang Palace for his prey.
She was very curious about who this expert was who could bypass the heavily guarded imperial guards and shoot an arrow straight into the palace of the mother of the nation.
But after waiting and waiting, she never expected that Xie Wenlang would appear.
Granny Chang rushed into the hall in a hurry: "Your Majesty! It's the young master of the Xie family. As soon as he heard that the woman had fallen into the water and was unconscious, the young master rushed into the palace without thinking. He is currently being stopped by the Imperial Guards outside the palace gates."
"What?" Xue Ningrong frowned. "How could Lang'er know this news?"
Xie Wenlang's willful outburst has not only failed to expose the mastermind behind the incident, but it has also made things difficult for His Majesty to explain. At best, it shows that Xie Wenlang is lawless and ignorant of the rules; at worst, it shows that the Duke's Mansion is disrespecting imperial authority.
As expected, Granny Chang followed up, "As soon as the young master arrived, the Imperial Guards reported it to the Emperor. The eunuch on duty in the Imperial Study said that the Emperor immediately became angry."
Upon hearing this, Xue Ningrong's expression darkened.
Even though she disregarded worldly affairs, she knew that the Xue and Xie families were allied and jointly supported her son to become the Crown Prince. However, a tall tree catches the wind, and the position of Crown Prince was already coveted by a group of people. Now that such a thing had happened, wouldn't it make the Emperor dissatisfied with the Duke's Mansion?
"Send someone to persuade him to go back to the manor first, and tell him that I will take care of Shen Xi here." Xue Ningrong breathed a sigh of relief. "Are the people in the Duke's manor all freeloaders? How come they can't even stop a child?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Chang waved her hand and immediately pointed to two palace maids to go outside the palace to comfort Xie Wenlang.
He leaned closer and whispered in Xue Ningrong's ear, "Your Majesty, this time it seems there's no way to resolve this peacefully. His Majesty still harbors resentment over the Chengyang Mountain incident, and now this has happened. The Duke of Wei is not in the capital at the moment, and I've heard that the eldest son of the Xie family has been summoned to the Imperial Study for questioning."
Xue Ningrong's expression changed slightly. In the past, His Majesty trusted Xie Chengyan the most, but now he didn't even care about Xie's face and directly summoned him to the palace to question him, showing no respect whatsoever. It seemed that His Majesty was really angry.
She had lived in seclusion in the Buddhist temple for many years, detached from worldly affairs and had not paid attention to the outside world for a long time. But now, Xue Ningrong felt uneasy, and had a feeling that her peace of mind over the years was about to be broken.
It all started with that letter last night.
Xue Ningrong straightened up, his gaze fixed on the distance, silently chanting scriptures as he pondered a solution.
Just then, a palace servant came to report: "Your Majesty, General Xie requests an audience."
Xue Ningrong paused for a moment: "Let him in."
Since the Emperor was willing to release him and didn't keep Xie Chengyan to be disciplined for too long, there is still room for maneuver.
Before long, Xie Chengyan stepped into the Jiaofang Palace, his demeanor dignified and his manners composed as he bowed.
Xue Ningrong maintained a composed expression, but she was still somewhat anxious: "Chengyan, why bother with these formalities? Sit down and tell me, how is Wen Lang doing?"
Xie Chengyan did not sit down, but stood tall and elegant, saying only: "I heard that Lang is impulsive and hasty. I was not careful and failed to persuade him."
"He's always been like this; as long as nothing goes wrong, he doesn't care. I heard you came from the Imperial Study. How is His Majesty?"
Xie Chengyan pursed his thin lips, his brows and eyes growing even colder, and remained silent, only shaking his head slightly.
Xue Ningrong was immediately taken aback.
The next moment, she saw Xie Chengyan step aside, and only then did she realize that there was a chief eunuch serving the emperor behind him.
The eunuch first bowed to Xue Ningrong before speaking: "This old servant conveys His Majesty's decree: Shen Xi, the daughter of the Shen family, is not a member of the palace. Since there are people outside making a fuss about taking her away, let them have their way and release the girl back."
Xue Ningrong stiffened slightly, then turned to Xie Chengyan for confirmation: "What does His Majesty mean?"
Xie Chengyan slightly raised his eyelids, his eyes dark and deep. He didn't waste any more time with her and changed to a more direct way of speaking: "His Majesty is quite dissatisfied with this matter. He said that Wen Lang forced his way into the palace and disregarded etiquette. Considering some old friendship, he ordered me to take the two of them away quickly and go back to discipline Wen Lang strictly."
At this point, Xue Ningrong had no time to find out who had shot the arrow; the situation had developed to this point, leaving her no choice but to keep the person there.
After a night of care, Shen Xi's breathing gradually stabilized, but her high fever had not subsided, and she remained weak and unconscious.
Lifting the curtain, Xie Chengyan's eyes darkened slightly upon seeing her like this.
He threw back the quilt, ripped off his own cloak and wrapped Shen Xi in it, bent down, picked him up horizontally, without the slightest hesitation, and didn't even exchange a few polite words with Xue Ningrong before turning around and striding away.
Fine snow continued to fall from the sky, and the chill was biting.
Xie Chengyan walked through the snow, holding the person in his arms even tighter. The warmth of their bodies exchanged through their clothes, and he could clearly feel her hot breath spraying on his neck due to her fever.
The shattered jade crunched under his feet as he carried Shen Xi out of the palace, his steps steady.
A short road, a road he would never let go of again.
Stepping out of the palace gate, Xie Chengyan saw Xie Wenlang still locked in a tug-of-war with the palace servants sent by Xue Ningrong. Xie Chengyan didn't pay much attention, only casting a detached glance at him: "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and in such a hurry?"
Startled by his shout, Xie Wenlang looked up and saw the person in his arms: "Brother! Xi'er, she..."
He rushed forward, trying to check on Shen Xi's condition, but Xie Chengyan turned aside to block his view, his voice cold and indifferent: "Take her to the clinic first."
Having said that, he strode forward and hid the person tightly in his chest.
Xie Wenlang didn't think too much and hurriedly followed behind. He already knew that what Shen Xi had suffered was Chu Yi's doing and that he was also involved.
Looking at his elder brother's tall and broad shoulders, Xie Wenlang lowered his head, looking quite dejected. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "Brother, Xi'er... has had a very hard time. The princess is now taking her anger out on Xi'er because of me, but I can't think of any way to help her. Can you help her?"
Hearing the pleas behind him, Xie Chengyan continued his actions, lifting the person in his arms onto the carriage. He then raised his hand to check the temperature of her forehead, his face expressionless, only a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
Help? Of course we'll help.
He picked up a chess piece that he usually played with in the carriage, flicked it, and the carriage curtain fell down, blocking the cold wind and also blocking Xie Wenlang's gaze from entering.
"Stay away from Xi'er these days."
Xie Chengyan so blatantly carried Shen Xi out of the palace that the palace walls and all the palace servants retreated. With the emperor's decree in place, no one dared to stop him.
After getting into the carriage, he didn't linger. He ordered Liang Tuo to drive the horse and left Xie Wenlang behind.
The wheels rolled on, crushing the remaining snow on the ground. Xie Chengyan did not take Shen Xi back to the Shen residence. Instead, he drove around in circles until the carriage stopped in front of an inconspicuous clinic.
Above the main entrance of the clinic hung a rather rustic wooden plaque with three large characters written on it: Renfeng Hall.
Without much hesitation, Xie Chengyan wrapped the person in his cloak and carried him straight out of the carriage, striding into the gate of Renfeng Hall.
His expression was cold and aloof, with a hint of sternness. The patients who came to the clinic for treatment were both frightened and puzzled by his appearance, and they all turned their heads to look at him.
Xie Chengyan, however, was oblivious, his sharp gaze fixed precisely on a figure intently examining patients behind the many figures.
His gaze was impossible to ignore. Wen Tingmao's movements unconsciously stiffened, and he looked up at the sudden commotion of the other people in the clinic, immediately spotting Xie Chengyan standing not far away.
After a moment's thought, Wen Tingmao was still puzzled. But when he focused his gaze and saw the person in his arms, his face turned pale, his lips pressed tightly together, and he hurriedly stepped forward: "What's wrong with her?"
As he spoke, he led them directly into the inner room without any hesitation, and pointed to the young boy to prepare a sickbed.
Xie Chengyan gently placed the person from his arms onto the couch, then straightened up slightly to answer Wen Tingmao's question: "She fell into the water and fainted last night. Although the imperial physicians in the palace gave her a cursory treatment, she has not yet woken up."
His voice was soft, his eyelids were slightly lowered, and his gaze remained fixed on Shen Xi, never looking away.
Upon hearing this, Wen Tingmao knew it was no small matter. He couldn't trust the doctor who said he was too skilled, so he immediately put his sleeves back and gently tapped Shen Xi's wrist with his fingertips to take her pulse.
The room quieted down, except for the young boy who had just tidied the bed. He recognized Shen Xi, peeked out, and curiously looked him over.
But before he could take a closer look, a cold gaze suddenly fell upon him. The boy looked up and was met with Xie Chengyan's emotionless eyes. He immediately trembled and buried his head, no longer daring to look.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Tingmao finally withdrew his hand, and the furrowed brows slowly relaxed: "It is a high fever caused by cold entering the body. It is not life-threatening, but it has seriously damaged the body's foundation. I will prescribe a medicine for her to recuperate properly."
Xie Chengyan stood quietly to the side, nodding slightly without saying a word.
Without wasting words, Wen Tingmao immediately took a piece of paper from the table next to him, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to the boy beside him: "Get the medicine according to the prescription, and go and decoct a dose now."
Seeing that Wen Tingmao's expression was unusually serious, the young boy dared not delay and hurriedly ran out to prepare the medicine.
Only two people remained conscious in the room, and their gazes fell simultaneously on Shen Xi, who was lying on the sickbed.
Wen Tingmao stepped aside, shielding Shen Xi behind him. Having lived for so long and seen so many things, he had never been afraid of anything, so he naturally didn't care who this person in front of him was. His eyes were wary.
What exactly do you want to do?
Xie Chengyan's response was lukewarm: "Take her to get medical treatment."
"Don't try to fool me. What are your true feelings for her?"
Wen Tingmao's tone was not pleasant; in fact, it was somewhat aggressive.
Xie Chengyan was not annoyed. He raised his eyes and said frankly, "If I wanted to do something bad to her, I wouldn't have sent her here."
That's not wrong.
Wen Tingmao didn't care how Xie Chengyan knew about his relationship with Shen Xi. It would be strange if Xie Chengyan, the legitimate son of a Duke's mansion and famous throughout the land, couldn't even find out this little thing.
But Wen Tingmao snorted coldly, still not letting up: "If I remember correctly, she and your brother are engaged. He's so sick and he doesn't even show up. How can you be running around taking care of her?"
Xie Chengyan lowered his eyes but did not answer his question. Instead, he corrected him, saying, "It was just a casual remark and doesn't count as a marriage agreement."
Upon hearing this, Wen Tingmao became even more dissatisfied, glaring at him and demanding, "What? Could it be that your Duke's mansion is going back on its word and intends to break off the engagement?!"
Xie Chengyan did not answer. He stood tall, and the lingering herbal scent in Renfeng Hall gradually seeped into his heart and lungs. His eyes were calm, and there was only Chen Xi in them.
Seeing this, Wen Tingmao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and understood the situation in the blink of an eye. He reached out and pointed at Xie Chengyan's nose, about to begin questioning him: "You! You actually..."
Xie Chengyan didn't give him that chance. He turned his dark eyes to look at him and interrupted Wen Tingmao.
"Wasn't Dr. Wen's trip to Beijing this time precisely for her?"
Wen Tingmao asked warily, "So what if it is?"
"Since it's for her sake, I naturally hope she lives a peaceful life. But now, because of Xie Wenlang, there have been repeated accidents. If she really marries him, can Doctor Wen feel at ease?"
The tone was gentle and soothing, with a seductive and persuasive quality.
Even Xie Chengyan himself didn't notice that he paused slightly before saying the word "marriage".
Wen Tingmao, however, did not believe him: "I don't think so. I've inquired so much since I came to the capital, and she really likes your younger brother. Mutual affection is so rare, so what are you going to do?"
They are mutually in love.
What a jarring word.
Xie Chengyan clenched his teeth, staring intently at Shen Xi's sleeping face, without making a sound.
Wen Tingmao seemed oblivious: "I've lived for so many years, and love and affection have long since faded into the past. But it's different for a child her age. She values love more than life itself, and she'll stay with him even if it means eloping or threatening suicide."
When the word "elopement" was mentioned, Wen Tingmao paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something, but only for a moment before he came back to his senses and continued speaking.
"They're so caught up in love that they don't care about anything else, so it's not surprising that they do anything. But what about you?"
Wen Tingmao stared straight at him, his gaze full of accusation, "Don't tell me that you, Xie Chengyan, can disregard everything for a woman and be troubled by love. Even a three-year-old wouldn't be fooled by such a lie."
Who is Xie Chengyan?
As the eldest son of a duke who rose to fame at a young age, he could not have climbed to his current high position in the court and on the battlefield without being extremely cunning. He would never have been able to give everything for love like an ordinary young man.
The fact that he is so busy with all sorts of things for his future sister-in-law suggests that he must have some ulterior motives.
These things might fool others, but they couldn't fool Wen Tingmao, yet he still didn't directly expose them.
"People are born with a certain kind of fortune. This girl is not blessed enough to deserve such kindness. General Xie, from now on, let's go our separate ways."
Wen Tingmao waved his hand, making his final decision.
Xie Chengyan did not go along with his wishes. His expression was cold and sharp, concealing a hidden meaning: "This is between her and me."
Wen Tingmao retorted sharply: "Hmph, if you do something to harm her, that's my business. Don't even think about using her!"
"What gives Dr. Wen the right to speak to me like this?"
"you……"
With just one sentence, Wen Tingmao was completely shut down. After all, what was he anyway?
Wen Tingmao was neither bound by the wishes of his parents nor by the words of a matchmaker.
Xie Chengyan's gaze swept over her coolly: "I brought her to Renfengtang because I trust your medical skills. As for the rest, you don't need to concern yourself with it."
Wen Tingmao was so angry at his words that he was furious. He pointed at Xie Chengyan with his finger in the air for a long time but could not come up with a reason.
Suppressing his impulse, Wen Tingmao knew clearly that confronting Xie Chengyan head-on would be pointless, so he angrily turned and left to continue seeing patients.
Only after Wen Tingmao had completely left did Xie Chengyan sit down by the couch, staring intently at Shen Xi's sleeping face.
He reached out and placed his hand on her forehead to test her temperature again. The skin under his palm was still burning hot, and Xie Chengyan unconsciously lowered his brows.
Perhaps because of the contrast with Shen Xi's body temperature, Xie Chengyan's slightly cool fingertips felt exceptionally comfortable to touch. Stimulated by this sensation, she unconsciously grasped the hand on her forehead in a daze.
Xie Chengyan didn't dodge; instead, he took the initiative to approach her and held her hand in his palm to prevent her from turning over and moving closer to the edge of the bed again.
But the next moment, without any warning, Shen Xi slowly opened her eyes, her eyes glistening with tears, still looking somewhat dazed.
They exchanged a glance, and Xie Chengyan didn't say anything. He simply reached out and pulled the quilt back up, which she had kicked aside in the process.
Unexpectedly, Shen Xi, who was ill, was exceptionally difficult to take care of and was far less obedient than when she was lucid.
The quilt had barely covered her body when Shen Xi kicked it away with a frown.
Throughout, her clear eyes remained fixed on him, as if in silent defiance.
Xie Chengyan raised an eyebrow, not believing it, and covered her with the blanket again.
Before long, she kicked him aside haphazardly, even raising her chin at him with a smug look on her face.
Xie Chengyan: "..."
She usually seems well-behaved, but deep down she has a bit of a rogue nature.
After repeating this several times, Xie Chengyan, remembering that she was still ill, stopped arguing with her. He placed his hands on either side of Shen Xi and tucked the blanket tightly around her, saying, "Don't move."
His fierce tone made Shen Xi, whose eyes were glazed from the heat, wrinkle her nose in grievance.
Her gaze swept over his face inch by inch; his brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were heavy with anger. He looked angry no matter how you looked at him.
Familiar eyes and brows, familiar voice, a familiar burning sensation coursing through my very being.
Naturally, a thought immediately popped into Shen Xi's mind—she was dreaming again.
In my dream, it was still Xie Chengyan, and Xie Chengyan who was still angry.
Shen Xi couldn't help but recall the last time she saw Xie Chengyan.
She had clearly twisted her ankle because of Chu Yi's harassment, but he didn't offer any comfort. Instead, he kept a straight face and made sarcastic remarks. I don't know where he got such a temper.
Thinking this way, Shen Xi couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration.
Anyway, this is her dream. She can't keep being bullied by him in real life, just because he bullies her in her dreams. That doesn't make sense.
Therefore, Shen Xi mustered her courage and, with a burst of strength from who knows where, broke free from Xie Chengyan's grasp, pushed him away forcefully, and then clung tightly to his shoulders with her fingertips, managing to sit up.
She was indeed delirious with fever, and didn't even realize that she had developed her own consciousness in this "dream" today, and not only that, she could also act according to her own thoughts.
Xie Chengyan swallowed hard, realizing she was quite confused. He gave up trying to reason with this sick person and let her do as she pleased, only keeping his arms loosely on either side to protect her from falling.
Shen Xi's gaze was drawn to his bobbing Adam's apple, and she stared at him intently, lost in thought.
Seeing that she had become well-behaved again, Xie Chengyan continued to persuade her, "Be good..."
But he had only uttered one word when suddenly, Shen Xi, still dazed, straightened up, braced his palms against his chest for support, and leaned in to kiss the Adam's apple that bobbed up and down on his neck.
Xie Chengyan froze instantly.
Hot, soft lips pressed tightly against the neck, nibbling and sucking haphazardly, with a light touch, like being gently tickled by a feather.
He was a martial artist and had been taught since childhood that the neck is the weakest and most sensitive part of the body.
For the first time, someone dared to get so close, even to the point of touching him, but not with murderous intent.
Xie Chengyan did not push her away, but his eyes grew even darker, like a thick fog in the dark night, obscuring all the unbearable shadows.
The lamb was led into the tiger's den without realizing it.
She seemed to have found something new and interesting, and began to nibble at his Adam's apple until she noticed that he hadn't moved for a long time, and even the breathing of his chest had gradually slowed down. Only then did Shen Xi stop.
Her lips parted slightly from the place she had tormented for who knows how long, and when she looked down, she saw obvious red marks. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
At this moment, Xie Chengyan finally spoke, the thin skin on his neck trembling with his voice, making the red mark even more conspicuous, even showing a touch of decadent beauty.
What were you doing just now?
His voice was hoarse and carried a dangerous undertone.
Shen Xi was completely unaware that she had become prey delivered to her door. Instead, she was unusually calm, running her fingertips over her masterpiece and even gently blowing on it.
"You bully me in all sorts of ways every night, and now you're already so angry over just one bite?"
She was so weak from her illness that she couldn't sit up on her own. Half of her body leaned against Xie Chengyan's chest, half-leaning, unaware that something was wrong.
Anyway, it wasn't the first time. He loved to pull her into his arms from behind and then do "that" tirelessly.
In his usual dreams, he was in control, constantly coming up with new ideas, and they had done everything, no matter how intimate, and this was just the beginning.
She cares about her reputation much more than he does.
But Xie Chengyan was unaware of her nightly fantasies. He gripped her waist as she leaned closer, lowered his head, and whispered in her ear, "Who am I?"
Shen Xi did not resist his actions. Instead, she snuggled closer to him and started playing with his fingers hanging by his side. She obediently replied, "Um...you are Xie Chengyan."
Xie Chengyan didn't stop her. His Adam's apple bobbed as he continued to coax her gently, "How did I bully you at night?"
Shen Xi, her head spinning, struggled to think about the problem.
After a while, she poked Xie Chengyan's tense abdominal muscles with her fingertips and accused him word by word: "You always torment me on the bed, oh, sometimes not on the bed... It's clearly you who did the bad things, but you forgot about them first."
"What bad thing happened?"
Shen Xi muttered, "It's the kind of thing that should only be done between husband and wife, but we're not husband and wife."
But she didn't notice that with each word she spoke, Xie Chengyan's eyes darkened even more.
Then he asked, "In your dreams, are you afraid of me in bed?"
Shen Xi stopped talking. Thinking about these questions was giving her a headache, and she threw another tantrum. Anyway, this was her dream.
Therefore, Shen Xi leaned forward and accidentally bumped her head into Xie Chengyan's chin, causing him to groan.
But Chen Xi didn't care. She kissed the red mark on his Adam's apple again, revealing her sharp teeth and rubbing it little by little.
Xie Chengyan swallowed hard, and after a long while, he finally let out a low sigh.
"You're quite bold now."
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