Chapter 52 "Kiss If You Want"
Xie Chengyan gazed at her silently for a long while, then swallowed hard before calmly taking the medicine bowl from her hands and casually asking, "Did Mother say anything else to you?"
Shen Xi was puzzled as to why he kept asking, but after thinking about it, she realized that she had already told him everything she needed to say. So she shook her head and said, "No, Mother didn't stay long. After telling me to take care of your injuries, she went back first."
"Is that so?"
Xie Chengyan slowly stroked the rim of the bowl with his slender fingertips, staring thoughtfully at the bowl of medicine. The bitter medicinal smell permeated his nose and seeped into his lungs.
Suddenly, he looked up, his gaze intense, and asked, "Do you want me to drink this medicine?"
Shen Xi was taken aback by Xie Chengyan's question. What could her desire or lack thereof have to do with him taking the medicine? She blinked in confusion.
But when faced with his determined gaze that demanded an answer, Shen Xi still replied, "Your injuries have not yet fully healed, so you naturally cannot stop taking your medicine."
Xie Chengyan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Is that all?"
One question after another puzzled Shen Xi. She wondered why Xie Chengyan had never thrown a tantrum over taking medicine before, and what was wrong with him today.
So, Shen Xi, slightly impatient, reached out and put the medicine bowl to his lips: "Why do you ask so many questions? Drink it quickly."
Xie Chengyan looked at her intently, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Alright."
He said no more, tilted his head back and drank the medicine in one gulp.
Then, he put down the bowl, reached out and grabbed Chen Xi's waist, pulling her closer and bowing his head.
A scent mixed with the bitter smell of medicine suddenly approached and sprayed onto her face. The familiar gesture made Shen Xi subconsciously close her eyes.
Their bodies were pressed together, and beneath Shen Xi's palm lay his broad chest, its muscles taut, firm and warm.
Her eyelashes trembled incessantly, but after waiting for a while, Xie Chengyan did not actually kiss her.
Shen Xi was puzzled. She slowly opened her eyes and saw his face very close to hers. His eyes were deep and dark, and a cold light flashed across them. He stared at her intently.
Their eyes met, and Xie Chengyan lowered his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over her lips. As if thinking of something, he gently rubbed his fingertip against her lips.
Then, he slightly curled the corner of his lips and said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper, "Fine, I'll let you go."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Chengyan released his grip on her and stood up.
But before he could make a move, Shen Xi suddenly grabbed his collar, pulled him down, stood on tiptoe, leaned forward, and pressed her rosy lips against his without hesitation.
Their breaths suddenly exchanged, their lips and tongues intertwined, and the lingering bitterness in his mouth was transferred to her as well.
But Chen Xi only frowned slightly, without backing away, and gave him another light peck on the lips.
Xie Chengyan's gaze darkened, his large hand instantly gripping the back of her neck, one hand pulling her up by the waist, pressing her into his arms, seizing the initiative, and deepening the kiss.
Shen Xi was pressed down by him and involuntarily took two steps back, but he pressed on relentlessly, refusing to let go even an inch, until she was pinned against the wall with nowhere to retreat. She looked up and endured his scorching breath.
For a moment, her mind was in a daze, and she could only sense the overwhelming aura belonging to Xie Chengyan.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally released her and wiped the moisture from her lips with his fingertips.
Chen Xi, her breath unsteady, slumped into his arms. After a while, she suddenly remembered something and muttered a sentence.
Xie Chengyan didn't hear clearly. He stroked the back of her neck, nuzzled her temples, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What did Xi'er just say?"
Shen Xi glared at him fiercely, but her eyes were shimmering with tears, and she was incredibly alluring even when she was angry.
She avoided the wound on his waist, pushed him away, and said through gritted teeth, "I said, if you want to kiss me, just kiss me. Why are you playing hard to get with all these tricks?"
Xie Chengyan was slightly surprised by what she said, but he quickly realized what she meant and chuckled softly, his fingertips lightly twirling a stray strand of her hair.
His tone became playful: "As long as the trick works, it's fine. See, we actually caught him."
Shen Xi's eyes widened, instantly becoming even more annoyed by his teasing.
So she ignored Xie Chengyan and simply pulled her hair out of his fingers with a pursed lip. Then, she left the place quickly without looking back.
Xie Chengyan was in a great mood, the gloom he felt when he first returned to the manor completely gone. He followed Shen Xi leisurely, and seeing her puffed-up cheeks, a smile involuntarily crept into his eyes.
I was just thinking about how to coax her to calm down.
Suddenly, Shen Xi stopped in her tracks, turned around, and saw his smirking expression. She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't follow me."
Xie Chengyan remained unmoved, his gaze gentle and warm, but his words were quite shameless: "Xi'er wants to go back to her room, and so do I. It's just on the way, not like I'm following her."
Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, not bothering to argue with him: "Xie Chengyan, if you keep following me, you might as well just sleep in your study."
Xie Chengyan was taken aback, not expecting that she still held a grudge about what happened a few months ago, and remained silent for a moment.
Seeing that he had finally restrained himself, Shen Xi gave a soft snort, wrinkled her nose at him, and turned to leave.
Watching her departing figure, Xie Chengyan didn't chase after her this time, but just stood there watching her.
After a long while, a withered leaf flew under the eaves, drifted past him, and finally fell to the ground.
Xie Chengyan came to his senses, but Shen Xi was no longer in sight.
The smile in his eyes faded, and the desolation of late autumn gradually crept in. His brows and eyes became heavy, solemn and cold, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He turned around, called Liang Tuo over, and instructed him: "From now on, no one from the Duke's mansion should be allowed to enter."
Liang Tuo lowered his head and replied, "Your subordinate understands."
After speaking, Liang Tuo paused, glanced at Xie Chengyan's expression, and then tentatively asked, "General, what should we do with the medicine sent by the Duke's mansion?"
Xie Chengyan unconsciously rubbed his fingertips lightly, then lowered his eyes.
He knew all too well what Xue intended with the things she sent, and now that she was using Shen Xi as a proxy, it was even more inappropriate.
But with Wen Tingmao around, Shen Xi might not be unaware of those medicines.
Even so, she still handed him the medicine.
The lingering astringency of the medicine welled up and lingered in my heart, growing ever stronger.
I wonder what emotions others would feel if they encountered this situation.
Aside from the slight bitterness in his heart, Xie Chengyan was unusually calm, almost with a kind of desperate silence.
This was not a decision he should have made rationally.
But he just happened to be gambling.
After a moment of contemplation, Xie Chengyan spoke in a low voice: "Keep an eye on Madam's movements, but don't get involved in anything else."
Shen Xi was completely unaware of Xie Chengyan's arrangements.
She already had quite a few people he sent to watch over her, so she didn't really care whether there were one more or one less.
She was rather curious about Xie Chengyan, though.
Especially the matter between him and the Duke's Mansion, but despite multiple attempts to probe, Xie Chengyan never gave her a single hint.
On this day, Shen Xi thought of Wen Tingmao and Wangyou, who had been away from Qingzhou for many months. With winter approaching, he couldn't help but feel homesick, so he decided to bring a portion of Yuzhu Yunsi Soup to Renfeng Hall.
So, he first took Qingqiu to Wangxian Tower.
On the way, she couldn't help but think of Xie Chengyan again, so she asked Qingqiu, "Have you ever heard any rumors about the Duke's mansion before?"
Qingqiu was taken aback by her abrupt question. After a moment's thought, she shook her head: "The Duke's Mansion has always been upright and honest, and there don't seem to be any unusual rumors. Why is Madam suddenly asking this?"
Shen Xi sighed: "It's nothing, I just feel something is strange, but I haven't figured out what it is yet."
Qingqiu chuckled to himself, "What are you worried about, Madam? You and the General are deeply in love and trust each other. Isn't that enough? Why think about things that may or may not be true?"
Shen Xi, teased by her, couldn't help but glare at her: "You're getting more and more rude."
Qingqiu had grown up with her since childhood, so she could easily see that Shenxi was just feigning anger to scare her. She wasn't afraid at all, and instead said with a smile, "How could that be? What I'm saying is the truth. Before the General left the capital, things were so tense between you and me. I thought you would take that opportunity to leave, but I didn't expect you to stay."
"Fortunately, now that you and the general have been apart for a while, you are deeply in love and have finally gotten through those difficult days."
Qingqiu was speaking obliviously when Shenxi suddenly paused, lowering her eyes as if lost in thought.
For a long time, he didn't respond to her.
Only when the carriage stopped outside Wangxian Tower did Shen Xi speak: "Alright, we've arrived."
After entering Wangxianlou and ordering the dishes, Shen Xi waited quietly in a private room upstairs.
But after only a moment, they heard footsteps pass by and stop at the door. Before Shen Xi could react, someone pushed the door open and entered.
She looked up and followed the sound to the outside.
The newcomer was elegant and poised, and looking up from the robes, it turned out to be Madam Xue.
Shen Xi was startled and quickly stood up: "Mother, so you're here too."
Madam Xue's expression was not good. She looked her up and down before speaking, "It is truly difficult to see you."
His tone was calm, but his words revealed something.
Shen Xi lowered his eyes and sat down to greet Madam Xue, but not understanding the deeper meaning of her words, he did not dare to respond.
Seeing her sullen demeanor, Madam Xue was angry but helpless for the time being.
He looked Chen Xi up and down and asked, "How has Cheng Yan been lately?"
Shen Xi answered truthfully: "Thank you for your concern, Mother. My husband is doing well."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xue paused for a moment, then asked, "Have you finished using up that medicine from last time?"
Shen Xi nodded and smiled, saying, "It must be because of Mother's medicine that my husband's injuries have healed considerably."
These words made Madam Xue pause for a moment before she managed a smile: "Really? Are you trying to make me happy?"
Shen Xi's eyelids twitched, but she still said, "How could your daughter-in-law dare to lie to her mother?"
After saying that, Madam Xue did not speak again, but looked at her meaningfully.
The gaze was quite intense, making Shen Xi's scalp tingle, but she forced herself to meet Xue's eyes.
After a long while, Madam Xue looked away and spoke again: "Shen Xi, you are a smart child. I have heard some rumors about what happened in the Shen family. Growing up in that kind of place, you should be able to tell who is sincere to you and who has ulterior motives."
Shen Xi was taken aback and sat up straight: "What does Mother mean?"
Madam Xue's gaze fell on her, she glanced at her briefly, and chuckled lightly: "You don't need to hide it from me. I know perfectly well why Cheng Yan married you, and I know all about the things that happened between you two after your marriage. Now, dare you ask yourself, is Cheng Yan truly sincere towards you?"
These words made Shen Xi's heart tighten. When she and Xie Chengyan visited the Duke's Mansion for the first time after their marriage, Madam Xue had said something similar to her.
Now that the topic has been brought up again, Shen Xi subconsciously sensed something was wrong, but not knowing her purpose, she dared not speak casually and could only feign melancholy.
"Mother……"
Seeing this, Madam Xue continued in a gentle voice, "Chen Xi, as long as you do things for me, you will still be the daughter-in-law of our Duke's Mansion after the matter is completed, and you will enjoy wealth and luxury for the rest of your life. If you want to remarry, I can also find you a good family. I will definitely not mistreat you."
Shen Xi clenched his fist almost imperceptibly, a guess suddenly sprouting in his mind and growing wildly.
But she pretended not to understand and blinked, saying, "Your daughter-in-law doesn't understand what you mean, Mother."
Seemingly surprised that Shen Xi was so obtuse, Madam Xue was momentarily speechless at her reaction, and sighed as she stared at her.
She waved to the nanny beside her to hand her the things, then smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Chengyan is still young, he needs to take good care of his health, and he can't stop taking his medicine. You should take good care of him."
Shen Xi took it, sniffed it, and sure enough, it was the exact same prescription as last time.
Combining what Xue had just said, her suspicions were gradually confirmed.
Under Xue's expectant gaze, she suddenly said, "Mother, no matter what, my husband is, after all, your flesh and blood, whom you carried for ten months, and Erlang's own elder brother."
Something struck a nerve, and Madam Xue's face instantly darkened: "Don't compare him to Wen Lang."
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