Chapter 3 Sister-in-law "This is punishment... Sister-in-law"...
The sensation of skin touching skin made Shen Xi's stomach churn violently, and she almost vomited up the medicine she had barely managed to drink in the evening.
She suddenly stood up, instinctively trying to break free of the hand, but stumbled a few steps and knocked over the low stool beside her, making a heavy and abrupt noise.
For a moment, everyone looked at her, half curious and half blaming.
Only Shen Wangchen, who knew everything, had a look of utter rage in his eyes.
But with so many people present, he couldn't afford to make a scene.
Shen Xi had grasped this point perfectly, and while suppressing his nausea, he asked Jiang for leave: "Mother, I caught a chill while going out with Erlang today, and I suddenly feel unwell. I would like to go back first."
The hands hidden in the sleeves were clenched into fists, barely maintaining their last shred of dignity.
Jiang frowned, intending to scold her, but then she thought that this girl had Xie Wenlang backing her up.
The young master of the Xie family is lawless and arrogant. If he were to act rashly for the sake of a woman, who knows what outrageous things he might do.
It would be better to teach Shen Xi a lesson in secret. But if it really comes out in the open, and the girl makes a complaint, it would be too much of a loss to jeopardize Shen Wangchen's career.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel angry.
Shen Xiren is not even married yet, and I am already being controlled in every way because of her future husband's family. What kind of logic is this?
However, the capital city is full of celebrities and powerful figures, and the Shen family is nothing more than ants among them. Shen Xi is their only chance to climb up to the Duke of Wei's mansion.
Jiang had no choice but to suppress her anger and release the person after offering a few perfunctory words of concern.
As soon as she nodded, Shen Xi left in a hurry without lingering for a moment.
Shen Wangchen, who was behind him, wanted to catch up and see him off, but Jiang stopped him and forced him back down.
The cold rain intensified, and the chill seeped into her collar. Chen Xi didn't bother to open her umbrella and practically ran all the way back to the courtyard.
He slammed the door shut and locked himself in the room.
Without hesitation, she plunged her hands into the icy water, which quickly turned red. But she seemed oblivious to the cold, scrubbing and washing them almost numbly, over and over again, yet she could never get rid of that disgusting feeling.
Finally, she couldn't help but gag.
But his hands didn't stop moving at all; instead, he put even more force into it.
It wasn't until a splash of crimson appeared in the crystal-clear icy water that Chen Xi belatedly realized her hands were already bleeding before she finally stopped.
In an instant, it felt as if all the strength had been drained from my body, and I could no longer hold on. I could only slowly slide down the table and kneel on the ground.
The cold air surged in from all directions like a tide, and the pain, more suffocating than being strangled, turned into thorns that wrapped around her layer by layer, leaving no room for her to breathe.
The wound on her neck was throbbing again. Shen Xi subconsciously reached out, but her cold fingertips touched something sticky.
She was startled before realizing that it was the ointment Xie Chengyan had sent.
It still had a slightly bitter taste, but surprisingly it relieved the nausea in my stomach.
Shen Xi stared blankly at the ointment on her fingertip.
The Shen family no longer has a place for her; now, Xie Wenlang is her last straw.
With the Duke of Wei's mansion as her backer, neither Jiang nor Shen Wangchen dared to do anything to her anymore.
If Xie Wenlang marries her, this long nightmare will end, and everything can start over.
With a gentle twirl of her fingertips, she aimlessly spread the sticky ointment evenly on her fingertips. The bitter scent filled the air, yet Chen Xi felt exceptionally at ease.
She let out a weary breath.
A cold wind swept by, overlapping with the sighs of the boundless night.
As expected, after all this commotion, Shen Xi's fever returned in the middle of the night.
I drifted into a dream in a daze. The light was dim and I couldn't make out my surroundings. My reason was gradually becoming confused, but the chest behind me was still burning hot, and we were intertwined.
This time, a glass bronze mirror, almost half a person's height, was placed in front of Shen Xi. She subconsciously knew whose face would be reflected in the mirror, so she deliberately turned her head away and refused to look.
However, a hand reached out from behind, grabbed her chin, and with rough fingertips, forcefully turned her face to face, forcing her to look at the bronze mirror.
The candlelight flickered, and in the mirror, Shen Xi could clearly see the face rubbing against her neck.
It was Xie Chengyan.
The next moment, the people behind him pulled away a little, and Shen Xi was finally able to catch his breath.
But then, a cold sensation spread down her spine, slowly sliding down the back of her neck, leaving a thin trail of water.
Shen Xi trembled with agitation, but was held firmly in someone's arms and unable to move.
The hot, humid air sprayed against my ears.
"This is punishment..."
A soft chuckle escaped from behind, followed by a low, husky murmur—
"Sister-in-law".
The indistinct sounds faded into the darkness in an instant.
Shen Xi suddenly opened his eyes, cold sweat pouring down his face.
She was sick for half a month after that day before she recovered. Although she no longer had a high fever at night, these absurd and blasphemous dreams did not end.
The scenes in my dream changed many times, but that person never changed.
It has always been Xie Chengyan.
*
Once winter arrives, it becomes difficult to find any signs of life.
However, in the plum garden of Xie Wenlang's maternal grandfather Xue's family, the red plum blossoms were in full bloom, looking like a vast expanse of fiery clouds bathed in the setting sun.
Xie Wenlang was worried that Shen Xi would be bored staying at home all day, and it just so happened that it was her maternal grandmother Madam Xue's birthday, so he specially sent an invitation to the Shen family to invite her to come out and enjoy the company of others.
Shen Xi naturally wouldn't refuse.
The Xue family has served as officials for generations and are now veteran ministers in the court. Their influence is deeply entrenched and they have never shown any signs of decline. Even the current Crown Prince has half of the Xue family blood in his veins.
Xie Wenlang's father, Duke Wei, was able to rise to his current position thanks in no small part to the support of the Xue family.
The Xue family was at the height of its power, and even with Shen Xi's status, he had not yet reached the point of being able to show his face in front of Old Madam Xue.
However, Xie Wenlang cared most about her affairs. Knowing that she preferred quiet and that he could not accompany her, he specially found a trustworthy maid to take her to the plum garden to relax.
Although the move was well-intentioned, Shen Xi was not him and would never dare to be so presumptuous. She knew her own identity and could not wander around the Xue residence on such a day.
So, she kindly persuaded the maid to go back and tell Xie Wenlang, and Shen Xi went in the direction of the banquet she pointed out.
The banquet was about to begin, and there was no one in sight in the plum garden. But as Shen Xi turned along the path, she unexpectedly ran into Shen Wangchen coming from the opposite direction.
Shen Xi had been avoiding him for several days and hadn't even run into him at the Shen residence. She never expected to run into him here. Her expression turned slightly cold, and she paused, about to leave.
Shen Wangchen stopped her, but being in the Xue family, Shen Xi dared not cause any big commotion.
"What business does my elder brother have with me?"
She remained indifferent, taking two steps back to distance herself from Shen Wangchen.
Shen Wangchen frowned; he hated Shen Xi's appearance the most.
She clearly hated him to the bone, yet she insisted on pretending to be a loving brother and sister. Knowing full well that she wasn't a member of the Shen family, she still clung to the identity of Shen Xi.
He had never seen anyone more good at pretending than her.
But since they hadn't seen each other for many days, Shen Wangchen briefly acted as a good older brother and asked with concern, "How is your illness?"
"alright."
In the question-and-answer session, Shen Xi spoke calmly, like an emotionless puppet. Shen Wangchen naturally sensed her resistance and stopped asking these pointless questions.
"I can throw away the other things I gave you, but why did you throw away that wooden bird carving too?"
The day after Xie Wenlang sent someone to deliver clothes to Shen Xi in front of him, Shen Wangchen followed suit and delivered a pile of miscellaneous things to her, including a wooden carving in the shape of a bird with a round head, which looked lifelike and very silly.
But she didn't even glance at it, and threw it out the door on the spot, ordering someone to return the remains along the same route.
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Xi's hand, hidden in her sleeve, tightened involuntarily as she suppressed the nausea rising in her throat: "I hate these hairy beasts the most. I can't stand the sight of them. My brother took it upon himself to send that thing to my room. Can't I just ignore it and not be bothered by it?"
"Out of sight, out of mind, what's bothering you? Are you really bothered by those sparrows or...?"
Shen Wangchen couldn't bring himself to say those last few words.
Shen Xi gave him a mocking look, no longer bothering with pretense: "Brother knows perfectly well what's going on, doesn't he?"
Seeing her prickly expression, Shen Wangchen's face changed. He stepped forward and said in a voice only she could hear, "It's all in vain. You're just like your birth mother. She was pregnant with an illegitimate child and still tried to become my father's concubine. And you, instead of being a proper noble lady of the Shen family, you went to great lengths to climb up to Xie Wenlang. You're both shameless and despicable."
Do you really think the young master of the Duke of Wei's mansion would go through all the proper formalities to marry you? Besides the Shen family, where else can you go, my dear sister? Don't be naive.”
Like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, his words, tinged with a hint of sneer, made Shen Xi's face turn cold instantly, and all the blood and qi she couldn't suppress surged into her mind.
Unbeknownst to him, a hairpin was hidden in Shen Xi's wide sleeve. With a flick of his finger, the end of the hairpin, like a sword sheath, was slowly pushed open.
The sun shone on me but I felt no warmth; it only reflected a cold glint, revealing a delicate, sharp blade shaped like a hairpin.
Shen Xi's eyes were deep and dark, her reason was overwhelmed, her mind went blank, and she gripped the hairpin tightly only by instinct.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a robe. Startled, he looked up and saw a tall and slender figure standing at the end of the long road.
Although she couldn't make out the person's expression, she still recognized him.
Xie Chengyan.
Their eyes met, and her heart pounded like a drum. Reason returned in an instant—how much had he... heard?
Xie Chengyan was discovered, but instead of avoiding him, he went straight towards him.
The next moment, a familiar voice rang out: "My mother invites Miss Shen for a chat."
After speaking, he stood five steps away, turned slightly to the side, and made way for Shen Xi to pass.
Through the chilly air of early winter, those eyes stared straight at her, distant and solemn, inspiring an inexplicable sense of conviction.
His voice wasn't exactly fierce; it was extremely soft and gentle, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Having grown up in the capital, Xie Chengyan was the youngest and most formidable among the many aristocratic families he had ever met. Among those who could command respect simply by standing there, Xie Chengyan was the most impressive.
For the first time, Shen Xi realized what Xie Wenlang meant by his brother treating him very well—when they first met at the General's Mansion half a month ago, he was indeed much gentler than he is now.
Shen Wangchen, who was standing to the side, also noticed him: "Thank you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Chengyan abruptly interrupted him, not glancing at Shen Wangchen at all, but patiently urging Shen Xi again.
"Miss Chen?"
His indifferent expression met her eyes squarely.
Without further hesitation, Shen Xi walked resolutely toward Xie Chengyan, leaving that sinister gaze behind.
After following Xie Chengyan around two bends, just as the two of them were out of Shen Wangchen's sight, the person in front stopped and turned around.
Shen Xi stopped abruptly, stunned. Before she knew it, his large figure had blocked out the light, leaving only a small shadow. Xie Chengyan approached step by step, and she was completely enveloped in his shadow.
Xie Chengyan's fingertips touched the back of her hand through two layers of sleeves, applying slight force to push the sharp blade back into its sheath inch by inch.
Chen Xi choked, and a low sneer fell into her ears.
"You must hold on tight to what you're hiding in your hands."
A note from the author:
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