Chapter 23 He is a Substitute
A month passed quickly, and the pills given by the system lost their effect. Ning Qi finally took this opportunity to see the true appearance of Xiao Sui's eyes.
The dark, gaping right eye socket looked alarming. The left eye was in slightly better condition, but it was still sunken due to external injury, its color was noticeably dull, and the shape of the pupil was no longer a regular circle.
Xiao Sui lowered his head, skillfully wrapped the black veil around his neck, and said in a muffled voice, "Don't look at it, it's ugly."
“I don’t think so,” Ning Qi said earnestly.
After spending this time together, she felt that Xiao Sui was great in every way. Not only could he give her a massage to relieve her itchy hands, but the food he cooked was also very much to her liking. She also felt at ease sleeping with him around.
Even though he was blind, it only made her feel more sorry for him.
Moreover, he was usually incredibly well-behaved. When she wasn't around, he would practice his swordplay in the courtyard or help Qianyu and the others with chores.
If he was inside the house, he would always fasten the chains.
He seemed to always feel that he would do something terrible if he didn't wear the seal, and he was afraid of hurting her in the slightest.
Ning Xi tried to persuade him several times to no avail, so she just let him be.
"Princess, Young Master Yan has arrived," Qianyu's voice came from outside.
Ning Qi raised her eyebrows in surprise. Yan Chongyan seemed to have just returned from his travels yesterday, and today was his day off. How could he have come to her so quickly?
She glanced at Xiao Sui's face, which had returned to normal, and put the veil on him. "You can go out now. I have something to say to him alone."
Xiao Sui pursed his lips. "Can I stay?"
Ning Qi hesitated for a moment, "There are some things I want to say to him alone."
"I understand." Xiao Sui unfastened the iron clasp on his wrist, pushed open the door and went out. Yan Chongyan happened to pass by him and glanced at him sideways.
The door closed again, and Yan Chongyan asked, "Was that your male concubine just now?"
Ning Qi nodded.
The system announced: "Ding, infatuation value reduced by 300, current score 1415, progress reverted to 70%."
Ning Xi: "?"
"Is this reasonable?" she cried out inwardly. "My infatuation points usually increase by ten or twenty points at a time, but this time they've deducted three hundred?!"
"You two aren't even married yet, and you've already started keeping male concubines. This is a major taboo for a protagonist who's all about arrogance and domineering personality. He definitely won't tolerate it."
"Pah, he still has his own 'white moonlight' (a term of endearment for a past love)." Ning Qi said indignantly, feeling extremely pained.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. We need his points." The system said in a gloating tone, "Who told you to provoke the villain? Now you know you regret it."
Ning Qi clenched her fists, wishing she could drill into the system's head and beat it up, but there were more important things to do right now.
She wants to salvage her infatuation!
She stood up and took two steps toward Yan Chongyan, saying urgently, "I can explain!"
Yan Chongyan frowned as he looked at her, "As a princess, you can do whatever you want. You don't need to explain to me..."
"Ding, infatuation value decreased by 10, current score 1405."
Ning Qi felt his blood rush to his head and said to the system, "There's no need to announce the point deduction."
She looked resentful and said in a trembling voice, "Brother Yan, didn't you notice that his figure is eight parts similar to yours?"
Yan Chongyan's gaze fixed on her. "What do you mean?"
Ning Qi stamped her foot, her voice choked with emotion, "Who told you to be so cold to me? I... I can only treat him as a substitute for you."
“You…” Yan Chongyan’s brows relaxed slightly.
The system notification then followed: "Devotion value increased by 200, current score 1605."
Ning Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the overall price had dropped, this tactic was still somewhat effective.
She was about to say a few more words when a sudden knock on the door behind her startled her.
"Princess, I've made tea and brought it in for you," Xiao Sui said from outside.
Why would Xiao Sui be outside? Ning Qi's back went numb instantly. Could he have heard what she said?
"Go in," she said nervously.
Fortunately, Xiao Sui was no different from usual when he came in. He simply reached out and placed the teacup on the table, then picked up the tray and left.
"Ding, infatuation value increased by 20, current score 1625."
Ning Qi: "Why are points added for this?"
"Perhaps Yan Chongyan has realized his status as the empress, so he's given you extra points."
Ning Qi was on the verge of collapse. She had only told the lie to gain points, and if Xiao Sui had actually heard it, she wouldn't have been able to explain herself at all. Wouldn't this just create more discord between them?
Yan Chongyan leisurely sipped his tea, and just as Xiao Sui was about to step out the door, he said slowly, "Stop."
Xiao Sui stopped and turned to face him.
Yan Chongyan put down his teacup with a light touch and walked to Xiao Sui's side.
Judging from their height and build, they are not actually 80% similar, but they do look somewhat alike.
Ning Qi screamed inwardly, "Oh no, oh no, have I messed up? What if the male lead and the villain start fighting right there? Should I run away first?"
system:"……"
"Take off the veil," Yan Chongyan commanded arrogantly, slightly raising his chin.
Xiao Sui clenched his fist and said in a low voice, "I only obey the princess's orders."
Yan Chongyan narrowed his eyes, revealing a displeased expression.
Ning Qi panicked. How could he let Xiao Sui take off his veil? Yan Chongyan would definitely recognize him.
She said to Xiao Sui, "Hurry up and go down."
Xiao Sui faced her, paused for a moment, then turned and left.
Ning Qi inexplicably sensed a hint of grievance.
Yan Chongyan addressed Xiao Sui's retreating figure in a not-so-loud voice, "Princess, we are engaged. If you want me to do something, you can just tell me directly. There's no need to send these shady characters..."
Ning Qi quickly closed the door, but seeing Xiao Sui's steady steps, she knew he hadn't heard what the male lead said.
She pinched her fingertips, telling herself it was a task, and forced herself to say, "I understand."
Yan Chongyan looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to say something.
Ning Qi stared at him in confusion for a moment, then suddenly realized that he wanted her to get rid of Xiao Sui.
That won't do, she quickly made up an excuse, "But I really like his cooking, so I want to keep him here for a while longer."
"You have plenty of famous chefs to choose from, why keep this ugly person around?" Yan Chongyan disagreed.
"I finally found one, do you expect me to go hungry until I find a chef I like before I can eat?"
Yan Chongyan choked up.
Ning Xi seized the initiative and launched an aggressive attack, saying, "If you hadn't always refused to let me touch you, why would I have bothered to send someone over?"
"Ding, infatuation value increased by 5, current score 1630."
Hey, that trick worked! Ning Qi pressed on, "You just told me to tell you what I want, so I want to touch you. Do you agree?"
Yan Chongyan's face showed a conflicted expression.
"Fine," Ning Qi said, feigning disappointment at his expression. "I knew you were never willing."
Yan Chongyan frowned, as if he had gone through an extremely difficult internal struggle, and finally said, "You can touch it."
Huh? Ning Qi looked at him curiously, and without any hesitation, placed her hand directly on his chest.
I finally touched the spot I'd been wanting to touch. It felt full and firm, just the right amount of softness, and it was easy to squeeze, but I always felt it was lacking something compared to Xiao Sui's.
Perhaps it was because his expression was too serious, as if he was about to turn on someone, unlike Xiao Sui, who would purse his lips and secretly blush the tips of his ears, making him especially cute.
As Ning Qi touched it, her thoughts drifted out of the room.
——
Xiao Sui instinctively returned to the kitchen, took off his veil, but still felt short of breath, as if a cloth was covering his face, making it impossible to breathe.
He reluctantly put down the tray and heard Zhizhi's concerned voice, "Young Master Xiao, are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so pale?"
He leaned against the wall for a while to catch his breath, then asked, "What is Yan Chongyan's relationship with the princess?"
“He’s the princess’s fiancé.” Zhizhi rolled her eyes. “It’s alright. You have the princess’s favor. Even if the princess marries Young Master Yan, she won’t mistreat you.”
Xiao Sui, as if in a daze, slammed the back of his head against the wall.
Seeing this, Zhizhi decided it was better not to comfort her at all, so she slipped away under the pretext of checking the heat of the stew.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yan Chongyan came out of the princess's room. Zhizhi saw him off and noticed some obvious wrinkles in the clothes on his chest out of the corner of her eye.
"That shouldn't be," she thought to herself. Young Master Yan was known for his meticulousness; how could he let his clothes have so many wrinkles?
Could it be that he and the princess did something?
Zhizhi gasped, thinking how lucky it was that Young Master Xiao's eyesight was poor and he couldn't see these things clearly, otherwise, given his disheartened appearance, she was afraid he might do something rash.
——
That evening, Ning Qi, as usual, pushed Xiao Sui onto the chaise lounge and began to grope him.
Logically speaking, she should not feel itchy to touch Yan Chongyan today since she had clearly pinched him, but she still felt that something was missing.
Her fingers landed on his full chest and kneaded it rhythmically; the feel was just right.
She quickly came to the conclusion that Xiao Sui and Yan Chongyan were completely different.
Xiao Sui lay there with his hands hanging down, letting her do whatever she wanted.
The princess's fingertips were clearly cool, yet each touch seemed to ignite a small flame that burned continuously on his body, quickly spreading like wildfire.
Amidst the raging flames, he struggled to restrain his hands, telling himself, as he had done countless times before, that he must not have any improper thoughts about the princess.
He understood that the princess's touch contained no lust.
She just likes to hold something in her hand, or... she could have chosen someone better.
Did they do something similar in the house today?
Xiao Sui could not stop the desperate images in his mind.
He finally understood why the princess was so kind to him; it was simply because he resembled that person.
Why can he only be a substitute?
A sense of resentment tore him apart.
He was panting heavily, trying to calm his overflowing emotions, but it was all in vain.
The princess's presence was right above him, enveloping him completely. So close, so unguarded, that he could easily pull her into his arms if he simply raised his hand.
I really want to... hug her.
Xiao Sui gripped the edge of the chair tightly with both hands until his knuckles turned white before he finally calmed them down.
But the next moment, Ning Qi's hand enveloped the back of his hand, her movements gentle: "Sorry, was I a little too forceful just now?"
Xiao Sui calmed his breathing, and his eyes, which often ached, welled up with tears.
He simply shook his head, loosened his grip, but dared not make another move. He would not do anything without the princess's permission, including touching her.
He simply let her knead his knuckles.
The princess said in a lighthearted tone, "Then don't grip the chair so hard next time. I thought you didn't like it."
How could he not like it? He just wanted more.
The ideas in my mind sprouted like crazy and instantly grew into a towering tree.
He didn't want to be a substitute; he wanted to be the princess's only one.
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Author's Note: We're about to enter a period of intense competition [doge emoji]. Actually, Xiao Yan has already started competing.
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