Chapter 65: I will no longer compromise.
(65)
The scent of ink mingled with the familiar and comforting sandalwood fragrance of those around her as Chu Li trembled as she gripped the pen to copy the words from the book.
The ancient well, though undrawn, contains the stars... The Taoist scriptures, which emphasize purity and detachment from worldly desires, clash with the increasingly unrestrained actions of others. His hand had already slipped under her clothes, and Chu Li's face flushed, but she did not stop him. She did not dislike Shang Xinglan like this; on the contrary, she liked him very much.
Every time she tried to ask him to be gentler, he would ruthlessly shut her mouth, leaving her lips red, swollen, and sore. She could only purse her lips and endure it.
She remembered the last time she felt Shang Xinglan had such terrible desire for her was after he fell into demonic possession.
Even though he was wearing a mask, his eyes were terrifying, as if he really intended to eat her alive.
It turns out that Shang Xinglan was most honest when she had amnesia.
The copying became slower and slower, and more and more crooked. In fact, Chu Li was no longer as bad at writing as she was when she was sixteen, but someone had no intention of letting her write well. They would always suddenly increase the pressure when she put down her pen, causing her wrist to tremble and she to make a mistake again.
He did it on purpose; he just wanted an excuse to continue bullying her.
As she was finally about to finish copying, Chu Li felt inexplicably reluctant to part with it. There was only one paragraph left, wasn't Shang Xinglan planning to do something to her?
It doesn't matter what, since this is his spiritual domain and no one can see it except... E'long!
She suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that she had unknowingly forgotten about the existence of the dragon. It must have been that the dragon had used some kind of evil magic to lower her guard again.
Chu Li felt a wave of fear wash over her and quickly let go of the pen, grabbing Shang Xinglan's hand instead.
The other person frowned slightly in displeasure and said in a low voice, "Keep writing."
Chu Li looked up at him and tentatively asked, "Are you really Shang Xinglan?"
"..."
Shang Xinglan was silent for a moment, then narrowed her eyes slightly. "I didn't know there was another person in the world who looked exactly like me. Could it be that A-Chu has seen him?"
She felt a little relieved. This tone was definitely Shang Xinglan's. If it were Erlong, he would probably have offered some insincere explanations. But was Erlong really that kind-hearted to bring her to find Shang Xinglan?
There must be some conspiracy involved; she can no longer linger with Shang Xinglan.
Chu Li hesitated for a moment, then coaxed, "Husband, I have very important things to do right now, so I can't stay with you for the time being..."
Once she leaves the realm of consciousness, they can do whatever they want, but right now, the important matter is still the main event.
Perhaps this is just a delaying tactic by Erlong, making her obsessed with her past with Shang Xinglan and forget her own purpose.
She almost got really hooked just now; Erlong is indeed very cunning.
Shang Xinglan looked at her quietly, then suddenly asked, "Can't you stay with me?"
Chu Li nodded.
"Then who are you going to accompany?"
Shang Xinglan suddenly pulled her onto his lap, grabbed her wrist, and asked, "Shall we climb over the wall and go to Yuehong Pavilion to watch a play?"
Chu Li asked in astonishment, "How did you know?"
She used to steal his money often to go to the opera and drink, but Shang Xinglan never caught her. She always thought that Shang Xinglan was unaware of it, otherwise he would definitely have taught her a lesson for stealing money.
"Of course I know," Shang Xinglan said coolly, her face cold. "I also know you often tip actors, but what I didn't know was that one of them, named Erlong, looks very much like me?"
Chu Li was stunned; what was all this about?
She enjoys watching plays and occasionally gives small tips, but they are always very small, and the actors complain that she is stingy.
She paused, then looked at him with a start, and took a breath. "You were following me?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan replied without any shame, "I just went to see what my wife does every day."
Isn't that stalking?
Chu Li asked incredulously in a soft voice, "Then why didn't you just come with me?"
Shang Xinglan remained silent for a moment, but did not answer her question. Instead, he picked her up and threw her into the depths of the soft couch.
Why not go together? Because every time Chu Li went out with him, she was always wary and cautious, as if he were some kind of monster. He didn't want to see her guarded expression, so he couldn't eat or play properly. His original intention was to accompany her out, but it turned into her going out to accommodate him.
So he deliberately placed a money box in a conspicuous place in the room, with a very simple lock that could be opened with a hairpin.
With that money, she could do whatever she wanted, and even if she spent it all, he would quickly make up for it.
But every time he opened the box, he found that only a few small pieces of silver were missing. She did not choose to take the money and run away. Shang Xinglan was curious about what she did with the silver, and that's how he discovered that she went to Yuehong Pavilion.
The actors from Yuehong Pavilion leaned against her, holding wine cups in their mouths as if to feed her wine.
Shang Xinglan will never forget that scene. Fortunately, Chu Li pushed the actor away, otherwise he doesn't know what he would have done.
In his view, Chu Li was naive and weak-willed; at only sixteen, she knew nothing! Moreover, Chu Li was far too easily tainted by these bad things, so he had to keep a close eye on her at all times and never let her disappear from his sight.
Chu Li tumbled into the soft, red quilt draped with mandarin ducks. She barely managed to get up when she saw Shang Xinglan rummaging through the wardrobe. A moment later, she saw Shang Xinglan pull out a red rope from the wardrobe. Her heart skipped a beat, and Chu Li suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Husband, listen to me, Elong is not an actor, he is an evil creature that cast the lightning curse on you…” Chu Li said without thinking, but then saw Shang Xinglan holding the red rope and slowly walking towards him.
He lowered his gaze to Chu Li's face, seemingly thinking she was still making up excuses, and said in a low voice, "Put your hands behind your back."
Her tone was fierce, but she found Shang Xinglan quite adorable even like that.
Chu Li swallowed hard and whispered, "I'm not lying, it's true."
Her wrists were wrapped with red rope, as if he had planned how to tie her up many times in his mind, his movements were extremely skillful.
Warm, wet kisses traveled from her cheek and ear all the way to her neck. Chu Li's body tensed up, and the places where she was kissed felt itchy. She instinctively tried to dodge, but Shang Xinglan suddenly grabbed the rope and pulled her back.
"If you run around again, I'll break your legs."
Upon hearing this, Chu Li couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Shang Xinglan gave her a cold glare, then pinched her cheek. "What's so funny?"
Chu Li couldn't hold back any longer. She remembered how Shang Xinglan used to pretend to be a detached and emotionless monk, but in reality, he was thinking of tying her up and breaking her legs if she dared to run away.
It seems he read a lot of storybooks when he was young, just like Yin Yin.
"Then hurry up, I have important things to do," Chu Li coaxed him gently. "Is fifteen minutes okay?"
Shang Xinglan: "..."
He suddenly leaned down and bit her, quickly tearing open her blouse. Did she think he was so easily fooled?
They always lied to him about serious matters, treating him like a fool and making him run around in circles.
She smiles so happily at others, yet she steals money and is still willing to give away rewards. It seems that Chu Li can live more freely as long as he is not by her side.
Why should she? He is her husband, and should be the person closest to her in this world.
He didn't want to take things slowly at all.
Achu is his wife, his destined wife, the wife arranged by fate.
The red rope was tied tighter, leaving ambiguous marks on her fair and soft skin. Chu Li struggled a couple of times, but Shang Xinglan pushed her into the corner again.
He rarely showed such willfulness towards her, no longer worrying whether doing so would upset or frighten her, completely revealing the side of himself that he least wanted her to see.
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Li lay in the soft quilt, her forehead soaked with sweat, and her eyelashes glistening with tiny teardrops.
It really hurts, but it's much better than the time I drugged him.
The knot was tied very tightly, and she couldn't break free at all. Chu Li felt a little scared. She was afraid that Shang Xinglan would really tie her up here forever. If three days passed, wouldn't she be doomed?
"My husband, I really have something important to do, please listen to me..."
She called out softly, then quickly bit her lip, enduring the inappropriate sounds, but the other person ignored her and continued their actions.
Chu Li's eyelids twitched, and she couldn't hold back any longer, saying, "Shang Xinglan!"
Shang Xinglan paused slightly, then raised his hand and covered her lips.
Chu Li stared at him in astonishment, bit his hand, and said somewhat angrily as he let go, "Alright, fifteen minutes is up, I'm leaving!"
Hearing her words, Shang Xinglan looked at her intently, "Where are you going?"
Chu Li glared at him irritably, "Go take care of important business, saving your life."
The other person scoffed, not believing her at all. "Make up whatever you want, but don't even think about going anywhere from now on. My life is good, and it will get even better from now on."
He actually intended to do that... Chu Li bit her lower lip. She understood. Erlong knew that Shang Xinglan would bother her here, so he dared to send her to Shang Xinglan.
"Husband, you can't keep me locked up like this for the rest of my life," Chu Li took a breath and softened his voice, "Think about it, when the head of the family locked you up in the Shang family, weren't you in pain?"
Shang Xinglan froze abruptly, looking down at her.
He should have never told Achu about these things, so how did she know?
Chu Li blinked, squeezing out two tears of grievance, "How could you bear to make me suffer like you?"
The room fell silent; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, a hint of fierceness gradually appeared in Shang Xinglan's eyes. He stared straight at Chu Li and slowly said in a low voice, "I'm willing to do it."
Chu Li stared at him speechlessly. This was impossible. Shang Xinglan should have gotten up immediately and let her leave—that's what he always did before.
"You always use these words to stop me, to make me sympathize with you, to make me compromise for you, so that you can achieve your goals."
"I will not compromise anymore."
His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and he stroked her cheek with his fingertips for a moment before speaking coldly.
"Now, spread your legs."
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