Behind the plum grove in Jinchi Garden is a row of side rooms for noble families to rest.
Xie Rongyue gently knocked on the door, and a maid opened it and led her inside.
She lifted the beaded curtain and walked inside; the room was white-walled.
Wang Hezhan was sitting on the soft couch, drinking wine with great gusto. When he saw her come in, he slightly raised his eyelids and called out to her.
"Come closer."
Xie Rongyue slowly walked over, but as soon as she did, he suddenly leaned down, grabbed her neck, and glared at her fiercely.
"Why are you sending this? Are you looking to die?"
Xie Rongyue's face turned ashen instantly as she was being choked.
"Let go—let go."
Wang Hezhan, with a cold face, threw her onto the soft couch.
The heart-wrenching cough was extremely jarring in the quiet room.
Before Xie Rongyue could say anything, he tore her clothes off.
Her eyes reddened with anger, and she struggled to push him away.
"No, get away."
"If not me, then who?" Wang Hezhan grabbed the back of her neck and sneered, "Whether you want that frail scholar from the Lu family or that old man from the Yan family."
Xie Rongyue glared at him with red eyes, "You did it!"
He scoffed, grabbed her cheek, and pinned her down.
"I'll give you two choices: either become my concubine or be a mistress who can't be seen in public. The choice is yours."
Enraged, Xie Rongyue directly tore off her mask and roared.
"You're dreaming. I am that old man's concubine—"
He suddenly pressed down hard, leaned down and bit her ear, as if to threaten her.
"Shut up, I'm warning you, if you dare to flirt with someone else again, I'll kill you."
His voice was ruthless, and his ambiguous smile was frightening.
Xie Rongyue was speechless, tears streaming down her face.
As the moon rose above the window, the maid outside, hearing the sobbing of the young woman inside, couldn't help but sigh.
By the time everything inside the house had fallen silent, it was almost dawn.
The faint sunlight slanted into the room, filling it with a beautiful glow.
The person on the soft couch was so tormented that they couldn't even sit up.
Wang Hezhan came out of the inner room, glanced at the person covered in bruises, and called out to the outside.
"Someone come here."
The maidservant who was serving outside came in upon hearing the noise, her head lowered, not daring to look closely.
"Serve her as she takes a bath."
When Xie Rongyue came out after taking a bath, she had changed into a clean set of clothes.
She glanced at the person eating slowly and deliberately, a flash of hatred crossing her eyes.
"come over."
A gentle, warm voice came from ahead, and she walked over with her eyes lowered.
Wang Hezhan glanced sideways, grabbed her, and she lost her balance and fell at his feet.
"That old man from the Yan family loves to torment people. If Yue'er marries into the family, things will be very different."
His long, slender, clean fingers suddenly lifted her chin, and he asked gently with his eyes.
Have you figured it out?
Xie Rongyue looked at his face, which was completely different from last night, and felt a slight chill run down her spine.
After a while.
She bit her lip, climbed her hands onto his legs, and asked in a soft voice.
"I am willing to serve the general, but after the general marries, can you let me leave?"
Wang Hezhan pretended to think for a moment, then stroked her face with his fingers and spoke.
"The moon is so tender and lovely, I can't bear to part with her, but—" He paused slightly, then smiled, "If you get tired of her later, you can let her go. I'll give you a thousand acres of fertile land, gold and silver to your name, and even help you find a good match. How about it?"
Xie Rongyue felt a surge of bitterness in her heart, a pain so intense it was suffocating.
She asked with a smile, "What if there isn't—"
"If I never get tired of you, I'll take care of you for life."
As he spoke, he lifted her up, held her in his arms, and chuckled.
"You seem to have a lot of confidence in yourself."
Xie Rongyue leaned against him without saying a word.
Wang Hezhan lifted her chin and kissed her moist lips.
Have you thought it through?
"I don't want to be a concubine or a mistress. I will tell the mistress that I'm going to the villa to recuperate and will not remarry. Is that alright?"
Upon hearing this, a flash of displeasure crossed Wang Hezhan's mind, but when he looked down at the tears welling up in her eyes, he didn't press her further and simply hummed in agreement.
Looking at her, he was tempted and reached out to untie her belt.
"Call me."
Despite her discomfort, Xie Rongyue called out to him in a sweet, delicate voice.
"continue."
"Brother He Zhan--"
-----
After returning to his residence, Chu Changning still wanted to subtly inquire about the matter of his cousin, but the next day, he heard that the cousin had consulted a fortune teller who said that he and Xie Rongyue were incompatible according to their fates, and the marriage was called off.
She couldn't help but chuckle. What on earth was going on?!
What are you thinking about?
Suddenly, a familiar scent enveloped her from behind, and she was abruptly pulled into his arms.
She glanced sideways and smelled a faint scent of blood on him, which made her feel nauseous.
"Start--Start opening."
Dissatisfied with her shoving, Yan Beimo grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into his arms.
"You smell of blood, go wash up first."
Hearing her say that, Yan Beimo scoffed and let go of her.
"Your nose is quite sensitive."
Chu Changning leaned on the table and twisted her waist to avoid him, refusing to argue.
Yan Beimo went to the washroom to take a bath. When he came out, he had changed into a moon-white robe. He was tall and slender, and the bright sunlight shone through the vermilion window, giving his gentle face a light glow.
The room was filled with the smoke of an underfloor heating system. Chu Changning lay reclining on a soft couch, reading a storybook, wearing only a thin dress.
Hearing the noise, she looked up and glanced at the source, her heart filled with disdain.
He puts on a respectable facade, but inside he's a pervert and a madman.
Yan Beimo noticed her fleeting glance, walked over, sat down, and pulled her onto his lap.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I won't hesitate to gouge your eyes out."
"---"
Chu Changning rolled her eyes at him inwardly, but outwardly nestled obediently in his arms, hooking her arms around his neck.
"Where is it? My eyes are crossed."
Yan Beimo didn't argue with her. He hugged her tightly, buried his face in her hair, and greedily took a deep breath.
"Why does it smell so good?"
Chu Changning, fearing he would come again, turned her head away and spoke.
When are you going to Chaodong?
"What? You want to wait until I leave before you run away?" He lowered his head and bit her neck. "I'll take you to Chaodong and put away your restless thoughts."
A slight stinging pain came from the soft flesh at the back of his neck, and Chu Changning couldn't help but gasp in pain.
She felt a slight resentment, but dared not oppose him. She had finally managed to put on an act to lower his guard and stop tormenting her; she couldn't let it all go to waste.
When the time is right, she will repay him for all the pain he has inflicted on her. One day, she will be able to leave this hypocrite and stop having to put on this act to please him.
"No, I was thinking that it's colder in the east than in Yandu, so I wanted to bring more clothes for the journey."
This trip to Chaodong is her best chance to seize power, so of course she has to go. Even if she fails, she can fake her death and leave herself a way out.
Yan Beimo paused slightly, leaned back on the soft pillow behind him, pinched her face and turned it towards him, looking directly into her eyes.
Chu Changning felt flustered under his gaze, so she pretended to be in pain and rolled around in his arms.
"It hurt so much to be pinched like that."
"Delicate."
He scolded her sternly, then held her slender waist and made her straddle his waist before leaning down to kiss her.
Chu Changning couldn't bear his intense desire any longer and pushed him away.
"The baby in my belly can't take it."
Yan Beimo slightly lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.
He touched her lips, then kneaded her hand, and chuckled softly.
“We’ve always used this place, what can’t he stand?”
"---"
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