The next day, sunlight streamed in through the window lattice of the door, and the person on the cot groggily woke up.
A startled cry rang out, and the magpies chirping on the branches outside were frightened and flapped their wings, flying away.
Inside the room, Wang Wan sat up, her clothes disheveled. She stared in shock at the person lying beside her, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
Xie Xuan had already woken up, but upon hearing her scream, he slowly opened his eyes.
The two locked eyes, and her usually gentle face showed panic and confusion.
Xie Xuan calmly got up, the quilt slipping down to his waist as he moved, revealing his fair chest with clearly visible scratch marks.
Wang Wan looked down at her body, her face instantly turning bright red with fright.
"What...what happened?"
Xie Xuan glanced at her when he heard her words.
She was only wearing a bodice, her smooth, jade-like skin was covered with red marks, and her eyes were brimming with tears, making her look pitiful.
Wang Wan noticed his gaze, snatched the blanket and wrapped it around her naked body, curled up in the corner, and angrily said with red eyes.
"Are you crazy?"
Xie Xuan didn't mind, leaning against the bed with his bare chest exposed, and explained.
“Yesterday I came in to bring medicine to my sister-in-law and saw that you were unconscious. I was afraid that you were cold, so I carried you to bed to rest.”
"But to my surprise, my sister-in-law kept grabbing me and tearing at my clothes. Look, there are still nail marks on my clothes."
Wang Wan bit her lip in anger. She had been obedient since childhood and never made a fuss while sleeping, so why was she clinging to someone?
She wanted to argue, but looking at the scratches on his chest, she bit her lip and couldn't say a word.
Xie Xuan noticed the moisture in her eyes and spoke softly.
"I said to Madam Wang, how about exchanging the betrothal gifts and getting married?"
Wang Wan tried her best to suppress the anger in her heart.
"No need."
She and Xie Er had an agreement that they would not interfere with each other after marriage. Xie Er had a leg ailment and would not touch her. This dying body, if she lost it, she would lose it.
"We've already had physical intimacy, shouldn't my sister-in-law take responsibility for me?"
He suddenly moved closer, enveloping her in black mist.
Wang Wan slapped him across the face in anger, her rosy lips trembling as she cursed.
"You're completely insane, disregarding all human ethics."
Xie Xuan wasn't angry even after being hit. Looking at her vivid expression, he licked his lips.
Wang Wan tried her best to regain her senses and pushed him.
"Get out of here, and we'll pretend this never happened."
"They've taken advantage of you and are now denying everything. I wonder what Second Brother will do if he finds out?"
He raised an eyebrow nonchalantly, stood up, picked up the red robe hanging on the rosewood dragon-patterned clothes rack, and draped it over his shoulders.
Wang Wan was angered by his words and issued a warning.
"Don't go out and talk nonsense."
As she lay dying, all she wanted was to spend the rest of her life peacefully with Xie Er, not to become a pawn and be manipulated by others.
Xie Xuan glanced sideways at her, looking pitiful as she curled up on the bed, and smiled.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, I won't say anything out of line, but if my second brother asks, I can't lie."
Wang Wan angrily kneaded the quilt, "What exactly do you want?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he strode over, scooped her up, and pulled her into his arms.
Wang Wan was horrified and instinctively covered her private parts, then kicked him.
"Break off your engagement with my second brother and marry me, how about it?"
He held her tightly, pressing her against the edge of the bed.
Wang Wan gritted her teeth, "Xie Er and I are engaged long ago and will be getting married soon. The whole aristocratic family knows about our marriage. The young master of the Xie family of Chenjun is not shameless enough to steal his brother's wife, is he? Once it gets out, the Xie family and the Wang family will become a laughing stock among the aristocratic families."
She was always so calm and restrained, thinking of the bigger picture and considering the reputation and interests of her family.
good.
very good.
Xie Xuan sneered, "You know me. I've been hanging out with Yan Er in the North for a long time, and I'm capable of anything."
After saying that, he leaned down and kissed her lips.
Wang Wan was shocked and froze for a moment, unable to react.
His passionate kisses lingered in his mouth.
She snapped out of her daze, angrily shoved him, and broken curses spilled from her mouth.
Xie Xuan pretended not to hear and pulled her down onto the couch.
"Would you like me to demonstrate how you clung to me last night?"
Wang Wan glared at him with red eyes, "We both come from prestigious families, we have our pride."
Xie Xuan smiled dismissively, "Of course."
He said that, but his actions were incredibly annoying.
Wang Wanzhen was so angry with him that she pushed him away and cursed at him.
When Xie Xuan heard that her voice was hoarse, he knew that she was suffering from a heart ailment and was afraid that she would have a heart attack from anger, so he paused and stopped what he was doing.
He buried his face in her neck, sucking greedily, without saying a word.
"Get out of the way."
Wang Wan's eyes reddened with anger, and her voice was weak.
Xie Xuan held her down without moving.
A silence fell between the two.
Wang Wan turned her eyes away angrily, her gaze becoming slightly vacant as she couldn't help but think of the past.
She suffered from a heart condition since childhood and was frail and sickly, rarely leaving the house. The year she came of age, many people came to the mansion, and she excitedly changed into a red dress to go out and watch the excitement.
That was the first time she met Xie Xuan.
He and his brother were childhood friends. When she was picking peach blossoms in the peach grove, she bumped into him and suddenly suffered a heart attack, vomiting blood all over him.
Later, she often saw him at the mansion.
The two only exchanged glances from a distance and didn't talk much. Later, they heard that he often sought medical treatment in other places and rarely returned to Yandu.
But on the night she got engaged to Xie Er, he suddenly returned from the north and waited for her outside in the snow.
She was quick-witted and understood his thoughts.
But she knew that the Xie family was deeply entrenched and had heard her brother mention the sordid things he had done, so she didn't want to get involved in the Xie family's disputes.
After Xie Er fell ill with his leg, he withdrew from the struggles within the Xie family and lived a life of seclusion.
She longed for a peaceful and tranquil life.
"Xie Xuan, let's pretend that what happened last night never happened, okay?"
Hearing her low, hoarse, and embarrassed voice, Xie Xuan paused and stood up.
Wang Wan quickly pulled the blanket over herself.
“My second brother was married before, and he loved his deceased wife deeply. If you marry into the family, won’t you be lonely every night?”
He leaned against the bedside, looking at her with amusement.
Wang Wan felt slightly embarrassed as she listened to his pointed words.
She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, lowered her head, and said, "It's a political marriage, there's no such thing as love."
"I'm also from the Xie family, why don't you arrange a marriage with me?"
Wang Wan was startled and looked up at him.
The young master of the Xie family was handsome and dashing, with eyebrows and eyes like the moon. Although there was a smile on his lips, there was no smile in his eyes, but rather a hint of disdain and sneer.
She knew that he was currently enjoying great influence and power within the Xie family of Chenjun, and that even lower-ranking families were eager to curry favor with him. She was certain that he would have no shortage of beautiful wives and concubines in the future, as is the way it always was with powerful families.
Her frail body could perish at any moment.
It would be better to quietly marry Xie Er and live a secluded life in a remote corner.
"Your second brother and I have already exchanged birth certificates and will be getting married soon. So stop talking nonsense."
After she finished speaking, she wrapped herself in the quilt and reached out to pick up the dress on the ground.
Xie Xuan coldly watched her movements, then got up and walked away.
"Then I wish my sister-in-law and second brother a harmonious and loving marriage."
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