Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Forced Kiss.
Xue Yuanyin's heart was pounding, and her heart, which had been dead just now, seemed to be rekindled in an instant. She subconsciously ran towards him, but suddenly stopped. The first thing she thought of was, what if Xue Chang found out?
She then realized that Xue Chang was in the imperial study tonight to discuss matters concerning the Western Qiang disturbance on the border, and would be back very late. He would not arrest her and beat her again.
Then she thought of someone who might tell on her, and she subconsciously looked at Liu Minyan, only to see him looking at her and sighing:
"Unfortunately, the engagement didn't go smoothly. I still can't call her 'fiancée'."
The implication is that he will not tell on anyone, as he knows his own identity.
Liu Minyan felt only regret. If that voice had been delayed a few seconds, he could have been in her presence. But how could anything in the world go as one wishes?
He shook his cloak, got into the carriage and left.
Xue Yuanyin then turned to look at Zhang Jingxuan. He got off the carriage and looked at her quietly.
"you……"
She approached him, but suddenly felt timid. Before she could say anything, he suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pressed her against the side of the carriage. A bony hand removed her veil, grasped her thin chin, and lifted it with force.
Zhang Jingxuan stared at her intently, his fingertips clenched tightly, almost crushing her jaw.
Xue Yuanyin suddenly felt dazed. The person who arrived before him was actually the pleasant pine scent on his body.
Then her back was hit against the wall of the carriage. The whip marks had not yet healed completely, and she froze in pain and let out a soft hiss.
Zhang Jingxuan seemed to think that the palm of his hand pinching her chin hurt her, so he loosened the grip a little and looked at the slightly red and swollen half of her face in the moonlight, his eyes fixed on it.
He looked at it too bluntly, causing Xue Yuanyin's cheeks, which had begun to feel better, to start burning again, and she almost looked miserable.
She tried to turn her head away, trying to hide half of her face.
"Who hit you in the face?"
Zhang Jingxuan pinched her chin, straightened her face, and gently stroked her slightly red cheek with his fingertips. His calm eyes suppressed something, and he asked slowly:
"Is it your father? Marquis Qing'an? He beat you? Why?"
Xue Yuanyin pursed her lips.
Why did he beat her? Because she was disobedient and desperately wanted to send a letter asking him why he hadn't come to look for her.
Why did he beat her? Because Xue Chang was so smart that he saw through her hidden thoughts and wanted to use the most cruel means to make her give up.
But when these words were explained, they took on a different meaning, as if they were blaming him, sounding extremely undignified, and even a bit like begging for the other person's mercy and love, directly showing weakness.
How could she have the status and position to question him? How could she explain to him? Why should she be the one to bow first?
Xue Yuanyin didn't want to admit that she was a failure, and she didn't want to admit that she felt so wronged that she wanted to cry.
This heart was like a piece of dry grass. When it was ignited by Zhang Jingxuan, it immediately burned up and started beating so hard that it almost burst out.
She had her own self-esteem. She held back her tears, her eyes were red, but she stubbornly refused to speak.
"You had a quarrel with him? Because of that poor scholar?"
Zhang Jingxuan suppressed his anger, and his tone was somewhat sarcastic, even a little more chilling than usual:
"You're just going to stand there and take the beating? Don't you know how to fight back?"
The blow on Xue Yuanyin's back made her almost unable to stand. Hearing this blunt and cold rebuke, she felt a huge sense of grievance and anger in her heart, which made her throat dry and blocked, and she could hardly make a sound.
But she didn't want to show weakness and shed tears, so she forced herself to suppress her emotions. She pretended to be calm, kept her voice steady, and said coldly:
"Zhang Jingxuan, are you here tonight just to blame me? If so, then go back. I'm in a bad mood and don't want to argue with you, let alone hear any blame!"
Zhang Jingxuan straightened his lips slightly, endured for a while, and finally slowed down his voice:
"Come here, let me see your face."
Xue Yuanyin was annoyed by his aggressive attitude, which pushed her into a corner step by step, leaving her no chance to hide her scars and no excuse to pretend.
Seeing that his attitude softened again and he was about to come closer, Xue Yuanyin reached out and pushed him, holding back the slight lump in his throat, showing disgust on his face, and said sarcastically:
"What's there to see? Master Zhang is so busy with his official duties, how could I bother you to remember such a small matter as mine?"
Zhang Jingxuan frowned slightly, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Xue Yuanyin couldn't shake him off and was forced to get closer to him, barely turning her head to avoid the red and swollen half of her face.
She tried her best to avoid her cheek, and forgot for a moment that there was an injury on her back. Her collar was slightly open, revealing the light blue mark under her slender white neck.
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly turned her over with force, pressed her against the wall of the carriage, held Xue Yuanyin's arms, and regardless of her struggles, forcibly pulled open her cloak and the laces of her top, revealing a large area of purple and mottled skin on her back.
I saw a large area of blue whip marks on the beautiful and slender back of the little girl, almost covering the skin on her back, which was almost shocking.
Although the pain has faded, it is not difficult to imagine how badly he was injured and what kind of severe beating and heart-wrenching pain he endured.
Zhang Jingxuan's arms stiffened slightly, his gaze fell on it, his eyes completely frozen, and he stayed there for a long time.
After a while, his fingertips gently fell on the whip marks on the shoulder blades. The blue bruises on the fair and delicate back had not yet faded, which showed how severely she had been beaten.
Judging from the marks, she must have been severely whipped, at least ten times. He couldn't imagine how much pain she must have felt.
How old is she? She's only seventeen years old. How can she withstand a caning with such a skinny body?!
The moment Zhang Jingxuan gently stroked her skin, the girl shivered slightly, perhaps because she was cold or itchy.
Although this place is under the mulberry tree and hidden from the public view due to the darkness, it is still at the edge of the street. If you pay attention, you can see the two people pulling each other after walking a few steps.
Xue Yuanyin felt her cheeks burning, not knowing whether it was shame or anger, and she struggled hard: "Zhang Jingxuan! You are molesting me! Let me go! Do you hear me?!"
But Zhang Jingxuan was incredibly strong, pinning her against the carriage wall, unable to move at all. This position made her feel somewhat humiliated.
It was a little cold at night, and the cold wind and his warm fingertips brushed across the unhealed bruises on her back, with a gentle force but a clear presence.
Her hands and feet were cold, and her body was shaking slightly. She was so cold that she almost cried.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Jingxuan finally closed her collar, gathered her cloak, fastened her belt, and turned her over.
He lowered his eyes to look at her, as if suppressing something in his eyes. His Adam's apple rolled up and down, and after a while, he said in a hoarse voice:
"Did the Marquis of Qing'an whip you? On the day you last left Chun Gui Alley?"
Xue Yuanyin closed her eyes. She knew that Zhang Jingxuan had seen the wounds on her back.
The wounds on her body didn't hurt anymore, but the scars were still a little itchy. But for some reason, when he touched her, the pain came back again, making her breathing difficult.
She remained silent, feeling dejected and powerless, not knowing what to say.
She looked at him and said with a slight self-deprecating tone, "Is this important to you?"
Zhang Jingxuan's eyes fell directly on her, and he said in a softer voice:
"I guessed right, didn't I?"
Xue Yuanyin's body trembled again. She suddenly felt not only embarrassed but also humiliated.
Her injuries were clearly on the verge of heal, and she could clearly pretend nothing had happened and maintain her original pride. It was obvious that he and she could still keep their tacit understanding and just have an affair, without speaking openly about these shameful things.
But he was too sharp and too smart, and she didn't even have time to hide.
Xue Yuanyin actually wanted to hide it. She didn't want him to see her in such a miserable state. It was like she was pretending to be pitiful and had no dignity at all.
But he saw it, asked about it, and guessed the truth.
If a child is often not comforted, she will get used to it. But after she is hurt, if someone comes in like the bright moon, comforts her, and asks her why she is sad, then the child will not be able to help feeling wronged and will burst into tears.
Xue Yuanyin felt her eyes were about to sore, but why was this? Zhang Jingxuan had only said a few words, why was she so useless?
She pursed her lips tightly, unwilling to answer: "You are wrong."
He refused to say another word.
Anger surged in Zhang Jingxuan's chest once again, his gentle face clouded over with rage, his lips strained, yet he couldn't vent his anger. Finally, he forced his emotions down, enduring until a dull ache clung to his chest.
He frowned and looked at her straight.
Only today did he realize that Xue Yuanyin had the ability to provoke him so much. She was so stubborn and resolute that it almost made him grit his teeth.
Zhang Jingxuan suppressed the slight resentment in his heart and said coldly:
"Aren't you good at provoking me? Why do you become so shameless when you fall into someone else's hands? We haven't seen each other for a few days, and you've hurt yourself so much?"
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but raise her voice. Even though she tried to remain calm, she couldn't hide her red eyes and slightly trembling voice:
"Could you please stop talking like that! Did you come here just to laugh at me?!"
She took a deep breath and said:
"You're wrong. I didn't go to your appointment because I wanted to marry Liu Minyan. Zhang Qu, don't think too highly of yourself, and don't think I'm after you!"
Thinking of the previous bet, Xue Yuanyin pretended to be relaxed and said provocatively with his arms folded across his chest:
"Zhang Qu, have you forgotten that we have a bet? Don't tell me you are going to lose?"
Zhang Jingxuan clenched his fists tightly, trying to regain his usual composure, but he couldn't find any opportunity to calm down. He looked at her with his light brown eyes and spoke word by word:
"Xue Yuanyin, is this your true intention to marry Liu Minyan?"
Xue Yuanyin's heart trembled at his question. She felt pain all over her body, but she refused to give in.
"Don't worry about it, I just like him, I like Liu Minyan."
Zhang Jingxuan tried his best to look at her calmly, but his heart ached with anger, and he almost squeezed out a word from between his teeth:
"Xue Yuanyin, do you dare to look me in the eyes and say that again?!"
Xue Yuanyin was impatient with his questioning, perhaps because she felt wronged, so wronged that she wanted to cry. She wanted him to comfort her a little, but she didn't want to admit her thoughts.
There were also some reasons that she herself could not explain, she just knew that she could not bow her head in front of him. Once she bowed her head, she would lose.
In the dark night, the girl's lips turned white from the cold, but her lychee eyes still looked at him stubbornly and said:
"Just say it, why shouldn't I say it? Zhang Qu, I don't want to hear you questioning me here! What right do you have to ask these questions?! I'm telling you, I don't absolutely need you! And aren't you also looking for a matchmaker everywhere? I just did the same thing as you, what gives you the right to be so aggressive and accuse me? And I've heard about the maid who stuffed you with something that knows everything..."
Zhang Jingxuan was almost laughing at her words. On his white jade-like face, the corners of his eyes showed a thin layer of red as he tried to suppress his anger.
He suddenly grabbed her hand, pulled it towards his arms, lowered his head and forced his lips against hers.
Xue Yuanyin's eyes widened and he finally calmed down.
It seemed as if something soft, wet and hot covered her lips, pressing against them so hard that her heart skipped a beat.
Zhang Jingxuan put his arms around her back and slowly closed his eyes.
The girl's lips were incredibly soft, like a piece of slightly elastic tofu. He touched her lips and teeth gently and with pressure, tasting the wetness of someone's saliva.
The person in his arms shrank subconsciously, as if greatly frightened, and wanted to step back, but he held her gently, not letting her move away.
He lingered on her lips gently, restrainedly and forcefully.
The winter sacrifice ceremony will begin tomorrow. Tonight, every household is preparing snacks and staying up late to celebrate the winter solstice. But in a corner of the street on that cold winter night, he and she are kissing quietly.
After a moment, Zhang Jingxuan tilted his head slightly and kissed her lips.
He knows exactly what he is doing.
Kissing, or rather, forcibly kissing.
Winter nights are extremely difficult to endure: cold, lonely, and with dead trees and branches scattered all over the ground. It is not a good time, nor a good place.
It can even be said that it happened in a ridiculous way that caught people off guard.
If nothing unexpected happened, he should have left calmly and resolutely on his way back today.
But this world cannot be fair to fate, just as many things almost never happen. For example, the wooden dragonfly in Qingxi Town can fly to the capital without any internal force, the thick layer of ice on the stream at Nantang Temple cannot be melted even in midsummer, the golden light of the Buddha statue in the Zhang Mansion Ancestral Hall can be seen, and his noble and upright character, his feelings for her, remained clear until his death.
So, his love responded before his hatred, and he was moved.
I don't know when it started or how long it has been around.
When he had to face it, he had to admit that it had actually been firmly rooted there.
Love and hate should be suppressed deep in the heart, but God chose to plant them in the soil, sucking his bone marrow and flesh wantonly and madly.
Just let the wind blow, let the frost bear, let it grow.
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