Chapter 32 Feed Me
Xue Lanyi suddenly felt her wrist being gripped tighter, and she involuntarily trembled.
Freshly peeled longans rolled down the mountain of fruit, crashing to the ground and splattering everywhere. Xue Lanyi hurriedly tried to squat down to pick them up, but was held captive by a heavy gaze, her body stiffening and unable to move.
Only then did she realize that Wei Zhang had been staring at the fruit on the plate.
She didn't actually peel the dates or pit the longans.
Just now, while preparing ingredients for Wei Zhang, her mind was filled with thoughts of Wei Xuan's condition.
Therefore, subconsciously and habitually, he peeled the red dates and longans into the shapes that Wei Xuan liked.
Did Wei Zhang discover something?
Xue Lanyi wasn't sure, but since the fruit had already been placed in front of him, there was no reason for her to back down.
She forced herself to remain calm, picked up a longan, and fed it to Wei Zhang, "Are you hungry? Would you like to eat a couple of longans to tide you over?"
"He doesn't deserve it."
In his mind, the old lady's voice pulled Wei Zhang back into his memories.
The day after Xue Lanyi's birthday banquet, after the royal horse race.
Wei Xuan fell off his horse and broke his leg, while Wei Zhang was punished by being made to kneel in the courtyard of the Dowager Lady of Chong'an Hall.
At that time, Xue Lanyi and the old lady were peeling longans and red dates in the corridor ten steps away from him, and stewing tonics for Wei Xuan.
He knelt under the tree, starving all day, teetering on the verge of collapse.
“Ah Zhang didn’t trip Ah Xuan on purpose, Madam, please allow him to go back and have something to eat.”
Xue Lanyi always had a sweet tongue; her clear, melodious voice was like a cool breeze in the courtyard during the height of summer.
"He didn't do it on purpose."
The old lady's voice, however, was like the scorching sun overhead, burning every inch of Wei Zhang's skin: "In order to win first place, he actually used a whip to trip his brother's horse's leg!"
His brother fell to the ground, dragging his broken leg, chasing after him and shouting that he shouldn't compete for first place, that he should never compete. Did he stop?
He was determined to win first place and the prize; wasn't he doing it on purpose?
The more the old lady thought about it, the angrier she became. She smashed the white jade porcelain incense burner that Wei Zhang had won back onto the ground.
The incense burner and incense holder were broken into pieces.
Fragments flew, slicing open Wei Zhang's face, and a trail of blood dripped down his cheek.
He lowered his head even further, staring intently at the shards of porcelain on the ground, letting the blood stain the white porcelain red.
After a long while, a dragon-headed staff appeared before him.
He raised his head, and the old matriarch pointed at his nose, "The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has stood for a hundred years because of the brotherly love and respect between brothers. As the younger brother, you should assist your elder brother and put him first in everything. If you are competitive and disregard brotherly affection, then you are not worthy to be the heir of the Duke's mansion!"
"Mother, I..."
Wei Zhang wanted to explain, but the old lady had already left without looking back, heading towards her brother's place.
He doesn't understand.
He just wanted to prove that he wasn't useless by staying in the manor.
He just wanted to win once and personally deliver the incense set to the old lady.
Is there anything wrong with that?
Unable to find the answer, he silently picked up the broken pieces of porcelain from the mud and put them into the hem of his clothes.
The porcelain shards were so sharp that they cut my hands and left them covered in blood.
“Ah Zhang”.
A yellow skirt caught his eye.
Xue Lanyi squatted down and handed him a plate of longan. "These are the fruits left over from making medicine for Ah Xuan. You haven't eaten all day, so make do with these to tide you over."
Seeing that his hands were covered in mud, Xue Lanyi picked up a longan and held it to his lips.
He pursed his lips tightly.
"It's alright, try it, it's very sweet." She took a step closer, her fingertips, stained with nail polish, glowing pink.
It was even more translucent than that longan.
Wei Zhang's gaze barely touched it before he immediately lowered his head and shook it repeatedly.
The old lady's words, "He is not worthy," kept echoing in his mind.
He was born to assist his elder brother; he could not stand out, could not be competitive, and could not have his own likes and dislikes.
In everything, the elder brother should come first.
Otherwise, he would not be worthy of being the son of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, nor worthy of his parents' love or his brothers' affection.
He doesn't deserve anything.
Deserves nothing
...
But why shouldn't he be worthy?
Aren't they all direct descendants of the Duke of Zhenguo's family?
Why should he be content to play a supporting role and let others decide his fate?
Wei Zhang's eyes suddenly cleared, and in his increasingly clear vision was the fruit that Xue Lanyi carefully offered to him.
In reality, when Xue Lanyi saw him lost in thought and silent for a long time, she was actually very nervous and wanted to withdraw her outstretched hand but dared not.
"Yun Jian, would you like some fruit?"
"eat."
He deserves the finest delicacies and most beautiful women in the world.
Only those who lack ability can only cower in a dark room, drinking a bowl of bitter medicine and reminiscing about the past.
A surge of pleasure flashed through Wei Zhang's heart, and he parted his thin lips slightly, "Feed me."
Xue Lanyi saw extreme aggression in his eyes.
Her heart inexplicably quickened, and she offered the longan to his lips.
As soon as her fingertips approached his cool lips, Wei Zhang tilted his head back and took half a step back, frowning as he looked at her hands covered in jujube peels.
He didn't like her hands, which had peeled things for others and linked pinky fingers with others.
His gaze lingered on her face before settling on her small lips.
That was a place only he had explored.
His eyes darkened. "Hold it in your mouth, then bring it over."
Xue Lanyi had no interest in playing these kinds of games with him, and her hand remained frozen in mid-air.
Wei Zhang's eyes darkened further.
When he returned to his room today, his whole demeanor was very somber.
Xue Lanyi sensed that he was unhappy.
She didn't know why he was unhappy, but she knew that if she upset him any further, it would be Xue Lanyi who would suffer.
She pursed her lips, but still managed to put a longan in her mouth.
The longan looked even more translucent against the red lips.
And the lips stained with fruit juice also exuded a unique charm.
Wei Zhang bent down, about to open his lips and bite the fruit, but then stopped.
With such beautiful scenery before us, wouldn't it be a pity to admire it alone?
His lips stopped a finger's width away from Xue Lanyi, and his body suddenly leaned forward.
A dark figure, clad in a black cloak, loomed over them like a mountain.
Caught off guard.
Xue Lanyi subconsciously took half a step back, only to fall back onto the couch, looking up at him helplessly.
Tears welled up in the beauty's eyes, and a longan fell from her lips.
Wei Zhang pressed his long finger against the fruit flesh and stuffed it back into his stiff, slightly open mouth.
"Hold it in, hold it tight." His voice was deep and left no room for argument.
Still shaken, Xue Lanyi followed his instructions and put the fruit back between her lips.
Wei Zhang finally smiled with pleasure because of her cleverness. While fiddling with the plump longan, he ordered Ying Qi, "Bring the silkworm cocoon paper that was delivered to the mansion today."
"Here you go!"
A moment later, Ying Qi bowed and brought the brush and ink into the room.
Upon entering the room, one sees a woman sitting gracefully under the moonlight, wearing a red cloak and a white gauze dress. Her delicate face is bathed in a soft glow, resembling Guanyin.
But her long hair was loose, and her pert red lips held a pearl.
It is clearly pure and holy, yet it also exudes a touch of allure.
Unlike Qingyang, Yingqi was quick-witted and was momentarily stunned.
"Get out." Wei Zhang rarely spoke so rudely, his displeasure evident.
Yingqi hurriedly placed the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the low table and ran off as if her feet were greased.
Xue Lanyi was well aware that she was being observed like an object, and she felt extremely uncomfortable, wanting to get up.
But Wei Zhang was standing right in front of her, and she had nowhere to put her feet.
"Haven't you always wanted me to paint a portrait of you? Let's do it today."
He laid the silkworm cocoon paper on the low table and smoothed out the wrinkles with his fingers.
The silkworm cocoon paper was as delicate as silk, and its bright white luster resembled Xue Lanyi's skin tone.
It also faintly exudes the fragrance of sandalwood, its color and aroma seemingly specially woven to suit Xue Lanyi's skin.
Wei Zhang's hand, adorned with a white jade thumb ring, gently stroked the paper. Although he didn't touch Xue Lanyi, she felt as if he had caressed her entire skin, a strange sensation she couldn't quite describe.
I've heard that the paper mills in the city specially developed this kind of silkworm cocoon paper, which resembles a woman's skin, to be used to draw erotic works for the enjoyment of women in their boudoirs.
Xue Lanyi suddenly realized that what he wanted to paint was far more than just a portrait.
She didn't want to be the model for that kind of beautiful work, and she wanted to spit out the fruit in her mouth.
“You used to be very willing, so why won’t you even paint with me now?” Wei Zhang sighed softly.
When Xue Lanyi was suffering from amnesia, she did hope that he would paint her portrait, and she timidly mentioned it to him a few times, but he never agreed.
Now that he has offered to paint her portrait, if she refuses, he will inevitably become suspicious.
Xue Lanyi shook her head, biting the fruit between her teeth, before she could manage to speak coherently, "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just..."
Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was watering. She quickly put the fruit in her mouth to stop the gushing nectar, but some moisture still spilled from the corners of her lips.
Such beauty, almost out of control, shouldn't it be painted?
A fleeting look of appreciation crossed Wei Zhang's eyes, but his expression remained largely unchanged. He stood as still as a pine or bamboo, sleeves tucked, wrist suspended, brush moistened, and began to paint.
The calligraphy and paintings of Grand Secretary Wei are priceless and rarely seen by ordinary people.
I've heard that many students make a special trip to climb the walls of Qutan Temple just to see the Guanyin statue made by him.
I also heard that the Guanyin statue was compassionate and radiant, shining with Buddha's light, like a goddess descending to earth amidst thousands of stars.
Now that Xue Lanyi was admiring his paintings up close, she realized that the rumors were true. His paintings were so lifelike that the women's faces on the paper were vividly portrayed with just a few strokes.
Xue Lanyi was terrified of the pen in his hand, because she didn't know what he would do with the painting.
She subconsciously moved behind the daybed.
Wei Zhang seemed to have anticipated this, and his long fingers caught the sash around her neck.
Her movement caused the ties to loosen, and the cloak slipped off her shoulders in an instant.
She had already taken a bath and was only wearing a white gauze nightgown.
With her back to the window, the moonlight shone through, revealing her graceful figure beneath the white gauze.
Xue Lanyi was no stranger to erotic paintings, and fearing that he would continue to undress her, she quickly crossed her arms and looked at him with her watery eyes.
It seemed like a plea for help, or a pleas for mercy.
It's even more beautiful now.
“Be good, tilt your head back, and I won’t take it off anymore,” Wei Zhang said in a deep voice.
Xue Lanyi dared not move again. Following his instructions, she placed her hands on the couch, held the pearl fruit in her mouth, and faced him.
Wei Zhang had one hand behind his back, while using the other to sketch the beautiful woman's pitiful appearance.
He always acted calmly and meticulously, his soft brush swirling and sweeping across the skin-like paper, depicting every detail, even the small mole in the redness at the corner of his eye.
Xue Lanyi's lips had long since become stiff and sore from holding the fruit in her mouth, and she kept swallowing her saliva, almost unable to hold it any longer.
"Relax, what's wrong with letting it flow out?" Wei Zhang coaxed patiently.
At this moment, the affectionate eyes, the delicate nose, and the tears in the corners of the eyes are all vividly depicted on the paper, but the lips are not painted.
He stopped writing, suspended his wrist, and looked up at the glistening sweet juice flowing between Xue Lanyi's red lips.
He is waiting.
But Xue Lanyi didn't want to be so embarrassed that she couldn't even hold her saliva in her mouth.
She has lost control of her body and mind. If she can't even control such a small thing, what self-respect does she have left?
Xue Lanyi raised her neck, her neck line elongated, her Adam's apple bobbing as she swallowed the saliva that was about to burst from her mouth.
She's still too stubborn.
Wei Zhang smiled nonchalantly, then suddenly bent down and licked her earlobe.
The humid heat enveloped her in waves.
"Listen to me, I won't mind."
A deep, magnetic voice simultaneously entered Xue Lanyi's ears.
Xue Lanyi's body inevitably felt a tingling sensation, and the longan in her mouth could no longer be held, trickling down the corner of her mouth.
The glistening juice trickled down her neck, flowing into her collarbone and soaking into her clothes.
Wei Zhang lowered his eyes and followed the abundant juice, watching it continuously soak his clothes.
He opened his lips, took the glistening white fruit from between her lips, and chewed it slowly.
The juice was infused with the scent of her lip gloss, and a faint, lingering aroma of sandalwood emanating from her mouth.
Honey-glazed cheese should be prepared in this way to truly be considered a delicacy.
They wanted to appease Wei Xuan by offering him what he had eaten and left over.
How dare she?
Wei Zhang's thin lips kissed her lips lightly. "The honey-glazed cheese was very delicious today. Make it according to this recipe from now on, okay?"
His unyielding breath was so close, spraying onto Xue Lanyi's face.
Like taming a cat or dog.
Xue Lanyi didn't want to answer him. She fumbled for a handkerchief on the couch, trying to wipe the mess off her body.
But she was covered in sugar stains and didn't even have a clean handkerchief, so she simply rolled up her sleeves to wipe her mouth.
"Don't move." Wei Zhang wasn't finished yet. He lifted her chin and looked her in the eye.
Only then could he see clearly every detail between her lips and teeth. With his other hand, he held a brush and drew her slightly parted lips, as well as the murky, sticky moisture clinging to her lips and tongue.
"Is it pretty?" He pinched her chin and turned to the low table.
On the glistening silkworm cocoon paper, a woman in a plain white dress has fruit juice flowing down her face and neck.
Despite her disheveled state, she still lightly nibbled on the pearl fruit while the painter was painting, her eyes glazed over, putting on a fawning act of being intoxicated by the moment and letting him ravage her.
What's so appealing about it?
This is clearly an insult!
A flash of resentment crossed Xue Lanyi's eyes.
In just a moment, Wei Zhang easily caught her dissatisfaction.
She would never have looked at him like that before.
In bed, they would occasionally indulge in some little romantic gestures.
She not only doesn't refuse, but sometimes even responds boldly.
Now, all she has is some longan juice and a hazy painting, yet she has such rebellious feelings.
Ultimately, he was distracted and disloyal.
Wei Zhang felt it necessary to remind her of her identity.
He suddenly pulled her into his arms, took her hand from behind, and guided her to trace the slightly parted red lips and barely contained saliva of the beauty in the painting. "Look again, isn't it beautiful?"
From his vantage point, Xue Lanyi looked down at the painting, and the woman's coy and affected expression became even more pronounced.
In fact, when she was teaching at the brothel, her mother would make all sorts of erotic expressions and movements on the couch in order to sell the girls for a good price, and the girls would make them look more attractive in order to have a better future. The artists would then paint them vividly and realistically.
Xue Lanyi was often whipped by her mother for refusing to paint.
She never imagined that after enduring two years of torture, she would still not escape the misfortune of painting such erotic works.
She wanted nothing more than to tear it apart, so how could she possibly say "it looks good"?
She didn't speak.
Wei Zhang only sensed her increasingly stubborn temper.
Just three days ago, when they were completely open with each other, he held her hand and traced his outline, asking her if it looked good.
Her eyes were still fixed on his image, and she said with a shy blush and tender expression, "He's handsome, Yun Jian is the most handsome."
How could someone with such a silver tongue change so quickly in just a few days?
She has always been a woman of two words and two hearts, from childhood to adulthood.
A surge of emotion welled up in Wei Zhang's chest, yet he kissed her earlobe even more gently.
He kissed her intermittently from above her earlobe all the way down to her earlobe, but in the end, he didn't hear her give in.
He chuckled softly in her ear, "You always acted like this when we were making love. Wasn't it beautiful?"
Xue Lanyi's head buzzed, and she looked at Wei Zhang in disbelief.
Wei Zhang also looked at her, "It was even more intense than in this painting the other day. You said you liked it, hmm?"
"Wei Zhang!"
Xue Lanyi interrupted him.
All the beautiful images that had been buried in my mind came flooding back.
Those undisguised affections, like mandarin ducks entwined in the curtains.
She didn't want to remember, but he deliberately breathed hot air on her neck, causing those memories to seep out from every pore.
It felt like knives were cutting into Xue Lanyi's flesh.
She felt ashamed, uncomfortable, and even more so, unable to bear Wei Zhang's deliberate provocation.
In an instant, shame overcame reason.
She abruptly pushed his arm away and stormed out the door.
The door creaked and swayed back and forth, and the fruit plate on the low table fell to the ground, leaving a mess.
Wei Zhang's embrace fell empty; the scent of sandalwood still lingered on the girl's sleeves, but she had run away.
She dared to run away...
For three years, she didn't even dare to speak loudly in front of him, but this time she openly abandoned him.
Was it Wei Xuan's return that gave her confidence?
Or perhaps she still wanted to protect something for Wei Xuan?
Wei Zhang's eyes suddenly darkened.
The air in the dormitory seemed to freeze.
The dim lamp on the table flickered on and off.
When Qingyang entered the room, he saw the Crown Prince standing alone in the inner room, looking out the window.
The elongated shadow was projected onto the window paper, like a giant net enveloping the direction Xue Lanyi had left in.
Qingyang felt a pang of sorrow and bowed outside the beaded curtain to report, "Your Highness, it seems that your concubine has gone towards the old house in the south..."
Wei Zhang did not respond, but slowly withdrew his gaze and landed on the slightly messy painting.
"Brother, are you feeling better?" he asked casually, while his hand lightly brushed across the beauty's face with a brush, deliberately adding a few blushes to the corners of her eyes and cheeks.
Such an emotional state makes it all the more realistic.
The young master appeared too calm, and Qingyang knew this was not a good sign. He bowed respectfully and reported, "The young master is much better after taking the medicine. He can move and speak again."
"It seems that Aunt's tonic soup is still the best. Let her send more from now on, and no one should stop her."
"Here you go!"
Qingyang understood the hidden meaning in the prince's words, and his voice grew weaker and weaker.
Wei Zhang, however, remained calm and collected. He took the seal and pressed it onto the shoulder blade of the painting of the beauty, then folded the scroll neatly and handed it to Qingyang. "Send this to my brother as a congratulatory gift to celebrate his new life."
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