I Have a Secret (Bonus Chapter) "May you be forever, year after year..."
The case of Qi Jinling has finally come to a close.
Out of respect for Shen You, Qi Jincheng ultimately did not sentence Shen Yao to death.
He may escape the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment.
Shen Yao was sentenced to exile and was never allowed to return to the capital until his death.
However, the Shen family's title was retained because Shen You had made contributions in the Qi Jinling case, and the title of Marquis of Chengde was inherited by her.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the people were all talking about it.
After all, although there were precedents for women inheriting titles in the Great Qi, they were still rare and would always attract more attention.
However, the gossip on the streets was quickly replaced by the excitement of the approaching Spring Festival in December.
On New Year's Eve, the air was frosty and chilly, yet a few sparse stars could be seen.
All the gates of Lin'an City were open, the streets were bustling, and the candlelight was so bright that it almost illuminated the night sky.
The streets were teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder.
Even the wind on a winter night seemed to soften a little at this moment.
Half past 7 PM, a carriage bearing the insignia of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion stopped in front of the Marquis of Chengde's mansion.
A pair of black and gold boots landed firmly on the horse stool. The man was dressed in a dark brocade robe with wide sleeves. The cloak that should have been draped over him was now covering the girl he was holding horizontally in his arms.
At the palace banquet, Ye Mingyu knew that Shen You liked osmanthus wine, so she specially prepared it for her. Shen You was in a good mood and drank a little more.
The osmanthus wine had a strong aftereffect, and she was already feeling tipsy on the way back.
At the entrance of the Shen residence, Steward Liu waited to the side. He was already used to seeing his young lady being carried back by the Duke of Zhenguo.
However, as the two approached, he smelled a faint aroma of wine. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the Duke say, "Prepare a hangover soup."
"Yes," Butler Liu replied and withdrew.
Chu Xiao carried the person steadily, passing through corridors and pavilions, towards Wen Gui Courtyard.
Once inside the main room, Shen You lifted her cloak and slipped directly out of his arms.
He instinctively reached out to help her, but she brushed his hand away, saying, "No need, I can walk."
Chu Xiao looked at her with a half-smile, and followed her words, "Then can you hold my hand and walk with me?"
Upon hearing this, Shen You turned around to look at him.
The girl's usually clear and bright almond-shaped eyes were now misty, with reddish corners and upturned as if trying to seduce people.
Her lips were a deep pink, and her cheeks were also pink.
Unlike her usual aloof and elegant demeanor, she now possesses a more charming and lovely quality.
Chu Xiao's heart pounded, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he reached out to her.
Shen You smiled, then suddenly leaned in and lightly poked his chest with her finger. "Chu Xiao, I have another secret."
Do you want to hear it?
"What secret?"
Shen You blinked mysteriously, then tiptoed to whisper something in his ear.
The girl's warm and sweet scent wafted over, and Chu Xiao's hand, which had been loosely around her waist, suddenly tightened. His pupils flickered, and his dark eyes seemed to be surging with waves.
“Chen You…”
He spoke, his voice hoarse.
He then suddenly leaned down, matching her height, and pulled her tightly into his arms.
"What have I done to deserve meeting you?"
Shen You said, "When you were escorted back to the capital from the border, I secretly put croton seeds in the horse feed."
Chu Xiao recalled that Qi Wulin had falsely accused his parents and sentenced them to death, along with their entire family.
At that time, he was training at the border when he was urgently ordered to be escorted back to the capital.
Countless times along the way, I tried to find a chance to escape, but I failed.
When they arrived at the outskirts of Lin'an, the escorting soldiers handed him over to the soldiers sent by Qi Wulin.
On the way back to Lin'an, the horses suddenly all got diarrhea, catching the soldiers off guard. That's how he and Mu Geng escaped in the chaos.
Over the years, he had also wondered whether the mass diarrhea of horses at that time was caused by human intervention.
At that time, Lin'an was in a state of panic, with people in the court and the public in a state of fear. Everyone was thinking about protecting themselves, and the few court officials who were willing to speak up for the Chu family were all imprisoned by Qi Wulin.
The rest of them, no one dared to speak up for them anymore.
He thought it was just his fate to survive, but he never expected that the person who had been silently helping him was the little girl he had met once in the snow.
Shen You was held tightly in his arms, laughing happily, "Am I smart?"
Her tone was sly, and her voice was sweet and charming, completely different from usual.
He was truly drunk.
Chu Xiao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his heart burning and tingling, his heart pounding uncontrollably. He tightened his arms around her, wishing he could merge her into his very bones.
Shen You was lifted up by him, her feet off the ground and on his shoes, her waist arched backward, pressed into a slight curve by him.
Her eyes shone brightly, and she had a magnanimous air about her saying, "I saved you but I don't ask for anything in return." She patted his shoulder and said, "I don't need your repayment. Don't be too touched."
The man's deep gaze fell on her face, his breath hot, his voice slightly hoarse, "You'll have to pay back."
"What kind of reward?"
She froze, blankly asking back, her usual quick wit gone, her reactions much slower.
The lust in Chu Xiao's eyes instantly turned as dark as ink. He grabbed her head and lowered his head to kiss her.
"To serve you."
The low-pitched words dissipated between their intertwined lips.
Caught off guard, Shen You let out a soft moan as he kissed her, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and obediently accepted his kiss.
The warm, humid air gradually settled on her neck, and the hands that had been around her waist moved along her supple waistline.
Her collar and belt were loose, and her clothes were disheveled.
The girl's fair skin shimmered with a pearly luster in the candlelight.
He pressed her down, deepening his kisses.
Shen You staggered backward, retreating until his calves touched the edge of the bed, leaving him with nowhere to go.
"Waaah..."
Just when she thought she was about to fall, Chu Xiao had already hooked his arm around her waist and turned her around.
The two lay intertwined in the bedding.
She is on top.
He took her hand and guided it to his waist.
With a "thud," the waist belt was thrown to the ground.
Shen You seemed to have regained some clarity. Her eyes, which were filled with tears, opened slightly, and even the sensation under her hands felt more real.
The man had a firm, muscular build, with clearly defined bulges on his waist and abdomen. A prominent blue vein on one of them was taut and throbbed slightly as the girl's soft fingertips gently stroked it.
As if she had discovered something amusing, Shen You sat up on him, broke away from his kiss, and looked down at him carefully.
Chu Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and he grabbed her waist, about to flip her over and pin her down.
But she held him down.
"Don't move!"
With a very domineering voice, she declared, "I'm going to sit like this!"
He looked at her, his eyes filled with a deep, dark, and fierce intensity, yet he still managed to ask with restraint, "Do you like it this way?"
Shen You didn't understand, but simply nodded, "I like it."
"good."
Shen You didn't know what he was so interested in, but the next moment, he was grabbed by the waist and moved to a different position.
What was so powerful and impatient was suppressed by her.
She bit her lip, her body trembling slightly, and called his name in a tearful voice.
"Chu Xiao..."
“I’m here,” he said, sitting up and kissing her. “Want to do it yourself?”
"No..." Shen You shook her head, tears sliding down her cheeks, making her look especially pitiful against the pink around her eyes.
She had been drinking, so while she wasn't completely unconscious, she had no strength left.
How can I do it myself?
But before she could finish speaking, she lost her voice.
The man's strength was fierce, yet he understood her body extremely well.
Shen You sobbed as she leaned on his shoulder, her body rising and falling like a small raft on the sea, controlled by the waves, constantly surging towards the bottomless abyss of desire.
She could even clearly feel his vigorous strength, his powerful waist fierce and unrestrained, with no excess in his muscles.
When he held her, it was like a wild beast being tethered; he tried his best to restrain himself, but he couldn't suppress his desires in the slightest.
But he silenced her almost uttered pleas for mercy, and he captured her lips and tongue tightly, sweeping deep into her mouth and consuming every inch of her breath.
Tears welled in the girl's eyes, her waist was taut, and her skin was covered with the marks he had left on her.
The tassels on the bed curtains swayed, the candlelight on the floor candlestick flickered, and the light and shadow on the landscape screen also flickered.
On a dry, cold winter night, the bedside room was damp and warm.
Shen You looked as if she had been pulled out of the water, her black hair at her temples damp with tears or sweat, and she called his name in a hoarse voice, as if pleading or encouraging him.
He spun her around, hugging her tightly from behind, and lowered his head to kiss her smooth, slender back.
Shen You trembled, almost unable to even kneel down.
I don't know how much time passed, until I heard the sound of fireworks and firecrackers outside.
The sound was somewhat somber, yet exceptionally clear, even through the courtyard wall.
One sound after another—it's easy to imagine how lively Lin'an City must be right now.
Shen You was startled by the sound of firecrackers and couldn't help but shrink back, which elicited a low groan from the man.
He pulled her into his arms and gently held her heartbeat as if to comfort her.
The windows inside the house were tightly closed, and through the paper windows, one could vaguely glimpse the dazzling colors of fireworks.
Shen You, her eyes glazed, reached out and hugged him, hearing him ask softly, "Do you want to see fireworks?"
She was startled, realizing what he was about to do, and hurriedly shook her head, "...I won't look."
But it was too late; Chu Xiao simply picked her up and carried her off the bed.
Shen You nestled in his arms, biting his shoulder, still refusing, "I won't look, I won't look."
She resisted fiercely, so Chu Xiao stopped and gently kissed her, soothingly saying, "Okay, I won't look."
"I'll listen to you."
Only after receiving his assurance did her tense body relax slightly, and she completely lost her strength, leaving her no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
Fireworks were dazzling, and firecrackers were set off in a lively atmosphere.
As the New Year's cheers rang out, Chu Xiao kissed her lips, his voice deep and husky, "Chen You, Happy New Year."
Shen You was completely unable to speak, and could only barely call out his name.
Even so, Chu Xiao was extremely satisfied.
How wonderful that he was able to reunite with her.
He will have another chance to be by her side.
In the middle of the night, snow suddenly began to fall outside the window.
It fell softly, highlighting the clear moonlight that filled the courtyard.
Shen You trembled gently, like the first snowflakes on a branch.
With a shake, it turned into water in the air.
A passionate and intense lovemaking session exhausted Shen You. When Chu Xiao carried her back to bed after washing her, the sound of firecrackers could still be heard from outside.
Shen You was still sleepy-eyed, and although he had sobered up, his mind was still muddled.
She could only feel him carefully wiping her slightly damp hair with a handkerchief before turning off the light and getting into bed.
In the dim light, she followed the warmth of his body and took the initiative to hug him.
Chu Xiao pulled her into his arms, staring at the top of the bed curtains, feeling that life was just like this, what more could a husband ask for?
A moment later, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead, whispering, "It's snowing."
May Shenyou be safe and sound year after year, and may all his wishes be fulfilled.
(The End)
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Author's Note: My first book on Jinjiang Literature City, "Why Is My Ex-Husband So Clingy?", has been completed after more than two months!
The new story will likely be titled "My Brother Coaxes Me," and the synopsis is below. If you're interested, please add it to your favorites. Updates will be based on rankings before VIP chapters, and daily updates after VIP chapters. ↓
[Reborn female x Male with dual personality]
[Little Sunshine × True Protector]
Previous life.
Jiang Jin also misjudged people. She could have been a precious jewel, but she was misled by the words of a scumbag and desperately wanted to leave the Marquis's mansion and her brother who had no blood relation to her.
She hated his rigid and serious nature, yet on that rainy night, he pinned her against the table.
The man's dark, bloodshot eyes stared intently at her. "Are you really going to leave me?"
In order to escape Pei Wanghuai, she did not hesitate to drug him and even stab him with a knife, finally achieving her goal.
But when she ran to her fiancé, with whom she had secretly pledged her life, he abandoned her like trash, and she ultimately died tragically in the wilderness.
Having been reborn, Jiang Jin's heart and eyes are still only for Pei Wanghuai.
She knew he had nightmares as a child, and she knew that beneath his cold and unparalleled face lay another person.
It doesn't matter, whether it's rigid and serious or sinister and obsessive, she wants it all.
***
Pei Wanghuai once held a bright pearl in his palm.
Later, Mingzhu grew tired of him and hated him for breaking her up with her fiancé.
She hated him even more for locking her in the room every time there was a stormy night, greedily and frantically inhaling the fragrance of her neck.
Hate to the point of...
He personally plunged the sharp blade into him.
But later, Mingzhu ran towards him, lifting her skirt, her bright smile revealing only him in her eyes.
He could no longer suppress the frantic pounding in his chest.
That's all.
In the end, neither he nor she could escape her.
***
Ten years ago,
Amidst the raging sands of the border, Pei Wanghuai, covered in blood, laid an amputation for Jiang Jinye's brother and led her back to the capital.
He told her, "From now on, I will be your elder brother."
Ten years later,
Within the walls of the Marquis's mansion, he held her on his lap, his nose pressed against her delicate neck, a dark glint swirling in his piercing eyes, his voice deep and resonant.
"Do you like me, or do you like him more?"
#Falling in love with my best friend's sister
#Became my friend's brother-in-law
#I'm jealous of myself
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