Breaking in
"Master, everything is arranged."
"Hmm." The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Jiang Mian hid behind a pillar, praying that the person wouldn't come here.
Perhaps it's true that what you fear most is what you're bound to encounter. Her mind went blank, her heart pounded wildly, and the footsteps drew closer until finally, she pushed open the door.
Shen Ji paused slightly. Something was wrong with the room; it was as if someone had been there.
He was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of a small figure by the window. Perhaps it was because he had been too busy these past few days, but he felt that the figure looked exactly like her.
He walked forward without making a sound and saw a more familiar dress. It seemed that she had been wearing this dress when she entered the palace today.
Shen Ji was somewhat dazed; everything before him seemed like a dream. It wasn't until he walked behind the screen and grabbed the wrist of the panicked girl that he finally spoke, his tone still showing some surprise: "Mian Niang?"
Jiang Mian raised her head in a daze. The handsome yet aloof face in front of her could only belong to Shen Ji.
She never expected that when she was desperate, the person she would meet would be him.
The search outside is ongoing, and they will surely find this place soon. The only course of action now is—
"Cousin, please help me, please help me."
...
"Wait, the Empress Dowager has given instructions that no one may step into this place without permission."
Suddenly, there were more people outside. Jiang Mian looked out the window and saw some guards appear. They didn't force their way in, but stayed for a moment before turning around and leaving.
Jiang Mian breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, her heart was in turmoil again.
What's my cousin doing here?
She had clearly agreed that they would be even, but this time, it seems she owes him a favor again.
Tonight, in order to avoid this, she cannot leave, but there seems to be only one bed in this room, so she...
"Cousin, may I stay the night?"
Jiang Mian asked cautiously. She knew the request was absurd, but going outside would likely mean certain death, while staying here was like heaven.
"What are the conditions?"
Shen Ji looked at her indifferently. She was so heartless as to push him away time and time again, yet she would always barge into his world without permission. She was always like this: she would appear without saying hello and leave without ever looking back.
They trampled his sincerity on the ground time and time again, as if anyone could be more important than him.
even……
Shen Ji's gaze fell on her disheveled hair. She always acted this way, disregarding everything and putting herself in dangerous situations.
condition……
Jiang Mian pursed her lips. She knew she must be in a very awkward situation right now. It seemed that every time she saw Shen Ji, she was in such an embarrassing situation. She had nothing now and could barely take care of herself, so she had no chance to win his heart.
Only this body remains.
He used to like it a lot, but I don't know if he's still interested now.
"Someone, prepare water."
Before his thoughts were clear, Shen Ji suddenly gave an order. Soon after, Yun Qing came in and was clearly taken aback when she saw Jiang Mian. This was the place where the Crown Prince of Yong'an had once lived. Why would the Fifth Miss be here?
Moreover, the young master is clearly in a bad mood tonight.
Yun Qing worked quickly and soon had the water ready. Jiang Mian stood by, bewildered, looking at him blankly.
"I'll wait for you outside."
Shen Ji tossed out a sentence and left without looking back. Jiang Mian sighed. What's meant to happen will happen. Compared to a name, a body is the least valuable thing.
She just didn't know how to face him.
Jiang Mian washed up quickly. She didn't know what was in the bathtub, but it felt very comfortable. She lingered a little longer, but suddenly a cold voice came from the outside.
"If you're not afraid of death, then stay a little longer."
Left with no other choice, Jiang Mian quickly wiped herself clean, got dressed, and came out.
Shen Ji was already lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or not.
He almost never spoke harshly to her.
Even his past threats were mostly tinged with tenderness and helplessness, but now they are so ruthless. She finally realized that her cousin was no longer the same cousin he used to be.
This is good, as it allows their relationship to be more straightforward, without the worry of owing favors to others.
Jiang Mian paused by the screen for a moment, then slowly climbed onto his bed.
She was relieved that the lights were off in the room at that moment.
The pitch-black space seemed to give her boundless courage. She reached out and hugged his waist, clearly feeling his body stiffen. Jiang Mian pursed her lips, but did not pull her hand back.
She moved very gently, but it was still inevitable that she would bump into something.
Just as she was about to untie his jade belt.
The young man finally turned around, his eyes so cold they seemed to devour her. He gritted his teeth and said, "Jiang Mian, do you take this initiative with everyone?"
"I..." She pursed her lips, unable to explain herself, and even more confused as to why he had suddenly turned on her.
Looking into her innocent eyes, Shen Ji felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, with nowhere to vent it. Did she even know what she was doing? He had never taught her these tricks; where had she learned them from?
Song Mingyan? Jiang Qiyu? Or Xie Zheng?
Even after leaving him, so many people are still willing to fawn over her. Does she even care about him? He hates himself for her self-degrading behavior. He knows she's heartless and ungrateful, but he can't help it and can't bear to see her like this.
The two were very close together in bed.
He pressed his wrist against hers, and with just a slight tilt of his head, he could touch her lips. This intimate contact seemed to have been absent ever since they left that mansion in Jeju.
He looked at that face. He had fantasized about it countless times in his dreams, but every time, he would dream that she left so heartlessly and cruelly.
She wished he would no longer be a part of her world.
He suppressed his overwhelming longing and didn't go to her, but why could she defy him time and time again and intrude into his seemingly peaceful life?
Jiang Mian, you delivered this to my doorstep.
From now on, I will never let go again.
Even if it's hatred, he won't let go.
Love and hate are intertwined, but hate lasts longer than love.
He wouldn't give her a chance to leave; even if it meant death, they would die together.
Shen Ji kissed her without any mercy, and the two of them were stunned for a moment when their lips touched.
Jiang Mian didn't know why Shen Ji was angry, nor did she know why he suddenly kissed her. She closed her eyes, her mind filled with complicated emotions.
Shen Ji felt a joy of having something lost and then regained it. He couldn't help but soften the kiss, but also deepen it. After a long time, he reluctantly let go of her.
Jiang Mian had already made preparations for what was to come, but unexpectedly he suddenly got off the ground and said, "This is the former residence of Prince Yong'an."
Prince Yong'an?
It feels so familiar.
She had just passed by the Imperial Garden, and the two people entwined together seemed to have mentioned this name.
"Come here." Shen Ji walked to a memorial tablet.
Jiang Mian obediently followed instructions, tidied her clothes and hair, and came to Shen Ji's side.
She hadn't had a chance to properly look around the room in her haste, but now she saw two memorial tablets standing on them.
Immediately, Shen Ji knelt down, and Jiang Mian also knelt down.
"Light an incense stick."
He said calmly.
Jiang Mian did as she was told. Not only that, she also bowed twice. Someone who could earn such respect from Shen Ji must be extremely good.
Today is the anniversary of their deaths.
Suddenly, Shen Ji spoke. His voice was different from before, carrying an indescribable negativity. Jiang Mian had never seen him like this before. With all the glamour washed away, it seemed that this was his most authentic self: lonely, desolate, and no one could truly enter his heart.
Her gaze returned to the two memorial tablets above, and then she looked at Shen Ji.
"Although I don't know who they are or what they mean to you, I believe they definitely don't want you to be sad."
The girl's light words carried a comforting tone. A cool breeze blew, and the dark clouds that had been obscuring the moonlight gently dispersed, allowing the bright sunlight to shine on the high platform. In that instant, the shadow that had enveloped the young man vanished, and the desolation in his eyes gradually faded away.
He looked up and gazed into those bright, sparkling eyes.
The light he had been yearning for all this time seemed to finally be falling upon him.
The bright moon shines alone.
He had never been so lucky.
"Mian Niang."
In his solitude, he revealed such a vulnerable expression for the first time, as if all his pent-up emotions were now leaking out.
Like a lost child, he grasped at the light before him and was reluctant to let go.
"Stay."
Touched, Jiang Mian couldn't help but reach out and grasp his hand.
Fingertips intertwined, just like before.
However, this time, she saw all his pain, and he would never let go.
Jiang Mian didn't ask who the two memorial tablets belonged to, nor did she ask why he was here tonight. The two understood each other perfectly, enjoying this brief companionship and comfort. No matter what the future held, at least tonight, all past worries vanished, and only what was before them was real.
She sat there with Shen Ji all night, not knowing how she fell asleep, but when she woke up, Shen Ji was no longer beside her.
Only Yun Qing remained.
"The young master said that he has taken care of everything, so you don't need to worry. Do whatever you want to do."
The sun was shining brightly outside, and Jiang Mian couldn't help but look back. This time, he was the one who left first.
She felt a strange sense of unease, a feeling that she shouldn't have slept last night, that...
In reality, it doesn't change anything.
Jiang Mian straightened her clothes and walked out, with Yun Qing following behind. He knew there were some things he shouldn't say, but if he didn't, the Fifth Miss would probably never know.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but add, "Actually, you've always been on my mind, young master. During the time you were away, I've been relying on medicine to fall asleep. But medicine is three parts poison, and that medicine is bad for my health."
"What?" Jiang Mian stopped in her tracks. She knew nothing about this.
She thought that Shen Ji was just like her, that if they agreed not to meet, they would never miss each other. Besides, she was the one who seduced him in the first place, and she didn't know that he would invest so much emotion in her.
Only now has Jiang Mian truly realized this.
Shen Ji seems to have a deeper and stronger feeling for her.
Those repeated attempts to keep her were all out of his insecurity. He was truly desperate, which is why he resorted to such methods to force her. But he didn't realize that some things, the more you try to hold on to them, the further they will drift away.
“Young master suffers from a cold ailment. Those medicines have conflicting effects with the medicines used to treat cold ailments. Also, the Gu poison that the young lady once ingested is also present in the young master's body. Moreover, the Gu poison in the young master's body is the mother Gu. When the child Gu suffers, the mother Gu will also be affected.”
Jiang Mian was completely stunned; she knew nothing about any of this.
He thought Shen Ji was dangerous, and in order to keep her, he didn't hesitate to use a curse on her. He was bound to do other uncontrollable things in the future, but she didn't expect that he would make her suffer as well.
A sudden gust of wind seemed to blow everything away.
She saw a completely different Shen Ji, a Shen Ji she had never seen before, whose outer skin had been torn away, exposing the flesh and blood beneath.
He was not as nonchalant and indifferent as he appeared on the surface.
He prefers to keep everything to himself, only revealing a small part of it.
She seems to.
You misunderstood him.
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