sincere
He Yue brought over a bowl of medicinal soup, saying it was to nourish her body. Jiang Mian smelled it and almost vomited.
"It's too bitter, I won't drink it."
He Yue didn't force him, but said ambiguously, "Miss, you should go along with the young master's wishes. Perhaps if the young master is happy, he will let you leave here."
Jiang Mian blushed as she recalled Shen Ji's crazy actions last night. He Yue was right; Shen Ji was more responsive to gentle persuasion than force. Every time she acted coquettishly towards him, he would quickly fulfill her requests, and every time she resisted, he would become even more excited.
Thinking of this, she lowered her eyes and said, "It's a bit bitter. Could you find me some candied fruit?"
"yes."
Not long after, He Yue found a few candied fruits. Jiang Mian drank them and felt an indescribable bitterness in her mouth.
"You can go now, I need to rest."
"Yes." He Yue glanced at her, turned and left, making sure to lock the doors and windows before leaving.
Seeing her cautious demeanor, Jiang Mian's palms were sweating. Once the woman was completely out of sight, she took out a set of keys from under the covers and quietly went to the window.
Half an hour later.
He Yue rushed to Shen Ji and knelt down, saying, "Young Master, the young lady is missing."
"I know."
Shen Ji calmly placed a piece on the chessboard, not even raising his eyes upon hearing the words.
He Yue exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master already knew..."
"Go back first, pretend nothing happened, and continue to watch over her."
"Yes." Upon receiving the instruction, He Yue quickly got up.
After she left, Shen Ji casually moved the chess pieces in his hand, his dark eyes calmly staring at the chessboard. After a while, he curled his lips into a smile.
She won't leave.
He deliberately left that bunch of keys, and he also transferred the guards outside the door. He knew she wouldn't stay there peacefully, so he gave her the opportunity to move freely. He didn't mean to confine her; it was just that there was a troublesome matter at the moment.
Song Mingyan is on his way to Jeju.
If he comes, it means someone else is trying to take her away from him.
That's not a good idea.
Shen Ji calmly placed the chess piece in a crucial position, then suddenly felt a bit bored and casually flipped through the scrolls beside him.
I found it at a roadside stall.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the illustrations and text, and suddenly it was as if he had discovered a new continent.
So that's why it was damp and soft.
Shen Ji remained calm and finished reading the book in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. He had a photographic memory, so he naturally understood why Jiang Mian had teased him last night.
He smiled, his eyes gleaming with intense interest.
**
Jiang Mian never thought she could leave so easily. This courtyard was not far from the main street, and it wouldn't be long before she reached the Shen residence. She originally wanted to go back directly, but then she thought that Shen Ji had said she had gone back to Yangzhou to visit relatives. If she went back now, wouldn't that be a contradiction?
How will she explain that she didn't go to Yangzhou?
After much thought, Jiang Mian found a teahouse and considered what to do next.
She needed a legitimate reason to separate from Shen Ji; otherwise, no matter where she went, he could easily drag her back.
But if she directly told him that she didn't like him anymore and wanted to leave his side, she was afraid that he would lock her up completely before she even left the room.
Jiang Mian was somewhat troubled. He Yue said that she should go along with Shen Ji's wishes, but handing over the initiative to someone else and waiting was not what she wanted. Rather than waiting for Shen Ji to get married and ending up in a miserable situation, she would rather break up with him as soon as possible.
Jiang Mian pondered all morning but still couldn't come up with anything. Although she had escaped briefly, she had nowhere to stay, and in the end, she returned to that secluded courtyard.
She thought she had cleverly avoided everyone, but as soon as she entered the room, she noticed a gaze on her from behind.
She turned around instinctively, but the two words seemed impossible to utter. Her mind was filled with thoughts of when he appeared and whether he had noticed she had left.
"Mianniang, come here." Fortunately, his gaze only lasted for a brief moment. He seemed not to have noticed her leaving from outside and said casually.
Jiang Mian walked over and then noticed the chessboard in front of him.
"Do you know how to play chess?" he asked gently, staring at the chessboard.
Jiang Mian shook her head and answered truthfully, "No."
"Then I'll teach you." He smiled and gestured for her to sit opposite him.
Jiang Mian wanted to say that she wasn't really interested. If he had taught her chess before she knew his true colors, she would have jumped for joy. But now, she couldn't figure out what he was going to do next, so she could only be vigilant and wary, afraid of falling into a trap.
"Cousin, I'm a little tired."
"Is that so? Then we can do something else." Shen Ji said meaningfully, his eyes devoid of emotion, but Jiang Mian sensed that he wasn't very happy at the moment.
Thinking of her own life, Jiang Mian laughed and said, "I'm not tired anymore, cousin. Let's play chess instead."
"Then sit down." Shen Ji withdrew his gaze.
At this moment, he sat upright in his seat, just like when she first met him. She was initially deceived by his cool and gentle face, thinking that she had met a rare gentleman. But she never expected that after peeling back the skin, he would turn out to be a black-hearted man.
“Mianniang, if you look at me again, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”
Shen Ji smiled gently, his slender, jade-like fingers picking up a chess piece, his dark eyes gleaming with a subtle light. For a moment, Jiang Mian was stunned.
Hearing his words, she involuntarily looked away, the absurdity of last night flashing through her mind, her gaze inexplicably falling on his beautiful lips again...
"Mianniang, you're peeking at me."
Caught red-handed, Jiang Mian retorted confidently, "How did my cousin know I was looking at you? I was clearly looking at the screen behind you. The pattern there is beautiful."
Shen Ji smiled silently, not revealing her thoughts.
Jiang Mian also withdrew her gaze. She stared at the white jade chessboard, but her thoughts drifted away. She had lied earlier; it wasn't that she couldn't play chess, but rather that she didn't want to.
Her chess skills were taught by that man, and since he left, she has been determined to forget everything related to him, so she no longer plays chess.
But Shen Ji's voice was gentle and patient, and gradually, Jiang Mian felt that she was not so resistant anymore. She regained some of her past memories, and soon she was able to fight him.
Seeing her familiar playing style, Shen Ji's lips, which had been curved in a smile, pressed down inch by inch.
As dusk fell, Jiang Mian didn't realize how quickly time had passed. She stretched her wrists, feeling a little tired: "Cousin, let's call it a day."
"Alright." Shen Ji calmly withdrew his gaze, ordered the chessboard on the table to be removed, and then brought up dinner. Jiang Mian saw that he showed no sign of leaving, so she knew that he would be staying again tonight.
She suddenly couldn't quite describe her feelings; she felt a bit suffocated and a bit lost.
She didn't know what she meant to Shen Ji now. Was she a pet he liked for a while, someone he would tease when he was in a good mood, or was she just someone whose possessiveness prevented him from touching her, as she was now tainted by something else?
Jiang Mian wanted to ask, but was afraid of getting an answer she didn't like, so she simply lowered her head and ate her dinner in small bites.
"Eat more, you'll get tired later." Shen Ji put some food into her bowl, and Jiang Mian suddenly put down her bowl and looked at him calmly.
"Cousin, when can I leave here?"
Shen Ji also put down his chopsticks. His expression was indifferent, but there was a hint of taking it for granted in his eyes: "I said that when you have me in your heart, I will let you go."
“But I’m already by your side, isn’t that enough?” Jiang Mian was taken aback, as if she hadn’t expected him to answer like that. He wanted her to have him all in her heart, but what about him? His heart wasn’t entirely filled with her.
“Not enough,” Shen Ji said calmly.
He looked at the confusion in her eyes, then suddenly leaned closer, gently touched her heart with his hand, and with a hint of mockery in his eyes, he ruthlessly peeled away the thin veil.
“From the very beginning, you approached me with a purpose. You used me to get rid of the Jiang family’s control. Now that you’ve grown up, you want to cut ties with me. Mian Niang, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
"I've fulfilled all your requests, Mianniang. Shouldn't you fulfill my request too?"
Shen Ji placed his palm on her chest and could feel her heart beating faster and faster, as if her secret had been exposed, making her nervous and helpless.
He admired the expression on her face, but felt as if a soft knife had been used to cut open a part of his heart.
From the very beginning, she appeared before him looking pitiful in order to win his affection.
Such a clumsy lie, so obvious that it could be seen through at a glance, yet he was still bewitched, compromising for her time and time again.
That day in front of the Shen Mansion, she suddenly called out to him, her eyes full of caution and dependence, and said thank you.
That night, he went out to look for Songyuan, and she pitifully begged him to stay with her.
At Jing'an Temple, she said she wanted to sleep with him, and even pretended to hug him in her sleep.
If she hadn't approached him time and time again, how could he have felt such a flutter in his heart? Now, she wants to withdraw, to sever all ties with him, and even secretly date someone else. How can he bear this?
So he secretly locked her up. Anyway, he was never a gentleman, and he would have enough patience to wait until she fell in love with him and could never leave him again.
The girl's eyes trembled. The satisfaction he mentioned was nothing more than forcing her to fall in love with him. But that was not so easy. If she kept trying to leave, wouldn't he keep her locked up for the rest of her life?
She couldn't quite believe it. She felt that the person in front of her was unpredictable and she didn't know what she had done to offend him or how many people he had planted around her. It seemed that her every move was seen through his eyes.
How terrifying.
“Cousin…” she pleaded, using her most frequent tactic, the tears in her eyes just right, trying to soften his heart.
This time, however, the young man did not comply with her request.
He lowered his gaze, his thin lips brushed against her ear, and his deep voice slowly rang out: "My request is very simple: I will let you go when you fall in love with me."
"Cousin, I..."
“Mianniang, don’t say things against your conscience. If you were given a choice now, I’m afraid you would choose freedom without hesitation between me and freedom.”
Jiang Mian's fingers, gripping the hem of her clothes, turned slightly white. Indeed, if she had a choice, she would prefer to say goodbye to him now.
but……
She looked up at him, somewhat dazed. His handsome, aloof face no longer bore any resemblance to the one she once knew.
He reached out and lifted her chin, his lips slowly moving to the corner of her mouth: "I've said it before, some things, once started, are irreversible. Instead of thinking about running away, you should think about something else."
"Others?" She bit her lip, somewhat puzzled.
Shen Ji easily pried open her lips, forcing her to open her mouth and kiss him. He slowly and gently bit the soft flesh hidden between his teeth, hooking her tongue and making a certain ambiguous smacking sound.
Jiang Mian's body was still a little weak, and she subconsciously placed her hand on his shoulder. The young man took the opportunity to lift her up by the waist and whispered something in her ear in a gentle tone.
Jiang Mian's face flushed instantly.
She shook her head in protest, but before long, she slowly lost her senses in his tenderness and affection.
She felt that something was wrong with her.
The Shen Ji before her was completely different from the one she liked, yet she felt she wanted to be with him.
I'm reluctant to leave...
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