Xiang Wan was startled, put down her wine glass, and asked softly, "Lie Feng, what are you talking about?"
"Don't you understand what I'm saying?" Shi Liefeng suddenly stood up, his gaze towards Xiang Wan cold and sharp. "These past few days, you've sent me out of the manor and kept Yuanyuan busy practicing calligraphy so you could plant people all over the place. Do you really think I didn't know?"
After a pause, Shi Liefeng continued, "If you're so wary of me, why did you marry me in the first place? Did you think I was weak and vulnerable and easy to bully?"
Shi Liefeng's sudden attack caught Xiang Wan off guard. She lowered her head and remained silent.
The atmosphere inside was heavy. Xiaoyuan and Xiaotuan wanted to come over to help, but Xiang Wan stopped them with a gesture. She told them to stand guard at the door and not let anyone in.
Xiaoyuan and Xiaotuan glanced at her worriedly, but ultimately left the room and closed the door behind them.
"Lie Feng, is that really what you think?" Xiang Wan asked softly.
Seeing that Shi Liefeng did not speak, Xiang Wan sighed and said, "When I first saw you, you were dressed in white, with a graceful demeanor. As you wrote, the movements and expressions of each stroke were just like those of a refined gentleman in a book. At that moment, I was moved and fell in love with you without hesitation."
On our wedding night, your reluctance, though not obvious, was clear to me; you didn't want to touch me. Your reaction was extremely obvious whenever I mentioned Shi Yuanyuan. Perhaps you didn't realize it yourself, but I could see it. You care more about your sister than you care about me.
I know I shouldn't be jealous of my sister-in-law, but I can't help it. Every time I get even a little close to you, you find an excuse to avoid me. Lie Feng, am I really that unattractive to you, so much so that you can't even touch me?
I thought that as long as I grew up, you would gradually fall in love with me. But these past few days, you haven't even once mentioned wanting to be with me.
Yes, I shouldn't be jealous, but it was only to get your attention. I arranged personnel in the manor because you never cared about me, and I was afraid. Afraid that you would fall for someone else, afraid that you would leave one day, and even more afraid that you would only know how to flatter and fawn, and never speak your true feelings.
"Fierce Wind, will we be together forever?"
As Xiang Wan spoke, tears streamed down her face. The original owner had truly loved him, but she had loved the wrong person. Her sincerity was misplaced, and she didn't know how to take it back, ultimately being tormented to the point of collapse.
Shi Liefeng looked at Xiang Wansheng, who was weeping bitterly, her small face full of a woman's sorrowful accusations, and he actually felt a little sorry for her.
He sighed, wanting to wipe away Xiang Wan's tears. He raised his hand to his eyes, but then, as if remembering something, he stopped less than an inch from Xiang Wan's cheek.
Xiang Wan grabbed his hand and rubbed it against her face. The moment it touched her, she noticed Shi Liefeng flinch and pull his hand back. Xiang Wan glanced at him questioningly, then lowered her head.
Shi Liefeng's expression was somewhat unpleasant. Seeing that Xiang Wan seemed a little upset, he wanted to comfort her but didn't know where to begin, so he fell silent.
Tears fell onto the floor, clearly visible in the quiet room.
"Wan'er, I..."
"You don't need to say anything, I know everything."
Shi Liefeng hesitated, then sighed and downed the wine in front of him in one gulp. He poured himself another glass and drank it all in one go.
Xiang, the drama queen, raised her hand and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, forcing a smile as she said, "I was going to drink with you, but I don't have much of an appetite now. You eat, I'll go inside and rest for a while."
Shi Liefeng didn't try to stop her, but just silently drank his wine. Xiang Wan slowly passed by him, secretly sprinkled another kind of medicine on the hem of Shi Liefeng's clothes, and turned around and walked out as if nothing had happened.
If she guessed correctly, Shi Yuanyuan would definitely be restless tonight. Xiang Wan only needed to wait quietly for the fish to take the bait.
Back in her room, Xiang Wan took out the amulet hanging around her neck and examined it carefully. Sure enough, it was more worn than the last time she'd seen it. If she wasn't mistaken, the amulet wasn't omnipotent; besides protecting her from Shi Liefeng's touch, its uses were probably limited. But now wasn't the time to investigate that. She carefully hid the amulet away again.
In the stillness of the night, there was a gentle knock on Xiang Wan's door three times. She tiptoed to the door and let the person in.
"Miss, the young master has been summoned by Shi Yuanyuan for a long time, and we haven't seen him come out yet."
The person who informed on Xiang Wan was Gu Yue, a maid who had previously been placed next to Shi Yuanyuan. She was Wu Ma's goddaughter, and Wu Ma had strongly recommended her to her, and now she hadn't disappointed her.
"Alright, gather a few strong men and come with me to Shi Yuanyuan's courtyard."
"Miss, if we just go over there like this..., won't that be...?"
"It's nothing. I'm looking for my husband. He's not home late at night. I want to see what they're up to."
Gu Yue nodded and went out to call for help. Xiang Wan tidied herself up a bit and ordered someone to take a torch and head to the neighboring courtyard.
Most people were asleep, so Xiang Wan didn't disturb too many people. She was followed by Xiao Yuan, Xiao Tuan, and Gu Yue, and the rest were a few trusted and strong guards.
The group walked quietly towards Shi Yuanyuan's courtyard. The maids assigned to her earlier had already retired for the night, leaving only Gu Yue on duty.
Upon entering the courtyard, at Xiang Wan's signal, several guards placed torches on the rack and prepared sticks in their hands. Several maids gently closed the courtyard gate and then escorted Xiang Wan to Shi Yuanyuan's bedroom.
Before I even got close to the door, I could hear rustling sounds and voices coming from inside.
"Ah Feng, it's been so long, why haven't you made a move yet?"
"Yuanyuan, don't rush. The time isn't right yet, I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of? That old man will die soon, and then we'll be in charge of the Li family. If you don't deal with those stubborn people by now, how will we quickly take control of the Li family?"
"There haven't been many opportunities to make a move lately."
"Is it that you don't have the opportunity, or that you simply can't bring yourself to do it?"
"Yuanyuan, I..."
"What do you mean, 'you'? Ever since you married that bitch, have you even come to see me once? You were clearly in love with her, so why did you push me away just now? Don't you miss me? Or have you really gotten together with that bitch?"
"Yuanyuan, don't talk nonsense."
"I'm talking nonsense? Do you know how I've been these past few days? Endless copying and writing every day, my hands are about to break. That bitch is torturing me, why won't you help me?"
"Wan'er, she, she did it for your own good."
"Ha, Wan'er? Calling her so intimately? Have you forgotten that she is the one Master specifically requested? If you dare to fall in love with her, I will take you down with me!"
"Yuanyuan, don't do this."
"Hahaha, don't do this! If you don't want me tonight, I'll make everyone in this manor die tomorrow, including your Wan'er."
"you…"
No more words came from inside, only the sound of hurried undressing and some indescribable content.
Xiang Wan remained relatively calm, but Xiao Tuan and Xiao Yuan were both ashamed and angry, wishing they could immediately go in and arrest these two shameless people.
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