Chapter 58 stirred Cui Huai's heart and soul.
Since their first sexual encounter, day after day, Shen Yunzhi could sense the change in Cui Huai's attitude towards her.
He was more enthusiastic about this than in his previous life, and he also expressed his love for her more.
Although Shen Yunzhi felt that Cui Huai had no respect for her and that his so-called affection was no different from his affection for cats and dogs, she knew in her heart that this so-called affection might be her lifeline.
But at Qiyun Residence, apart from Cui Huai, she could only keep company with that deaf-mute maid who knew martial arts.
Cui Huai gave her a little breathing room and stopped binding her hands and feet. He would take her to his study after returning to the mansion, but his shamelessness only increased.
The sky was clear and the autumn scenery was delightful.
The warm sunlight illuminated the study. Cui Huai bent down in front of the desk, and only looked up again after a long while, his lips glistening.
Shen Yunzhi, who was pressed down on the desk, was disheveled.
Her face was flushed, her eyelashes trembled, and she was breathing heavily, causing her chest to rise and fall slightly.
“My cousin Zhi tore up many of my paintings a few days ago, so I can’t just let it go so easily.”
Cui Huai's vile words echoed in her ears, followed by another wave of intense stimulation that she could not resist.
Shen Yunzhi clenched her teeth, refusing to make a sound. Cui Huai pressed on relentlessly until she was completely overwhelmed, then he picked her up and placed her in front of the desk to paint with him.
The painting was naturally a mess.
Cui Huai patiently held Shen Yunzhi's hand again and again, encouraging her to try again.
His debauchery and his infatuation with her body grew stronger with each passing day. Having no other choice, Shen Yunzhi had to play along with Cui Huai. So, as he was about to reach ecstasy, she seemingly unconsciously embraced him, pressing her body close while whispering weakly in his ear, "Cousin, no more..."
This stirred Cui Huai's heart and mind, almost causing him to surrender.
He kissed the corner of her mouth and coaxed her to call out again, but Shen Yunzhi ignored him, leaning weakly against him, closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
I woke up to find it was already dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun was obscured by the dark blue cloud-patterned curtains. In a small space beneath the curtains, Cui Huai twirled a strand of Shen Yunzhi's black hair with his fingers, watching with interest as she slowly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion in them before she became fully awake.
"Do you want to go out?" Cui Huai loosened her hair, gently brushed her cheek with his finger, and asked tenderly.
Shen Yunzhi was taken aback: "What?"
"It's not unreasonable for my cousin Zhi to want to go out."
Cui Huai suddenly seemed unusually considerate, "Spending all day with me like this must be a bit boring."
Shen Yunzhi frowned and turned her face away, saying, "What tricks does Your Highness have up your sleeve this time?"
Gone was the seemingly unintentional gentleness she had displayed earlier; she reverted to her cold and aloof demeanor.
“I can accompany you when you go out, not just once, Cousin Zhi, but every time from now on.” Cui Huai paused, then smiled and said, “But in exchange, you must call me cousin as before.”
Shen Yunzhi remained silent.
Cui Huai reached out and turned her face towards him, giving her a loving kiss on the lips with a smile.
"Didn't you complain several times before that I kept you trapped here?"
"Why are you unhappy even when I go out with you?"
Cui Huai took the bait, and Shen Yunzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface she only showed impatience: "Your Highness was a little confused by making this request so suddenly." Hearing Cui Huai chuckle, she glanced at him sideways and asked, "If I am unwilling to agree, what will Your Highness do?"
"In the end, I can't bear to hurt you."
Touching Shen Yunzhi's face, Cui Huai said, "But I can't help but suspect that my cousin Zhi's previous accusations were also a lie. I don't need to take them too seriously in the future."
Shen Yunzhi: "..."
She knew then that this madman meant no good!
If you don't respond to him, he will take it as a sign that you are willing to be trapped by his side, making it even harder to get rid of him in the future.
There was simply no other choice.
"Cousin," Shen Yunzhi said curtly.
Cui Huai smiled, kissed her lips again, and commented, "It sounds like I, her cousin, owe my cousin Zhi 50,000 strings of cash and refuse to pay it back."
Shen Yunzhi forced a smile, and in a very strained, gentle tone, called out again, "Cousin~"
Cui Huai smiled at her, without saying a word.
Shen Yunzhi chuckled and pushed Cui Huai aside.
"Isn't my cousin hungry?"
Cui Huai lay on the bed, looking up at Shen Yunzhi who had sat up. He took her hand and kissed it gently. "I've already ordered dinner to be prepared." Then he promised, "I'll go out with my cousin Zhi on a good day."
...
Before Cui Huai fulfilled his promise, Shen Yunzhi's daily life began.
During the six months she faked her death and escaped, she was relatively carefree and was not tormented. But this time, she was in severe pain from the very first day.
Upon learning that Shen Yunzhi was unwell, Cui Huai hurriedly returned to the Prince's Mansion.
Just as Choi Yeo-joo was about to go out to see the puppet show, she noticed that her older brother looked unusually hurried and serious, as if there was something extremely important that needed to be dealt with. He even just nodded casually when she greeted him. Choi Yeo-joo couldn't help but feel strange. The mansion had been peaceful recently, so why was her older brother acting like this?
The thought flashed through her mind, but out of trust in Cui Huai, Cui Lizhu didn't think about it in detail.
She boarded the carriage and set off as planned.
Cui Huai returned to Qiyun Residence.
Approaching the bedside, he reached out and lifted the bed curtains, only to see Shen Yunzhi lying on the bed, her face as white as paper, covered in cold sweat, curled up in agony.
In that instant, it was as if we were back to the moment when Shen Yunzhi was attacked, injured, and unconscious.
Cui Huai stood stiffly in place, recalling those deceptions and lies. A wave of nausea surged in his stomach, growing stronger and stronger, forcing him to lean on the railing and dry heave incessantly.
"cousin……"
Shen Yunzhi, who was suffering from physical pain, looked up and saw Cui Huai's appearance, and was somewhat taken aback.
She was too weak to spare the time or energy to care for him.
She managed to call out to him, but the pain struck, and she gasped and gritted her teeth to endure it.
Unexpectedly, Cui Huai suddenly went berserk and grabbed her face.
Shen Yunzhi looked at Cui Huai with difficulty, and saw the madness in his eyes: "Cousin Zhi, you won't lie to me like that again, right?"
She suddenly understood upon hearing this.
He had remembered her faking her death and escaping, and those old grudges.
Cui Huai pinched her hard, making Shen Yunzhi's face sting. She forced herself to place her palm on the back of his hand and whispered, "Didn't you say you wouldn't hold it against me, cousin?" Their eyes met, and Shen Yunzhi slowly asked, meeting Cui Huai's gaze, "Even if you were going to hold it against me, isn't keeping me by your side every day enough? What do you want me to do, cousin?"
The sleeve was gently tugged.
Cui Huai looked away and saw Shen Yunzhi's hand clutching one of his sleeves. Seeing her palm climbing up his arm, he couldn't help but obediently lean down.
Her fingers gently stroked the back of his neck, and Shen Yunzhi leaned in and kissed Cui Huai.
A kiss that lasted only a moment, and she acquiesced when he continued to demand more.
She had finally managed to lower Cui Huai's guard, and she couldn't let him remember the deception from before and become wary of her again, nor could she let him regret agreeing to go out with her, thus trapping her in Qiyun Residence. She could only appease him for now and make him understand that things were different now.
When they parted, Shen Yunzhi was already panting heavily.
Cui Huai gazed at her slightly swollen lips, savoring the kiss as he asked in a hoarse voice, "What does this mean, Cousin Zhi?"
Shen Yunzhi pursed her lips and turned her face away from him.
Cui Huai smiled and kissed her forehead: "The medicine should be ready by now." His tone was relaxed, and the anger he had shown just moments before had vanished without a trace.
The herbal soup had little effect on Shen Yunzhi.
Two hours passed, and the pain in my abdomen not only did not lessen, but became even more tormenting.
“In the past, it was mostly Physician Ge who came to see me and prescribe medicine.”
Upon hearing Shen Yunzhi's words, Cui Huai immediately ordered Lin Yue to fetch Physician Ge.
"Is that Physician Ge?" Cui Lizhu stepped down from the carriage and, seeing Lin Yue and his escorts in the distance, asked curiously, "Physician Ge is a renowned physician; why would my elder brother invite him to the manor..."
She first went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to the Princess Consort of Chu.
They initially thought it was because the Princess Consort of Chu was unwell again, but upon arriving at the main courtyard, they realized they had misunderstood; Physician Ge had not come to treat their mother.
Choi Yeo-joo became increasingly confused.
Recalling her chance encounter with Cui Huai when she went out, and then thinking of Physician Ge, she inexplicably felt that something was amiss.
She wanted to go to Qiyun Residence to find her older brother, but she was a little hesitant. Over the past six months, the atmosphere between the siblings had often been strange and awkward, to the point that she gradually dared not get too close, and now they were growing increasingly distant.
After much hesitation, Choi Yeo-joo decided to return to her own courtyard.
Thinking of Shen Yunzhi and Cui Huai's many unusual behaviors over the past six months, he felt truly worried.
She changed her mind halfway there and went to Qiyun Residence instead.
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