Chapter 56 "Your love and hate, all are given to me..."
Cui Huai's kiss was initially forceful and fierce.
But after prying open Shen Yunzhi's lips, he seemed to gradually find it interesting, becoming tender and affectionate with a hint of probing.
But Shen Yunzhi could not be so intimate with Cui Huai.
Unable to push him away from her restraint, she hardened her heart and bit his lips and tongue hard, not softening even when she tasted blood.
In pain, Cui Huai did indeed temporarily separate from Shen Yunzhi.
He gave her no chance to escape, and soon kissed her lips again, abandoning his gentleness and wantonly plundering her.
Shen Yunzhi resisted and dodged, clenching her teeth and turning her face away.
Cui Huai kissed her cheek and ear, but his fingers ran rampant, probing downwards.
Feeling Cui Huai's fingers suddenly intrude, Shen Yunzhi's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she instinctively let out a sharp scream, her face flushing red with anger. Cui Huai, on the contrary, let out a wicked chuckle, easily finding an opportunity to kiss her as she tried to push his hand away. Behind her was only a cold, hard wall, with nowhere to retreat.
The bathroom was so quiet that only their disordered breathing could be heard.
Cui Huai went even further, as if he wouldn't stop until he forced her to show signs of being aroused.
Those undeniable feelings made Shen Yunzhi both ashamed and angry.
Trying to break free only led to a back-and-forth struggle; even scratching and slapping his shoulders and back couldn't stop his offensive behavior.
Cui Huai finally stopped when Shen Yunzhi bit his lip and tongue again.
In the dim light, his face remained as aloof and handsome as ever, but his eyes were tinged with lust, causing a hint of spring-like allure to appear at the corners of his eyes and brows, incongruous with his overall demeanor. The smear of blood on his lips added a touch of eerie and bewitching beauty, as if a man-eating monster were indulging in a gluttonous feast.
Shen Yunzhi's legs went weak, she leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and breathed heavily.
Cui Huai's gaze fell directly on her.
Slender and graceful, glistening with fragrant sweat.
He tried to remain calm, but his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were tightly closed, and her brows and eyes held a stubbornness that was hard to conceal.
She was frail and pitiful, yet inexplicably endearing.
Cui Huai's gaze lingered on Shen Yunzhi repeatedly, and a look of infatuation gradually appeared in his eyes.
Before Shen Yunzhi could recover, he wiped his hands clean and approached her again.
Cui Huai's hand reached towards the back of her legs. Shen Yunzhi suddenly opened her eyes, pushed him away, and gritted her teeth, saying, "I've said that Qi Song and I have always been completely innocent. Cui Huai, what exactly do you want?"
"Zhi Niang, you always lie to me, how can I believe you?"
"Even though your tricks were clumsy, I still fell for them. Since that's the case, you should take responsibility for me."
Ignoring Shen Yunzhi's resistance, Cui Huai picked her up and carried her horizontally.
He carried her out of the bathroom, bypassing the screen, and strode towards the bed.
"Didn't you ask me last time if I had a hard time these past six months?" Cui Huai placed Shen Yunzhi on the bed, propped himself up with one hand on her side, and tucked a stray hair behind her ear with the other, smiling gently. "It has indeed been hard, so asking for some compensation is not considered bullying you."
Shen Yunzhi was so angry at Cui Huai's shamelessness that she laughed.
However, his desire to possess her forcefully made him seem like something he had no other choice but to do.
"You've trapped me here, and you're trying to take me against my will. What about your sense of propriety, your upbringing as a prince..."
The sudden provocation brought Shen Yunzhi's angry outburst to an abrupt halt.
"Cui Huai, are you crazy!" she finally shouted, reaching out to push his head, but her hands were restrained instead. Cui Huai did not stop, acting arbitrarily and recklessly until she could no longer utter a coherent sentence.
Pain struck, and tears welled in Shen Yunzhi's eyes. Enraged, she bit down hard on Cui Huai's shoulder. Despite the pain, Cui Huai showed no sign of backing down. He simply lowered his head and gently kissed away her tears, whispering tenderly in her ear, "Zhi Niang, it's alright if you hate me. Your love and hate should only be given to me."
Shen Yunzhi cried and cursed, "You're crazy!"
Cui Huai remained unperturbed, his voice low and husky, growing increasingly gentle: "Just an ordinary person entangled in worldly affairs."
"Zhi Niang, I want your love, I want you to stay by my side forever, and to do blissful things with only me."
"If you can't... then hate me. Hating me for a lifetime is still remembering me for a lifetime."
Shen Yunzhi wanted to curse, but her lips were first silenced.
Cui Huai pressed his body tightly against hers, just as he desired.
...
As the hour of Yin approached, Cui Huai bent down and kissed the sleeping Shen Yunzhi on the cheek before leaving the room.
Lin Yue, who had been waiting under the eaves, stepped forward a few paces.
Cui Huai ordered, "Send someone to investigate this Qi Song." They had been husband and wife for four months, and Shen Yunzhi and this man had a completely innocent relationship. Yet, he was willing to go to great lengths for Shen Yunzhi, which must have some other important reason.
Lin Yue acknowledged the order and glanced subtly toward the door as he looked up.
His Highness called for water several times last night...
"Zhi Niang is alright," Cui Huai said calmly, then turned and left.
Lin Yue's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly composed himself and followed.
Shen Yunzhi slept until noon before groggily opening her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Cui Huai by the bedside. Remembering what happened last night, she turned over angrily, but in the movement she clearly felt the soreness and discomfort in her body.
What a hypocrite! A scoundrel!
Shen Yunzhi felt a surge of resentment. She truly couldn't understand how this madman could cause even more trouble than in her previous life!
Cui Huai guessed that Shen Yunzhi was probably cursing him again, so he didn't care. He reached out and turned her body around, then went to lift the quilt.
She had been thoroughly exhausted last night, and the clean clothes her maid had prepared for her had all been soiled by Cui Huai. Unwilling to sleep naked, she ended up wearing one of Cui Huai's clothes. The loose, ill-fitting robe wrapped around Shen Yunzhi made things convenient for Cui Huai at that moment.
He tore open the robe in a few swift movements, revealing the numerous hickeys and finger marks covering her neck, chest, and waist. His lingering desires were easily aroused. Cui Huai's eyes darkened as he asked Shen Yunzhi, "Are you in pain?"
Shen Yunzhi felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at by Cui Huai.
She slapped his hand away, pulled the quilt over herself and wrapped herself up tightly, and said irritably, "If someone stabbed you a few times, wouldn't you feel bad?"
Cui Huai smiled, knowing she was angry, and simply picked her up, blanket and all.
"I ordered someone to prepare a medicinal bath," he explained before Shen Yunzhi could protest.
Sitting on a high stool, Shen Yunzhi glanced at the bathtub that reeked of strong herbs, then looked at Cui Huai, who seemed unable to move. "I'll do it myself," she said, dismissing him. Cui Huai ignored her and even took off his outer robe.
Shen Yunzhi: "..."
She tore off the brocade quilt from her body and casually piled it on the high stool. As she was about to leave the bathroom, Cui Huai grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her back into his arms.
"If you're not feeling well, I'll take care of you."
Cui Huai lowered his head and spoke softly to Shen Yunzhi. If he hadn't been blocking her, she might have actually believed his nonsense.
But clearly, Cui Huai didn't really want to discuss it with her.
Soon after, Shen Yunzhi was carried into the bathtub and soaked in the pungent medicinal bath.
At first, Cui Huai was well-behaved, seemingly only wanting to serve her during her bath, without doing anything out of line.
This subdued state lasted for a mere fifteen minutes before Shen Yunzhi was pinned against the bathtub wall, forced to endure everything he gave her.
Compared to the situation when Cui Huai carried her out of the bathroom last night, Shen Yunzhi didn't even have the strength to open her mouth and curse today. She could only let Cui Huai clumsily dress her and then carry her back to the bed.
She couldn't win, she couldn't escape, and after all that trouble, she was the only one who suffered.
No matter how angry or resentful Shen Yunzhi was, she had to admit that she was in this situation.
She really didn't want to accept her fate.
But right now, they have neither the ability nor the opportunity to escape Cui Huai's clutches, so they can only take it one step at a time.
Shen Yunzhi knew in her past life that Cui Huai was obsessed with love affairs, and in this life she experienced his insatiable nature even more firsthand.
But he still retained some humanity; when she was unwell, he restrained himself and didn't torment her all night as he had before.
However, the next day, Qi Song took the initiative to approach Cui Huai.
Unable to get a clear answer from Cui Huai about helping, Qi Song grew anxious and decided to test him one last time. If Cui Huai refused, he would take his leave and try to find a new way out. Unexpectedly, after explaining his thoughts to Cui Huai, he received a counter-question: "Have you considered why she has any connection with the Fifth Prince?"
Qi Song was taken aback.
This problem has been considered, but the solution has remained elusive, and besides...
"In any case, the Fifth Prince's bullying and forcibly touching my wife is against human ethics and justice."
“If she is guilty, she should be punished by the law.”
Cui Huai nodded and said calmly, "The Yunniang you mentioned is actually my cousin. Even the Fifth Prince wouldn't dare to do anything to her, so you don't need to worry."
Qi Song was stunned for a moment, still wondering if he had misheard: "Your Highness... your cousin?"
"yes."
“She called my mother ‘Aunt’ and was brought to the capital two years ago, where she lived in the Prince’s Mansion for more than a year.”
Qi Song couldn't believe it: "Then why would you hide your identity, live alone, and even marry me?"
Cui Huai replied without batting an eye, "Just being mischievous."
Qi Song realized that the matter was complicated and did not pursue the matter further.
Seeing this, Cui Huai slowly announced to Qi Song, "So your marriage is actually invalid, and she cannot be called your rightful wife. From now on, you no longer need to address each other as husband and wife."
Qi Song stood there dumbfounded for a long time, unable to speak.
Cui Huai got up and left with satisfaction, telling Shen Yunzhi about the matter.
"Whether we are husband and wife or not is between us, and you don't need to make that decision for us." Shen Yunzhi was disgusted by Cui Huai's smug look and couldn't give him a kind look.
Cui Huai said, "He is not good enough for you."
Shen Yunzhi sneered, "Your Highness thinks everyone else is unworthy of me. I wonder who you think is worthy of me?"
Instead of answering her question, Cui Huai took her hand and said, "Come with me."
This was not the first time Shen Yunzhi had stepped out of this room.
On the day Qi Song came to the Chu Prince's mansion, Cui Huai had a maid escort her to the study so she could listen to their conversation from behind a screen.
But this was the first time Cui Huai had personally accompanied her to another place since she was brought back to the Chu Prince's Mansion by Cui Huai.
But the place I went to was still the study.
"Why did you bring me to the study?" Shen Yunzhi stopped outside the door, refusing to go in. In her previous life, she had been tormented by Cui Huai in this study quite a bit. He no longer cared about anything or had any shame, so she naturally couldn't trust him.
Cui Huai glanced back at her, helplessly asking, "What do you want me to do to you?"
He paused for a moment, then asked, "Zhi Niang, are you trying to run away again?"
Shen Yunzhi: "..."
Cui Huai then said, "That maid will always follow you, either where you can see her or where you can't see her. If you don't believe me, just try it."
Shen Yunzhi knew, of course, that there was no need to try.
"Does Your Highness intend to confine me for the rest of my life?" she asked coldly, reluctantly stepping into the study.
“As long as you don’t want to leave me, I won’t hold you back.” Cui Huaiping said calmly, “Until then, I will never give you another chance to leave my side. Some things are enough to experience once.”
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