Chapter 48 048 He's much older, and quite...
A cool breeze rustled the leaves on the branches.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan looked up at the branches of the trees in the courtyard that were swaying in the wind. It was still quite cold, and she had to wrap her cloak tighter around herself.
When she thought back to what had just happened, how she had gone along with him despite being confined and without freedom, she realized that only with freedom of movement could she think about anything else and the future. If he had really chained her up, it would have been even harder for her to move around.
Xie Huaiyuan: "It's getting late, let's have dinner first."
He reached out and took Lin Wan's hand, leading her towards the hall.
Xie Huaiyuan's tone was calm at this moment, and Lin Wan understood it very well. She didn't deliberately make a scene with him at this time. She followed silently, letting Xie Huaiyuan lead her.
As dusk fell, candles were lit on the veranda. The faint candlelight shone through the lantern covers, illuminating the path ahead and casting the shadows of the two people walking hand in hand on the ground.
Lin Wan scrutinized the figures that had landed on the ground with extremely complex expressions. At first glance, the two seemed to be deeply in love and affectionate, but in reality, she was gradually becoming unable to see through them.
The two walked through the covered walkway, crossed the moon gate surrounded by bamboo groves, and entered another courtyard. When they arrived here, Lin Wan glanced at the surrounding scenery and instantly recognized this place as she had been before. This was actually the villa in Pear Blossom Lane that she had visited on the night of the lantern festival.
However, she only stayed in the courtyard and did not go to the backyard.
Steaming dishes were already laid out on the sandalwood round table in the hall. As soon as you stepped into the hall, the delicious aroma of the food wafted towards you.
After they sat down, Liu Ye helped Lin Wan take off her cloak and then turned to wait outside the door with the other servants.
Xie Huaiyuan: "Eat up. I don't know your taste preferences, so I had the kitchen staff make these dishes according to the Su family's recipes. If you don't like them, you can ask them to make them again."
After taking her seat, Lin Wan was surprised when she saw the dishes on the table. Hearing what he said, she immediately thought that he was the heir of the Prince of Xiangyang, and it was not difficult for him to ask the chef to find the recipes of the Su family to make the dishes.
Perhaps because she hadn't had a proper meal in many days, she suddenly felt really hungry and softly replied, "No need, these dishes look very good, there's no need to go through all that trouble to redo them."
"As long as it suits your taste."
The meal was rather tasteless; Lin Wan was merely trying to fill her stomach so she wouldn't get hungry.
"Alright, go back and rest now."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan, like a fish that could breathe through the water, immediately got up and turned to leave.
But she was pulled back by the man beside her and turned to look at him in confusion.
"It's chilly outside at night, you should put on your cloak."
Xie Huaiyuan reached out and picked up the cloak that Liu Ye was holding, and patiently draped it over Lin Wan's shoulders. He then tied the belt and straightened the cloak's hem several times to ensure that not a trace of cold air could seep in.
He lowered his eyes and silently looked at Lin Wan, who stood very close to him. He smelled the sweet fragrance emanating from Lin Wan again, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart, as if he wanted to do something.
The next moment, he followed his heart, leaned closer, cupped her face, and kissed her.
Xie Huaiyuan held his breath and took her in his mouth, gently and devoutly tracing her lips. His tongue even parted his lips and explored, boldly teasing her. Sweet and soft, it made his heart tremble.
After the kiss, Lin Wan's face was already flushed, her chest was rising and falling slowly, and her eyes were avoiding his gaze. Her rosy lips were covered with the marks of the kiss, moist and alluring.
Xie Huaiyuan looked down at her closely and chuckled, making her blush instantly.
"It's getting chilly, let's go."
Lin Wan left Xie Huaiyuan's embrace as if fleeing, and only when she reached the outside of the corridor and the cold wind cooled the burning sensation on her face did her wildly beating heart slowly calm down.
Liu Ye, standing nearby, dared not relax her vigilance any longer and followed closely, leading her back to the bedroom in the backyard. Lin Wan noticed that there were now many more guards protecting her everywhere.
She sighed helplessly. It seemed that leaving this place would be even more difficult unless he let her go on his own initiative.
The bedding in the inner room had been changed, and even the burning incense on the corner table had been removed.
The doors and windows that were originally closed were now open, and a breeze was blowing in from time to time.
With mixed feelings, Lin Wan lay down on the sandalwood bed, her gaze blankly taking in the changes in the surrounding furnishings.
He is making concessions to himself, no longer confining himself like he would in solitary confinement.
But can she still leave?
Is that all there is to it?
Unable to come up with a solution, Lin Wan slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
In a dream.
She dreamt of a night many years ago, when flames blazed across the sky, engulfing half the mountain in fire, and she dared not look back, running desperately down the mountain without stopping.
"Sweetie, remember not to look back. I'll catch up soon. Hurry up."
The dream shifted, and in the dimly lit ancestral hall, his name was quietly drawn on the memorial tablet, without a sound...
Then another person appeared and said sternly, "So this thing belongs to him. Fine, sever ties with the prince and I'll return it to you."
My head was spinning, my eyelids were heavy, and my body felt like it was sinking into an abyss, unable to breathe.
...
Lin Wan eventually caught a cold and fell ill.
As dawn broke, Hua Yisheng was once again hurriedly pulled from his warm bed and ordered to rush to the villa in Pear Blossom Alley.
He carefully took Lin Wan's pulse, who was ill, and said, "She has been exposed to wind and cold. I will prescribe two doses of medicine for her, and she will recover after drinking them."
Hua Yisheng got up and walked to the table. He picked up the medicine and was about to write a prescription when his keen medical sense made him notice the brocade box on the table.
Suddenly remembering something, he picked up the brocade box without saying a word, looked at it, and turned back to advise him with a look of disappointment: "Young Master, this medicine has a strong effect, do not take it."
Xie Huaiyuan, standing to the side, said calmly, "I know this medicine. I've already used it, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Nonsense!"
That's absolutely inhuman.
Hua Yisheng gestured with his fingertips towards Lin Wan, who was lying ill on the sandalwood bed, "How can we let her take such a potent medicine so casually? Wouldn't that harm her health?"
Xie Huaiyuan calmly replied, "I ate it."
Hua Yisheng looked him up and down, giving him a look as if he had wronged someone, and then casually comforted him, "Young Master, you'd better pray for yourself. That medicine is not only potent, but it also recognizes people. Its original name is 'Entwined Mandarin Ducks.' Your body will remember the person you were close to when the medicine took effect. Once you feel aroused the first time, you will easily feel aroused again whenever you are close to them in the future."
So that's it. No wonder he felt a strange sensation when he draped the cloak over her in the hall earlier; it was because of this medicine.
He smiled helplessly and said, "It sounds pretty good. So the name is 'Intertwined Mandarin Ducks'."
Hua Yisheng was so angry he almost laughed. He couldn't scold him or say anything, so he just let it go.
-
Lin Wan felt dizzy and lightheaded, her eyelids were heavy and she could hardly open her eyes. In her delirious state, she seemed to feel someone patiently guiding her to drink her medicine.
"bitter……"
Even though Lin Wan was in a daze and hadn't opened her eyes, she could still taste and know that the medicine she had just drunk was extremely bitter.
She only took one bite before turning her head away, refusing to take a second bite.
No matter how Liu Ye tried to persuade her, Lin Wan wouldn't listen. She even turned her body to the inside of the sandalwood bed, leaving her back to Liu Ye.
I was struggling with what to do.
At this moment, Xie Huaiyuan reached out and took the medicine bowl, placing it steadily in his hand.
"Hold on tight."
In a daze, Lin Wan was forced to sit up from the bed by someone pulling her out of bed.
Xie Huaiyuan picked up the medicine bowl and tried to feed her the medicine again, but she ignored him; she didn't want to drink such bitter medicine.
"No...bitterness..."
Lin Wan muttered softly, which reached Xie Huaiyuan's ears.
He raised his hand and drank the medicine soup in the bowl in one gulp. Then he lowered his head and leaned closer to Lin Wan's lips, feeding her with his own mouth.
In her dazed state, Lin Wan was forced to open her lips and swallow the strong, bitter medicine. She opened her eyes with a furrowed brow and extreme displeasure, just as she was about to refuse to drink such bitter medicine.
To everyone's surprise, it was Xie Huaiyuan.
He lifted the medicine bowl, a trace of medicine on the corner of his mouth, and said nonchalantly, "If you still don't want to drink it yourself, I don't mind feeding you myself like I did before."
It turned out that what she had just felt was not her imagination; the sensation on her lips was real. The thought of their lips touching made her ears turn bright red, and she quickly sat up. "I can drink; I dare not trouble Your Highness."
It's so bitter, so incredibly bitter.
Lin Wan kept her eyes tightly shut, refusing to look at the black liquid in the medicine bowl. Her whole body tensed as she drank it all in one gulp. She hurriedly handed the bowl to Liu Ye, her voice trembling as she said, "I've finished drinking it."
At this moment, Xie Huaiyuan handed her another piece of candied fruit and said with a smile, "Try one to get rid of the bitterness. This medicine is indeed a bit bitter."
Lin Wan thought she had misheard. She looked up and was about to refute him when she noticed faint traces of medicine soup on the corner of his mouth. The words that were about to come out of her mouth were swallowed back down. She silently tasted a candied fruit and waited for the bitterness in her mouth to dissipate.
But after thinking about it carefully, she felt indignant and said in a low voice, "It's all your fault."
A gentle, slightly amused voice sounded from above.
"Yes, it's my fault."
Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door frame. Turning around, I saw that it was Hua Yisheng knocking on the door.
"Now that the person is awake and the medicine has been brewed, there's nothing more for me to do. I need to go back and clean up the medicine in the shop to prevent it from getting damp." Hua Yisheng said loudly, "Young Master, shall I take my leave?"
Xie Huaiyuan knew him well, and since he said he was fine, there was no need to worry, so he nodded in agreement and told Hua Yisheng to go back first.
Although Xie Huaiyuan had relaxed his control over her, allowing her to move freely as long as she didn't leave the backyard, the number of maids and servants following her in and out had also increased.
Aside from attending court and handling official business, he spent most of his time visiting her. He lived in this villa every day and rarely returned to the Xiangyang Prince's Mansion. Occasionally, when he was in a good mood, he would take her to the front yard to see the flowers blooming in spring. When the weather was bad, he would hold her in his arms and teach her to play the zither.
The two appeared very close and inseparable, but in reality, Lin Wan mostly catered to him and went along with his wishes, fearing that she might inadvertently cause a repeat of what happened that day.
Now that Xie Huaiyuan had allowed her to move around in the backyard, Lin Wan wandered around aimlessly, glancing sideways to see if there were any other side gates or anything like that, but after searching for a while, she couldn't find any.
Springtime brings frequent rain, and suddenly it started raining again.
Lin Wan rushed back into the house, only to find herself in Xie Huaiyuan's study, where he usually handled official business.
She never came in, but the servants and maids never said she couldn't come in either.
Lin Wan looked around and her gaze finally fell on the desk in the room. The clean and tidy desk had only a few items on one side, while a book was used to hold down a piece of paper on the other side. It looked somewhat familiar from a distance.
She hesitated before going to look, and the more she looked, the more alarmed she became. Underneath the book, a corner of the picture on the paper was visible. Lin Wan looked down to take a closer look, but accidentally knocked over the tea that was originally on the table. She hurriedly picked up the book and the paper while they were still wet.
It turned out to be the erotic picture that Xie Huaiyuan had taken before. I didn't expect it to actually be in his hands, and it was just lying on the desk like that.
Lin Wan looked at the people depicted with delicate brushstrokes in the erotic painting, her gaze lingering on a certain part of the figure in the picture, and said in a low voice, "The painter's skills are indeed excellent, but that thing doesn't look realistic."
Completely unaware that someone was quietly approaching from behind.
"How is it not true?"
Lin Wan casually replied, "His is much bigger, and it feels quite..."
She thought she had misheard and turned around in astonishment to look at Xie Huaiyuan behind her.
Xie Huaiyuan's eyes held a teasing glint as he chuckled, "How is it?"
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