Chapter 83: Xie Heng's protection, the prince's jealousy
The evening glow stained the blue tiles of Yunzhi's villa a warm orange. Lanterns hung in the courtyard had just been lit, their dim light filtering through the thin paper, casting tiny specks of light on the ground. Yunzhi sat on a bamboo chair under the porch, holding a bowl of freshly warmed medicine. Xie Heng stood beside her, whispering something, a faint smile on his lips—a rare moment of relaxation since Yunzhi returned to the capital.
"This medicine must be taken while it's hot, and then you can eat a piece of candied fruit to suppress the bitterness." Xie Heng took out a paper bag from his sleeve, which contained the osmanthus candied fruit that Yun Zhi loved to eat. His tone was full of detailed instructions.
Yun Zhi nodded and was about to pick up the medicine bowl when a loud "clang" suddenly came from outside the yard - the side door was kicked open fiercely, wood chips flew everywhere, and a dark figure, full of murderous aura, suddenly rushed in.
It’s Xiao Jin.
He didn't know how long he stood outside the door. The red bloodshot in his eyes was like burnt charcoal as he stared at the two people in the corridor - the warm light reflected Yun Zhi's profile, and when she listened to Xie Heng talking, there was a softness in her eyes that he had never seen before; and the look in Xie Heng's eyes when he looked at her was full of cautious care, which was the look he had always dreamed of but never got.
"You guys are so free!" Xiao Jin's voice was like ice, filled with uncontrollable violence. He strode towards Xie Heng and swung his hand towards his face. "A lowly imperial physician dares to covet my people!"
His fists rustled with the wind, clearly a sign of genuine rage. Xie Heng, already prepared, dodged the blow by leaning sideways, but didn't fight back—he knew that a counterattack would only drive Xiao Jin even crazier and, in turn, implicate Yun Zhi.
"Your Highness!" Xie Heng frowned, his tone calm, "Miss Yun and I are just friends. Why is Your Highness losing his composure like this?"
"Friends?" Xiao Jin sneered, the jealous fire in his eyes almost overflowing. "A man and a woman alone, in the same room late at night, and you dare say you're just friends? Do you believe that I will tear down your clinic right now and make sure you never appear in front of her again!"
As he spoke, he was about to rush forward again, but was stopped by a sharp voice.
"stop!"
Yun Zhi had stood up at some point, a pair of scissors tightly clenched in her hand, the sharp tips pressed against her throat. The lantern light reflected on her face, revealing no hesitation, only a cold determination.
"Xiao Jin, if you take one more step forward and dare to touch Brother Xie's finger, I will die in front of you right now."
Her voice was quiet, but every word was clear, like a knife, piercing Xiao Jin's heart. The tip of the scissors had already left a shallow red mark, and if she applied even a little pressure, blood would be drawn.
"Zhi'er!" Xiao Jin's fist froze in mid-air, his pupils suddenly contracted, as if burned, and he took a step back. "Put down the scissors! Let's talk it out! Don't joke with your life!"
He was panicking, completely panicking. He could attack Xie Heng, he could go crazy with jealousy, he could tangle with her recklessly, but he didn't dare to gamble with Yun Zhi's life - he was afraid that she would really stab him without hesitation, afraid that he would not even have the last chance to atone for his sins.
"Talk it over?" Yun Zhi curled her lips, revealing a hint of sarcasm. "Your Highness, do you think there's still room for a peaceful discussion between us? You didn't come here today to talk it over. You came here to vent your jealousy and to blame Brother Xie for all the debt you owe me."
She paused, tightening her grip on the scissors. The red mark on the blade deepened. "Brother Xie is my only friend. He helped me when I was in the most difficult time. He helped me find evidence and cleared the name of the Yun family. If you hurt him, you'll end my chance of survival. I don't have much else to live for. If I can't even protect him, what's the point of living?"
"No! I won't touch him! I won't move him!" Xiao Jin waved his hands quickly, his voice trembling imperceptibly. His chest felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. "Put down the scissors, I'm leaving, I'm leaving now! Don't hurt yourself, okay?"
He looked at the scissors pressed against Yun Zhi's throat, the determination in her eyes, and his heart felt like it was being pierced by countless needles at once. He had never imagined that Yun Zhi would go this far for another man. He had once thought that even if Yun Zhi hated him, she still had some thoughts about him in her heart, but now he understood that her thoughts were no longer about him, but about Xie Heng, and those who truly treated her well.
Xie Heng stood aside, looking at Yun Zhi's tense face. He wanted to step forward and grab the scissors, but Yun Zhi stopped him with a look. Her eyes were filled with pleading and determination - she knew that only this way could Xiao Jin completely retreat.
"Your Highness, please leave." Yun Zhi's voice calmed down a little, but she still didn't put down the scissors. "Don't come here again. This is not the place for you. I don't want to see you again."
Xiao Jin looked at her and opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked, unable to utter a single word. His eyes swept over the red mark on Yun Zhi's throat, over Xie Heng's protective posture at her side, and over the warm lights in the yard that warmed him but had nothing to do with him. The pain in his chest grew more and more intense, almost swallowing him whole.
He turned abruptly and stumbled toward the door. His dark brocade robe swept across the threshold, sending a few wood chips flying. He seemed oblivious, his pace quickening until he practically ran away. At the alley entrance, he couldn't help but glance back—the lanterns in the courtyard were still lit, their warm yellow light filtering through the windows, illuminating two figures side by side. The sight was so blinding it hurt his eyes.
"Cough... cough cough..." A sudden, violent coughing fit hit Xiao Jin. He clutched his chest and bent over, a fishy, sweet taste welling up in his throat. He coughed a few times and looked down. His palm was stained with blood—the result of his previous impatience and Yun Zhi's threat of death.
He stared at the blood on his palm, his eyes filled with despair. He finally understood that in Yun Zhi's heart, he had long been less than an ordinary friend. She would die for Xie Heng, but she felt it was unnecessary to even look at him; she could be gentle with Xie Heng, but she only treated him with cold determination.
This realization was more painful than any knife wound and more unbearable than any humiliation.
In the courtyard of the other courtyard, Xie Heng finally snatched the scissors from Yun Zhi's hand. Looking at the red mark on her throat, he couldn't help but frowned: "Why are you so stupid? He wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
Yun Zhi shook her head, sat down on a bamboo chair, picked up the bowl of cold medicine, and drank it in one gulp. The bitter liquid slid down her throat, but she seemed to feel nothing. She simply said softly, "I'm not stupid, I just don't want to owe you anything. You've helped me so much, I can't let you get hurt because of me."
Xie Heng looked at her calm profile, a bitter feeling welling up in his heart. He knew Yun Zhi wasn't doing this for him, but for the sense of "not being indebted"—she had been hurt too deeply and could no longer bear anyone being hurt because of her, even a little bit.
The lantern light was still warm, and the aroma of medicine still filled the courtyard, but the conflict just now, like an invisible crack, not only carved into Xiao Jin's heart, but also into Yun Zhi's seemingly peaceful life. Everyone knew that Xiao Jin would not give up just like that, and this entanglement was far from over.
But no one expected that Xiao Jin's retreat this time wasn't a compromise, but the beginning of something even more insane—what he couldn't have, he couldn't let anyone else have. This twisted obsession was slowly fermenting in his heart, brewing an even more terrifying storm.
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