Chapter 6, "Choose".
The gaze was too naked, too bloody, as if it wanted to skin her alive and tear her apart.
In an instant, it felt like something was choking me, and a feeling of suffocation suddenly surged up.
Su Muying was truly shocked.
She didn't understand... why he was looking at her like that?
He truly wished he could tear her apart and devour her like prey.
Xie Linyuan lowered his sword-like eyebrows, and his peach blossom eyes suddenly turned snow-white, cold and chilling.
She involuntarily took a half step back.
Wu Zizhuo raised his fox-like eyes, a smile spreading across them, along with a gradually rising desire to capture his prey.
Such a beauty, almost bewitching, yet gentle and graceful; to possess her would be the greatest fortune of one's life.
"What are you doing here?" Xie Linyuan spoke first, coldly asking the poor woman who was terrified and at a loss for what to do.
Su Muying was already frightened by him yesterday and was afraid of him. Now, when he asked her this question, the events of last night suddenly came to mind, and her body trembled.
Xie Linyuan gently closed his eyes.
Su Muying concealed her fear, her face remaining calm and showing little sign of panic. After a graceful bow, she replied, "I came to Lin'an..."
But before she could finish speaking, Xie Linyuan interrupted her.
"Lin'an?" He laughed coldly, looking down at her with icy eyes that chilled her to the bone and created an oppressive atmosphere that made people tremble with fear.
Su Muying lowered her head further and further.
She almost tore the purse in her hand to shreds, but remembering that it was for Xie Lin'an, she loosened her grip.
"How dare you address your elder brother by his name?"
Upon hearing this, Su Muying was taken aback. The lingering mist in her eyes deepened, making the girl's eyes ripple like autumn water, captivating all who beheld them.
The disgust and coldness in Xie Linyuan's eyes intensified.
Who are you trying to impress with this seductive pose?
The coldness in Xie Linyuan's dark eyes was almost like a sharp blade.
He slowly walked towards the girl.
The oppressive feeling intensified, and Su Muying felt as if her flesh was being cut by a blade. The suffocation continued to worsen, and she even began to feel pain.
She didn't know what he was going to do, and she felt inexplicably scared, but she could only force herself to remain calm.
Xie Linyuan seemed to disregard all rules, etiquette, and moral principles. She could only pray in her heart that he would give her some respect.
Leave her some dignity.
At least, not in the funeral hall.
Don't do it in front of Lin'an.
Don't do it in front of so many people.
She was once a lady from a prominent family, a wealthy young woman.
But he didn't.
Xie Linyuan is the kind of person who wouldn't even spare her this much compassion and kindness.
He thought she didn't deserve it.
Xie Linyuan took two steps to stand in front of her. He looked down at her, bent down slightly, and spoke in a hot voice, clear and distinct, little by little, into her ear.
His gaze was filled with a suffocating disgust and scrutiny.
He truly felt she was unworthy and that she was filthy.
"Shameless."
"Get out."
"Who are you trying to impress here?" As he spoke, his voice seemed to lower, a hoarse and deep tone carrying a disgusted sneer. It touched her tender earlobe, like a snake slithering into the girl's ear, slowly gnawing at her and tormenting her.
"My brother is dead..."
"Who are you trying to seduce, sister-in-law..."
"Does that mean you have to seduce every man you see, sister-in-law...?"
He said this to her in front of so many people, in front of Xie Lin'an.
They told her she was shameless and to get out.
They say she flaunts her charms.
They say she seduces men.
Suddenly, Su Muying felt as if she had been stripped naked in public and slapped across the face. The burning pain slowly and tormented her from her earlobe to her entire body.
She eventually tore a slit in the purse in her hand.
She lowered her head, her slender, delicate neck exposed.
It looked as if it were about to be broken.
The mourning hall was deathly silent, as if a long time had passed, yet also as if only a moment had elapsed.
Su Muying lowered her eyelashes, her face still as beautiful and charming as before, surpassing even the beauty of spring, but without any expression.
It exudes a poignant beauty, like that of a withered butterfly.
Su Muying bowed respectfully, her posture gentle and her expression calm and serene.
She was often described as having a seductive appearance and an improper figure, but she was impeccably proper in terms of manners and etiquette, and her upbringing and temperament were those of a well-bred lady.
Propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame; rules and regulations—these are ingrained in her very being.
After bowing, Su Muying said nothing and turned to leave.
In the midst of the chaos, the purse fell to the ground.
The figure vanished like the wind, but the lingering fragrance remained.
Xie Linyuan lowered his long eyelashes and picked up the purse.
He glanced at it casually and noticed a scratch on it.
It looked as if it had been torn apart by fingernails.
For him?
She wanted to please him and seduce him?
"Brother Linyuan, why do you treat this beauty like this? Such a beauty is truly rare; you should cherish and pity her."
Wu Zizhuo became extremely interested.
He was always known for his romantic affairs, a handsome young man with a beautiful face, and naturally coveted such a beauty. He didn't hear what Xie Linyuan said next, and said, "By the way, Brother Linyuan, won't you introduce me?"
His words were so blunt that the meaning was quite clear.
He wanted this beauty.
If they were maids or concubines, it was normal for them to give gifts to each other; it was just a matter of social interaction.
"Introduce me?"
Xie Linyuan held the purse in his hand and smiled, "This is my elder brother's widow, my sister-in-law, but..."
He glanced at his brother's coffin and the memorial tablet on it, and said calmly, "He'll be mine from now on too."
He spoke the words "my people" casually, with a lazy, rising tone at the end, as if they came out of his mouth very casually.
It was as if this was an extremely ordinary thing, an extremely trivial thing, something not worth paying attention to at all.
His elder brother died, and he inherited the Xie family business, becoming the head of the Xie family.
His fiancée also became Xie Linyuan's woman.
It was no different from any of his other belongings.
However, she was someone he utterly loathed and hated.
"Oh, I see..." Wu Zizhuo seemed to understand and didn't ask any more questions.
It is not uncommon for brothers to succeed brothers after the death of their elder brothers.
Moreover, she is such a stunning beauty.
Their brotherly bond is only natural.
but……
Wu Zizhuo was adept at reading people's expressions. He glanced at Xie Linyuan's expression without making a sound, and then pondered his expression and words just now. He keenly noticed a strangeness that even Xie Linyuan himself was unaware of.
My people...
My people...
So that's how it is...
Wu Zizhuo's fox-like eyes curved into a smile as he bowed apologetically, then patted Xie Linyuan's shoulder: "I was being presumptuous, but... such beauty is extraordinary, Brother Linyuan, you must treat her well, otherwise..."
"No need for Lord Wu to worry." Xie Linyuan glanced sideways, a polite smile on his face, but his peach blossom eyes, though raised, revealed a sharp edge and a chilling coldness.
Xie Linyuan grabbed Wu Zizhuo's arm with his backhand, removed his hand from his shoulder, and then used force.
The creaking sound of dislocated joints rang out, and Wu Zizhuo's face turned pale instantly, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the arrogant smile on his face was finally about to crumble.
He had no doubt that Xie Linyuan would actually dislocate his arm.
They became so arrogant after winning a few battles.
No wonder……
The pain from the dislocated tendons and bones intensified, and he realized he was truly going to lose his arm.
Wu Zizhuo's feigned smile vanished completely. Just as he was about to beg for mercy, Xie Linyuan released his grip and strode away, leaving behind only one sentence.
"I have other matters to attend to. Please make yourself at home, Lord Wu."
After he left, Wu Zizhuo rubbed his arm, squinted at his retreating figure, and smiled.
Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman.
Such a beauty could move even someone as experienced as him, who had seen countless beauties. No wonder...
Wu Zizhuo seemed to have thought of something. The flirtatious smile in his fox-like eyes disappeared, and his eyes revealed an ambitious and confident look, completely unlike the纨绔士族 (wán kù shì zú, spoiled noble family member) he had just been.
"Xie Linyuan, do you think this might cost you your life?"
——
After Su Muying hurriedly returned, she discovered that her purse was missing.
She thought back carefully and realized that she must have left the purse in the mourning hall.
But after what had just happened, her self-esteem had been trampled underfoot. Her ears were burning, her bones were trembling, and fear of Xie Linyuan swept over her and intimidated her.
She didn't dare go back to get it.
She embroidered one more.
Su Muying could only endure it.
To survive, she had no choice but to endure it.
Su Muying wiped away her tears, gently stroked the warm jade bracelet on her wrist, murmured "Mother" softly, and then picked up the embroidery ball again to begin embroidering.
A gust of wind blew by outside, and the shadows of trees, flowers, and people flashed past the window frame, only to disappear in an instant.
——
The following day, Xie Lin'an was buried.
The good spring weather that had lasted for many days turned into continuous rainy days and strong winds.
As the suona horn played, paper money was scattered, swept into the air by the wind, then soaked by the drizzle, falling heavily to the ground, trampled underfoot, and soaking into the soil.
Coffin, memorial tablet, white banner, and paper money separate a boundary into the underworld.
The funeral procession slowly passed through the bustling streets and headed to the Xie family cemetery in the north of the city.
After the worship ceremony, the erection of the monument, and the placement of the coffin into the deep pit, just as it was about to be covered with yellow earth, a heart-wrenching cry pierced through the thin drizzle and hovered in the air above the cemetery. Immediately afterward, a slender white figure rushed forward.
Lin'an!
"Lin'an..."
...
These cries sounded extremely pitiful, as if they contained immense grief and endless longing for the deceased.
Xie Linyuan stood calmly in front of the grave pit. Just as the woman was about to rush to the coffin, he raised his hand to stop her, grabbed her slender waist, and pulled her into his arms.
A light rain fell between them. His expression was cold and stern as he mercilessly gripped her neck, forcing her to raise her head and look directly at him.
"Who's going to watch this fake weeping at the grave? Hmm?"
"Su Muying, your hypocrisy is disgusting."
Tears streamed down the girl's reddened eyes. She was forced to tilt her head back, her whole body trembling. Her eyes, which had always been alluring, were now filled with tears, and all that could be seen at this moment was sorrow.
It's very bright.
Xie Linyuan's sword-like eyebrows furrowed, his expression sharp and intimidating.
His large, veiny hand slowly moved upwards from the girl's delicate, fair neck, pinching her face.
His rough fingertips dug into the soft flesh of the girl's cheek, and as he slowly rubbed them, they turned red.
Her tears rolled down her cheeks, mingling with the drizzle, and flowed down the man's fingertips.
The warm, sticky sensation traveled over without any obstruction.
Su Muying could sense that the hand he was using to pinch her face trembled terribly.
The next moment, he released her, took a step back, and made way for her. His extremely cold voice, soaked in the drizzle, sent chills down one's spine.
"Jump down, and I'll make sure you die in the same grave as my brother, buried together."
"If you're not going to jump, then stop with your hypocritical act."
“If I ever see you shed another tear for my brother again, I’ll break your legs.”
"Choose," he urged.
A note from the author:
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