Chapter 42
"21, what should I do? Should I stay away from her...?"
Yun Zhan smoked one cigarette after another, her red and swollen eyes staring ahead. After the ash fell to the ground, she sighed, buried her head in her knees, and curled up in the hanging chair.
"Why think like that? It might be better to apologize to her properly." 21 was getting anxious and kept trying to persuade Yun Zhan.
It was clear that Wen Sixue really liked Yun Zhan. No girl would allow someone to bite her neck before they were in a committed relationship, especially since Wen Sixue wasn't even dressed at the time.
Yun Zhan distanced himself because he felt too guilty, and it was truly Wen Sixue who suffered the most...
"She really enjoys being with you, so don't make her feel worse!" 21 added as a final reminder.
"I understand... But once a fox absorbs someone's life essence, it will especially want to be close to that person. What if I can't control myself?"
Fox spirits are naturally alluring, but after absorbing someone's life essence, they unexpectedly become close to that person.
Yun Zhan suddenly remembered the world before that, where other fox demons of her kind all entered into marriage contracts with that person after absorbing his life essence.
Yun Zhan: ...Marriage...is such a niche word for me.
"And what should I do when I wake up...?"
Yun Zhan stood up, hunched over, and rested his elbows on the railing. The wind lifted the stray hairs on his forehead, revealing his bloodshot eyes.
The last cigarette, the ash piled up half an inch deep, and lingered for a long time.
It had rained last night, and the damp evening breeze brushed against her face. Suddenly, she recalled the scene of absorbing life essence last night...
The memory of her sharp teeth piercing her skin sent a slight shiver down Wen Sixue's spine.
I recall that satisfied sigh from the bottom of my heart, like a starving beast finally licking its first drop of blood.
After that, all reason seemed to have been stripped away, leaving only an empty longing.
"I'm such a beast," Yun Zhan patted his face, then continued, "I bit someone's neck like this..."
In the room, Wen Sixue opened her eyes in a daze. Her body was extremely weak, and she didn't even have the strength to turn on the light, but her fingertips still subconsciously reached out to the side.
The sheets were cold, and there was no one there.
Yun Zhan's departure was the thing she found most unacceptable.
In that instant, it felt like my heart had been suddenly emptied, leaving only the hollow of the wind passing through my chest.
Wen Sixue bit her pale lips and tried desperately to sit up by supporting herself on the edge of the bed, but her arms were as limp as if they were soaked in water, and she could not even lift them off the pillow.
Cold sweat trickled down his temples and into his hair, sticking to the side of his neck, mingling with the stinging pain from the remaining teeth marks.
"Yun Zhan...?"
His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but the last syllable trembled uncontrollably.
Tears welled up in my eyes without me even realizing it, dripping onto the sheets.
Wen Sixue frantically groped for the bedside table, her fingertips tapping the rim of the cup several times, causing the porcelain cup to roll away and shatter in the darkness.
She finally caught the phone, and the cold light from the screen stung her eyes.
The call was dialed and answered after only one ring.
"……Where are you?"
Wen Sixue's voice was moist, as if it had just been pulled from the seabed.
She tried to keep her voice steady, but couldn't stop crying, "I woke up...and couldn't find you, did you leave?"
"I'm so sorry... Was I too harsh on you last night? I was just... scared. Please come back?"
The sound of wind from the balcony and Yun Zhan's suppressed breathing came through the receiver.
Wen Sixue's tears rolled into her hair, her fingers gripping the corner of the blanket tightly until her knuckles turned white.
"Don't leave me, okay?"
Her voice was broken, like paper scattered by the wind.
"I'm home alone, and I'm scared... really scared."
In the darkness, she curled up into a small ball, her phone pressed against her ear.
"It hurts so much..." Wen Sixue's trembling fingertips touched the wound on her neck, where blood was still seeping out...
The stinging pain, like needles, constantly reminded her of everything that had happened last night. Every breath pulled at the wound on the side of her neck, making her tremble with pain, but it couldn't overcome the panic of being abandoned in her heart.
Yun Zhan has already absorbed her life essence, so why is he leaving again...?
She was so wronged...
The silence on the other end of the phone was like a dull knife, cutting her almost to the point of suffocation.
Then came Yun Zhan's low, hoarse reply: "I'm on the balcony, I'll be right back."
Wen Sixue then released her lips, which had turned white from biting them, and tears silently fell onto the pillow.
Yun Zhan quickly dressed and hurried back to his bedroom.
She hadn't expected Wen Sixue to wake up...
Was it because she left? She remembered Wen Sixue saying before that she was afraid of the dark and didn't like sleeping alone in a big house.
When Yun Zhan pushed open the door, his knuckles were still damp with the cold of the night rain, but he froze in place the moment he looked up.
The moment the light was turned on, she saw Wen Sixue sitting in the middle of the bed, the blankets piled messily around her waist.
Yun Zhan only turned on one of the warm lamps by the bedside, and the dim yellow light made Wen Sixue look like a thin, fragile sheet.
Those eyes were red from crying, their eyelashes were wet and clumped together, and tears hung from their lower lashes.
She knelt on the bed like an abandoned little animal, staring motionlessly at the door, her gaze like a thin thread, tightly tethered to Yun Zhan...
"Yun Zhan, I miss you so much..." Wen Sixue looked up, her red eyes quite unfocused. She knelt on the bed and looked up at Yun Zhan as if she were looking at her god.
Her voice was tender and affectionate, each note carrying a deep dependence on Yun Zhan.
"I'm sorry, I've come to keep you company... I should have left a note before I left." Yun Zhan had just taken half a step in when Wen Sixue rushed over like a snapped string.
She knelt on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Yun Zhan's waist, and buried her face in the wet fabric of Yun Zhan's clothes.
The force was so great it almost hurt her ribs, but then it softened the next second, as if afraid of hurting Yun Zhan: "Hold me..."
Wen Sixue's voice was muffled by the fabric of her clothes, hoarse and trembling from crying: "Just a hug, don't go."
Yun Zhan froze for a moment, then raised his hand and placed his palm on her thin back.
My fingertips touched the slightly protruding shoulder blades under my pajamas, like touching two fragile pieces of porcelain.
Wen Sixue buried her face even deeper, tears instantly welling up and seeping hot into Yun Zhan's skin.
The bedside lamp shone on the back of her exposed neck, where the teeth marks were still tinged with purplish-blue, constantly reminding Yun Zhan of what she had just done.
Yun Zhan's fingertips paused at the edge of the scar, and finally he tightened his arms, pulling Wen Sixue into his embrace.
Wen Sixue then let out a very soft sob, as if finally confirming that she had not been abandoned.
"Wen Sixue, now that I have absorbed your essence, you have the right to know about me."
Yun Zhan gripped her shoulders, his expression extremely serious.
After traveling to each world, she never tells anyone about what happened in the previous world, which is extremely dangerous...
Especially in a modern drama, she might be seen as an oddball... She hasn't known Wen Sixue for very long, so there's a certain risk in talking about these things.
Yun Zhan lowered his head, his fingertips digging into his palm, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Wen Sixue, I am a fox demon... to survive, I can only rely on absorbing human essence."
The air fell silent instantly, with only the soft sound of raindrops tapping on the windowpane.
Wen Sixue opened her eyes wide, her fingertips curling on the bed sheet, but she did not let go of Yun Zhan's hand, instead gripping it even tighter.
Fox demon?
She often encounters this role in traditional opera, could it really be real?
Moreover, the roles have now been reversed; she is no longer the one playing the fox. The real fox... is the person she loves.
"Moreover, after absorbing someone's vital energy, one will unconsciously move closer to her."
When Yun Zhan got to this point, he looked away because he was embarrassed.
Oh no… why did she say that…
Wen Sixue's eyes lit up in surprise.
Perhaps, this is her chance.
By a gift from heaven, she received the opportunity from Yun Zhan.
Wen Sixue took a deep breath, suppressing her instinctive surprise: "Then suck mine."
She spoke softly, her tone more steady than expected, yet with an undeniable air of caution.
"Since you've already taken from me, then take from me alone from now on. I... want to help you live on too."
Yun Zhan suddenly looked up, his eyes surging with bloodshot color.
As if afraid of being rejected, Wen Sixue hurriedly placed her other hand on top of her, their fingers intertwined.
She tilted her head slightly, revealing her snow-white neck. In her fair skin, the veins were throbbing rhythmically, carrying a warm invitation.
"I'm clean, I don't have any bad habits, and I know you well enough... Why don't you use me, Yun Zhan? Don't you want to?"
Wen Sixue raised her eyes, her eyelashes casting dappled shadows under the light, her voice soft as if she were pleading: "I gave you all my first time's essence... so it'll be safer for you to suck mine from now on."
Yun Zhan did not make a decision immediately, as absorbing vital energy is a very wasteful act.
If you only absorb the warmth of snow, it will be very harmful to your body...
Wen Sixue seemed to see through all her hesitation, and gently rested her forehead against her palm.
"Don't be afraid, I'm willing, because I want you to live."
I also hope that one day, you will fall for me alone.
Wen Sixue buried her head in her knees, not daring to utter another word...
“Absorbing your vital energy will severely damage your body, which is very unfair to you,” Yun Zhan said seriously.
Is it bad for your health?
Wen Sixue quietly raised her eyes. What was this all about?
She has suffered for eighteen years.
Yun Zhan was the only sweetness in her life. As long as she could be with Yun Zhan, what did it matter if it took a toll on her health?
...
Mingyue Villa
Shi Ke quickly learned that Shi Mingyue had secretly moved ships to the neutral zone without regard for her personal safety.
That very night, they led men to force Shi Mingyue into the ancestral hall.
Shi Mingyue, dressed in only a thin garment, had been kneeling on the central blue brick for three hours...
The blue bricks were cold and hard. Shi Mingyue bit her lower lip; her knees were numb and she couldn't feel anything...
"Do you admit your mistake?! How dare you mobilize ships to go out to sea without permission? Do you know there are troops over there?!" Shi Ke held a rattan cane in his hand, his brows were lowered, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.
The back of his pure white shirt had been torn open in several places by the rattan, and bloodstains meandered along the fabric. The old rattan in his hand, with its handle worn smooth, was now covered in Shi Mingyue's blood, and drops of blood dripped down the joints and landed on the blue bricks.
"I don't know I was wrong. I protected my future wife. I did nothing wrong." Shi Mingyue endured the pain and refused to bow her head.
"Nonsense! How can she be a fiancée if we're not engaged? Besides, I haven't even agreed to it yet," Shi Ke retorted angrily.
The vines rose again, making a short, sharp sound as they cut through the wind, before landing heavily on Shi Mingyue's shoulder.
The sound of flesh exploding was swallowed by the empty roof beams, leaving only the crisp "snap" of the candle wick.
Blood droplets splattered onto the incense burner in front of the altar, instantly absorbed by the scalding hot ash, emitting a faint hissing sound.
Her father stood behind her, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the rattan handles stained with blood and sweat.
"I'll ask you one more time, do you know you're wrong?" Shi Ke's voice was extremely low, like the rumbling thunder before a storm.
Shi Mingyue looked up, the firelight reflected in her pupils, the burning pain on her back had turned into a dull numbness, blood slid down her waist and into her pants, but she didn't even twitch her eyebrows.
“Father, I don’t want to disobey you like this, but I don’t think I’m wrong about this.” Shi Mingyue’s voice was hoarse, but every word was clear, and her lips were white from the pain.
The rattan fell again, this time heavier, the sound of tearing silk mixed with the wet thud of skin being ripped open.
Blood flowed down the spine, gathering into a thin line at the tailbone, dripping onto the blue bricks and splashing up tiny red mists.
Shi Ke's jaw was clenched, and each time he spoke, the rattan made a short, sharp sound as it cut through the air.
His voice was forced out through clenched teeth, and the air in the room smelled of rust: "Shi Mingyue, say it again!"
The vine rose again, slicing through the candle flame. A flash of firelight illuminated the vine, revealing the bulging veins on his knuckles from the exertion.
"Enough! Enough! Are you trying to kill my daughter?" Shen Qingyi cried out as she threw herself on Shi Mingyue, blocking Shi Ke's path.
"Mingyue, apologize to your father. It really breaks my heart to see you like this." Shen Qingyi hugged Shi Mingyue tightly, tears streaming down her face, and stroked her cheek with her fingertips.
"Mother, thank you... but I won't back down on this..."
"Mingyue, don't be so stubborn..."
Shi Mingyue took a deep breath; she wasn't stubborn...
If she apologizes out of fear, or bows her head out of pain, her father will use the same tactics again to threaten her into breaking up with Yun Zhan...
Once you're weak, you'll be weak every time.
Her obsession wasn't about the ship, but about her future with Yun Zhan.
When it comes to Yun Zhan, she absolutely cannot back down or obey...
Shi Ke's hand froze in mid-air as he looked at Shi Mingyue.
Shi Mingyue straightened her back, her shoulder blades faintly visible beneath the torn fabric. Despite being so badly injured, she didn't even cry out in pain...?
That's really impressive.
Shi Mingyue's voice echoed in the sandalwood incense of the ancestral hall. She looked up, her voice not loud, yet it drowned out all the other echoes in the hall:
"I like Yun Zhan."
She inhaled a breath of air mingled with the scent of blood and sandalwood.
"I may be being selfish by saying this, but I would give up my life for her."
She enunciated each word with extreme emphasis, as if nails were driven into Shi Ke and Shen Qingyi's hearts.
For the sake of her future happiness with Yun Zhan, she absolutely cannot back down...
The candlelight suddenly flickered, reflecting off her sweat-dampened temples and into her eyes.
Blood and sweat mingled, dripping down his chin, striking the blue bricks, and searing into the cold floor of the ancestral hall.
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