Chapter 43
The rattan cane was soaked in sesame oil a day in advance, and it was extremely painful when it was used to beat the body.
Shi Mingyue endured ten blows, but finally couldn't bear the pain any longer and fainted. Her lips were already bitten raw, but she stubbornly held on without uttering a single cry of pain.
She lay on the blue brick floor, bloodstains winding from her shoulder blade to her ankle, appearing dark purple in the cold light.
The rattan cane hung beside her father's hand, its tip dripping blood. With each cry, Shen Qingyi had already fainted and was carried away by the butler.
Wen Yuan rushed in, her knees slamming down with a dull thud.
"Please stop hitting her! Miss's body is already weak, how can she withstand such a beating? If you want to hit someone, hit me instead..." Wen Yuan cried as she gripped the rattan cane tightly. Even if she was kicked out of the Shi family today, she would not let Shi Mingyue be hit again.
The young lady has always been pampered and spoiled; she has never suffered like this.
Shi Ke threw away the rattan cane in his hand and waved his hand: "Take her away. She thinks she's grown up, that she's got wings... I can't control her anymore..."
Wen Yuan lifted the tattered shirt, and with just one glance, it felt as if her throat was being choked.
There wasn't a single patch of intact skin on his entire back; whip marks crisscrossed, and beads of blood rolled down his skin, soaking through his undergarments.
Wen Yuan's fingers trembled so much that she couldn't touch the wound. Tears fell onto the side of the wound first, mingling with blood and burning her fingertips.
"Miss, Miss..."
She picked up Shi Mingyue, blood seeping into her sleeves and dripping all the way down the corridor.
Back in the bedroom, she gently laid the person down, and as she cut open the last layer of fabric, blood gushed out again.
Wen Yuan's sobs caught in her throat, turning into intermittent gasps.
"How can you recover properly... You've never been hit since you were a child."
She knelt by the bed, her forehead pressed against the edge, tears falling onto Shi Mingyue's hand: "...For Yun Zhan, I almost lost my life, Miss..."
Everyone says that wealthy families are heartless, but Wen Yuan now believes that only wealthy families can produce true lovers.
The blood was still flowing, and the lamplight flickered.
By the time the doctor arrived, some of the flesh and clothing had stuck together, and they could only carefully remove it bit by bit with tweezers...
The moment the sharp tweezers touched her skin, Shi Mingyue seemed to sense something, frowning and showing a pained expression, which made Wen Yuan burst into tears.
Hot water was changed basin after basin, and the whole room was filled with the metallic smell of blood seeping out.
The doctor wiped the sweat from his brow, his fingers trembling from the prolonged exertion: "This is too serious... For the past month, she's had to sleep on her stomach, and part of the wound hasn't fully healed, so it may leave scars..."
It was already past midnight when the doctor finished treating the wound.
Shi Mingyue opened her eyes in pain, her throat so dry she couldn't make a sound, only hearing the slight tearing sound of her scabs as she turned over.
It seems to be over... Although it hurt a lot, she succeeded.
After this, her father should no longer beat her because of Yun Zhan.
Wen Yuan, who was kneeling by the bed, suddenly sat up straight, tears streaming down her face.
She lunged forward, her knees slamming heavily against the blue bricks with a sharp crack, but ignoring the pain, she gripped Shi Mingyue's hand tightly.
"Miss! Don't scare me..."
Wen Yuan's voice trembled so much she could barely speak, "Please stop liking Yun Zhan, okay? Lord Shi is really against you being with Yun Zhan. If you get hit again, you'll be dead!"
She spoke almost pleadingly, tears streaming down her face.
Shi Mingyue slowly turned her head, her forehead stray hairs stuck in cold sweat, her lips pale. She moved her chapped lips, her voice low but firm: "It can only be her."
With each word she uttered, the wound on her back was pulled apart, causing her fingertips to tremble with pain.
"Wenyuan, thank you for your concern. But when it comes to marriage, I want to make my own decision."
Shi Mingyue gently patted Wen Yuan's hand.
"Why do you like Yun Zhan? What's so good about her?" Wen Yuan didn't understand, and she shook her head while crying.
"If I had to say why, I initially liked her because of her talent and demeanor. She could write such beautiful poems and had such a graceful manner, it was hard not to be moved by her."
When Shi Mingyue talks about Yun Zhan, the corners of her lips always unconsciously curl up.
"But what made me fall in love with her... was her courage."
“Yun Zhan did many things knowing they were impossible, and even stepped forward despite knowing they were absurd.”
"When everyone tries to convince themselves not to put themselves in danger in the name of 'being sober,' Yun Zhan uses his fearlessness to fight against reality."
Including the incident involving Pei Yanxi, no one would choose to rescue her.
This courage lies in the fact that she would rather risk losing her life than unilaterally submit to reality.
This courage
That was when the bright moon was most lacking.
She grew up in a secluded, sheltered environment.
"I said yes countless times; I obeyed countless decisions I didn't like; I offered false agreement to the opinions of countless elders." Shi Mingyue closed her eyes; she didn't like this.
They just lack courage.
In some ways, she and Yun Zhan are two completely different individuals.
They were like two magnets with opposite properties; Yun Zhan was so attractive to her.
During the explosion on the Lantern Festival, Yun Zhan jumped into the water without hesitation, risking a secondary explosion to rescue her and bring her to shore.
"On the night of the Lantern Festival, I had just woken up when I saw her kneeling in front of me, giving me her clothes. Her hand had just been cut by a piece of wood, and the wound was still bleeding..." Shi Mingyue recalled that scene.
"But her first question was, 'Is there anything else that's bothering you?'"
Shi Mingyue remembered that Yun Zhan knelt in front of her at that time, his clear eyes shining brightly, like obsidian that had been repeatedly washed by mountain spring.
Like a puppy, its gaze was fixed straight on her without any flinching, so pure that she forgot to be on guard.
"Alright, Miss, please stop... Waaah, you're so badly injured, and you're still thinking about her." Wen Yuan shook her head, crying, her tears falling onto the bedsheets and spreading out in a dark hue.
Shi Mingyue raised her other hand, her fingertips touching under the pillow, and took out a warm, smooth mutton-fat jade pendant, which she then placed into Wen Yuan's palm with her last bit of strength.
"Give this to her."
Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet carried an undeniable seriousness: "Just say I've been busy lately and haven't had time to keep it myself. Otherwise, she won't accept it."
The jade pendant still carried her body heat, and felt warm to the touch.
Wen Yuan clutched the jade tightly, her knuckles turning white, tears dripping onto its surface.
The wick snapped with a loud "pop," and the flickering light illuminated the faint curve of Shi Mingyue's lips.
...
After this incident, Wen Yuan disliked Yun Zhan more and more.
She was all proper during the Lantern Festival, but now that the young lady is injured because of her, she's probably still flirting with some girl at school.
That aloof and high-ranking School Director Pei, and that Wen Sixue...
She'd better be more faithful!
The school corridors were bathed in the slanting sunlight of the afternoon sun, and the echoes of the school bell had not yet faded.
Wen Yuan stood at the corner, her black trench coat covering her completely, clutching a small brocade pouch in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Seeing Yun Zhan approaching from afar, she tucked the bag into her palm and said in a cold voice, "Yun Zhan, come here."
Yun Zhan approached, his gaze falling on the brocade pouch, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Are you Shi Mingyue's friend? I saw you last time. Why didn't she come to class today?" Yun Zhan had just asked when Wen Yuan interrupted him.
Without exchanging pleasantries, Wen Yuan reached out and shoved the bag into her hand, her movements deliberately stiff.
"This is from the young lady."
Her voice was low, but she couldn't hide her simmering anger. "She's been busy with something and can't come to school for a while. Could you keep this for her?"
The brocade pouch still carried a trace of warmth and the faint floral scent emanating from Shi Mingyue.
What is it?
Just as Yun Zhan was about to open it, he was stopped by the furious Wen Yuan: "You can't look now. Miss said you can only open it when she comes to find you."
Yun Zhan: "Oh... okay."
Just as Yun Zhan was about to say the next sentence, Wen Yuan turned around, the hem of her trench coat sweeping across the floor tiles with a short, sharp rustling sound.
She took two steps away, turned her head, and said in a tone as sharp as ice rolling over a metal plate: "I really can't see what's so good about her."
As soon as she finished speaking, she strode away, her back ramrod straight, the sunlight casting a long shadow at the end of the corridor.
Yun Zhan felt a little embarrassed after hearing Wen Yuan's words.
Before Wen Yuan had gone far, Yun Zhan's lips twitched, as if he wanted to smile, but only managed a stiff curve; his voice caught in his throat, and he didn't even have time to say "thank you".
The slanting sunlight cast her shadow in place.
Yun Zhan lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a small shadow that concealed the momentary embarrassment in his eyes: "21, am I really that annoying?"
She reviewed what had happened during this period.
She messed up her relationship with Pei Yanxi, and then bit Wen Sixue... Now even Shi Mingyue's best friend is treating her this way.
"I also feel quite conflicted. After Pei Yanxi confessed to me, I fell into a deep dilemma... I can no longer view my relationship with Pei Yanxi and Wen Sixue normally."
Yun Zhan casually found a place to sit down and talked to 21 about his feelings.
"I definitely can't be friends with Pei Yanxi anymore. After my intimate encounter with Wen Sixue, I can't get along with her normally either..."
She had been avoiding Wen Sixue during this time because she had absorbed her essence and couldn't help but want to bite her again. During physical education class, she would avoid looking at Wen Sixue's legs.
I always feel like this version of myself is so strange.
She had considered being with a girl, but she wasn't mentally prepared.
21 thought for a moment and gave a terrible idea: "How about we sort out the matter with Pei Yanxi first?"
“Pei Yanxi likes you, right? I think you could do something that would ruin your image, like making dirty jokes with her or saying things that girls hate. Let’s see if her attitude towards you changes.”
ah?
Making lewd jokes with girls?
She's never done anything like that.
Yun Zhan was puzzled: "What good will it do me to ruin my own reputation like this?"
"If Pei Yanxi still likes you as much as ever, it means she's really head over heels in love with you! You can seriously consider dating her."
21 continued, "Because I think many people date for novelty or because they like someone's appearance. If you find that her feelings are superficial, then you should politely tell her the truth to save yourself the trouble."
"For example, you tell her you want to sleep with her. See if she agrees."
Yun Zhan thought for a long time before finally nodding stiffly.
It is indeed a way to confirm someone's feelings.
But this idea... is really terrible.
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