Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat!
His thick eyebrows furrowed, and an unusual expression of disbelief appeared on his face: "What did Yinyin say...?"
Shen Qiyin lowered her eyes, smelling the blood that had clung to her body in the dungeon. In that instant, it felt as if she had returned to the day she stepped into the Qin mansion.
Her lips parted slightly, and her voice rang out softly.
"Everyone says that Eunuch Qin was charitable and loved helping others."
"But there are conditions to getting his help."
"Nineteen punishments..."
Her tone was low and calm, yet tinged with a deathly stillness: "Xiao Yan, nineteen."
Xiao Yan was terrified.
His thin lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.
Chen Xiyin continued in a calm voice: "From the front gate of the Qin Mansion to the main hall, there is a dozen feet of red-hot rubble. I once walked barefoot on it."
"Qin Li told me that it's called 'lotus blossoms with every step'."
“I knelt at his feet, and he used his pipe to brand red marks on my arm, laughing and saying that they were the blossoming peach blossoms.”
"When the fingernails of all ten fingers are forcibly pulled out, it is called 'flowers blooming under the fingers'."
"Like a lotus emerging from the water, graceful and elegant..."
“I have endured all those tortures that were worse than death.”
Xiao Yan suddenly grabbed her hand, clenched his teeth, and pressed his pale lips into a thin line.
Chen Xiyin seemed oblivious, completely lost in her memories.
"Aren't you wondering why I needed Qin Li's help, when I was injured, and why I'm unharmed now?" She raised her eyes, turned to look at him, her clear eyes glistening with tears.
"Consort Li faked her pregnancy, and everyone in the Imperial Hospital was imprisoned. Shen Nianyin knew Qin Li's character, so she secretly leaked the news to Madam Sun."
“She came to me and asked me to go to the Qin residence to plead for Qin Li to rescue Shen Cang from prison.”
After a pause, Shen Qiyin's voice grew even lower: "I agree."
Xiao Yan's brows furrowed even more.
A thought flashed through his mind, but it was too fast for him to catch.
Shen Xiyin: "The price was eighteen punishments, resulting in broken leg bones, pierced collarbones, chronic cold, and a body covered in scars."
“The Shen family thought I was a burden, so they abandoned me on the estate to fend for myself. Only Ren Dong, disregarding gains and losses and consequences, accompanied me. She took good care of me for three years and barely managed to keep my life.”
"On the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth of August, someone from the Shen family suddenly came and took me back..."
Outside the carriage, there was a great commotion.
Today is the night market's opening day, and the curfew has been extended, so the streets are bustling with people and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares can be heard everywhere.
Shen Qiyin opened a small window on the carriage wall and glanced at the brightly lit Zhuque Street. She calmly said, "The street was just as lively as it is tonight that day."
"In order to reinstate Shen Cangguan, they forced me to marry Qin Li."
"Old wounds had not yet healed, and new worries were added. I was so anxious that I fainted. Before I completely lost consciousness, I heard Shen Cang and Sun Shi say, 'Don't let me die, otherwise it will be difficult to explain to Eunuch Qin.'"
"He even suggested that we take advantage of my unconscious state and send him to the Qin residence."
"I don't know what happened after that."
She had no idea whether she died on the spot or after being taken to the Qin residence.
"I should have died, but when I opened my eyes again, I saw Sun sitting by my bedside, crying and pleading. She said she had found a way for me to go to Qin Li to plead for Shen Cang's release from prison."
At this point, she seemed to smile slightly.
She stared intently at Xiao Yan, slowly pulling her hand away from his, and said, word by word, "Xiao Hanyu, now you know why I want the Shen family and Qin Li to be doomed forever, don't you?"
Shen Qiyin originally thought that after hearing what she said, Xiao Yan's reaction would be even deeper than the initial shock and confusion he had shown.
But to everyone's surprise, his biggest reaction was to glance down at her withdrawn hand, and then reluctantly pull it back: "Just talk, why did you let go of my hand?"
Miss Shen was stunned.
Would a normal person react like this upon hearing something so shocking?!
"Aren't you scared?"
"Yinyin wants me to be afraid? Then I can try to act it out."
"No!" She shook her head, her eyes full of confusion. "What kind of strange and bizarre thing is this about being reborn? You just accept it so easily? I don't even know myself whether I'm a human or a ghost right now..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes darkened, and he suddenly leaned forward, cupped her face, and kissed her!
Or rather, it bit into it.
Shen Qiyin frowned in pain, a faint sweet and fishy taste spreading between her lips.
She struggled to push him away.
Xiao Yan then stepped back, his thumb tracing the blood droplet on her lips, which, like the most vibrant lip rouge, only made her lips appear even redder.
He asked her, "Does it hurt?"
"Of course it hurts!"
"If you can feel pain, then you're not a ghost."
"..." Is this the key point?
Xiao Yan naturally understood her meaning, but as far as he was concerned, he didn't care whether she was a human or a ghost.
All he knew was that she was his wife.
All he cared about was whether she could stay with him forever.
He only cared whether she would live a peaceful and happy life.
That's enough...
Xiao Yan reached out and pulled the person into his arms: "I'll take care of you from now on."
He spoke gently, but his slightly lowered eyes were dark and gloomy, cold and filled with murderous intent.
After safely returning the person to the Shen family, Xiao Yan did not leave immediately. Instead, he unusually went into the inner room of Shen Xi's boudoir and even sat by her bedside, watching over her as she fell asleep.
He was somewhat worried that Qin Li's sudden appearance and those memories might affect her.
Fortunately, it seems not.
Soon after she lay down, her breathing gradually became steady.
Half-asleep, she seemed to feel something soft on her lips, and Xiao Yan's cool, clear voice gently sounded in her ear.
"sorry."
"I wasn't there when my wife went through those difficult times..."
His voice was filled with self-reproach.
If you listen carefully, you will not have trouble discovering the subtle sharpness and ruthlessness hidden within.
However, Shen Qiyin was half asleep and did not notice.
She just thought to herself that they had never even met in their past lives, so he naturally wouldn't have been there when she was suffering.
She wanted him not to think so much, but a deep sleep prevented her from speaking a complete sentence. She only moved her lips slightly twice, let out a soft moan, and then fell asleep.
Whether it was Xiao Yan's words or something else, she dreamed of him that night.
In his past life...
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