When Xu Zhuohua woke up, it was already late at night. She felt an excruciating pain in her entire back. She tried to sit up, but found herself wrapped in a soft blanket.
He moved his wrists and realized that his hands were tied together.
Cheng Muyun sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Xu Zhuohua with exhaustion in the dim light.
He said in a hoarse voice, "You're awake. Are you thirsty?"
Xu Zhuohua struggled for a moment, only to find that her feet were also tied. She sighed and asked helplessly, "When are you going to let me go?"
Cheng Muyun didn't answer directly. Instead, he got up, poured a glass of warm water, put one hand under Xu Zhuohua's shoulder, lifted her up, and brought the glass of water close to Xu Zhuohua's lips. "After you finish drinking, I'll tell you."
Two fireplaces were burning in the room. Xu Zhuohua was parched, so he simply tilted his head back, slowly drank the water, and a drop of water slid down the corner of his mouth.
Cheng Muyun lowered his head and kissed her chin, his soft tongue licking it. His lips lingered on the corner of Xu Zhuohua's mouth, his tongue gently licking it. He held the person in his arms tenderly, neither deepening the kiss nor choosing to leave.
Like a prisoner about to lose his soul, Cheng Muyun slowly breathed in the scent of Xu Zhuohua, closed his eyes, and became intoxicated by it.
"Cheng Muyun," Xu Zhuohua called out to him.
The man pressed his forehead against Xu Zhuohua's, reluctant to part, "I'm here."
"How long do you intend to keep me locked up?"
Cheng Muyun finally let go, slowly and reluctantly sitting back on the stool by the bed, his fingers gripping the hem of the blanket, seemingly caught in a dilemma.
"I've already announced to the public that you're ill, Zhuohua. You'll have to suffer until Yunqiao marries into the family."
Xu Zhuohua suddenly felt like her chest was about to explode with anger. She had said so much, cried and tried to persuade him, but Cheng Muyun was still determined to do things his own way.
It's true that you can't reason with someone who wants to die!
"Cheng Muyun, if you dare to marry Luo Yunqiao, I dare to leave you!"
Cheng Muyun lowered his head. "It's better for you to leave me than to die because of me."
Then, as if remembering something, he raised his head, his eyes clear and bright, his gaze unwavering. "But you can't bear to part with me, can you? Zhuohua, you love me no less than I love you. Can you bear to leave me?"
Xu Zhuohua frowned, her beautiful eyes filled with endless anger. She looked at Cheng Muyun as if he were a stranger. "Cheng Muyun, my love is conditional. If you really make Luo Yunqiao my scapegoat, you will no longer meet the conditions for me to like you. In that case, even if I live, you will still lose me."
Cheng Muyun frowned, his eyes clouded with sadness. "Zhuohua, I'm not afraid of either the Luo family or the Si family. Someone has to stand up and condemn what they've done. I'm not afraid of anything except you. The only person I worry about in this world is you. Even if I lose you, I'm willing to do so, as long as you're alive."
Xu Zhuohua couldn't get angry at all because of Cheng Muyun's somewhat dejected look. Cheng Muyun was clearly handsome and imposing, and had nothing to do with being dejected, but Xu Zhuohua could still read a deep sense of defeat in his eyes.
Xu Zhuohua's anger vanished instantly, but the thought of the innocent Luo Yunqiao becoming her scapegoat made her restless.
"Fine, since you've planned everything, then let's get a divorce! I won't interfere with your fate, and you shouldn't hold me back from finding someone else."
The closest people often know where the other person's weakness lies, and their words strike at the heart of the matter.
Cheng Muyun clenched his fist and slammed it onto the thick mattress. The soft fabric absorbed the blow, making it feel like he'd punched cotton, which didn't vent his anger at all.
But the anger that flashed in his eyes still frightened Xu Zhuohua.
“I won’t let you go! Even after Luo Yunqiao dies, we can still be together.”
Xu Zhuohua glared at him, "Luo Yunqiao is innocent! You can't push her into this fire! Cheng Muyun, I hate you like this!"
Cheng Muyun suddenly stood up. "Whether you hate me or like me, I'm going to do this. As long as you're safe, I'll do anything. I don't care if people talk behind my back for the rest of my life."
Then Cheng Muyun bent down and laid Xu Zhuohua down, lifted the blanket, crawled in himself, hugged Xu Zhuohua's body, and took a deep breath.
"Sleep well, Zhuohua. As long as you behave, I'll do anything you ask."
Xu Zhuohua was held immobile by Cheng Muyun, feeling an unprecedented humiliation. She didn't want to be controlled, imprisoned, or have someone else die for her; she'd rather be killed directly.
“Cheng Muyun, you know that if Luo Yunqiao dies, I won’t live on alone.”
Cheng Muyun's body stiffened, his arms slowly loosened, and then he hugged Xu Zhuohua's head, burying it in his chest.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, “If you die, I won’t live on alone. The moment you leave, I’ll follow. On the Bridge of Helplessness, I’ll overturn Meng Po’s pot, and I’ll still haunt you in the next life.”
The tranquil moonlight filtered through the pure white curtains and spilled onto the ground, like a river of flowing light, with fragments of love floating above.
Cheng Muyun kept his word and kept Xu Zhuohua locked up, not letting her leave the house even once. He personally served her meals and helped her wash up. He even replaced the rope with shackles, handcuffing Xu Zhuohua's ankles and locking the other end to the wall.
Xu Zhuohua felt like she was Cheng Muyun's pet.
Cheng Muyun has been in a low mood these days. Sometimes he is very busy and doesn't get back until late at night. He holds Xu Zhuohua and sighs deeply.
Sometimes he would force himself on Xu Zhuohua, holding her slender waist tightly and refusing to let go, no matter how much Xu Zhuohua screamed, he would stop.
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