Everyone around the dining table looked up, craning their necks to look outside.
Jiang Chengxiao was seen bound hand and foot, while Jiang Chengzhong stood behind him, pushing him forward.
As he passed the high threshold, he stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
Thanks to Jiang Chengzong for helping him up, otherwise he would have definitely fallen flat on his face.
"What's wrong with Second Brother?" Jiang Jinyu couldn't help but ask curiously.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. I sparred with my older brother a few times last night, but my martial arts skills are inferior to his. This is my punishment," Jiang Chengxiao explained hurriedly, as if someone was trying to take it from him.
Everyone could tell from his appearance that he wasn't telling the truth, but neither Jiang Chengzong nor Lu Ling exposed his lie.
[System, what's going on? This looks like some juicy gossip, let's get some information quickly.]
As soon as Xu Wanying's inner voice emerged, Jiang Chengxiao froze. How could he have forgotten this again? Even if he managed to get away with it, his third sister-in-law wouldn't let him off the hook.
Let me take a look!
The system's voice suddenly rose, clearly indicating great excitement: "[Aha, last night, the eldest and second sons of the Jiang family were out on business when they happened to pass by the Princess's residence. They saw it was on fire. The second son discovered Xiaoya was a guest there and, very worried, went to check on her.]"
Before he could even settle Xiaoya in, he was summoned away by Boss Jiang. Back at the Marquis's residence, he lay awake all night, deeply worried. Finally, he decided to get up and check on Xing Xiaoya to make sure she was safe.
Upon hearing this, Xu Wanying raised an eyebrow: [Tsk, hasn't Jiang Chengxiao not gone to see Xing Xiaoya for a long time? I thought he had completely forgotten about her.]
[Of all the people in the world, he only reacts to Xiaoya. How could he possibly forget her? This kind of playboy would die without a woman, right? And let me tell you a little secret: he hasn't even been able to make love with Xiaoya yet. Once he does, he'll find the taste amazing, and all the manhood he's had in his life will have been for nothing...]
The system clicked its tongue as it spoke, its tone filled with deep emotion.
"Shut up, don't say things that are disgusting to my ears." Xu Wanying interrupted immediately. She closed her eyes, losing her appetite for the food on the table.
The other members of the Jiang family had different thoughts upon hearing this, but they all remained calm on the surface. After all, they heard such shocking words every now and then. Although they were still shocked, their bodies had developed a conditioned reflex. No matter what absurd things they heard, they had to maintain the demeanor of a worldly master.
[Hey, host, I already told you, the power of the plot is immense. Even if there are deviations along the way, it will eventually get back on track!]
The system didn't care about being scolded; on the contrary, it remained very excited.
Jiang Chengxiao was untied, and the group sat down. Although he tried his best to remain calm, after hearing what the system said, Xing Xiaoya automatically came to mind. In fact, because he had been forced to abstain from sex for too long, his body reacted even just by thinking about it.
He immediately coughed lightly, trying to suppress the anger rising in his heart, but to no avail.
Lu Ling sat next to him; as husband and wife, she knew him all too well.
When she saw the man's reddened ears, she immediately had a guess in her heart. She secretly reached under the table, pinched his thigh hard, and twisted the flesh around it.
Jiang Chengxiao arched his back in pain and almost cried out, but fortunately he managed to hold back at the last moment.
However, his pained expression was so obvious that it attracted the attention of everyone around him, making it impossible to hide.
"Second brother, what's wrong with you again?" Marquis Zhongyi couldn't help but ask, emphasizing the word "again".
"I just bumped my leg," he could only make up a flimsy excuse.
"How can you be so fragile? Since you retired from the battlefield, you've become even more pampered these past few years. Even when your sister bumps into something, she doesn't feel any pain, but you're making a face. What, have you become a precious princess?" Marquis Zhongyi said with great disdain.
Jiang Chengxiao couldn't even utter a rebuttal and could only suffer in silence.
“Husband, where were you sneaking off in the middle of the night last night, dressed in black? Tell me while everyone’s here.” Lu Ling frowned and took the initiative to start the conversation.
The main issue is that Jiang Chengxiao's current state clearly shows that he is still influenced by Xing Xiaoya and can't forget her.
The way he sneaked out last night clearly showed that he couldn't wait a moment longer and was eager to see Xing Xiaoya.
If the artifact doesn't nag him a bit more, he'll probably go looking for Xing Xiaoya again. Although his father-in-law and older brother will be watching him, you can't guard against a thief forever. If he manages to find an opening and meet with Xing Xiaoya again, it will only increase his dependence on her and make it even harder to eliminate the influence.
“Madam, I told you on the way here that I just wanted to test the security of the Marquis’s residence. If any thieves were to break in and the guards on night duty failed to detect them in time, that would be terrible. Who knew that my elder brother would arrest me as a petty thief—” His tone was very urgent, as if he was afraid that people would not believe him.
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Ling interrupted him: "You went to see Miss Xing, didn't you? Ever since you saved her on the street last time, you've been acting strangely. Are you still hung up on her?"
She directly named Xing Xiaoya, and everyone in the Jiang family was stunned, not even having time to stop her.
Cen Ying was the first to react and immediately asked, "Miss Xing? Second brother, who is this?"
"Mother, it's no one, it's just a misunderstanding," Jiang Chengxiao continued to explain.
Xu Wanying couldn't help but sigh inwardly: [Lu Ling actually knows Xing Xiaoya?]
[Of course, they're a young couple after all. How could she not notice anything amiss with her husband? Xiaoya is so charming, Jiang Chengxiao definitely couldn't resist, and might even have called her name in the middle of the night.] The system chuckled slyly.
Xu Wanying couldn't help but scoff: "[Calling back his soul? He doesn't seem like the type to live a long life. With his affair with Xing Xiaoya, he'll probably die young, right?]"
【So what if you're short-lived? In your limited life, embracing true love is like fireworks—brief yet dazzling. There's a poem that says: "Life is precious, but love is more precious!" You heartless woman, you don't understand any of this!】The system immediately shouted.
Xu Wanying disagreed: "Why don't you mention the last line of the poem, 'For the sake of freedom, both can be sacrificed'? Jiang Chengxiao, for the sake of so-called true love, has given up even a shred of freedom. What's there to praise about him?"
The system immediately followed up: "[How is he not free? He wanted to see Xing Xiaoya in the middle of the night—that's freedom! It's the Jiang family who's stopping him, not giving him that freedom!]"
[Ha, he can't even control whose body reacts to, and you're talking to me about freedom? Fine, I don't want to argue with you. Anyway, he won't live much longer. I'll just watch how he dies for true love!]
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