Chapter 7: Su Luoyun's Protective Role...
Su Luoyun launched into a tirade, which was more like a belittling than a reprimand. Under his every word, Shang Xu was rendered utterly worthless. From beginning to end, he maintained a meek and obedient demeanor, quiet and docile, like a clay doll without any temper.
Shang Xu lowered his eyes, his gaze empty and numb. The sounds around him turned into thin needles, stabbing relentlessly at his head, making his mind buzz. His chest felt as if it were being crushed by a boulder weighing millions of pounds, making it hard for him to breathe. He clenched his hands silently, telling himself over and over again that it was okay, he could just get through it like before.
Su Luoyun had said enough, or perhaps she felt that a one-man show was boring, so she glanced at him impatiently and waved her hand, saying, "Go down."
"yes."
Shang Xu got up without objection and walked out calmly, his expression unchanged. Only he knew that his inner clothes were already soaked with cold sweat, and a soft piece of flesh on his thigh had been pinched until it was bruised.
After leaving the house and walking quite a distance, Shang Xu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes listless. Every meeting with his father was so tedious. Fortunately, he was now married and would no longer have to face such a scene.
Thinking of Yan Yize, Shang Xu felt a headache coming on. The two had not yet consummated their marriage, and he couldn't understand her attitude towards him. He let out a soft breath, raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples, and slowly walked out from under the eaves. White snow was falling gently, and the cold wind carried the falling snow to his face.
The sudden chill made him shiver involuntarily. His drowsy mind regained clarity because of the chill. In a moment, the chill turned into a bone-chilling cold. Shang Xu stood motionless on the snow. A sudden gust of wind blew the snow off the eaves, and white snowflakes danced in the air.
The cold wind howled, making his clothes flutter wildly. The last bit of warmth in his body disappeared, leaving only the biting cold. Shang Xu stood shivering in the wind and snow, yet he remained motionless, letting the wind and snow rage, venting his pain while silently torturing himself.
After an unknown amount of time, his stiff fingers began to ache, and his thick, long eyelashes were now dotted with snowflakes. Shang Xu blinked gently, and the snowflakes on his eyelashes trembled and fell off. After a moment, he dragged his stiff body back to the eaves.
Away from the wind and snow, his stiff body slowly warmed up. After waiting a while, his fingers were almost able to move freely again. Shang Xu raised his hand to brush off the snow falling on his body. The snow color spread and left water stains on his sky-blue robe.
Shang Xu noticed it, but didn't take it to heart. If anyone asked, he had already prepared an explanation: it's normal to get a little snow on a snowy day.
It was still early, and Shang Xu stared blankly at the snow falling outside the eaves, lost in thought. He didn't even notice someone approaching from behind until a pair of hands pushed him hard.
Shang Jue was furious and wanted to vent his anger on someone when Shang Xu appeared in front of him. He strode over angrily and pushed Shang Jue without caring whether he would fall.
Shang Xu staggered for a moment, but quickly regained his balance. He looked up, saw who it was, and said softly, "Brother."
Seeing that he hadn't fallen, Shang Jue was very dissatisfied and arrogantly accused him, "Are you blind? You're blocking my way."
Shang Xu pursed his lips, remained silent, and took a few steps outside the eaves. This was not the first time something like this had happened, and there was no point in arguing. He was already standing on the side, and this gesture would have sent him back into the snowstorm.
His concession did not deter Shang Jue; on the contrary, he became even more arrogant, pointing a finger at him with disdain, "I heard you haven't consummated your marriage yet. What use are you?"
"If I were you, I would have hanged myself this morning." That one sentence was utterly malicious.
Shang Jue's eyes darted around, and he thought of an even more disgusting way to do it. "By the way, I just ran into the Ninth Prince."
He put on a shy and coy look, leaving his words unsaid, and his expression made it hard not to let people's imaginations run wild.
Shang Xu lowered his eyes and did not respond, but his drooping hand twitched slightly when he heard that he had met with Yan Yize.
Not far away, Yan Yize appeared in the opposite corridor at some point. Through the artificial hill, he could see the two people's actions and expressions clearly, but because of the distance, he couldn't hear what they were saying.
In the scene, Shang Xu lowered his head without saying a word, looking pitiful and helpless, like a scolded puppy. He was clearly the one being bullied. Yan Yize watched with boredom, showing no intention of showing her face. What business was it of an outsider like her that the two brothers had with their private affairs?
As she watched, she couldn't help but frown. She saw Shang Jue raise his hand, and Shang Xu didn't dodge. Without any mercy, he slapped her across the face. Even from this distance, she could hear the "smack" sound, which showed how much force the person who struck her used.
Yan Yize frowned, feeling dissatisfied. Was he just going to let people bully him like this?
After venting his anger, Shang Jue felt much better. He ignored Shang Xu, who had been slapped by him, and left. After taking a few steps, he suddenly screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his arm and yelling, "It hurts...it hurts so much! Someone, someone come quick!"
Shang Jue was covered in cold sweat, and the hand he was holding was the same one that had hit Shang Xu earlier. His face was contorted with pain, and he no longer had the arrogance he had shown when facing Shang Xu.
Yan Yize twirled the fine ash that had accidentally fallen between her fingertips, turned around, and walked towards Shang Xu. She had no feelings for Shang Xu, but that didn't mean others could bully her like that.
Amidst the falling snow, Shang Xu raised his hand to touch his cheek, which stung with pain. He bit his lip, his eyes reddening, yet he stubbornly refused to shed a tear.
"You're just going to stand there and let him yell at you and hit you?"
Upon hearing the voice, Shang Xu subconsciously looked up and met her cold eyes. His pupils immediately contracted, and after realizing what was happening, he quickly lowered his head. His mind went blank; he had never expected her to appear here and to see his disheveled state.
Seeing that he did not respond for a long time, Yan Yize lost his patience and his voice turned colder, "Answer me."
Shang Xu lowered his head, moved his lips, but ultimately remained silent. What else could he do? His own father disliked him, and no one would stand up for him. What else could he do but endure it?
A note from the author:
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