kiss
Jiang Yi was stunned for a long time, her heart pounding, before she asked blankly, "He Lin, what happened to you...?"
He Lin was not surprised by her reaction at all. He remained calm and answered with a composed expression, "I was whipped when I was a child."
Who hit him?
The person opposite didn't speak; in the shadows, only their lips were pursed into a straight line.
"Could it be your father?"
"no."
"Who else could it be? You're the second young master of the General's Mansion, who would dare to beat you up like this?" At this point, a face suddenly flashed into Jiang Yi's mind, and she continued tentatively, "Could it be the First Madam?"
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, but He Lin immediately denied it: "It's not her, don't guess."
"Then tell me who hit you! That's so cruel, to use such a vicious method!" Mentioning poison, Jiang Yi couldn't help but take a step forward and said, "Ah, could it be that the cold poison in your body was also given to you by the person who hit you?"
He Lin bent down, picked up the dagger, and examined it. The temperature was already very high, with white steam rising in the air, and the blade showed a slightly reddish color.
"You guessed right."
"Who is it?"
"unimportant."
"Huh? Did I hear that right? How can it not be important..."
Jiang Yi, unable to bear it any longer, went straight to He Lin and walked around to the front of him. Only then did she notice that He Lin also had wounds of different sizes on his chest. These wounds were different from the whip marks on his back; they were stabs and cuts made with a knife!
"You..." Jiang Yi was stunned for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat, staring intently at him, "What are you trying to do with that dagger?"
He Lin looked up at her, then shifted his gaze to the window. The sky was already getting dark. He patiently explained, "Before my cold poison fully takes effect, I must quiet down the Heart-Eating Worms."
"Heart-eater?"
"Um."
After hearing this, Jiang Yi's gaze unconsciously shifted to He Lin's chest. She leaned closer to examine it carefully and found a small bump there. Jiang Yi noticed that it was wriggling at a very slow speed. But this was not the most shocking thing for her. He Lin said that the cold poison had not yet fully manifested. He had been tormented to this state, and it was not even the most serious time yet.
Seemingly guessing He Lin's intention in taking the dagger, Jiang Yi grabbed his wrist without saying a word, her expression incredibly complicated.
"Wait! Is there really no other way besides this method?"
He Lin didn't answer, but silently nodded slightly.
Old wounds haven't healed, and new ones have been added. Has he been getting through all these years like this?
Who was the poisoner? Such a vicious method! What happened between them...?
"What would happen if we didn't quiet that insect down and allowed the cold poison to fully manifest?"
"It hurts so much."
"Huh? This...this is serious!"
"As the name suggests, the Heart-Eating Worm is a Gu worm that devours the heart. When the cold poison takes effect, it will bite back and forth in the chest. Unless you endure that pain, otherwise..."
Jiang Yi frowned, biting her index finger knuckle as if deep in thought.
"Painkillers! Yes, I'll go find a doctor to get you some painkillers, that should reduce the pain."
He Lin grabbed her wrist the moment she lifted her leg and sneered, "Useless."
Jiang Yi shook off his hand and said urgently, "How do you know it won't work if you haven't tried it!"
He Lin's eyes followed her closely, and he answered calmly, "I've tried it, it didn't work."
A sudden surge of sadness and grievance welled up in Jiang Yi's heart. For no reason, she felt an urge to cry. She sniffed hard a few times, wiped her nose forcefully, and turned her face away from him.
He Lin clearly saw the redness in the eyes of the person opposite him, and nervously gripped the dagger in his hand, saying, "If you're scared, go out first."
Jiang Yi turned her head and glared at him, then quickly snatched the dagger while he wasn't paying attention and hid it behind her back.
"You're not allowed to hurt yourself even if it hurts! It's confiscated! If you don't realize how serious this is, I won't give it back to you."
The candlelight in the room wasn't very bright, but He Lin could clearly see a small shadow cast under Jiang Yi's eyelashes, as well as the fine downy hairs on her face.
His heart trembled slightly, like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, creating ripples that grew more and more pronounced.
Jiang Yi went outside the screen to retrieve the candlestick from the table, and when she returned, the dagger was gone.
"What are you standing there for? Go lie down on the bed."
"Jiang Yi".
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, take the bedding with you, I'm not that cold anymore."
It's not so cold anymore, which means it's time for the pain to start.
Jiang Yi had an idea. Without saying a word, she silently carried away the bedding from the bed and put it into the carved cabinet, leaving only the original bed.
"He Lin, don't you hate the person who poisoned you? What happened between you? If it's inconvenient to talk about it, then don't."
He Lin put on his undergarments, fastened his waist belt, and said calmly, "How do you know I don't hate him?"
Jiang Yi nodded: "I can understand hating him."
"So I killed him."
With a "thud," the cotton quilt in Jiang Yi's arms fell to the ground. Jiang Yi's mouth dropped open: "Huh?"
“I said I killed him.”
Jiang Yi swallowed hard, then slowly picked up the fallen bedding, patted it clean, and put it in the closet.
He Lin pressed on, "Do you think I'm scary?"
Jiang Yi closed the cabinet door, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly, saying, "I bet he did something even worse to you. You're not a ruthless person, it's not your fault."
He Lin was silent for two or three seconds, then laughed: "Do you think you know me well? I am a ruthless person who will stop at nothing to achieve my goals. It's just that you haven't had the chance to see my dark side. Don't jump to conclusions too soon, and don't have too high expectations of me, or you will be the one who is disappointed in the end."
Jiang Yi rubbed her hands together, walked over to him, and asked, "Are you hiding something from me? No, you're clearly hiding something from all of us, including your mother, otherwise why didn't you tell your parents about your poisoning?"
“Let’s get a divorce after we return to the capital. This marriage was arranged by His Majesty, and it may cause some trouble. I will go to the palace to explain everything to His Majesty. The fault lies with me, and I will give you your freedom.”
The room was completely silent, with the crackling of the charcoal fire. Jiang Yi could even hear her own heartbeat. Had she heard correctly? What did He Lin say? A divorce?
After a while, he continued, "...The laws of the Great Liang Dynasty stipulate that a divorced woman can still marry another man, so you don't need to worry about that."
Jiang Yi laughed angrily, put her hands on her hips, and cursed at the person sitting on the couch: "Damn you, He Lin, I don't agree!"
She pointed at herself and said, "Do I look like someone who can't get married? We're still husband and wife, and you're already worrying about my future? Do you live by the sea? Why are you so nosy! Hey, so what if I'm stuck with you for life? Don't even think about getting rid of me! I like you so much, and I haven't even gotten you yet, and you're already thinking about dumping me. Let me tell you, it's not that easy..."
He Lin was truly stunned by her words. He had never seen anything like this before. The woman next to him was pointing her finger at his nose while cursing him as a bastard and angrily telling him that she liked him.
Even when he was fighting in a sea of blood, he could remain expressionless. But now his heart was pounding wildly. He knew it was wrong and should be stopped, but he just couldn't help but continue to succumb.
"I don't want to be a burden to you; I'll die."
A sudden remark interrupted Jiang Yi.
He Lin was right. The cold poison in his body was incurable and would only get worse. If he died, Jiang Yi would never be able to leave again. She would become a widow, and she shouldn't waste her prime years in a deserted backyard.
Since meeting this person, He Lin has been very clear that Jiang Yi should never be just a woman trapped in the courtyard. She should be free, or rather, she never belonged here.
Jiang Yi was stunned: "What did you say?"
"You said today that the cold poison can be cured, but that's not true. There is no cure for this poison; it's an incurable disease. I might die any day now, so let's get a divorce while I'm still alive and after we return to the capital."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi was initially furious. Why should she? Why should He Lin, that pretty boy, bring up divorce? If anyone should be kicking someone out, it should be her!
Then, upon further reflection, a flash of white light appeared in my mind, and a completely different thought emerged.
She narrowed her eyes, took two steps forward, placed her hands on the edge of the bed, tilted her head to look at He Lin, and raised an eyebrow to ask, "You like me? Hmm?"
When their eyes met, He Lin's dark eyes flickered, and the area behind his ears turned slightly red. He neither admitted nor denied it.
Jiang Yi smiled and said, "Are you worried that if you suddenly die, I'll become a widow, all alone and helpless?"
He Lin looked at her earnestly, "Yes, I..."
As soon as she finished speaking those two words, Jiang Yi kissed his two bloodless lips.
Before He Lin could even close her eyes, she was openly and forcefully kissed by the person in front of her. At this distance, you could even see each of her eyelashes drooping down, each one distinct and long like a raven's wing. Perhaps because of nervousness, they trembled, which was quite beautiful, as if tickling one's heart.
Jiang Yi appeared bold, but her heart was actually pounding. He Lin's lips were cool and soft, and he was always surrounded by a bitter medicinal scent and a faint sandalwood fragrance. She liked the smell; it made her feel inexplicably at ease.
The two kissed for a while. He Lin was afraid that Jiang Yi would lose her balance, so he reached out and supported her waist. Jiang Yi opened her eyes while they were kissing and saw He Lin's two fluttering phoenix eyes right in front of her. She was startled and immediately separated and stood up properly.
They hadn't felt anything when they kissed, but when they looked at each other, they both felt embarrassed. Jiang Yi blushed, especially on her fair face, which was even more intoxicating than rouge. He Lin's ears turned bright red, as if they were about to bleed.
"Cough, now I really believe you've never liked anyone before, never kissed anyone, and you don't even know you have to close your eyes when kissing..."
Jiang Yi muttered something under her breath, and He Lin's Adam's apple bobbed violently before he decisively threw off the covers and got out of bed.
"W-What are you doing?"
He Lin grabbed her forearm and pulled her into his arms. He held Jiang Yi's waist tightly with one hand and lifted her chin slightly with the other. With his eyes closed, he accurately found the right spot and pressed down firmly and decisively.
Jiang Yi's eyes widened suddenly. He Lin... opened his mouth! Was he about to give her a French kiss? As she thought about it, the corners of Jiang Yi's mouth couldn't help but gradually turn up.
Although He Lin didn't open his eyes, he seemed to sense the mischievousness of the person in his arms. He raised his hand and gently covered her eyelids with his palm. Jiang Yi's smile widened, and she took the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck, focusing on feeling this warm and passionate kiss. Their breaths mingled together, and they couldn't tell whose was which...
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