Lian Yin froze for a moment, then quickly turned and grabbed Xie Lanyin. “What are you doing? There’s clearly something wrong with that wine! Don’t drink it, spit it out!”
Xie Lanyin casually set down the empty cup he had already drained, took hold of the hand she used to pull him, and smiled. “What’s there to be afraid of? They all said it’s fine.”
The crowd looked awkward, exchanging glances… This time, no one dared to speak.
Xie Lanyin led Lian Yin away. They did not return to the banquet, instead walking down a small path toward the outskirts.
Once they were out of sight, the smile at Xie Lanyin’s lips slowly faded. “The moment I turned away, you ran off to drink with them? Do you even know where this is?”
Even if Lian Yin had been unwilling, the fact remained that she had left her post and been dragged into drinking, causing him trouble… but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Lian Yin anxiously asked, “Was there something wrong with the wine you drank? Do you feel unwell?”
Xie Lanyin had been holding back his irritation, deeply displeased, but when he met the concern reflected in the girl’s eyes, the sharp edges in his heart softened one by one.
Still, he was angry. He was not about to forgive her so easily.
“There was something wrong,” he said sparingly. “I feel terrible. Are you going to take care of me?”
The familiarity of that question made Lian Yin hesitate.
Noticing her hesitation, Xie Lanyin grew irritated again. At that moment, the effects of the wine began to kick in.
Realizing what had been added to it, his expression instantly darkened, and he quickened his pace.
After being dragged along for a while, Lian Yin asked, “Are you angry?”
“No,” Xie Lanyin replied immediately.
But there was no trace of happiness in his tone.
“You don’t look very happy…”
Xie Lanyin stopped and turned his head slightly. “Do you want to kiss me?”
Lian Yin froze. Each word seemed to explode like tiny fireworks in her mind.
…What was he saying?
Individually, she understood every word, but together, they made no sense at all.
Her gaze unconsciously fell on his lips, faintly moistened by the wine, glistening slightly, their color a pale pink…
Xie Lanyin noticed where she was looking and leaned closer.
The scent emanating from him mixed with the intoxicating fragrance of wine, raising the temperature around them, while the hand beneath their joined skin burned intensely.
Lian Yin quickly looked away, embarrassed. “Isn’t this a bit sudden?”
“Forget it, then,” Xie Lanyin said indifferently.
He released her hand and walked ahead alone, though he did not ignore her. Instead, he kindly explained why those people at the banquet had made things difficult for her.
He had already moved past that question, but Lian Yin was still stuck in the awkwardness.
Did he often say things like that to others?
Or was it intentional…
She forced herself to focus on what he was saying now.
It turned out that the cultivators from the Xie family had targeted her because of Xie Sui. Even before she arrived in Zhaoyang City, rumors had spread that Xie Sui had a lifesaving benefactor outside, someone he treated with great care.
As the story passed from mouth to mouth, it became clear that the young master had brought back a mysterious woman of unknown origin, skilled in manipulation, and that the two were deeply in love.
Rumors were truly frightening.
Lian Yin suddenly realized something. “So you already knew who I was that day on the painted boat, and that’s why you deliberately made things difficult for me?”
“No.” Xie Lanyin was annoyed. This body had a resistance to drugs, so the effects were slower to manifest. It wouldn’t cause him to lose control immediately, but it was still extremely irritating.
Especially with her by his side. Hearing her voice annoyed him, yet not hearing it annoyed him even more.
When she fell silent, he added, “What I do has nothing to do with anyone else. As long as it makes me happy, I’ll do it. It has nothing to do with anyone.”
As Lian Yin listened, another voice surfaced in her mind.
【What’s there to regret? I do whatever I want, and I get whatever I want. The moment I decide to do something, I’ve already gained my reward, because I’m happy. It has nothing to do with anyone.】
The final sentence overlapped with Xie Lanyin’s words, their meaning almost identical.
Suddenly, he turned back, displeased. “What are you thinking about?”
Caught zoning out, Lian Yin felt guilty. There was no way she could admit she had just overlapped him with her dead ex-husband.
“I was thinking about that wine just now…” she said quickly, looking at him with concern. “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
If she didn’t care about him, why ask?
Xie Lanyin’s mood improved slightly, though he said, “My whole body feels terrible. I’m about to die.”
Lian Yin: “……”
He turned and continued walking briskly, no longer speaking.
At the end of the path stood an empty lakeside pavilion.
Xie Lanyin entered and sat casually on a couch. Looking at Lian Yin, who had just come in, he asked coldly, “Why did you follow me?”
His face was hidden in shadow, but it was obvious he was in a bad mood.
He had just helped her out and drunk something questionable because of her… and she still needed his help later. She should at least coax him first.
Lian Yin stepped forward gently. “Don’t be angry with me. If there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with, tell me. I’ll change, I’ll apologize, alright?”
As she approached, Xie Lanyin turned his head slightly, his breathing growing uneven.
After a long silence, as if enduring discomfort, he said, “Leave.”
“You…” Lian Yin sensed something was wrong and reached out, but her hand was brushed away.
“Don’t touch me.” His breathing was chaotic, his body trembling slightly, as if in pain.
Could it be poison acting up, and he was driving her away for her safety?
“Stop being angry,” she said, pressing him down despite his resistance. “If you’re unwell, then—”
The moment she saw his face, her words caught in her throat.
His pale face was flushed with a vivid red, his purple eyes shimmering like spring water. This didn’t look like poisoning, it looked like…being drugged.
Meeting her stunned gaze, Xie Lanyin spoke weakly, “If you don’t want to kiss me… then leave…”
Lian Yin immediately understood what had been added to the wine. Her grip loosened slightly before she let go.
Should she really leave him alone like this?
Her thoughts were in chaos. Leaving now felt wrong… but…
“Not leaving?” His eyes grew cold again, his lips curling into a mocking smile. “Or do you want to stay and watch how I… lose control?”
Lian Yin stood up at once. “…I’m sorry.”
She said awkwardly, “Call me when you’re better. I’ll keep watch outside.”
As she turned to leave, a flash of anger and resentment crossed his eyes, and the smile vanished.
Just as she reached the door, the sound of porcelain shattering rang out behind her.
She turned back. Xie Lanyin was gripping a jagged shard, blood seeping from between his fingers, staining the white porcelain red as it cut into his pale wrist.
Lian Yin’s eyelid twitched. She rushed back and stopped him. “What are you doing?”
She tried to take the shard, but he tightened his grip, as if competing with her.
“This is your body. Doesn’t it hurt? Stop hurting yourself,” she said, exasperated.
“Yes, it’s my body.” He smiled faintly, his eyes filled with cold indifference. “So why did you come back? Didn’t you say sorry and leave?”
His entire being radiated cold rejection, yet beneath it lay a trace of pleading, his body almost screaming for her to kiss him.
He was a contradiction.
Beautiful, dangerous, unstable.
Lian Yin looked into his eyes, confused. Why did he want her to kiss him… and why did she feel drawn to him?
Why did he feel so strongly toward her, and why could she understand it?
She leaned down and gently kissed his brow.
Holding his face, she met his trembling gaze. Beneath the surface of his purple eyes seemed to lie a collapsing iceberg, silent and unseen.
“Can you be a little obedient?” she whispered, her fingers brushing his face as she kissed him lightly, then slid her hand down his arm, removing the shard and tossing it aside.
At this distance, there was no need to ask his permission. He couldn’t resist her.
She leaned closer, pressing her weight onto him. He swallowed, raising an arm to support her waist, and was rewarded with a kiss.
Their lips met, soft and warm, and Lian Yin’s cheeks gradually flushed.
This was not her first kiss, but it was the first time she had kissed someone so suddenly.
A stranger.
She knew responsibility and guilt were only part of it. More than that, she had been drawn in, instinctively wanting to be close to him.
The scent of wine mixed with his fragrance, intoxicating and alluring, tempting her to break her principles…
Her heart pounded harder. She lifted her gaze, meeting his misty eyes. His lashes trembled, his lips brushing hers lightly, sometimes pressing closer…
Their breathing grew uneven in the dim air.
After a long moment—
Lian Yin withdrew slightly, her hand trembling. “Are you… alright?”
Xie Lanyin’s unfocused gaze slowly cleared. Seeing her expression, he closed his eyes briefly.
“Get out,” he said, turning away, his voice tinged with irritation. “…I don’t want to see you right now.”
Lian Yin was already feeling awkward staying, so she immediately got up and left, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
The last trace of light disappeared as the door shut.
“So every time I tell you to leave, you really leave…” the young man scoffed softly.
Outside, the night wind cooled Lian Yin’s flushed face. She looked down at her fingers, as if they still held warmth, her mind replaying what had just happened.
This was bad. The next two and a half months were going to be unbearably awkward.
Before she could sort out her thoughts, a sudden splash echoed from behind her, ripples spreading across the lake.
A sense of foreboding rose in her chest.
“Xie Lanyin!” She rushed back inside, but the room was empty, the window wide open.
At the window, she saw robes floating on the lake, along with streaks of spreading red.
Lian Yin: “……”
…Was that really necessary?
It wasn’t that serious, was it?