Vоlumе 1 Сhаpter 8: Naturаllу, She Should Вe Trеаsurеd
Whеn Yun Jiао hurried оvеr, Yаn Shi wаs slowly rising frоm his chair.
His wide slееves hung dоwn, rеvеаling а glimpsе оf сold, pаlе fingertiрs, where droрlets оf blood werе slowlу cоngеaling.
With a sоft patter, thеу driррed to thе grоund, fоrming а line.
As his рeriрheral visiоn caught sight оf anothеr red figure, Yan Shi hаltеd his stеps.
Нis lоwered eуelаshеs fluttered lightlу, his brow arсhed slightlу, аnd his еyеs held a smilе that didn’t quite rеасh their depths.
His little Princess Соnsort had arrived. Whаt сhoice wоuld shе make?
Scattered around his feet were shards of porcelain of varying sizes, the white porcelain stained with glaring streaks of blood.
Yan Shi tilted his head slightly, looking at her with a faint, ambiguous smile.
He resembled a bloodthirsty demon who had torn through the gates of hell to crawl out. Endless fear surged from all around Yun Jiao, rapidly spreading to her limbs.
Her pupils trembled, and she forcibly held back the urge to step backward, but the flicker of fear in her eyes was still captured by Yan Shi.
Afraid.
She was actually afraid.
Tch. As expected, all those vows of never parting, even in life and death, were nothing but lies.
The curve of Yan Shi’s lips widened. Though the smile in his eyes seemed to spread, the surrounding atmosphere plummeted into an icy abyss.
He forcefully dug his nails into the wound on his fingertip, causing the falling droplets of blood to grow larger.
Kill them. Kill them all.
“Jiao Jiao!” a voice called out.
A woman with reddened eyes trembled as she looked at Yun Jiao. “Mother has finally found you!”
Beside her, a middle-aged man wiped away tears, about to support his wife as they moved forward. “Jiao Jiao, your father and mother are here.”
Fragments of memory flashed through Yun Jiao’s mind—these two were the original host’s adoptive parents.
Before her adoptive father could take a step, Yan Shi’s low laughter rang out, mingling with the clear, delicate chime of the ear ornament.
“Heh…” His tone was gentle, drawn out. “How touching. The family can finally be reunited.”
As his words fell, the smile in Yan Shi’s eyes finally vanished, and he no longer bothered to conceal his ferocity.
Rather than watch her break their covenant, he would end her life himself.
Tear apart that mouth that had deceived him, so she could never lie to him again.
Rather than be discarded like trash by her, he would kill her now.
He would never give anyone the slightest chance to abandon him. All those who left him, all those who lied—they all deserved to die.
The crimson bell swayed. Just as he lifted his foot, a force crashed straight into his embrace.
Yun Jiao’s brows were tightly knit together. Without a word, she grabbed his wrist, her fair face scrunched up in anger as she glared at him, scolding in a low voice, “Let go!”
Yan Shi froze.
Very slowly, he lowered his head, looking down at his embrace in disbelief.
She had actually run straight to him.
But why? Shouldn’t she have run to her family instead?
Was this an illusion?
The turbulent emotions from moments ago burst forth like a breached dam, scattering and overflowing in an instant.
Yan Shi remained dazed for a long time. The droplets of blood continued to seep from his fingertip, and the strength in his hand did not loosen.
Yun Jiao was both angry and anxious, her eyes reddening. “Let go quickly!” Her voice carried a sob, as if she were about to cry the next second.
Sure enough, a glistening tear slid down and landed on Yan Shi’s hand, blending into the blood.
Yan Shi released his grip and, ignoring the blood still dripping from his fingertip, raised his hand to wipe away her tear stains.
His voice was no longer as languid as before, carrying a hoarseness that was hard to decipher.
He whispered softly, “Why are you crying? If you’re afraid, why did you come over?”He wiped away her tear stains, smearing the blood bit by bit onto her skin.
She was the one who came over on her own, the one who made the choice herself, so she couldn’t blame him. He wanted to mark her with his own imprint.
Yun Jiao’s heart skipped a beat. Indeed, he had noticed her earlier fear. If she had run to her adoptive parents, there would now be three corpses lying on the ground.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself tightly against him, her voice soft as she said, “Because the Prince is injured, I’m afraid the Prince is in pain.”
Yan Shi stared at the top of her head for a moment. What a little liar.
He raised his clean hand and gently stroked her hair, murmuring softly, “What should This Prince do with you?”
Always lying like this, yet somehow always finding a way to soothe his anger, making it impossible for him to stay mad.
Yun Jiao mumbled quietly, “Since I like the Prince so much, the Prince should naturally treat me like a treasure.”
Her fingers deftly avoided his wound, slipping between his fingers and interlocking with them, preventing him from pinching the wound again.
“Oh?” Yan Shi noticed her little maneuver but pretended not to see it. Something soft and strange stirred deep within him.
His light-colored eyes shimmered with amusement. “Does that mean I can neither scold nor hit you?”
The head nestled against his chest immediately lifted, her eyes still glistening with unshed tears as she gazed at him pitifully. “Does the Prince still want to hit me?”
Her voice was so soft, so adept at acting spoiled.
Yan Shi’s mood inexplicably brightened, his tone softening as well, carrying an unintentional indulgence. “Where would This Prince have the heart to hit his own treasure?”
“But you just scolded me!” Yun Jiao puffed out her cheeks, almost crossing her arms in indignation.
This feisty little kitten—he hadn’t even settled accounts with her, yet she was turning the tables on him. Truly, she knew how to take advantage of his favor.
But Yan Shi, in a rare display of patience, humored her. “Then what do you want?”
Yun Jiao eased her temper and glanced at the blood on her fingertips, which had stopped flowing. She gently swayed their joined hands. “I want the Prince not to be angry with our parents.”
The air fell silent for a moment.
Yan Shi pressed his lips together tightly. Yun Jiao’s heart leaped into her throat, and she swallowed hard before finally hearing Yan Shi’s voice.
“Ours?” Yan Shi sounded as though he had heard some incredible joke.
Yun Jiao nodded earnestly. “Mm-hmm! Since I am the Prince’s beloved Princess Consort, then my parents are naturally the Prince’s parents as well.”
Beside them, Chu Er’s pupils trembled in shock, while even the usually expressionless Chu Yi showed a flicker of astonishment, a crack appearing in his stoic facade.
How dare the little Princess Consort say such a thing? This was a grave disrespect—the Prince’s parents were none other than His Majesty and Her Majesty.
Moreover, the words “parents” were a taboo for the Prince.
Chu Yi glanced at Yun Jiao with slight regret. It was rare for the Prince to finally show some signs of life and emotion, but what a pity.
Chu Er, on the other hand, swept his eyes over Yun Jiao, estimating her height and comparing it in his mind.
Hmm, a five-foot straw mat would be enough to wrap her up later.
Yun Jiao rested her chin against Yan Shi’s chest, blinking her eyes and cooing softly, “Let’s not be angry anymore, okay?”
Enchantress, little temptress.
Yan Shi’s eyes darkened for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing a few times as his lips parted.
Before he could speak, Yun Jiao added, “I’ll trade a kiss with the Prince. Will the Prince agree, please?”Chu Er was dumbfounded. She was practically rushing to her death. He had just been pondering where to bury her, but now it seemed she could only be tossed into a mass grave.
What a joke! Kiss the master once, and then tell him not to get angry? What an absolute… joke.
Before Chu Er could finish the thought in his mind, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He saw his master open his mouth and utter a single word: “Fine.”
Fine?!
Yan Shi curled his lips and added, “This Prince agrees to your request.”
Chu Er: An absolute… joke.
Turns out, he was the joke.
Yun Jiao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to her equally stunned adoptive parents. “Father, Mother, I’ll bring the Prince back with me on the third day after the wedding. Please wait for us at home.”
The word “us” seemed to strike a chord in Yan Shi, as if something within him was quietly stirring and unraveling.
“Ah, oh, oh, alright.” Before the two could fully regain their senses, they were ushered out by Chu Er, who was also in a daze and dragging the equally bewildered Chu Yi along.
The once lively hall was now left with only Yan Shi and Yun Jiao. Yun Jiao stood on her tiptoes and gently planted a kiss on Yan Shi’s cheek, pulling back immediately after.
After the kiss, she didn’t forget to remind him, “Don’t worry, Prince, the bleeding has already stopped.”
As she spoke, Yun Jiao’s round eyes glanced toward the dining hall not far away. She swallowed her saliva, unable to resist, before continuing.
“But the Prince should still have a doctor bandage the wound.”
With that, she stepped out of his embrace and turned toward the dining hall.
Yan Shi touched the spot on his face where she had kissed him, letting out a bitter laugh. Heartless—did she think a single kiss would be enough to placate him?
He chuckled bitterly, watching Yun Jiao’s retreating figure, and spoke slowly.
“Darling, stop right there.”