“…”
Damn you!
Unable to curse openly in front of Shen Shouyu, Jiang Yin gritted her teeth and glared coldly at him. “Your Highness, saying such things is far too presumptuous.”
“Presumptuous?”
Shen Fengzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone mocking. “Back in the Li Residence’s rear courtyard, A Yin pretended to faint to trick me into saving her, then repeatedly praised my looks and took liberties with me… You went to such lengths to get close to me, yet now you say I’m presumptuous?”
“Your Highness is overthinking it,” Jiang Yin showed no trace of shame at his accusations, remaining calm. “What I did back then was only because life in the Li Residence was too difficult, and I wanted to borrow a bit of Your Highness’s influence. I would have done the same for anyone who could get me out of that residence. Your Highness need not flatter yourself.”
“…Jiang Yin!”
Perhaps not expecting Jiang Yin to so bluntly reveal her malicious intentions, Shen Fengzhi’s expression stiffened for a moment before he stepped forward to grab her. “How dare you, a mere servant…”
“Brother.”
Though blindfolded and visually impaired, Shen Shouyu accurately intercepted Shen Fengzhi’s movement, his expression composed. “As a prince of Da Jing, sneaking around like a flower thief in the dead of night already gives people grounds for criticism. If you resort to violence on the streets, it would further damage the royal family’s dignity.”
“You!”
…Oh no.
Jiang Yin remembered that in the original story, the first meeting between the female lead Li Zhixin and the male lead Shen Fengzhi occurred when Shen Fengzhi, injured in an assassination attempt, mistakenly broke into Li Zhixin’s bedchamber.
Li Zhixin saved Shen Fengzhi and hid him in her room to care for him, and the two developed feelings as a result.
When Shen Fengzhi’s injuries improved and he was about to leave the Li Residence, he made a promise to Li Zhixin that he would marry her in the future.
The problem was, Li Zhixin’s father did not approve of Shen Fengzhi. Therefore, he repeatedly obstructed their marriage, even locking Li Zhixin in the residence and forbidding her from seeing Shen Fengzhi.
Left with no choice, Shen Fengzhi resorted to his old trick, climbing over the wall in the middle of the night to secretly meet Li Zhixin and ease his longing.
—A dignified prince turning thief for love. This plotline had left an extremely deep impression on Jiang Yin, who had cursed while reading it back then.
And now, Shen Shouyu had labeled this desperate, unrequited love as “sneaking around like a flower thief in the dead of night.”
Without even needing to think, it was clear how ugly Shen Fengzhi’s expression must be at that moment, given his nature of wearing his heart on his sleeve.
He could no longer maintain his earlier nonchalance. Frowning, he drew his sword and thrust it toward Shen Shouyu. “You dare to speak recklessly about this prince, a useless cripple! Shut up!”
Jiang Yin was terrified, letting out a low gasp as she hurriedly tried to retreat. But her hand was tightly held by Shen Shouyu, and she couldn’t move. She could only turn her head sharply away and raise her other hand to cover her eyes.
—When they came out, she hadn’t seen Shen Shouyu carrying any weapons. She thought he would be bloodied on the spot in the next moment.
Unexpectedly, the anticipated sound of a blade slicing through flesh did not come.
Instead, a sharp “clang” reverberated, startling Jiang Yin and making her eardrums ache.
“…”
In the shop that already had few customers due to its high prices, only the three of them remained. The air was filled only with their varying intensities of breathing, creating an eerie atmosphere.
After waiting for a long time without detecting the scent of blood, Jiang Yin steadied herself before daring to slowly turn back to look.
Shen Fengzhi had already sheathed his sword. Standing with his back to the light, his face cold, his peach-blossom eyes seemed frozen with millennia of ice, brimming with a fury Jiang Yin had never seen before.
Shen Shouyu’s eyes were covered by a silk band, leaving only the lower half of his face exposed, which remained expressionless and taut.
In his other hand, he clutched the golden waist token.
Before Jiang Yin could guess what had happened, Shen Shouyu gently tugged her hand, his expression softening slightly as he said gently, “Let’s go.”
“…Alright.”
Glancing at Shen Fengzhi, who stubbornly blocked their path, Jiang Yin silently led Shen Shouyu around him and out of the shop.
…After walking a few steps and looking back, the figure in sapphire blue had already vanished from the shop.
Outside, daylight was fading. Many shops and stalls along the way had lit their lanterns, creating a bustling scene of flickering lights and bustling crowds, a vibrant tapestry that felt almost surreal.
Silently gazing at her hand clasped with Shen Shouyu’s, Jiang Yin lost herself in thought for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
In the earlier tension, she hadn’t noticed, but now she realized she was drenched in cold sweat.
…What was she afraid of?
Jiang Yin couldn’t quite explain it.
As the sky darkened, the wind grew colder. She quietly tightened her collar, her heart heavy with complex emotions.
…
By the time they returned to Zui Xian Ju, night had fully fallen.
Jiang Yin changed her clothes, loosened her hair, and after bathing, sat down at the table feeling refreshed, carefully drying her long hair.
Shen Shouyu had gone out and hadn’t returned for a long time.
Just as her hair was nearly dry, Xinyue entered with dinner, meticulously arranging the dishes for Jiang Yin and reminding her, “The young master said that if there are any leftovers in the food box you bring back, you will be punished.”
“…”
Jiang Yin almost doubted her hearing. “Punished? What punishment?”
“Xinyue doesn’t know… but the young master has been unpredictable lately. It would be best for you to follow his instructions.”
“…Alright.”
To be honest, for a moment, Jiang Yin was tempted to disobey deliberately, just to see what he would do to her.
But then she remembered that she no longer had the System and was just an ordinary person in this world, and her courage faltered.
She obediently finished all the food, leaned against the window with her full belly, intending to rest for a while, but accidentally fell asleep.
…This time, Jiang Yin was awakened by a kiss.
At first, when she found her hands immobilized and struggled to breathe, she thought it was a nightmare and tried desperately to wake up.
But as she twisted and struggled, a cold hand crept up along her collar, gripping her neck and deepening the kiss. Only then did she realize that someone had covered her eyes and was taking liberties with her.
Terrified, Jiang Yin struggled even harder. But the person was incredibly strong, and she couldn’t break free from his grip at all.
In fact, her struggles only made him tighten his hold, as if he intended to choke her unconscious.
Under the pressure, fear intensified. An uncontrollable shiver crawled up her spine to her neck, making Jiang Yin’s scalp tingle. Her breathing grew rapid, her body temperature soared, and even her whimpers trembled.
…If she had been fully conscious, she might have found a way to escape. But deprived of oxygen, her mind went blank, leaving her helpless.
Fortunately, as she gradually grew compliant, the person loosened his grip. After kissing her for a long while, he finally released her.
Seeming to know that Jiang Yin was weak and exhausted, the person’s movements softened. He pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her back as he comforted her in a warm voice, “Don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
“…”
Although she had anticipated it, hearing this voice still made Jiang Yin tremble as she confirmed, “…Young Master?”
This time, Shen Shouyu did not correct her form of address and responded, “Mm.”
The feeling of being restrained and manipulated left her utterly insecure, compounded by nearly being choked to death. Even though she knew it was Shen Shouyu, it took Jiang Yin a while to weakly relax her body and reach for the blindfold, stammering as she asked, “Young Master… when did you return? I… I didn’t even notice.”
Her hand, reaching for the blindfold, was grasped by Shen Shouyu. Without answering her question, he said flatly, “Don’t remove it.”
“…”
But without removing it, Jiang Yin felt truly anxious. She protested softly, “I’m afraid of the dark…”
“One thousand taels.”
“…”
Before Jiang Yin could react, Shen Shouyu repeated, “Do as I say, and I’ll give you an additional thousand taels. Otherwise, I’ll teach you obedience in my own way.”
“…”
Jiang Yin bit her lip and fell silent, withdrawing her strength and letting him hold her hand.
Seeing her no longer resist, Shen Shouyu held her for a while longer, waiting until her heartbeat gradually steadied before releasing her. Calmly, he said, “I have questions for you. Go kneel.”
His change in demeanor was too abrupt, leaving Jiang Yin momentarily bewildered. “…Huh?”
Shen Shouyu offered no explanation, repeating, “Go.”
“…”
Jiang Yin didn’t understand why he was suddenly making demands. She didn’t lack the thousand taels of silver, so it seemed unnecessary to keep yielding.
But just moments ago, Shen Shouyu had said… if she refused, his methods would likely be more than she could bear.
Moreover, if she angered Shen Shouyu, he might even withdraw his previous offer…
Thinking this, Jiang Yin lowered her head, groped her way to her feet, and knelt properly before him.
Unable to see, her heart was unsettled, and her movements were clumsy. Even these simple actions nearly caused her to bump into the corner of the table.
Fortunately, Shen Shouyu steadied her, preventing further injury.
Once everything settled, the room fell into silence once more.
After a long while, she finally heard Shen Shouyu’s voice drift over faintly, “…What have you and Shen Fengzhi done together?”