“Don’t? Don’t what?” Xiao Huai’s fingertips twisted and rubbed against Su Ce’s sensitive spot, and he watched as the delicate, fair skin turned beet red.
Xiao Huai only then stopped his movements, bit down on Su Ce’s earlobe, and said while panting slightly, “Su Ce, look at yourself. Your brain hasn’t recovered at all; what you say and how your body reacts are two different things.”
Su Ce’s face turned crimson, and he leaned helplessly against Xiao Huai’s shoulder.
His eyes were filled with moisture, and his desire was written all over his face, yet because Xiao Huai was deliberately tormenting him without providing any release, he felt a momentary sense of loss.
Feeling deeply aggrieved, he choked out, “You cannot do this…”
Xiao Huai’s face was gloomy, and he looked at Su Ce with anger in his eyes: “Then how should I be? Hmm?”
Listening to the questioning tone of Xiao Huai’s voice, Su Ce felt as if he were a fickle playboy who had gone out to play pai gow with others today, intending to abandon Xiao Huai for a new flame.
But he clearly hadn’t done anything of the sort, yet Xiao Huai refused to listen to his explanation at all!
Seeing that his consciousness was drifting away, Xiao Huai gave a punishing, heavy press and swung his arm once again.
Until Su Ce’s back arched, his whole body looking like a fish out of water, on the verge of despair, and white stains were left on Xiao Huai’s black ink-colored outer robe.
Xiao Huai gave an unhappy “tsk,” and then held him sideways in his arms: “Are you satisfied now that I’ve done this?”
After Su Ce regained his senses, he pushed Xiao Huai away and, unable to contain his temper, retorted angrily: “Why do you never listen to me! I just met a friend, is it necessary for you to be like this? We didn’t do anything! You… you… do you have to humiliate me like this in the carriage?”
Xiao Huai, who had originally calmed down a fair bit, flared up with rage upon hearing these words. He stared at him fiercely, disregarding all status and dignity, and pinned Su Ce beneath him. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Do you know what kind of person people outside are? You didn’t do anything because he didn’t have the chance to do anything to you yet. Do you think you are very smart? I humiliate you, but aren’t the food you eat and the clothes you wear all given to you by me? If I stripped you naked and threw you out today, no one in the whole world would dare to say a single word against me.”
In the past, Su Ce certainly would not have retorted to Xiao Huai, but today he did not want to endure it, nor did he want to yield. He said, “Yes, you are the unreachable Emperor, you are above all others, what is it that you don’t have? I should just be a dog by your side, holding up my heart and waiting for your favor! Because I owe you all of this!”
Seeing Su Ce’s defiant face, Xiao Huai, filled with murderous resentment, reached out and stripped away all of Su Ce’s loose clothing, exposing his smooth body.
The moment the words left his mouth, Su Ce regretted them. Seeing that he had provoked Xiao Huai but being unable to yield anymore, he could not help but feel a twinge of remorse.
Moreover, he had already read what was about to happen in Xiao Huai’s ferocious gaze, causing his whole body to stiffen in Xiao Huai’s arms.
That day, Su Ce had never imagined that the road back to the palace could be so long.
The wind blew the silver bells into a constant chime, and the swaying of the carriage and horses only intensified the carnal desire.
Outside the carriage, Funing heard Su Ce’s voice go from complete sentences to fragmented gasps, until finally, he could only hear small, muffled sobs before it fell completely silent.
When the carriage stopped before the palace entrance, Funing lightly tapped on the door. Xiao Huai opened it from the inside, and a wave of heat mixed with a thick, pungent, fishy scent rushed out. Funing lifted his eyelids and glanced inside.
He saw Su Ce lying on his side on the soft couch, curled up, with mottled red marks visible beneath the fox fur. His beautiful hair hung halfway down his back, his eyes were somewhat unfocused, and his slightly parted mouth seemed to be trying to calm his breathing.
Xiao Huai cast a sidelong glance at Funing, turned around, and scooped Su Ce into his arms. He wrapped him tightly in the fox fur, carried him down from the carriage, and walked straight toward the palace.
Su Ce could not bear Xiao Huai’s torment at all, but Xiao Huai had already buried his head in his chest again. His body was aching from Xiao Huai’s rough handling, and he was completely weak. He placed his hands between the two of them and resisted with a slurred voice, “Husband, I am really quite tired, and… and…”
“And what?” Xiao Huai did not stop his subsequent movements.
Su Ce felt a heat greet his body, which was exposed to the air; it was Xiao Huai’s burning lips landing on him. His moist, hot tongue slowly swirled on his skin, and his coarse tongue coating scraped across his sensitive spots, causing Su Ce to tremble all over.
Feeling his reaction, Xiao Huai let out a light laugh, and then gently bit his skin with his teeth, sucking hard.
His fingertips slid across Su Ce’s abdomen, which was tense from his panting.
Su Ce said word for word: “I really… I really… can’t take it anymore…”
But Xiao Huai’s gaze was deep, looking at Su Ce from top to bottom.
Su Ce felt like an item for his casual amusement in his palm. Perhaps because of the extreme humiliation, Su Ce’s eyes were blurred with tears, and he felt his body and even his heart aching.
Until finally, under Xiao Huai’s control, his body uncontrollably climbed to the peak. After letting out a whimper from his mouth, his whole body trembled incessantly, and he could not help but burst into loud, bitter sobbing.
Seeing Su Ce’s dazed look, the corners of Xiao Huai’s mouth curled up. He pulled him beneath himself again, parted his legs, and flashed a mischievous smile at him.
When Su Ce regained his senses, he realized that Xiao Huai did not seem satisfied yet. He leaned over and pulled him into his arms, his arms so strong that it felt as if he were trying to knead him into the deepest depths of his own body. He heard Xiao Huai whisper in his ear: “You can do it, baby.”
That night, Su Ce felt as if his stomach were going to be pierced from the inside out, and his soul felt as if it had been sliced open by a sharp blade.
He cried out and begged for mercy, but Xiao Huai ignored him.
He was forced to follow Xiao Huai’s movements, swaying back and forth, and each time he passed out and woke up, he could see Xiao Huai’s tireless, gloomy face.
He thought that tonight, he might not be able to make it through the long night and see tomorrow’s sun.
The afternoon of the following day, Funing finally saw Xiao Huai walk out of the palace. His expression was a bit strange, and although his tone was flat, if one listened carefully, one could hear a tremor in Xiao Huai’s voice as he asked: “Funing, was I a bit too excessive yesterday?”
“Young Master, his body is indeed not what it used to be.” Funing answered with a non-sequitur.
Xiao Huai pursed his lips and glanced back, his clenched fist hidden beneath his wide sleeves: “I… I will come to see him later.”
Watching Xiao Huai’s retreating figure, Funing looked back at the tightly closed palace gate and could not help but sigh. He instructed the servants nearby: “Go and summon the imperial physician.”
When Funing brought the physician into the palace, Su Ce was lying on his side on the bed, his red, swollen eyes staring blankly ahead. He turned over with extremely slow movements and used the quilt to cover his head.
Funing knew that Su Ce was resisting. The physician made eye contact with him, and Funing said, “Young Master, only when you have nurtured your health can you leave the palace.”
The two saw that Su Ce made no movement, so they waited a while longer. Seeing that he still did not respond, they could not force him, so they had to temporarily exit the palace.
Listening to the sound, Su Ce quietly peeked his head out from under the quilt. The eye sockets that had dried up last night were once again filled with tears, and hot teardrops slid down the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the pillow.
He felt that Xiao Huai was not good to him at all; just because he had met new people, he had to treat him so cruelly.
He hated Xiao Huai so much!
But Xiao Huai was also right if it weren’t for Xiao Huai, in such cold weather, he would surely be wandering outside, not knowing if he would be able to eat enough every day, or if he would have warm clothes to wear.
So, he was actually just a pretty canary kept in a gorgeous birdcage by Xiao Huai. And a canary only had limited freedom granted by its master.
No wonder when he said he owed Xiao Huai, Xiao Huai did not say a word.
The more Su Ce thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He closed his eyes and buried his head in the quilt, sobbing intermittently.
Funing and the physician stood outside the palace, looking at each other while listening to the crying inside.
The physician wanted to say something else, but Funing shook his head, sent the physician away, and walked off to find Xiao Huai.
At that time, Xiao Huai was sitting behind his desk writing a letter. Upon hearing Funing’s purpose, he felt a bit of a headache, but still said expressionlessly: “If he cries, let him cry; let him cry enough. If he can’t cry anymore, prepare water for him. He’s spoiled; not only does he lie, he even goes outside to find men.”
Funing paused, wanting to say something but ultimately not saying it.
Xiao Huai raised his eyes and, seeing Funing’s hesitant appearance, set down his brush and rubbed his temples, saying: “What do you want to say?”
Funing hesitated repeatedly: “Actually, Young Master was much happier a few days ago.”
“Are you speaking up for him?”
Funing did not answer. When he turned to take his leave, he could still feel Xiao Huai’s deep, dark gaze staring at him like a venomous snake lurking in the grass.
Long after Funing left, Xiao Huai picked up his brush again to put a full stop to the unfinished letter. He folded it neatly and held it between his index and middle fingers: “Yushu, take this letter and ride as fast as you can to the Princess of the Yan Kingdom.”
After finishing all this, the sky had already turned dark.
Lately, the sky had been getting dark earlier and earlier. Xiao Huai leaned back on the dragon throne, covering his eyes with his hand for a moment before rising and leaving.
When Xiao Huai stepped into the palace, Su Ce was still in a deep sleep, wrapped in a thick quilt. Xiao Huai did not need to lift the quilt to know that Su Ce must have been curled up with his knees drawn to his chest, like a frightened animal that could not find anything to lean on.
Upon entering, he saw the dried tear tracks on Su Ce’s cheeks, which made him look pitiful. He could not help but reach out and stroke Su Ce’s clean face. The latter seemed to be awakened by the coldness brought by his hand; he opened his sleepy eyes in a daze, and as his vision focused to see who it was, a flash of disgust crossed his eyes before returning to calm.
Xiao Huai quickly captured that emotion, and his heart felt as if it were being pierced by a thousand needles, causing his breathing to tighten; he felt uncomfortably miserable.
He steadied his emotions and reached out to pull the quilt away, but Su Ce was clearly on guard against him; he gripped the corner of the quilt tightly and pressed it under his body, not letting Xiao Huai move it even a fraction.
“Did you sleep well?” Xiao Huai’s tone was relatively gentle, but Su Ce did not respond; he turned his head to the side and stared straight at the top of the bed.
Seeing that he was not speaking, Xiao Huai tried to reach out and pull the quilt, but Su Ce hid further inside.
Seeing this, Xiao Huai’s expression was no longer gentle, and he even feigned a bit of anger: “I’m asking you! Are you a mute?”
Being yelled at by Xiao Huai, Su Ce’s eyes turned red again.
Xiao Huai was annoyed and flustered by his appearance; he reached out, pressed down on Su Ce, and pulled the quilt away.
Su Ce did not know which part to cover first, and he began to struggle exceptionally hard on the bed, shouting continuously: “No, I am really in pain, I beg you… I beg you, I will listen to you obediently from now on…”
Xiao Huai looked at the marks left all over his body, and seeing his humble and pitiful expression, he felt a sense of discomfort. He loosened his grip, and his tone softened: “Let me see if it’s swollen.”