Qin Mengxue was filled with doubt. The more she thought about it, the more impossible it felt.
It made no sense—how could Qin Mingzhi endure such immense humiliation without speaking a word to anyone?
Was she really that tolerant?
Yet the cold, hard facts were right in front of her face, forcing her to believe it whether she wanted to or not.
Fuming with rage, Qin Mengxue stamped her feet in frustration.
Even so, she couldn’t just let things go.
Having been reborn, she had worked so hard to snatch this opportunity to become an officer’s wife. How could she give it up over a mere accident?
Qin Mengxue scanned her surroundings. Looking at the filth-covered bed and Xiao Xingjie lying motionless on the floor, her face fell as anxiety gripped her.
It was so filthy and foul-smelling—how could anyone sleep here?
Under the current circumstances, however, she didn’t dare call anyone in to clean the room.
Since the deed wasn’t fully done yet, she had to make everyone believe that something had indeed happened between her and Xiao Xingjie.
Otherwise, if people discovered that nothing took place, all her scheming would be for nothing. Not only would she fail to marry into the Xiao family, but she would also become the laughingstock of the town.
Unable to sit still, Qin Mengxue finally pulled a long face, dragged herself over to a chair, and sat down.
The more she pondered, the more aggrieved she felt. She wiped the corner of her eyes, consumed by a mixture of anger, resentment, and deep bitterness.
Her perfectly laid plan was now a complete mess. The bed was too dirty to sleep on, and the floor was freezing—she couldn’t actually lie on the ground all night.
Shrinking into the chair, she rested her feet on the edge, wrapped her arms around her knees, and glared helplessly at the soundly sleeping Xiao Xingjie.
No matter what, she couldn’t step out of this room tonight. She had to stay with Xiao Xingjie until morning.
As the night deepened, the temperature dropped sharply. Her outer wedding gown was too dirty to wear, leaving her shivering violently with goosebumps breaking out all over her skin.
Just as Qin Mengxue was about to curse in frustration, a thought suddenly crossed her mind, and a eerie smirk instantly curled up the corners of her lips.
After her rebirth, she had deliberately sought out a few local ruffians. Gritting her teeth against the painful cost, she had paid them a sum of money to drug Qin Mingzhi tonight and deliver her to Xu Yanlin—the disgusting man she had been forced to marry in her previous life.
At the thought of Xu Yanlin, a cold sweat instinctively broke out across her body, sending a chill down her spine.
However, that chill was swiftly replaced by a surge of malicious pleasure.
Xu Yanlin was a burly brute of a man with thick muscles and a violent temper. In her past life, he hadn’t shown her a shred of tenderness.
He abused her in bed and beat her outside of it.
On the second day of their marriage in her past life, she had almost been tortured into the hospital by him.
Yet, even as she lay in bed wracked with pain, Xu Yanlin had still forced her to get up, cook, and do the laundry.
A man like that was best left for Qin Mingzhi to enjoy.
Once they rolled around between the sheets, even if Qin Mingzhi screamed until her throat went hoarse, no one would be coming to save her.
Qin Mengxue couldn’t help but grin. But before long, the deep chill seeped into her bones. Shivering from the cold, she let out an involuntary sneeze.
“Achoo!”
She tightly wrapped the remaining layer of her wedding attire around herself, but it offered no protection against the freezing air, leaving her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Her eyes remained fixed on the mattress. She desperately wanted to crawl under the covers, but the sight and stench of the disgusting vomit made it impossible to ignore, let alone sleep next to.
“Just endure a little longer… Just a little longer and I’ll succeed…”
Gritting her teeth, Qin Mengxue curled into a tight ball on the chair, hugging her legs and rubbing them to generate warmth. Soon, her thoughts drifted back to Qin Mingzhi.
Regardless, Qin Mingzhi was currently at the mercy of Xu Yanlin, suffering a fate ten thousand times worse than her own. At least she wasn’t being beaten; at least she was safe.
Consoling herself with this thought, her mind felt a bit easier. A strange smile returned to her face, and her own misery no longer felt so unbearable.
After all, no matter how miserable she was, that b*tch Qin Mingzhi would always be there to hit rock bottom below her.
Qin Mingzhi was awakened by a wave of sharp, throbbing soreness across her entire body.
As she groggily rolled over in her sleep, every bone in her body felt as if it had been dismantled.
Every slight movement brought a wave of intense pain.
It was a deep, aching sensation that seemed to seep straight into the marrow of her bones.
Her consciousness was still hazy. She struggled to open her eyes, intending to prop herself up with her arm to sit up in bed.
Yet, the moment she exerted force in her arms, a sudden surge of limp weakness washed over her. Like a boneless fish, she collapsed helplessly back into the quilt.
She couldn’t help but gasp softly.
Daylight had already broken outside. The curtains didn’t fully block the sunlight, leaving the room bright enough for Qin Mingzhi to see herself clearly.
Looking at the dappled patches of light falling over the blanket, she instinctively lifted it up.
The moment her eyes landed on her body, she froze in place. Her pupils dilated instantly, and her ears turned bright red in a second.
She had naturally fair skin since childhood; even under the sun, she would only turn red rather than tan.
Now, her fair skin was covered in overlapping red marks of varying depths—some deep crimson, others pale pink—intertwining continuously from her waist down to her thighs and extending up toward her neck.
Her entire body bore undeniable proof of everything that had transpired last night.
Qin Mingzhi’s face burned intensely.
Was this man a dog?
In just a single night, he had nibbled on her from head to toe, as if he were trying to swallow her whole, bones and all!
She wanted to get up, but her body felt far too sore and weak to exert any strength.
The air was filled with the man’s distinct scent. It was a fragrance Qin Mingzhi couldn’t quite describe, yet it smelled delightfully pleasant, causing her cheeks to flush even hotter.
After taking a moment to recover, Qin Mingzhi bit her lip, determined to try getting up once more.
Before she could muster the effort, a warm, firm arm suddenly tightened around her.
The man’s muscular arm hooked around her waist, pulling her directly against his side, bringing their burning skin into flush contact.
Qin Mingzhi went completely rigid, only then realizing that an arm had been resting over her waist all along.
The muscle lines on the man’s arm were firm and taut. Though he wasn’t actively applying force, it carried an undeniable strength that resisted any attempt to break free.
Qin Mingzhi swallowed nervously and turned her head slightly. Seeing Xiao Wangnian’s face right beside hers, her breath hitched instantly.
She hadn’t noticed it just a second ago, but as she turned, she realized that any larger movement would have pressed her lips straight against his face.
Qin Mingzhi pulled her neck back slightly, terrified of brushing against Xiao Wangnian.
Exercising extreme caution, even her heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, Xiao Wangnian appeared to still be in a deep sleep.
His eyes were closed tight, his eyelashes casting a small fan of shadow beneath them. He had slightly raised brows, a high-bridged nose, a sharp and clean jawline, and a composed silhouette across his features.
His thin lips, in particular, were beautifully shaped, slightly pursed, and noticeably paler than average.
He possessed a strikingly fierce and handsome appearance, yet as Qin Mingzhi stared at his face, she inexplicably felt…
Her face flushing red.
Flustered, she shook her head, almost terrified by her own train of thought.
In reality, her mind had long drifted out of her body; she half-wished she could just disappear on the spot. Yet, on the surface, she didn’t dare make the slightest sound, deeply afraid of waking the man beside her.
Qin Mingzhi carefully shrank back into the bed. Looking away, the absurd scenes from last night flooded her memory, leaving her brain completely paralyzed.
She knew who Xiao Wangnian was—he was Xiao Xingjie’s young uncle.
Reasonably speaking, someone like Xiao Wangnian naturally detested crowded events; the mere fact that he had attended the wedding was already baffling enough.
Since his journey back to the military compound was only a few steps away, why on earth did he need to stay overnight at Xiao Xingjie’s house?
Qin Mingzhi’s heart raced. Her intuition told her something was deeply wrong here. Had Xiao Wangnian stayed overnight in her past life as well? How had she never known about it?
And who in the world spread the rumor that he was cold toward women, abstinent, and immune to temptation?
Qin Mingzhi’s face flushed red and pale in turns.
Last night, well into the late hours, Xiao Wangnian had kept his grip firm around her waist, teasing and taking advantage of her time and time again. Even when she cried and begged for mercy, he refused to let her off the hook.
Where in the world was the man who supposedly avoided women at all costs?