“Third Master?”
The man’s gaze was too intense, making Xi Ning feel as if needles were pricking her back, her entire body stiffening.
In the narrow carriage, their breaths mingled, hot and ambiguous.
Pei Zhao leaned in slightly, his slender knuckles resting on her fair and delicate chin. His scorching breath sprayed across her cheeks, causing Xi Ning’s body to soften instantly.
“How will you thank me? Hmm?”
With a slight pressure from the man’s fingertips, Xi Ning fell into his embrace.
The man’s chest was hard and painful, his arms firmly gripping her waist, leaving Xi Ning unable to move an inch.
“I’ll cook for Third Master. Whatever you want to eat, I can make it…”
Her flushed face was radiantly beautiful, her voice trembling and delicate, stirring a dark tide in the man’s eyes.
“Not enough.”
He did enjoy Xi Ning’s cooking, but compared to her, the desire for food was far less important.
“Third Master…”
Xi Ning was on the verge of tears. He had always been aloof and indifferent to women, and she had never caught his eye. Why did he suddenly seem like a different person?
“Xi Ning, I want you.”
Pei Zhao’s thumb gradually moved upward from her chin, landing on her full, rosy lips.
As his thumb caressed her lips, her soft, fragrant tongue accidentally brushed against it, causing Pei Zhao’s breathing to grow heavier.
He wanted to kiss her, to have her.
Men were naturally adept when it came to women, and once desire was ignited, it could never be extinguished.
Xi Ning placed her hands on his chest, struggling to escape his grasp.
Yet her struggles only made the man’s thumb probe deeper.
“Mmm!”
His warm lips and tongue tangled with hers, and the small of Xi Ning’s back gradually grew hot.
“Third Master, we agreed that once your matters are settled, you would return my deed of sale to me. You can’t go back on your word.”
She spat out his finger and spoke in a trembling voice under his scorching, ink-dark gaze.
Xi Ning didn’t know how captivating she looked at that moment. Her loosely tied bun had half fallen, her dark hair cascading down her back, some strands slipping into her open collar. The contrast of black hair against snow-white skin tempted one to leave crimson marks upon it.
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he pressed her waist closer to him. Nestled in his embrace, he could look down and see her delicate, flushed face, her ears red as if dripping with blood, and the hint of snowy skin hidden beneath her collar.
Feeling the heat beneath her, Xi Ning’s eyes reddened completely.
“Third Master, you promised…”
Promised to let her leave.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Pei Zhao had always been a man of his word, but with Xi Ning, he had broken his promises again and again.
“I can give you the deed of sale, but you stay with me, hmm?”
What was wrong with him?
Every woman in the capital wanted to marry him. Xi Ning was alone, with no family or friends, and possessed such beauty. Without him, she would be like a lamb straying into a pack of wolves in the capital, destined to be devoured sooner or later.
The man’s voice was seductive, but Xi Ning’s blood ran cold, freezing her entire body.
She looked up, meeting his eyes, and asked word by word:
“Does Third Master want me to be his concubine?”
Xi Ning’s gaze was as clear as a pool of water, reflecting the man’s desire and possessiveness.
Pei Zhao’s heart tightened, and he saw his own unworthiness in her eyes. Yet the pride of the Third Young Master of the Pei family prevented him from admitting his mistake.
“What’s wrong with being my concubine? In the future, I will protect you, and no one will dare to bully you again.”
“Third Master, I will not be a concubine.”Xi Ning broke free from his embrace, her gaze more resolute than ever before.
“I am grateful to Third Master for taking me out of Misty Rain Pavilion and giving me a respectable identity. For this kindness, I am willing to repay it in any way possible. However, my heart is wild and unwilling to be anyone’s appendage. Though women are not as free as men, I too wish to travel across this vast and beautiful land. Being confined to the inner chambers is torture to me. Moreover, I will only be a wife, never a concubine. I ask that Third Master honor our agreement and return my deed of servitude.”
“Only a wife, never a concubine? Hah! You want to marry me?”
Pei Zhao’s face darkened. In his eyes, Xi Ning’s desire for freedom was merely an excuse for her unwillingness to become a concubine. Back when this woman had schemed for him to buy her, she had done no shortage of things to seduce him.
During this period, she had been well-behaved, opening a shop and selling food. He had thought she had given up, but it turned out she was merely retreating to advance, seeking even more.
“Third Master jests. I don’t like you, so why would I want to marry you?”
Xi Ning nearly laughed at his arrogance. Could it be that the only value of women in this world was to marry? Having lived two lifetimes, she too had her own aspirations in her heart.
She didn’t like him? She didn’t want to marry him?
The woman’s clear and pure eyes told Pei Zhao that she spoke the truth.
Xi Ning did not like him. His earlier words had only brought humiliation upon himself.
A knot of stifling anger clogged Pei Zhao’s chest, and a flicker of embarrassment rose in the depths of his eyes.
“Get out!”
Xi Ning knew her words had been too blunt, piercing his pride. But if she didn’t make herself clear, Pei Zhao might continue to delude himself into thinking she liked him.
To avoid future trouble, it was better to clarify things now.
Even if Pei Zhao came to hate her, she wondered if she could still get her deed of servitude back.
Xi Ning stepped down from the carriage. Chang Lin and Lu Yi approached with smiles.
When ambiguous sounds had come from the carriage earlier, Chang Lin had quietly pulled Lu Yi aside.
Their master had finally taken an interest in a woman; they couldn’t eavesdrop.
But wasn’t the time a bit short? Though he had no experience himself, less than a quarter of an hour—was their master really that useless?
Chang Lin looked at Xi Ning’s pale face, her weak and unsteady legs, and her slightly disheveled clothes. The sympathy in his eyes was so full it threatened to overflow.
“Miss Xi…”
Chang Lin wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but he feared angering his master inside the carriage. For Miss Xi to come down like this, surely the master had been shamed into anger and taken it out on her.
Poor Miss Xi.
Xi Ning was still worried about her own future and managed a weak smile at him. Unbeknownst to her, this strained smile only confirmed Chang Lin’s suspicions.
“Drive!”
Before Chang Lin could react, Pei Zhao’s voice, filled with anger, came from inside the carriage.
Chang Lin shuddered, knowing his master was in a foul mood and not daring to delay his orders.
“Yes.”
The carriage quickly sped out of Wutong Street. Xi Ning entered the outer courtyard, closed the door, and leaned against it, all strength drained from her body.
In this era, she was not the respected Professor Xi, but a plaything that anyone could bully.
Her fate was in Pei Zhao’s hands. Though she refused to accept it, she had already been branded with his mark here.
No matter how much she deceived herself into believing she was independent, she could not escape Pei Zhao’s control.
She had to quickly plan an escape route for herself.
Pei Zhao returned to the Duke’s mansion seething with anger. Chang Lin had never seen him so furious before.
The Third Young Master of the Pei family was deep and inscrutable, rarely showing his emotions. This was the first time his feelings had been so visibly exposed.
Indeed, when it came to matters like these, it was hard for any man to remain calm.Chang Lin shook his head sympathetically. Who would have thought that their refined and noble Third Master was nothing but a useless silver spearhead?
“Chang Lin, if you were a woman, would you want to marry me?”