Shen Wan suddenly opened her eyes. Before her vision could focus, she felt a scorching breath rushing toward her.
The pressure on her neck forced her to hold her breath. As the blurry outline before her gradually became clear, she saw Yan Xiao’s face.
He leaned down close, a violent, sinister darkness faintly visible between his brows.
His eyes were slightly narrowed, their depth as dark as an abyss. The burning, dangerous gaze made the blood in Shen Wan’s body seem to freeze instantly.
She could still feel the coldness on her lips that was the kiss he had forcefully taken, faintly damp.
The light scent of blood mixed in it made the threat all the more nauseating.
“Let go of me!” she struggled, her voice trembling slightly with anger and resentment.
But her wrists were tightly restrained by him, leaving her no room to resist.
Yan Xiao’s lips curved faintly. His voice was low and hoarse, as if he were deliberately suppressing his anger, each word almost gritted out: “Awake?”
He stuck out his tongue and licked the blood at the corner of his lips. “How does it taste?”
Shen Wan turned her head away. “You… you killed someone again?”
Yan Xiao let out a soft chuckle, neither confirming nor denying it. He simply straightened her body, forcing her to face him.
“Are you afraid?”
Shen Wan bit her lower lip and said nothing.
She wasn’t afraid she was disgusted. Disgusted by the overwhelming smell of blood, disgusted by how casually he violated her again and again, and even more disgusted by her own inability to resist.
Three years ago, she had accidentally saved Yan Xiao. Back then, he had appeared before her just like today wounded…
From that moment on, he had clung to her like a ghost.
Seeing the disgust in Shen Wan’s eyes, Yan Xiao not only wasn’t angry his smile deepened.
With a teasing gesture, he hooked a strand of her hair around his finger, idly twirling it. “Disgusted? If you’re going to be my woman, you’d better get used to it.”
Yan Xiao grabbed her hand. “Treat my wound.”
Instinctively, she tried to pull her hand back, but he gripped it tighter, his well-defined fingers almost digging into her flesh.
“Be obedient.” His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a warning.
Shen Wan was forced to search his body for the wound.
There was a savage gash across his chest, blood continuously seeping out, staining a large portion of his clothes.
Her fingers brushed against his warm skin. Through the thin fabric, she could feel his strong, steady heartbeat.
She unfastened his buttons, revealing his firm chest.
The wound was deep shocking to look at.
Yan Xiao was a madman.
A complete and utter madman.
Even with such an injury, he could still climb over the wall into the Shen residence just to take advantage of her.
As the military governor of Liangzhou, commanding vast troops, he could easily rely on his army doctors. Yet he repeatedly sought out her a mere physician at a small clinic to treat his wounds.
“Hiss ” Yan Xiao sucked in a breath, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Bear with it,” Shen Wan said coldly.
She always kept medicine and bandages in her room.
With practiced ease, Shen Wan cleaned his wound and bandaged it to stop the bleeding.
Her movements were gentle and meticulous, yet carried a faint, almost imperceptible distance.
After finishing, she gathered the bloodied gauze and stood up to leave.
She slept for a while in the main hall. By the time dawn began to break.
before the rest of the household woke up, she returned to her room.
Opening the door and seeing that Yan Xiao was no longer there, she let out a breath of relief.
Good. He was gone.
After washing up, she observed the expressions of the others in the house. It seemed no one had noticed Yan Xiao’s visit the previous night, so she lowered her head and continued eating.
After breakfast, someone sent over a marriage document on Yan Xiao’s behalf.
Her marriage to Yan Xiao had long been decided.
Only…
she couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed to be in a hurry.
A steady drizzle fell, the fine rain tapping against the blue tiles of the old Shen residence like a mournful whisper.
“Miss Shen, the Governor said he will personally deliver the betrothal gifts later today.”