Ye Luan had been imprisoned in this small courtyard for several days.
She didn't know where Fu Dai and Granny Fang were, or if they were still waiting for her. Her heart was burdened with worries, and being forcibly locked away like this, she couldn't eat and grew thinner each day.
One day, Xiao Chi Zhan sent a silver fox, saying it was for her to keep as a pet and to amuse her.
Ye Luan was so angry she trembled and immediately ordered the fox to be sent away.
"What, you don't like it?"
He sat by her couch, his thin lips possessing an eerie redness.
Ye Luan turned to look at him. As their gazes met, his deep red eyes clearly held a sickly joy.
Her hands were bound, so she could only furiously kick at him with her feet, glaring at him with disgust. She refused to say another word to him.
However, her emotional turmoil only excited the man further.
He grabbed her foot, leaned in, and his voice, both seductive and stubbornly ill, coaxed, "Luan Luan, what kind of pet do you like? I'll get it for you."
Ye Luan didn't want to talk to him and tried hard to pull her foot away, but the man held it firmly, making it impossible to move.
She was so angry she wanted to slap him again, but her reason told her absolutely not.
"It hurts—"
The woman's delicate voice made Xiao Chi Zhan tremble with excitement in his back. He caressed her legs, her waist, inch by inch.
Ye Luan was like a walking corpse, allowing him to touch her. When he squeezed her roughly, she bit her lip and remained silent.
Not far away, the fox's low whimper sounded, an especially eerie and chilling sound in the quiet room.
She was going mad.
Even though she didn't want to deal with this lunatic, she had to push him away and stiffly say, "Send this fox back. I don't want it."
"You don't like it?"
Does everyone else have to be as perverted as you?
Other people's pets are cats and dogs. This lunatic gave her a fox. Wasn't he afraid it would bite her to death?
Boring.
"Then how about we skin it and make a cloak for you?"
Ye Luan was infuriated.
It would have been better if he hadn't said it. Now, how could she ever wear it?
Would wearing it constantly remind her that it was a fox's skin?
"I don't want it. Hurry and send it away."
Seeing her resistance, Xiao Chi Zhan didn't insist. He called for someone to take the fox away.
"Serve the meal."
"Yes."
When Xiao Chi Zhan was not around, Ye Luan would only eat a couple of bites before losing her appetite. But when he returned, she had no choice.
He would forcefully hold her in his arms and feed her bite by bite. If she dared not to eat, everyone in the house would suffer.
Ye Luan was truly afraid.
The dishes on the table were clearly separated. The dishes on the left were spicy, and the dishes on the right were light. They ate separately, without disturbing each other.
Seeing her eating with relish, Xiao Chi Zhan didn't bully her. He lazily drank his wine and watched her.
Under the dim candlelight, the beauty was like a painting.
Her lowered eyebrows were cool and indifferent, her fox-like eyes charming, her nose small and delicate, her lips red and moist. Every movement seemed to strike his heart.
The gaze from across the table was far too intense.
Ye Luan smelled the strong aroma of wine and couldn't help but frown.
She put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, "I'm going to wash up."
"You're only eating this much?"
His voice was cold and deep, his reddish eyes gazing at her with hidden meaning.
Ye Luan frowned and looked at him. "Can you stop drinking? It's choking."
Xiao Chi Zhan raised an eyebrow and smiled enchantingly. "You're worried about me?"
The man's skin was very fair, and his blood-red lips curved slightly. In the dim candlelight, he was impossibly beautiful.
For a man to be this beautiful was indeed peculiar.
She turned and left. The gaze behind her clung to her back, impossible to ignore.
At night.
Xiao Chi Zhan held her as they slept.
Ye Luan felt extremely hot and wanted to push him away.
But he suddenly leaned very close. His well-defined hand touched her fair and tender cheek, and he laughed, "When do you want to get married?"
Married?
A flicker of displeasure flashed in those fox-like eyes.
Xiao Chi Zhan's gaze dimmed slightly.
His fingers twined through her hair, and he whispered tenderly by her ear, "Luan Luan, I won't let you go. I want to be entangled with you for all eternity. Marry me willingly and be my princess."
"Didn't you say before that my status wasn't good enough?"
The girl's bright eyes stared directly at him.
Xiao Chi Zhan suddenly smiled. "Don't try to subtly criticize me."
Ye Luan sneered, lowered her eyes, and fell silent.
He leaned down and kissed her ear, her cheek, her eyes, and finally, settled on her red lips, kissing her passionately.
"I'm so tired."
She placed her hand against his bare chest, her voice soft and娇软.
Hearing this, he kissed her heavily, pulled her into his arms, and held her gently. "Sleep."
When she woke up the next day, Xiao Chi Zhan was still there.
As soon as Ye Luan opened her eyes, she saw him.
She couldn't quite describe how she felt, but she simply stared at his sleeping face, lost in thought.
Suddenly, those eyes, as brilliant as rubies, opened. They were calm and indifferent, as if covered in a layer of ice. As he looked down at her, they suddenly changed, gaining warmth.
'Awake.'
Ye Luan withdrew her gaze, retreated from his embrace, and got out of bed to wash up.
She opened the window, and a cool breeze gently blew in. She sat at the dressing table, tending to her dark hair.
The man's familiar scent embraced her from behind. In the hazy mirror, he leaned closer and closer, his lips lightly brushing her cheek, murmuring by her ear.
"What are you doing?"
Her tone was indifferent.
Xiao Chi Zhan didn't care. "I'll accompany you today."
As long as Xiao Chi Zhan was present, she didn't need to wear those contraptions.
Ye Luan pursed her lips. Just as she was about to get up, she was pressed down by the man behind her.
"I'll draw your eyebrows."
"Ah—"
He was very close. His skin was snow-white, his features sharply defined. Those deep red eyes looked devilishly charming, yet they held a strange seriousness.
Ye Luan looked closely and suddenly realized.
After so long, she hadn't noticed a tiny, red mole beneath his eyelashes, which made those eyes appear even more mesmerizing.
He now exuded a gentle aura, devoid of his usual terrifying presence.
Ye Luan couldn't help but speak, "Your Highness, if you love someone, you wouldn't imprison her."
The hand that was drawing eyebrows paused. The man lowered his eyes and looked at her.
A hint of ripple appeared in those fox-like eyes, like the bright crescent moon in the dark night, dark and luminous.
He curved his red lips slightly, gently supported her, and half-embraced her to face the mirror.
In the mirror, the girl's beautiful face was bright and clear, her delicate eyebrows, like a new moon, were slightly furrowed.
"Do you like me?"
His voice was eerily calm, and Ye Luan trembled.
The bright sun shone through the window onto both of them. A gentle breeze, carrying the fragrance of flowers from outside, blew in.
Xiao Chi Zhan suddenly tightened his grip, embracing the person in front of him fiercely, burying his head in her neck, his thoughts unclear.