The flickering candlelight illuminated his waterfall-like long hair and lips as sharp as a knife. Ye鸾 stared at his bare torso, clicking her tongue inwardly.
Despite this man being a heartless, deranged lunatic, his physique was truly superb.
Standing nearly eight feet tall, his skin was a burnished bronze, lean and well-proportioned. His clothes hung loosely around his waist, revealing a taut, strong upper body with clearly defined, hard muscles.
However, his chest was crisscrossed with numerous scars.
Tsk, tsk.
What was she thinking?
Ye鸾 quickly banished the inappropriate images from her mind.
Seeing him lunge, she immediately placed a foot against Xiao Chizhan's chest, her eyes seductive, "Wouldn't Your Highness find it more comfortable if I cooperated?"
Xiao Chizhan sneered, his calloused hand seizing her jade-like foot and kneading it with a light but firm pressure.
"It's nothing. This King enjoys a thrill."
This damned pervert, utterly unyielding.
Ye鸾 thought of Lu Feibai's pale, deathly face, and her heart grew anxious.
"Xiao Chizhan, don't you think you're going too far?"
How dare she scold him so loudly!
Xiao Chizhan pulled at the corner of his lips, "Can't keep up the act anymore?"
Ye鸾 fiercely pinched her thigh beneath her skirt, the pain making her flinch.
Her foxy eyes immediately misted over, her eye corners turning red.
She deliberately glared at him through tear-filled eyes, turning her back in a huff and curling her legs, sobbing softly.
Xiao Chizhan watched her small shoulders shake as she stubbornly cried. He gently pulled, drawing her into his embrace.
"What is this performance now?"
"How could I dare," Ye鸾 cried, tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms. "You bestowed me to Lu Feibai, wanting me to beg you. I accept that. But you humiliated me in front of so many people, and you won't even let me cry?"
"The entire capital knows that I have been betrothed to Lu Feibai. Yet you publicly embarrassed him and then molested me. How do you expect others to view me?"
"Doesn't Your Highness know how important a woman's reputation is? You bully me like this, have I dug up your ancestors' graves?"
Xiao Chizhan's forehead twitched. "There was no one else on the boat, only Tantai Ye and a few others. Are you that aggrieved?" He paused, then sneered, "You just want me to let Lu Feibai off the boat, don't you? Aren't you tired of acting?"
Damn it.
This dog, truly impervious to both entreaties and threats.
"If you compromise sooner, this play will end sooner. Follow this King back to the manor obediently, and willingly stay by this King's side, and this King will save you from that hellhole that is the Lu residence."
Ye鸾 continued to cry, ignoring him.
Xiao Chizhan looked at her reddened eyes, "Stop crying."
No response, still crying.
Xiao Chizhan couldn't take it anymore.
"If you keep crying, I'll gouge out your eyes."
"Then take them. Gouge them all out."
Hmph!
Her boldness was truly growing.
Xiao Chizhan rubbed his forehead, watching her become increasingly defiant. Angrily, he kicked a sandalwood chair and stood up, ordering, "Long Ba, escort Lu Feibai off the boat."
"Yes."
The footsteps outside gradually faded away.
Ye鸾 wiped her tears with practiced ease, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Hmph, no more acting?"
Xiao Chizhan pinched her chin, gently kissing away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
Such tenderness made Ye鸾 pause for a moment, but remembering his harassment over the past few days, her heart immediately hardened.
Undeniably, since their intimate relationship began, Xiao Chizhan was no longer as terrifyingly deranged towards her as before.
When she didn't provoke him, he treated her quite well.
But she was unwilling to stay by his side.
His temperament was unpredictable, capricious, and cruel. His conduct was like that of a madman, and she felt a knife constantly hanging over her head, fearing the day he would kill her.
Moreover, his status destined him to have a harem full of women. If she had to compete with a multitude of women for his favor later on, she'd rather die.
Fortunately, he only had her now. Otherwise, she would truly want to vomit.
"After you've used me, you put on this cold expression. Darling, your eating posture is too ugly."
Ye鸾 raised an eyebrow, "Isn't Your Highness's eating posture ugly? Not only do you snatch a subject's daughter, but you also snatch a subject's wife. If this gets out, it's truly a disgrace to Da Liang."
"Your mouth, I'll smooth it down eventually."
He gripped her chin tightly, the ferocity in his eyes terrifying.
After a moment, he sneered, "The Lu family is colluding with the enemy. In a few days, His Majesty will issue a decree to execute the entire clan. If you wish to die, then marry into them."
He knew she feared death the most and cherished her life above all else.
Back then, in that dark room, after being beaten so badly, her desire to survive was still so strong. She would absolutely not be willing to be buried with others.
"Lu Feibai has been taking medicine for years, and his long-term illness has worsened. He might be gone before the Lu family is annihilated."
Xiao Chizhan observed Ye鸾's reaction as he spoke, but seeing her indifferent expression, he felt a strange sense of comfort.
He couldn't help but pull her into his embrace, his tone softening, "If you show some softness now, I will immediately annul this marriage for you."
Ye鸾 said, "Annul the marriage? And then? Follow you back to the manor without title or status?"
Going in circles, and returning to the starting point. What was the meaning of all she had done?
She had to find a way to leave before the wedding.
She absolutely could not return to the prison that was the manor. Otherwise, with Xiao Chizhan's possessiveness, she would never escape.
What if, by chance, her charm faded before her youth did? Where would she go to cry?
"Your status is not enough to be a Princess Consort. If you are willing to marry, I will grant you the position of a secondary consort, registered in the imperial jade annals. If you remain so stubborn, then continue to be my slave."
Bastard.
All excuses.
Ye鸾 inwardly rolled her eyes.
Xiao Chizhan was now immensely powerful, with no need for a political marriage. Naturally, he could decide his own marital affairs, clearly not wanting to give her the position of Princess Consort.
If, at some point, he grew tired of her and married a formal Princess Consort, she would surely be suppressed.
She wasn't crazy to become his secondary consort. The mere thought made her want to vomit.
Damn it all, if he begs me to be his Princess Consort in the future, I won't even care.
A wicked idea surfaced in her mind. If she could make Xiao Chizhan love her to the point of death, then marry someone else and dump him, the thought alone was incredibly satisfying.
She had thought this before, but now that she had a chance to escape, time was of the essence. She didn't have time to cultivate feelings for him and play tricks on him.
Most importantly—she needed to run.
If she could leave this cursed place, she couldn't be bothered to play nice with someone who could go mad at any moment.
"Your eyes are rolling around like a fox's. What are you cursing me about in your heart?"
Ye鸾 remained silent, treating him as if he were air.
Xiao Chizhan detested being ignored by her. He grabbed her waist, straddling her. Through the thin fabric, he caressed her.
A flash of disgust crossed Ye鸾's eyes.
Forget it. She'd just treat him like a hired companion.
Heh.
This skill could be called the king of hired companions.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
"Have you eaten yet?"
Suddenly, he pressed her into his embrace, toying with the stray hairs by her ear.
In a daze, Ye鸾 felt he was very gentle.
Pah.
Gentleness was temporary.
"I'm hungry."
"What do you want to eat?"
Thinking of his preferences, Ye鸾 deliberately said, "I like spicy food."
Xiao Chizhan's brow twitched. He patted her bottom, "Come, let's go down and eat."