Ye Luan shook her head, pushing and kicking him. She wanted to scold him but he blocked her mouth, preventing her from speaking, leaving her with only soft whimpers.
Sensing her resistance, Xiao Chi Zhan's eyes darkened. As if driven mad, he disregarded everything, cupping her head and desperately drawing the sweetness from her lips, kissing her with a frantic and fervent intensity.
He longed for her, missed her. The surging, intense emotions within him made him unable to control himself, all he wanted was to hold her soft body close to his, leaving no space between them.
Ye Luan felt as though she could barely breathe from his kisses, her neck stiffening as she tried to dodge.
But he was still the same as before, completely ignoring her struggles. His tongue frantically pried open her lips and darted into her mouth, kissing her ardently.
Her lips felt numb, swollen, and red.
Ye Luan was so angry that the corners of her eyes turned red. The moment he loosened his grip, she slapped him across the face.
The sound, "pa," was exceptionally loud in the quiet garden.
The guards around immediately knelt on the ground, heads bowed, not daring to look.
Xiao Chi Zhan, however, didn't seem to care at all. He pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly, as if trying to meld her into his very bones and blood. His deep, husky voice whispered in her ear.
"Luan Luan, you can't run away. This time, we start anew!"
"I don't know you! You're disturbing me!"
Her voice was cold, her gaze even colder.
Xiao Chi Zhan's heart was pierced by her words. He ignored the sensation and tried his best to suppress the ferocity within him, looking at her gently.
"We had an argument, you fell into the ice cave and forgot me, but we are already married. You are my Princess Consort."
Ye Luan pushed him away forcefully, suppressing her anger and forcing herself to appear normal.
"What is my name?"
"Ye Luan."
"You're wrong. My name is Shen Luan. I am from the family of the Censor of Northern Qi. Sir, you have mistaken me for someone else."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Xiao Chi Zhan grabbed her hand and raised the ring on her finger.
"Twin rings. Yours and mine are a pair."
Ye Luan looked for a moment, then said coldly, "So what? Even if we did know each other before, I don't know you now. What's past is past!"
Her cold, unfamiliar eyes seemed to rake him with knives.
Xiao Chi Zhan was stung by her gaze. The hand holding hers loosened slightly. Suddenly, he remembered her past accusations.
"Xiao Chi Zhan, you're always like this. You don't understand respect, you don't understand love. Your love is imprisonment, possession, obsessive and cruel. No one will like that!"
Her soft hand was forcefully pulled away. His hand, still outstretched in the air, felt stiff. He dared not reach for her again.
"Your Highness."
Xue Ren arrived to report.
Xiao Chi Zhan looked at the retreating figure blocked at the doorway. In that instant, dark thoughts welled up in his heart. A fleeting, pathological greed flickered in his deep crimson eyes, like an uncontrollable beast, incessantly clamoring to break free.
*Take her back. She will be mine alone.*
Ye Luan looked back at him, her gaze cold and devoid of any warmth.
"Let me go."
Her eyes were filled with unfamiliarity and a trace of anger. He paused slightly, quickly suppressing the frantic thoughts in his mind.
*No!*
*She hates that side of him.*
*He cannot force her.*
*He was afraid. Afraid of pushing her further away.*
"Let her go first."
Ye Luan left without hesitation, not even glancing at Xue Qiu, who was whimpering towards her.
Xiao Chi Zhan stared at the empty doorway, his voice hoarse, "Send someone to follow her. Find out everything about her situation now."
He needed to know what had happened to her during these days.
-----
Not long after Ye Luan left Qu Yuan, she saw Huo Dao looking for her.
"Miss, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Huo Dao said, "The Crown Prince has matters to attend to and has gone off to work. I'll escort you to Taiye Pond first."
Ye Luan did not object. She also had something to discuss with him.
The fire in the Eastern Palace had burned for an entire night, leaving everything in ruins.
The incident shocked the entire court. The Emperor of Da Qi, lying on his sickbed, was furious and ordered the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate the matter. However, before any conclusions could be reached, pressure was applied by the people of Da Liang.
The King of Dingbei was assassinated at a banquet. It was discovered that the perpetrator was the Fourth Prince, Xie Nanchen, and the arson incident also pointed directly at him.
The Emperor of Da Qi fainted from anger. The Empress Dowager ordered Xie Nanchen to be imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple and commanded the Minister of the Imperial Clan to conduct a thorough investigation.
The relay station.
Xiao Chi Zhan sat on a pear wood chair, listening to the news relayed by Xue Shi. His expression was grim.
Tan Tai Ye exclaimed, "So, Xie Bei Han fell off the cliff at that exact moment and saved her."
"What is this scoundrel up to? Could he be trying to use her to get revenge on you?"
Li Qiong Yu said, "She's been living at the Shen Residence all this time, claiming to be the youngest daughter of the Shen family who was recuperating on their estate and has now been brought back. Xie Bei Han, that scoundrel, gave her such a false identity and even announced his intention to marry her. Isn't this a blatant challenge to you?"
Xiao Chi Zhan's eyes were chillingly cold. The ferocity in his eyes was enough to kill!
He hated that he hadn't been able to save her back then, giving Xie Bei Han an opportunity. Yet, he had to admit, he was grateful that Xie Bei Han had saved her.
This conflicting emotion was torturous!
"Does she really not remember?"
Xue Ren bowed respectfully, "All the doctors in Guancheng have examined her. They all give the same account: Miss Ye hit the back of her head and is suffering from symptoms of lost soul."
Xiao Chi Zhan said coldly, "She knows medicine."
Tan Tai Ye looked at him, picked up a jar of wine, and sneered, "Whether it's true or false, it's better that she doesn't remember. Otherwise, she'll only think of escaping from you."
"Exactly. Now she's a member of the Shen family. If you want her, don't treat her like before, with imprisonment and threats. Win her heart first. Treat her well, capture her heart, and she will naturally follow you."
Tan Tai Ye added, "There's another way. The three cities of Chaoge have been breached. Doesn't the Emperor of Da Qi want us to retreat? Let them hand over Ye Luan in exchange. Da Liang's troops will immediately withdraw from Northern Qi."
Li Qiong Yu nudged him with her elbow and said irritably, "Threats like that won't keep Ye Luan. If you want her to stay with you, you must win her heart."
Xiao Chi Zhan didn't want to listen to their rambling. He frowned and looked at Xue Ren, "Has she been in the Eastern Palace since she returned from Guancheng?"
"Yes, she has been living in the Crown Prince's quarters. After the fire in the Eastern Palace, she returned to the Shen Residence."
After Xue Ren finished speaking, he noticed his master's extremely displeased expression and quickly added, "According to what Xue Shi's men investigated, Miss Ye has been living in the inner palace, while Xie Bei Han resided in the outer palace. They were not living together."
"Our men have also been keeping watch at the Shen Residence and have not seen Xie Bei Han visit Miss Ye."
Of course, with the fire in the Eastern Palace and the continuous pressure from Da Liang, Xie Bei Han had been too busy to bother with such matters.
Xiao Chi Zhan's face was grim. He looked at Xue Qiu, who was listlessly lying on the table, and couldn't help but pick it up, saying softly, "She doesn't want me, and she doesn't want you either anymore."
Xue Qiu: "---"
He had never imagined that upon seeing her again, she would be someone else's fiancée, having completely forgotten him.
A ferocious killing intent surged uncontrollably in Xiao Chi Zhan's heart. A terrifying, world-ending wrath burned in the depths of his eyes, and a sharp pain pulsed through his chest.
Pain!
It made him hurt all over with anger!