Chapter 117: Miss Me?
Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Miss Me?
He was so domineering he seemed indestructible.
And it was true. Cui Lingyao had never seen him bow his head to anyone. He always carried himself with an air of absolute authority, his word the unquestionable law.
Subconsciously, she had always believed Xie Jinbai to be indestructible, omnipotent.
That she couldn’t possibly be hurt.
But this time, he had suddenly vanished for over a month without a single word, all while being gravely injured and surrounded by peril.
It finally taught Cui Lingyao what it meant to live with her heart in her throat.
It was only after enduring more than a month of this terror that she was struck by a sudden realization: her heart, too, was moved by Xie Jinbai.
She simply never had the chance to realize it before.
All those years, she had been sheltered in the lap of luxury in the Capital City, never truly experiencing the treacherous currents of the world outside.
For the first time, Cui Lingyao viscerally understood that Xie Jinbai was made of flesh and blood. That he, too, could meet with disaster.
He could be injured. He could even... die.
This heart-wrenching feeling was utterly foreign, a sensation none of Xie Jinbai’s ploys to feign suffering had ever truly managed to evoke in her.
Neither of them spoke again. As twilight fell, they reached her courtyard.
They lived next door to each other.
"I won’t go in. You should get some rest."
Shen Tingyu stopped outside the courtyard. He looked down at her and said, "My aunt’s burial is in a few days, and there will be much to do. Try to relax. Don’t worry so much, or you’ll wear yourself out."
He didn’t know the truth behind the drowning incident all those years ago, but in the three years since her loss, Xie Jinbai’s descent into madness had been plain for all to see.
Shen Tingyu still resented Xie Jinbai for taking a concubine, an act that had led to her death, yet he couldn’t deny the man’s affection for her.
He paused before saying, his voice strained, "Once he can put his affairs in order... he will come looking for you."
If there was any opportunity at all, Xie Jinbai wouldn’t miss the chance to see her.
Cui Lingyao deeply agreed with this point.
Since Xie Jinbai had appeared so openly in Pingzhou, it was only a matter of time before he came looking for her.
She nodded obediently. "I know."
Shen Tingyu took a deep breath, trying to soothe the dull ache in his chest. He reached out and gently patted her head. "Go on inside. Rest well."
Half a month of exhausting travel, followed by days of continuous kneeling after arriving at the Pei Family’s estate—it was a terrible ordeal for a young woman’s constitution.
If she didn’t get proper rest soon, she would be the next to fall ill.
Cui Lingyao nodded again. "You need to rest too, Cousin."
With that, she gave him one last look before turning and entering the courtyard.
The sky had already grown dark.
Lanterns under the eaves were lit. Though there weren’t many servants assigned to the courtyard, they were all conspicuously absent.
Even Zhiqiu hadn’t come out to welcome her.
The courtyard was eerily silent.
Just as Cui Lingyao was about to call for someone, she caught sight of a figure standing in a corner of the courtyard.
She turned her head. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she recognized the person, her pupils slowly dilated.
"...What is it?"
Before she could react, Xie Jinbai was already walking toward her. He offered a smile and said, "Forty-five days we’ve been apart. Have you forgotten what I look like?"
The smile didn’t reach his eyes in the slightest.
Instead, an irrepressible chill radiated from him.
The man she had worried about for so many days had suddenly appeared before her. Cui Lingyao was, at first, overjoyed.
But seeing his accusatory posture, she couldn’t help but frown. "Can you speak normally? Must you be so cutting and sarcastic the moment you see me?"
Xie Jinbai was now standing right in front of her.
He lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on the young woman before him.
She had already removed her mourning clothes in the memorial hall. Now, she wore a simple dress, her long hair casually pinned up with a single jade hairpin. Her face, devoid of powder, looked utterly haggard. She must have been crying during the day; her eyes were still red and swollen.
She looked so heart-wrenchingly fragile.
The woman who had occupied his every thought now stood before him, making him ache with the urge to pull her into his arms and soothe her.
He wanted nothing more than to pluck the stars from the sky to win her favor.
Xie Jinbai pressed his lips together, wrestling with himself for a moment. In the end, he gave in, extending his arms to grip her shoulders and pull her into his embrace.
For once, she didn’t push him away. Instead, she nestled obediently in his arms, allowing him to hold her.
’Just like a moment ago, when she obediently let another man pat her head.’
He had watched the entire scene: the two of them walking side-by-side under the cover of night, the tender gazes and reluctant farewell at her gate.
’The mere thought of it—while I was running myself ragged, a bastard was buzzing around my beloved, fawning over her.’
’Day after day, in places I couldn’t see, they spent their time like this, and she... she tacitly permitted his advances.’
’Completely improper.’
All Xie Jinbai wanted to do was kill someone.
He tightened his arms, pulling her closer without a word.
"Did you miss me?"
He asked.
His voice was soft, and slightly hoarse.
There was no sarcasm, no cutting remarks.
It was simply a husband, reunited with his wife after a brief parting, wanting to hear the truth from her heart.
During their three years of marriage, back when their passion burned brightest, Cui Lingyao would shower him with an endless, ever-changing stream of sweet nothings to complete her "mission." She could talk him in circles, sending his "conquest value" soaring.
And now, all he asked for was a single word.
Just one word.
But she felt a lump form in her throat.
Her heart began to pound like a drum, faster and faster, leaving her utterly speechless.
She felt like a young girl new to the world of love, flustered and helpless before her beloved.
It was as if saying "I missed you"...
...would be a true admission of something profound.
Cui Lingyao didn’t understand her own reaction.
Her lips trembled. She took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm the tempest in her heart. After a long moment, she forced out a question: "Where has everyone in my courtyard gone?"
He waited for what felt like an eternity, only to be met with her evasion.
The light in Xie Jinbai’s eyes died. He let out a sudden, cold laugh. "I was a fool for even asking."
’How could a heartless woman like her ever worry about me, ever miss me!’
Xie Jinbai gritted his teeth. He seized her by the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and strode toward her room.
Caught completely off guard, Cui Lingyao felt the world spin. By the time she came to her senses, she was already slung over his shoulder.
She could only watch as the door to her bedchamber was slammed shut.
He even bolted the door.
The room was pitch-black, yet he navigated around the screen without hesitation, tossing her onto the bed.
The moment her back hit the soft mattress, Cui Lingyao tried to scramble up, but a large hand clamped down on her shoulder.
With just a slight exertion of force, Xie Jinbai pinned her to the bed and loomed over her.
He lowered his head, finding her lips with unerring accuracy in the darkness. He kissed her hard, then asked again, "Did you miss me?"
Before Cui Lingyao could answer, he gave a self-mocking laugh, and his lips descended on hers once more.
It all happened too fast. Just as Cui Lingyao’s eyes were adjusting to the heavy darkness, the man’s large hand seized her chin.
His presence closed in, and his warm lips covered hers.
He completely smothered her cry of alarm.
It was a savage kiss.
’He’s been gone for over forty days, and the moment he shows up, he doesn’t say a word, just starts acting like a madman again with no regard for anything.’
Furious and vexed, Cui Lingyao furrowed her brow and shoved hard against his shoulders.
To Xie Jinbai, her effort felt like little more than a tickle.
He remained completely still, ignoring her to work on untying the sash at her waist.