Chapter 118: Who Dares to Brazenly Steal a Person from Him?
Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Who Dares to Brazenly Steal a Person from Him?
He remained motionless, his hands going to untie the sash at her waist.
Soon, his large palm slid inside the opening of her robes.
Years of wielding a spear had left a faint callus on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
The rough texture of his skin grazed her waist.
Cui Lingyao’s body went rigid, her pupils dilating in shock.
Pushing him away was useless. With no time to think, she clenched her jaw and bit down—hard.
The metallic tang of blood exploded in her mouth.
Xie Jinbai let out a muffled grunt, his brow furrowed, and the hand on her waist tightened instinctively.
It wasn’t a powerful grip, but a young woman’s body was delicate, and in such a sensitive spot, the pain was enough to make Cui Lingyao want to bite him again.
Xie Jinbai was one step ahead, pinching her cheeks to stop her from taking a vicious bite. He lowered his head and pressed a heavy kiss to her rosy lips, chuckling. "Are you part puppy? Getting addicted to biting, are we?"
As he spoke, his hand at her waist began to misbehave, slowly sliding upward.
Cui Lingyao gasped, grabbing his wrist. "Xie Jinbai!" she seethed.
Xie Jinbai had excellent vision. Even in the pitch-black night, he could see the wide, almond-shaped eyes of the young woman beneath him glaring back.
’She’s truly furious.’
’If I push this any further, I’ll have to spend a long time coaxing her again...’
After a few moments of intense deliberation, Xie Jinbai ultimately relented and stilled his hands.
He sighed softly. "We haven’t seen each other for so many days. Did you really not miss me at all?"
As he spoke, he reached out to tidy her clothes.
After retying her sash, his large palm slid along her waistline to cup her lower back, pressing her into his embrace.
"You don’t want to answer that one? Then how about I ask a different question?"
The man’s shoulders were broad, his arms powerful, and he held her incredibly tight.
Cui Lingyao felt completely enveloped by him.
Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run.
With every breath she took, his unique scent filled her nostrils, seeping into her very bones.
As domineering as its owner.
Cui Lingyao’s fingers trembled, then gently curled, gripping the corner of his robes.
Just when she was at a loss for words, the man’s voice sounded by her ear once again.
Xie Jinbai asked her softly, "You haven’t missed me for forty-five days. Is it because another man has appeared who delights you more? He’s captured your attention, leaving no room for anyone else. Is that right?"
He interpreted her silence as a denial—and had already found a reason for it.
’She didn’t miss him.’
’The reason: now that she has this newcomer, Shen Tingyu, she can’t be bothered with an ’old flame’ like him.’
Cui Lingyao knew his possessiveness was off the charts, but she never imagined that a single Shen Tingyu could make him dwell on the issue again and again.
And this was despite her making it perfectly clear that the engagement would be broken, that all their previous intimate actions were just a show for his benefit, and that she had no real feelings for Shen Tingyu.
What’s more, he had already staked his claim right in front of Shen Tingyu.
’With his status, who would dare brazenly compete with him for a woman?’
’What on earth was he still worried about!’
As for how Shen Tingyu found out she had spent the night in his tent... Cui Lingyao no longer had the energy to ask if he had deliberately told him.
But for him to still come looking for trouble, after everything that had happened...
’How utterly ridiculous.’
Cui Lingyao felt exhausted. "I don’t have the energy to argue with you. If you only came here to pick a fight over such a pointless affair, then please leave. I’m going to bed."
’A pointless affair...’
Xie Jinbai laughed.
He kissed her forehead, his voice laced with skepticism. "You let him pat your head. Was that a pointless affair, too?"
Cui Lingyao shoved his face away, infuriated. "He’s like an older brother to me."
"In what world is he your brother?"
Xie Jinbai’s eyes went cold. "Need I remind you? Your only true brother is Cui Mingrui. Your cousins are Cui Mingyu and Cui Mingjun. And if you want to get technical, Shen Tingyu is two years younger than you."
"So what? Since you’re so convinced he’s my lover, fine, I’ll admit it."
It was impossible to get through to him, so Cui Lingyao gave up trying to explain. "Fine," she said directly. "We are in love. Our marriage was all arranged. But then you found out, so there was nothing to be done. I’m already planning to call off the engagement. What more could you possibly want?"
She spoke quickly, her voice laced with an impatience that was impossible to miss.
Xie Jinbai’s expression instantly stiffened. "What did you say?"
He was the one who insisted on asking. She had only confirmed his suspicions, yet now he looked as if he was about to commit murder.
Cui Lingyao was seething. She gave him a hard shove. "What answer do you actually want to hear? Xie Jinbai, you can’t be this contradictory! I say I see Shen Tingyu as a brother, and you don’t believe me. Then I admit you’re right, and you act like this! What do you want me to say?"
"What do I want you to say?"
Xie Jinbai seized her wrists, pinning them above her head. He stared down at her, enunciating every word. "I want you to say you missed me. That from the very beginning, I was the only one you thought about. That during the days I was gone, you thought of me and worried about me every single day. That Shen Tingyu is nothing—just some contemptible welp fawning over you. That you never gave him a second glance, much less ever felt anything for him. Will you say it?"
...
A long silence fell, filled only by the sound of their breathing.
The corner of Cui Lingyao’s mouth twitched.
It was a pity the room was so dark; by the sliver of moonlight, she could only make out the contours of the man’s face above her.
’Otherwise, she really would have loved to see the look on his face as he said something so shameless.’
Xie Jinbai didn’t know what was going through her mind.
He held her wrists with one hand and tilted her chin up with the other, his thumb slowly stroking her lips. "You won’t say it?"
"Why are you so fixated on Shen Tingyu?" Cui Lingyao laughed in exasperation. "You were never like this before!"
’He was a man of high status, proud to the bone, who looked down on everyone. He’d never considered any man a rival.’
’Much less would he get into jealous squabbles with other men over a woman, twisting himself into someone unrecognizable.’
She brought up the past.
Xie Jinbai gritted his teeth. "In the past, who dared to have designs on you? Who dared to displease me so?"
’If anyone had dared back then, he would have killed them long ago.’
’But now? Did he dare?’
’He was this furious, this enraged, and his killing intent toward Shen Tingyu was running wild, yet he didn’t dare do a single thing.’
All he could do was question her like this.
’And she wouldn’t even deign to tell him a little lie to make him feel better.’
Xie Jinbai’s heart twisted in agony.
"Do you know where I’ve been these past forty-five days?"
His voice was laced with bitterness. "I went to Xuzhou, then Lin State, then all the way to Jiayun Pass. I didn’t have a single day of rest, but there wasn’t a single day I didn’t think of you... I rushed back as fast as I could, desperate to see you, only to find you two exchanging loving gazes, saying goodbye as if you couldn’t bear to be parted. You..."
"Stop!" For a grown man, he sounded like a petulant, resentful husband, and it was giving Cui Lingyao a headache. "Who said I didn’t miss you!"
She rushed to say, "I missed you! I’ve only ever thought of you. For the forty-five days you were gone, I thought about you and worried about you every day... As for Shen Tingyu..."
Even if it killed her, she couldn’t bring herself to speak ill of Shen Tingyu.
Cui Lingyao paused, then said, "Don’t mind that Shen Tingyu is younger than me. I grew up sheltered, and when it comes to maturity and composure, I’m nowhere near his level. He’s taken care of me so much on this journey. I truly see him as an older brother."