Chapter 132: Don’t Misunderstand
Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Don’t Misunderstand
Cui Lingyao: "..."
Her face suddenly flushed hot. It all clicked into place.
She finally understood why he had been acting so strangely all evening.
Xie Jinbai had arrived long ago.
He must have changed his personal scent sachet since leaving the capital.
That was why she hadn’t detected his familiar scent.
Shen Tingyu, on the other hand, had.
’Good grief...’
Xie Jinbai had arrived without her knowledge.
And Shen Tingyu had discovered him.
That was why he hadn’t left immediately after dinner.
He had proposed a game of chess to stall for time.
But after the game, he realized Xie Jinbai still hadn’t left, so he decided to give her a direct warning.
Her cheeks burned as she stammered, "I understand."
Shen Tingyu glanced at her, said nothing more, and walked away.
Cui Lingyao stood frozen at the courtyard gate for a while, waiting for the wave of mortification to pass before turning back inside.
A few servants were clearing the tables and chairs in the courtyard. Zhiqiu, carrying a basin of hot water, pushed open the door to her boudoir and went in.
A moment later, a dim candlelight flickered to life inside. Cui Lingyao’s heart leaped into her throat.
Thankfully, nothing seemed out of the ordinary within.
She took a deep breath and stepped inside as well.
Zhiqiu wrung out a cotton cloth and meticulously helped her mistress wash up. Just as she was about to enter the inner chamber to light more lamps and turn down the bed, Cui Lingyao stopped her.
"It’s getting late. I can do it myself. You go and rest."
Zhiqiu suspected nothing and withdrew.
The door closed softly, and Cui Lingyao quickly entered the inner chamber.
Separated only by a screen, the candlelight from the outer room was dim as it filtered through.
The inner chamber was small, containing only a bed and a vanity.
There was no one on the bed.
A thought struck her, and she instinctively looked up at the rafters.
Still no one.
She froze.
’He left?’
’Or was Shen Tingyu mistaken? Was he never even here?’
As she stood there stunned, the courtyard outside gradually fell silent.
The servants, finished with their chores, had all retired to their rooms.
Cui Lingyao mulled it over for a few moments, then, on a strange impulse, walked to the window and pushed the closed shutters open.
A CREAKING sound pierced the silent night.
A familiar figure appeared in her line of sight.
Dressed in black robes with hair as dark as ink, his features were stern and handsome. He stood tall and straight, like a sharp, cold spear planted in the night, staring at her fixedly through the open window.
His gaze was clear and calm.
Their eyes met.
Cui Lingyao’s breath hitched, and for a second, her heart seemed to stop beating.
She took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the unfamiliar mix of emotions. She had a stomachful of things to say, but she was afraid a servant might still be awake and would see a man standing outside her window. She lowered her voice and said, "Get in here first."
With that, she stepped aside to give him room to maneuver.
She was telling him to climb right through the window.
Xie Jinbai glanced at her, placed a large hand on the windowsill, and with a slight flex of his arm, vaulted his body up.
The next moment, he was inside the room.
Cui Lingyao shoved him aside, closed the window herself, and when she turned back, her voice was a little louder. "When did you get here?"
"A while ago," Xie Jinbai said, glancing around the room before his eyes settled back on her. He added, "While you two were having dinner."
Cui Lingyao: "..."
So he really had arrived then.
It had been over two hours, at least.
During that time, she had eaten dinner with Shen Tingyu, played chess...
Cui Lingyao was dumbfounded.
She couldn’t believe it. This man—so addicted to his own jealousy, so domineering and tyrannical, a man who had a short fuse whenever Shen Tingyu was even mentioned—had witnessed all of that and just watched in silence, waiting.
And he had waited for so long.
Her lips trembled as she instinctively began to explain, "We just had dinner together. It didn’t mean anything. Don’t get the wrong idea."
The inner chamber was dim, with no lamps lit.
They both stood by the window, an arm’s length apart.
Xie Jinbai leaned against the wall by the window, his gaze lowered, watching the young woman before him without a word.
The silent atmosphere was suffocating.
She was used to his usual threats of violence, so seeing him like this for the first time sent a chill down her spine.
She truly felt the guilt of someone caught doing something wrong.
She composed herself and continued her explanation. "We played a game of chess after dinner, but it was outside, and there were servants nearby. We weren’t alone, and nothing improper happened."
’And besides that...’
Remembering something, Cui Lingyao hurriedly added, "I only agreed to paint his portrait because I lost a bet. It wasn’t..."
She spoke patiently, explaining in great detail, while Xie Jinbai listened quietly.
After a long moment, seeing she had stopped talking, he waited a bit longer before asking, "Are you finished?"
He was so patient, his calmness was almost unbelievable.
Cui Lingyao was baffled. She mentally reviewed everything again, confident she hadn’t missed anything, then nodded slightly. "There’s nothing between us. Don’t misunderstand."
’A misunderstanding...’
Xie Jinbai scoffed, noncommittal.
He slowly straightened up, reached out to grab her wrist, and pulled her in front of him. "Tonight," he said, his voice low and pointed, "he knew I was here."
Misunderstanding or not, that damn bastard had deliberately lingered because he knew Xie Jinbai was there.
Xie Jinbai tilted his head to look into her eyes. "Tell me, is he trying to get himself killed?"
He took all of this as a deliberate provocation from Shen Tingyu.
He was already thinking of murder.
Cui Lingyao’s face paled in horror. "You’ve misunderstood! He just thought that you and I had already..."
She bit her lip and said, "He thought we had consummated our relationship before we were officially wed. He felt it was improper and wanted to remind me to be mindful of boundaries."
"Boundaries?"
Xie Jinbai savored the word, then suddenly sneered. "Who the hell does he think he is? What goes on between you and me is none of his business to be reminding you about boundaries."
Cui Lingyao: "..."
Although she found his words harsh, she didn’t dare say anything in Shen Tingyu’s defense.
She was afraid that with his short fuse, he’d really lose control and go on a killing spree.
But her silence, in Xie Jinbai’s eyes, was a form of silent rebellion.
The wicked fire in his heart could no longer be suppressed. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pinned her against the wall, and leaned over her. "Don’t tell me his few little words were enough to move you."
"Don’t be ridiculous!" Cui Lingyao said, exasperated. "Aren’t you always saying I have a heart of stone? I’m not that easily moved."
The young woman in his arms didn’t struggle, letting him hold her obediently.
They were pressed close, their breaths mingling. He could easily kiss her, and she didn’t pull away.
This did a great deal to soothe the violent rage that had been surging in Xie Jinbai’s chest.
He closed his eyes. "You may have a heart of stone for me, but for him... that might not be the case."
His voice was sour and bitter, like that of a neglected, resentful wife.
Seeing that he was no longer wearing that unnervingly calm expression from before, Cui Lingyao felt less creeped out and more exasperated.
"Where on earth does all this jealousy come from? My interactions with him have been perfectly proper. His warning wasn’t malicious; he was just looking out for me."
That was precisely what Xie Jinbai hated.
’Looking out for her?’
’She is *my* wife. Does she need some other man looking out for her?’
And to make matters worse, she seemed to appreciate it.