Chapter 168: Dying to Lock Her Up and Let No One See Her
Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Dying to Lock Her Up and Let No One See Her
He had witnessed it with his own eyes: the girl he cherished most crying as she kissed another man.
What did that feel like?
Xie Jinbai wished he had been struck blind.
That he had seen nothing at all.
His mind shattered. The agony was worse than having his heart pierced by ten thousand arrows.
But before he could even process the shock and pain, her poison began to act up.
And so, he couldn’t afford to care about anything else.
He couldn’t care about her kiss.
He couldn’t care about petty jealousy.
He couldn’t even be bothered to finish off Shen Tingyu while he was at it.
Until now...
Recalling that scene, a bitter acidity churned in Xie Jinbai’s chest. His eyes were bloodshot, and he could barely suppress his murderous intent.
Cui Lingyao couldn’t comprehend a fraction of his anguish. She only felt she was about to die from being wrongly accused.
"How was that a kiss?" she said quickly. "I was saving his life! Didn’t you see he was unconscious? You know he was injured for my sake. I couldn’t just stand by and watch him die, could I?"
Xie Jinbai sneered. "Saving his life required you to press your lips to his?"
"It’s called artificial respiration. He was drowning. It’s a life-saving technique."
Cui Lingyao felt helpless. She pinched his waist hard and said angrily, "What do I have to say to make you believe me? It wasn’t a kiss!"
’Another strange term.’
Xie Jinbai, who prided himself on being knowledgeable, had never heard of this so-called "artificial respiration."
But her tone was dead serious; she didn’t seem to be making excuses.
’Indeed.’
Given her confidence around him, there was nothing she wouldn’t dare to admit.
Xie Jinbai was starting to believe her, yet his heart remained in turmoil.
’Perhaps she truly was just trying to save a life and chose that method.’
But to him, lips touching lips was, without a doubt, a kiss.
Xie Jinbai would never forget the image of his beloved girl crying as she kissed another man.
Cui Lingyao’s mouth didn’t stop moving as she rambled on with her explanation. Seeing his continued silence, she was at a loss. "We just made up. Can you please stop looking for trouble?"
It wasn’t just that it had already happened and she couldn’t change it. Even if she could go back, she would still choose to save him without a moment’s hesitation.
The man before her remained silent.
Cui Lingyao finally lost her temper. "Are you doing this on purpose? I’ve said everything I can. Believe it or not!"
’Believe it or not.’
Xie Jinbai’s body stiffened.
The sweetness of their recent reconciliation had almost made him forget that, when it came to him, this girl had very little patience.
The fact that she had explained herself for this long was already unprecedented.
Xie Jinbai gave a self-deprecating smile. "If it were someone else, would you have used the same method to save them?"
"...Yes," Cui Lingyao said after a pause, nodding. "If they had saved me, I would have."
Xie Jinbai lowered his gaze, not asking what she had been hesitating about during those few seconds of silence.
Inside the tent, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of their breathing intertwined.
They were nestled close together. After their intense lovemaking, she lay limply in his arms, pliant and completely bare.
Their skin was pressed together, their breaths mingling.
They were lovers in the most intimate sense.
But at this moment, it felt as if a thin film separated them.
The long silence was finally broken by Xie Jinbai.
He reached out and gently rubbed the head nestled in his arms. "Are you hungry? Let’s get up and eat."
His mood had returned to normal, as if the intense confrontation had never happened.
Such restraint was completely at odds with his domineering and tyrannical nature.
Especially when it came to her, his possessiveness had always been so strong it bordered on extreme.
’He witnessed what he firmly believed to be a kiss—a sign of her affections straying—and he’s just going to let it go this easily?’
Cui Lingyao felt a faint sense of unease, but seeing that he was willing to drop the matter, she still breathed a long sigh of relief.
She didn’t want to stir up trouble, so she accepted his olive branch and nodded. "Alright, let’s eat."
She really was hungry.
He had pulled her into the room in the afternoon, and now the moon was already high in the sky.
In the time since, she had expended far more energy than she had in the past several days combined.
How could she not be hungry?
Xie Jinbai looked down, placed a kiss on her forehead, and threw back the covers to get up.
He was wearing nothing. Broad-shouldered and long-legged, with the firm, smooth lines of his abdomen on display, he was completely naked. His pale skin was almost dazzling to look at.
’Truly... dazzling...’
Cui Lingyao’s face flushed, and she quickly averted her gaze.
"What are you flustered about?"
Xie Jinbai was in the middle of dressing. Seeing her reaction, he glanced down at her, then suddenly bent over, took her hand, and pressed it against his abdomen. "Is there any part of this body you haven’t seen, haven’t touched, hm?"
"..." Cui Lingyao’s face was beet red as she whispered, "I’m not flustered."
’It’s just that I can never be as composed as him when we’re this... exposed to each other.’
"Yaoyao," Xie Jinbai said, looking at her, his grip on her hand tightening. "Don’t be distant with me."
’We are husband and wife.’
’We are the closest people to one another.’
’In all the world, no one could be more intimate than us.’
He faced her, half-dressed, and Cui Lingyao didn’t know where to look. She snatched her hand back in a panic. "Hurry up and get dressed."
Xie Jinbai casually adjusted his clothes, his eyes falling on her smooth, pale arms. "Should I call someone in to help you, or shall I dress you myself?"
"...No need. I’ll do it myself."
Her body was covered in marks; there was no way Cui Lingyao could bring herself to call Xia Zhi and the others in.
She sat up, clutching the bedding to her chest. "Bring me my clothes."
Xie Jinbai was very obedient. He turned and brought her a nightgown.
There was a charcoal brazier in the room, keeping the temperature comfortable.
It was fine to wear something light.
Cui Lingyao reached for her undergarments to put them on. Seeing him just standing there, she snapped, "Go call for the meal. What are you looking at?"
Xie Jinbai: "..."
He pressed his lips together, walked around the screen, and pulled open the door to leave.
A short while later, dinner was served.
Cui Lingyao had already dressed and put on her shoes. But as she stood up, her legs gave way, and she nearly fell to the floor before a pair of arms swiftly caught her.
"Can’t you call for help? Why act tough?"
Xie Jinbai scooped her into his arms and carried her to the dining table.
There was no one else in the room.
He personally helped her rinse her mouth and wash her hands.
Then he ladled out a bowl of millet porridge for her.
Finally, he placed a pair of chopsticks in her hands.
He served her with an expert, practiced ease.
Cui Lingyao sat on the soft stool, jade chopsticks in hand. As she watched the man beside her placing food on her plate, the words she wanted to say—to complain that he had no restraint and had worn her out until she felt like she would fall apart—got stuck in her throat.
"Weren’t you hungry? Start eating," Xie Jinbai said with a glance, his brow furrowed. "Do you want me to feed you?"
Having said that, he actually looked a little eager to try.
"No, no, no," Cui Lingyao said, shaking her head hastily. "...I can do it myself."
She picked up her bowl and buried her head in her food.
Xie Jinbai could only give up the idea. He picked up a slice of lotus root and placed it in her bowl.
Cui Lingyao accepted whatever he gave her, stuffing it into her mouth.
She was truly famished. She ate with great relish, her cheeks puffed out as she diligently chewed her food.
She made no special effort to maintain a dignified posture, but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
In Xie Jinbai’s eyes, no matter what she did, she was uniquely adorable.
He loved her so much he didn’t know what to do.
Countless dark thoughts churned in the depths of his heart.
At times when he felt most helpless with her, he had even thought about locking her away so no one else could ever see her.