Chapter 18

Chapter 18

He had actually just looked at Ji Wanyuan's back and his mind had wandered so far, even feeling somewhat aroused.

Had she drugged him again?

At the thought of this possibility, the man's gaze suddenly hardened.

Ji Wanyuan had already gotten into bed. When she turned sideways and slid under the covers, her underwear was pulled up a bit, revealing a tender, white, and alluring waist.

The man staring at her naturally saw it, but his gaze was very cold, gleaming with a deep, eerie light.

Meeting his gaze, Ji Wanyuan was startled.

The two brutal lovemaking sessions had left a deep impression on her. Wen Qiyan's look at her each time before starting was something she remembered vividly.

So, lying flat on her back and seeing the man's cold, meaningful gaze, Ji Wanyuan instantly understood.

He, he, he... Was he drugged again?

Why was he looking at her like that?

Ji Wanyuan was extremely nervous. She wanted to speak up to ask and also refuse, but she really didn't know what to say. Wen Qiyan's stare frightened her so much.

For a moment, she felt breathless under his intense gaze, so she slightly opened her mouth to catch her breath.

Ji Wanyuan was just calming her breathing.

How could she know that her appearance, without any makeup and looking all nervous, was also quite alluring?

To Wen Qiyan, the young lady had two slender, fair hands nervously clutching the brocade quilt. Her round, pearl-like eyes were wide and fixed on him, and her eyelashes trembled like fragile, beautiful butterfly wings.

She even slightly parted her full, lush lips, revealing the soft, crimson tongue inside, moving like a little fish.

For the first time in his life, Wen Qiyan marveled at his own keen vision. The candles in the inner chamber had already been extinguished, leaving only one. The curtain of the bed canopy was mostly drawn.

In such dim light, he could actually see clearly.

Why was she panting? To seduce him?

Just now, he had dismissed those lingering recollections evoked by watching her climb into bed—the outline of her beautiful waist and hips. But now, with Ji Wanyuan merely turning around and revealing her face, looking at her lips, he actually thought of the taste of kissing her.

Sweet, not cloying.

Soft and fragrant, very enticing.

He actually wanted to lean down, grip her chin, and kiss her.

He even thought of the next steps. If she played hard to get again, he would just need to use some force, pinch her cheeks, and he could open her small mouth, allowing him to plunder it.

Thinking of this, he was not only agitated and restless, but even his breathing grew hotter.

Ji Wanyuan must have drugged him again.

Was the dosage this time more subtle than the previous two? Did it take effect more slowly?

Otherwise, why would he want to be intimate with her just from looking at her?

"..."

The young lady being stared at didn't dare say a word or even breathe heavily.

Because the tall, imposing man standing before the bed was like a small mountain. From his position, he cast a shadow that blocked some of the candlelight, his entire body rimmed with light.

His expression was hidden in the dimness, and his eyes were truly growing darker and darker.

She whimpered inwardly... So scary.

Had he been affected again? Otherwise, why was he looking at her like that again, as if he wanted to devour her?

But she had checked thoroughly; there was nothing at all?

What should she do? Who on earth was trying to harm her?

Ji Wanyuan thought anxiously in her heart, if he wanted to do it again... what should she do?

The finger marks on her chest, waist, and buttocks hadn't completely faded yet.

The marks on her wrists were invisible only because she wore bracelets and applied some powder to cover them up.

After much thought, why not just pretend to be sick?

If Wen Qiyan tried to have sex with her again, she could just pretend to have a stomachache? Although somewhat embarrassing, it was better than being at someone's mercy, right?

But she didn't expect that the man, looking at her, looking and looking, suddenly closed his eyes, seemed to take a deep breath, and then... he actually turned on his heel and left.

Left...?

The shadow before her disappeared.

Only after he had been gone for a while did Ji Wanyuan come back to her senses.

Why did he leave?

Not entirely sure if he had really left, Ji Wanyuan got up to check.

Feicui ran in, "Miss... why did your husband leave?"

"He really left?" Ji Wanyuan frowned in question.

Feicui nodded emphatically and said, "Mm-hmm," "He left the courtyard. It looks like he went to the guest quarters."

Ji Wanyuan frowned, pondering Wen Qiyan's unusual behavior, and confirmed again, "Went to the guest quarters?"

"Yes."

Feicui looked at Ji Wanyuan's profile, feeling anxious for her. Seeing her lost in thought, she thought she was upset, but didn't know how to comfort her.

After all, their young lady had been eagerly looking forward for so long, hoping to share a bed with her husband.

Now the lamps were blown out and they were about to rest, but at the last moment, her husband left with a gloomy face, inscrutable, his brow furrowed?

Ji Wanyuan waited for a while. Not seeing Wen Qiyan return, and to prevent any mistake, she asked Feicui to confirm again. It was confirmed he had already settled there for the night and wouldn't be coming back.

Although she didn't know why, Ji Wanyuan was very happy.

After Feicui sighed sympathetically for her, saying "Miss"...

Ji Wanyuan quickly turned her back, climbed onto the bed, pulled the quilt over herself, and closed her eyes.

"That's enough for tonight!"

She was thrilled, but the others were confused.

The next day, the news quickly reached Mrs. Wen's ears.

Mrs. Wen was shocked. "Qi Yan left in the middle of the night?"

The old nanny recounted every detail she had heard from the little maidservant.

Aunt Jiang, who was nearby, naturally overheard as well and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Secretly, she thought that the Cao girl's entry into the Wen family would likely happen sooner.

"Qi Yan, really!" Mrs. Wen, not caring that Aunt Jiang was still there, immediately began to scold. "Today is the day he accompanies Ji Wanyuan back to her family home. Even if he loathes her, he shouldn't have left at such a crucial time!"

Given Ji Wanyuan's spoiled and intolerant nature, having been shown such disrespect—even if she didn't make a scene in the middle of the night—she would surely go back today and give Mrs. Ji a blow-by-blow, exaggerated account.

Thinking of Mrs. Ji's sharp and troublesome nature, Mrs. Wen couldn't help but press her forehead. "Go, go and call Qi Yan here."

"What a headache he is!"

After the old nanny left, Aunt Jiang soothed Mrs. Wen, telling her not to be angry. She said it was a minor matter; since Ji Wanyuan hadn't left yet, Mrs. Wen should smooth things over with her.

When Wen Qiyan arrived, Lord Wen also came from his study. Aunt Jiang politely excused herself to check on breakfast, not staying to listen as the couple reprimanded their son.

Mrs. Wen lashed out at him, asking what in the world he was thinking? To shame Ji Wanyuan right before her homecoming—was he trying to make trouble for the family?

"Aren't you afraid the Ji family will come and make a scene?"

Wen Qiyan remained silent.

Although Lord Wen didn't say anything, the disapproval in his eyes was evident.

The silent reproach he conveyed to Wen Qiyan through his gaze ran deeper than Mrs. Wen's spoken worries about the Ji family; it pertained to the imperial decree issued by the Emperor and the court.

Wen Qiyan remained silent.

Yesterday, he had feared he was drugged. Worried that in his anger, he might subject her to another punitive episode, he had turned and left.

Unexpectedly, after leaving the courtyard and spending the time it takes half an incense stick to burn in the guest room, away from Ji Wanyuan, the agitation within him gradually faded.

Not seeing her, he no longer associated her with those lustful thoughts; the lewd ideas no longer flooded his mind. He even felt an odd sense of emptiness...

She hadn't drugged him, so it must have been that the drug's effects from before hadn't fully dissipated.

After all, the doses Ji Wanyuan gave him were always heavy, even using aphrodisiacs strong enough to knock out livestock. The physician said the drug was potent, which explained why he felt pain afterward and occasionally recalled intimate scenes with her.

Presumably, it would take some more time to completely purge it from his system.

But this wasn't something easy to talk about.

So he accepted his parents' reprimand. "It was all my fault."

And he assured them, "It won't happen again."

Mrs. Wen was about to scold him further, but Lord Wen interrupted her first. "Alright, let's drop the matter here."

"Qi Yan, remember the words you've spoken today to your father and your mother."

He added meaningfully, "The marriage alliance between the Ji and Wen families was not easily formed. You must always keep the Ji family in mind. If not for the monk's sake, then for the Buddha's."

As for which Buddha, only father and son understood.

"Mhm." The handsome, elegant man lowered his long eyelashes. "I understand, Father."

"..."

Before they set out, Mrs. Wen not only reprimanded Wen Qiyan but, more importantly, took Ji Wanyuan aside to placate her.

She said Wen Qiyan had been reckless, that she had already scolded him, and he had promised there would be no next time. She urged Ji Wanyuan not to be angry.

Worried that beating around the bush might be lost on Ji Wanyuan, she spoke bluntly, asking her not to mention any of this to Mrs. Ji when she returned home, to avoid creating discord between the two families and giving outsiders something to laugh about.

As she spoke, she took out a bracelet of exceptional clarity and quality and slipped it onto Ji Wanyuan's wrist, telling her to wear it as a token.

After speaking, she carefully watched her reaction.

Ji Wanyuan lowered her eyes to examine the bracelet Mrs. Wen had given her. She bore no grudge because, even if Mrs. Wen hadn't said anything, she had no intention of complaining. She never wanted to sleep with Wen Qiyan in the first place.

The slight frown on her face was because Mrs. Wen said Wen Qiyan had promised there would be no next time.

No next time meant he still intended to sleep with her?

So she was worrying about this.

Mrs. Wen, unaware of her inner thoughts, took her expression for dissatisfaction. She led her out, around the screen.

She gave Wen Qiyan, who was waiting in the outer room, a look, signaling him to say something nice to coax Ji Wanyuan.

Ji Wanyuan met the man's indifferent gaze and instinctively pursed her lips, her eyes darting away to avoid him.

Seeing this, Wen Qiyan also thought she was angry.

Remembering Lord Wen's additional instructions.

He stood up.

He walked over to stand before Ji Wanyuan.

As the man approached, his figure loomed over her, coming quite close. Ji Wanyuan instinctively felt afraid. Not only did her eyes dart away further, she also instinctively lowered and hid her small face, avoiding the man's gaze falling upon her.

Yesterday, the way he had stared at her—she hadn't forgotten!

As if he wanted to devour her! Terrifying.

From Wen Qiyan's angle, he could see the fair, tender nape of the young woman before him.

His gaze, initially casual, suddenly paused.

Her dark hair was all pinned up, and the collar of her dress wasn't pulled together properly.

Faintly visible on her nape was the distinct imprint of a blooming red plum blossom.

Such a mark was something Ji Wanyuan naturally couldn't have made herself; it could only have been left by him.

Back then...

When did he leave it?

Which time? And in what position?

How did it end up there?