Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The kiss he had anticipated did not land.

Nor did he taste the sweetness he had recalled several times, a sweetness he could barely recall. All he felt was a soft touch—her cheek, also fragrant.

Wen Qiyan’s movement halted as he leaned down, remaining motionless for a moment.

Ji Wanyuan’s heart pounded wildly, her full chest pressing against the quilt with each heave.

Even without the kiss, she found it hard to breathe.

He was too close. His breath, warm and laced with a dangerous, domineering edge, washed over her cheek and the pulse on the side of her neck.

It wasn’t just Ji Wanyuan who sensed his presence; Wen Qiyan, too, detected the rich fragrance rising from the young lady’s collarbone and the hollow of her neck.

After their previous intimate contact, he already knew this wasn’t the scent of store-bought cosmetics or perfume.

It was her own unique scent after bathing—maybe she didn’t even know herself she carried such a fragrance.

Faint, not at all unpleasant, and even… something he quite liked.

Liked…?

The idea popped into his head, and Wen Qiyan instantly frowned.

What did he like? Ji Wanyuan?

No, he didn’t like Ji Wanyuan. He merely liked her natural scent. Or perhaps not even “like”—just found it unobjectionable.

With that, he felt reassured. He brushed aside the strange, slightly alarming feeling that had briefly surfaced and refocused on the present.

Logically, since Ji Wanyuan had played hard-to-get and refused his kiss, he should be angry and push her away. After all, he hadn’t really wanted to kiss her.

Yet, for some reason, failing to achieve his intended goal didn’t make him that angry. Instead, the desire to kiss her only intensified.

He had to admit, her little trick this time actually had some effect on him.

“You’re still angry,” the man stated.

This wasn’t a question anymore, but a declaration.

As Wen Qiyan, looming over her, spoke, his breath, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, intermittently brushed against her cheek. Now, Ji Wanyuan not only felt warmth but also a ticklish, tingling sensation.

Why did he have to speak so close to her?

“I… I’m not, not angry.”

“Get up quickly.”

Her hands were trapped, only her face could move. But how far could she turn her head? Her neck was already strained and aching.

And he still wouldn’t leave!

The man didn’t respond. Ji Wanyuan sensed danger.

Her mind raced, immediately seizing on an excuse. “I… you’re too heavy. You’re crushing me.”

The person beneath him muttered explanations, thinking that dropping her thick eyelashes would perfectly conceal the emotions in her eyes. Unfortunately, he had already discerned her panic, her forced composure.

Watching her reaction, Wen Qiyan found it amusing for once.

“Am I?” the man asked languidly.

He still hadn’t moved, but his gaze now idly swept over her face, like a predator surveying newly claimed territory, poised and ready.

A whimper escaped her…

Ji Wanyuan was on the verge of tears under his slow, deliberate scrutiny.

Because she felt Wen Qiyan was tormenting her.

What was he looking at? Could he be picking a spot, deciding where to bite her?

One bite to finish her off.

She didn’t want to die!

“Am I crushing you?” he asked casually while his eyes continued their inspection.

Ji Wanyuan lied with her eyes wide open, her voice trembling slightly. “Yes… you are…”

She had turned her head too far, clearly desperate to free herself from the quilt.

But having wrapped herself up so thoroughly earlier, she was now trapped by her own doing, struggling to break free.

Instead, her efforts backfired. The crossed front of her undergarment was pulled open.

Revealing her delicate, lustrous collarbone and the faint, jade-like curve of her bosom.

It seemed the marks hadn’t fully healed; he could see lingering speckles, but the candlelight was dim, further obscured by the bed curtains, making details unclear.

Unaware, she continued to tremble in fear, stammering, “I… I have a stomachache.”

After a long pause, Ji Wanyuan managed that excuse.

“You must be pressing on my stomach. Please get up first, let me check?”

The child in her womb was indeed her shield; it couldn’t come to harm.

But having seen through her pretense, Wen Qiyan answered irrelevantly, “The marks on your body haven’t healed yet.”

“I…”

What did he want?!

To be so persistent—she’d never noticed Wen Qiyan being this obtuse before. Was he doing it on purpose?

“I already said there are no marks on me, you—”

Before Ji Wanyuan could finish, unexpectedly, the man shifted his weight slightly, raising himself up. She thought he was leaving, but it was a feint. His other hand directly pulled aside the quilt and yanked open her undergarment.

Her shoulder was instantly exposed, and even the ties of her inner garment came loose effortlessly.

Ji Wanyuan, “?”

“!!!”

What is he doing?!

How could he?!

She should have told Feicui to tie the ribbons of her inner garment into tight knots; then they wouldn't have loosened so easily with a slight tug.

As the cool air touched her skin, she instantly broke out in goosebumps.

"..."

At this moment, her hands were still trapped, and the man's intense, deep gaze had already settled upon her.

A clash of cold and warmth.

Ji Wanyuan felt as if the skin he was staring at was about to burn; it was so humiliating!

Who had been spreading rumors everywhere that Wen Qiyan had no interest in women?! She would have Feicui find out tomorrow and slap that person's face until it was swollen.

She whimpered...

The medicine applied over the past few days had helped it heal mostly. However, pampered since childhood and using the finest skin-nourishing serums, her skin remained delicate and smooth.

Even a light touch could leave red marks, let alone the way Wen Qiyan had teased her.

She'd told Feicui not to tie the ribbons too tightly because of the swelling; if they were too tight, it would hurt when she turned over at night.

Who would have thought such an accident would happen today?

Wen Qiyan hadn't even touched her, yet his dark, intense gaze made her hair stand on end.

"You..." She still didn't know what to say.

But he suddenly spoke, "You said it was healed. What are these injuries then?"

He half-lifted his eyelids to look at her.

Their eyes met.

Ji Wanyuan was full of question marks. Huh? His tone was so heavy, as if he were reprimanding her.

Did she cause this herself?!

Hypocrite! Wolf in sheep's clothing! Ji Wanyuan cursed him fiercely in her heart.

"Anyway, it's almost healed; it's not a serious injury."

"Stop looking and let me go." The young lady was already flushed with anger, her tone no longer feigning weakness.

Wen Qiyan was truly good at pretending. His expression was so serious, and though his voice was a bit hoarse, it still retained its original coolness.

If you didn't see their current position and only heard the conversation, you might think he was discussing serious matters with her.

But in reality?

He had pushed aside her clothes, his gaze fixed intently on the softness above her heart.

Somehow, as if performing a magic trick, he reached out a long arm and produced a porcelain bottle from somewhere. Opening it, Ji Wanyuan caught a whiff of a faint medicinal scent. She watched as he scooped some with his slender, jade-like fingers and was about to apply it.

Ji Wanyuan quickly exclaimed, "No need!"

Her mind worked fast when she was nervous. "I... I'm pregnant now; I can't use medicine casually, so it's better not to apply it. Besides, Feicui already applied medicine for me after my bath."

Hearing this, he got up.

Before Ji Wanyuan could relax, the man pressed down on her shoulder bone.

His cool fingers pressed down, and she felt as if she had been paralyzed, not daring to move.

"This medicine can be used even during pregnancy."

The man's tone was very calm. He lowered his gaze, slightly dazed.

Although he had been intimate with her before, he hadn't paid close attention then, only knowing it was uncontrollable and the sensation was astonishing.

But this time, while applying medicine to Ji Wanyuan and "seriously" looking, he realized how beautifully shaped she was.

Even lying down, her figure held its shape perfectly.

As his fingertips touched above the young lady's heart, landing on the injured area, a faint heat inexplicably surged through his body.

"..."

After he lowered his gaze in silence and finished applying the medicine for her,

This heat materialized and rushed toward... He felt the change in himself.

Not just him, but also the "lamb" Ji Wanyuan, who was being held down and forcibly medicated, completely unable to move.

"Alright... let me check elsewhere." The man's voice grew even more hoarse.

Ji Wanyuan didn't know if he was distracted or something else.

If she said no now, Wen Qiyan definitely wouldn't allow it.

Might as well...

She trembled and agreed, saying her lower back needed medicine and asking him to move aside so she could get up without touching her belly.

Still distracted by the sensation he had felt, he followed her request and moved aside. By the time he realized she had instantly slipped off the bed and run away, it was too late to catch her.

Looking over, he only saw her disappearing figure behind the bead curtain, so fast it was startling, "..."

Ji Wanyuan didn't even care about her disheveled clothes. She slipped away like greased lightning, quickly taking the bewildered Feicui, who was on night duty, to the guest courtyard's side room.

Feicui's drowsiness was scared away. She asked what had happened—had she had another disagreement with Wen Qiyan?

But Ji Wanyuan, suppressing her wildly beating heart, said no, she was just afraid of sharing a room with Wen Qiyan.

He wasn't drugged, so why would he be attracted to her?

Didn't he despise her? Even if he was using a disguise, how could... that... be faked?

Feicui was worried and wanted to ask more, but Ji Wanyuan directly cut her off, telling her to go bolt the door, and bolt it several times!

After Feicui did so, Ji Wanyuan waited for a while. Seeing no movement outside, she anxiously hugged the bedding on the guest room bed and fell asleep.

The next day, before she could even address this matter, an urgent official matter arose at the Censorate. Both father and son left without even having breakfast.

Hearing that Wen Qiyan had left home, Ji Wanyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

While helping Ji Wanyuan with her makeup, Feicui cautiously observed her expression and asked about the previous day.

Ji Wanyuan paid her no mind, wondering how she'd explain herself if Mrs. Wen asked later.

After all, this time it wasn’t Wen Qiyan who had left—it was she who had run off.

The truth was probably out of the question. Should she pretend to have a stomachache?

Before she could even settle on an excuse, she realized that even if she dodged the question, she would still end up in bed with Wen Qiyan.

You might avoid the first day, but not the fifteenth.

Was there any permanent fix?

Still pondering this, she suddenly heard Feicui mention the purpose of Aunt Jiang’s stay at the Wen residence.

“What purpose?” Ji Wanyuan asked casually, fiddling with a rouge box.

At most, she was probably here to freeload, right? She’d seen relatives like that before.

But Feicui leaned in closer and whispered that she had coaxed some information out of the Wen family’s maids while drinking and playing cards the previous night.

She explained that Aunt Jiang’s husband had an adopted illegitimate daughter raised on a rural estate, named Cao… Cao Xin. By family hierarchy, she was Wen Qiyan’s cousin.

Aunt Jiang had come to stay at the Wen residence intending to maneuver her daughter into becoming Wen Qiyan’s concubine.

Feicui had expected Ji Wanyuan to react with anger and a darkened expression upon hearing this.

But instead, Ji Wanyuan paused, slowly turned around, and the corners of her eyes crinkled with a hint of a smile. Her tone seemed to lift with a hint of delight,

“A cousin?”