19 The Refined Sister-in-Law × The Beautiful Yandere 19

Xinyi froze for a long while, feeling as though she could barely contain the overly exuberant thumping of her heart.

Who was conquering whom, exactly? She had originally intended to flirt with the villain, only to end up nearly being conquered by him instead.

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

But it was truly unfair for him to whisper sweet nothings with that face of his!

Feeling her cheeks grow warm, Xinyi gave a perfunctory smile and said she understood, then let out a yawn to indicate she was sleepy and heading to bed.

She did not overlook the fleeting flash of desolation in the youth's eyes, but she still gave no reaction to it.

However, before going to bed, she followed her usual routine of the past few days, lighting a soothing incense in the small burner at the corner of the canopy.

She had specifically told Shen Rujie that because she was a light sleeper, the incense helped her drift into a deep slumber.

The System didn't understand at the time: "Why do you need to sleep so deeply?"

"It serves a purpose, of course," Xinyi replied.

Keeping still for the past two days was to ensure the youth wouldn't suspect what might happen tonight.

After all, she was a dignified and reserved noblewoman; she would never take the initiative to tease or provoke. Therefore, if anything were to happen, it would have nothing to do with her.

Deep in the night, there were no sounds in the courtyard, and the moonlight was cold and exceptionally lonely.

Only the faint, steady breathing of two people in the side chamber could be heard, both lost in their dreams.

Suddenly, a faint sobbing sound seemed to drift from the silk curtains on the bed—very soft, yet distinctly intermittent.

Shen Rujie was jolted awake by the sound. Opening his eyes on the floor mat outside the screen, he was dazed for a brief moment before realizing it was Xinyi crying.

His heart tightened instantly. Without even waiting to light the lamp on the desk, he hurriedly rose to check on her.

Parting the curtains, he saw by the dim moonlight filtering through the window paper that the woman on the bed seemed caught in a nightmare, biting her lip and sobbing in a pitiful, muffled way.

Shen Rujie reached out to brush aside the dark, waterfall-like hair covering her pale face, his fingers touching cheeks wet with cold tears.

His own breath hitched, and a sharp, spreading ache blossomed in his heart.

"Xinyi, wake up..." He frowned, calling to her while gently wiping away her tears with his sleeve.

Yet, after calling her name many times, the woman on the bed did not wake. The sobbing gradually ceased, and no new tears fell.

Shen Rujie’s fingers were still stained with her lingering moisture. He stared blankly at her sleeping face for a long time.

Just as he was about to stand up, his sleeve was grabbed by a soft, pale hand. Her beautiful eyes remained closed, and she murmured in a weak, pitiful dream, "Don't go... Marquis, don't go."

Perhaps because she hadn't tied her nightclothes tightly before sleep, her movement caused the moon-white garment to loosen, revealing the spot where the tooth marks had begun to fade.

Hearing that vague "Marquis," Shen Rujie was struck by a mix of grievance and jealousy, his eyes burning red.

But when he saw those tooth marks, he suddenly froze, his handsome face slowly heating up and turning crimson.

It was he who had bitten her.

During his moments of madness a few days ago, he had been unable to control himself; the first mark was on her shoulder, and the rest were... He hadn't expected those marks to still be there.

Xinyi, who was feigning sleep, thought: Of course they weren't gone.

She hadn't even been willing to apply ointment to that spot, specifically waiting for him to "accidentally" see it tonight to stir up those erotic memories.

Shen Rujie did not leave as expected. After a moment of silence, he sat down by her bedside.

He then proceeded to tie her loose collar bit by bit. Although it was a simple action, he seemed to be undergoing a long and unbearable torture, thin beads of sweat breaking out on his handsome forehead.

Just as the nightclothes were about to be retied, the woman on the bed whimpered, her delicate brows furrowing as she called out again, "Marquis..."

It was as if, even in her dreams, she was obsessively longing for another man.

The youth's entire body stiffened. Beneath his lowered lashes lay a dense, impenetrable darkness. After a long while, he let out a soft laugh.

He then used his finger to flick open the soft collar strap that hung against the woman's chest.

"Xinyi." He leaned into her ear, smiling in a乖巧 (well-behaved) tone, "That day at the tea house, when Shen Gui was drinking tea and dining with Zheng Wu next door, it was me kissing you."

"What you were sobbing and holding in your mouth with such charm back then... was my tongue."

Listening to his lewd words, Xinyi really wanted to slap him.

But at this moment, she could only continue to pretend to be oblivious, letting the night proceed as planned.

After a moment of silence, Shen Rujie tilted his head to touch his nose to hers—a gesture of intimacy only shared between husband and wife.

He chuckled, then wetly and precisely captured her lips.

The woman in his arms was impossibly easy to kiss tonight; her lips parted after just a few light brushes, as if she were trying to claim his life.

The pale moonlight shone into a corner of the dim canopy, making it impossible to distinguish the youth's and the woman's tangled, dark hair.

It was at this moment that Xinyi gradually "woke up."

She pretended to be breathless from the kiss, finally whimpering and opening her dazed, misty eyes, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.

The water clock had passed the hour of the Ox, and the soothing incense in the bronze burner had long since burned out.

She was forced to tilt her neck back, her face flushed, until she felt something was wrong. He, he seemed to be...

Xinyi, who hadn't even begun her performance, thought: "..."

Perhaps she should keep pretending.

At this moment, it didn't seem appropriate to play the "pear blossoms in the rain" innocent victim, nor was it the right time for a "I won't listen! I won't listen!" confrontation.

Yet, as she endured this state for a few more moments, she realized the situation seemed to be getting worse and worse.