Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 57: As If An Jiu Would Ever Cry Over Him

　　Their eyes met—his gaze deep and unreadable, hers blank and dazed.

　　An Jiu stared dumbly for a few seconds before she suddenly snapped back to her senses. In the next instant, her face flushed scarlet.

　　The young lady had secretly cried out of grievance, trying so hard not to make a sound so no one would notice. Yet she’d still been caught red-handed—how humiliating was that!

　　She hurriedly wiped the tears off her face, her rabbit-like eyes red and wide as she glared at the white-clad young man in front of her. Her voice choked and shaky as she stammered, “I—I wasn’t crying because of that! I’m not that fragile, don’t go accusing me without proof!”

　　Pei Ji’s expression froze slightly, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes. “Then why were you crying?”

　　An Jiu pouted, raising her little paw and holding it up right under his nose. “Look.”

　　Pei Ji: “…”

　　On her fair, delicate hand were several red marks, glaring against her pale skin. They looked as if they’d been harshly rubbed raw—her once flawless hand now swollen and sore.

　　“How did this happen?” Pei Ji’s tone sank slightly.

　　Hearing that, An Jiu’s lips jutted out even further. She looked like a little kid who’d tripped and fallen—fine as long as no one saw, but ready to burst into tears the moment someone did.

　　She muttered in a pitiful voice, “There wasn’t any water in the house, so I went to the well. The rope was too rough… it hurt my hands.”

　　So she cried because her hands hurt?

　　Honestly… that really was An Jiu’s style.

　　Pei Ji silently shut his eyes for a moment, and in that split second, he felt a faint sting of self-mockery. (T/N: Low-key feeling sorry for Pei Ji… but not enough to stop laughing! Hahaha!! 🤣)

　　For a moment there, he’d actually thought… she was crying because he’d been too harsh with her.

　　But of course not. This was An Jiu. How could she possibly cry because of him?

　　As that thought passed through his mind, the corners of Pei Ji’s lips tugged faintly. But this time, he didn’t turn away and close his eyes again.

　　He was afraid that if he so much as looked away, this woman would end up hurting herself all over again.

　　Pei Ji had never, in all his years, seen a girl this delicate.

　　She managed to blister her palm just by fetching a bucket of water—clearly the type whose fingers had never so much as touched spring water.

　　Thinking this, he gave a calm command. “Go to the chest and take out a jade-green medicine bottle.”

　　An Jiu responded with an “Oh” and went to rummage through the medicine box, pulling out the jade-colored bottle he mentioned.

　　She pulled the stopper off. “This one? Should I pour it directly on your wound?”

　　Pei Ji shook his head and reached out with his uninjured hand, taking the bottle from her. “Give me your hand.”

　　An Jiu blinked a few times, cautiously extending her hand. In the next second, she watched as the man tilted the bottle and poured some of the powder into her palm.

　　“Rub it in yourself. It'll be fine by tomorrow,” he said coolly.

　　An Jiu stared blankly at the powder in her hand. Obediently, she dabbed it over her palm. Though it looked like powder, the moment it touched her skin, it melted like water. A refreshing coolness spread instantly from her palm, washing away the burning sting from the rope burns.

　　“That’s amazing—it doesn’t hurt at all now!” she exclaimed in surprise, her big round eyes lighting up as she looked at him.

　　The white-robed young man kept his expression neutral, but the corners of his eyes subtly curved.

　　He tipped his chin slightly, not taking credit for the effect, and said in a flat tone, “I used the black bottle.”

　　An Jiu nodded eagerly like a pecking chick. Now that her hand was fine, her whole face seemed to brighten.

　　She found the black medicine bottle and, following Pei Ji’s instructions, applied it to his wound. This medicine worked just as fast—once the powder touched the gash, the bleeding stopped immediately. However, Pei Ji’s jaw clenched tight, like he was enduring immense pain.

　　Seeing that made An Jiu’s heart tremble with worry. She couldn’t help asking, “Pei Ji, does it hurt?”

　　“No. Keep going,” he replied evenly, his voice steady as water.

　　But sweat was already glistening on his neck.

　　An Jiu understood that this kind of thing would hurt no matter what—best to get it over with quickly.

　　So she said no more, lips pressed tightly together as she finished applying the medicine. Then she took out a roll of gauze and began wrapping the wound, starting from his shoulder and circling under his arm. Finally, she tied a secure knot.

　　Only after finishing did she let out a breath of relief, her body coated in a light layer of sweat from the tension.

　　“All done,” she said, pulling a handkerchief from her waist and habitually wiping her hands.

　　She had a mild case of germaphobia—so did the original An Jiu. She’d always wipe her hands after touching things.

　　When she noticed the sweat on the back of Pei Ji’s neck, she acted on reflex and gently wiped it for him.

　　Pei Ji’s body instantly stiffened—and the next moment, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her.

　　“What are you doing?”

　　“I'm just… wiping your sweat,” the girl blinked at him innocently, confusion written all over her face.

　　Only then did Pei Ji realize he had overreacted. He slowly released her and said, “No need.”

　　The girl seemed to register his hint too, realizing that her action had been a bit inappropriate, so she didn’t press further.

　　“Then… I’ll head out first, you rest up?”

　　“Alright.” Pei Ji gave a slight nod, using one hand to pull up his fallen robe and cover his bare upper body.

　　An Jiu was just about to walk out when she happened to glance back—only to catch a glimpse of the man's fair chest and the faint outline of his toned abdomen.

　　Wait, were those abs?

　　He’s been in a wheelchair all this time, and he still has abs?

　　An Jiu was a little shocked. Maybe her gaze was too noticeable, because the man on the bed suddenly looked up.

　　Her eyes met those deep, unfathomable dark pupils head-on, and her heart skipped a beat. She instantly picked up her pace and walked quickly out of the room, leaving that scene behind.

　　She patted her chest with a hand. It was just a glance—why was his stare so scary?

　　They had arrived here in the early afternoon, and by late afternoon, the streets had become lively again. When An Jiu went out in the evening to buy food, she heard people everywhere talking about the demonic sect's attack.

　　Piecing together their scattered conversations, An Jiu got a rough idea of what had happened.

　　Apparently, once the people at the base of the mountain got wind of the attack, they rushed up together and fought a great battle against the demonic sect. Thanks to their overwhelming numbers, they managed to rescue the righteous sects. Unfortunately, the martial arts manual still ended up in the hands of the demonic sect, and their leader escaped capture.

　　This attack had dealt a huge blow to the Central Plains' martial world. Not only was the secret manual lost, but many had been seriously injured, and quite a few talented young members from various sects had perished—causing widespread grief.

　　The worst hit was the Jinshe Villa, which was nearly destroyed. Even though Jin You was technically a victim too, it all started because of him, and with the manual lost, his efforts amounted to nothing. In an instant, the villa's standing in the martial world plummeted.

　　On the other hand, the new leader of the demonic sect had made a dramatic debut, achieving exactly what he’d set out to do—make a name for himself.

　　An Jiu listened to the chatter around her, then went into a restaurant to buy a few dishes and brought them back to the small courtyard. She and Pei Ji shared a quiet, rather somber dinner.

　　At the table, An Jiu asked worriedly, “Pei Ji, why haven’t Brother He and Lin Qingyan come back yet? Do you think something happened to them?”

　　Pei Ji shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

　　But in truth, An Jiu had a good guess where they had gone. If she wasn’t mistaken, He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan had gone to find Shen Suan Wuming.

　　Since she and Pei Ji left the mountain early, they missed some of the key plot points. In the original story, the male lead stops the fleeing Demon Mask and engages him in a fierce battle. But his skills aren’t quite enough, and just as he's about to be defeated, the legendary Shen Suan Wuming appears and saves him.

　　That’s the classic protagonist’s luck—always someone powerful showing up at the last second to save the day.

　　After saving He Ziqing, Shen Suan Wuming agrees to help him divine the whereabouts of someone—but only if He Ziqing stays by his side and serves him for a while, until Shen Suan Wuming is in a good enough mood to do it. He Ziqing agrees.

　　As for Lin Qingyan, of course she tags along with He Ziqing.

　　So for now, both He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan are with Shen Suan Wuming.

　　Gotta say, those big shots in the martial world always have some pretty weird quirks.

　　Then An Jiu asked about Ah Qi’s whereabouts, but Pei Ji only said Ah Qi would come back when the time was right, and refused to say more.

　　After dinner, An Jiu told Pei Ji, “Tonight I’ll sleep next to you. If you feel unwell at any time, remember to call me.”

　　The girl said this with a serious look, like he’d become her responsibility ever since he was injured saving her—and if she didn’t nurse him back to health, she wouldn’t be at ease.

　　Pei Ji was silent for a moment, then nodded with a ‘whatever’ attitude.

　　Night fell, and the lively Jinshe Town gradually quieted down. The candle flames went out, and the world completely sank into a sea of darkness.

　　Pei Ji lay peacefully in bed but was suddenly awakened by a strange noise in the middle of the night.

　　He snapped open his eyes. In the dark, his black pupils were clear and alert, without a hint of sleepiness.

　　He glanced toward the door, where the sound came from.

　　The night was deep; the window had been left open last night, and the full moon cast pure silver light inside, like frost scattered on the floor.

　　The door was lightly knocked twice, then after a long pause, twice again—so faint and spaced out that if he weren’t awake, he might not have noticed at all.

　　It was like whoever was outside knocking didn’t want to wake him.

　　Pei Ji maneuvered his wheelchair slowly through the dark, feeling along the wall until he reached the door and opened it.

　　Leaning against the doorframe sat the girl, who suddenly lost her balance and fell backward, landing on his legs.

　　She looked up with a pale little face, her bright black eyes reflecting the moonlight like two small lakes, staring up at him in surprise.

　　So shocked, she couldn’t speak clearly: “Pei… Pei Ji, why… why are you out here?”

　　A man in a snow-white undershirt sat expressionlessly in a wheelchair, looking down at her with an unchanging tone: “Shouldn’t I be asking you why you’re here?”

　　The girl’s eyes darted nervously, and after a long moment under his intense gaze, she patted her bottom and stood up. Her little head almost bowed into her chest, voice faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “I… I had a nightmare.”

　　“What?” Pei Ji didn’t catch that clearly.

　　“I-I said I had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep!” The girl’s voice suddenly grew louder, fragile but forceful, like she was throwing a tantrum. “I didn’t mean to wake you—I was just sitting here for a bit. I won’t stay long, and I’ll go back to my room once I’m tired…”

　　She babbled on, as if the more she spoke, the braver she felt.

　　Before she could finish, the young man in white behind the door slightly pushed it open.

　　“Come in. Don’t sit outside—the floor is cold.”

　　His gaze was calm, wrapped around her like gentle moonlight.

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Author's Note:

An Jiu is not falling for him, not falling for him, NOT falling for him. (Important things must be said three times.)

Also—the male lead will suffer, will suffer, WILL SUFFER!!!

Just a little transition now, the next arc will begin soon~

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T/N: Author, let’s be real—your baby An Jiu will fall for him, will fall for him, WILL fall for him! 😂

(Important things must be said three times.)

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