Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 73: But… He Seems Kinda Drunk.

　　In the pitch-black darkness, where you couldn’t even see your own fingers, the girl’s soft little hand was already quietly sliding up along the man’s leg, inch by inch.

　　She couldn’t see, so she had to feel her way to find where to go. And that thing she’d just said? It wasn’t really a question, since she was just letting him know what she was about to do.

　　That’s how bossy Miss An Jiu was. If she wanted something, there was no way she wouldn’t get it.

　　Besides, she figured she and Pei Ji had already been through life-or-death stuff together. Plus, there was no way she’d ever actually fall for a guy with a disability like him, so she didn’t see any reason to stick to the whole ‘Fei Yi girls can’t get close to other men’ rule.

　　So, naturally, she went for it.

　　“What are you doing?!”

　　A low, tense voice suddenly broke the silence, and the hand she’d reached out with was suddenly grabbed. A strong, steady hand caught her, his long fingers locking tightly around her wrist.

　　“Ow! Hey! What’s your problem, Pei Ji? You’re hurting me!”

　　As soon as she yelped, he loosened his grip a little, holding her more gently.

　　“I haven't agreed yet. You're not allowed to sit on it,” Pei Ji said through gritted teeth.

　　This woman… this woman seriously had no shame!

　　The girl paused, then perked up like she’d made some big discovery. “Wait, are you shy?”

　　“I am not.” His voice had a hint of chill to it.

　　“Then why wouldn’t you let me touch you just now?” She shot back. Suddenly, as if she just remembered something, her voice rose sharply. “Pei Ji, are your legs getting better?!”

　　She sounded so excited when she said that, so genuinely happy, that anyone hearing her would’ve known she meant it.

　　Pei Ji looked at her with a complicated expression. She was crouched right next to him, and maybe because it was cold, she’d unconsciously leaned against his leg, like a little mushroom nestled beside him.

　　She was that happy… just because his legs might be healing?

　　“Do your legs have any feeling now?” she asked, not even waiting for him to answer before continuing excitedly on her own.

　　“Not yet,” Pei Ji replied automatically, out of habit.

　　“No way, I don’t believe you!” An Jiu instantly reached out, her ‘claws’ landing on his legs.

　　Her hands were soft and delicate, like warm little clouds. She gently pinched his calf and asked with a hopeful tone, “Can you feel that?”

　　Pei Ji kept saying, “No feeling.”

　　“How could that be…” An Jiu mumbled under her breath. She’d pinched, smacked, even lightly punched his legs, but they were still just as unresponsive as before, completely motionless.

　　“Pei Ji, did you practice that skill?”

　　By the end of her testing, the girl sounded super discouraged and couldn’t help but quietly ask.

　　“I did… probably just doesn’t work on me,” Pei Ji answered calmly.

　　“How could that happen…”

　　She sounded genuinely crushed. Her whole vibe was down. She sat on the cold floor hugging her knees without even complaining how chilly it was. She just sat there in a daze, like this little shadow full of sadness.

　　In the darkness, Pei Ji kept his gaze on her.

　　Her disappointment didn’t feel fake at all. Did she really care that much about him getting better?

　　While he was deep in thought, his ears suddenly picked up a faint sniffle, like someone trying to hold back tears.

　　Then, her quiet voice drifted over.

　　“This is my first time being locked up, you know… Pei Ji, do you think we’ll ever get out of here?”

　　So she was scared too. He thought she was totally carefree and not scared of being jailed at all.

　　Seeing that she’d finally calmed down, Pei Ji closed his eyes slightly and said in a flat tone, “We will. Once Fei Chen Fozi finds out the truth, we’ll be released.”

　　But the girl was still wrapped up in her gloom, mumbling weakly, “The truth…”

　　She buried her face deeper into her knees, like she was trying to hide from something.

　　“The one who stole… was it really him…”

　　Her whisper was so soft it basically melted into the air before it could travel far.

　　Pei Ji didn’t catch what she said, but he didn’t really think much of it.

　　Because something more urgent was on his mind. Tomorrow was the full moon.

　　Which meant… tomorrow his poison would flare up again.

　　And right now, he was still stuck in the Discipline Hall, with no idea when Fei Chen would let them out.

　　Pei Ji quietly lowered his gaze. Beneath those long lashes, his dark eyes looked even deeper and colder in the stillness of the night.

　　—

　　An Jiu had originally thought they’d be out soon, but to her surprise… no one even came to interrogate them.

　　They felt like they’d been forgotten, just left there locked up in that tiny, sunless room with nothing to do but sit quietly and wait.

　　Even during the day, it was so dim inside it might as well have been night.

　　If it weren’t for someone bringing meals to the door at regular times, An Jiu wouldn’t even be able to tell day from night.

　　If she needed to use the bathroom, she could call out and someone would take her to a side room. But even then, she was followed and watched the whole time to make sure there was absolutely no chance of escape.

　　By counting the number of meals, An Jiu figured they’d been locked up for a full day already.

　　Soon it was the second night. Darkness fell again, and just like the night before, An Jiu sat down next to Pei Ji’s wheelchair.

　　But for some reason, Pei Ji was unusually quiet today.

　　As the night deepened, he stopped talking altogether. He barely touched dinner, and just sat there in silence with his eyes closed like he was pretending to nap.

　　At first, An Jiu didn’t think much of it. But when her hand accidentally brushed against his fingers and felt how ice-cold they were, she realized something wasn’t right.

　　“System, what day is it today?” she asked in her mind, already having a bad feeling.

　　The system’s flat, emotionless voice replied:【May fifteenth.】

　　The fifteenth! Full moon night!

There were no phones or calendars in ancient times, and An Jiu usually didn’t even know what day it was, so she hadn’t noticed at all.

　　“Oh my god, it’s such an important day! Why didn’t you remind me?!” she snapped at the system in her head.

　　This useless system wasn’t helpful to begin with, but could it at least not be a liability?

　　【You didn’t tell me to.】

　　An Jiu was nearly moved to tears by the system’s stunning intelligence. “Fine, whatever. Next time something like this comes up, just tell me right away, got it?!”

　　【Got it.】

　　The conversation with the system ended quickly. An Jiu refocused and followed the cold fingers upward, touching carefully as she whispered in worry, “Pei Ji? What’s wrong with you?”

　　Usually, just touching him a little would make him stop her, but tonight he didn’t react at all.

　　That long, pale hand hanging down was cold as ice. Not just cold, but lifeless, like a frozen sculpture.

　　She couldn’t see his face clearly in the dark, so she leaned in close, trying to check on him.

　　“Pei Ji? Are you sick?”

　　Her soft voice was delicate and light, like a faint thread slipping through the thick fog, weaving its way into the heart and quietly planting itself there.

　　Pei Ji’s mind was hazy. Slowly, he cracked his eyelids open.

　　Everything around him was dim and silent. In front of him, there was a small face, pale and flawless.

　　In this pitch-black night, she looked like she was glowing.

　　That little face had a pair of big, bright, peach blossom eyes staring straight at him, full of clear, unfiltered worry.

　　“Pei Ji? Pei Ji? Say something. Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

　　Her soft lips opened and closed as she spoke, her breath warm and a little damp, carrying a faint, almost sweet scent.

　　Pei Ji’s mind was sluggish, the poison in his body already starting to take effect. Waves of pain crept in slowly, like a tide, threatening to swallow him whole and drag him down into endless darkness.

　　But just then, he heard her voice.

　　Normally, he would’ve just let himself slip into unconsciousness. But today… today there was a girl, calling him back from the edge.

　　Maybe it was because he didn’t respond for a while, but her voice started to tremble a little. “Pei Ji, don’t scare me… Are you sick? I—I’ll go call someone, I’ll make them let you out…”

　　She was rambling, turning to leave, when suddenly a cold hand grabbed her slender wrist.

　　His fingertips gripped tightly and yanked her back hard.

　　Because of the poison, he couldn't control his strength. She stumbled backward and lost her balance, falling straight into his arms with a little “ah” of surprise.

　　The weight of her body pressing down made him let out a low, muffled groan from his throat.

　　He was already barely holding on through the pain. It took him a while to catch his breath before he could speak in a hoarse voice. “Don’t… don’t call anyone.”

　　“But… but you’re like this…”

　　It was the first time she’d seen anything like this. She was completely freaked out.

　　She couldn’t see him, but her fingers felt how tense his body was and the cold sweat on his forehead. She could hear his rough, fast breathing, like some wounded beast on the edge of death.

　　“You’re really okay like this?” she asked, her voice shaking, almost crying.

　　If she ran out to get help, there would be no way to hide the fact that he had been poisoned. That was something Pei Ji absolutely could not allow. He would never let anyone see his weakness.

　　His grip on her wrist loosened. Then he pulled her fully into his arms, holding her tight.

　　“Don’t worry. It’s just an old problem, something I’ve had for a long time. It’s not a big deal.”

　　It was a short sentence, but it took him forever to get the words out.

　　His breathing in her ear grew heavier. The girl felt a bit uncomfortable and placed her hands on his chest, trying to shift herself back a little.

　　Right now, An Jiu was sitting sideways on his lap. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, his large hand pressing gently against her back, locking her in his embrace.

　　His chin brushed against her temple as he leaned in, his breath falling hot against the shell of her ear.

　　It was way too close. Even though she kept telling herself she didn’t have feelings for him, her cheeks still flushed from the intimacy.

　　“Pei—Pei Ji, let me go. I won’t call anyone, okay?”

　　Her soft little hands pressed against his chest, giving a weak push. It took Pei Ji a few seconds to register what she said through the fog in his brain.

　　Yeah… he should let go. They were way too close like this. It wasn’t right.

　　But his hands seemed to have a mind of their own. They stayed firmly on her slim waist, refusing to move.

　　He didn’t want to let go.

　　A voice echoed deep in his heart.

　　If I hold her… if I kiss her… it won’t hurt as much.

　　He didn’t know where that thought came from. It just appeared—whispering to him.

　　In that dazed moment, Pei Ji suddenly remembered the chaos of the night when he first arrived at Jinshe Villa.

　　He’d buried that memory deep, convincing himself it was forgotten. But now, in the dead of night, it rose back up uncontrollably.

　　In a haze, he thought he smelled the thick, heady scent of peach blossoms. He saw the shadow of those blossoms again.

　　“Mmm… Pei Ji, what are you doing?!”

　　When he snapped back to himself, he realized his lips were already pressed against something soft and warm. The girl in his arms was struggling, her wide black eyes staring up at him in shock, her whole face stunned.

　　He’d forgotten—this time, she was sober.

　　But somehow… he felt like he was the one drunk.

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