Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 109: “Why... Can't You Love Me?”

　　That night, the stars hung low, and everything was deathly silent.

　　An Jiu lay tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep for a long time.

　　The Gu poison had started acting up again. Sensations swept over her in waves, wrapping around her like a tide.

　　Lying still was torture. Moving was torture too.

　　Even just lying there, she could feel the soft rub of fabric against her skin, the faint tickle of air brushing past her face.

　　The torment came in endless waves, never stopping. It wasn’t exactly pain, but somehow even worse.

　　Unable to fall asleep, An Jiu finally got up, threw on the softest, smoothest robe she had, and walked barefoot across the cold floor. Under the silver moonlight pouring through the window, she slowly made her way to sit outside in the corridor.

　　Sitting helped. Only her waist and hips touched the surface, and that part of her body wasn’t as sensitive, which made it easier to bear.

　　An Jiu leaned against the railing with her cheek in her palm and sighed helplessly.

　　A cool night breeze swept past. The wind was strong tonight, and it helped ease the heat surging in her body.

　　Drowsiness started creeping in, and she sat there in the quiet night, dozing off.

　　Suddenly, there was a faint snap ahead.

　　An Jiu cracked her eyes open lazily and looked toward the sound. In the darkness of the small courtyard stood a tall, pitch-black figure. She couldn’t make out the face, but judging by the silhouette, it was clearly a man.

　　She blinked sleepily and asked in a soft voice, “Who’s there?”

　　The person didn’t respond. He didn’t move either. He just stood there stiffly, like a statue with no thoughts or emotions.

　　An Jiu’s gaze cleared a little, but she wasn’t afraid. After all, this little courtyard might look simple on the surface, but it was actually packed with hidden assassins and traps. Not even a fly could get in.

　　Anyone who could appear here in the middle of the night… who else could it be but the master of Qiansha Pavilion?

　　An Jiu yawned lazily and said to the system in her mind, “See? This is why I wasn’t worried. Men are just like this—mouth says no, body says yes. He says he won’t see me, but here he is.”

　　After a long pause, the man-who-says-no-but-acts-yes finally walked toward her.

　　An Jiu figured he was here to help with the Gu poison, so when he approached, she smiled with surprise and asked softly, “Is that you, Fei Yi?”

　　A deep, hoarse voice answered, “It’s me.”

　　She happily reached her hand out to him. In the next second, a burning hot hand grabbed hers.

　　Her senses were so heightened now that even normal warmth felt scalding. His temperature, at this moment, felt like it could burn her.

　　An Jiu flinched, trying to pull back her hand, but before she could, his fingers closed tight around hers, locking her in. His palm felt like a furnace, completely engulfing her small hand in a searing grip.

　　She gasped softly. “Y-your hand is so hot. Fei Yi, are you sick?”

　　“No,” he said, but his voice was even rougher now.

　　An Jiu felt a growing sense of dread. Something was off. Her instincts screamed at her to run.

　　But she had already walked right into the trap. How could she escape now?

　　Pei Ji hadn’t planned to see her tonight. He only came to the courtyard to take a look from afar.

　　The poison in his body had started acting up again. And every time it did, his reason slipped, and his emotions pulled him back here.

　　He had been standing in the courtyard for a while, even before An Jiu stepped out.　　

　　When he saw her come out and sit in the corridor with a sigh, he couldn’t help but make a sound, just enough for her to notice him.

　　He wanted to see what she would do.

　　After being ignored for days, after watching him stay cold while she suffered from the Gu poison, would she still smile at him like always?

　　Pei Ji thought… maybe she’d be angry. Maybe she’d throw a little tantrum.

　　The young miss was never the type to suffer in silence. Even the slightest grievance, and she’d make a fuss loud enough for everyone to hear, forcing everyone to cater to her.

　　But this time, she didn’t.

　　The girl still came up to him all smiles. The first thing she did when she saw him was worry about his health, not question why he had been ignoring her.

　　She really did love him, but she loved him so much she had lost herself. She had turned into an empty shell, pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

　　Pei Ji suddenly let out a low chuckle, tinged with bitterness.

　　He looked down and noticed her pale toes on the wooden floor. His voice softened as he asked, “Why’d you come out without shoes?”

　　Before he even finished speaking, he bent down, slipped his arm behind her knees, and picked her up.

　　The night covered everything in shadows, but that only made it easier for certain hidden feelings to break free.

　　The girl gave a surprised little yelp. His burning palm pressed against her through the thin fabric as she leaned against his shoulder, breathing heavily for a few seconds before murmuring weakly, “Shoes hurt my feet. It’s uncomfortable.”

　　Her body had always been delicate and pampered, but ever since the Gu poison took hold, she had become even more sensitive.

　　She never used to have trouble wearing shoes. Now, even a wrinkle in her clothes could make her feel irritated.

　　She was basically a real-life ancient Pea Princess.

　　Carrying her in his arms, he walked straight into the room and gently placed her on the bed. Then he crouched down and carefully brushed the dust off the soles of her feet with his hands.

　　As he worked, he asked in a low voice, “Were you upset that I didn’t come see you today?”

　　The room was dim and unlit, and in the quiet gloom, her soft voice floated over to him. “Not at all. You have your own things to take care of. I’m already really happy that you made time to come see me. Whether you come or not, I still like Fei Yi. I’d never be mad at Fei Yi.”

　　So considerate. So gentle.

　　And yet, so unlike her.

　　A thick bitterness and a deep emptiness twisted in his chest. A dull ache started to bloom and spread through his entire body, until even his fingertips began to tremble slightly.

　　Pei Ji stayed half-kneeling on the floor, looking up at the girl.

　　She probably couldn’t see him clearly, but he could see her face. That pretty little face of hers, those bright eyes shining as she looked in his direction. Even though everything was blurry to her, there was still joy and sweetness written all over her expression.

　　But how fake was that sweetness, really?

　　“A few days from now, your friends will all be here as guests. Since it’s such a rare occasion, let’s get married that day, alright?”

　　He tried his best to keep his voice steady, even though his body was aching with pain.

　　The girl blinked in surprise, but quickly agreed without hesitation. “Okay!” Then something seemed to occur to her, and she asked seriously, “Did all my friends come?”

　　“They did. Every single one.”

　　“What about Pei Ji? Did he come too?”

　　The man froze, and his heart skipped a beat. “Why... do you want to ask about Pei Ji?”

　　The girl lowered her gaze. Her long lashes cast a shadow, hiding the clarity of her eyes so he couldn’t read her expression.

　　But her tone stayed just as light and cheerful as always. “He still has to treat my Gu poison, right? It’s been acting up tonight and I couldn’t sleep at all. When he gets here, I have to ask him to make me more medicine.”

　　“I see,” the man said softly, like something had just clicked.

　　“Yeah! It’s not like I like him or anything!” she added with a little huff, full of that spoiled princess attitude.

　　“No need to wait for him. Did you forget? I can treat you too.” The man raised his hand and tapped a few acupuncture points on her body.

　　As soon as he pulled his fingers away, An Jiu felt the restlessness inside her start to settle. That hypersensitive sensation also began to fade away.

　　She paused for a moment, a little stunned. Then it finally clicked. “Oh right… you did this last time too when you came to see me…” Her voice trailed off, and after a beat, she bit her lip shyly and whispered like a mosquito, “So… does that mean… you’re going to kiss me now?”

　　Although the love Gu had taken root, the girl hadn’t lost her memories. She still remembered everything that had happened—only, her feelings toward certain people had shifted.

　　For example, there were times when Fei Yi had taken advantage of her while she was under the influence of the Gu poison. Yet she didn’t seem to care about the humiliation—what she remembered were the moments of intimacy they shared.

　　She used to get really mad about it, but now she was the one inviting him.

　　Pei Ji quietly closed his eyes.

　　Her invitation right now was like laying out a feast before a starving man.

　　The poison in his body was starting to stir again, and he had already realized that being close to her at times like this could greatly ease the pain.

　　But after a moment of silence, Pei Ji slowly got up. Under the hopeful gaze of the girl, he took a step back.

　　“No. I just came to check on you.” His voice was so hoarse it was barely recognizable, like sandpaper scraping against the ear.　　

　　“Get some sleep.”

　　With that, he abruptly turned and left, his steps unsteady as he walked out the door.

　　An Jiu sat quietly on the bed, watching his figure disappear into the darkness. His tall, lean back looked a little unsteady as he walked away.

　　In the still room, the girl murmured softly, “Tell me, why didn’t he do it?”

　　He clearly could have forced himself on her again, like the last few times when she was suffering from the Gu poison, taking advantage of her with no bottom line.

　　The system replied,【Maybe… because you acted like you loved him too much, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it?】

　　An Jiu was silent for a long while before slowly shaking her head. “That’s not it.”

　　It wasn’t because she loved him too much that he held back—it was because the way she acted now was too different from before.

　　Pei Ji loved the version of her who was proud and temperamental, who looked down on him without hesitation. Not this soft little fool who acted like she was head over heels.

　　He was drawn to her fire, her resistance, her refusal to back down. But now, looking at her gentle, obedient face, her gaze was full of affection—he didn’t even have the desire to bully her anymore.

　　“So he’s kind of a masochist, huh? If I’m not mean to him, he can’t even function?”

　　An Jiu let out a couple of clicks with her tongue. Now that she’d figured things out, she lay back down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

　　Not far away, in the top floor of the central tower, the man had locked himself alone in a room, curled up tightly from the relentless pain.

　　His slender fingers clutched the edge of the bed, digging deep grooves into the wooden boards.

　　He was drenched in sweat, veins bulging across his body, and the metallic taste of blood lingered thick in his mouth. In his haze of agony, he couldn’t stop himself from growling low like a beast trapped in a cage, his entire body trembling and convulsing.

　　In this state, his mind was at its most clouded.

　　So much so that even Pei Ji himself didn’t realize that, in the depths of his suffering, his lips were moving, murmuring the same words over and over again.

　　“Why… why can’t you love me?”

　　A single clear tear slid down the corner of his long, narrow eye, dropped into his temple, and vanished without a trace.

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Author’s note:

It’s almost the end~ Just a few tens of thousands of words left. I’ll finish writing it this month!

…..

T/N: Wohooo, we’re almost at the finish line! I still have 21 chapters left to tackle though… Pray for me, my people! 😭💪

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