Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 123: Pei Ji Seemed To Have Gone Mad.

　　【Countdown: One minute.】

　　【59 seconds.】

　　The electronic voice echoed in her mind. An Jiu finally stopped accusing him.

　　She slowly and silently pulled herself out of his arms. Every movement hurt like hell, but she forced herself to endure it, inch by inch putting distance between them.

　　Pei Ji didn’t move. He just stared at her blankly, as if his soul had been ripped away.

　　Those long, dark eyes that used to always carry a smile—whenever he looked at her, they were so focused, like she was the only thing in his world.

　　Now, they were like two shattered mirrors, filled with desolate ruin.

　　Pitch black, not a trace of light left.

　　【Countdown: 10 seconds.】

　　An Jiu turned her face away, speaking quietly in her heart, “Take me back. I want to go home.”

　　【Received.】

　　Her vision started spinning, like she was on a boat rocking in a storm. She looked at the man one last time.

　　“Pei Ji, you lied to me once. I lied to you once. Now we’re even.”

　　“I took your love, and gave you your life in return.”

　　“From now on... let's never meet again.”

　　As the words left her, the countdown ended. A wave of dizziness hit her, and she realized she had left the body.

　　She floated above, looking down. On the bright red wedding bed, two people lay side by side—a man and a woman. The man was lying on his side, watching her. The woman lay on her back, eyes closed.

　　Between them stretched a cold, unbridgeable distance—like a chasm that would never close again.

　　【Would the host like to remain for a while? We offer temporary observation rights. You won’t be able to interfere with the world’s progress, but you may watch the rest of the story unfold.】

　　An Jiu hesitated for a moment, then said, “No. Let’s go.”

　　Though only a night had passed for her in the real world, she had spent over half a year inside this story. Honestly, she missed the noise and bustle of city life.

　　The system asked again,【There’s still something I don’t understand. Why did you tell Pei Ji about the mission?】

　　From its perspective, An Jiu’s decision had seemed totally unnecessary.

　　She stayed quiet for a moment before softly replying, “Do you think I was just naturally good at acting? That a normal person could fool everyone, even someone as sharp as a villain like him?”

　　Now that the mission was complete and she was about to return to the modern world, An Jiu felt an unexpected urge to talk.

　　Besides, once she went back, there would be nowhere else to tell this story. No one else to tell it to.

　　The system wasn’t human, so in a way, it made the perfect listener.

　　“There are three main types of acting—method, technique, and expression. I don’t have award-winning skills. I’ve never studied acting. I don’t know how to apply techniques, and I can’t rely on external expressions.”

　　“So I could only go with experience. I had to really feel what it’s like to like someone.”

　　She let out a light sigh. “In that book, he was the only one I liked.”

　　That’s probably what experience-based acting is all about. If she even had a tiny bit of affection for him, she’d amplify it, convince herself and others that she liked him deeply. Basically brainwashing herself.

　　At first, she really only had a small fondness for Pei Ji. It wasn’t love. But now... it was a bit more than that.

　　She was human, not some cold-blooded creature.

　　Who wouldn’t be moved by that kind of intense love?

　　Pei Ji was touched by how she broke through the love gu for him. An Jiu also couldn’t stay indifferent to how he was willing to live and die with her.

　　They were the same type of people, the kind who could be captured by pure love.

　　The only difference was that An Jiu was more rational, more clear-headed, and knew exactly what she wanted.

　　She wanted to live. She wanted to go home. This world wasn’t hers.

　　Love was precious, sure, but her life didn’t revolve around it. She couldn’t live off love alone.

　　Even if she knew that after this, she might never meet someone like Pei Ji again. Even if she might never experience such pure, burning love again. And maybe, she’d never fall in love with anyone else for the rest of her life.

　　Because once you’ve seen the best, nothing else compares. If someone else said they loved her, she knew she’d end up comparing them to him.

　　It’s like once you’ve had a gourmet feast, plain porridge and side dishes just don’t hit the same anymore.

　　【So... you want him to hate you?】 The system asked.

　　“I just... don’t want him to die, that’s all.”

　　He had worked so hard just to survive. His life was already so tough. Two short lifetimes, both filled with pain and poison, like he was barely living at all. She didn’t know what his future held, but she still hoped he’d keep living.

　　If love wasn’t enough to keep him alive, then maybe hate would do.

　　Inside the room, the red candles were still burning. A drop of wax dripped onto the table, like a bead of blood-red tears.

　　“Let’s go home.”

　　This is it.

　　It was a relationship born from calculation. Even if there was a bit of sincerity, one day, it was bound to fall apart.

　　Like a fleeting dream, no matter how beautiful and vibrant, it would eventually vanish when touched by the light of day.

　　In the end, with one last glance back, An Jiu’s eyelids fell shut, and everything turned to darkness.

　　She didn’t see it — after her eyes closed, the man who had been lying still, almost like he was unconscious, slowly pushed himself up from the bed. He reached out carefully, as if afraid of being rejected, and gently pulled the girl in the red wedding dress into his arms. His movements were cautious, as if she was something precious.

　　Only when he finally held her tightly did a faint, satisfied smile appear on his pale face.

　　“I know you're lying to me.”

　　“How could you not love me?”

　　He leaned in and whispered beside her ear, lips brushing lightly against her small earlobe, but all he felt was a chilling cold.

　　Still, the man didn’t care. He clung to her tightly and murmured, “It’s my fault, okay? I’ll change. I won’t kill anyone anymore. I’ll atone for what I’ve done. I’ll disband Qiansha Pavilion. I won’t be Xian Wuming anymore. I’ll become the kind of hero you like. Just sleep a little, and when you wake up, forgive me, okay?”

　　The sky was beginning to brighten.

　　Early in the morning, Ming Yi dragged He Ziqing and a bunch of young martial artists to the bridal room to make a fuss.

　　Pei Ji had stolen the girl he loved, so of course he wouldn’t go easy on the love rival. Last night he had forced a ton of wine on Pei Ji, and this morning he was determined to make him look bad. No way he was letting him sleep in peace.

　　The group crowded outside the door. He Ziqing yawned, clearly not in the mood to join in.

　　“It's so quiet in there. They’re probably still sleeping. If you want to make noise, go do it yourself.”

　　“I will,” Ming Yi said with a grin and went up to knock hard on the door.

　　But no matter how long he knocked, no one came to open it.

　　The noise was loud enough that anyone inside should’ve heard it. Frowning in confusion, Ming Yi muttered, “What’s going on? Are they really sleeping that deeply?”

　　But He Ziqing’s eyes suddenly widened. He turned sharply to stare at the room.

　　His martial arts were now the best in the entire world — he could sense even the slightest disturbance within a hundred meters.

　　And at this moment, inside that bridal room, he could clearly sense only one person breathing.

　　Realizing this, He Ziqing didn’t hesitate at all. He kicked the door open in one swift motion.

　　With a loud crash, the red-painted door with the double happiness symbol burst open.

　　The rising sun spilled into the room, lighting it up and revealing the scene to everyone.

　　On the bright red wedding bed sat a man, holding a woman tightly in his arms.

　　Both were fully dressed, not a single strand of hair out of place. It looked like they hadn’t slept all night.

　　The bright red wedding clothes were tangled together.

　　The man’s head was lowered, his slender fingers gently brushing the girl’s hair over and over, soft and careful.

　　He was murmuring something, too quiet to hear unless you leaned in.

　　“I finished your makeup, wiped your face clean. Let’s get married again, okay? This time, I promise I won’t mess it up.”

　　“You're so cold. Are you feeling chilly again? Don’t worry, you won’t be cold when I hold you.”

　　As he spoke, he gently took the woman’s hand that hung by her side. It was deathly pale, hidden beneath the red sleeve, her nails tinged with blue.

　　He wanted to warm her hand in his palm, but for some reason, it stayed stiff and unmoving. So he cupped both hands around hers and breathed warm air into them.

　　The people standing at the doorway were frozen in shock, staring at the scene.

　　Pei Ji acted like they didn’t exist.

　　He Ziqing stepped forward quickly, his eyes already turning red. He shouted, “Pei Ji, what are you doing?!”

　　The man didn’t respond.

　　His entire focus was on the girl in his arms. His bride. He held her close like a child, curled up completely against his chest. No one could see her face, only strands of hair peeking out.

　　He Ziqing’s heart sank like a stone.

　　He reached out, trying to get a glimpse of An Jiu’s face, but before he could touch her, the man who had been bowing his head suddenly looked up. He stared straight at He Ziqing.

　　His eyes were narrow and pitch-black, like a vengeful ghost that had crawled out from hell.

　　“Don’t touch her. She’s mine.”

　　His voice was sharp and fierce. He tightened his arms around the girl, pulling her deeper into his embrace. His wide sleeves covered her completely, as if he wanted to hide her from the world.

　　If he hid her, then she would always be his. She would never leave.

　　Ming Yi slowly walked in, looking at the pair clinging tightly to each other. His voice trembled as he asked, “An Jiu… is she…”

　　“Shh. Be quiet. She’s just taking a nap.”

　　Pei Ji suddenly spoke. He lowered his gaze to look at her, smiling softly. Then he turned to the others and said gently, “She’s always like this. When it snows, she gets cold and likes to sleep in my arms.”

　　“Once she’s had enough rest, she’ll wake up.”

　　As he spoke, he carefully adjusted the front of her robe.

　　It was only then that everyone finally saw half of her face.

　　Her palm-sized face was extremely pale. Not a hint of color. The kind of white that made people think of the dead.

　　Her eyes were shut tightly. Long lashes curled down and cast faint shadows beneath her lids.

　　Her small red lips had lost their color. They looked bluish and dry, cracked from the cold.

　　Seeing the cracks, Pei Ji frowned. He lowered his head and kissed her.

　　It was as if he didn’t notice the people standing in the room at all. He didn’t care about their stares. He just focused on kissing her, gently and carefully, until her lips became moist again, no longer dry and chapped.

　　Only then did he pull away, satisfied, and muttered to himself, “Seems like you’re missing some lip balm. Should I put some on for you?”

　　The girl didn’t move. Her delicate face looked peaceful, like she was trapped in an endless sleep.

　　Pei Ji tilted his head slightly, as if he heard a response. His gentle eyes curved with a smile as he said warmly, “I know you like peach blossom pink. Let’s use that color.”

　　Then he stood up with her in his arms and walked toward the vanity.

　　Ming Yi’s eyes suddenly turned red. He Zeqing quickly wiped his face and stepped forward, grabbing Pei Ji’s arm.

　　“Pei Ji, she’s already dead!”

　　The moment those words were spoken, the man in red robes with ink-black hair froze, as if someone had cast a spell on him. His eyes went blank, and his expression turned dull.

　　“What the hell happened? Why did An Jiu die? Pei Ji, give me an explanation! I entrusted her to you, and this is how you took care of her?”

　　After a brief daze, Pei Ji snapped back to reality. As if nothing had happened, he lifted his gaze and looked at the two men in front of him. Seeing the pain written all over their faces, he suddenly let out a laugh.

　　“What are you saying? An Jiu’s just asleep. She’s not dead. Stop saying that. She’s only upset with me. Once she forgives me, she’ll wake up.”

　　Before the two could respond, he averted his eyes and sat down at the vanity with her in his arms. Holding her with one hand, he picked up a thin brush with the other, dipped it into the peach blossom pink lip color, and carefully painted her purplish lips back into a delicate peach shade.

　　His gaze was gentle and smiling as he looked at their reflection in the mirror. He whispered softly by her ear, “Do you like it this way?”

　　“I’ll try a new color for you tomorrow, okay?”

　　His voice was low and warm, just as refined and gentle as always.

　　But in the chill of winter, it sent an eerie shiver down their spines, an uncontrollable cold sinking deep into their bones.

　　It was at that moment that they finally realized.

　　Pei Ji might have gone mad.

　　 

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