Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 99: A Blossom Even More Delicate, Even More Beautiful

　　The girl’s quiet sobs came out in soft, broken sounds, like a tiny kitten mewling and whimpering for affection.

　　But instead of evoking the man's pity, it only stirred something more savage in him. It made him want to bully her even more, to make her cry harder, sound even more pitiful, and let those sobs grow even sweeter to the ear.

　　Of course, Pei Ji heard her crying too.

　　If he were still Pei Ji at this moment, maybe he would have stopped, gently comforting and coaxing her.

　　But right now, he was ‘Fei Yi.’

　　Pei Ji was the gentle and refined young master, a famed divine doctor known for his compassion and kindness— the thoughtful, tender type of man every girl dreamed of.

　　When he was Pei Ji, he had to suppress all his desires and play the role of a flawless gentleman.

　　Maybe it was because he held back too much during the day that, the moment he put on the mask, he no longer wanted to restrain himself. He wanted to indulge, to let loose, to do whatever he wanted to her without holding back.

　　Just like now, the urge burning in Pei Ji’s chest hadn’t faded at all. In fact, as time passed, it only grew stronger.

　　He could faintly feel himself slipping out of control, yet he didn’t stop.

　　To keep the girl from struggling, Pei Ji held her slender waist with one hand, feeling her trembling nonstop beneath his palm.

　　That faint trembling passed through the layers of bright red wedding robes, like a small, wounded creature quietly begging for pity.

　　The man lowered his gaze without a word, his dark eyes reflecting the girl's tear-streaked little face.

　　Her cheeks were flushed crimson, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with a reddish hue like that of a crabapple blossom, as if inviting one to pluck them.

　　On the girl's fair and delicate face, there were countless droplets, whether tears or sweat, it was unclear. Sometimes, when things got too rough, she would choke back sobs and shake her head, her flying hair drifting across her face, wet with the clear liquid, clinging to her flushed cheeks and luscious lips.

　　Suddenly, the girl’s slender waist tensed up all at once, and even the toes peeking out from beneath her skirt curled tightly.

　　Her red lips were slightly parted, her breathing rapid, and her two large, dark eyes unfocused.

　　Her tear-filled eyes blinked, and her long, thick lashes, damp and heavy, lowered over them. Clear, glistening teardrops slipped down her cheeks, trailing along her delicate chin and falling onto her slender neck.

　　Pei Ji watched the scene with appreciation, his dark eyes filled with pleasure.

　　He slowly withdrew his hand, the layered hem of her dress sliding off his wrist like flowing water. Between his long, pale fingers, he gently held a bright red dried date, dripping wet and glistening with moisture.

　　“If it's washed clean, it should taste better, right?” he asked with a soft laugh.

　　An Jiu seemed not to hear him at all. With her senses on high alert, it felt as if she had been tossed into a spinning washing machine. The overwhelming tide drowned her completely, washing away all ability to think. Her mind was left in a dazed, echoing blankness.

　　Wuwuwu, she was already a mess.

　　The red date brushed against her flushed lips, and this time An Jiu didn’t even have the strength to refuse. She just stared at him blankly, eyes dull and unfocused.

　　Like a salted fish waiting to be slaughtered.

　　She was exhausted. Whatever, let it be. There was no way she could out-crazy this man.

　　In fact, even at this moment, Pei Ji's clothes were still neat and tidy, not a single strand of hair out of place. Dressed in red, he carried an air of elegance and refinement, looking every bit like a perfectly proper gentleman.

　　What proper gentleman, my ass!

　　Just as he was about to stuff the red date into her mouth, An Jiu pressed her lips together stubbornly.

No way she was going to eat that! Even if she died right here on this bed, even if she got tormented to death, she still wouldn’t eat it!

　　The next second, the man popped the red date into his own mouth instead. The whole time, his eyes never left her face, those ink-black eyes glimmering with a faint smile.

　　An Jiu: “!!!”

　　An uneasy feeling swept over her. Even though she was weak all over and practically melting off the bed like water, An Jiu still fought to move, dragging herself to the side.

　　But in the blink of an eye, he had her pinned by the waist. His fingers only brushed lightly along her side through the fabric, yet her body instantly gave out, and with a soft thump, she collapsed back down.

　　She let out a loud sob, tears spilling down her cheeks in a flood.

　　“Where do you think you’re going?” the man asked, his voice slightly muffled with the date still in his mouth.

　　He smiled with his eyes, watching her with great interest, as if enjoying a particularly entertaining show.

　　In a daze, An Jiu felt like a little mouse caught in the claws of a cat. The cat’s favorite twisted game was watching its prey struggle helplessly under its paws, toying with the poor little thing.

　　Then, once it was satisfied, it would open wide and swallow it whole.

　　While her mind drifted for just a second, the man was already leaning down toward her. He still looked perfectly proper and refined, his long, pale fingers as slender as jade as they gently lifted her chin.

　　An Jiu vaguely noticed that his fingers weren’t cold anymore. They felt damp and slightly warm.

　　Realizing this made her feel like dying of embarrassment. Her whole body flushed from head to toe.　　

　　But before she could drown in shame, his face was already right in front of hers.

　　His gaze lowered, landing on her soft red lips. His fingertips gently brushed against them a few times, and tiny jolts of tingling heat shot through her entire body like sparks.

　　An Jiu’s lips parted involuntarily, and in the next second, another pair of cool lips pressed down firmly against hers.

　　He lifted his eyes, meeting her gaze with a satisfied smile flickering in his dark eyes.

　　The kiss came late, but it crashed down like a wave, fierce and all-consuming.

　　An Jiu felt like she was being swallowed whole. Her lips tingled, and even the base of her tongue was going numb from being tangled with his.

　　She whimpered helplessly, tears spilling like broken pearls, trailing down her face and wetting her skin.

　　Cool fingertips gently brushed away her tears, and at the same time, a round red date was pushed into her mouth.

　　An Jiu’s tears fell even harder, but she couldn’t make a sound.

　　No, no way! She wasn’t going to eat it!

　　She tried to push it out with her tongue, resisting with all her might, but he used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, not letting her escape. Their lips and teeth tangled so intensely, faint wet sounds started to echo between them.

　　Wuwuwu... my dignity...

　　An Jiu clenched her fists and pounded weakly on his shoulder with all her strength, but it was like trying to shake a tree—completely useless.

　　The seedless red date rolled between their warm mouths, pressed and crushed between lips and teeth. In the end, it turned to mush and was pushed down her throat. With no way to resist, she was forced to swallow it.

　　An Jiu thought she might have used up a lifetime’s worth of tears today.

　　Only after she finally ate that poor red date, now reduced to a mess, did the man relent. He slowly pulled back and sat up.

　　His fingers brushed the corner of her lips, wiping away the shimmering trace of moisture. His expression was visibly pleased, from the curve of his mouth to the light in his eyes.

　　An Jiu didn’t want to look at him, so she simply shut her eyes. Out of sight, out of mind.

　　“Tasted it? How was it?” his low, slightly hoarse voice came from beside her ear, the tone like rough sandpaper sliding over skin.

　　Her lashes twitched slightly, but she still didn’t open her eyes.

　　The man waited a while, but when no reply came, he finally remembered that she still couldn’t speak.

　　That long, intense kiss earlier had already taken the edge off the emotions raging in Pei Ji’s chest. The urge was still there, but his lost rationality had started to return.

　　Even though he wanted to do more—go further—it wasn’t the right time.

　　Besides, today was already more than enough.

　　One look at the girl, soaked from head to toe like she’d just been pulled from water, was enough to see she had committed a serious crime.

　　Her bright red wedding dress was still perfectly worn, the belt hadn’t even been untied. Nothing looked out of place. But anyone with eyes could tell what had just happened.

　　Those flushed cheeks, the swollen, crimson lips, the delicate flush lingering at the corners of her eyes—all were traces of what had taken place.

　　Taking in the sight of her like this only made the satisfaction on the man’s face deepen.

　　Now that he’d had his fill of amusement, he casually lifted a hand and tapped a few points on her body.

　　The girl’s breath hitched, and her eyes snapped open.

　　She opened her mouth, and the first words that came out were weak and shaky: “I hate you.”

　　She said it slowly, word by word, like she was swearing an oath.

　　Tears still shimmered in her misty eyes, but beneath the haze, two sharp, hateful glares pierced through and locked on his face. It was like she wanted to kill him with her stare alone.

　　If she had the chance, she’d probably stab him on the spot without a second thought.

　　That thought suddenly crossed Pei Ji’s mind.

　　He paused for a moment, then gave a slow chuckle.

　　Her hatred for him—hadn’t he known that from the start? Why would he be affected now?

　　His expression didn’t change at all. He looked calm, like nothing had happened, and said, “You said the same thing last time. Did it change anything?”

　　A faint smile tugged at his lips, and his words carried a blatant, cruel edge. “No matter how much you hate me, you’re just a delicate little miss who can’t even fight off a chicken. Do you really think you can slip out of my grasp?”

　　“Tell me, what do you think your brand-new husband would do if he found out what happened on this bed?”

　　The color drained from the girl’s face in an instant. Her blush faded, and her expression turned pale.

　　“What... what exactly do you want!” She bit her lip and glared at him with hatred, putting on a fierce front that didn’t quite reach the core.

　　“I don’t want much. Just come with me.”

　　Pei Ji thought he probably had something wrong with him. Otherwise, how could he feel pleased even while being looked at with so much hatred?

　　The way she looked at him, so intense and focused in her loathing, made him feel as if he were carved deep into her heart.

　　Her hating him was still better than being forgotten, ignored, or not cared about at all—wasn’t it?

　　As he thought this, he spoke in a gentle voice, “Tonight, find a chance to go to the garden. I’ll have someone waiting to take you out. You already know if I can get in here, I can take you away too. The reason I’m giving you a choice is simply because I don’t want to alarm the others.”

　　“Unless, of course, you’d rather news spread through the city tomorrow that you ran away with someone. I can take you now if you’d prefer.”

　　Whether it was An Jiu or the original host of this body, faced with that kind of choice, they'd always pick the former.

　　A woman's reputation meant everything in this era. It didn’t just affect her, it affected the marriage prospects of every girl in the household. If An Jiu really eloped today, the daughters of the An family could forget about marrying into good families in the future.

　　An Jiu seemed to think for a moment, then pressed her lips together and replied with difficulty, “Fine, I’ll go with you.”

　　“I’ll wait for you in the garden at the third quarter of the hour of the ¹Rat.” (12.45 a.m)

　　The door quietly shut behind her, and just like when he came, the man left without a sound.

　　All that was left was the lingering scent of intimacy in the room and the bride lying on the bed with an exhausted face.

　　[feeling completely drained.jpg]

　　An Jiu didn’t bother sitting up again. She just lay there limply, and before long, her eyes fluttered shut and she drifted off to sleep.

　　The banquet at the royal residence lasted quite a while, going from noon all the way into the evening. Delicacies came out like a flowing stream, one dish after another, leaving everyone stunned.

　　At least the country bumpkin He Ziqing was thoroughly impressed. He quickly dove into the feast, stuffing himself until his belly was round.

　　The group had been eating for quite a while before they finally saw Pei Ji strolling back at a relaxed pace.

　　Lin Qingyan took a closer look at him and noticed that some color had returned to his previously pale face. The sickly look between his brows had faded a bit too, and the heavy weight in her heart lifted slightly.

　　To be honest, when Pei Ji left earlier, Lin Qingyan had thought he was going to crash the wedding.

　　She had been worried ever since she saw him wearing that outfit this morning.

　　After all, forcing something never ends well. It was indeed a pity that he couldn’t get what he wanted, but that didn’t give him the right to ruin someone else’s wedding.

　　If he had really done something like that, Lin Qingyan would’ve stepped in to stop him no matter what.

　　Thankfully, he hadn’t. Now that she saw him return in one piece, she let out a sigh of relief.

　　“Pei Ji, what took you so long? Did getting some fresh air help you feel better?”

　　At her question, Pei Ji paused for a moment, as if he was still savoring something, then let out a light chuckle. “I was admiring the beautiful sights of the royal residence. The view was so lovely, I lost track of time.”

　　“Is it really that pretty? I want to see it too!” Lin Qingyan said, curious.

　　Pei Ji replied, “You probably can't see it anymore.”

　　“Why not? Was it something like a flower that blooms only once and then fades right away? Like the night-blooming cereus? But don’t those only bloom at night?” she asked in confusion.

　　Pei Ji shook his head and smiled without answering.

　　It had bloomed, all right. But it wasn’t a night-blooming cereus. It was another flower, far more delicate and beautiful.

　　His lashes lowered slightly as he unconsciously rubbed his fingertips together. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

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Glossary:

¹The Hour of the Rat (子时) refers to the time period between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM in traditional Chinese timekeeping.

So when the story mentions ‘子时三刻’ (three quarters into the Hour of the Rat), it would be roughly:

> Around 12:45 AM.

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Author's Note:

Wearing the mask, he's a freak.

Take it off, he's a gentleman.

That’s the charm of a wolf in sheep’s clothing~

…..

T/N: Alright, no cliffhanger today. Haha, so you guys can sleep peacefully. 😌💤

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