The Tyrant’s Drama Queen Empress

CHAPTER 22: So Pure, Just Like You

　　No matter what Shen Ling absolutely refused to let Xie Yuanxun take her to the bed. Once she was on that small stretch of territory, she would not be able to escape at all. She kept wriggling downward, inch by inch. She glanced at Xie Yuanxun and saw that he had no reaction, so she twisted her body again, trying to slide lower.

　　No matter how much she struggled, though, Xie Yuanxun still held her tightly, not giving her the slightest chance to escape.

　　Xie Yuanxun glanced at her. Even though he did not say anything, Shen Ling could clearly read the mockery in his eyes.

　　—Keep laughing. Believe it or not, I will launch another chest ambush on you like just now.

　　Xie Yuanxun said bluntly, “You are so heavy. I am already carrying you without complaining, so why are you still moving around? Can you not stay still and behave for once?”

　　Shen Ling froze. “......”

　　—What the hell are you even saying?

　　—Who is heavy?

　　—Who are you calling heavy?

　　—Saying something like that to a beauty like me. Do you even have a conscience?

　　Shen Ling went expressionless. She did not even feel like getting angry anymore. She finally saw it clearly. Xie Yuanxun, this dog of a man, truly had zero self awareness. He was a full stats, maxed out, steel straight man.

　　She let out a dry laugh and said, “Then why does Your Majesty not put me down and let me walk on my own?” She gave him a fake smile. “That way, Your Majesty would not feel that I am heavy.”

　　Xie Yuanxun replied, “No.”

　　Shen Ling’s expression eased a little. That was good. At least he was not completely beyond saving. He must have realized he said the wrong thing, so next he would try to make it up to her. Yes, that had to be it.

　　Then Xie Yuanxun continued, “I have already carried you all the way here. If I give up now, it would be such a waste. I might as well carry you to the bed before putting you down.”

　　Shen Ling: “......”

　　Shen Ling stiffened. Her fists clenched tight. They were very, very clenched.

　　—I regret it…

　　—I really do. I shouldn’t have had any expectations for you, and I definitely shouldn’t have expected you to say anything nice.

　　—You’re ruthless!

　　Passing by the beaded curtain, Shen Ling’s fingers casually grabbed a strand of the crystal-clear pearls. Then she clenched it tight and refused to let go. Xie Yuanxun’s steps paused, and he glanced back over his shoulder. Shen Ling held onto the beads, letting them drape over her head and shoulders, cascading down her body, the pearls tinkling in a crisp, pleasant sound.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “Let go.”

　　Shen Ling pretended to be clueless. “Huh? What did you say?”

　　He squinted at her. “Is there something wrong with your ears?”

　　Shen Ling: “......”

　　—Pah! Even if there’s something wrong with you, I wouldn’t have a single problem!

　　Xie Yuanxun continued, “If you can’t hear me clearly, that’s not too surprising. Looks like there’s something wrong with your body.”

　　Shen Ling only heard a clicking sound in her head, as if the string called Reason in her brain had snapped.

　　—What the hell, did your eyes grow under your butt? My body’s perfectly fine, strong as a bull!

　　—If I really had a problem, it’s because of you, this damn idiot, nagging me all day! I’m telling you, it’s all your fault!

　　Shen Ling, embarrassed and furious, flung her words out with a coughing fit. “Your Majesty, I think I can’t hear your voice anymore, and my chest feels so tight. Could I have contracted incurable tuberculosis disease? What should I do? It’s contagious, right? We’re so close—don’t tell me you’ve been infected too.”

　　—You said my ears aren’t sharp and that I have a disease? Fine, then I’ll show you what being sick really looks like.

　　—Heh, scared now, aren’t you?

　　Shen Ling went all in, coughing as violently as she could, like it would tear her lungs apart.

　　Xie Yuanxun said calmly, “Blood, you didn’t even cough any out.”

　　Shen Ling: “......” She sucked in a sharp breath. This man was seriously heartless.

　　“You’ve been coughing for so long and still haven’t coughed up any blood. Are you lying to me?” Xie Yuanxun said. “People with tuberculosis always cough up blood. It's strange that you're like this.”

　　Shen Ling: “......”

　　—You’re the strange one, okay?!

　　Shen Ling put on an innocent face. “Your Majesty, I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

　　—I’m not going to cough up blood. One drop of blood is one drop of vitality.

　　—You were the one spouting nonsense first, saying my ears are broken. I don’t believe you can turn around and deny your own words now.

　　—Look at me, so flexible and adaptable. I’m honestly moved by myself.

　　Xie Yuanxun did not get angry. “Then I’ll feed you poison so you can cough up blood. How about that?”

　　“I forgot. You can’t hear me.”

　　Shen Ling fell silent. The next second, she lifted her head and smiled sweetly. Amid Xie Yuanxun’s moment of stunned amazement, she threw a punch. Her fist went straight into his disgusting mouth, punched clean through, and burst out from the top of his skull, fingers dripping red with blood.

　　What a beautiful picture~

　　Xie Yuanxun, dead on the spot. His role, officially wrapped!

　　Shen Ling blinked, and the images in her mind shattered and disappeared.

　　The more beautiful the fantasy, the more brutal reality became.

　　Shen Ling said, “Your Majesty, you’re joking with me, right?”

　　Xie Yuanxun replied, “I’m not.”

　　—Damn it, you really were thinking of feeding me poison?

　　—Why don’t you feed it to yourself, you bastard.

　　Xie Yuanxun looked at her. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

　　Shen Ling said softly, “I want to take this moment, before you poison me, to look at you properly and engrave your appearance deep into my heart.”

　　—Such sweet words. Hearing that, you should be moved, right.

　　—If you’re moved, then you won’t keep thinking about feeding me poison.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “Then look. Look carefully. Once you’ve seen enough, it’s time for you to be on your way.”

　　Shen Ling: “......”

　　—On your way? On what way? The road to the underworld?

　　—You you you you you you...

　　—This isn’t how the script is supposed to go!

　　—Aren’t you supposed to gently tell me you were just scaring me?

　　Shen Ling felt her worldview cracking, her expression completely blank. Xie Yuanxun, meanwhile, was in a pretty good mood listening to her inner monologue. He noticed she still had not let go of the pearl curtain while talking to him. He pushed her backward, pressed her against the curtain, and leaned down to kiss her.

　　Shen Ling was kissed and immediately started flailing wildly.

　　—You’re too cruel. You actually smeared poison on your mouth.

　　—Do you really want me dead that badly?

　　Xie Yuanxun burst out laughing. His lips were still close to hers. What on earth was she thinking, to actually believe his mouth was poisonous?

　　Shen Ling was basically slapped in the face by his laughter.

　　—What are you laughing at, idiot?!

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “I was teasing you. If you’re gone, I won’t have another Bao Fei. I’m not willing to let you walk the road to the underworld yet. You have to stay by my side. Even if I die, you’re coming with me to be buried together. You are not allowed to leave, not even a single step.”

　　To be honest, the latter half of Xie Yuanxun’s words was a bit terrifying. Shen Ling should have been scared hearing it. But strangely, she felt no fear at all. Instead, it gave her a sense of certainty that as long as he had not died, she would not die either.

　　Shen Ling opened her mouth and said, “Long live Your Majesty.”

　　—That’s really nice...

　　Xie Yuanxun looked at her for a moment. Nice how?

　　Shen Ling gave a shy smile.

　　—Long live Your Majesty. Long, long live.

　　—If you live long, I get to live long with you.    

　　—No one wants you to live long more sincerely than I do. No one!

　　Xie Yuanxun bit her cheek expressionlessly. “Long live? You want me to live long? Don’t you know the ones who live long are turtles?”

　　Shen Ling: “......That can’t be.”

　　—That's not a turtle, it's a soft-shelled turtle, a ten-thousand-year-old soft-shelled turtle.

　　Xie Yuanxun asked, “Does your cheek hurt? There are teeth marks now.”

　　Shen Ling: “Not at all.”

　　He bit her again. “Does it hurt now?”

　　Shen Ling: “Still doesn’t hurt.”

　　—You’re really biting me again?

　　—Bite me again and I’ll get my revenge!

　　Xie Yuanxun raised an eyebrow. Revenge? How exactly does she plan to get back at him? Bite his face like he did hers? He didn’t think Shen Ling would actually do it, but curiosity got the better of him. He bit slowly again. “Really doesn’t hurt?”

　　Shen Ling: “......Still doesn’t hurt.”

　　—I’m the one in pain here.

　　—Next time you kiss me, I’m biting your tongue in revenge.

　　—Hurting the dragon’s body is a grave crime, so I won’t harm the parts others can see. Biting your tongue? No one will notice. And even if they do, they’ll think you bit yourself. Serves you right.

　　Xie Yuanxun suddenly laughed. He forcefully freed Shen Ling’s hands from the pearl curtain and, without waiting for her reaction, carried her to the bed. He plunged in for a kiss, aggressive and unrelenting. Shen Ling didn’t even have time to think about biting his tongue. Her own tongue was tied in knots, her whole body melting under his kiss, soft and warm like water, tangled in his embrace.

　　—His kissing skills are improving too much. I can’t take it, ugh!

　　Xie Yuanxun thought, She was still thinking of biting my tongue? Is that it?

　　They tumbled on the bed until night fell. Shen Ling’s lips were swollen, her clothes torn and messy, so she changed into a fresh set. She staggered as she walked, head spinning. Oh my, after such a long kiss, it really feels like the world is spinning and stars are popping in front of her eyes!   

　　Shen Ling’s hand holding the chopsticks was trembling. She glanced up at Xie Yuanxun beside her. Damn it, why was he still so full of energy, not a hint of fatigue anywhere? Didn’t they say there’s only the exhausted ox, never the unplowed land? Why didn’t that saying apply to her and Xie Yuanxun at all?

　　Grumbling, Shen Ling shakily started eating. Was it because she hadn’t really been used yet? But the foreplay alone had already worn her out. If the main course came next, would she even survive?

　　But did Xie Yuanxun even know what “serving in bed” really meant?

　　It wasn’t just Shen Ling overthinking or being suspicious. Xie Yuanxun had a history. Back when he had her go to the Taiji Hall or the Chang Le Palace, he simply held her to sleep. Later came the various kissing “techniques,” which she had to teach him herself. Thinking this way, it was actually quite possible that Xie Yuanxun had no clue what serving in bed truly involved.

　　It sounded almost absurd, but consider this: Xie Yuanxun was an Emperor with a harem full of beautiful ladies. How could he not know what serving in bed meant? Yet he couldn’t even kiss properly. Not understanding the full meaning seemed almost natural.

　　No wonder he always teased her, touching her without ever really “going in.” Turns out he was just a clueless rookie who didn’t know how to make love.

　　Shen Ling looked at him fondly.

　　Xie Yuanxun frowned. “What are you looking at?” His voice was cold and serious.

　　Shen Ling withdrew her gaze, speaking with an oddly gentle tone. “Your Majesty, aren’t you tired at all?”

　　“Tired? You think I’m useless like you?” Xie Yuanxun replied.

　　Shen Ling kept smiling, her eyes soft.

　　—Ah, so innocent and pure after all.

　　—After all, you're a man. On the surface, you seem to be angry and have a bad temper, but it's just bluffing. I can understand; after all, you only have the body of an adult and the mind of a child.

　　Xie Yuanxun, “......”

　　What the heck?

    

    

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T/N: Let’s talk about Xie Yuanxun for a sec. This guy isn’t your usual yandere, okay? What he is, though… he’s dangerously, deliciously unhinged.

He’s crazy-smart and insanely bored. Normal life? Boring as hell. So he chases stimulation, danger, and mind games—basically anything or anyone who can keep up with his brain. Without that? He spirals. And yes… that can get dark if left unchecked. Often linked to suicide risk, too. Not because he’s weak, but because nothing feels worth staying for. (Won’t say more—spoilers, haha.)

Shen Ling = stimulation, anchor, proof that life isn’t completely dull. That’s why he’s possessive, playful-cruel instead of dead-inside cruel, and just… won’t let go.

Bottom line? He’s too smart, too powerful, too unstimulated, and accidentally emotionally feral. Not a “yandere” in the usual sense, but dangerously alive, and only human again because he finally found a reason not to be bored to death.

Honestly? Way scarier—and way hotter—than any basic “yandere” label 😌🖤   

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