Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C021 pt1

Her voice trembled with tears, and the hand raised by the black shadow paused, suspended in mid-air.

But it only lasted for a breath, because Meifang discovered that the force, though waning, did not relent, and continued to pull on the other.

"Meifang, don't move."

For a moment, everyone froze.

Wushuang's heart pounded with a mix of fear and urgency. She wondered why he had come, and worried that he might go mad and hurt Meifang. She could only frantically grab Meifang's hand, urging her to let go.

"How did you get here? Did you come for me?"

It wasn't Wushuang being delusional. What else could Ji Yang be doing, coming to the Marquis Changyang's mansion at night? Besides, he had done this before in his past life, sneaking into the Duke's mansion in the middle of the night, refusing to leave even when they tried to shoo him away. It was only later that he had the mansion of Lady Fengtian built.

Wushuang knew Ji Yang so well, his body, his unique scent, his voice. So when someone embraced her from behind, she was startled for only a moment before recognizing him.

A chorus of voices and footsteps echoed from afar, accompanied by the glow of lanterns. It seemed someone had heard the commotion and called for help.

"Who's there? Who's out there!"

"Go, quickly, don't make a sound."

Wushuang hurriedly pulled Meifang away.

As for Ji Yang, Wushuang wished he wouldn't follow.

Facts proved Wushuang had overthought it.

If he said he came for you, how could he not follow?

Actually, when Wushuang walked back, she tried to look behind her, but saw no one. Yet, upon returning, she had barely stepped through the door when someone followed her in.

Meifang was about to speak to her, and Xiaohong, who had been watching the courtyard, saw the young lady return and wanted to check on her. But someone had already entered the room before her, a man judging by his silhouette.

He was tall and slender, with long hair like a waterfall cascading to his waist, the ends slightly curled. He wore a long, dark robe with wide sleeves. In the dim yellow light, his face was as smooth and delicate as jade, but his brow was furrowed. His long, thick eyelashes cast two small, dark shadows on his face, beneath which flickered a veiled brilliance.

This wasn't a ghost, but a handsome man!

Seeing Meifang's surprised expression, Wushuang turned instinctively and saw the man standing behind her, and Xiaohong standing outside, speechless.

For a moment, her head felt as big as a bucket.

She didn't have time to ponder how he dared to follow so brazenly, nor to explain anything. She quickly pulled Meifang to the door and shut both her and Xiaohong out.

But when she faced Ji Yang, she didn't know what to say.

"You…"

Before she could finish, he spoke.

"Headache."

He said it with a straight face, his narrow eyes shadowed by faint dark circles, bloodshot and red. His usually handsome brow was tightly creased, giving him a tense, ready-to-draw-his-sword look.

Why was he coming to her with a headache? He should be seeing the imperial physician.

But Wushuang dared not say it, because she saw that Ji Yang was on the verge of an outburst. At this point, any unnecessary words would be asking for trouble, a sign of a death wish.

"Massage it for me."

He strode into the inner room and lay down on the bed, completely oblivious to the proprieties of men and women, and the fact that he shouldn't be intruding into a young woman's private quarters.

But when had he ever been mindful of such things?

In the previous life, Ji Yang had shown no such awareness. She was a married woman, yet he had summoned her to the palace without hesitation, and upon seeing her, had pulled her onto the dragon bed, 'favoring' her that very night.

This 'favoring' was how the palace people saw it, but in reality, though she had been on the dragon bed that night, nothing had happened between her and Ji Yang. He had simply held her and slept.

She had been terrified by the near-death experience of being nearly strangled by him, and hadn't dared to utter a word of protest. If he wanted to hold her and sleep, so be it. She hadn't dared to resist in the slightest.

Within a few visits, he had bestowed upon her the title of Lady Fengtian. Fengtian, meaning to serve the Son of Heaven, leaving no room for ambiguity about their relationship, not even a fig leaf of pretense. He had even granted her a grand mansion, with a plaque prominently displayed, right next to her husband's home.

How could such a man have any sense of propriety?

But while he might lack awareness, she couldn't afford to. After all, times had changed. In the previous life, it was she who had broken off the engagement, causing him to lose face. She owed him a debt, and feared his unpredictable moods. In this life, they had a betrothal agreement, and she hadn't done anything wrong to him. She was still a pure and innocent young lady. How could she be so easily dragged onto a bed?

While Wushuang was still pondering this, the man who had already climbed onto the bed, but was waiting for her, grew impatient and looked over.

The moment she saw his bloodshot eyes, Wushuang cast aside all her reservations and hurried over.

She quickly assumed a position, ready to make this gentleman comfortable first.

She had already decided that once he was relaxed and his headache eased, she would speak to him. There had to be some clarity. After all, he, a grown man, had barged into a young woman's private quarters. If she, a pure and innocent young lady, didn't protest, people might think she was naturally promiscuous.

"Your Highness, if you have a headache, you should seek a physician, not me…"

"You have barged into a young woman's private quarters. I am a respectable lady. This is truly... truly…"

"Your Highness, please leave quickly, or I will call for help…"

Ji Yang had initially ignored her, but her incessant chatter was unbearable for his headache. The more she spoke, the worse his headache became. He opened his eyes and saw her pitiful expression.

Her words, which should have been righteous and firm, sounded like pleas.

What was she pitiable for? Was she feeling wronged because she had to massage him?

He then recalled Prince Wei's warnings against visiting her, citing the separation of men and women, her unique status as a woman not like others, the need to wait for the marriage ceremony, and the need to secure a proper title.

He had always been impatient with such things. If they told him not to come, he would come anyway. But now, hearing her mention calling for help, he only wanted to lie down, feel comfortable, be left alone, and sleep for a while. He didn't want to deal with anything else.

There were many ways to silence her, but considering her unique status as a woman who would one day be his princess consort, he patiently explained, "We have a betrothal agreement. The imperial decree granting our marriage will be issued in a few days. This doesn't count."

"Ev-even with a betrothal agreement, it's not right…"

She was a respectable lady from a good family. How could he be so reckless and unrestrained? By doing this, he was ruining her reputation as a young lady! He was putting her in a precarious situation! He was...

As she met his gaze, the rest of her words were swallowed back down. This demonic star's brows were already furrowed to the extreme. If she continued, things would go badly.

"Headache!"

Alright, alright, headache. No more talking.

Wushuang closed her mouth and diligently went about her task, even feigning a look of fear and distress to avoid suspicion.

Perhaps because he was feeling better now, Ji Yang had a twinge of conscience. After all, she was the woman destined to be his princess consort, a woman unlike others. He thought for a moment and reassured her, "No one will say anything about you."

"No one dares." He raised his sword-like brows, his eyes flashing with a fierce glint, as if to say, whoever dares to gossip will be chopped to pieces.

"But…"

"There are no buts."

Wushuang truly felt that this man was too domineering. Why did he always have to bully her? He did it before, and he still does it now. Was she truly destined to be bullied by him?

For a moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of heartache, grievance, and helplessness. Tears welled up in her eyes and flowed freely.

A tear dropped onto his forehead, and Ji Yang opened his eyes.

His thick, raven-black eyelashes cast two dark shadows on his porcelain-white face, within which flickered a hidden, obscure light, like the churning of boundless, tumultuous waves.

Ji Yang was actually quite thin, a thinness that made his facial features stand out even more, sharp and defined as if carved by a knife and an axe. It also gave him a delicate, fragile air, yet his aura was dangerous, capricious, and wicked, blending together to form a unique and peculiar presence.

"I came to find you, and you're going to make me feel sorry for you?" His voice was strained to the breaking point, as if it would snap at any moment.

Wushuang trembled her lips, but she dared not knowingly provoke a tiger when it was about to roar.

"No."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

If she wasn't crying, then why was she sniffling?

Ji Yang wanted to lose his temper, but seeing her pitiful appearance, he remembered the words, "She's no ordinary woman, I want to marry her and make her my princess consort." He endured the urge and reached out to pull her close, wrapping his arms around her. He used his sleeve to wipe her face.

"Don't cry. If you're tired from sitting, then lie down and sleep with this Prince for a while."

Wushuang was enveloped in Ji Yang's embrace.

She didn't dare protest, so she curled up in his arms.

After a few breaths, he seemed to find the position uncomfortable. He lifted her slightly, then patted her leg, signaling her to straighten her curled-up legs.

Wushuang dared not move, so she let him arrange her as he pleased.

In the end, he lay on his side, and she lay on her side as well. He held her in his arms, finally finding a comfortable position. He stopped moving and soon his breathing became steady.