Chapter Three: Jiao Jiao, You Wouldn’t Want to See People Go Mad Either, Right? (2/2)
Wen Zhijiao was startled. Squinting at the bright light, she couldn’t help but cautiously ask him about his concerns, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Yuancheng leaned closer to her face. As the proximity closed in, she could see her features being reflected in his very dark pupils. “You were saying that you find it uncomfortable when I hold you tightly in my arms. But it makes me wonder if it’s because of me that you’re feeling so uncomfortable. So, tell me—who exactly do you want to hold you if not me? Who would you rather lie next to you if not me?”
Wen Zhijiao: “… No one.”
Jiang Yuancheng’s tone was cold. “If there is no one, then why were you there? Why did you go there? Wen Zhijiao, do you really think that we’re done with today’s matter?”
But what if she hadn’t seen anyone at all?!
If things hadn’t worked out for her, then didn’t that mean that nothing really happened?
Wen Zhijiao honestly felt very confident with her justification; but she knew that responding this way would only ensure her that she wouldn’t have a peaceful night, so instead of insisting on her grounds like she would have wanted to, she decided to force out a smile and softly spoke, “It was just a class reunion.”
Jiang Yuancheng obviously didn’t think so. He shot her a look that was almost vicious, intently scrutinizing her expression for any flaws for quite some time. Then he suddenly moved, leaning even closer, as he held her waist again with his hands before slowly pressing his face against hers. “Sometimes, it really makes me wonder if you just want me to completely finish him off. Is the lesson I taught him not enough? Is the lesson I taught you not enough? Do I have to completely cut off his face before you finally give up on him?”
Wen Zhijiao was about to respond when he gripped her shoulder with his cold fingers again, one of his fingers slowly sliding onto her collar and sensually stroking its exposed skin. “What is exactly about him that makes him worthy in your eyes—that makes you reluctant to let go even though he’s almost comparable to an ant that one can just simply crush with a hand? Are you still so hung up on the past? Still unable to let go?”
Honestly, who wouldn’t long for the past when she’s stuck here, suffering from you?
Wen Zhijiao could almost feel her emotions teetering on the edge, but she also suddenly had a bad premonition in her heart. Immediately, she couldn’t help but speak in a hurry, trying to coax him to settle his emotions down. “Yuancheng, calm down, okay? We can still talk about this tomorrow. I really want to rest right now.”
“No, you can’t sleep now. Answer me!” Jiang Yuancheng showed no signs of being appeased and became even more agitated. “Why did you choose to go? Did he force you? Did he come looking for you? Is he in this room right now?!”
By the end of his questions, he was nearly shouting. His expression was full of suspicion and agitation from this point on.
Wen Zhijiao was rendered speechless after hearing all his accusations, failing to understand where all of this was coming from. However, Jiang Yuancheng was still completely convinced of his speculations. Without warning, he suddenly stood up and shoved her onto the bed. After he moved away from the bed, he began tearing through the room—yanking back the curtains, flinging open the wardrobe, and rummaging through all the drawers. In his frenzy, glass ornaments could be seen shattering across the floor, while books would tumble down with loud thuds, the chaos filling the room with a cacophony of noise.
Sure enough… he was going mad again…
During his frantic search, Jiang Yuancheng still didn’t even forget to take a few calls from work, proving just how he was really a dedicated businessman. Behind him, Wen Zhijiao felt almost exasperated in her heart. The noise mixed with Jiang Yuancheng’s voice made her eyelids twitch, and she was almost tempted to scream.
Over the years, the way he succumbed to madness was always refreshingly new. It had always been consistently different, never failing to deliver her a different shock every time.
For others, living with an emperor might feel like they were living with a tiger; but for her, being with Jiang Yuancheng gave her the feeling that she was currently trapped with a mad concubine in a cold, desolate palace.
Watching him frantically tear the room apart while talking on the phone, Wen Zhijiao took a few deep breaths. Carefully, she slid her feet out from under the blanket and quietly got off the bed. Lightly tiptoeing toward the door, she was hoping to find another empty room to sleep in. But unfortunately, before she could even make it that far, she accidentally caught his attention.
He turned to her without expression as he abruptly ended the phone call in his hand. His gray eyes darkened, pupils dilating, as he fixed his gaze on her. “And where do you think you’re going? Are you planning to find him?”
As he asked those words, he quickly walked to her, his slightly lame foot causing him to stagger a little in each of his every step.
Wen Zhijiao’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted to…”
At this time, Jiang Yuancheng had already reached her figure. His gaze was filled with suppressed coldness as he suddenly extended out his hand and snatched her wrist. “So, tell me! What are your plans then?! Where are you exactly going?! Are you planning to see him again?”
Honestly, she was also on the verge of madness.
She wanted to go mad.
When would this day finally end?
Despite being on the brink of emotional collapse, Wen Zhijiao still tried to force herself to look at him while placating him with a smile. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she then softly whispered to his ear, “I was just wondering if you are feeling better now. You’ve been venting for so long. Did your mood finally ease up?”
She continued, “As for going out, I’m not exactly leaving. I just wanted to ask the servants to prepare you some snacks. It’s already so late, and yet you still seem so… tired and hungry. Well, are you hungry?”
The gloom in Jiang Yuancheng’s expression finally faded a little. Before she could even realize it, he was now affectionately nuzzling his face against her arm. “So, you weren’t really thinking of running away from me?”
“Is there some kind of misunderstanding?” Wen Zhijiao tried to keep her tone as calm as possible, though she was nearly grinding her teeth as she spoke. “Of course, there’s no way I would ever leave you. I only attended the reunion party because I wanted to show off to my classmates that I was able to marry into a wealthy family. Honestly, if you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have even thought about that ex-boyfriend of mine. How could he even be relevant to me when he’s nowhere near your level? And besides, it has been so many years for me to still dwell on the past.”
Wen Zhijiao’s eyes blinked.
Jiang Yuancheng pursed his lips tightly. There was a hint of affection in his eyes, but when combined with his somewhat sinister expression, it created an unsettling distortion, making him appear twisted toward you. “Then why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you take me with you?”
Wen Zhijiao eventually closed her eyes before speaking in a solemn tone, “Well, you are so great. What if someone suddenly tries to snatch you away from me.”
Finally, she tugged at his sleeve.
Jiang Yuancheng immediately grew agitated, his eyes narrowing, as he tightened his grip around her waist. He spoke quickly in reassurance, emphasizing every word to her. “No, you don’t have to worry about that. I will never be taken away from you, nor will I ever leave your side. We’re engaged… and we’ll get married in the future. You’re the only one for me, and I’m the only one who should ever be yours!”
Could you not please use too much force?
Wen Zhijiao’s waist extremely ached to the point her tears almost spilled out from her eyes. However, she also couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief in her heart, her back nearly soaking in cold sweat from the fear.
She kept her arms wrapped around his neck for a few more seconds before slowly pulling back, guiding him later on to her bed to make him obediently sit over there. “I can see that you have some dark circles under your eyes. Have you been so anxious to return home that you weren’t able to give yourself some rest? Ah, and it’s also raining! Your legs… you must be finding it uncomfortable right now. Would you like me to give you a massage?”
As she spoke, she stretched out her hand, but at the same time, she also suddenly realized that she couldn’t exactly remember the leg that he had been injured in. Her hand then couldn’t help but awkwardly freeze in the air. However, it was only for a few seconds because Jiang Yuancheng suddenly grasped her hand and had it pressed against his chest while sullenly murmuring under his breath, “Right here… I don’t think I’m feeling well here. It feels uncomfortable here. It feels uncomfortable.”
She was a bit taken aback. “Really?”
Could it be that Jiang Yuancheng was finally going to die from the madness brought on by the intense strain of his emotions?
Jiang Yuancheng silently nodded. Taking her hand, he then led her to the bed to lie down with him. Like a child cradling with his treasured toy, he gently tucked her into his arms while pressing her hand deep into the quilt.
Soon enough, he was peppering her with some kisses again, and she allowed it. While she was allowing him to kiss her, Wen Zhijiao couldn’t help but catch a whiff of his scent.
In that moment of her dazed state, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was sinking into the deep sea like a blind, soft-bodied creature that was being guided through the kelp forest and climbing over some coral reefs.
Slowly, she was getting increasingly tired, her eyelids feeling heavy.
Jiang Yuancheng raised his chin, the bluish-green veins on his neck tightening for a moment, while he was looking in a bit of a daze. After a while, he lowered his head and stretched out his tongue to lick the tears that had stained her face. At his gesture, Wen Zhijiao’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she were uncomfortable, but she made no further movement.
He buried his head in her neck again, inhaling her scent before reaching out his arm to turn off the light again. He then pulled the quilt over them, covering even the top of their heads, as if he was trying to isolate themselves from the outside world in this semi-enclosed space.
Wen Zhijiao curled up in his arms while trying to steady her racing heartbeat. However, as she did, her consciousness slowly began to drift in and out. Eventually, she found herself falling asleep. But unfortunately, her rest remained uneasy, filled with fleeting moments of discomfort.
In her dream, there seemed to be a violent crash before a faint scent of blood suddenly grew stronger, overwhelming her senses. In the darkness, the air turned stifling and hot while there were constant rustling and distant screams echoing around her in the background. Chaos filled her ears, mixed with the pungent scent of gasoline. Aside from that, a warm, sticky feeling seemed to spread over her skin, making her body tense with a familiar, sickening dread…
She had no idea where those screams were coming from.
“The accident happened at the intersection of Xinpu Road. And the situation is really bad! It was a serious crash, and there were two injured people—a man and a woman!”
Immediately after, the scene began to shrink down infinitely, followed by countless other screen-like images appearing one after another. These images twisted and distorted, transforming into a streaming river of light that rapidly poured itself toward a massive book. With a thunderous “boom,” the enormous book suddenly absorbed in all the traces of light and shadows before slamming itself shut with a huge force. On its cover, a line of golden text seemed to momentarily hover before it was later covered in the next second by several heavy chains that tightly sealed the book.
The chaotic dream was then immediately shattered with a long bang. Wen Zhijiao snapped her eyes open, her heart pounding wildly against her chest, while her lips felt dry.
She stared up at the ceiling blankly, her heart beat still seeming to echo within her ears. The intense palpitation and the sticky sweat on her forehead had left her in a daze; and yet she barely noticed it as her mind was still consumed by the fleeting golden text she had seen from her dream:
《Total*********** Temptation》[Locked]!
T/N: Next chapters have longer texts, so it might take some time to update. Don’t worry. I’m not going hiatus. Just give me a few days to write haha, but I’ll be returning next week to update this book again.
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