Life had been too peaceful lately, so much so that Chu'he had completely forgotten about the male lead. If it weren't for White Dove kindly bringing up Song Chunming, she wouldn’t have even remembered that she still had an extremely burdensome engagement.
Ninth had an exceptionally good temper. When he didn’t get an immediate response from Chu'he, he didn’t show any displeasure. Instead, he leaned closer, his face inches from hers, smiling warmly.
“From the way you addressed him, he must be a man, right?”
Chu'he’s scalp prickled. She cleared her throat. “Yes, he’s a man.”
“Is he good-looking?” Ninth toyed with the end of Chu'he’s braid, wrapping it around his finger, his breath warm and sticky. “Better-looking than me?”
This time, Chu'he answered without hesitation. “Of course he’s not as good-looking as Ninth!”
“For Chu'he to say he’s not as good-looking as me, you must have examined his face very carefully to answer so quickly and decisively, hmm?”
Chu'he wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. “Did I? Did I answer that quickly? You must have misheard. I still need time to think about it properly.”
“Chu'he still needs time to think?” Ninth poked the little butterfly hairpin on her head, making its wings flutter incessantly. “Or are you just trying to come up with an excuse to deceive me?”
The scene felt eerily familiar to Chu'he.
Indeed, the boomerang of karma always came back to slap you when you least expected it.
Ninth kept touching her here and there, not pressing for an answer. He had plenty of ways to pass the time, as if he had all the patience in the world to wait for her to speak.
Chu'he, however, was suffering. Her heart felt like it was being roasted over a fire, turning this way and that in agony.
“Chu'he, are you hot?” The white-haired, red-eyed boy was considerate, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead before cupping her face with his cold hands.
His lips curled into an innocent, gentle smile. “Let me help you.”
The way he looked at her, so utterly devoted and guileless, only made her conscience burn even more fiercely.
Chu'he truly felt like the worst person alive!
In a burst of impulsiveness, she grabbed Ninth’s wrist, her fingers turning white from the force, and blurted out, “Actually, that Mr. Song is my fiancé—arranged by my family!”
In an instant, the understanding, gentle, and kind smile vanished from Ninth’s face.
In its place was an expressionless mask, his crimson eyes churning with a deep, violent intensity, like a beast lurking in the abyss, ready to unleash chaos.
“Fi-an-cé?”
He enunciated each syllable, his red lips twisting upward with every word, the smile grotesque and eerie, as if the human mask he wore might tear apart at any moment, revealing the horror beneath.
A fierce wind howled around them, the oppressive energy so thick that the hidden insects in the corners grew restless. Even the little green snake slithered off Chu'he’s body and hid in the shadows.
Chu'he had never seen Ninth this furious before. Sure, he’d had his petty moods, but those were just playful quirks between lovers. This was different.
Trembling, she took a step back, only for him to yank her hand back with a death grip.
He smiled sweetly. “Am I not enough? Does Chu'he need another fiancé?”
The skin on his exposed arms rippled unnaturally, as if something beneath was losing control, desperate to break free and devour everything.
Chu'he forced herself to speak. “But that’s all in the past! Didn’t I tell you? You’re my fiancé now! I have nothing to do with that Song guy anymore—we’re not even strangers!”
Her words spilled out in a thoughtless rush.
Nothing to do with him?
Song Chunming had disappeared—where was she supposed to find him to break off the engagement now?
Ninth remained silent, his unnaturally red eyes boring into her, as if weighing how much truth was in her words.
After a long pause, he asked, “You only love me?”
Chu'he nodded frantically. “I only love you!”
“Only touch me?”
“Of course only you!”
“Only bear my children?”
“Yes, yes, only yours!”
Ninth pressed his lips together, leaned down, and pinched her chin with his cold fingers, forcing her scrunched-up face to meet his gaze. His voice was a low warning:
“Chu'he, though I’m shy, introverted, bad with words, and the most pure-hearted and kind…”
Chu'he’s eyelid twitched. Was he really sticking to this persona now?!
His lips curled into a smirk. “But my temper isn’t the best. What’s done is done, but from now on, don’t you dare lie to me or hide things. If you do it again, I’ll take you back to Miaojiang, and then—”
“I know, I know! You’ll lock me up, chain me down, imprison me in a pitch-black room, and torment me day and night, touching me all over!”
Ninth: “…”
Chu'he stole his lines, trying to lighten the suffocating tension. Carefully, she inched forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling into his chest with a pitiful whimper.
“Okay, okay, Ninth, let’s stop talking. I’m scared when you speak to me like this.”
She claimed to be scared, yet she clung to him tightly, her actions completely contradicting her words.
Scared? Yeah, right.
Ninth glanced down at the top of her head, where the golden butterfly hairpin adorned with emerald gems trembled pitifully, just like its owner.
How could he stay angry when she was like this?
It was like punching cotton—frustrating and unsatisfying.
The eerie wind dissipated, his skin settled, and the little green snake peeked out from the grass.
Chu'he secretly lifted her eyes, catching sight of Ninth’s sharp jawline. He still refused to look down, clearly sulking.
She hooked her pinky around his and swayed gently, making his newly bought jewelry jingle.
“Ninth.”
“My dear Ninth.”
“I already said I’d let you lock me up. Stop being mad, okay?”
Her sweet, sticky tone melted his resolve.
Ninth exhaled heavily through his nose and let out a displeased “Hmph,” but his arms wrapped around her limp, spineless body.
His pale, slender fingers combed through her long black hair, the contrast between their colors oddly harmonious.
“What do you mean by ‘lock you up’?”
Chu'he blinked. “You said you’d take me back to Miaojiang—wasn’t that code for imprisoning me and playing out some dark romance scenario?”
Ninth lowered his gaze, looking at her like she was the biggest idiot in the world.
"You're so weak—without light, you can't see a thing, stumbling around and getting hurt. It's better if I take care of you. Why would I lock you in a dark room?"
"All I meant was taking you back to Miaojiang and planting a love gu in you, so your heart would remember only me from then on."
"But the chains you mentioned, day and night, skin against skin..."
His eyes sparkled, as if imagining something thrilling. "That does sound rather intriguing."
Chu'he: "!?"
She had just dug herself into a massive hole!
