Chapter Thirty-Three
Yunyi felt the foot pressing on her face grow heavier, the pain and terror nearly causing her to faint. Suddenly, she heard Fu Yixiao shout, "Don't—" The pressure immediately lessened. Seizing the chance, Yunyi gasped in several mouthfuls of damp air, her vision gradually clearing. She saw Fu Yixiao half-embracing Feng Suige, already pulling him aside.
Feng Suige turned his head, residual anger burning in his glare. "Don't what?" Yixiao met his gaze, startled, and immediately released him, stepping back. But Feng Suige had already noticed, his arm snapping out to pull Yixiao tightly against his chest. "Speak!!"
Yixiao tilted her head away from his scorching breath and replied awkwardly, "I meant, don't hurt her." Feng Suige sneered. "How magnanimous of you—didn't you hear what she said?" "I heard," Yixiao admitted, meeting his eyes calmly.
"She spoke of you so vilely. Why didn't you refute her? Are those sharp claws and fangs of yours reserved only for me?" Feng Suige was so furious his eyes seemed to blaze.
"If she trusted me, she wouldn't believe rumors. If she doesn't trust me, why should I explain myself?" Yixiao frowned slightly. "You're hurting me." Feng Suige hesitated, loosening his grip a little, his voice softening. "So you'll just let her insult you like that?"
Yixiao pushed back slightly, trying to create more distance, but Feng Suige refused to yield. Relenting, she said honestly, "If you hadn't come, I would've hit her myself. Since you're here, I left it to you."
Feng Suige couldn't help but chuckle. A faint whimper came from beside them—Yunyi had managed to sit up, her once-elegant makeup now smeared with dust, tear tracks and fingerprints crisscrossing her face, leaving her utterly disheveled. Yixiao's heart softened, and she said gently, "Let's consider the past settled. Go and apply a cold compress—it'll help with the swelling."
Humiliated and furious but not daring to act out, Yunyi covered half her face as she stood and bowed. Just as she turned to leave, Feng Suige called out, "I'll have the severance gold sent to you. Don't come back." Yunyi finally broke into sobs, kneeling and pleading, "Yunyi knows her wrongs, please, Imperial Son—"
"Get out," Feng Suige said coldly. Yixiao hesitated, glancing at him, but before she could speak, Feng Suige had already swept her away toward the rear chambers.
"Not angry anymore?" Half-carrying, half-guiding Yixiao back to the room, Feng Suige finally released her, smiling as he asked, "You're truly merciless toward women." Yixiao smoothed her crumpled sleeves and feigned nonchalance. "That Yunyi—you just sent her away like that?"
Feng Suige arched a brow. "If you think the punishment was too light, I can have her executed." Seeing his deliberate misinterpretation, Yixiao mirrored his expression. "If you don't mind, I'd prefer to do it myself."
To her surprise, Feng Suige agreed without hesitation. "Of course I don't mind. For speaking filth about you, the law dictates she should be beaten to death in the central court. But since our wedding period isn't over yet, it's inauspicious to shed blood, so..." He paused, studying Yixiao, who gazed back calmly, as if certain he would plead for leniency.Feng Suige rubbed his nose to hide the smile threatening to break out and continued, "I have a better idea. Dip her lower body in sealing wax—once it dries, it'll be airtight. Then hang her up and keep forcing her to drink water." He wasn't surprised to see Fu Yixiao's eyes widen further. "After a day, her belly will swell like she's ten months pregnant, and her skin will turn translucent. She won't die or lose consciousness for days, and her skin will be as smooth and beautiful as porcelain. Perfect for your bedside—she might even sing for you at night..." He finally couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Feng Suige!" Yixiao lunged at him, torn between gritting her teeth and laughing, trying to pinch him. "Say one more word, I dare you!" Feng Suige barely managed to block a few times before she got a solid pinch in, making him yelp and jump back, sucking in a sharp breath. "I forgot you were trained in the military—your grip is no joke. Hey, have you cooled off yet?"
The mirth hadn't fully faded from Yixiao's eyes, and hearing his question, she couldn't keep scowling. She scoffed, "Am I like you?" Seeing his relieved expression, she added, "I told you I remember everything." Feng Suige chuckled again. "You really can't stand to lose, can you? Fine, remember all you want. We'll see who settles scores with whom later."
Yixiao ignored him and walked back to the table, pouring herself a cup of tea. Feng Suoge couldn't think of anything to say, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
"So... when is your birthday?" Feng Suige suddenly blurted out after a long pause. The light in Yixiao's eyes dimmed briefly before she laughed. "Why ask now? Isn't it a bit late to check our compatibility?"
"Of course not," Feng Suige replied, uncharacteristically flustered as he scratched his head. "It just occurred to me that we rarely talk about ourselves, so... I asked." Yixiao eyed him suspiciously. "Really? Why does only the first and last four words of that sentence sound smooth? Are you scheming again?"
Feng Suige scowled. "What scheme could I possibly have? You think I'd use your birthdate for witchcraft?" Yixiao's gaze sharpened. "Oh right, that is a possibility." He was momentarily speechless, and just as the tension threatened to return, Yixiao suddenly laughed. "But even if you wanted to do something bad, you couldn't. I don't know my birthday."
When Feng Suige stared at her in disbelief, she glared back. "You know my mother was just a servant. No one ever celebrated my birthday growing up, and I never asked her when I was born. It's normal not to know, so what—" She trailed off as Feng Suige's gaze softened with an unreadable emotion. His expression gentled imperceptibly, and Yixiao's brow twitched before she turned away sharply toward the window. "What's with that look? Are you pitying me?"
"Not pity," Feng Suige murmured, blinking and lowering his eyes to the ground. "With your temper, you were probably born in summer. Anyway... it's not far off. Let's celebrate together then."Yixiao turned her head in confusion. "What do you mean 'not many days left'?" Feng Suige suddenly roared awkwardly, "Why do you have so many questions? It's not like they're taking you to be executed!"
His inexplicable outburst angered Yixiao. "You just can't go a few days without quarreling with me, can you?"
Feng Suige clenched his fists tightly at his sides, raising them halfway in agitation before forcing them down with restraint. "You're the most foolish, most clueless woman in the world!" he spat bitterly.
Yixiao narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. "Explain yourself clearly. Even if I am foolish and clueless, so what? How much smarter are you than me? What right do you have to scold me?!"
"What right?!" Feng Suige nearly jumped out of his skin in rage. "I'm trying to do something nice for your birthday, and you ask me what right I have?!"
"Hey, are you even making sense?" Yixiao glared at him for a moment before suddenly making a strange expression. "You said you want to celebrate my birthday? I don't even know my birthdate. How would we celebrate?"
Feng Suige pointed at her furiously. "You weren't even listening properly to me..." Seeing Yixiao's face darken again, he swallowed his remaining words with restraint and lowered his voice. "I just said that judging by your temper, you were probably born in summer. We can celebrate our birthdays together then!"
"Oh," Yixiao responded absently, still not quite processing. "How can you tell someone's birth season from their temper?"
With a loud bang, Feng Suige kicked a nearby palace stool far away. "Are you even listening to me?!" he roared. Yixiao jumped in fright and scowled back. "Feng Suige, what's wrong with you? What exactly are you trying to say?!"
"What am I trying to say?! I'm saying in a few days we'll celebrate our birthdays together!!!" Feng Suige glared at her through gritted teeth. Yixiao's mouth opened slightly as if realizing something, then suddenly gave him a charming smile. "I know what you're talking about now."
Feng Suige froze, quickly averting his gaze as a suspicious blush spread across his face. "If you know, then that's enough. I'll make the arrangements... I need to go study in the library now," he muttered gruffly, then strode out with his head down.
Yixiao's eyes curved into crescents as she called out just before he crossed the threshold, "You could have just said straight away that your birthday is in a few days!"
Feng Suige tripped over the doorstep and nearly fell, stumbling forward several steps before barely steadying himself against the wall. Behind him came Yixiao's unrestrained laughter. Without turning back, he quickened his pace even more.
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