Being able to hear her voice in a dream was truly a luxury—how could he bear to wake up...
"Xiao Jue... Xiao Jue, wake up. It's time for your medicine."
How he wished it were her feeding him medicine every day. If that were the case, no matter how bitter or foul the medicine tasted, he would drink it all without hesitation...
But how could a woman even men admired and respected stoop to feed someone like him medicine...
For a moment, his organs twisted in discomfort, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
The voice stopped, and a hand gently touched his forehead. Startled, Xiao Jue opened his eyes. In his blurred vision, a familiar yet unfamiliar silhouette appeared. He couldn't believe it, wanting to blink and see if it was real or an illusion, but afraid that if he blinked, the person before him would vanish. "Yan'er..."
"Are you uncomfortable? Why are you frowning like that?"
Seeing Xiao Jue staring at her as if he'd seen a ghost, Leng Yan raised an eyebrow. "What, don't you recognize me?"
Xiao Jue remained stunned, greedily taking in the sight of the person before him. She had matured a bit more compared to three years ago, grown even more enchanting, yet still carried that same calm and composed demeanor—enough to make his heart race and falter. For Xiao Jue, his heart nearly stopped beating.
"You... how is it you... you... are you real..."
Hearing Xiao Jue's incoherent and stumbling words, Leng Yan raised her hand and gave him a solid knock on the forehead. Xiao Jue cried out in pain.
Leng Yan shot him an exasperated glare. "Pathetic... Now do you know if I'm real or not?"
Xiao Jue nodded blankly. It wasn't until Leng Yan carefully fed him the entire bowl of medicine, spoon by spoon, that he finally snapped back to reality.
It was her. It was really her.
But...
"You... why are you here..."
Leng Yan set down the empty bowl and ruffled Xiao Jue's hair. "I came to settle accounts with you."
"What accounts..."
Leng Yan gently touched Xiao Jue's gaunt cheek, narrowing her phoenix eyes as she leaned in close—so close that Xiao Jue could smell the fresh fragrance of her hair. He held his breath nervously as she spoke in her cool, clear voice, "I heard someone has been harboring improper thoughts about me, and for many years at that."
Xiao Jue froze, pursed his lips lightly, and turned his face away.
She was a favorite of the Emperor and Empress, while he had always been a key surveillance target of the Imperial Surveillance Agency. It was no surprise if she knew his feelings, but... in her eyes, they were nothing more than "improper thoughts"...
Xiao Jue gritted his teeth softly. "No..."
"Really not?"
"No."
Leng Yan sighed softly and turned his face back toward her. "Then I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me... I've always had improper thoughts about you. I've waited for you all these years without a single word from you, and I've grown into an old maid. This time, don't blame me for being forward."
Before Xiao Jue could process her words, his pale lips were captured in a warm, soft embrace. The blanket covering him was thrown aside, and his clothes were swiftly removed until he was completely exposed. Seeing his emaciated, skeletal body laid bare before the one he loved, Xiao Jue turned his face away in agony. Even he found his own body repulsively ugly to look at—how much more must she...
"Don't look..."
"You like me. I know."Without hesitation, Leng Yan removed her garments, revealing the tall, curvaceous figure coveted by countless young nobles in the capital. She pressed Xiao Jue’s limp hand against her chest. "I love you, and you need to know that."
His hand rested against her soft, smooth skin, feeling the rapid, powerful beat of her heart. Strangely, this clarity sobered Xiao Jue. Unable to break free, he simply gazed at her steadily and said in a low voice, "Yan'er... don’t do this. I’m already ruined... Don’t taint yourself..."
Leng Yan straddled Xiao Jue’s trembling body. "Whether you’re ruined or not isn’t for you to decide... I’ll be the judge of that."
"Yan'er..."
She lifted his weak waist, propping three cushions beneath his lower back so he could clearly see everything she was doing. Then she reached for his most vulnerable part, handling it with tender care and patience, determined to awaken the dormant member.
Xiao Jue looked at her almost pleadingly. "Yan'er, stop... It’s useless..."
If his body had shown even the slightest response, he would never have allowed the embroiderer to torment him like that...
But he didn’t want to disappoint her, nor let her see him in such a state...
"If it works, will you marry me?"
"Yan'er..."
"Will you marry me or not?"
"Yan'er..."
"Then it’s settled."
With decisive resolve, Leng Yan sealed his protests with a deep, lingering kiss. Her delicate tongue slipped into his mouth, tracing the bitter taste of medicine on his tongue and teeth. Meanwhile, her hand continued its patient ministrations, gradually feeling the slumbering member stir, rise, and stand firm...
A triumphant smile curved Leng Yan’s lips as she met Xiao Jue’s gaze. "You may lie, but it won’t."
Xiao Jue had never known that being passionately kissed by the one he loved could bring such bliss—a joy worth dying for. Already intoxicated by her kisses, he grew restless but lacked the strength to seek more from her. "Yan'er..."
"Still won’t admit you love me?"
"I love you... I do..."
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes..."
Only then did Leng Yan kiss him again, slowly guiding his swelling desire into her own body. She moved with a steady rhythm, allowing him to release himself within her.
"Xiao Jue... I loved you from the moment I first saw you. How dare you make me wait so long..."
"Forgive me..."
"You’ll have to make it up to me."
"Yan'er... I’m not worth it..."
Leng Yan arched a delicate brow. "It seems you still haven’t realized your mistake."
"Yan'er..."
She straddled him once more...
It wasn’t until she was certain Xiao Jue had truly exhausted every last ounce of his strength that Leng Yan finally relented.
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