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Chapter 26 — Confession
“Consider me, won’t you?”

In the darkness, their faces were indistinguishable. The silence was so profound that even a pin drop would be audible.

Thus, when Pei Shang spoke those words, his held breath and chaotic heartbeat were laid bare before Yu Mingyao’s eyes.

She gazed into those luminous eyes amidst the gloom, and an unexpected wave of sour ache surged in her chest.

The boy’s honest and forthright heart was like a raging fire, pouring everything into warming her frozen soul.

But unfortunately, she was no longer the pure white gardenia she once was. After enduring hardships and bitter winds, the hopeful ripples of a young girl’s springtime heart were no longer within her.

Seeing her sink into silence again, Pei Shang merely smiled. His voice dropped even softer and gentler, like a loving husband coaxing a little wife throwing a tantrum for no reason.

“Mingyao, are you ignoring me again? Did I make things difficult for you? Then hit me, I’ll let you hit me.”

He picked up her hand and pressed it against his own cheek.

The gesture was grand, but the force behind it was so light it felt like a tender kiss.

When her exposed skin brushed past his cold lips, a shiver rose from the back of Yu Mingyao’s neck. Her little finger curled and she resolutely withdrew her hand.

Unexpectedly, Pei Shang did not let her pull it away.

His large hand covered hers and pinned it against the window ledge.

The window lattice was rough and scratched at her skin. As Yu Mingyao struggled, Pei Shang’s voice rose.

He was only a foot away from her. The man whose voice was usually bright and full of joy now let out a faint sigh.

“It’s Sixth Young Master, isn’t it? You disappeared on the same day as him.”

Yu Mingyao’s heart tightened at those words, and she looked up at Pei Shang.

But Pei Shang’s gaze had already passed over her, falling into the void.

“Sixth Young Master admires you. Did you know that?”

Finally, he lowered his head and glanced at her.

“I…”

Before Yu Mingyao could finish her words, she saw Pei Shang seem to tire, exhaustion weighing down his shoulders.

He released her hand, turned his back to her, hunched slightly, and hung his head low. His voice carried a faint weariness.

“I knew long ago that he had feelings for you. But I didn’t expect him to hide it so deeply, even deceiving me.”

“But then again, that man seemed devoid of human desires. Even monks seem warmer than him. Now that he finally wants something, of course he would carve it deep into his bones.”

“Do you know how I met Sixth Young Master?”

Yu Mingyao didn’t know. Ever since she had known Xie Zhuoguang, Pei Shang had always been inseparable from him — not biological brothers, but closer than brothers.

Xie Zhuoguang would occasionally even stay overnight at the Pei residence, and the Xie household treated this as routine.

She had never seen anyone from the Xie household worry about him like a typical family — whether he ate well, dressed warmly, or if he was in danger outside.

— Never.

In her previous life, whenever she caught sight of his cold, handsome face, her heart would quietly soften. She knew he was lofty, with a noble lineage she couldn’t fathom, and his conduct was impeccable. He didn’t need her pity.

But many times, as she sat listening to lectures in the academy, her mind would wander, and her gaze would unconsciously drift to his tall, slender back.

When seasons changed, everyone knew to wear more layers. Even Pei Shang, the carefree one, had family nagging him to bring a hand warmer.

But she had never seen Xie Zhuoguang cared for like that.

He was always alone, with only Cheng Qing by his side — who wasn’t a talkative person either.

Both of them wore thin garments.

Though their marriage had started without much honor, she had thought about being a good wife to him, so he wouldn’t always wear that lonely expression.

His birth mother had passed away early, his younger siblings were favored by their father — everyone else lived in harmony. She had wanted to give him a child, to let him have a happy and complete family too.

Thinking of this, Yu Mingyao lowered her eyes, her voice turning hard and cold:
“Don’t speak of him anymore. I don’t want to hear it.”

As soon as these words left her lips, the previously wounded and desolate Pei Shang suddenly brightened, like a flower blooming between his brows.

His smile deepened, though he didn’t turn around, his eyes sparkled with light.

“I knew it. Mingyao still cares about me.”

“Alright, I won’t speak of him anymore.”

“No matter how much he admires you, I won’t let you go.”

Pei Shang raised his head, turned back to her, and spoke solemnly.

“Mingyao, you are a pearl. Even if you’ve momentarily been tainted with a little mud, your brilliance can’t be hidden. Whoever is fortunate enough to admire you — that is his blessing.”

“Sister—”

“Consider me, won’t you?”

Long after Pei Shang left, those words still echoed in her ears.

Yu Mingyao sat by the window, gazing out into the pitch-dark courtyard where not a single figure could be seen, feeling as if Pei Shang’s visit had been nothing but a dream.

When the night breeze blew, the lingering trace of him vanished completely.

A faint light fell on her snow-white face, making her appear particularly lonely.

So young, and already stunningly beautiful, eclipsing all others. Her chin was sharp, and when her face was expressionless, her eyes carried a chilling aura.

A gust of wind swept through, bringing a biting chill.

It was cold.

Yu Mingyao gathered her thin shoulders, closed the window, and lit the candles inside.

The candlelight flickered. As she slipped off her spring robe, a near-perfect figure was revealed.

Her shadow cast on the window screen showed a distinct, alluring curve.

Holding her nightgown, she suddenly froze as if she had seen something.

Lowering her head, her gaze landed on a small mole on her chest.

This mole, the size of a sesame seed, sat in a delicate spot — just above the curve of her breast, at the point where her heartbeat pulsed.

Even on the bed, Xie Zhuoguang had always been proper and restrained. Early on, she had been very afraid of him, always feeling as if she had defiled the bright moon in the sky.

After their wedding night, he didn’t come to her quarters for some time. Only when she, suppressing her shyness, stewed a bowl of soup for him did he finally step into her room.

Even then, during their intimacy, his face remained cold. At first, she merely endured it passively, only opening her eyes slightly when she could bear no more, to glimpse his expression.

His coldness would melt into an unbearable heat whenever his eyes fell on this little mole.

Though his face stayed impassive, even colder than usual, the heavier pressure and faint urgency of his movements told her he was not indifferent to her.

Yu Mingyao slowly slid her hand downward, her fingertip pressing against the tiny mole.

She couldn’t imagine another man kissing her there, giving her pleasure and joy.

Nor could she imagine Xie Zhuoguang’s cold, noble face hovering over another woman, showing her the side of him that no one else had seen.

Just thinking of that scene made her eyes sting painfully.

That strong, lean, explosive body was hers — it could only be hers.

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(…The second half of the text begins with a scene shift to Xie Zhuoguang arriving at the Xie household — )