Chapter 17: Brother Yi

Under the escort of several bodyguards, Zhuang Jianxi returned to the villa, which was dazzling with lights in the night.

It was like a towering temple, magnificent and resplendent, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

A wave of sadness washed over her.

Just a few months ago, she was a free bird, soaring in her own colorful dream sky, painting at will.

But in the blink of an eye, she had become a plaything in the hands of the powerful, at their mercy, unable to resist, and with nowhere to escape.

Qiu Yixun sat calmly on the sofa, his expression indifferent, his eyes hiding emotions that were difficult for others to fathom.

Zhuang Jianxi walked in like a puppet, her long eyelashes drooping, her heart filled with desolation.

She didn’t know how to face this man who was her husband in name only. If Qiu Yixun really wanted to take her by force tonight, she didn’t know if she would have the strength to resist.

Or maybe she should just give in. She wasn’t some virtuous woman. When he got tired of her, he would naturally set her free.

Qiu Yixun’s gaze fell heavily on her, his tone unusually calm, “Come here.”

Zhuang Jianxi’s fingertips trembled, her body remained motionless, still standing stiffly in place.

After a moment of silence, Qiu Yixun slowly stood up. As soon as he moved slightly, the wound on his abdomen began to bleed.

He furrowed his brows slightly, but his steps remained firm as he approached her.

His tall figure cast a shadow over her. Zhuang Jianxi’s first reaction was to escape, but as soon as she took a step back, Qiu Yixun grabbed her wrist tightly.

Fear gnawed at her heart, she didn’t dare to look up.

She had hurt him, was he going to punish her now? Would it be verbal reprimands or physical torture?

She had heard rumors that Young Master Qiu was vindictive, ruthless, and those who offended him would never have a good end.

Zhuang Jianxi couldn’t help but let her mind wander. Her already pale face became even paler, and her body couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

As long as he didn’t harm the Zhuang family, her brother, and her mother, she was willing to endure anything.

Qiu Yixun felt the coldness of Zhuang Jianxi’s palm and looked at her somewhat disheveled appearance.

Her hair was disheveled, her eyelashes fluttering, like a frightened little animal, fearful, vulnerable, yet stubbornly refusing to yield.

The gloom in his heart had dissipated the moment she returned, leaving only a sense of pity and heartache.

He knew it was his fault for not controlling himself.

Zhuang Jianxi and him were not familiar, and their beginning was so unsavory. With her strong sense of self-esteem, how could she willingly be at the mercy of others?

As the old saying goes, everything depends on the right time, place, and people. He should have been patient and taken things slowly.

He was too eager, and he couldn’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.

Thinking of this, Qiu Yixun couldn’t help but feel remorse. He reached out and gently stroked the strands of hair that clung to her cheeks and forehead, his voice soft.

“Are you stupid? If you’re scared, just find a room in the villa to hide. It’s so dangerous for a young girl to run out at night.”

Zhuang Jianxi still kept her head down, silent.

She had indeed encountered danger, and it was thanks to her quick thinking that she escaped unscathed.

But it was all his fault. If he hadn’t had ill intentions towards her, she wouldn’t have lost her mind.

Qiu Yixun scanned the girl’s thin, trembling body, bent down and patted the sand and grass that had stuck to her arm, frowning, “Did you run to the lake?”

The Lakeside Villa was quite a distance from the villa, she actually ran all the way there?

Qiu Yixun didn’t receive a response from Zhuang Jianxi, so he couldn’t help but lift her chin and meet her gaze, “You slashed me with a knife, I didn’t even hold it against you, why are you still angry with me?”

“Speak.”

Zhuang Jianxi raised her eyes to meet his deep, abyss-like gaze. Her pale face held no expression, her eyes unfocused.

Qiu Yixun was slightly taken aback.

Zhuang Jianxi’s eyes were beautiful, with long, crimson tails and black and white pupils that were as clear as water, exceptionally clean and glassy. Yet, they were also easy to see through, revealing her various emotions of fear, aversion, vigilance, helplessness, and confusion…

Qiu Yixun’s heart softened instantly, and he couldn’t bear to question her anymore. He turned to instruct Butler Song to boil some ginger soup.

After being exposed to the wind and frightened late at night, how could she not drink some ginger soup to ward off the cold?

Qiu Yixun directly held Zhuang Jianxi in his arms, soothingly stroking her head, and, breaking his usual pattern, apologized in a low voice.

“I’m sorry, I lost control tonight.”

Zhuang Jianxi stiffened all over, unsure of what was happening before her.

She had injured him, and instead of punishing her, he was holding her and apologizing? This didn’t seem like Qiu Da Shao’s style…

Butler Song, who was about to go to the kitchen, was also surprised for a moment when he saw this, then shook his head and sighed.

The man’s embrace was warm and wide, and Zhuang Jianxi was slightly dazed. She felt her eyelids heavy, her whole body exhausted to the extreme, and she didn’t have the strength to push him away.

Qiu Yixun felt her docility and was somewhat surprised. Just as he was about to say something, the person in his arms went limp and was about to fall.

He caught her in time, lowered his head and saw that the girl’s eyes were closed, and she had fainted.

Qiu Yixun frowned, immediately bent down and carried her horizontally, shouting, “Call the doctor!”

Ignoring the tearing pain in his abdomen, he strode towards the bedroom.

“Oh, Young Master, your wound…”

Butler Song saw the blood-stained gauze on Qiu Yixun’s wound and was flustered. He hurriedly went to call the family doctor.

They were young and wouldn’t feel the pain of a late-night disturbance, but her old bones were nearly falling apart.

In the bedroom, the pale girl lay on the bed, her hair disheveled, looking so fragile and pitiful.

The family doctor arrived quickly, carefully examined her, and prescribed some medicine to calm her nerves and nourish her heart.

“She fainted from fright and exhaustion. She’ll be fine with some rest.”

Qiu Yixun’s tense expression finally relaxed, and he sat on the sofa beside the bed, allowing the family doctor to re-stitch and medicate his torn and bleeding wound.

The doctor admired Qiu Yixun’s pain tolerance. Others would scream in pain, but he didn’t even flinch.

After finishing, the family doctor instructed, “Young Master Qiu, be careful not to make any big movements with your wound.”

Qiu Yixun nonchalantly hummed in response. After Butler Song sent the doctor away, he brought in the ginger soup.

“Put it down and leave.”

Butler Song looked at him worriedly, but said nothing and left.

Qiu Yixun sat quietly leaning against the balcony outside the bedroom, his gaze fixed on the sleeping figure on the bed.

He lightly touched his fingertips, lit a cigarette, and his tall figure was enveloped by the rising smoke, his whole body filled with an indescribable loneliness and coldness.

His eyes were vacant and distant, the girl’s figure in front of him gradually blurred, as if shrinking into the image of a ten-year-old girl.

His thoughts were stirred by a gentle breeze, passing through the cracks of time, drifting towards the distant and warm years of his youth.

Every scene there was so clear, yet so unattainable.

He seemed to hear the childish words “Brother Yi” echoing in his ears…