Chapter 7

Tangxiu was actually quite helpless.

If she hadn’t seen so many pampered young masters at the Spring Appreciation Banquet, who were so weak and frail, like unfledged chicks, lacking any strength, she wouldn’t have found Chen Yue appealing now.

…More than appealing.

Tangxiu felt that her taste had been spoiled by Chen Yue. She used to prioritize appearance, but now, whenever she encountered a man, she would subconsciously compare him to Chen Yue’s physique. Even those who didn’t meet Chen Yue’s minimum height, she wouldn’t even glance at twice.

Chen Yue’s influence on her was too great.

Thinking about this, Tangxiu lowered her eyes and stared at the water’s surface, refusing to look at Chen Yue again, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to control herself and rekindle their old feelings.

She simply said, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Chen Yue was also looking at the rippling water.

He said, “I have something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“This estate is your maternal grandfather…”

Before he could finish, Chen Yue caught sight of Tangxiu lifting her head and looking at him with a deep, unsettling gaze.

This look was different from before, full of danger. She didn’t like him calling it that.

Chen Yue paused slightly and changed his words. “Is it under Feng Weng’s name?”

Chen Yue’s maternal grandfather was Tangxiu’s maternal grandfather.

Tangxiu’s maternal grandfather was a renowned businessman in the capital, even throughout the entire Ming Dynasty. The emperor once summoned him during a relief effort and addressed him as Feng Weng. Over time, others followed suit.

Hearing the words Feng Weng, Tangxiu’s eyes quickly softened.

She hummed in agreement, her fingers gently stirring the water’s surface. “My grandfather heard about my divorce and sent someone to bring me the key. He asked me to come here to relax.”

There was a natural hot spring on the estate. Since it was still cold in the morning and evening, soaking in the hot spring to warm up might help improve her sleep problems.

Not only that, but her grandfather’s people had also sent her a large amount of pearls, jade, houses, and other estates. They had told her that Feng Weng wanted her to have fun and not worry about the divorce.

She definitely wouldn’t worry about it.

But she wondered if Chen Yue would.

With curiosity and a vague, indescribable emotion that might have been guilt, Tangxiu suppressed her restless desires and observed Chen Yue unobtrusively, trying to read his expression.

Then she noticed that Chen Yue had been working hard on his case these past few days. There were bloodshot veins in his eyes.

Chen Yue was incredibly perceptive. Almost the moment Tangxiu started observing him, he noticed her gaze. But he acted as if he hadn’t noticed and continued, “How long do you plan to stay here?”

Tangxiu said, “I don’t know.”

At least ten days or half a month. She wanted to see if the hot spring could improve her sleep. If it did, she would stay longer.

After all, there wasn’t anything major happening in the capital recently. If she didn’t show up and stayed at the suburban estate, no one would dare to disturb her.

But…

Was Chen Yue specifically here to ask about the estate?

It couldn’t be that the estate was haunted. Her grandfather was always very cautious about these things.

You don’t suspect your own family. Tangxiu didn’t think her grandfather had made a mistake. The mistake could only be on Chen Yue’s part. And given Chen Yue’s usual suspicious nature, since he had come uninvited, he must have already investigated the details of this estate. The Jinyiwei  had powerful connections and there wasn’t anything in Beijing that the Commander didn’t know.

In other words, Chen Yue was simply looking for something to talk about. He didn’t want to leave, so he was using this flimsy excuse to stall for time.

As for why he didn’t want to leave…

“Just say what you want,” Tangxiu was too lazy to guess the Commander’s thoughts. “What do you want to ask?”

Hearing the slight displeasure in her tone, Chen Yue looked up.

As he did, the bloodshot veins in his eyes became even more prominent, as if he hadn’t rested for days and nights.

Luckily, he didn’t make Tangxiu even more unhappy. He slowly said, “I investigated. These past few months, you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Tangxiu’s heart skipped a beat.

He actually used the word “investigated.”

After three years of sharing a bed, Tangxiu knew Chen Yue’s methods better than anyone. Since he dared to say that, it meant he had some evidence

He probably already knew the reason for their divorce.

Sure enough, Chen Yue said, “I asked those doctors, and I also went to the temple to see the master. They said you were having trouble sleeping, insomnia. Even when you were asleep, you would keep dreaming. At first, you even went days without sleeping.”

Breaking his usual silence, Chen Yue slowly moved closer, preventing Tangxiu from dodging, and looked deep into her eyes.

“What did you dream about?”

Tangxiu didn’t answer.

She calmly met his gaze. The information he had gathered wasn’t enough to expose her. It was common for married women to have trouble sleeping. He must have something else to say.

She was waiting.

Waiting for him to reveal his final card.

Chen Yue continued, “I interrogated the maids who served you at the Marquis’s Mansion. They said you wouldn’t allow lights or any light in your room at night. Even if you woke up, you wouldn’t let anyone light a lamp. But you clearly could sunbathe during the day. Until they thought back, you hadn’t been in the kitchen since you started having Liucai watch over you at night.”

As the Marquis’s wife, Tangxiu naturally didn’t need to cook herself.

But she enjoyed indulging in the finer things in life. Occasionally, she would be in the mood to go to the kitchen to see how the dishes she ordered were being prepared or to ask the cooks to try new dishes based on her ideas. Whenever this happened, she would stay in the kitchen for a long time. She would even light the fire herself.

Therefore, “You’re afraid of fire.”

Chen Yue’s tone was certain.

Tangxiu still didn’t answer.

But Chen Yue knew she had admitted it. He was more confident in his next guess.

Chen Yue glanced around.

The setting sun was like blood, spreading silently across the sky in vast swathes of crimson, as if it wanted to dye the entire heavens with its fiery color. The sky was gradually darkening. Many places on the estate had already lit lamps, but the hot springs remained unlit, as if Tangxiu didn’t need them.

Chen Yue looked back at Tangxiu.

The afterglow reflected in her eyes, as if flames were burning. Unexpectedly, she closed her eyes, and the flames disappeared. Her expression remained unchanged, calm as ever. She was still waiting for his next words.

Chen Yue took a step towards her, bringing them closer.

He was tall, and when he lowered his head slightly to look at Tangxiu, his broad chest almost touched her nose. The masculine, invasive aura hit her face, pressing down on her breath, preventing her from dodging in the slightest. The moist water vapor surrounded them, dampening their hair and wetting their eyelashes, soon forming beads of tears that slid down from the corners of her eyes, extinguishing the last flicker of fire. Chen Yue naturally raised his hand and wiped away the tears.

He lowered his head further, almost kissing her, and asked softly, “What happened in your dream that made you so afraid?”

Afraid enough to leave him, to leave the Marquis’s Mansion, at any cost?

Did she think he couldn’t protect her?

Chen Yue said with certainty, “Did you dream that you were burned to death, or that I was burned to death?”

Tangxiu suddenly held her breath.

More importantly…

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

His voice softened, his eyes even redder, as if he were choking back tears.

“Am I not your husband?”