CHAPTER 32 (PART 2)

The man of the house even lusted after her.

However, since he was fat, ugly, and his family wasn’t particularly wealthy, Shi Li’s character had always looked down on him. She deliberately avoided him whenever possible.

This had enraged him.

He incited his wife to make life miserable for her, thinking he could wear her down and force her into submission.

Shi Li’s character, however, had been stubborn enough to resist, suffering greatly as a result.

She said all this just to prove that her life hadn’t been easy, hoping Shen Jingyan would feel more balanced in his heart. However, he didn’t seem to be paying attention to her words.

He lightly tugged at her sash, and her robe instantly loosened, revealing the plain undergarment beneath, made of rough linen. It was so simple that not even a single flower was embroidered on it. Perhaps due to her poverty, the fabric was barely sufficient, barely covering her fullness while remaining tightly stretched.

Shen Jingyan examined her as if inspecting a long-lost possession, now back in his hands, carefully checking for any damage.

When his hand grasped her softness, Shi Li nearly lost her mind. “Shen… Shen daren…”

“Shh.” Shen Jingyan raised a finger to her lips, gently pressing down. “Don’t make me angry.”

Shi Li fell silent instantly, watching in disbelief as he pulled away her undergarment. Overwhelmed by shame, she closed her eyes tightly.

When he pressed her onto the bed, she caught a hazy glimpse of herself in the copper mirror inside the room. Seeing her ragged, beggar-like appearance, she couldn’t understand what about her had caught Shen Jingyan’s eye—what made him willing to touch someone who looked like a soot-covered monkey.

One by one, her coarse garments were cast to the floor. Soon, she had nothing left to cover herself with, whereas Shen Jingyan merely lifted his robes, not even bothering to remove his boots. The stark contrast between them made Shi Li want to curl up, but under his imposing presence, she had no choice but to lay herself bare before him.

When he finally took her completely, the pain was so intense that Shi Li turned pale. It wasn’t just psychological—it was real, physical pain. Because the male lead of this world… was truly terrible at this.

She had married him at fifteen, but due to various circumstances, they hadn’t consummated the marriage until she was nearly eighteen. By then, her body had matured significantly, yet even on their wedding night, she had nearly passed out from the pain.

It was unbearable—truly unbearable. He never meant to be cruel; he was simply born awful at this. Every time they were together in the past, it felt like torture. She never imagined that after all these years, he had made absolutely no improvement. In fact, he had gotten worse. At least before, he made some effort to be gentle. Now, he didn’t even bother. An already terrible experience had now become even more agonizing.

Unable to endure the pain, Shi Li abandoned all pretense of pleasing him, gripping his sleeve tightly, even biting down on it. His sleeve quickly became damp with her tears and saliva.

Shen Jingyan’s response to her struggle was only to become even more ruthless.

By the time the sun had completely set and torches were lit outside, Shi Li felt like half her soul had left her body. She curled up on the bed, her tear-filled eyes watching as Shen Jingyan sat at the table, elegantly sipping cold water.

She turned her gaze toward the paper window. The flickering torchlight revealed the silhouettes of the cavalry still standing guard outside. They had never left. Which meant that everything just now…

Realizing that all of her cries had been heard, a sense of utter despair flashed through Shi Li’s eyes.

Shen Jingyan turned and caught her expression. A mocking smile curled his lips. “Even you feel shame?”

Shi Li was too exhausted to respond.

“Shame is something you should discard, my lady,” he said, slowly approaching. “After all, everyone in the capital knows that you once eloped with a woodcutter. If you truly feel ashamed, I’m afraid you wouldn’t last even three days.”

As he spoke, he reached out and brushed aside the sweat-dampened strands of her hair, his tone casual as if they were merely chatting. “Tell me, my lady—between me and the woodcutter, whose service do you prefer?”

Shi Li: “…”

He had tortured the woodcutter for days on end. There was no way he didn’t know that she and the man had never done anything. He was only saying this now to humiliate her. But of all the ways to mock her, why pick this? To Shi Li, it was nothing but self-inflicted disgrace on his part.

Of course, she couldn’t say that aloud. Not only could she not say it, but for the sake of survival, she had to put on a pitiful act.

Her eyelashes trembled as she closed her eyes in despair. A perfectly timed tear slipped down her cheek. “Just kill me.”

The moment she said it, she regretted it. What if the male lead had become so twisted that he actually killed her on the spot?

Just as she was feeling anxious, she heard a soft chuckle. She took the opportunity to open her eyes, locking onto his dark, unfathomable gaze.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 120%

Shi Li: “…” Beast. He had already slept with her, yet instead of lowering, the hatred value had increased by another 10%.

“You wish to die?” Shen Jingyan’s gaze shifted slightly. “With your beauty, how could I bear to let you die so easily?”

He leaned down to whisper in her ear, his voice light and teasing. “This body of yours, my lady—I am quite fond of it. Naturally, I can’t let you die just yet.”

Shi Li: “…Just kill me!” This time, she swore, she truly meant it.

A cold glint flashed in Shen Jingyan’s eyes, but it vanished quickly. He removed his outer robe, leaving only a single inner garment on his body.

Shi Li’s heart jumped. “What are you doing?”

Before she could react, Shen Jingyan wrapped her up in his robe, hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

Shi Li struggled, panicking. “N-no! I’m not wearing anything underneath!”

“You don’t consider my robe as clothing?” Shen Jingyan countered.

Shi Li bit her lip and awkwardly explained, “But I have nothing underneath! If the robe comes loose, and with so many people outside…”

“Then, to preserve your honor, my lady will have no choice but to take her own life in public,” Shen Jingyan said calmly, his words terrifying. “If you are unwilling, I can assist you.”

Shi Li: “…” Who the hell needs your help?!

As her mind raced to find a way out, Shen Jingyan suddenly grabbed her ankle and dragged her toward him. His movements were too forceful, pulling at her injuries. Her face instantly turned pale from the pain. Ignoring her muffled groan, he hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

Shi Li: “!!!”

When had this so-called weak scholar become so strong?!

— When the male supporting character was exiled, he worked as a laborer repairing city walls. Later, after returning to the capital, he trained in martial arts. He was no longer the weak scholar he once was.

Shi Li hadn’t expected a casual complaint in her mind to be met with an answer from the system, leaving her momentarily speechless. By the time she came back to her senses, Shen Jingyan had already carried her outside. She panicked and clutched the robe tightly to prevent herself from exposing anything inappropriate, fearing she might be forced to “take her own life” in front of everyone.

Shen Jingyan placed her on a horse and mounted behind her. The pain in her body instantly intensified. She uneasily shifted against him, trying to find a more comfortable position, but when she felt his body react to her movements, she froze completely.

…Was this man some kind of beast? Did he never get tired?

As if reading her thoughts, Shen Jingyan let out a soft chuckle, his breath brushing against her earlobe, sending a numbing sensation through half her body.

She was frozen stiff—not from pleasure, but from sheer terror.

Every second on horseback felt like an eternity. Shi Li knew very well that Shen Jingyan intended to take her away on horseback, and sooner or later, she would have to endure this suffering.

Since it was inevitable, it was better to get it over with. Enduring the pain that made sweat break out across her back, she forced herself to speak in a low voice, “Lord Shen, are we not leaving?”

“Where does my lady wish to go?” he asked in return.

Shi Li immediately shut her mouth and continued to endure the ride, though her mind kept wondering what he was waiting for.

It didn’t take long for her to find out. His soldiers had captured more than a dozen villagers, dragging them into view. Shi Li took a closer look—sure enough, they were all people who had bullied her. Among them was an entire family of six, the very same one she had been doing laundry for.

She frowned, unsure of Shen Jingyan’s intentions. Just as she was about to ask, she heard his indifferent voice whisper near her ear—

“Kill them.”

Instantly, agonized screams filled the air.

But they only lasted for a few seconds before being silenced, every single one of them cut down. One person’s blood even splattered onto Shi Li’s face.

It was warm. And sticky.

Shi Li’s eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t until Shen Jingyan pulled on the reins to turn the horse around that the searing pain in her body reminded her to snap back to reality.

…Shen Jingyan had just slaughtered more than a dozen people in front of her—with a single sentence.

The gruesome images of their final moments flashed before her eyes, and her stomach twisted. Unable to hold back, she bent over and vomited.

Most of it landed on herself, but some splashed onto Shen Jingyan as well. However, she no longer had the energy to care. Her vision blurred, pain wracked her body, and the shock was too much to bear. Everything went black as she lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying on an incredibly soft bed, covered with and surrounded by fine silk. Though fabrics of this quality were common in the modern world, in this ancient era with its limited production capabilities, they were an absolute luxury.

…Shen Jingyan must have embezzled quite a lot over the years.

That was Shi Li’s first thought.

Now fully awake, she tried to move, but the sharp pain immediately drained all color from her face. Sweat beaded on her forehead like she had come down with a serious illness.

She collapsed back onto the bed, unwilling to move anymore. Only her mind remained active.

The bedroom she was in was enormous, and from the furnishings alone, she could tell it was of the highest quality. That, she hadn’t expected. She had assumed that after bringing her back, Shen Jingyan would lock her in a dungeon—or at the very least, throw her into some firewood storage room. She never thought he would place her in such a luxurious chamber instead.

Yet she didn’t feel relieved at all. Based on her past experiences, the better Shen Jingyan treated her, the more terrifying the revenge that awaited her would be.