Chapter Eighty-Nine: That Particular Interest

“Yes. If I make this decision, then I have to follow it step by step. There’s no other choice.” Nian Yuchen wanted to be cautious, but he had no alternative. Aside from a slight psychological resistance, he found himself with no reason to refuse this marriage. After all, Cheng Manli was so outstanding, more than enough to be his equal.

“Before you make this decision, you need to consider yourself. After you’ve made it, you must think of everyone’s feelings. You can choose not to love, but you mustn’t choose to hurt. Love may need passion, but feelings grow over time, and adapting to circumstances creates stronger bonds.”

Mai Xijun leaned on the railing, looking at Nian Yuchen.

In truth, Nian Yuchen was a handsome man, around thirty, cultivated and knowledgeable, gentle and refined. His elegant features always showed calmness in the face of honor or disgrace, as though nothing in the world could disturb his composure.

Nian Yuchen pressed his lips together and smiled lightly, but he did not object. Matters of the heart are always hard to explain; some feelings are simply different.

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They had been standing by the river for so long that Mai Xijun began to feel cold, rubbing her arms from time to time.

“Where do you live? Let me drive you home.”

Nian Yuchen stood up calmly. Although Mai Xijun’s visit tonight hadn’t solved his fundamental problem, at least he had spoken his heart. He was grateful for her attentive listening, no longer feeling the oppressive silence that once weighed him down.

Let things take their course. Tomorrow’s engagement ceremony would proceed as planned, barring any surprises.

Nian Yuchen parked the car on the slope outside Mai Xijun’s residence. Shen Yanlie lifted the curtain halfway, looking down at the scene with a faint smile tugging at his lips, his eyes cold and sharp.

He had wanted her to stay with him, but she refused, instead meeting another man. Mai Xijun, that woman, truly needed discipline.

“Be careful on your way back,” Mai Xijun bent over and waved to Nian Yuchen in the car, smiling.

But after seeing Nian Yuchen off, she sensed something and looked up to find her window brightly lit. Beside the half-open curtain, she saw a tall, slender figure...

A wave of tangled emotions surged in Mai Xijun’s heart, making her restless and irritable as she stormed upstairs.

Shen Yanlie sat on the sofa, legs crossed, waiting unhurriedly. His long fingers tapped lightly on his knee, exuding an air of leisure.

Hearing the clattering footsteps, Shen Yanlie didn’t even look up, instead closing his eyes to rest. He feared that if he didn’t restrain himself, the fire smoldering within would erupt and overwhelm his reason. For the first time, he felt that if he truly lost his temper at her, even he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

He had always believed he was in control, never easily swayed by others. Even when Xie Yunting left, he was in pain and grief, but his rationality still prevailed.

But now, he felt the flames within him growing, and if he didn’t vent them, they would surely consume him.

Mai Xijun opened the door, unsurprised to find Shen Yanlie there. Naturally, she placed her keys on the bar, bent to change into slippers.

As she climbed the stairs, her thoughts raced. She realized that unless he clarified the boundaries between himself, Xie Yunting, and her, she could never get along with him. She wasn’t a concubine, and would never let herself be discarded as she was by Xue Lizan.

“You were gone for so long. Where did you go?” Shen Yanlie rubbed his brow with one hand, his voice thick and nasal. But Mai Xijun, lost in her thoughts, didn’t notice, and even if she did, she would have ignored it.

“I went to see a friend,” Mai Xijun replied blandly, her tone neutral and detached, her eyes seemingly oblivious to joy or sorrow.

Normally, this would seem fine, but Shen Yanlie, already furious, found her attitude infuriating. It was as if she was deliberately provoking him.

“A male friend, was it?” Shen Yanlie slowly opened his eyes, shifting his hands to rub his chin, languidly and carelessly. Yet there was an arrogant wildness in him that couldn’t be ignored. His voice was calm as still water, but it exerted a heavy pressure.

She’d had enough of this feeling. She truly had.

“Yes. A man. Why? Is that forbidden?” Mai Xijun raised her brows, glaring at him defiantly. She’d had enough of his obsessive possessiveness. She belonged to him, but other women could also claim him.

Whenever she thought of him charming other women, cooking delicious meals, saying those domineering yet stirring words, she couldn’t help but challenge him.

“No. No man but me is allowed... including Mo Shaoxing,” Shen Yanlie said, his voice unyielding, the intimidating light in his dark eyes dimming.

Mai Xijun stared at him in disbelief, fearless. He sat there, exuding authority without anger, a dense aura of danger like a beast ready to pounce.

His eyes were like those of a hawk—deep and inscrutable, cold and arrogant, scrutinizing her with rare seriousness, stripped of jest and reckless abandon. He embodied the air of a king in the jungle, and it struck her heart like a nail, piercing her innermost softness.

“So, you do have a sense of humor,” Mai Xijun’s eyes stung as she quickly lowered her gaze, looking elsewhere, afraid he might pierce her soul if she looked at him any longer.

So he knew everything—not blind, not indifferent.

But her little stone was irreplaceable. He had once treated her so kindly, patting her shoulder when she was helpless and saying, “Little Pudding, don’t be sad, don’t despair. As long as you don’t lose hope, everything won’t be lost.”

“Whether I’m humorous or not, we’ve shared a bed for some time now. Don’t you know me well enough?” He deliberately prolonged the last syllable, making his words sound ethereal and unreal, but the wicked curl of his lips made clear he was challenging her.

She knew he meant what he said, yet she still treated his words as wind passing her ears.

Mai Xijun forced herself to be more composed, squeezing out an awkward smile, her expression stiff. “If sharing a bed for a long time is the measure, then I suppose there are plenty of women who know exactly how many hairs you have on your body.”

With these words, a sudden, inexplicable relief washed over her. She smiled brightly, her expression alluring and enchanting under the bright lights.

Shen Yanlie suddenly laughed, uncrossed his legs and moved with slow, graceful composure. He was refined, yet rebellious and unfathomable.

“I’m actually quite interested. I wonder if you’ve counted how many hairs I have. Maybe... I’d be willing to give you the time to look carefully.”

Smiling, he advanced step by step, seeming to threaten but speaking with a veneer of propriety.

Mai Xijun’s lips twitched involuntarily. At this moment, Shen Yanlie’s eyes flashed with a frightening light, and her heart skipped a beat, suddenly empty. She began to retreat step by step as he moved forward; with every step he took, she retreated several small steps, until her back pressed against the wall, with nowhere left to go.

Shen Yanlie’s lips curled into a sinister smile, as if she were an intriguing but powerless prey, and he was poised but not rushing to strike, waiting for her to offer herself.

“I’ve said it before: if you love me, I’ll never give you to anyone else, even if I die. If you don’t love me, I still won’t let you go with anyone else, even if you die.” He had declared his ownership more than once, but she still met other men in secret, stirring up ambiguity.

It wasn’t just others—just Mo Shaoxing under his nose was enough to make him want to warn her. Mo Shaoxing was wise enough to recognize her special place beside Shen Yanlie and wouldn’t touch her, but every time Shen Yanlie saw her smiling at another man, happier than when she was with him, he wanted to crush her bones, break her wings, and keep her forever in his grasp.

Mai Xijun was trapped, glancing at the door, but Shen Yanlie was quicker, locking the door with a swift move and pressing her firmly between his body and the wall. His arm trapped her by the neck and collarbones, immobilizing her and forcing her to tilt her head and meet his gaze.

He rubbed her chin, scrutinizing her closely.

They were inches apart, their breaths mingling. He tightened his grip, his gaze icy as he seized her chin. “Mai Xijun, is it that whenever I treat you a little better, you become reckless?”