Favoring a Hidden Mistress? Engagement Broken-Chapter 132 - 104

Lu Ziyuan lit two red candles in one breath, turned to glance at her, and then walked to the table, sitting down by himself.

He lightly tapped the table surface with his finger twice before speaking, "I was wrong just now. Whether you believe it or not, I didn’t intend to hurt you."

Even as he said this, he found his own words weak, and Xie Wanqing merely sneered sarcastically.

Her lips and tongue were still numb.

To him, perhaps ’no harm’ meant not stripping her clothes off and forcing himself upon her.

Lu Ziyuan thought of this as well.

He tugged at the corner of his lips, aggravating the wound she had just bitten open, paused slightly, and said, "In that dream, I was always by your side and knew about many of your misunderstandings about me."

He raised his hand to pour himself a cup of tea, hardly composing himself before continuing, "Let me explain myself again: from beginning to end, I have regarded you as my wife without the slightest disrespect. Do not wrongfully accuse me of treating you as a concubine for amusement."

Saying this, he looked up at the person by the window, speaking strangely, "Who would treat a concubine they keep for amusement like that..."

"Shut up!" Xie Wanqing could not bear to hear him speak of such absurd matters of the bed.

Lu Ziyuan complied and stopped his words, seeing her on the verge of emotional breakdown and indeed not daring to provoke her.

Still, there was some grievance in his heart about being wrongly accused, so he quietly defended himself again, "All along, it was always me serving you..."

Under her icy gaze, he didn’t continue.

Again they fell into silence, for a while, he pointed to the chair opposite, "Aren’t you tired of standing there? Why not sit down for a bit?"

Xie Wanqing didn’t pay him any mind.

She saw through his stubbornness, knowing he was unmoved by either persuasion or force.

No matter how heartless her words were, he could always deal with them effortlessly. As long as he refused to let go, she was destined to be entangled with him for life.

He never cared about her thoughts or wishes, only about his own feelings.

A man like this, she had actually loved him for a lifetime.

Lu Ziyuan didn’t realize he had once again disappointed the one he loved. Seeing her standing unmoved at the window, he frowned slightly and said, "If you don’t want to come over, then at least move to another place. It’s very drafty there."

The autumn night wind grew colder, blowing in from the unclosed window. Xie Wanqing felt the cold wind wrap around her back, indeed feeling a bit chilly.

The weakness from her past sickbed days still fresh in mind, she cherished her healthy body now. Unless at a dead end, no one would willingly torment themselves.

The girl hesitated slightly for a few seconds and carefully moved aside.

That uneasy stance made Lu Ziyuan feel both pity and sorrow.

He longed to hold her and warm her body, but he didn’t dare.

She had spoken so harshly, he couldn’t discern how much was sincere and how much was said in anger.

But Lu Ziyuan knew clearly that he indeed needed to give her an explanation.

He couldn’t let her stew in her anger like this.

A competent general never fought unprepared battles, yet in front of her, he could never handle things calmly. Any hint of her disgusted gaze would undo him, leaving him irrational.

Lu Ziyuan gave a bitter smile, pinching the bridge of his nose, and spoke slowly, "You say you enjoy being with Pei Yuqing, I understand, it’s my fault for not being gentle enough, not thoughtful enough, making you easily moved by a little warmth. It’s not your fault."

The blame lies on that sickly one.

"But Wanwan, what I just told you is the truth. As long as I’m alive, I cannot watch you be intimate with another man, let alone become husband and wife, sharing a bed."

"This is my own stubbornness, a self-imposed dilemma," he continued, "but I can’t help it. If I could, I wouldn’t want to live as such a madman. As long as I’m alive, I can’t leave you, can’t let go of you, just want to have you."

How crazy this man was, she understood thoroughly.

Hearing such words again, Xie Wanqing’s expression was already as calm as a still pond.

She parted her lips slightly, "What do you want to do?"

Trap her here, force her to divorce?

Or trouble Pei Yuqing?

The worst would be him taking her purity here, in this room.

She wasn’t afraid.

At worst, they’d perish together. She’d consider herself as never having lived.

A dark fire blazed in her eyes, which Lu Ziyuan saw clearly, causing his breath to catch. He said, "It’s what you want to do, Wanwan. The choice is in your hands."

"I’ve made many mistakes and paid a painful price. At the root, you’re right. It’s my fault, I owe you, but even the worst criminal deserves a proper sentence."

At this point, he lifted his chin slightly and asked, "What kind of punishment do you intend to give me?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Wanqing instinctively replied, "The death penalty, you go die."

Lu Ziyuan’s expression remained unchanged as he slowly nodded, "You’re right. I owe Erqing a life, I should repay it to you."

He opened a hidden compartment, took out a dagger, and placed it on the table, smiling slightly at her, "Wanwan, come and take it."

Xie Wanqing stood motionless, not believing in the slightest.

"Once you’ve made your choice, come over,"

Lu Ziyuan lowered his eyes, no longer looking at her, "I truly love you. No one in this world will love you more than I do. Consider this as the last vestige of a madman’s conscience."

He said softly, "I remind you; this is your only chance to get rid of me."

"Come over now, pick up this dagger and kill me, and you’ll be free for the rest of your life. You can start a different life without a disgusting man like me coveting you again,"

At this point, as if recalling something, he chuckled softly, "You really understand me. Indeed, I am constantly aroused around you."

The dagger on the table, Xie Wanqing recognized it. She even had one exactly like it.

When she was fourteen, her snow blindness had healed, and Lu Ziyuan hurried back. At that time, she wanted to find the scholar who played the qin to comfort her, which made him very angry. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Usually, she would consider her fiancé’s feelings first, but that time, she was unusually unyielding, insisting on finding that person.

Lu Ziyuan was so angry he didn’t talk to her for a long time, and she didn’t care.

In the end, she couldn’t find the person, and meanwhile, she and her fiancé had a huge quarrel.

When the New Year approached, the two families exchanged New Year gifts, and the Lu family sent several invitations, but she was too embarrassed to visit his home.

Eventually, it was Lu Ziyuan who came to the Xie family to find her. He didn’t bring up past matters, just gave her a dagger, saying it was a New Year’s gift for her.

They reconciled, and neither of them mentioned the unknown scholar who caused their quarrel.

That was one of the few times in Xie Wanqing’s memory that Lu Ziyuan gave in.

It was just unexpected that the dagger would be a pair?