Mei Lin picked up the sweet potato, peeled it, and though the aroma was enticing, she suddenly lost her appetite. She placed it on a plate beside her, then got up and walked towards the basin stand. As she slowly washed her hands, she thought to herself that this man was just here to make her uncomfortable. But this was his place, so he could do whatever he wanted, and she couldn’t be bothered to say anything even if she could.
“Bring it here, I want to eat it,” Murong Jing He suddenly said, watching her slender back.
Mei Lin dried her hands with a cloth, not responding immediately. She debated whether she should throw the basin of water at him, smash the plate and sweet potato on his head, or simply feed him obediently. In the end, she just returned to the brazier, continuing the chess game she hadn’t finished, treating him as if he were just a piece of furniture.
Murong Jing He was used to being ignored by Muye Luomei, but that didn’t mean he could tolerate being disregarded by Mei Lin. However, he wasn’t about to embarrass himself by shouting at someone who didn’t even acknowledge his presence.
So when Mei Lin truly forgot about him and fully immersed herself in the game, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. Before she could react, she was pulled down to the floor along with the heavy object pressing on her.
“Who gave you permission to be so insolent in front of me?” Murong Jing He’s voice was full of anger as he held her down, his arm around her neck, his face close to hers as he gritted his teeth.
He was still wearing his mink coat, which he hadn’t removed since coming inside. Mei Lin, after regaining her senses, realized that it was quite warm. Since she couldn’t get up immediately, she decided to stay like that for a moment. But she quickly noticed that he had moved on his own, making her think how unfathomable this man was and how much she lagged behind him.
When Murong Jing He received no response for a long time, he leaned forward and saw her lying on the carpet, staring blankly into space, her mind elsewhere. Annoyed and helpless, he leaned down and bit her ear hard.
Mei Lin flinched from the pain, her scattered thoughts snapping back into place. Without thinking, she pushed him off her back and sat up. She touched her throbbing ear, and when she looked at her fingers, she saw a smear of blood.
This man was truly wicked! She glared at him, lying on the ground with a smug expression, and in a fit of anger, she didn’t care whether she might kill him or not. She flipped over, straddling him, and began hitting and scratching him like a common street brawler, completely abandoning any thought of martial arts techniques.
“You wretched girl... daring to strike me, you don’t want to live anymore?” Murong Jing He had expended all his energy just to reach her, so there was no way he could avoid her blows. In an instant, his face was bruised and swollen.
Mei Lin paid no attention to his words and continued her assault without mercy.
“You damned servant... filthy woman...”
“Shrew... let go of me... I’ll have your entire family executed...”
Murong Jing He cursed nonsensically, and soon his face was black and blue, but despite his threats, he didn’t call for anyone to come in.
If she had any family, she wouldn’t have ended up being mistreated by him. Mei Lin’s blows gradually weakened as she vented all the anger and sorrow that had been building up since she realized he had intentionally silenced her voice. When she calmed down, she knew he had allowed her to hit him, otherwise she would have been dragged away by now. Seeing his face in its colorful, pitiful state, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had gone too far.
“Had enough? If you’re done, get off me!” Seeing her staring at him with a smirk, Murong Jing He snapped.
Mei Lin raised her hand, and just as he thought she was about to hit him again and closed his eyes in reflex, she gently wiped away the blood trickling from his nose. Then, under his surprised gaze, she helped him up and settled him back into the chair.
His fur hat had fallen off when he hit the ground, and now, as he sat up, his black hair cascaded over his shoulders. His once handsome and noble face was now a mess of bruises and blood, truly hard to look at.
After the brief satisfaction of venting her anger, Mei Lin felt a tightness in her chest again. She quietly walked to the basin, emptied the water, refilled it with clean hot water from a kettle, and wrung out a cloth to wipe the blood from his face.
“People say you shouldn’t hit someone in the face, but you went straight for it!” Murong Jing He tilted his chin up as she lifted his jaw to clean his wounds, complaining as he obediently let her wipe away the traces of their scuffle.
Mei Lin’s heart skipped a beat; this man always knew how to make people soften toward him. Fortunately, she couldn’t speak now, so she didn’t have to respond.
Dissatisfied with her silence, Murong Jing He grumbled a few more times before raising his trembling hand to grasp her wrist.
“Are you still angry with me?” he asked. The question left him feeling uneasy, and his words became more biting. “I’ve been lenient with you because you saved my life once. Have you forgotten where you come from? Or have you made up your mind to betray...” Betray the organization or betray him, he didn’t say, but seeing her remain unmoved, he added angrily, “Do you realize that if I wanted to kill you, you wouldn’t have survived until now?”
From the beginning, he had only seen her as a death soldier from the secret organization, someone who was meant to be used however he saw fit. So when he plotted to silence her, he didn’t feel any guilt. Now, he was just unused to seeing her attention not focused on him, so he allowed her to act out, thinking he was being generous. In his mind, this was a great favor, and she should be moved by it, if not outright grateful.
Mei Lin had just begun to feel a bit of softness in her heart when his words doused her like cold water. A wave of indescribable sorrow surged through her, and she tightened her grip on the damp cloth before resolutely pulling her hand away from his grasp.
Just as Murong Jing He was about to explode in anger at her ungratefulness, he saw her kneel before him, bowing her head to the ground. Just like the first time he had summoned her, her gaze fixed a foot in front of his feet, her expression blank.
Murong Jing He felt a tightness in his chest, then a surge of rage. He raised the hand he hadn’t yet withdrawn and slapped her hard across the face. Though he didn’t have the strength he once had, he still hit her with all his might, causing her head to jerk to the side, a handprint blooming on her pale cheek. But she didn’t react, simply kneeling back into position like a dutiful death soldier, leaving Murong Jing He trembling with anger.
“Someone, take me back to the courtyard!” he shouted furiously. He left without so much as a glance at Mei Lin, still kneeling on the ground.
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