So what if she's my sister-in-law? You seduced me first.

It was pitch black at night when Ning Yu quietly slipped back to Rong'an Hall with the box, and it was already past the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The room was dimly lit. She walked back from the veranda, pushed open the open window with a creak, and jumped inside.

After landing, she placed the box on the table next to her and gently closed the window tightly.

After finishing all this, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and planned to turn on the light to wash up.

Just as he touched the table, he suddenly froze, looked closely, and saw a figure sitting on the soft couch.

In the dimly lit room, only their silhouettes were faintly visible, but even if she were reduced to ashes, she would still recognize who the man sitting there was, and her breath caught in her throat.

"I'm back."

The emotionless voice sent chills down Ning Yu's spine. She slowly moved her body by the moonlight and gave a soft "hmm".

"Where did you go?"

Xie Xun had been waiting for her here for almost an hour. When he returned and found that she was not there, he immediately questioned the guards who were on guard, saying that she had not left the house at all, so she must have climbed out of the window.

Both the main gate and the side gates of the mansion were guarded by people from the East Garden. She didn't go out, so where could she have gone?

The atmosphere was too oppressive. Ning Yu could feel the intense pressure emanating from him and didn't know whether to tell the truth, so she remained silent for a moment.

Xie Xun leaned back and brazenly scanned her from head to toe. His seemingly calm gaze gave off an oppressive atmosphere, making Ning Yu feel breathless with tension.

"Let me guess, did you go to see your older brother?"

Ning Yu stiffened, and in the dark, she picked up the box and walked to the soft couch.

"I'm going to get the silver."

The moonlight outside the window illuminated the brocade box on the couch. Xie Xun glanced at it and looked at her in silence.

Ning Yu leaned closer to him and whispered, "My dowry and betrothal gifts were all at the Mo Academy. I went there secretly and took all my silver notes."

"Do I need your money?" Xie Xun lifted her up with one hand. "Do you need me to go to the Ink Academy?"

The sudden closeness made Ning Yu subconsciously take a step back. It was too close; she could clearly see his dark, unfathomable eyes.

The thought of her going to the Ink Academy and possibly meeting with her elder brother alone, and what they might have done, made Xie Xun's suppressed anger almost explode.

Ning Yu was held by the back of his neck and her whole body fell into his arms. She could feel the intimidating aura around him, so she quickly sat up and comforted him.

"There was a bracelet in my dowry that my mother gave me. I thought that I would be following you in the East Garden from now on and would never be able to go back, so I went to get it. I didn't see the young master."

Xie Xun believed her lies; not a word of truth came out of her mouth. "Didn't I tell you that people who lie to me never have a good ending?"

Ning Yu seemed to have a temper rising as well, her eyes reddening as she met his scarlet eyes.

"You won't believe anything I say, so why are you asking me? I just went to get the money, I'm not lying to you."

"You want money? I'll give you money. Isn't the East Garden's treasury enough for you? Why do you have to go to the Ink Academy?"

She seemed to have reached her breaking point, saying, "You still want to get married. If you ever tire of me, will I still be able to freely spend the money in Dongyuan?"

Was she afraid he would reject her? Xie Xun looked at her expression. "You said you were going to get the bracelet, where is it?"

"I couldn't find it, and fearing I'd alert the guards, I took the money and came back."

Do you think I'm easy to fool?

Hearing his cold voice, Ning Yu seemed determined not to argue anymore. "If you don't want to listen to my explanation and think I'm entangled with the Crown Prince, then go ahead and kill me. Anyway, no one in your Xie family can tolerate me."

Xie Xun was so angry at her listless attitude that he wanted to strangle her. He picked her up and was about to take her back to the East Garden.

Ning Yu struggled to push him away, then angrily bit his shoulder, her eyes reddening.

"If I follow you, does that mean I have to get your permission to go anywhere, and I'm not allowed any freedom? You control everything I do."

"Yes." His voice was sinister. "You must stay by my side and keep your distance from my brother. No one else in this world will dare to take you in except me. Going to my brother won't help."

As he spoke, he pressed her down onto the couch, ripped her clothes open with a tearing sound, stripped her naked, and looked her up and down.

The room was dimly lit, and Ning Yu couldn't see his expression clearly. She felt goosebumps rising on her skin from his stare.

But she really didn't want to argue with him in front of the old lady, so she secretly pinched herself, and tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

There were no red marks, only traces left by him.

The strange jealousy surging in Xie Xun's chest subsided somewhat. He was preoccupied with many things, yet he had wasted nearly an hour sitting here. When he learned of her news at the Mo Academy, he wished he could skin the two of them alive.

When he saw her come back, he even wanted to grab her by the neck and interrogate her about whether she couldn't let go of her older brother, whether she still wanted to escape, and whether she didn't want to follow him.

Ning Yu grabbed her clothes to cover herself, looked up at him, and tears streamed down her face silently. "Have you seen enough?"

He looked up, and their eyes met. Her eyes were filled with hurt, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Given Xie Xun's previous temper, he would not have paid any attention to it, but seeing her crying like that, he couldn't help but suppress his temper.

"Why are you crying?"

Ning Yu looked away. "You've already seen everything. If you're not going to sleep, go back."

Xie Xun bent down and picked her up. "Put your clothes on and come back to the East Garden with me."

He had little patience and didn't want to come back and wait several hours to see her. He had to keep her firmly confined in the East Garden; leaving her outside would only encourage her to become more and more unruly.

She turned her head away from him, saying, "I'm not going."

Xie Xun's anger subsided considerably at her girlish behavior. He wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his rough fingertips. "How old are you to still be crying?"

Nestled naked in his arms, Ning Yu shifted uncomfortably, glancing at his face out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that his temper had subsided and he didn't seem angry anymore, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're always like this, you never believe me, arguing with me in the middle of the night. If the old lady hears this, she'll scold me again."

She nestled in his arms, sobbing, and Xie Xun lifted her up a little. "Try using the same temper you have on them, and no one will dare to say anything to you."

What are you saying?!

Ning Yu didn't want to pay attention and tried to calm herself down after feeling tired.

"Put your clothes on."

"I already promised the old lady, it's not proper for me to run around in the middle of the night."

Xie Xun looked at her and said, "If you don't listen, put your clothes on. I'll carry you back to the East Garden like this."