Young widow in her boudoir

Xie Rutang calmed down, withdrew her hand that had just touched his, took out a plain handkerchief from her sleeve, and slowly wiped away the water stains on it.

When it was time to part, the woman wouldn't say a single tender word to him.

Seeing her actions, Pei Zhiheng suddenly looked at her coldly: "You despise me that much?"

Xie Rutang paused for a moment while wiping her hands.

But he misunderstood her, and she didn't bother to explain.

He really went too far by dragging her to the bamboo grove today. Even though they had broken up, he still treated her with contempt. Xie Rutang felt an inexplicable anger rising in her heart, which she forcibly suppressed.

Pei Zhiheng's dark eyes swept coldly over her. The more she refused to speak, the more he wanted to pry her mouth open.

Let's see if she can still talk to him properly.

He had never been so patient with any other woman, but he made exceptions for Xie Rutang time and time again, and now she dared to throw a tantrum in front of him.

These days, whenever he gets anything good from his room, he sends it to her Cuiwu Courtyard again and again. Today it's a few bolts of newly acquired palace silk, tomorrow it's a box of pearls offered as tribute from the south. The old women and servants who deliver these things are practically running themselves ragged.

Pei Zhiheng was afraid that she would suffer in the mansion after he left the Shen family, so he wished he could give her all the betrothal gifts he was going to give to his wife as a way to support her raising the children alone in the Shen family.

But what about her?

When it was time to part, she refused to say goodbye properly, ignoring him as if he were a stranger. Pei Zhiheng was furious, his eyes concealing turbulent emotions, but he did not show it, looking at her coldly.

Pei Zhiheng suddenly grabbed her delicate chin forcefully, using his fingertips to turn her face towards him, forcing her to look up and face him directly.

His force was undeniably powerful, causing the woman to bite her lip slightly in pain.

Seeing this, Pei Zhiheng misunderstood her as disgusted with him, so he fixed his gaze on her eyes and laughed: "Your deceased husband in the ground, can he make you happy?"

Xie Rutang's head felt like it had exploded with fireworks, buzzing and making her dizzy.

What indecent things is he saying?!

Her face turned bright red instantly.

Shen Yuan is dead, why is he still saying such things? Is it worth arguing with a dead man?

But Xie Rutang was also provoked by him. The more ungentle he was, the more she wanted to rebel. She curled her red lips and said, "Anyway, it's more pleasurable than what you give me, not only in terms of size, but also in terms of gentleness!"

Pei Zhiheng narrowed his eyes, increasing the pressure of his fingertips. "Sharp-tongued!"

Xie Rutang winced in pain, but still refused to yield. Her hair was disheveled, and she gritted her teeth, "When Yuan Lang was alive, he treated me the best. He was never as rude as you!"

She would have sex several times a night without restraint, which eventually caught the attention of her mother-in-law. Xie Rutang blushed with embarrassment and stammered, refusing to say anything more.

Her chest heaved with anger, a sight Pei Zhiheng brazenly took in, feasting his eyes on her fury.

She had lost the dignified demeanor of a noble lady and instead became lively, her cheeks flushed and rosy, like the blush that rises after sexual intercourse.

Pei Zhiheng suddenly loosened his grip, allowing her to breathe.

Xie Rutang stood by the well, her fingertips tightly gripping her clothes. She took deep breaths of the cool forest air to calm herself down, so that she wouldn't be angered to death by Pei Zhiheng or lose her composure because of him.

She slowly calmed her rapid breathing, looked up at Pei Zhiheng, and remained calm.

His gaze was even colder than before, his eyes swirling with dark, turbulent emotions, as if he could freeze her into an ice sculpture.

Pei Zhiheng pursed his thin lips, "So you're still thinking about him after all."

Once, Xie Rutang made a slip of the tongue in bed and couldn't help but call out Yuan Cheng's name, and he has remembered it ever since.

When he first arrived at Cuiwu Courtyard, Xie Rutang was half-asleep and lost in bed when she accidentally called out "Yuan Cheng." He stopped what he was doing, but the woman was completely unaware of it. Soon, her face pressed against the soft pillow, and she fell into a deep sleep, her breathing soft and even.

But this left Pei Zhiheng with no interest in the night. Seeing that she was asleep, he withdrew, put on his undergarment by the bedside, and turned away.

He slept on the woman's four-poster bed, and unusually, he suffered from insomnia, staying awake until dawn.

The next day, Xie Rutang had breakfast with him. She was completely unaware of what was happening. She got up early and put her hair up in a simple bun. Although she had no makeup on, her complexion was better than if she had drunk ginseng soup. Her cheeks were rosy and glowing, like a peach blossom after the rain.

Despite being a married woman, she still harbored the shyness of a young girl, all thanks to his vigorous efforts in bed last night.

Pei Zhiheng indifferently shifted his gaze.

The woman then came over to serve him breakfast.

Xie Rutang picked up her jade chopsticks, placed a delicate shrimp dumpling in his bowl, and said, "Second Master, you worked hard last night. Eat more meat today to replenish your strength."

Judging from her tone, she seemed quite satisfied with his performance.

Pei Zhiheng held his chopsticks, remaining silent for a long time.

He glanced at her radiant face, but in the end, he didn't ask or make it clear. He figured it was just a slip of the tongue last night. Anyway, he had no feelings for her; it was just a form of address. What was there to fuss about?

So, looking at the shrimp dumplings at the bottom of the bowl, I ended up eating them.

He never mentioned what happened that night again after that day passed.

Just turn a blind eye and it will pass.

But now, Xie Rutang's out-of-control response that night resurfaced in his mind. He had never forgotten those scenes, and the anger that had been suppressed for a long time was unpleasant to him, but she had never said anything.

Pei Zhiheng stepped forward, the black jade at his waist swaying gently and patting, emitting a faint light in the night.

Xie Rutang felt a chill run down her spine.

Why did she feel that he was even more dangerous than before? His aura was also off.

What did she do to offend this devil?

Pei Zhiheng pursed his lips. "For the past month, you've treated me like Shen Yuan, haven't you?"

In the blink of an eye, Xie Rutang was pinned against a pear tree, her back pressed heavily against the rough trunk, the branches drooping and a few withered leaves falling onto her shoulders.

Pei Zhiheng's figure loomed over him, and an oppressive aura made it hard to breathe.

Her pupils constricted in shock, and she became furious and embarrassed: "I didn't!"

She not only felt that he disrespected her, but also that he was defiling Shen Yuan.

He doesn't look like Shen Yuan at all! What is he saying?

Pei Zhiheng's eyes were terrifyingly dark. "That night when we made love, you called out 'Yuan Cheng'."

"Do you really think I didn't hear you?"

Xie Rutang's mind went blank for a moment. His eyes were so deep that she couldn't tell whether they were filled with anger or something else.

Feelings of confusion, anger, shame, and grievance all surged up at once.

Did she really call Shen Yuan by his courtesy name?

How could this be...?

Her lips were pale.

But the man's direct words left her no room to escape. Pei Zhiheng clearly wanted an attitude from her, but she was so ashamed that she wanted to kill herself. His words were tantamount to telling everyone that she was promiscuous and shameless.

Xie Rutang bit her tongue, her eyes almost wet with tears.

You can't see anything at night.

Pei Zhiheng's voice remained low: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Xie Rutang cried, "I didn't!"

Because of their argument before parting, the two quarreled so fiercely that Xie Rutang's light blue belt around her waist came undone.

Pei Zhiheng saw this and reached out to help her fix it. His slender fingers first untied it and then tied it back on for her.

"No?"

His broad, hot body pressed tightly against hers, his cool fingertips gliding over her fabric. The man's fingers defiantly tied the woman's cloud-like soft belt, yet his eyes remained cold.

Suddenly, Pei Zhiheng's fingers ground hard against the soft flesh of her waist, his eyes were sinister, and his smile was cold and mocking. "Have you forgotten that not long after you married into the Shen family, you were once frivolous and mistook me for Shen Yuan, calling him 'husband'?"

Perhaps it was because the soft silk sash at his fingertips was binding her too tightly, or perhaps it was because of his words, that Xie Rutang, pressed against the tree, trembled and let out a soft moan.

Her reaction caused Pei Zhiheng's body to heat up. He frowned darkly and said, "Don't move."

He then made her turn her back to him and forced her against the tree, while he adjusted her belt from behind.