He Chengyu was stunned. In private, he could say many vicious things, but when it came to the open, he had to back down.
"How could you go to the wrong courtyard in the middle of the night?"
He Ciyuan asked calmly, his gaze falling on He Chengyu's deformed leg. "It seems the wall of my courtyard is too low. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can climb in."
He Chengyu's face turned green and then white. Humiliation and fear intertwined, leaving him speechless.
"Tian Yao," He Ciyuan finally mentioned that name. His tone remained flat, but it was like a thunderclap ringing in He Chengyu's ear. "She is the one in my room."
He paused for a moment. His dark eyes were bottomless under the lamp, surging with an undercurrent that He Chengyu couldn't understand.
"Since you're a married man, keep your eyes and hands in check."
There was no need to kill him. After all, they lived under the same roof. They would always run into each other, and since they still had to rely on each other, it was better not to go too far.
This was just a small lesson. If there was a next time, it wouldn't be so simple.
"Elder brother, I didn't mean it..." He lost his arrogance and could only shrink his head and plead. "I was just confused. I'll never do such a thing again..."
He would find another chance to kill her. A cripple like this didn't deserve to be compared with him at all.
He Ciyuan seemed tired of this farce and waved his hand impatiently.
"Take him back."
Mo Chen took the order and said no more. He stepped forward and grabbed He Chengyu by the back of his collar, dragging him out like a dead dog.
He Chengyu's screams and pleas were muffled. He didn't dare to alert everyone. Soon, he disappeared beyond the courtyard wall.
Mo Chen returned and pushed He Ciyuan back into the room. Only a dim candle was left in the room.
Tian Yao had been huddled in the corner of the inner chamber. The screams from outside made her tremble with fear.
She had brewed a cup of soothing tea. She calculated the time just right, and now the temperature was perfect.
Since someone had helped her, she couldn't not show her gratitude.
"Master He..." She held the teacup and walked up to him with her head down. Her voice still carried a trace of lingering fear. "Thank you, master, for saving me. I specially brewed this cup of tea..."
He Ciyuan didn't take the teacup. He just looked at her quietly with his head raised.
He Ciyuan thought it was funny to see her act like a frightened deer, always trying to curry favor with others.
The next moment, the world spun.
"Ah!" Tian Yao let out a low cry. She was pulled over by an irresistible force and landed directly on his lap.
The man's strong thighs caught her steadily. Even through several layers of cloth, she could still feel the astonishing heat and the hardness of his muscles.
Mo Chen had already left.
[He's a cripple. This shouldn't hurt him, right...]
Obviously, she wasn't heavy, and she knew that many cripples actually felt no pain.
"Master He, I'm damned. I'll get up right away!"
She panicked and tried to climb off him with hands and feet.
"Shut up."
The man's deep voice rang in her ear, tinged with a hint of annoyance. The arm around her waist tightened suddenly, immobilizing her.
Tian Yao could almost clearly hear her own heart pounding like a drum, as well as his steady and powerful heartbeat.
Two completely different rhythms intertwined at this moment.
The room was eerily quiet.
She nervously hung her head, her long eyelashes fluttering. She didn't dare to look into his eyes.
Suddenly, she felt her chin being gently lifted.
He Ciyuan's face loomed large in front of her. He looked down at her with deep, unfathomable eyes, as if he wanted to suck her in.
She thought he was going to kiss her, but then a faint but distinct sting came from her chest.
He bit her?
Moreover, this time the position was lower and more excessive! Through a thin bellyband, she could clearly feel the strength of his teeth. It wasn't heavy, but it carried an undeniable sense of possession.
Tian Yao felt weak all over, partly out of fear and partly due to her body's reaction.
Because He Ciyuan was really good-looking. Even though he was disabled, it didn't matter at all.
I don't know how long it took, but he finally let go of her.
Tian Yao was so ashamed that she almost fainted. Her cheeks were so red that they seemed to drip blood.
She buried her head, not daring to look at him, let alone the ambiguous tooth mark on her chest.
A lazy and hoarse voice came from above her head, but the words were as cold as ever.
"If you dare to stir up such trouble again, get out of the marquis's mansion on your own."
This statement was unreasonable. It was clearly He Chengyu who came to her on his own initiative. How could it be her fault for causing trouble?
A surge of grievance welled up in her heart instantly, and Tian Yao's eyes immediately turned red.
[No, this doesn't seem like a scolding. It seems more like he's protecting me.]
Yes, if He Ciyuan was really angry, he would have punished her long ago. Why bother?
How did he suddenly notice someone climbing over the wall and catch him on the spot? This was the best explanation.
In fact, this was a warning to her and everyone else that she was his, and no one else should covet her.
Thinking this way, the grievance somehow melted away and turned into a faint, indescribable sweetness.
Of course, Tian Yao didn't dare to show it.
She looked up, showing a small, mournful face. Her eyes were filled with tears that were about to fall, making her look extremely pitiful.
"I didn't mean to..." She pouted, her voice soft and waxy, with a strong nasal tone. "I'll avoid the third master from now on. I won't let him see me again, okay?"
[I must hold on to his thigh tightly!]
Tian Yao was very beautiful. Her deliberate act was not offensive but rather charming. A sudden heat rose from his lower abdomen. He frowned, loosened his firm grip, and pushed her away.
"Get out."
Tian Yao forced herself to suppress the restlessness in her heart and quickly left.
The next day, He Chengyu showed up in public with a bruised face. The news spread like wildfire throughout the marquis's mansion.
The servants whispered to each other, saying that the third master had been beaten up because he had a fight with someone over a woman while drinking in a brothel.
This matter naturally reached the ears of the heir apparent, He Huaibi. He was practicing calligraphy in his room. After listening to the servant's report, he couldn't help laughing out loud and slapped his thigh in delight.
"Deserved retribution."
Bixi, who was grinding ink for him, saw him so happy and gently asked, "Your Highness, what's making you so happy?"
He Huaibi was in a great mood and casually replied, "What else? That good-for-nothing third brother of mine wanted to have an affair, but he was caught red-handed by the rightful owner and beaten to a pulp. It's really satisfying!"
He spoke vaguely, but Bixi was a clever girl.
The only one worth coveting was Tian Yao, wasn't it?
Bixi's eyes darkened, and she silently remembered this matter in her heart.
It was really interesting. Tian Yao could capture the hearts of three men at once.
If this continued, would she even be able to live?
As autumn deepened, the weather got colder day by day.
Tian Yao gradually noticed that He Ciyuan was becoming more and more strange.
He became more silent and irritable than before. Sometimes, he would sit by the window for an entire afternoon like a lifeless statue.
Sometimes, he would fly into a rage over the slightest thing.
Once, Tian Yao served him a new cup of tea as usual, but he didn't even look at it. He just raised his hand and poured the eight - tenths hot tea onto the potted plant by the window. The scalding tea poured on the delicate orchid, and the leaves wilted instantly.