Chapter 36: From Today On, You're My Little Wife
"What if I come closer? What are you going to do about it?" Xiao Yan asked with a mischievous smile, stepping toward Dan Chen. Her delicate, timid demeanor always made him want to tease her.
"I... I came to see Sister Cao. Can you move aside?" Dan Chen looked at Xiao Yan pitifully, her voice quivering slightly.
This guy wasn't just thick skinned and bold he was a natural born social menace, someone who made even introverts feel like their social anxiety was exaggerated. Worse yet, he was immensely talented, well connected, and not even her grandfather seemed to have any way of restraining him.
"Your Sister Cao is asleep. Go back home," Xiao Yan said, waving her off. Then, flashing a playful smile, he added, "Or should I escort you?"
"N no need!" Dan Chen stammered, taking a step back. She poked her head past Xiao Yan, scanning the room behind him, and, upon confirming that Cao Ying wasn't there, cautiously turned to leave.
She began to walk away, her steps light and deliberate. But behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps following her.
"Just my luck!" Panic gripped her heart as she quickened her pace.
"So amusing," Xiao Yan mused, watching her retreat with her head down, looking like a frightened little rabbit.
Inside Cao Ying's room, the faint scent of herbs lingered in the air. Cao Ying rested her head on her arm, her enchanting face illuminated by the soft glow of lamplight. The small tear shaped mole beneath her eye added a touch of heart stopping allure to her already bewitching beauty.
Her mind replayed the events of the day. That scoundrel Xiao Yan's roguish yet handsome face lingered in her thoughts.
"A genius? A monster?" she thought, recalling his near impossible talent. His presence had left her both awed and frustrated.
"A scoundrel? A bandit? A nobleman?" She wasn't sure which label fit him best. But beneath his multifaceted persona, Cao Ying could sense a trace of loneliness a faint shadow of something hidden deep within.
"What kind of person are you, really?" she murmured to herself. The warmth of the Heart Nurturing Pill coursed through her, soothing her body and soul. Before she knew it, her eyelids grew heavy.
Meanwhile, outside, Dan Chen's footsteps grew quicker, but Xiao Yan's unrelenting steps behind her kept pace.
"What do you want from me?!" she finally snapped, spinning around like a startled kitten.
Before she could react, her face collided with a firm chest.
"Thud!" She stumbled backward, nearly falling, only for a strong hand to catch her slender waist and steady her.
"So soft, so delicate," Xiao Yan thought, restraining the sudden jolt that shot through him as he helped her regain balance.
"C can you stop following me?" Dan Chen pushed him away, her tear filled peach blossom eyes flashing with frustration.
If not for the fact that she couldn't beat him in a fight, her usual timid nature might have been cast aside in favor of some serious retaliation.
"Oh, going to cry?" Xiao Yan teased, a devilish grin spreading across his face as he stepped closer, forcing her against the wall.
"Go ahead. Let's see you cry," he said, his tone a mix of amusement and provocation.
Dan Chen's emotions reached their breaking point. Tears began to spill from her large, glassy eyes, cascading down her cheeks.
She looked utterly heartbroken a sight that would have melted any other man's heart.
But this was Xiao Yan, a man who lived by a different code.
A scoundrel's strength wasn't in flowery words or charm it was in his unshakable resolve. Xiao Yan's heart was forged in iron, immune to sentimentality.
"Done crying?" he asked once her sobs subsided. His voice softened as he leaned down, handing her a silk handkerchief.
"Why are you following me?" she sniffled, wiping her puffy eyes.
"Because I like you," Xiao Yan answered matter of factly. His bluntness startled her, and her tears threatened to start anew.
"Can you not like me?" she asked pitifully, only for Xiao Yan to give her a firm, resolute answer.
"Nope."
"From the moment I saw you, I knew I was drawn to you," he said, his voice soft but steady. His words made her cheeks flush a deep red, though his advance didn't end there.
From nowhere, he produced a delicate flower a violet jasmine with petals as dark as the night sky, dotted with starlike specks of light.
This was no ordinary flower; it was the Stellar Violet Jasmine, a thousand year bloom prized even by seventh tier alchemists. Its value exceeded a million gold coins.
With a casual motion, Xiao Yan placed the rare flower in Dan Chen's hair. He leaned in close, his warm breath brushing her ear as he whispered, "From today onward, you're my little wife."
The heat of his breath sent a shiver down her spine, and a visible flush spread from her neck to her face, her skin turning crimson.
Her mind blanked. She froze, standing motionless like a doll.
Xiao Yan burst out laughing at her expression.
Dan Chen slowly sank to the ground, her gaze dazed and unfocused.
The usually reserved girl was completely overwhelmed. Raised in a world where her unique constitution made others treat her with distance and reverence, she had never experienced such direct, audacious attention.
She sat there for what felt like an eternity before finally regaining her senses.
"C can I go home now?" she asked meekly, her voice trembling.
"You've been on your way home this whole time. Let me walk you back," Xiao Yan offered, reaching out a hand to help her up.
Dan Chen ignored his hand, rising unsteadily to her feet. This time, she didn't try to avoid him, instead walking in a daze. Her face alternated between pale and flushed, her steps uncertain.
Xiao Yan stayed silent, sensing that anything he said now would fall on deaf ears.
When they reached her home, Dan Chen hesitated at the doorway, turning to Xiao Yan. "Are you coming in?"
"No need. Seeing you safely home is enough," Xiao Yan replied, his tone dripping with mock sincerity.
"Oh... Then... I'll go," she mumbled, her mind still spinning.
"Go ahead." Xiao Yan smiled, watching her disappear through the door before finally turning away.
Today had been a resounding success. Two paths had been laid; now, all he needed to do was ensure the game stayed under his control.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, its fading light painted the streets in fiery red. In the shadowed alleys beneath the towering alchemy towers, the hum of a boy's triumphant whistle echoed into the night.
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