Chapter 45: Let Me Do It This Time

Chen Xingmiao shuddered all over and cast her gaze onto his face.

Xiao Ziyu's eyes were clear, completely devoid of the terrifying sensation that had made her shiver just moments ago.

Was it just an illusion?

She always felt that the little villain had been acting very strange lately, and besides... at such a high altitude—

She looked up into the distance once more, a flash of doubt crossing her eyes.

"Husband, do you know martial arts?"

She had assumed that his profound mastery of martial arts would only come after his complete descent into darkness, and that for now he would only know a few superficial basics. But seeing him now, she realized she was wrong.

Xiao Ziyu did not answer. He hooked his lips, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Just as she was about to press further, she saw his dark eyes narrow slightly, his gaze turning inquisitive and playful.

"Curious about me?"

His tone was lazy, casual, and leisurely.

Chen Xingmiao nodded subconsciously, frantically searching for an excuse before blurting out, "I just want to understand my husband better."

Xiao Ziyu cupped her face in both hands, his gaze burning intensely. A flicker of his eyes left her expression somewhat dimmed.

She dared not move—she didn't dare move at all.

Chen Xingmiao forced a curved smile and slowly raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

"What is it, husband?"

Xiao Ziyu's expression returned to calm and undisturbed as he unhurriedly brushed a snowflake from her fine hair.

"Nothing. I just feel that my wife is indeed somewhat different from before."

Chen Xingmiao felt his hand slide slowly downward, finally resting at the nape of her neck to stroke it gently, as if a single squeeze could snuff out her little life.

She forced herself to stay calm, holding her breath without daring to take a big one, and tremblingly gripped his wrist with her small hand.

"I've grown more and more in love with you, so of course I've changed."

She said sheepishly, her lowered gaze avoiding his eyes.

Hearing this, Xiao Ziyu paused the movement of his fingers, then let out a soft laugh. The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent snowy weather, making Chen Xingmiao shiver involuntarily.

"Is that so?" He leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against Chen Xingmiao's ear. "Then perhaps my wife would care to explain, where is this love manifested?"

His voice carried a hint of mockery as he watched her playfully.

When did this little villain become so hard to deal with?

She wailed inwardly while her brain raced. Taking a step to his side, she looped her arm through his, taking the opportunity to pull her neck away from his grasp.

"Just like right now! I want to stay by my husband's side forever, watching this all-encompassing snowfall, and spend every future winter together with you."

Chen Xingmiao's face showed no blush nor skipped a beat as she looked up at him with a beaming smile.

Though she felt extremely cheesy inside, years of acting experience had long since perfected her facade.

Xiao Ziyu's eyes suddenly deepened, his lips pressed into a cold line as his large arms wrapped around her waist.

"Close your eyes. I'm taking you down."

His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, his voice carrying a slight hoarseness.

Chen Xingmiao breathed a silent sigh of relief and did as she was told, closing her eyes.

The next moment, she felt her body grow light. When she opened her eyes again, the two of them had already reached the base of the tower.

If she hadn't been right beside him watching the whole time, given this kind of qinggong display from the little villain, she really would have thought he had already turned completely dark.

"Let's go. It's getting late, don't catch a cold."

"Husband, your martial arts..." Chen Xingmiao couldn't help probing again, but before she could finish, Xiao Ziyu interrupted her.

"It's just some basic physical conditioning, hardly worth mentioning," Xiao Ziyu replied dismissively, taking her hand and walking forward in stride.

Chen Xingmiao curled her lips and rolled her eyes dramatically in her heart.

Oh, sure. Whose physical conditioning lets them practically fly? If you don't want to talk about it, just say so. At least make up a halfway believable excuse instead of treating me like an absolute idiot.

When the two of them returned home, before they even crossed the threshold, a muffled sound of sobbing drifted out.

Chen Xingmiao's heart tightened. She quickened her pace and hurriedly crossed the doorsill. The interior was in complete disarray, with clothing and ornaments scattered all over the floor in total mess.

Her maid, Chuntao, was kneeling on the ground, head lowered with trembling shoulders, weeping brokenly while frantically trying to tidy up the scattered debris.

"What happened? Did thieves break in?" She hurried forward, lifting Chuntao up with a look of distress.

Chuntao looked up through her sobs, and only then did Chen Xingmiao notice the already reddened and swollen side of the maid's face.

"You were hit? Who did this?!"

Chen Xingmiao's expression instantly shifted, her eyes widening as if hundreds of fires of rage were burning through her veins.

"After the young madam went to find the master and told this servant to return first, I ran into Madam Hua. Without a word, she tried to snatch the young madam's hairpin. When this servant refused to hand it over, she accused me of showing disrespect to my superiors..."

Chuntao wiped the tears from her face indiscriminately as she pulled the Chinese bellflower hairpin that Xiao Ziyu had given her out from her sleeve.

This hairpin? It seems his stepmother wants to lay her hands on everything.

Xiao Ziyu's expression darkened, the aura around him instantly turning frigid.

Chen Xingmiao helped Chuntao up, had her sit down, and picked up a comb to smooth out her disheveled hair.

"Stop tidying that, I'll take care of it later. How dare this Hua Liyin lay a hand on my people? I'm going to settle scores with her right now."

With that, she turned to leave, but the moment one foot crossed the threshold, she was yanked back by a powerful force.

She turned her head to look at Xiao Ziyu. "Husband, although I promised you I wouldn't cause trouble, you're still going to stop me now?"

"No, I—"

"Husband, say no more! No one is allowed to hit my Chuntao!"

Xiao Ziyu sighed and pulled her to his side. "What I mean is, you stay here and keep her company. I'll handle this matter. Trust me."

With that, he gently patted Chen Xingmiao's shoulder, turned around, and strode away.

Hua Liyin was sitting leisurely in the main hall, waiting for Chen Xingmiao to come and "demand an explanation." Sipping her tea at a leisurely pace, she chatted idly with Xiao Zilin.

To her surprise, upon lifting her gaze, she saw Xiao Ziyu walking in with a gloomy expression. His face was as dark as the sky before a storm, heavy with thunderous clouds enough to chill one to the bone.

"What are you here for?" Xiao Zilin lowered his eyelids, giving a calm and slow yawn. "Don't tell me you're here to play the hero? You? A good-for-nothing."

Xiao Ziyu's gaze turned chillingly cold. The corners of his mouth twitched into a mocking, half-there smile as he looked down toward Xiao Zilin's legs.

"Brother, it looks like you've recovered rather quickly."

Hua Liyin's eyebrows arched in anger as she hurled the teacup in her hand straight at Xiao Ziyu. "Is that any way to speak to your brother? He is your elder!"

Xiao Ziyu let out a body-shaking burst of laughter, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke in the world.

Then, he stared at her with a fierce, murderous intent, his entire body radiating a piercing chill.

"Elder brother? Has he ever treated me like a younger brother? And as for you—wanting my wife's hairpin? Do you... even deserve it?"

"You!" Hua Liyin's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as she stood up and instinctively took two steps back.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the person standing before her could be Xiao Ziyu, the once submissive creature who used to act like a mere dog.

"You have some nerve, speaking to my mother like that!" Xiao Zilin lunged forward in a single bound, throwing a punch straight ahead.

Xiao Ziyu stood his ground, raising a single eyebrow slightly as he slowly lifted his hand and locked onto the incoming fist in a vice-like grip.

"Too slow, elder—brother."

A cold sneer curved his thin lips. Lifting his chin slightly with an icy expression, he cast a provocative glance at the utterly incredulous Xiao Zilin.

"Let this good-for-nothing teach you a lesson."

There was a hint of playfulness mixed with heavy sarcasm in Xiao Ziyu's voice.

Before the words had even faded, the strength in his hand suddenly surged. His five fingers tightened like a band of steel, every muscle straining with a force that seemed capable of crushing iron.

Immediately following, a crisp "crack" of snapping bone echoed sharply through the main hall, and a split second later, Xiao Zilin's heart-rending scream pierced the air.