After Becoming a Succubus, I Was Offered to My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“In short, even if I was like that with her that night… right now, I cannot marry her.”

Sikong Xue spoke with extreme earnestness. Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it pierced Ning Yuan’s heart like a knife.

Ning Yuan had only remembered that she hadn’t drunk her plum soup yet and wanted to come back to finish it before continuing to be angry. She hadn’t expected to hear Sikong Xue say such words the moment she reached the door.

For a moment, her heart was filled with bitterness. She wanted to push open the door and demand to know why Sikong Xue was being this way, but she felt her current identity shouldn’t be too presumptuous.

However, she hadn’t forced Sikong Xue to marry her. If Sikong Xue wasn’t willing, she should have just said so clearly; why must she lie?

Even when she was deceived by Yuchi Jin like that and nearly lost her life, Ning Yuan hadn’t felt this sad. Hearing Sikong Xue speak this way today made Ning Yuan feel truly miserable.

Ning Yuan remembered again the day she held the wedding crown and asked Sikong Xue if it looked good; Sikong Xue didn’t even look and said she looked ugly.

This person, Sikong Xue, was truly wicked. She had done that kind of thing to her yet refused to take responsibility. Such coldness and lack of justice were truly excessive.

Ning Yuan’s nose tingled with grievance, and tears began to well up. Running to the back garden and seeing the newly built swing, Ning Yuan pushed it with all her might to vent her anger.

And she said the swing was built for me; this is clearly because Sikong Xue wants to play. How could there be someone like Sikong Xue in this world who only knows how to bully her?

Yin Chiyun said, “Aren’t you going to chase after her? If she only heard that last sentence, I’m afraid she’ll take you for a cold and heartless person.”

These two had already missed each other for so long; did they want to continue the misunderstanding?

Sikong Xue looked somewhat annoyed: “But how should I explain?”

Whenever she faced Ayuan, Sikong Xue’s mouth became very clumsy. Regarding this kind of matter, she truly didn’t know how to explain.

“If I tell the truth, Ayuan will be angry because I took advantage of her vulnerability, and she’ll also be anxious for me to send her to Lingnan to see her family. Old Madame Ning is currently unwell, and I am arranging for people to care for her. If they suddenly see Ayuan, I don’t know if it would be a good or bad thing. If I don’t take her there, Ayuan will surely be heartbroken.”

Old Madame Ning’s health showed signs of improvement; if they suddenly saw Ayuan and they all hugged and cried, it would likely be detrimental to her recovery. Sikong Xue could only temporarily pretend not to have seen through Ayuan’s identity and slowly find a solution.

Yin Chiyun was exasperated by Sikong Xue’s behavior.

“Sikong Xue, are you a block of wood? If it’s inconvenient to tell the truth right now, can’t you make up a few words to coax her? At worst, just say that the late Emperor has been deceased for less than a year, and as a subject, it’s inappropriate for you to hold a grand wedding in the short term.”

In the past, how many times had that eldest Miss thrown a tantrum where a little coaxing would have fixed everything, yet Sikong Xue insisted on making Ning Yuan angry? Today’s matter wasn’t some grand issue; it was just a misunderstanding from mishearing. Wouldn’t a few pretty words suffice?

Sikong Xue was stunned and asked, “Will saying that truly work?”

If such a clumsy lie were seen through by Ayuan, wouldn’t she be even angrier?

Yin Chiyun said, “Whether it works or not, you’ll know once you try. Anything is better than letting that eldest Miss sulk.”

If Ning Yuan truly believed Sikong Xue was unwilling to marry her, who knows what would happen later.

Sikong Xue pondered for a moment and then hurried after her. Upon reaching the backyard, she saw Ayuan standing in front of the swing, pushing the ropes with all her might.

Sikong Xue didn’t know how to start, so she let out a light cough. Ayuan clearly heard it but didn’t turn around.

Sikong Xue was about to step forward when she heard Ayuan speak with a heavy nasal tone: “Don’t come over!”

Ning Yuan’s face was messy from crying; she didn’t want to be seen by Sikong Xue.

Sikong Xue immediately froze in her tracks, standing there at a loss. Yin Chiyun had only taught her how to explain to Ayuan, but hadn’t told her what to do if Ayuan wouldn’t let her approach.

As soon as Ayuan cried, her heart began to ache. Sikong Xue wanted to hold Ayuan, but Ayuan wouldn’t let her go over.

Ning Yuan sniffled, feeling even more aggrieved for a moment. If she didn’t let Sikong Xue come over, was Sikong Xue truly not going to come? Did Sikong Xue really have nothing to explain about what happened just now?

Sikong Xue saw Ayuan’s shoulders shrug a couple of times and knew she was crying again. Thinking about how she used to make Ayuan cry and then wouldn’t coax her leading to Yuchi Jin taking advantage of the opening—Sikong Xue felt a sense of self-reproach.

Sikong Xue was no longer willing to let Ayuan be lured away by someone else. She stepped forward, embraced Ning Yuan from behind, and said, “Don’t cry. You didn’t hear the full statement just now. What I intended to say was that the late Emperor has passed away not long ago, and right now it is truly inappropriate for me to hold a grand wedding ceremony. It’s not that I don’t intend to take responsibility; it’s not that I don’t want to marry you.”

There was no one else in the backyard, only her and Ayuan. Feeling Ayuan’s breath and heartbeat, Sikong Xue felt very at peace. She wanted to marry Ayuan; she dreamed of it. If Ayuan could agree right now, she would even want to immediately have Songyan prepare the wedding items.

Listening to Sikong Xue’s explanation, Ning Yuan blinked. So that’s what it meant?

No, no, what did Sikong Xue mean by saying that? It was as if she were very eager to marry Sikong Xue.

She was no longer angry, but she felt that if Sikong Xue saw her like this, she would surely laugh at her. Ning Yuan lowered her head and covered her face, saying, “Who said I was crying because of that?”

Such a movement appeared pitiful and cute in Sikong Xue’s eyes.

Sikong Xue said, “Fine, fine, you weren’t crying because of that. Don’t rub the tears with your hands, or you’ll hurt your face.”

Sikong Xue coaxed her to turn around and used a handkerchief to carefully dab away the tears on Ayuan’s cheeks.

“Don’t sulk like this in the future. If you are unhappy, hitting me or scolding me is fine, just don’t let the anger harm your own body.”

Ayuan feared pain the most; Sikong Xue’s movements while wiping her tears were extremely gentle. In the past, Sikong Xue didn’t like carrying silk handkerchiefs, as she always found them too troublesome. It was only because she feared Ayuan would cry that the handkerchief she carried with her had to be the softest satin.

If not for the fear of being too forward, Sikong Xue might even have wanted to kiss her and take the tears into her mouth. Sikong Xue still restrained herself, simply pulling Ayuan into her arms to feel each other’s heartbeats.

Ayuan was still a bit thin; in the future, she would have the kitchen prepare more of what Ayuan liked.

“I will only marry you; I won’t like anyone else.”

Ning Yuan’s eyes were red from crying; she gave Sikong Xue a light push and said, “I don’t want to marry you.”

Her voice was soft, without the slightest bit of reluctance, and she didn’t even push her away. She was also pining for Sikong Xue’s embrace.

For a brief moment, Ning Yuan felt that if she could reunite with her family and marry Sikong Xue, it wouldn’t be so bad. Even if she was no longer the eldest Miss followed by a crowd, staying in Sikong Xue’s manor like this seemed quite nice.

Sikong Xue saw that she had been coaxed and was overjoyed. She held her even tighter, lightly inhaling the pleasant fragrance in Ayuan’s hair, and said, “Fine, fine, whatever you wish. If you don’t want to marry, then we won’t marry.”

As long as Ayuan wasn’t angry anymore, she was willing to go along with whatever Ayuan said.

“What did you say?” Ning Yuan frowned.

She had only said a word of anger; how could Sikong Xue dare to agree to such a thing? She said she didn’t want to marry Sikong Xue, but it wasn’t that she truly didn’t want to. Sikong Xue agreed so readily did she truly not want to marry her?

Sikong Xue was stunned as she felt the person in her arms push her away heavily. She was completely unaware of what she had done wrong.

Hadn’t I just coaxed her? Why is she unhappy again?

This time, Ning Yuan ran back to her room and closed the door, deciding never to see Sikong Xue again. This Sikong Xue was truly too much.

She sat in front of the bronze mirror and rubbed her cheeks. Fortunately, her eyes didn’t swell from the crying this time.

Ning Yuan muttered to herself in anger, “Is this Sikong Xue a block of wood, or does she truly not want to marry me?”

However, thinking that Sikong Xue was willing to chase after her to explain, she likely wasn’t that reluctant. Since Sikong Xue was willing to leave Yin Chiyun to come find her, did it mean the person she cared about in her heart wasn’t Yin Chiyun?

If it’s not Yin Chiyun, then who would it be? Someone who grew up together since childhood but couldn’t be together for some reason…

Ning Yuan suddenly thought of how, after she got engaged to Yuchi Jin, Sikong Xue had left the capital as if in a fit of pique, saying she was going to Mobei to suppress a rebellion.

Ning Yuan rose abruptly, her brow furrowed. Sikong Xue couldn’t like Yuchi Jin, right?!

No, no. Ning Yuan pinched her face hard, trying to clear her head. Sikong Xue was her rival; why should she care who Sikong Xue liked, and why should she like Sikong Xue!

It was just a one-night stand; why should she care so much? At worst, she would just treat Sikong Xue as medicine!

Sikong Xue returned with a look of annoyance and said to Yin Chiyun, “The method you suggested doesn’t seem quite right. Ayuan stopped crying, but for some reason, she got angry again.”

Sikong Xue felt that there must be something wrong with Yin Chiyun’s method. It made sense; Yin Chiyun only knew how to guard those messy medicinal herbs all day how would she know how to coax someone?

Yin Chiyun scratched her head. Is she that hard to coax?

However, since she stopped crying, she should have been coaxed. If she got angry again, it must be because Sikong Xue said something wrong afterward.

Yin Chiyun asked, “Sikong Xue, what did you say after she stopped crying?”

Sikong Xue said, “After she stopped crying, she said she didn’t want to marry me. I thought to myself that at this moment, I must go along with Ayuan, so I complied. After all, this kind of thing shouldn’t be rushed. Since Ayuan isn’t willing right now, I cannot force her.”

Yin Chiyun: ?

“She was only acting spoiled with you; how could you agree to such a thing?”

“Was that acting spoiled?” Sikong Xue thought of Ayuan’s appearance just now—pitiful and heart-wrenching. Ayuan had pushed her at first but didn’t use any force. When she held Ayuan, she was very well-behaved. When she wiped Ayuan’s tears, Ayuan didn’t push her away. It wasn’t until she casually agreed to that matter that Ayuan pushed her away with force.

So it was Ayuan acting spoiled, yet she foolishly thought Ayuan truly didn’t want to marry her right now, so she agreed…

“But… but at a time like this, if I don’t go along with her, what if she gets even angrier?”

Sikong Xue felt that if Ayuan said she didn’t want to marry her but she insisted on it, Ayuan would only be even angrier.

Yin Chiyun said, “In this kind of matter, she is naturally shy. You could just do what you did as a child if she doesn’t let you in the door, you climb the wall. Think carefully: every time you climbed the wall to find her, when did she ever truly kick you out?”

In the past, when Sikong Xue made Ning Yuan angry, Ning Yuan would order the manor guards not to let her in. Sikong Xue wouldn’t make things difficult for the guards; she would directly climb the wall to find Ayuan. Speaking of which, Ayuan only said she didn’t want to see her, but it seemed she never truly drove her away. Sometimes, there was even a ladder by the wall that hadn’t been moved…

Sikong Xue’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed Yin Chiyun’s arm, shaking it vigorously: “So Ayuan is actually willing to marry me, right?”

She suddenly didn’t want to prepare the “three letters and six rites” it was too much trouble. She wanted to marry Ayuan immediately. At worst, after Ayuan reunited with the Ning family, she would make up for everything.

However, if it was so hasty, would Ayuan be unhappy again? But if they married early, it would cut off Yuchi Jin’s intentions how could that not be a good thing?

Yin Chiyun was shaken until she felt dizzy. She threw off Sikong Xue’s arm and said, “Sit down first; I’ll take your pulse.”

The dosage had just been reduced, and she didn’t know if there was anything wrong with Sikong Xue’s body. With such volatility of emotion, it seemed her illness wasn’t cured yet. With such swings between joy and sorrow, Yin Chiyun was truly worried Sikong Xue would go mad.

In the past, Sikong Xue was either plagued by nightmares or couldn’t rest peacefully. Every day she saw her, her eyes were full of bloodshot veins; Yin Chiyun had feared several times that Sikong Xue would suddenly drop dead. Fortunately, Sikong Xue was resilient; sometimes her pulse was so weak it was almost undetectable, yet she still had the strength to take her sword and go hack at Yuchi Jin.

These days, Sikong Xue’s spirit seemed to be getting better and better. Taking Sikong Xue’s pulse, Yin Chiyun was somewhat surprised. Most of Sikong Xue’s old ailments were gone, and the internal depletion was slowly being replenished. It seemed that as long as Ning Yuan remained by her side and she was properly cared for, she would be completely recovered in a year or so.

Yin Chiyun gave a long list of instructions. Sikong Xue didn’t understand these things and only felt she was completely fine.

“Ayuan was frightened today; you should go take her pulse first. And that medicine it must be prepared as soon as possible.”

She didn’t know how often a succubus’s body experienced the “heat.” If it took too long to prepare, what if Ayuan misunderstood and thought she did it on purpose?

Yin Chiyun said, “Is such care truly necessary? Taking a pulse just because she was frightened? I saw she had a good appetite; she didn’t look like someone who was excessively frightened.”

Sikong Xue looked troubled and said, “You should at least explain to her the reason why the medicine can’t be prepared quickly, so she won’t think I did it on purpose…”

She felt that if she said it, Ayuan might not believe her. It had to be Yin Chiyun herself explaining it for Ayuan to be at ease.

Yin Chiyun smiled and said, “But didn’t you say the remaining two pills were lost by you? If I go specifically to explain now, aren’t you afraid the eldest Miss Ning will think it’s a guilty person’s protestation of innocence?”

Ning Yuan was sulking in her room, and thinking that she still hadn’t had her plum soup made her even angrier. It was all Sikong Xue’s fault; now it was inconvenient for her to have someone bring the plum soup to her.

She rested her head on her hand when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. The sound of the footsteps and the force of the knock didn’t seem like Sikong Xue’s.

Ning Yuan’s eyes lit up; it must be Chunhe or Xiaqun bringing her the plum soup. As long as it wasn’t Sikong Xue, Ning Yuan was willing to open the door.

To her surprise, upon opening the room door, she was met with Yin Chiyun’s face. Yin Chiyun was carrying a medicine chest and had a warm smile on her face, completely different from Sikong Xue.

Ning Yuan was stunned and said, “Lord Yin, why are you here?”

The once-pampered eldest Miss was suddenly so polite that Yin Chiyun was a bit unaccustomed to it. She could only pretend not to recognize Ning Yuan and said, “As a physician, I am here naturally to take your pulse. A-Xue and I are childhood friends; you should just call me Chiyun as she does.”

Ning Yuan felt a bit awkward. Her former acquaintances were now officials, yet she was still eighteen. Asking her to call Yin Chiyun by her name directly now was truly a bit awkward. “I should still call you Lord Yin.”

Seeing that Ning Yuan seemed a bit reserved in front of her, Yin Chiyun thought these two were truly interesting. After such an event in the Ning family, Ning Yuan’s character had become much more reserved, and she was careful in everything she said and did. But when Ning Yuan faced Sikong Xue, she was still just as pampered. If Sikong Xue couldn’t even see through this, she truly was a block of wood.

Yin Chiyun smiled and said, “Call me whatever you like. Sit down first; I’ll take your pulse.”

Ning Yuan said, “My body doesn’t feel any discomfort.”

Yin Chiyun didn’t say Sikong Xue was afraid she was frightened by Yuchi Jin, but only said, “Sometimes great anger can also harm the body.”

Great anger harms the body? Ning Yuan thought carefully and said, “I… don’t seem particularly angry.” If she were truly particularly angry, she likely wouldn’t want to deal with Sikong Xue ever again.

Taking Ning Yuan’s wrist and feeling her pulse, Yin Chiyun knew Ning Yuan wasn’t truly angry with Sikong Xue. It seemed these two were clearly just having a minor tiff.

Seeing that Ning Yuan’s eyes were red, Yin Chiyun found a small bottle of ointment from her medicine chest.

“If your eyes feel uncomfortable, you can use a bit of this. You’re always crying; it makes A-Xue feel bad as well.”

Ning Yuan said gloomily, “How could she feel bad?” Every time, wasn’t she the one driven to tears by Sikong Xue?

Yin Chiyun said, “You are staying in the manor, and A-Xue wishes she could give you every good thing. Treating you this way, she naturally cares for you very much.”

Ning Yuan pouted, not fully believing it. If Sikong Xue truly felt bad because of it, she wouldn’t bully her every day.

Looking at the porcelain bottle containing the ointment, Ning Yuan didn’t feel any discomfort in her eyes. She thought of what Yin Chiyun said about becoming a doctor through long illness, and with Sikong Xue not present, she asked another question: “Is Sikong Xue’s illness serious? She looks healthy to me, not like someone plagued by chronic illness.”

Yin Chiyun didn’t want to tell Ning Yuan too much. Some things had to be explained clearly by Sikong Xue herself. As she was about to give a perfunctory answer, she suddenly caught sight of a small bundle under Ning Yuan’s bed. She glanced at the vanity and suddenly understood. Ayuan acting like this meant she was likely thinking of running away one day. This girl surely didn’t know Sikong Xue’s heart, which was why she was acting this way. If she ran away, Sikong Xue would likely truly go mad.

Yin Chiyun said, “A-Xue’s illness is a heart illness. Five years ago, she lost the person she loved, and so she contracted this heart illness. But now, it’s much better.”

Hearing Yin Chiyun say Sikong Xue was much better, Ning Yuan was relieved, but then felt a bit embarrassed as she asked, “Lord Yin, that medicine…”

Yin Chiyun said, “It’s not that I’m intentionally not helping you prepare the medicine, it’s just that two of the herbs are truly hard to find. I have already sent people outside the city to purchase them; it might take a few more days.” Yin Chiyun wasn’t sure how often a succubus experienced the “heat,” but she figured with Sikong Xue by her side, things would probably be fine.

Ning Yuan blushed and nodded. “In that case, thank you, Lord Yin.” Discussing such a thing openly was truly a bit embarrassing for her. Even though Yin Chiyun was a doctor, it was still a bit strange. “Are those herbs very expensive?” When she said this, Ning Yuan felt some trepidation in her heart. She was currently penniless; everything she ate and used belonged to Sikong Xue. If one day Sikong Xue got tired of her, what would she do…

Seeing the once-pampered eldest Miss now so cautious, Yin Chiyun comforted her: “Those herbs aren’t actually expensive. It’s because they’re not expensive that the Imperial Academy doesn’t usually use them, so they have to be bought from outside.”

Ning Yuan nodded, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Yin Chiyun had said what she needed to say and was about to leave when she was called back by Ning Yuan.

Ning Yuan spoke cautiously: “Lord Yin, do you know why Sikong Xue dislikes that Lady Commandery so much?”

Yin Chiyun frowned. Wasn’t the Miss of the Ning family supposed to be clever? How could she be so stupid in this kind of matter? Sikong Xue disliked Yuchi Jin naturally because of her. In the past, it was fine that Ning Yuan didn’t see it, but now that Yuchi Jin had done such things, Sikong Xue wished she could kill her the moment she saw her. How could Ning Yuan not see the reason behind this? How could Sikong Xue have a good face for someone who had hurt her beloved? Not stabbing Yuchi Jin to death was truly a sign of Sikong Xue’s good temper.

Seeing Ning Yuan blinking her eyes, seemingly truly unaware. Yin Chiyun asked back: “A-Xue hasn’t told you?”

Ning Yuan lowered her eyes and said, “How could she tell me such things… she only told me she had a beloved whom she could not have, and that person grew up with her. At first, I thought you were her beloved…”

Yin Chiyun: ???

Yin Chiyun was startled by the strange idea in Ning Yuan’s head. She stepped back two paces with a look of horror and said, “Sikong Xue and I are completely innocent; it’s impossible for me to be her beloved in this lifetime! I swear to heaven, if there were any improper dealings between me and Sikong Xue, I would cut off my fingers and never practice medicine again in this life!”

This was too terrifying—how could Ning Yuan think this way about her and Sikong Xue? If she truly were Sikong Xue’s beloved, she would be the one having constant nightmares and unable to rest.

Ning Yuan hurriedly said, “Lord Yin, I didn’t mean it that way.” She only wanted to find out who Sikong Xue’s beloved was; how did she drive Yin Chiyun to make a poisonous oath? “I only wanted to know if there was something between Sikong Xue and that Lady Commandery… You just said she lost her beloved; does the person she loved have something to do with the Lady Commandery?”

Listening to Ning Yuan’s words, Yin Chiyun’s eyes grew even wider. This Ning Yuan couldn’t think that Sikong Xue’s feelings for Yuchi Jin were those of unrequited love turned into hatred, right? No wonder the tutors didn’t let them read novels in the past; it turned out those things truly caused problems in the brain.

Yin Chiyun said with some headache, “A-Xue wishes she could kill Yuchi Jin; how could you think that? If A-Xue knew you thought this way, she would likely be so angry she’d spit blood.”

Ning Yuan pressed her lips together, not knowing if she should continue asking. If she continued her inquiry, wouldn’t it expose that she cared about Sikong Xue? No, no, she couldn’t admit it.

Yin Chiyun saw Ning Yuan’s eyes darting around and knew she was overthinking again. She could only say a few good words for Sikong Xue: “A-Xue is extremely dedicated to you, but sometimes she lacks propriety in her speech. She doesn’t intentionally make you angry; don’t think of her that way.”

Ning Yuan nodded and then pleaded, “Lord Yin, about today’s matter, please don’t tell Sikong Xue.” If Sikong Xue knew she asked Yin Chiyun about this, she would surely laugh at her.

Yin Chiyun agreed with her lips, but in her heart, she was thinking she must tell Sikong Xue. If she didn’t let Sikong Xue know, Ning Yuan would likely spend the next few days thinking through all the ladies who studied in the academy with them. If Ning Yuan could even think of Yuchi Jin, why couldn’t she think that the person Sikong Xue loved was herself?

“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell A-Xue.” After saying this, Yin Chiyun picked up her medicine chest and fled from the Yilan Court.

Yin Chiyun only felt that the things in the heads of both Sikong Xue and Ning Yuan were bizarre. She must be crazy to be so warmhearted in trying to help these two.

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