After Being Entangled By the Obsessive Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 9

Xian Ning turned her face to look at Tang Di, seeing that he was no longer human but a beast out of control.

His eyes were bloodshot, his pale pupils now a deep crimson. His facial muscles were twisted, a horrifying sight. Most unsettling was his gaze—he genuinely wanted to choke her to death.

Xian Ning strained to pull his hands away, barely managing to keep breathing, but her strength was giving out.

What should she do?

Suddenly, Tang Di roared in agony, making Xian Ning flinch. His hands released her throat, and the man, nearly six feet three inches tall, collapsed in front of her.

Tang Di was curled on the floor, clutching his head, looking like he was in terrible pain.

Xian Ning’s first instinct was to flee, but then the man on the floor started convulsing, a sight both eerie and terrifying.

She didn’t dare get too close and poked his leg with her foot.

“Hey! Don’t play dead. I’m the one who was attacked.”

Tang Di twitched again, and Xian Ning leaped back three meters in a single bound.

“You, you, you! You’re okay, right? Since you’re alive, I’m leaving.”

As long as he wasn’t dead, she was in the clear. Otherwise, the police would come for her first. Besides, whether he went crazy or became a cripple, he deserved it.

“The medicine, give me the medicine!”

Tang Di tried to get up but failed twice, his face growing even more pained.

He was gasping for air, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat was pouring out, dampening his hair.

Xian Ning felt no sympathy as she massaged her neck and walked toward the door.

She’d almost been choked to death. A maniac like this was bad news for anyone who got involved.

“Is anyone here?! Your young master is having a fit!”

Xian Ning opened the front door, but the courtyard was eerily silent and empty. It made sense the indoor staff was sent away, but even the gardeners were gone.

That’s odd.

Xian Ning raised her voice and shouted a few more times. No one answered. The sprawling mansion felt like it was inhabited by only two people: her and Tang Di.

She glanced back at the man lying still on the floor. With the tipped-over table, the shattered vase, and the floor littered with porcelain shards, it looked eerily like a crime scene.

Xian Ning sighed, a conflicted expression on her face, and went back inside.

She must have done some terrible things in her past life to be saddled with such a deranged target in this one.

She walked up to Tang Di and bent down slightly. “Hey! You’re not dead yet, are you? Where’s your medicine?”

Tang Di took a long time to respond. “In the drawer under the TV cabinet.”

Xian Ning searched through every drawer until she found a small bottle of white pills with no label.

“Is this it?”

Tang Di seemed to be on the verge of losing consciousness and didn’t react to her question. With an impatient sigh, Xian Ning pried open his eyes.

“Is it this?!”

Tang Di managed to say, “…Yes.”

“How many pills?” Xian Ning let go of his face and tipped out two. After a moment of hesitation, she added another one, then pinched his mouth open and shoved them in.

His symptoms were so severe; what’s the harm in adding one more?

The pills got stuck in his throat, and Tang Di coughed violently, spitting them out before chewing and swallowing them.

After he took the medicine, his symptoms only worsened. Tang Di’s bloodshot eyes looked like they were about to pop, scaring Xian Ning so much that she scrambled to find her phone.

She suspected the extra pill she gave him was the problem. She needed to call an ambulance and get him to a hospital fast, or she’d really become a suspect.

Just as she unlocked her phone and was about to dial, Tang Di grabbed her wrist.

“It’s a normal reaction.”

“Huh?”

Tang Di stared at her, his eyes still dark and threatening. “What happened today is between you and me. If a third person finds out…”

The blatant threat, combined with his menacing appearance, was more than enough to make Xian Ning lower her phone.

If he didn’t care about his own life, why should she get involved?

“I’m fine, so I’m leaving now.”

Xian Ning stood to walk away, but he grabbed her pant leg.

Tang Di looked up at her, his voice trembling slightly. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t control myself…”

“I was wrong. Please don’t leave me alone.”

Xian Ning wanted to kick him away, but on second thought, she helped him up instead.

Tang Di leaned against the sofa, his hands covering his eyes. The muscles in his throat were tight, and his veins were clearly visible, so he must have still been in pain.

Xian Ning sat on a nearby rosewood chair and communicated with 033 telepathically.

“Will this help with his illness?”

033: [I’m not sure. I suppose it might.]

“You’re not sure? I’m leaving then.”

[Don’t!] 033 panicked. [Right now, Tang Di’s condition seems to be better than before, but this illness isn’t something that can be cured overnight. We’ll have to see what happens later.]

“So I have to keep playing the role of his empathetic confidant?” Xian Ning sighed heavily. “He tried to kill me, and you still want me to be a beacon of virtue?”

[There’s no other way. You’re just unlucky to be assigned this mission.]

033 quickly added, [Actually, it’s not bad luck. It’s what you deserve.]

Xian Ning: …

She was speechless.

While she was lost in thought, Tang Di had recovered some strength and was staring at her with a murky look in his eyes. When Xian Ning accidentally met his eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Before she could say anything, he spoke first.

“Lu Xian Ning, do you want to be the Tang family’s matriarch that badly?”

Xian Ning: “?”

“I’ve treated you this way, and you’re still clinging to me. Do you have no self-respect?”

Xian Ning scoffed, a sarcastic smile on her face, and walked toward the door, trying to calm herself down.

Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Why bother arguing with a lunatic?

“Who said you could leave?!” Tang Di’s angry voice rang out from behind her.

Xian Ning walked faster, her feet almost sparking. She was almost at the door and had just placed her hand on the doorknob when a hand from behind her pressed against the door.

“Lu Xian Ning, playing hard to get won’t work on me.”

A flash of anger shot through Xian Ning, and she raised her arm to elbow him. Just then, the door was suddenly thrust open by a powerful force, knocking her back and right into Tang Di’s arms.

Xue Yingxian’s face was a mask of fury, but seeing this scene made her brow furrow even deeper.

“What are you doing here?” Xian Ning was happy to see her, at least.

Xue Yingxian was normal and could understand what she was saying.

Xue Yingxian was already displeased, but her eyes narrowed when she saw the choke marks on Xian Ning’s neck. She yanked her out of Tang Di’s arms.

“You put your hands on her?”

Xue Yingxian hid Xian Ning behind her, glaring at Tang Di with a chilling look. Standing beside her, Xian Ning felt the air around them drop a few degrees.

Oh no, this backfired completely.

She had wanted to cure Tang Di’s illness so the male and female leads could get their happy ending, but now things were even more tense.

Was she doing something wrong?

Tang Di stared at Xue Yingxian for ten seconds, then shifted his gaze to Xian Ning.

“Xian Ning, you tell her. Did I hit you?”

Xian Ning wanted to say yes, but it would only escalate the conflict. Besides, she had just managed to calm Tang Di down; she couldn’t risk provoking him again.

“No… I didn’t.”

Tang Di smiled in satisfaction.

Xue Yingxian’s face darkened even more as she turned to Xian Ning. “Then how did you get those marks on your neck?”

Xian Ning froze. She wanted Tang Di to help explain, but he only raised a brow, watching the show.

Xian Ning: This guy is the absolute worst!

“It’s… it’s…” Xian Ning’s mind raced, and in a moment of panic, she blurted, “It’s a love bite.”

Tang Di only wanted to provoke Xue Yingxian and had no intention of a real relationship with Xian Ning. The smile on his face froze when he heard her.

Xue Yingxian: “A love bite?”

Xian Ning forced herself to nod. The next second, Xue Yingxian picked her up and dragged her out the door.

The servants who had disappeared reappeared. They didn’t seem surprised by the scene, like programmed robots minding their business.

Xian Ning wanted to explain, but seeing the storm brewing on Xue Yingxian’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

She had lied about going shopping with Lu Han, only to be caught with Tang Di, and then she said something so ridiculous. It would be strange if Xue Yingxian wasn’t angry.

Xian Ning was stuffed into the passenger seat. After getting in, Xue Yingxian floored the gas pedal, and they quickly left the oppressive mansion behind.

While waiting at a red light, Xian Ning timidly asked, “Where are you taking me?”

This was clearly not the way home.

Xue Yingxian didn’t answer and took her directly to a high-end apartment building downtown.

Xian Ning was so nervous she didn’t dare go inside. Xue Yingxian hadn’t said a word since they got in the car.

Xue Yingxian’s voice was low and heavy. “You were brave enough to go see Tang Di alone, but you’re afraid of me?”

“I was…” Xian Ning’s voice was timid as she mumbled, “I didn’t know he would suddenly have a breakdown.”

Xue Yingxian looked away and took a deep breath, clearly trying to control her emotions.

Xian Ning recognized this apartment. It was supposed to be her parents’ gift to her for her eighteenth birthday, but Xue Yingxian had returned before then.

Looking at the absurdly large apartment and the various jades and antique paintings inside, Xian Ning realized this was probably one of the reasons the original owner disliked Xue Yingxian.

Who wouldn’t want to inherit such boundless wealth?

With a click, the door locked. Xian Ning’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned around, only to bump into Xue Yingxian.

“So you like this kind of excitement?”

She asked, and one hand went to Xian Ning’s throat.

Goosebumps immediately rose on Xian Ning’s skin. She smiled awkwardly and grabbed Xue Yingxian’s wrist, trying to pull her hand away.

“I don’t really like it.”

Xue Yingxian wasn’t squeezing hard. It felt like she wasn’t using any force at all, but Xian Ning couldn’t pull her hand off.

“Do you like Tang Di that much?”

The question came out of nowhere, and Xue Yingxian’s voice became much softer, filled with a sense of helpless weariness.

Xian Ning had barely started to say “no” when the pressure on her neck increased.

“If you like to play like this, I can do it too. Just please don’t go back to him, okay?”

Xian Ning’s face turned red as she struggled to catch her breath. She tried to pull Xue Yingxian’s hand away, but Xue Yingxian let go on her own.

“Does it have to be this way? Doesn’t it hurt?”

Xue Yingxian lowered her head, her hand sliding down to Xian Ning’s waist. “I can’t take it. The thought of him treating you that way makes me want to kill him.”

The soft whisper by her ear felt like a warm breeze entering her heart. Xian Ning’s heart softened, and her hand rose, about to give her a hug.

“I’m sorry. I lied to you.”

Xue Yingxian didn’t care about Xian Ning lying to her; she cared that she kept trying to get close to Tang Di. Tang Di was like a ticking time bomb, and no one knew when he would explode.

This time he only choked her. What about next time? Or the time after that?

“Don’t go back to him. He’s more dangerous than you think. Whatever you want from him, I can give it to you, okay?”

At this moment, she would rather Xian Ning were after money and status. If it were love, did she have even a tiny chance?

Xue Yingxian looked up at the bruises on Xian Ning’s neck, her mind a chaotic mess.

A little more pressure, and she could have been choked to death.

Did she really love Tang Di this much, giving up on her life for him?

Xue Yingxian lowered her eyes and leaned in, kissing the bruises. Her lips were soft against the marks, each touch gentle, filled with a sense of care and heartache.

A tingle spread through Xian Ning’s body, and the places where she was kissed felt numb and hot. An alarm went off in Xian Ning’s mind, and she reached out to push Xue Yingxian away.

Xue Yingxian held her hands and buried her face in the crook of Xian Ning’s neck, her voice low and soft.

“Don’t move. Just let me hold you for a bit.”

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