After I Lost My Memory, I Was Coaxed into Marriage by a Yandere - Chapter 18

“A minor punishment, nothing more.”

Xiao Yanyi’s fingertip lightly brushed over the small wound on Chi Wei’s neck, where a lingering, moist warmth remained. “Simply saying sorry with your lips won’t make you truly remember.”

The lazy satiety in her eyes made Chi Wei feel, in a daze, as if she really had become a dessert the other had just finished enjoying.

“Were you absorbing my essence just now?” Chi Wei shook her dizzy head, her voice drifting slightly.

“If you wish to think so, then so be it,” Xiao Yanyi sighed helplessly. She was about to rise and continue breaking the formation, but Chi Wei, still in her arms, suddenly went limp and collapsed completely into her embrace.

“What is it? Were you injured earlier?” Xiao Yanyi’s heart tightened as she hurriedly pulled her back down to sit on the stone. Chi Wei merely kept her eyes tightly shut, her brow furrowed. She could not utter a single word, only giving the slightest shake of her head.

At that moment, a sudden commotion erupted from deep within the mountain forest.

Herds of beasts surged out from the mountain valley like a breaking dark tide, fleeing headlong toward their position. Rats, civets, wild boars, mountain rabbits, and all manner of creatures fled in panic. Yet, upon reaching the giant rock where Xiao Yanyi sat, they naturally split into two streams, brushing past the edges as they continued their frantic escape.

“They were likely numbed by your poison,” the white fox that Xiao Tan had transformed into leaped gracefully from a bamboo branch. Landing on the ground, she had already transformed into a charming young girl. “It is time to go. Any later and Qing Jue and the others will come looking.”

She pointed in the direction the beasts were fleeing from. “A hole has been torn in the formation. It is enough.”

Xiao Yanyi looked back toward the depths of Purple Bamboo Mountain, where the lingering tremors of demonic energy and Taoist arts still faintly vibrated. She looked down at the unconscious Chi Wei in her arms, finally nodded, and picked her up steadily.

“Let’s go.”

In a few breaths, the three figures quietly vanished into the rising mist outside the mountain.

Everything that needed to be done had been done. From here on, everything would be left to fate.

When she woke again, Chi Wei was back at the inn.

She had been changed into a dry set of sleeping clothes. The style and size were a perfect fit; she guessed Xiao Yanyi must have brought them along when they left.

The door creaked softly, and Xiao Yanyi entered, placing a steaming bowl of noodles on the table.

Smelling the aroma, Chi Wei knew instantly that these were noodles Xiao Yanyi had personally cooked for her using chicken broth. Back when Chi Wei was blind and could not eat meat, Xiao Yanyi would prepare them this way, worried that a purely vegetarian diet would be bad for her health.

Now that she could eat meat, the original chicken broth noodles were topped with a layer of diced meat.

“You’re awake? The landlady said you went out early this morning to look for me. I was afraid you had not eaten all day, so I made you a bowl of noodles. Quickly, taste it and see how it is.”

Chi Wei walked to the table and sat down. She picked up the chopsticks, then put them back down. “You probably have not eaten all day either. You should eat first.”

Xiao Yanyi paused. In truth, she did not need to eat every day, but seeing how much Chi Wei cared for her, she did not want to make herself seem different.

She picked up the chopsticks and took a few bites. Chi Wei sat upright beside her, eyes focused inward, occasionally stealing a glance at her. This look was exactly like when Chi Wei had first met her. For a moment, Xiao Yanyi almost felt as though they had returned to Hushi Valley.

When she put the chopsticks down, a problem arose: she had only brought up one pair. Just as she was about to get up to cook another bowl for Chi Wei, the other woman reached out and took the bowl without any hesitation.

“No need to get more chopsticks; this is fine. I have been so sick of those vegetable buns these past few days that I was nearly ready to chew on leaves. I was really craving the noodles made by Miss Xiao.”

Xiao Yanyi sat back down at the table, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Chi Wei quietly.

In truth, she still did not understand what had happened to make Chi Wei suddenly become so obedient. According to her expectations, Chi Wei would have struggled with her for months or even years; this was quite a surprise.

Picking up her tea, Xiao Yanyi gently blew on the floating leaves and asked seemingly casually, “What made you think of looking for me today? I thought you would take the opportunity to run away.”

The slight sting on her neck remained; Chi Wei scratched it gently with her index finger. “The landlady said you went south, and Xin Rong and the others went south too. I was worried you would run into them.”

“You are not afraid of them?” Suddenly, Xiao Yanyi’s heart felt a slight itch. Her hand, hidden under the table, unconsciously gripped her clothes tightly.

“I did not think about it.” Chi Wei peeked at Xiao Yanyi and quickly looked away, staring fixedly at her own toes as if trying to bore a hole through the floor.

Before, she had dared to question why Xiao Yanyi was following her, why she lied, and whether she had ulterior motives.

But after being pinned to the bed by Xiao Yanyi last night, being in the same room with her now made Chi Wei feel like a mouse meeting a cat. She did not know what was wrong with her; she simply did not dare look the other person in the eye while speaking.

“Stupid!”

Chi Wei scratched her neck again and silently accepted the label of being stupid. Then, she asked in a low voice, “Miss Xiao, can you tell me what kind of person I was before, and what kind of relationship the two of us had?”

“A very stupid, very foolish, and very unlikable person.” At the mention of the past, the smile hanging on Xiao Yanyi’s lips instantly turned cold.

The room fell silent. Sensing Xiao Yanyi’s mix of sadness and anger, Chi Wei felt at a loss. She sat awkwardly on the stool, feeling as if every second was an ordeal. It was not because of the awkwardness, but because she felt for Xiao Yanyi, whose eyes were shimmering with tears.

“I am sorry.” Although she did not know what she had done wrong, if Xiao Yanyi was that sad, it must have been her fault.

“The things I told you before were not lies.” After a long silence, Xiao Yanyi raised her eyes to look at Chi Wei, her gaze complex and hard to decipher, like a lake sinking into twilight. “I was born into a large family. When I was nine years old, I went on a trip with my family and met you in a town.”

Chi Wei slowly lifted her head.

“At that time, you had been kidnapped by human traffickers and brought to that town. It was my family who rescued all of you. You were the youngest and remembered nothing, so I begged my family to take you home to be my study companion.”

So she saved me that long ago, Chi Wei’s heart stirred slightly.

“They called you a study companion, but you were only five then. How could you truly study with me? In the end, I was just coaxing you along,” Xiao Yanyi said with a trace of a helpless smile. Chi Wei nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Later, seeing that you were quite talented, my family kept you by their side as an apprentice. As you grew up, you always loved to pester me. I am quiet by nature while you were restless. Knowing I would not truly drive you away because we grew up together, you became increasingly bold.” She paused, her voice dropping lower. “Especially when I was fifteen.”

“Why fifteen?” Chi Wei could not help but ask.

Xiao Yanyi turned her face away, shaking her head and refusing to give a reason.

“As time went on, you became even more unscrupulous. If I went out without you, you would get angry. If I spoke a few more words to someone else, you would get angry. Even if I bought some food and you were not there to receive a share, you would get angry.”

Chi Wei was bewildered. “Why would I be angry just because you spoke to someone else?”

Xiao Yanyi shot her a look. “What do you think?”

Chi Wei’s face instantly flushed hot, and she lowered her head. Xiao Yanyi continued. “At first, I did not understand, and neither did you. I just thought you were being unreasonable, yet I could not stand it when you were so angry you refused to eat. My heart was always hanging in suspense.”

“Until one day, I happened to overhear others whispering in private.” Her voice grew soft.

“Whispering what?” Chi Wei was engrossed, forgetting her shame in her eagerness to know the rest.

“Whispering that you were greedy for my family’s estate and wanted to marry into my family. That was why you followed me all day and tried to make me happy.” At this point, Xiao Yanyi’s cheeks also took on a faint red tint. “But I knew you were not that kind of person. In private, you were clearly the one annoying and bothering me, and I had to yield to you at every turn. There was hardly any coaxing involved.”

Chi Wei’s ears burned. Her fingers unconsciously twisted her sleeves tight.

“And then?”

“Then, I went directly to ask you if you liked me.” Xiao Yanyi looked at her, a gentle ripple appearing in her eyes as if she had returned to that afternoon. “You were so panicked you could not even speak clearly; you turned and ran. It took many days before you came to find me again.”

“And after that?” Chi Wei’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. She could not imagine her past self being so bold.

“After that, you stopped pestering me to play, but started pestering me to be intimate with you.” Xiao Yanyi looked away, her tone carrying a hint of bashfulness. “I would not agree, so you made a fuss without end. I had no choice but to give in to you.”

“So, because your mother did not agree, I eloped with you?” Chi Wei was so ashamed she nearly shredded the corner of her clothes.

“More or less.” Xiao Yanyi gave a soft, bitter smile, but a wave of bitterness surged in her heart.

If those later events had not happened, if she had not seen Chi Wei’s other side with her own eyes, perhaps that truly would have been the ending.

Chi Wei never imagined she was such a daring person. Her heart raced and her ears burned, so she quickly picked up her teacup and took a large gulp. The tea was slightly astringent, but it could not suppress the fluttering in her heart.

Daring not to ask more, she recalled Xiao Yanyi saying she had seen her snake tail and been unfaithful. She continued to guess: she must have discovered the other was a demon after they eloped, fled in terror, and then suffered some accident that caused her memory loss, only to be rescued by Xiao Yanyi once again.

If that were true, she owed Xiao Yanyi far too much.

As Chi Wei connected the dots in her mind, she slightly raised her hand, wanting to take Xiao Yanyi’s hand, but curled it back before touching her.

“I am sorry, A-Yan. I owe you too much.”

“You actually still call me A-Yan?” Xiao Yanyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She turned to stare fixedly at her, dark currents moving silently in her eyes. Chi Wei froze, and before she could react, she saw Xiao Yanyi stand up as if to leave in a huff.

“Don’t go!”

“Then what should I call you?”

Chi Wei’s heart tightened. Not knowing where the courage came from, she hurriedly stood and grabbed Xiao Yanyi’s arm.

Xiao Yanyi turned her head slightly, her tone cold and clearly angry. “If I have explained everything and you still will not acknowledge me as your wife, then I might as well leave early, lest I let you hurt my body and heart again.”

Chi Wei panicked. She understood that if she did not call her Wife, Xiao Yanyi would certainly leave her today.

Silence stretched for a moment. As the woman in her grasp tried to pull away, Chi Wei immediately opened her mouth and called out softly, “Wife, please don’t go.”