After I Lost My Memory, I Was Coaxed into Marriage by a Yandere - Chapter 20

“Enough. That is enough.”

Xiao Yanyi had originally only intended to tease her, but she had not expected Chi Wei to actually press her soft, warm lips against hers. That touch of damp warmth spread a tingly, numbing itch that burrowed straight into her heart.

She closed her eyes, her teeth clenching instinctively. Yet, that indescribable throb insisted on overflowing from the gaps between her lips, from her trembling breath, and even from somewhere deeper, heedless of everything.

However, Chi Wei seemed not to hear. Her arm circled Xiao Yanyi’s waist, and far from pulling away, she buried her head in the crook of her neck, greedily sniffing that faint, lingering body fragrance.

“Mmh,” Xiao Yanyi let out a low groan. Her fingertips trembled, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

Her lower abdomen suddenly tightened. She snapped her eyes open and, almost in a state of distress, forcefully pushed the person in front of her away. She frantically pulled her loosened collar together, wrapping herself up tightly.

In the flickering candlelight, her face was burning hot. Looking back, Chi Wei had been pushed so hard she leaned back and fell onto the bedding, her eyes slowly regaining focus from a blurred, misty haze.

Only then did Chi Wei realize what she had done. She hurriedly scrambled up and knelt on the bedding. Her fingers gripped the fabric of her sleeping pants so hard her knuckles turned white, her voice a constant low murmur: “I am sorry. I am sorry. I do not know what happened just now, I did not mean to.”

Seeing her so at a loss, the regret in Xiao Yanyi’s heart deepened. She should not have pushed her away so frantically just now; that unprecedented throb had actually made her lose her composure.

She turned around and sat with her back to Chi Wei for a moment before blowing out the candle. As soon as the flame died, the inside of the bed curtains fell into a dim darkness, with only the faint light leaking from the window gaps outlining their vague silhouettes. She waited quietly for that strange heat and restlessness in her heart to gradually subside before lifting the quilt to lie down, saying softly, “I do not blame you. Sleep; we have to travel tomorrow.”

“Mm,” Chi Wei responded softly, secretly pinching her own leg under the covers.

Xiao Yanyi closed her eyes, but in the darkness, her senses became even sharper. That warm embrace from earlier seemed to linger around her, impossible to shake off, and a dense, tingling itch rose again at the tip of her heart.

She was truly fed up with this annoying tide of passion. When had she become so easily affected by Chi Wei?

But then she thought, this time the injury she inflicted on herself was not heavy, and her cultivation was not damaged. Logically, the heat period should have been suppressed long ago. Why had it dragged on until now, even becoming increasingly difficult to endure?

Could it be that it had actually passed already and she just had not noticed?

Impossible. She immediately dismissed the thought, shaking her head, unwilling to dwell on it further.

As she was lost in thought, the soles of her feet suddenly felt a warmth.

It was Chi Wei, who had quietly pressed the top of her foot against Xiao Yanyi’s sole, properly warming that slightly cool spot.

The corners of Xiao Yanyi’s mouth curved up slightly; this person was always so considerate.

The next day, after waking up, the three continued southward until they stopped at a town with beautiful scenery, backed by mountains and facing water.

Xiao Yanyi sold a pearl hairpin she wore and settled a spacious courtyard house, hiring a few maids and servants.

Recalling their time at Yanbo Port, when life was bitter and tight, Xiao Yanyi had not mentioned selling any jewelry, still traveling back and forth over a dozen miles from the county to transcribe books for money.

Chi Wei guessed that the hairpin must have been a precious family heirloom that Xiao Yanyi would never sell unless absolutely necessary.

Chi Wei felt a bit uneasy. She always felt Xiao Yanyi was giving too much; her former self seemed like a con artist who had coaxed a lady from a wealthy family out with sweet talk, only to let her suffer.

So, when Xiao Yanyi asked her if she wanted to name the house “Chi Manor,” Chi Wei shook her head and refused.

On the day they moved into the Xiao Manor, Xiao Yanyi was in the front hall directing the servants on the placement of the furniture. Seeing her like this, Xiao Tan felt she looked like someone who intended to live here for a lifetime, not like someone keeping Chi Wei as a pet.

Meanwhile, Chi Wei sat by the pond in the courtyard, staring at several fish swimming back and forth, unaware that she would be one of them in the future.

“What is wrong? Are you in a bad mood?” Xiao Tan walked over, sat down, and handed her an apple.

Chi Wei took it, weighed it in her hand, and then set it aside. “I just feel like I do not know how to do anything. I originally thought I would find a job and take good care of you and A-Yan. But look at her; she sells a pearl hairpin on a whim and can buy such a large house and hire servants. I do not even know what I can do.”

“Is it not good that she has money?” Xiao Tan took a bite of the apple and said indistinctly, “If you serve her well and make her happy, is that not better than any work?” She had been picked up by Xiao Yanyi since she was a child, and her food and clothing were all covered by Xiao Yanyi; she had long been used to such a life.

Chi Wei shook her head. “Then would I not be a trophy?”

“What is wrong with being a trophy? You get fresh flowers tucked in every day, and you are pretty and fragrant.”

Chi Wei’s face flushed, and she shook her head repeatedly. “No, no. Oh right, did I not used to be a fortune teller? What do you think about me going back to my old profession?”

Xiao Tan’s apple-munching froze. She gave two dry laughs. “I think you had better focus on serving your lady wife.”

“Why?”

“Do you not think the voice of that immortal who sent you telepathic messages sounds a lot like mine?” Xiao Tan smiled awkwardly.

“Phew,” Chi Wei exhaled a long breath and rolled her eyes grandly. “I knew it. Where would an immortal come from to look after me? So, that lady’s business was something you looked into beforehand?”

Xiao Tan gave her a smile, which served as a silent admission.

The sunlight spilled onto the pond water, making one squint. In a pavilion at the other end of the pond, Xiao Yanyi was waving at them, urging them to come over for a meal.

Chi Wei stood up from the grass, patted the grass clippings off her clothes, reached out to Xiao Tan, and pulled her up with a forceful tug, leading her toward the other side of the pond.

“So you really are the little fox A-Yan and I picked up?”

“Yes. I have always looked at you as a friend.” Xiao Tan smiled at Chi Wei, leaving the second half of her thought unsaid. As for Xiao Yanyi, she viewed her as her master.

At the dinner table, Xiao Yanyi placed a slice of meat in Chi Wei’s bowl.

“The medicinal bath is ready. Since it is warm at noon, go soak in it later.”

Medicinal bath. Recalling that medicinal smell and piercing pain that seeped into her bones, her brow furrowed. Her eyes were clearly better; why did she still have to suffer this?

Xiao Yanyi seemed to see through her thoughts and added unhurriedly, “Although your eyes are healed, your memory has not returned yet. I wrote to that doctor, and she replied that while you do not need to go in person, the medicinal baths must continue. If you find it hard to endure, the dosage and frequency can be reduced.” As she spoke, she unfolded a letter and placed it before Chi Wei.

“I see. Thank you for worrying about me, A-Yan.” The black ink on white paper was written in neat handwriting. Chi Wei’s gaze swept over it, and she finally nodded.

After the meal, Xiao Yanyi led Chi Wei to the bathhouse. As they crossed the corridor, the newly appointed housekeeper, Jiang Yi, approached them.

“Master, there is a group of people at the door seeking an audience.”

“What is it about?”

“They say they are people from the Great Yan government passing through and wish to borrow the manor for a day’s stay.” Jiang Yi paused. “I already told them it was not convenient, but the other party holds a token from the Xuandu Department.”

Chi Wei listened from the side, confused. “Xuandu Department? What kind of government office is that? The name is quite strange.”

Jiang Yi bowed his head. “This, Jiang is not quite sure either.”

“You decide. Arrange for them to stay in the front yard, but do not disturb me.” Xiao Yanyi, however, looked completely uninterested. After giving the order, she took Chi Wei’s hand and walked toward the backyard.

Unlike the darkness of the night, the sunlight passing through the thin window paper into the room was still very bright.

The thick smell of herbs permeated the air. The moment Chi Wei stepped inside, her brow furrowed tightly, and her feet felt the urge to retreat.

“So, as long as I do not remember the past, these killer medicinal baths will not stop for a single day?” She made a bitter face, her voice taking on a bit of a whining tone. “Then I would rather not remember. Anyway, as you said, I have no living relatives left. If I have forgotten, then let it stay forgotten.”

Xiao Yanyi reached out to test the water in the tub, her knuckles stirring up a few droplets, her tone calm: “It will not be for many more days. The doctor said that once the piercing pain in your dantian stops during the medicinal bath, you can stop.”

“Eh?” Chi Wei was stunned. How did this explanation have nothing to do with memory again?

Xiao Yanyi turned around, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips as she reached out to untie her sash. “The doctor means that once the pain in your abdomen stops, you just need to wait quietly for your memory to return.”

“Then forget it, I do not need to recover my memory. It is fine like this.” Chi Wei stepped aside to dodge Xiao Yanyi’s hand, nimbly circling to the other side of the bathtub.

“You, how can that be?” Xiao Yanyi’s hand paused in mid-air, and she froze. This medicinal bath was not used to recover Chi Wei’s memory; it was used to dissipate the effects of the Juexian Technique in her body. As long as the technique remained, her heart would never find peace.

“Why can it not be?” Chi Wei’s face was full of smiles on the opposite side; she felt this method was excellent. Since she had forgotten anyway, if she had to endure this deadly bath to recover her memories, she did not feel the past memories were that important.

Xiao Yanyi lifted her skirt and chased her around the tub, while she dodged around it. Xiao Yanyi spoke random words of deception to coax her.

“Xiao Chi, be good. Be a little more obedient. For us to meet, encounter each other, and know each other are all very important memories to me. I do not want you to forget them. Besides, you did not believe me to begin with. If a rift occurs one day, it will make it seem even more like our love was just a lie I wove.” Xiao Yanyi’s voice carried a panic rarely seen in her.

Chi Wei’s footsteps suddenly stopped.

Xiao Yanyi had not expected her to stop so suddenly and could not pull back her steps in time, crashing lightly into her arms.

She instinctively grabbed Chi Wei’s sleeve and looked up. “Why did you stop?”

Chi Wei lowered her head. Her brow was still slightly furrowed, but her gaze had softened.

“You have a point. If only you remember those beautiful past events and I have forgotten them, you would probably feel very lost and sad.”

Willing to endure the pain of the medicinal bath just because she was afraid her partner would be the only one remembering the past; when had Chi Wei become so concerned about her feelings? Chi Wei was already untying her own belt. Xiao Yanyi unconsciously gripped Chi Wei’s sleeve tighter.

But in the end, she did not say anything more, watching with her own eyes as Chi Wei, wearing only thin sleeping clothes, stepped into the medicinal bath.

Unlike every previous time when she would grimace and shout in pain, this time Chi Wei did not even knit her brows. If the medicinal broth had not been personally prepared by Xiao Yanyi, she would have almost thought the tub was filled with plain water.

Xiao Yanyi took a soft towel and gently wiped the fine sweat from Chi Wei’s forehead. But soon, the beads of sweat broke out again in a dense layer. She leaned in to wipe again, but her gaze suddenly froze.

In the orange-yellow medicinal soup, a faint wisp of crimson was floating up.

Xiao Yanyi followed that trace of blood. The source was actually Chi Wei’s hand, which was clenched tightly into a fist. Her nails were dug deep into her palm, and beads of blood were seeping from between her fingers, silently melting into the medicinal water.

Despite being in such intense pain, this person had not even twitched an eyebrow.

Was she afraid that if she saw it, she would be sad and call a halt to this method of regaining her memory?

Why did the amnesiac Chi Wei become so good? It was so good that it was hard for her to harden her heart to torment the other.

But why did the former Chi Wei, who remembered everything, treat her like a worn-out shoe?

Anger and pity twisted together in her chest, making her head throb with pain. Xiao Yanyi suddenly raised her hand and struck the wall of the bathtub with her palm.

The wooden tub shattered into pieces. The medicinal soup splashed everywhere, flowing across the floor, and Chi Wei, soaked to the skin, fell into her arms.

“A-Yan, what happened?”

Xiao Yanyi brushed aside the wet strands of hair on her cheek, closed her eyes, and said in a low voice, “Let us stop here for today. Actually, there are other ways to help you recover your memory.”

“What ways?” Chi Wei naturally could not guess that Xiao Yanyi had broken the tub; she only felt that the quality of this bathtub was far too poor.

“Be more intimate with me.” Xiao Yanyi gently rested her chin on the top of Chi Wei’s head, her eyes dark as night. “Do things we used to do often.”

Since the goal was to stir her passion and dissipate the technique anyway, perhaps a more direct way would show results faster.

Chi Wei blinked in her arms, her heart suddenly skipping a beat. “Like what?”

Xiao Yanyi remained silent for a moment before slowly breathing out two words, her breath brushing past Chi Wei’s ear: “Consummation.”