Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 16

The light divided the vast hall into two distinct zones: one brilliantly lit, the other cast in deep shadow.

Jian Chun stood at the edge of the light, gazing at Yu Siyi in a long, heavy silence. Yu Siyi stood with her back to the light, her slender silhouette traced in a thin, delicate outline. Her face seemed to glow with a lunar brilliance. As she drew closer to Jian Chun, her blurred features became sharp and clear; every step she took seemed to strike the beat of a drum against Jian Chun’s heart, thrumming louder and louder against her eardrums.

Jian Chun’s heart raced through several frantic cycles. Her mind went blank for a fleeting second, and when she regained her senses, she realized Yu Siyi had already walked right up to her.

Yu Siyi offered a soft smile and reached out, familiar and practiced, to take the things from Jian Chun’s hands. It was only then that Jian Chun realized they were the only two people in the house.

After the initial panic subsided, Jian Chun ended the call on her phone and took a deep breath. A smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth, only to droop back down immediately. Abandoning the pretense of a fake smile, she asked bluntly, “I thought you said you were busy?”

Jian Chun looked at Yu Siyi, but the moment their eyes met, she averted her gaze. Yu Siyi’s makeup had already been removed, revealing skin so fair and delicate that the fans’ claims of it being “supple as a newborn’s” felt like no exaggeration.

Feeling guilty under that gaze, Jian Chun feigned nonchalance and tried to pour herself some water. However, the moment she raised her left hand, she froze.

It pained her. Those little brats had really struck with force.

Jian Chun furrowed her brows, staring at her reflection in the water. It had been many years since she acted like a “Big Sister” boss; facing a group of problem children, her goal was to correct them, not to join their chaos. But when she had blocked the others and told Jin Ziye to run, that fellow had reacted like a lit firecracker, happily charging straight into the crowd instead.

Jian Chun quietly rolled her shoulder and let out a breath. As Yu Siyi approached, Jian Chun watched her reflection on the wall and forced herself not to step back. Before she could move, Yu Siyi leaned half her weight onto her, her cheek pressing against Jian Chun’s shoulder. She wrapped her arms around Jian Chun’s waist like a serpent, and for a moment, the air felt suffocating.

Yu Siyi’s breath slowly consumed Jian Chun’s logic. Her neck and face were filled with the other woman’s scent—a fragrance that surged toward her. Memories flooded back, and Jian Chun recalled the ambiguous advances Yu Siyi had made whenever she found an opening.

Just as Yu Siyi’s lips pressed against her cheek, Jian Chun let out a low hiss of pain. She tilted her head to avoid the kiss and shifted her shoulder, only for the pain to sharpen.

Jian Chun frowned, suppressing her temper. “Yu Siyi, I don’t want to have any contact with you right now.”

“Jian Chun, I am a little angry right now,” Yu Siyi said softly.

Jian Chun glanced at her and let out a cold, scoffing breath. It was a mix of the embarrassment of having her lie exposed and the awkwardness of the other’s early return. She pushed her away.

“Oh, so you’re the only one allowed to be angry?” Jian Chun said mockingly.

Yu Siyi’s eyes turned dark and unreadable, and the expression on her face cooled. She reached out, intending to pull Jian Chun back. Jian Chun dodged to the side, but suddenly gasped in pain.

Yu Siyi’s gaze darkened as she realized something. “Are you injured? How did it happen? Does it hurt?” Her voice was flat, devoid of its usual ripples, cutting through the muddy atmosphere between them.

Jian Chun didn’t answer. She focused on pouring her water, her left hand hanging limp. She realized she couldn’t hide it from her. “Don’t worry about it,” Jian Chun said, though her voice lacked conviction, sounding more like she was lashing out in shame.

She avoided Yu Siyi’s eyes but kept a constant watch on her shadow on the floor, guarding against her approach. The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point. Jian Chun felt a flicker of regret; she licked her lips, her heart torn with conflict.

Yu Siyi exhaled, her tone softening into a gentle warmth. “Fine, I won’t interfere. But why did you lie? And why are you back so late? Hmm?”

Agitated, Jian Chun brushed away Yu Siyi’s hand as she tried to touch her. “Yu Siyi!”

Yu Siyi’s hand froze in mid-air. Jian Chun took a step back, finally finding a safe distance. Yu Siyi watched her, her smile slowly fading. Her lashes trembled as she lowered her eyes, her voice soft and tender. “I’m sorry. I was a bit too impatient.”

Jian Chun didn’t want to reply. She raised the warm water to her lips but suddenly lost the desire to drink. Yu Siyi’s smile was forced. In this conversation, she held the upper hand, but in this relationship, she was losing utterly.

Jian Chun knew this. Watching Yu Siyi try to coax her didn’t make her happy at all because she knew things weren’t supposed to be this way.

“Chun-bao, I was worried about you,” Yu Siyi said.

Jian Chun caught Yu Siyi in her peripheral vision, her lips pressed together uncomfortably. She wasn’t heartless, but responding to this felt far too difficult. She considered explaining several times, only to think: Why should I have to give an account of myself? Yet, if she didn’t clear the air, would she just let things continue like this?

Wasn’t this the exact situation she wanted?

Thinking of this, Jian Chun’s tone softened. “I’m not a child. This kind of questioning makes me very uncomfortable.”

Hearing this, Yu Siyi’s expression improved slightly. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you where I can’t see you,” she said soothingly.

Jian Chun gave a noncommittal “Oh” and moved her arm. “It’s nothing, I just bumped into something at school.” She didn’t pursue the topic, set down her glass, and headed upstairs without a second glance at the bag containing the medicinal oil.

Yu Siyi stood behind her, her gaze gradually focusing on Jian Chun’s back, forcibly suppressing all her anxiety.

It was nearly eleven o’clock. The villa district, surrounded by mountains and water, offered a serene environment. As spring approached, the chirping of birds could be heard in the night, interspersed with the distant sound of engines from the highway. Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights sparkled like a sea of stars.

Yu Siyi sat on the sofa for a while. The light hit her face, making her skin look exceptionally pale. Her cool eyes were devoid of spirit, making her look like an exquisite, lifelike doll.

By the time Yu Siyi went upstairs, Jian Chun had already finished washing up. Jian Chun didn’t react much when she saw Yu Siyi enter; acting as if she were invisible, she pulled up the covers and got into bed.

Just as Jian Chun was trying to drift off, she felt movement beside her. Yu Siyi’s voice drifted over smoothly, “Let me massage it for you.”

Jian Chun instinctively curled into the quilt, covering her head as if she could hide inside a safe shell. But the shell was not secure. The quilt was tugged away, exposing Jian Chun’s curled-up upper body.

Yu Siyi didn’t ask for permission again. She reached out to pull at Jian Chun’s collar. The moment her warm hand touched Jian Chun’s skin, Jian Chun flinched.

Jian Chun turned on her side and shot Yu Siyi an annoyed look. Meeting those deep, unreadable eyes, Jian Chun’s movements slowed. She reached for the quilt, but Yu Siyi was faster. After a brief stalemate, Yu Siyi flipped over and pinned Jian Chun down through the covers.

Jian Chun couldn’t move. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she glared up at the woman above her in humiliation. “Yu Siyi!”

Yu Siyi abandoned her gentle methods. She smiled and said, “Cooperate with me. Or accept the consequences of refusing.”

Jian Chun didn’t sit idly by. she tried to push her away, but the violent struggle caused her arm to throb. With one hand pinned and the other unable to move, her legs were useless under the heavy suppression.

“Dammit,” Jian Chun hissed, her eyes turning red with anger as she cursed under her breath.

Yu Siyi’s movements paused. She looked at Jian Chun, her icy eyes becoming solemn. “Swearing again.”

Jian Chun grew frantic. “Yu Siyi, let me go! I am not the person you love! And I don’t love you!”

Yu Siyi lowered her head, her quiet gaze locked onto Jian Chun. “Then who are you?” she asked with a hint of playfulness.

Jian Chun was stunned by her seriousness. Her lips moved, and under that gaze, she blurted out, “I forgot. I forgot the process of us falling in love.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Jian Chun’s mind went blank. She was too nervous; she hadn’t thought before speaking. She never intended to confess the truth; their relationship wasn’t stable enough for such a secret. And yet, she had said it.

Yu Siyi’s gaze remained locked on Jian Chun, showing no emotion. Curiously, she saw terror in Jian Chun’s eyes. Are you afraid of me?

Yu Siyi tilted her head, her long hair falling forward. Their breath was hot, their skin warm where they touched. Yu Siyi drew closer, the emotions in the other’s eyes becoming more vivid.

She was no longer gentle. She moved with aggressive dominance, forcibly breaking through Jian Chun’s defenses. An ambiguous atmosphere spread; their breathing grew shallow and hurried. A weak, short moan escaped, only to be swallowed up in the next instant.

Jian Chun’s eyes widened. The features before her became clearer—the elegant bridge of the nose, the thin lips—all expanding in her vision. Heavy breathing and a violent heartbeat surged from her limbs into her mind. All her senses were infinitely magnified, shattering her thoughts one by one.

In the blink of an eye, all her resistance crumbled before the body’s most primal reactions. The temperature in the room rose. Wherever Yu Siyi touched, the heat spread, causing her heart to swell and throb. Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, glistening under the light, and strands of hair clung to her cheeks.

The chirping of birds drifted in, calling out to their companions. Peace returned to the room as if nothing had happened.

Yu Siyi, her face unchanged, took out the medicinal oil and easily pulled open the “salted fish’s” collar. The moment her slightly cool palm touched the skin, it triggered a strong reaction.

Jian Chun, like an ostrich, buried her head in the pillow and stopped resisting. A large expanse of smooth skin was exposed to the air, shrinking back at the touch of the cold oil. Her face was flushed from her own warm breath; she thought bitterly that no matter what her attitude was, this woman would kiss her whenever she pleased—

That was her first kiss. Or rather, her first kiss might have been stolen long ago without her knowing.

Jian Chun’s shoulder felt a chill, then a wave of pain. She whimpered, biting down on the pillow. If Yu Siyi wasn’t an actress, she could have made a living as a bandit, Jian Chun thought.

Yu Siyi looked at the person playing dead in the pillow. Her thin lips curled slightly; she seemed appeased. “Wouldn’t it have been better if you were this obedient from the start?” Her movements grew gentler.

Jian Chun turned her head, teeth clenched from the pressure, her eyes filled with fury. Yu Siyi had a faint smile on her face, but unlike her usual tenderness, she seemed wrapped in a cold edge; every move she made was sharp.

Yu Siyi looked at Jian Chun’s red eyes and the crystalline tears wetting her lashes—a picture of pitiful vulnerability. Her smile became a bit more genuine.

Jian Chun froze, her anger present but her courage lacking. She usually preferred peace and would rather talk than fight—especially since she was currently outmatched in physical strength. She withdrew her gaze and tugged at her clothes, still believing that the “cold war” approach was her best bet.

Just as she was preparing to endure the pungent smell of the medicine and turn over to sleep, she heard the other woman’s voice from above:

“Don’t even think about leaving me.