The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 36

Nian Xi stood in the shade of the tree, watching the Princess gallop on her horse.

Gu Ci waved to her from the stands. Nian Xi shook her head, signaling him to come find her later.

Gu Ci then made a disappointed and heartbroken expression, which made her chuckle.

But when she turned her head, the situation on the field suddenly changed. For reasons unknown, the chestnut-red horse beneath the Princess suddenly lost control and went wild, tossing the Princess precariously. If Xiao Nanxi hadn’t been an excellent rider, she would have been thrown off long ago.

But the situation was still dire.

The teams on the polo field had just been switched. Dozens of horses were fiercely competing, and no one noticed the chestnut-red horse galloping madly toward the playing field.

Xiao Nanxi had already lost control of the horse. The reins slipped from her hands, and she could only lean forward, grasping the horse’s mane.

If the wild horse were allowed to charge into the polo field, once a fall occurred and a stampede ensued, the consequences would be unimaginable, very likely costing a life.

Xiao Nanxi clearly realized this.

She desperately tried to control the direction, pulled out the golden hairpin from her hair, and stabbed it fiercely into the horse’s neck. The chestnut-red horse screamed in pain, its actions becoming even more frenzied, but it did change direction.

This sudden chaos naturally drew the attention of the crowd in the stands.

However, horse racing was Xiao Nanxi’s spontaneous idea. The bodyguards were a distance away and couldn’t reach her in time.

Nian Xi also wanted to help, but she was completely powerless. She lifted her skirt, about to run and call for help, when the mad horse suddenly turned and charged straight toward her!

She remained relatively calm and immediately turned to run.

But a horse’s speed is immense. In a matter of seconds, it caught up to her. In the nick of time, it was Xiao Nanxi’s bodyguard, Yan Qing, who lunged forward. With one hand, he plunged a dagger into the horse’s body, and with the other, he embraced the Princess. In one fluid motion, he rolled off the horse’s back with her.

The horse screamed in pain and went mad, kicking wildly with its four hooves. Yan Qing was repeatedly struck by the horse’s hooves, yet he firmly shielded the Princess beneath him.

Xiao Nanxi was terrified and wept, clinging to Yan Qing’s waist, daring not to open her eyes.

The bodyguards rushed over and quickly surrounded the maddened horse.

Nian Xi was also deeply shaken, her legs trembling and her face pale.

Gu Ci had already raced toward her when the horse went wild, only a moment later than Yan Qing. At this moment, he disregarded the surrounding eyes, grabbed Nian Xi’s hand, meticulously checked her over, and then tightly embraced her, his heart still beating with lingering fear.

He stroked her back, offering continuous comfort. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Nian Xi had just experienced a heart-stopping event and was still a little dazed. Smelling his familiar scent and listening to his gentle words of comfort, she gradually regained her composure after a long while.

As soon as she looked up, she saw Pei Jian standing two steps behind Gu Ci, looking right at her.

His eyes were deep and profound.

Pei Jian sat alone beneath the veranda.

He had long since moved back to their former home, sitting in Nian Xi’s usual spot, looking out at the silent courtyard.

In those days, Nian Xi hated it when he drank. She detested the fermented smell of alcohol on his breath.

Whenever he returned from outside, she would pinch her nose and say to Snowball, “Go far away, don’t let him stink you up too.”

She also wouldn’t let him kiss her.

She would brew a very sour hangover soup for him to drink.

If he refused to drink it, she would sigh by his side, “Madam Pei, you truly have a bitter fate. Your husband doesn’t show any consideration for your hard work.”

Over time, he drank less and less. Even if he only had two or three cups outside, before returning, he would always chew on tea leaves and gargle several times before entering the bedroom.

At those times, she would smile brightly and welcome him. “Madam Pei, you are so lucky. Where did you find such a loving husband? You will definitely grow old together.”

In countless dark nights, they embraced, kissed, twisted, and pressed against each other. He would pull her fleeing waist back, holding her, thrusting, and wantonly licking every inch of her sweat-drenched skin, leaving behind a faint scent of wine.

Pei Jian expressionlessly took another sip of wine.

What did it matter if he reeked of alcohol now?

She was in another man’s arms anyway.

She wouldn’t even spare him an extra glance.

Nian Xi had once scolded him, saying this was a man’s childish self-esteem and shameful possessiveness. At first, it certainly was. He couldn’t bear that the woman who had blossomed so beautifully under his hands had turned to another man’s embrace.

And was smiling so joyfully and heartily.

He tried to convince her, and himself, that as long as Nian Xi left Gu Ci, as long as her name and image no longer frequently appeared around him, he would slowly let go.

He was merely fulfilling a responsibility toward Nian Xi.

Until today, when he saw Gu Ci tightly embracing her.

When she encountered danger, there was another man to comfort her, protect her, soothe her, and hold her in his arms… And he could only be an observer. Even if he endured until his heart was crumpled up, he could not step forward.

He could only watch from an unnoticed corner, from afar.

He discovered that he simply could not tolerate it. Whether that man was Gu Ci or any other man, he could not bear not being in her eyes.

And he could not control the unreasonable, deeply ingrained possessiveness he felt exclusively for Wen Nian Xi.

Liao Ranran walked through the moon gate and immediately saw a scene that made her heart flutter—

That cold, noble man was sitting on the bamboo couch beneath the veranda.

One hand rested on his raised knee, his palm clutching the wine pot. His face was tilted slightly back, his eyes closed, his posture relaxed and dashing.

She thought he was drunk, but quickly noticed that his lashes were slightly lowered, and his gaze was fixed, as if he were deep in thought.

Such a jade-tree-like figure—who was he thinking of in his heart?

If someone could cast a shadow upon the waves of his heart, she thought, that person must be the most enviable in the world.

Liao Ranran thought to herself.

Her aunt had intended to matchmake her with the eldest son of the Pei family. She knew this was her aunt’s own calculation.

Her aunt’s family had seized Pei Jian’s title and bullied him so severely in his youth. Now, knowing fear, they wanted to use her to ease the relationship. She felt disdain for this in her heart.

But Pei Jian, Pei Shizhang…

Ever since she had seen him from a distance last year, her young heart could no longer be given to anyone else.

“Young Master Pei.”

Liao Ranran spoke, her voice soft as water. “Aunt sent me to bring you some food. It’s freshly made. Would you… like to taste some?”

Her voice was barely audible by the end.

Because Pei Jian looked up at her, his deep, lacquer-black eyes gathering and then scattering.

His eyes seemed to hide a piece of charcoal about to be polished bright, hot and easily ignitable, yet on closer look, they were just utterly dark.

Very dangerous.

And very tempting.