Chapter 410 Bullying the Concubine (4)

Chapter 410 Bullying the Concubine (4)

?Zhang Wei, "... Where is the ring?"

Chen Yulan, her heart aflutter, confessed, "I put it away."

Zhang Wei observed her with a hint of amusement, "It really suited you, though."

Chen Yulan's smile dimmed, her voice tinged with resolve, "I don't wear a ring that bears another's name."

"Why not? It looked quite good on you," Zhang Wei countered, his curiosity piqued. In a swift motion that seemed almost magical, he produced a ring from the depths of his belongings, leaving Chen Yulan in silent wonder.

'How does he always manage to take things from thin air?' she thought silently.

Her gaze was drawn to the ring, its silver gleaming under the light, adorned with patterns of blue that sparked a memory within her. "Why do it feel so familiar" she murmured, her thoughts drifting to the blue orchids she once found, crystallized within ice.

"They remind me of those orchids...?" she pondered aloud.

With a nonchalant shrug, Zhang Wei revealed, "Because it's crafted from them." Effortlessly, he slid the ring onto her finger, rendering Chen Yulan speechless, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and contemplation.

As Zhang Wei pulled out his phone and began to compose a message, Chen Yulan's curiosity overcame her, "Who are you messaging at this hour?" Though it was none of her concern, the question slipped out, fueled by a mix of curiosity and concern.

Flashing a sly grin, Zhang Wei responded, "Just arranging for someone to pay Liu Ming a little visit and cut his fingers."

!!

Chen Yulan's eyes widened in shock, Her heart skipping a beat.

"Please, no violence!" she pleaded, her hands instinctively covering his. But it was too late; the message had already been sent. nove(l)bi(n.)com

Zhang Wei looked at her, an expression of mock reproof on his face. "Tch, do you really think I would lose?" His hands gently cradled her face, a subtle reassurance in his touch.

The sudden sound of Zhang Wei's voice cut through the silence, startling her. "No need for clothes," he declared, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I prefer the freedom of sleeping unclothed."

With a fluid motion that seemed almost too casual, he peeled his shirt off, revealing his lean muscles before he reached out and plunged the room into darkness with a flick of the lamp switch.

Silence enveloped Chen Yulan, as she sat frozen, robbed of speech in the dead of night.

After a moment heavy with unspoken words, she exhaled deeply, a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of her resignation.

Carefully, she slipped next to him under the quilt, the fabric whispering against their skin.

The chill in the air prompted her to pull an additional blanket over them, seeking warmth in its embrace.

Her head found a place on his arm, a makeshift pillow that felt too intimate and too distant all at once.

Her eyes, wide open, stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in the shadows that danced just out of sight.

It was then, in a voice so soft it was almost lost in the stillness, that she murmured, "... How many times must I endure what happened today?"

Zhang Wei, drifting on the edge of sleep, felt a ripple of annoyance at her words. "I take no pleasure in beating your kind," he replied, his voice low and tinged with a complexity of emotions he didn't fully understand himself.

"Just follow my lead, don't scream and all will be well. Although," he added, a smirk playing on his lips unseen in the darkness, "I cannot deny... You look quite adorable crying today..."

!!

At his words, Chen Yulan trembled, a shiver running down her spine.

Adorable?

Crying?

His words felt like a mockery, a jest too cruel to bear. With a heavy sigh, she forced her mind to retreat, to seek refuge in the prospect of sleep.

She couldn't let his words, his actions, disturb her peace any further. Not tonight.