Volume 1, Chapter 39: Qi Jinshan, Are You a Dog?

Xie Mingyue stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide.

She was still crying; how could he have the gall…

"Get out!"

She swung another slap at Qi Jinshan’s face, but to her surprise, he caught her hand, laughing instead of getting angry.

"That's twice now. Does your hand hurt, Madam? Try not to use so much force next time."

Xie Mingyue watched helplessly as his deep, dark eyes fixed upon her, while his thin lips brushed lightly against the palm of her hand.

Then… a trace of warm, moist sensation flickered across her skin.

Her eyes snapped open.

What was that?

Qi Jinshan, he…

A muscle in her cheek twitched. She gritted her teeth and said, "Qi Jinshan, are you a dog?"

Qi Jinshan lowered his gaze, his high bridge of his nose grazing her soft fingertips bit by bit.

The next moment, he suddenly pressed her back against the backrest of the daybed and whispered something in her ear.

Xie Mingyue’s mind went "buzz" and exploded into a complete blank.

Shameless lecher…

She had never encountered such a shameless scoundrel in her entire life!

Yet, the way Qi Jinshan looked at her—dark-eyed and seemingly ready to devour her whole—was truly intimidating.

"No, don't… I'm on my monthly cycle."

She lowered her eyes in extreme discomfort, trying to pull away, but Qi Jinshan supported the back of her head, forcing her to look up again.

"Where has your mind wandered, Madam?"

"I merely wanted to keep you company and have a chat, yet it was twisted into something else entirely."

He absentmindedly stroked Xie Mingyue’s palm, his heart filled with nothing but the image of her delicate, petulant expression from just moments ago.

With such beauty, how could he ever let go?

Xie Mingyue didn't believe a word of it!

She was so angry she wanted to hit him again, but she was afraid he would shamelessly use his tongue once more. She sat there with wide, glaring eyes, yet she was utterly helpless against him.

"I’m calling Wutong in."

Qi Jinshan smiled, leaned down, and kissed her rosy cheek once more.

"It was my fault today. I will make it up to you tonight, Madam."

Xie Mingyue couldn't even tell if his words were decent or indecent.

Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Qi Jinshan left after calling for Wutong.

Wutong had been terrified outside, nearly convinced that her mistress had been struck by the Master. She was just hesitating about whether to call for help when Qi Jinshan summoned her.

She walked into the room under the expectant gazes of Jinhe and Yujiang. There was no sign of the chaos she had imagined; instead, Xie Mingyue was leaning listlessly against the armrest, her long black hair strewn across the daybed. Her nose was still red, but she didn't seem as heartbroken as she had been moments before.

"Madam."

Wutong approached cautiously, and Xie Mingyue started, as if waking from a trance.

"Has Qi Jinshan left?"

She glanced toward the door.

"Come and comb my hair."

Is Madam alright?

Wutong walked over and saw a vanity box sitting on the small table beside the daybed.

It was the kind of thing a lady usually kept in her carriage for grooming while traveling—had the Master actually prepared one in his own room?

She didn't know how long it had been there, but this was the first time her mistress had used it.

She sighed softly and gathered up Xie Mingyue’s waterfall of long hair.

"Wutong," Xie Mingyue suddenly spoke, "what do you think of what just happened?"

Wutong was stunned.

What did she think?

She wanted to die!

If the Master and Mistress continued to have these sudden outbursts, she feared she would be scared to death, leaving not a shred of her soul behind.

Pursing her lips, Wutong said tactfully, "Madam, can you truly not feel any affection for the Master at all?"

When she had heard Xie Mingyue say the words "divorce," she had been truly terrified.

It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that the path to divorce was arduous. Her mistress had finally managed to live a comfortable life, with all the affairs of the household gradually coming under her control. It was only a matter of time before things were perfect; she didn't want to see Xie Mingyue suffer again.

Xie Mingyue understood Wutong; they had been of one mind since childhood. If she said such things, it meant she thought Qi Jinshan was good and that she ought to have feelings for him.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her complexion vibrant and beautiful, far better than the withered state she had been in when she first woke up.

"Madam, if I may be so bold," seeing her silence, Wutong feared she was spiraling into a dead end again and quickly added, "The Master’s devotion to you is known not just throughout the Marquis’s estate, but the entire capital. The Master may be prone to bouts of jealousy, but that is only because he cares for you."

"Is he really that good?"

Xie Mingyue looked doubtful.

She was a lady raised in a sheltered household, taught from a young age that a husband should respect and cherish his legitimate wife and not be unruly or crude. Her father had treated her mother just so; she had seen it with her own eyes and naturally hoped to marry a husband of the same temperament.

Yet, Qi Jinshan had overstepped his bounds with her time and again, and always suspected her of having feelings for Qi Xiuyu. He clearly was not the man she wanted.

Seeing her waver, Wutong struck while the iron was hot: "Madam, you don't like those romance novels, nor do you care for listening to songs. But in truth, every normal couple has their frictions. If there is something about the Master you dislike, tell him, and he will change."

What she feared was the way things had been before—everything kept hidden in the heart, both of them drifting further apart amid misunderstandings.

"Did I not tell him before?"

Xie Mingyue asked curiously.

Qi Jinshan behaving like this certainly wasn't the first time. How had she endured it in the past?

Wutong pursed her lips and shook her head: "You wouldn't say. Sometimes, even I didn't know what you were thinking in your heart."

Xie Mingyue couldn't help but touch her neatly combed sideburns.

She really didn't know what she had been thinking.

"Forget it, let's go."

Once the tension in her heart faded, a sense of hunger surged up.

She walked out into the courtyard. Qi Jinshan was gone, and the servants had cleared away. The dishes on the table had been replaced, and as Xie Mingyue looked, they were all her favorites.

Her expression softened slightly. Wutong quickly added, "The Master ordered this before he left, asking you to finish your lunch in the courtyard. These were all prepared by the chef specifically for you. If you don't give them the honor of eating, the servants will surely be saddened."

Xie Mingyue sneered.

Qi Jinshan knew she was soft-hearted, so he used the servants as a shield?

She sat down and ate. She had to admit, the flavors of these dishes were perfectly to her liking.

After finishing her second bowl, a young maid appeared outside the courtyard. Wutong went over to ask a few questions, and when she returned, she frowned and said, "Madam, the Marchioness invites you to the Shufang Courtyard after your meal."

Xie Mingyue paused.

The scene she and Qi Jinshan had made earlier was so loud that everyone inside and out had likely heard it.

"Then let's go."

She rinsed her mouth with jasmine-scented tea water and rose to head out.

Lady Luo sat in the room, looking at Xie Mingyue’s radiant face, and immediately furrowed her brows.

"Mingyue, I heard you and Jinshan were arguing earlier."

Xie Mingyue smiled faintly: "We just exchanged a few words."

She knew it; Lady Luo must have come for this very reason.

With Lady Yun now confined, Lady Luo, as the Marchioness, was the only mother-in-law in the house, and she would never be able to resist meddling in the management.

Lady Luo was somewhat surprised to hear her say this.

In the past, whenever those two quarreled, had they ever reconciled so quickly?

"Mother, I’ve heard from the servants lately that some people have been secretly meeting in the gardens. With the Spring Flower Banquet coming up, why not send more guards to keep the idle servants in check, so as not to cause any disturbance to the noble guests during the banquet?"

Xie Mingyue did not give Lady Luo the chance to pry, quickly bringing up another topic.

"Secret meetings? Who?" Lady Luo was startled and sat up straight. "Who is so daring and reckless?"

In this household, the servants of the front yard and the back chambers were kept separate, divided by gates that were locked at night.

How could anyone dare to meet in secret?

If word got out, what would become of the reputation of the women in the house?

She immediately forgot about the matter between Xie Mingyue and Qi Jinshan: "This must be dealt with strictly."