Chapter Seventeen: Punishment

"Is it alright?" Mu Zichen gazed intently into the girl's eyes, his own filled with a probing uncertainty.

Her reply was nothing more than a pair of innocent, bewildered eyes. Why did Brother Zichen need to ask her before taking his medicine?

That pure, unblemished gaze was like a fuse, igniting the man's heart. His expression suddenly darkened as he seized the girl's delicate chin and pressed his lips to hers.

His strength was astonishing.

"Mmm, Brother Zichen... it hurts..." The girl whimpered softly from the pain.

The man's reason returned at last. He released her chin, carefully inspecting her lips for any injury.

Her ink-black eyes looked directly at him with no hint of avoidance; her milky cheeks were stained with two vivid blushes, radiating innocence. That extreme purity, wrapped in a faint, elusive allure, made his heart itch.

She peered at him with misty eyes, shy and incredulous. "Brother Zichen, how could you kiss me?"

"Because you are my antidote," his voice deepened, his gaze locked fiercely on her lips.

Indeed, the more he tried to keep away from her, the more he yearned for her—so much so that even his heart ached.

"Will kissing make the pain go away? Then..." She reached out with her pale, delicate hand, clutching the fabric of his chest, her bewildered eyes wide as she tentatively licked his lips with her tiny tongue.

Soft and warm!

It drove the man even more mad.

The frail girl blinked, and suddenly found herself beneath Mu Zichen, pressed against the bed.

Her long, dark hair fanned out on the grey sheets—tender and fragile.

"Ah! Brother Zichen!" She was startled, her chest rising and falling, looking up at him with innocent confusion. It took her a moment to realize her hands were still wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Jiuyue, do you like me?" His voice was low, intoxicating as poison.

"I do, but..." Doubt and uncertainty flickered in her clear eyes.

She certainly liked Brother Zichen, but was it the love of kin or the love between lovers?

Her mind was a tangled mess, for she had never considered such a thing before.

She looked at him and answered quietly, her voice weak, her body limp—a clear sign she had been drained by his kisses.

Before she could sort her thoughts, the ambiguous atmosphere left her flustered and helpless; her lashes trembled, her gaze dropped.

Mu Zichen was inflamed by her reaction, his possessive desire intensifying. He pinned her arms against the pillow and lowered his head for another punishing kiss.

Her tongue was soft, inexperienced, timid. He gently bit and tugged at her jelly-like lips, drawing from her a pleading moan. When he finally released her, her lips quivered, flushed to a tempting red.

...

Some time later, the girl had fallen asleep, while Mu Zichen lay awake with bloodshot eyes, unable to restrain himself.

The little girl needed more time—he truly couldn't force her too hard.

The next morning, when she awoke, Mu Zichen was still absent. She rose and walked to the mirror, staring at her slightly swollen lips with an impassive face.

Last night, Mu Zichen had only kissed her—nothing more. Perhaps he was mindful of her feelings.

Gentle and graceful Brother Zichen had truly fallen for her. The girl felt a secret delight entwined with a hint of irony. After all, in her previous life, he had never spared her a second glance; his only warmth was reserved for Lin Yuexin.

Her thoughts drifted back to a rainy day in that past life...

The rain was heavy, shrouding the street in a misty veil, as beautiful as a layer of ethereal white gauze. Yet the scene unfolding in the rain was anything but beautiful.

A petite, timid girl stood before a man whose gentleness was like water. She nervously reached out to embrace him, boldness flickering in her eyes amidst excitement and unease. Her voice trembled, "Brother Zichen, I like you!"

She liked him so much. He couldn't be taken from her!

But the man pushed her away, his eyes full of disbelief and disgust.

"I only see you as a sister. Nothing more."

No wonder his gaze was always so sickeningly sweet—how revolting!

His words struck her like a blow, her beautiful glassy eyes filling with tears, threatening to spill at any moment.

"No, that's not true," she tried desperately to prove herself.

"Don't delude yourself about what's not yours," he said, not even sparing a glance at the girl sobbing her heart out. He turned and walked away.

His words plunged her into the deepest abyss, extinguishing the last flicker of hope in her heart.

No, it can't be. If you don't like me, why are you so gentle with me? She reached out, trying to stop him, but was a step too late. All she could do was watch his retreating figure, tears streaming down her face, lost and bewildered.

What she didn't know was that Mu Zichen always wore a mask of gentleness, his kindness only skin-deep. The timid, naive girl had taken it to heart, believing he was her prince sent by heaven to rescue her—and so she fell, trapped in the mire.

The girl crouched down, hugging herself, crying so heartbreakingly.

—Crack. The sound of her heart breaking, crisp and clear, so beautiful that she greedily replayed it in her mind, again and again, until she began to smile.

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, smiling with a tender grace.

Brother Zichen, you have fallen first.

But only for the girl you still consider a sister.

How should you be punished? Then let your punishment be loving in vain!

For days, Mu Zichen did not appear, not until a few nights before the girl's departure for City B.

That evening, outside Mu Zichen's door.

The girl's slender, fair fingers hesitated on the door handle, her long lashes trembling, eyes full of undisguised anxiety. She wanted to open the door, yet dared not.

Did Brother Zichen no longer like her? Then why had he acted that way? Why had he avoided her for so many days?

He had finally returned today. Should she see him?

...

All of this shrouded the girl in sadness, her eyes rimmed red, tears trembling on her lashes, like an abandoned child.

With a sudden clang, the door swung open.

Mu Zichen stared in surprise at the little figure he had not seen for so long, yet had missed day and night.

He didn't know what to say.

Upon seeing her brother, the girl could no longer hold back; she sobbed, her tears welling and streaming down like broken pearls, splattering onto the floor—and onto Mu Zichen's heart.

"Why do you still cry so easily?" He scooped her into his arms and closed the door.

"Brother Zichen, Brother Zichen," she clung tightly to his waist, calling his name in desperation, her voice thick with tears, her soft sobs tugging at his heart.

"Brother Zichen, why are you ignoring me?"

"Why—hic—if Jiuyue did something wrong, tell her, hic, she'll change. Can't we go back to how things were?" She wept pitifully, hiccuping as she spoke.

Mu Zichen shook his head, looking at her with aching tenderness. This was the first time he'd seen her cry.

He feared nothing more than seeing the little girl cry—but he was the one who had made her cry.