Volume 1, Chapter 18: You Are Deliberately Looking for Trouble

It was night.

The North Garden was deathly silent. Li Shiyan rarely returned to stay there, perhaps once a year at most. Moreover, he detested noise and had no desire to see anyone. Once the servants finished their cleaning duties, they would depart quietly.

Ning Yu stood in the shadows. She had taken a secluded path, dark and obscured, and dressed in a black silk nightgown, she was nearly invisible against the night. The uneven cobblestones beneath her feet felt cold and sharp, but she walked with such lightness—barefoot—that she made not a single sound.

Ning Yu glanced around, stepped forward to place the allergy medication at the doorway, tapped lightly, and immediately retreated back into the darkness.

She shouldn't have come.

She was no longer the Ning Yu of eight years ago; she had long since lost the right to follow her own whims. Shackles were bound to her, tightening against her skin and locking onto her bones. There were things she could no longer grasp or hold, and she should not continue. Furthermore, he had found his own happiness, and she had no business entangling herself with him further.

She looked toward the lit windows on the second floor once more before turning to head back the way she came.

The Lin family estate was built in a traditional Chinese style, with exquisite gardens, rockeries, small bridges over flowing water, and ornate pavilions—the result of a renovation that had cost millions.

Ning Yu had only walked halfway through a section of the landscape garden when she stopped abruptly. It was a remote area, rarely visited by anyone, and even more deserted at night. A stream trickled under a stone bridge, but Ning Yu’s instincts flared.

Something was wrong.

The smell of blood. Someone was here.

Ning Yu cautiously followed the scent. She traced it behind a rockery and, along with it, heard the ragged, labored breathing of a man.

Who could it be? She couldn't tell, so she turned to slip away quietly in the opposite direction. The vast Lin estate was a place of deep roots and tangled interests; who knew how many power struggles were buried beneath its tranquil surface? She had no desire to be the fish caught in the crossfire.

Yet, before she could take two steps, her ankle was gripped tightly. A man’s large hand, slick with some viscous liquid, clamped onto her leg.

Her skin crawled, goosebumps erupting in waves, and she felt as if the blood in her veins had frozen solid.

"Who... who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The man behind her didn't answer. Ning Yu dared not move, swallowing hard. "Whoever you are, I can help you. I am not necessarily your enemy."

"Tsk."

The man emitted a sound of disdain, his voice raspy and laced with mocking amusement. "With only this much courage, you still dared to provoke me back then?"

The familiar voice.

Ning Yu snapped back to reality. She turned and crouched down, catching the faint reflection of the water against the rockery to see him clearly. It was indeed Li Shiyan.

"How did you get hurt?" Ning Yu asked, caught off guard. She knelt before him, leaning in toward the scent of blood. Before she realized it, her face was inches from his. She paused. "I was just checking where the wound was."

Li Shiyan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, ignoring her proximity. "Ask less of what you shouldn't."

"Then shall I leave?" she retorted sharply.

His dark, indifferent gaze landed on her. "Try it."

Ning Yu: ...

A blatant threat.

In the end, she didn't leave. She supported him and took a shortcut back to the North Garden. She had to be thankful that the North Garden was always empty, with so few servants that they had all been sent elsewhere to search the estate for his allergy medication.

In the master bedroom of the North Garden:

Li Shiyan’s injury was on his arm, and as for the blood on his face... according to him, it belonged to someone else.

The tall, lean man sat half-reclined against the headboard, his upper body bare. His muscles were taut, a sight that made Ning Yu’s face heat up. From the age of fourteen to twenty-four, Li Shiyan had spent ten years boxing. Unlike those who practiced mere showy techniques, his physique was forged through daily underground fights; it looked entirely different from the product of a gym. Every inch of him seemed to pulse with raw power and hormones.

However, his pale chest and back were covered in bright red welts—not injuries, but a severe allergic reaction.

Resigned, she fetched the medical kit and sat on the edge of the bed to treat his wound. The gash, which stretched from his shoulder down to his forearm, continued to bleed. Ning Yu remained expressionless, working in silence until his voice cut through the air.

"Cigarette."

Ning Yu looked up at him but didn't hand him one. "Master Five has quite the refined taste—suffering from allergies and knife wounds, yet still finding the mood to smoke. Truly, you are beyond ordinary men."

He seemed amused by her words. "Want to control me?"

"I wouldn't dare. It was a compliment, an expression of admiration," she replied in an even, detached tone. She couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore; her sarcasm was plain to see.

He chuckled. "Ning Yu, are you trying to manage your ex-lover now? Where do you get the nerve?"

Ning Yu’s hand paused as she bandaged him. She looked up at him, silent for three seconds, then grabbed a cigarette and shoved it into his hand, forcing a tight smile. "Please, Master Five."

Smoke away, she thought, why don't you just choke on it!

He took it, placed it between his lips, and remained silent. Ning Yu wasn't stupid; she suppressed her anger, grabbed the lighter, and lit it for him. The crimson glow flared to life.

She looked down at his arm.

Li Shiyan’s gaze rested on her. From this angle, he could see down the elegant line of her neck. The nightgown clung to her slender, graceful figure, and those hands, which should have been holding a paintbrush, were meticulously wrapping gauze. His gaze flickered, trailing down her legs.

He looked at her face. "Why were you there just now?"

"Just out for a walk. Clearing my head," Ning Yu replied half-heartedly.

"Your fiancé has been lured into someone else's bed again, so you certainly need to clear your head," he mocked with a cold smile.

She couldn't be bothered to engage with his insults.

"Done." Ning Yu cut the gauze, stood up, and gathered the medical kit. "It's late. You should get some rest, Master Five."

As she turned to leave, a hand tightened around her waist, pulling her back. She fell into the bed and instinctively struggled to sit up. "Li Shiyan, what are you doing now?"

Before she could finish, the man’s large hand clamped onto her ankle, his eyes fixed on her reddened feet. "You’re already wearing green horns on your head, and yet you’re the first person I've seen to go and watch their fiancé’s infidelity like a live show. Giving you a 'virtuous wife' award would be an insult to you."

The feeling of having her legs and feet held firmly was unbearable. Ning Yu kicked out, but it was futile.

The light reflected off the plain ring on his finger with a cold, silvery glint. She stared straight at him. "Master Five is no better, isn't he? Pressing an ex who dumped him onto a bed? I suppose you weren't thinking of anyone else either, right?"

No one had ever seen this side of Ning Yu except for Li Shiyan. She was sharp-edged, full of pride, and possessed a temper that couldn't swallow even the slightest grievance. Her words were laced with humiliation, and she emphasized the phrase "ex who dumped him" like a sharp blade driven into his heart.

Yet, Li Shiyan didn't get angry; instead, he laughed. The amusement in his dark, cold eyes grew surprisingly genuine as he stared at her, like a hungry wolf tracking every inch of her skin.

"You are asking for it."

A chill raced up Ning Yu’s spine. A second later, her nightgown tore, and his broad, towering frame pressed down upon her. She had lost all agency. She glared at him. "Li Shiyan!"

"You had better be just as loud later," he said, his voice devoid of inflection.

"Three days! Three days! You promised me three days!" Ning Yu panicked, overwhelmed by his direct and forceful nature.

He laughed, as if mocking her naivety. "Whether it's three days or two, it has always been my decision."

"You!"

She resisted, only to be silenced by his lips.

In the dead of night, alone in the room, the intimate proximity, combined with the unresolved emotions—whether hatred or love—made the ignition of desire inevitable. The temperature rose. The medical kit was knocked to the floor. Her strength was nothing compared to his, and she was soon completely submerged.

He was reckless. The fresh bandages were quickly stained with blood, which made her eyes burn and tears spill over, though she bit her lip hard, refusing to yield. He forced her to cry, and when she bit her lip, he only became more relentless.

Until she couldn't take it anymore, and in a fit of rage, Ning Yu bit down hard on his shoulder.

It was a tumultuous night. It was unclear whether it was an outlet for pain or pure desire.

When Ning Yu left the North Garden, it was still not yet dawn. She wrapped herself in a trench coat, slipped into her shoes, her legs weak, her eyes red, and her voice hoarse. In her heart, she cursed him as a lunatic a thousand times over—referring, of course, to the man in the North Garden.

Fortunately, Lin Haoyu had stayed at Ning Yunyun’s place and hadn't returned. She took a shower, collapsed into bed, and didn't forget to lock her door.

...

The door to the North Garden was knocked upon early the next morning.

"Uncle! Uncle! How are you? The servants said you had an allergic reaction yesterday! Fangfei came specifically to check on you!"

Lin Fangfei entered the North Garden. Not seeing Li Shiyan, she asked the servant who was cleaning, "Where is my uncle?"

"Replying to the Second Young Lady, the Fifth Master has not yet risen."

"Alright, you may go."

Lin Fangfei wasn't surprised, but as she entered, her gaze shifted, and she was drawn to something on the floor.

"Uncle! Is your allergy better?" Lin Fangfei knocked on Li Shiyan’s bedroom door with great enthusiasm.

She found the door wasn't fully closed, just left ajar. She pushed it open, and the moment she caught a glimpse through the crack, she frowned.

The man was bare-chested, changing his clothes. She caught sight of the tooth marks on his shoulder and the red scratches on his back. They were clearly left by a woman!

"Get out!"

The harsh, cold reprimand startled Lin Fangfei so much that she immediately closed the door and turned pale.

A woman?

It wasn't strange for her uncle to have a woman, but this was the family estate! Those red marks were clearly recent, and the woman was likely someone within the house.

Aside from the servants, the only women in the estate who weren't related to Li Shiyan were the two Ning sisters.

Ning Yunyun... it was a one-sided pursuit; she was eager, but her uncle didn't even look at her.

That meant... Ning Yu?

As she was thinking this, Li Shiyan walked out, having changed his clothes, and bypassed her on his way downstairs. "What is it?"

Lin Fangfei was stunned for a moment. "I... I heard you had an allergic reaction, so I came to check... Ah, and I saw this at the door."

As she spoke, Lin Fangfei placed the allergy medication she had been holding onto the coffee table.

Li Shiyan glanced at it and paused. "Where did you see this?"

Lost in her own thoughts, Lin Fangfei replied, "Just in the corner by the main gate. I don't know who left it there. Surely the servants wouldn't put it there?"

The look in Li Shiyan’s eyes as they landed on the medicine shifted. He lowered his gaze, his expression becoming unreadable.