Chapter 36: Confession

“No… no.” Xie Yi lowered his eyelids in panic, his thick eyelashes hiding the expression in his eyes, fearing she would see the jealousy and melancholy within them. Jealousy is a man’s nature, and also the darkest and ugliest side of a man. He didn’t want Su Mu to see it, carefully hiding it away.

But his nervous, concealing little actions were all clearly captured by Su Mu.

Su Mu pinched his exquisitely curved chin: “Look up, look at me.”

Xie Yi’s tightly clenched hands tightened again and again, his slightly trembling eyelashes betraying his current anxious mood.

Su Mu leaned closer to him, her long sleeves brushing against him with a faint ink fragrance, falling on the back of his hand, cool and ethereal, like flower petals landing on his hand, gradually pressing closer to him.

“Look at me,” Su Mu repeated.

Xie Yi gritted his teeth tightly and raised his head tremblingly, his gaze melting into the gentle ocean waves in her eyes.

In the quiet room, Xie Yi’s heart pounded loudly, as if it were the only sound violently colliding in the world.

Su Mu released her hand from his chin, looking into those emerald eyes, past memories flooding her mind.

In these days, she had recognized the differences between Xie Yi of two lifetimes. For example, Xie Yi in the previous life was steady to the point of being mature beyond his years, hiding his feelings for her so deeply they were invisible. She herself had never thought about it in terms of romance, so ten years of companionship remained truly just a sibling-like relationship.

This life’s Xie Yi, having experienced less, was sincere and naive in his words and actions. He might not be as thorough as the previous life’s Xie Yi, but he could easily stir up her emotions.

But she didn’t know when it started, she gradually couldn’t distinguish the differences between the two lifetimes’ Xie Yi. This life’s Xie Yi, whether facing Yan Jiyue or the Young Master Xu, or even in trivial matters like embroidery and cooking, gradually overlapped with the previous life.

She suddenly realized that whether in the previous life or this one, Xie Yi had always been the same, he had never changed. The one who changed was her.

She had developed feelings for him beyond that of siblings.

“Are you afraid of me?” she asked, reaching out to smooth the slightly disheveled hair on Xie Yi’s forehead.

“No… not afraid.” Xie Yi’s green eyes trembled slightly, trying his best to maintain composure, only this one sentence spoken firmly and powerfully.

Su Mu smiled faintly. After figuring out her thoughts, she became happy instead.

Transmigration, rebirth, she had experienced both of these things. She cherished the opportunity to live freely more than anyone else. Since she had fallen in love with someone, she would love wholeheartedly.

“Do you like me?” Her eyes were bright and moist.

Xie Yi’s thin lips parted in surprise, trembling slightly due to her direct question. His tightly clenched hands scratched his knuckles, causing red blood to drip onto his white clothes, like red plum blossoms falling into white snow.

Su Mu took his hand, bowed her head, and gently kissed the wound on his knuckle.

Xie Yi’s pupils shook, as if he had been hit on the head: “Mu… Mu elder sister.”

His gaze was blank with shock, and it took him a long time to piece together a sentence.

He had never dreamed that one day Su Mu would take the initiative to lower her brow and kiss him. Su Mu had appeared in his dreams countless times, each time with him kneeling at her feet, pleading for her mercy.

Now, this scene was a luxury he dared not imagine even in his dreams, yet it had truly descended upon him.

He couldn’t believe it, his mind buzzing.

“Dumbfounded?” Su Mu raised her eyes to look at him, her warm soft lips lingering on his knuckle, her pale thin lips stained with a drop of bright red blood, as enchanting as an extremely bewitching demon, captivating one’s soul: “…Or are you saying you don’t like me?”

Xie Yi shook his head violently: “I… like…”

How could he not like her? He liked Su Mu, liked her desperately. Faced with Su Mu’s sudden favor, he didn’t know how to process it. Even though it was just a simple sentence, at this moment his tongue was tied, as if someone was gripping his throat, stumbling and stuttering, unable to say a complete sentence for a long time.

Su Mu was amused by his silly appearance. She reached out, one hand holding the back of his neck, pulling his body forward, leaning in to kiss his lips.

Xie Yi immediately widened his eyes, his body stiff, his mind exploding with fireworks that burned across the sky.

“I like you,” she whispered in Xie Yi’s ear after the kiss ended. “What about you?”

She asked this, but in her heart, she was savoring the moment when their lips had just met. Although it was just a fleeting touch, not going any deeper, the taste was very good.

Xie Yi seemed to have his soul snatched away for a moment, but in no time, he came back to his senses. His thin lips quivered slightly, as if wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.

Suddenly, he rushed into her embrace, his arms tightly, desperately wrapping around her waist. His warm body temperature and pounding heartbeat said it all.

After what seemed like an eternity, long enough for Su Mu’s legs to feel numb, she shifted uncomfortably. Only then did Xie Yi suddenly react, loosening his arms, his face as red as a steamed shrimp, a feast for the eyes.

He helped Su Mu to the chair, then stood silently beside her, looking at the place where they had just embraced. His fingers unconsciously touched his lips, his eyes dazed and confused, as if doubting whether the scene just now was a daydream born from his intense admiration.

He unconsciously looked towards Su Mu, seeing her sitting as composed as usual, her demeanor showing no signs of anything unusual. A feeling of anxiety and insecurity was pushed to its peak.

What was his status? And what was Su Mu’s status? She had seen his most disgraceful and shameful side, even knowing about the brand on his chest.

Thinking about the irreconcilable status difference between them, his chest ached even more.

Xie Yi knew well that in terms of appearance, he did have some charm, and his exotic features were rare in Juancheng. It was possible that Su Mu wanted to have a taste of something new.

For someone like him, to receive Su Mu’s favor was already aiming too high.

He was very content. Whether as a bed warmer, a servant, in bed or out of bed, as long as Su Mu wanted, he would try his best to serve her well.

Su Mu didn’t know how Xie Yi’s thoughts had turned a thousand ways in this brief moment. She only felt the silence in the air was somewhat awkward.

When she transmigrated, she was only in her second year of high school, and her family didn’t allow her to date.

After transmigrating, she had a ten-year marriage with Yan Jiyue, where they despised each other.

Seriously speaking, this with Xie Yi was truly her first proper romance. Her experience was really lacking, and she was also at a loss about what to do after confessing.

To break the awkwardness, she spoke first.

“If the Xu family sends someone again, just help me refuse them.”

Xie Yi came to his senses, made a sound of agreement, and started tidying up the mountain of gifts.

“After all, I already have a man by my side now, I don’t need anyone else.”

Xie Yi stumbled, almost losing his balance.

Su Mu quickly stood up to support him: “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Xie Yi shook his head, his ponytail hanging by his neck, his face flushed red, with beads of sweat on his neck: “Mu elder sister, Young Master Xu is quite good.”

Su Mu nodded: “Mm, I heard from his sister that he’s quite nice, but I haven’t met him.”

Xie Yi’s heart was stabbed by something sharp, his face turning pale.

He knew he shouldn’t be jealous. If Young Master Xu was really as good as his sister said, then he would be most suitable as Su Mu’s primary husband. That’s why he took the initiative to mention Young Master Xu’s good qualities.

“Then if you meet him, will Mu elder sister… marry him?” He had underestimated himself after all, jealousy growing like wild grass.

Su Mu narrowed her eyes, sensing a strong smell of vinegar.

She pinched Xie Yi’s face and smiled: “Even if I meet him, I won’t marry him. I have you now, don’t I?”

With one sentence, she pulled Xie Yi back from the abyss of jealousy to the edge of reason.

At night, Xie Yi lay in bed, unable to sleep no matter how he tossed and turned. Su Mu had told him to stay in the room and not stay up late.

But how could he sleep after experiencing such intimacy during the day?

He turned over, touching his lips, recalling the scene of the kiss during the day. Su Mu’s lips were so soft and sweet. Although it was just for a moment, it was more wonderful than any experience he had before, as if he was on cloud nine.

The women in the desert always said that the most joyful thing in life was to die under a peony flower.

Now he had just experienced the most secret corner of passion, and he understood. Only now, he had become like those lustful women in the desert, unable to forget Su Mu, tossing and turning.

Having tasted such wonderful sweetness, he shamelessly craved for more. In the end, that craving became a day and night torment, like countless ants gnawing at his body.

He had served in Teacher Li’s house before, and knew that to some extent, servants were their masters’ tools for release. As long as she wanted, the servant had to serve. If they served well or became pregnant, there was a chance to become a secondary spouse.

But Su Mu had kissed him, why… Could it be that she found his taste unsatisfactory?

A thunderous noise erupted in Xie Yi’s mind.

The next day, Xie Yi, who had been sleepless all night, got up early to prepare breakfast in the kitchen.

He had just put on his clothes when he heard a knock on the door outside. He opened the door, but there was no one outside, only a letter placed on the ground.

The envelope was densely written with square characters. Xie Yi didn’t recognize many words, apart from the names of his own family and some numbers, he couldn’t recognize anything else.

Just then, there was also movement from Su Mu’s room. Thinking that Su Mu must have gotten up, he took the letter to her door and gently knocked: “Mu elder sister.”

“What is it?” Su Mu opened the door. She was half-dressed, having just put on a tube top, the outer green jacket not yet worn, revealing snow-white arms and a long, slender neck line.

Xie Yi averted his eyes, not daring to breathe heavily, and said softly, “Someone outside delivered a letter for you.”

“Who sent it?” Su Mu put on the green jacket, a hairpin holding up her black hair, a strand of long hair hanging on her chest. The green was refreshing, especially pleasant in the hot summer.

Xie Yi shook his head: “I don’t know. When I opened the door, the messenger had already left.”

Su Mu opened the letter and smiled.

The letter was sent by the Yan family, in the tone of Yan Zhujun, saying that Yan Ruyu had offended her, and after discussion among the clan elders, they had decided to expel Yan Ruyu and her father from the family, moving them to the countryside.

Power and status are always the most effective tools to suppress people. Without her needing to act, someone had already helped her resolve the issue.