With fingers betraying a hint of eagerness, Jiang Ming Yue unfolded the letter. His dark eyes fell on the densely packed characters. The handwriting wasn’t particularly elegant; each character seemed to exude a sense of youthful innocence, carrying the unique boldness of a young girl.

It was so direct, as if his heart had been dipped in a jar of sugar, making him want to drown in it.

Jiang Ming Yue averted his gaze, his fingers trembling as he folded the letter. He scolded, “What do you take me for? Some courtesan from a brothel? To write such a shameless letter.”

Shen Yao Xing: …

If you don’t like it, give it back to me. What do you mean by tucking it into your robes?

Shen Yao Xing didn’t call him out on this, instead studying his expression and tentatively asking, “Are you not angry anymore?”

Jiang Ming Yue pressed his lips together, recalling the incident at the foot of the temple mountain. His eyes darkened further. He curled his fingers into a fist, fixing his gloomy gaze on her face: “If you truly want me not to be angry, agree to one thing for me.”

“Alright, tell me.”

Jiang Ming Yue’s eyes deepened, his thin lips moving slowly: “From now on, you must never see Song Si Nian again.”

The air suddenly grew still.

Shen Yao Xing’s eyes widened slightly, unable to understand why Song Si Nian was being dragged into their affair. “…Why? What does this have to do with my big brother?”

Jiang Ming Yue’s gaze on her grew somber. “Just agree to it.”

“No.”

The girl’s unhesitating refusal pierced Jiang Ming Yue’s heart. A flash of crimson gleamed in the depths of his gloomy eyes. His lips curved in a sneer, his words filled with bitter sarcasm: “If that’s the case, why put on this pretense? What is it? Not satisfied with your secret meetings with your ‘big brother’? Afraid of being discovered in the Shen mansion, so now you run to that temple to carry on? Finding it thrilling, are you?”

Each of the young man’s words dripped with intense malice, so offensive that Shen Yao Xing, who had initially wanted to explain, reddened with anger. She glared at him fiercely, gritting her teeth as she hissed, “Shut up!”

Jiang Ming Yue, now on the brink of emotional collapse, laughed hysterically with reddened eyes, “What’s the matter? Angry at having your dirty thoughts exposed?”

Even when falsely accused by Madam Shen in the past, Shen Yao Xing had never felt as wronged as she did now. Like an enraged, humiliated little beast, she roared at him, “I didn’t! Song Si Nian is my brother, our relationship is pure. How dare you speak of such filth!”

Jiang Ming Yue: “If that’s the case, you should agree not to see him again.”

Shen Yao Xing’s throat constricted, her eyes lowering: “I care for him like a real brother. Now he’s all alone in that temple, and no one from the Shen family except me will look after him.”

“That was his own choice. What does it have to do with you?”

Jiang Ming Yue lacked any such unnecessary sympathy. He only cared about her choice.

Knowing what kind of person he was, Shen Yao Xing could only mutter sullenly, “I’m not as cold-blooded as you.”

Jiang Ming Yue laughed coldly, his clenched fist digging nails into flesh, his tone growing increasingly bitter and cutting: “Yes, I’m cold-blooded. Your ‘big brother’ is gentle and considerate, truly winning your heart. I should step aside and let you two be a pair of star-crossed lovers for the world to mock.”

Shen Yao Xing listened, growing increasingly angry. Her face darkened as she lowered her voice: “Jiang Ming Yue, don’t push me too far.”

At this moment, Jiang Ming Yue felt pain throughout his body, especially in his chest. It was as if he was being torn in two, the pain reddening his eyes: “Now you feel I’m bullying you? If that’s the case, then-”

Seeming to realize he was about to say something he absolutely shouldn’t, Jiang Ming Yue abruptly stopped, pressing his lips together and turning his face away.

In the silence, the rustling of wind grew more distinct.

“Do as you please,” she said, before quickly running out of the Yin mansion.

Jiang Ming Yue’s pupils trembled as he turned back in disbelief to look at her, only to see the girl’s retreating figure. In that instant, it was as if something shattered in his ears, then collapsed and disintegrated. Large tears silently fell from his eyes, dropping to the ground.

Out of the Yin mansion, Shen Yao Xing didn’t stop walking for a moment. She didn’t use her lightness skill, just walked with her head down, feeling an increasing pain in her chest that seemed to want her life.

Soon she realized something was wrong. Stopping to lean against a roadside tree, she clutched her chest with a furrowed brow. Though she did feel upset, it shouldn’t be this painful. Her heart felt like it was being crushed.

As Shen Yao Xing gasped for breath, a sudden sweet, metallic taste rose in her throat. She “Wa!” and spat out a mouthful of blood, falling to her knees as her vision blurred.

Passersby on the street hurriedly gave her a wide berth, casting strange looks.

Shen Yao Xing sat leaning against the tree, her trembling hand touching her chest. She sensed that this heartbreaking emotion didn’t originate from herself. Suddenly, she recalled what the woman at Changsheng Pavilion had said.

One worm, one life; one fate shared.

She now truly felt the existence of the Symbiosis Worm.

Shen Yao Xing sat dazedly by the tree for a while. The pain in her heart didn’t lessen but increased. If she didn’t know the cause, she would have thought another arrow had pierced her chest.

After a moment, she stood up, not even bothering to dust off her clothes, and silently walked back towards the Yin mansion.

Whether due to the Symbiosis Worm or not, once Shen Yao Xing entered the Yin mansion, she seemed to sense something and walked towards the young man’s courtyard. When she saw Jiang Ming Yue sitting in the bedroom, she paused in surprise.

At this moment, he looked like a withered snow lotus on an icy mountain. His face was pale and bloodless, yet his lips were crimson with blood. His unfocused pupils stared at a spot in the distance. Only when he sensed someone entering the room did he suddenly raise his eyes to look.

In an instant, a startling brightness flashed in his eyes, only to dim a moment later as he lowered his gaze, avoiding her. His voice was terrifyingly hoarse: “Why did you come back…”

After speaking, he quickly glanced at the young woman, his fingers nervously intertwining.

Shen Yao Xing stood at the doorway, her palms rubbing forcefully against her clothes. After a moment of uncertainty, she slowly began to speak: “Don’t say such things again in the future. It makes me very angry and uncomfortable.”

“…Mm…” After a moment of silence, he gave a low response, lowering his head to knead his own fingers.

Like children who had finally reconciled, neither knew what to do next. Shen Yao Xing held back for a good while before quietly suggesting in a negotiating tone: “If you mind, I can take you with me every time I go in the future?”

The finger-kneading motion paused. Jiang Ming Yue raised his head and gazed at her in a daze. His crimson lips pressed together slightly before secretly curving upwards as he softly replied: “Alright.”

The atmosphere between them finally returned to normal. Shen Yao Xing walked over with a relieved smile, her eyes curving: “Then we won’t cancel the engagement, okay?”

“Mm.”

“Do you still want to postpone it?”

“No postponement.”

“Hehe, have you eaten yet?”

Jiang Ming Yue looked at her resentfully. How could he have eaten? These past few days without seeing her, he had been both angry and resentful, unable to sleep even at night.

Shen Yao Xing sat beside him, her large eyes unblinking as she looked at him: “If you haven’t eaten, let’s go eat. I’m a bit hungry too.”

Jiang Ming Yue reached out, his fingers lightly touching her hand resting on the soft couch. His picturesque brows and eyes took on a hint of fascination.

“Alright.”

Author’s note: Jiang Ming Yue secretly calculates: Showing affection with Zhao Zhao in front of that person, wouldn’t that make him wish he were dead?

Shen Yao Xing: …:)