Chapter 6: Disrobing

In the secluded rear courtyard of the General’s residence, Lu Qingqing found herself abandoned in a remote corner. With no choices left to her, she simply chose not to choose at all and lay down on the spot.

“I didn’t bring you here for your comfort, Lu Qingqing!”

A sudden voice outside startled her, making her scramble upright. She looked at Shen Jin, who wore garments of pale hues, utterly unable to guess what this man was scheming.

“Never served anyone before, have you?”

He seized her hand and pressed it against his abdomen—the feel of hardened muscle beneath her palm shocked her; he was even more solid than before. She tried to pull away when his voice came coldly: “Help me undress.”

Without hesitation, for this was something she had long since mastered, Lu Qingqing loosened the sash, revealing the powerful lines of his body. Yet as her gaze fell upon the crisscrossed scars marring his skin, her vision blurred. Those old, mottled wounds were enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

“What’s wrong, are you afraid? Is it ugly, Lu Qingqing?”

“No,” she replied, her voice trembling. Shen Jin led her toward the hot spring at the back of the room.

Mist curled above the warm waters. Lu Qingqing followed him, listening to his cold and dismissive tone.

“Do you need me to teach you how to serve someone?”

She picked up a towel and wetted his back. As her fingers brushed over his wounds, she seemed to feel the pain he had endured when they were inflicted.

“Can’t handle even this? Do you know where my deepest wound is? It’s only a hair’s breadth from my heart. One slip and I would have died… Lu Qingqing, I survived. Are you disappointed?”

Her sobs could not be concealed, though she dared not make a sound. Yet he noticed all the same.

Suddenly, Shen Jin pulled her into the water with a violent tug. Off balance, she nearly fell; unable to swim, she instinctively clung to him in her fear.

But he dodged her grasp.

“I never thought you, too, would betray me!”

“Shen Jin.”

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” His hand gripped the back of her head, eyes fixed on her lips. He wanted her—and so he took her, biting down hard.

The savage assault drew blood, its taste spreading between them. Lu Qingqing struggled, but his arms were unyielding; he pressed her mercilessly to his chest.

“If Little Marquis Xie could see his wife surrendering herself in my embrace, wouldn’t that be even more thrilling? What do you think, Qingqing?”

“You shameless man, Shen Jin!”

“Who’s shameless? You were my wife, yet you turned and married another man—and here, you even bore his child!”

His laughter bordered on madness, his actions utterly devoid of tenderness.

In the midst of their struggle, a white figure burst into the chamber.

“Ah Jin?”

Jiang Jiuyue’s voice sounded from not far away. Shen Jin, startled, pressed Lu Qingqing under the water.

“Hide. Make a sound, and I’ll kill you.”

She choked on the water, terrified, barely able to breathe.

“Did I just hear a woman’s voice?” Jiang Jiuyue called through the screen. Though nothing had progressed between her and Shen Jin, she always kept to proper decorum in his presence.

“You must have misheard. There’s no one else here. Be good; this is no place for you.”

Shen Jin soothed her gently.

But Jiang Jiuyue refused to leave. She was certain she’d heard Lu Qingqing’s voice, though she couldn’t find a trace of the woman. Jealousy burned within her—she had accompanied Shen Jin through his return to the capital, always by his side, and yet he had neither married her nor promised her the future she yearned for.

Still, Jiang Jiuyue was patient. She knew well that Shen Jin was the protagonist, and after living in this story for several years, she had single-handedly rewritten its course.

“Don’t forget the palace banquet tonight, Ah Jin.”

“All right. Head back now. I’ll come fetch you when I’m done.”

“Very well.”

With his assurance, Jiang Jiuyue’s expression finally softened a little. She had tried so many times to draw closer to him, only to be gently rebuffed each time. Beneath her sleeve, her fist clenched tight.

Only after Jiang Jiuyue departed did Shen Jin haul Lu Qingqing out of the water. Her face was ghastly pale, almost frightening in its pallor.

She barely managed to catch her breath, thinking she was about to die. The man slapped her back, anxiety plain in his eyes.

“You’re tough, not even this can kill you.”

Lu Qingqing spat out water, and when she finally recovered, she spoke with icy detachment: “Still alive. You must be disappointed, General Shen.”

“Lu Qingqing!”

He ground her name between his teeth, his fury easily ignited by her. One day, he swore, he would make her regret it.

He lost all interest in bathing, stepped out of the pool, and when he saw her unmoved, barked impatiently, “What are you waiting for? Get over here and help me dress!”