“I missed you too, Qingxue,” Gao Sijin said softly, but then added immediately, “Of course, the kind of missing I’m referring to is the kind between friends.”
“I think I’d like to strip Gao-kun’s hospital gown off right now.” Dark crimson eyes settled on Gao Sijin’s thin body, tinged with a playful hint of amusement. “Although Gao-kun in a hospital gown is very tempting, I definitely prefer dressing you up all nice and pretty.”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
Morgana and Emilia, the two maids with such exotic beauty, silently drew close to Gao Sijin. Two pairs of mischievous hands reached toward his body. Although their eyes didn’t brim with the same possessive desire as Tsukiyuki Rio’s, being forcibly stripped of his clothes still made Gao Sijin slightly uncomfortable.
“Wait, don’t do that. I can change my clothes myself. Please go out first.”
“Assisting Master with changing his clothes is a maid’s duty. Moreover, Young Lady Tsukiyuki ordered us to make you look pretty.” Morgana restrained Gao Sijin’s arms. Her curly blonde hair was fluffy like wool.
“Please don’t move around. It’ll be over soon. Besides, Master, your body has already been seen by us countless times.”
“Wait—what do you mean, seen countless times?”
Emilia’s hands also moved without waiting for an explanation, swiftly unbuttoning Gao Sijin’s top and removing his trousers.
Her wheat-colored skin was full of exotic charm, especially her deep, sculpted features, like a Persian princess out of a story. Once given an order, this usually serene, Buddhistic woman could become quite forceful.
In a very short time, Gao Sijin was dressed in a brand-new short-sleeved shirt. They then took him by the arms and dragged him to the mirror, applying all sorts of skincare and hair care products to make him look radiant again.
During his convalescence in the hospital ward, his skin, long deprived of sunlight, had become even paler than before. Although he hadn’t lacked sleep, dark circles had appeared, and his hair had become dry and brittle. But under their professional care, Gao Sijin found that the person in the mirror looked even better than he had before.
But looking better wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
For example, right now, Tsukiyuki Rio had hearts flashing in her eyes, which was never a good sign.
“Is Gao-kun wondering why Morgana and Emilia have seen your body countless times? It’s because when Gao-kun’s memories were first altered and you had just arrived in Tokyo—at a time when I hadn’t officially started dating you yet—every night, to ease my loneliness, I would ask Qingxue to put some medicine into your water that would make you fall into a deep sleep.”
“You…!”
“Who told you to be so adorable, Gao-kun? It’s your fault for tempting me. It’s your fault. Your mere existence makes my heart race. I just want to squeeze you tight and devour you…”
For a moment, Gao Sijin didn’t know what to say. A throb of unease pounded in his chest.
Back when he and Rio had become lovers, he had been overjoyed for half the day, thinking he had finally graduated from being a virgin. In reality, he had long been devoured clean without knowing it. It was like he was a complete clown.
Noticing the displeasure in Gao Sijin’s eyes, Tsukiyuki Rio lowered her head and said quietly:
“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve been reflecting on it too. Anyway, let’s go home happily.”
“Yeah, happily.”
The ward had indeed become a bit stuffy. It was time to return to the apartment.
He still couldn’t engage in strenuous exercise, but taking a walk around the apartment would be more than enough. Besides that, he couldn’t afford to fall behind in his university courses. Even though he knew Tsukiyuki Rio had prearranged everything, absorbing as much literary knowledge as possible would surely help with his writing.
And then…
Find an opportunity to leave this meticulously constructed, lie-filled world that Tsukiyuki Rio had made. Even if this life was filled with glamour, fine clothes, and gourmet food, Gao Sijin could not accept it.
Because this was not his life.
He had his own family. Perhaps he had even made new friends in Bincheng. His readers back home were waiting for him. The memories of his first love still needed to be unearthed…
He walked out of the hospital ward. The black Mercedes-Benz sedan was parked right before him without a bit of deviation.
“Get in, Gao-kun. Let’s go home.”
Other than getting in the car, there didn’t seem to be any other option. To keep his current memories from being altered, he had to be as compliant as possible.
The car door slammed shut. For some reason, Gao Sijin felt as if a jailer had locked him into a prison cell, only the car was probably a movable prison.
As soon as he sat down, Tsukiyuki Rio pressed herself against him without a second’s delay. Her long, beautiful legs were faintly visible under her kimono. The alluring softness of her chest sandwiched Gao Sijin’s arm between her breasts. She wore a radiant, shallow smile as bright as spring flowers. Her crimson eyes were like pools of water, enough to bewitch anyone.
The sinister expression she had worn at the family banquet a few days ago had completely vanished.
As long as Gao Sijin remained by her side, everything was fine.
“It’s about a four-hour drive to that apartment in Bunkyo Ward,” Morgana said, starting the car.
“Huh? Morgana, did I say we were going back to the apartment?”
“We’re not going to the Bunkyo Ward apartment?” Morgana sounded a bit puzzled. “For Lord Sijin, the Bunkyo Ward apartment is the closest to the university. Does Young Miss wish to move to a different place? If so, Lord Sijin would have to wake up early every day, which might lower his quality of life.”
“Now that Gao-kun knows what I’ve done, why would he need to go to school?” A bewitching, cold smirk crossed Tsukiyuki Rio’s lips. “From now on, Gao-kun will obediently stay at home. He’s not allowed to wander anywhere.”
So the dagger was finally revealed, eh, Rio?
Perhaps precisely because he knew what kind of girl Rio was, Gao Sijin didn’t find it strange when he heard her plan. It felt perfectly normal.
He drew a deep breath.
Beneath Tsukiyuki Rio’s seductive, beautiful exterior lurked a possessiveness that hadn’t changed one bit.
“I knew it…”
“Are you happy, Gao-kun? You’ll never have to wake up early for school again. From now on, you can get up any time you want. You can do anything you want at home. And now that I’ve also lost my qualification to inherit the position of patriarch, I’ll have plenty of time to spend with you every day.” Tsukiyuki Rio’s lips landed on Gao Sijin’s neck, sucking the flesh and leaving a brilliant red mark. “You belong to me and me alone. From now on, let’s get along wonderfully, right up until the end of time~”
“The end of time?” Gao Sijin gave a bitter laugh and teased, “You’re still so chuunibyou, Rio.”
“Hehe, those are all lines I learned from Gao-kun’s light novels. The apartment in Bunkyo Ward is certainly nice, but my favorite home is, after all, the place where we first bonded. Let’s go back to that home, and then properly vent all the frustrations of these past days. After all, it’s the duty of a wife.”
Gao Sijin suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, an irrepressible bitterness. He had thought that taking a bullet for her had succeeded in moving her.
In the end, the only person who had been moved was himself.
The place where he had first confessed to Rio had also been at the palace. They had walked along the winding, narrow path, exchanging their love for each other in the Cherry Blossom Garden.
Tsukiyuki Rio’s body pressed down on top of Gao Sijin. Bearing her weight, his mouth was sealed by her warm lips. She lost herself in ecstasy, stealing away Gao Sijin’s warmth.
The encounter, like a fleeting spring night’s dream, and the silvery tinkle of Tsukiyuki Rio’s laughter, jointly played a prelude of extreme dissonance.
