nashuaworldcup Chapter 221 Zhao Qingxue: Come on, I'll just pretend I was bitten by a dog.
Chapter 221 Zhao Qingxue: Come on, I'll just pretend I was bitten by a dog.
Sunlight streamed through the window paper, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
Zhao Qingxue was still hanging under the beam.
Her arms were already numb and she could no longer feel them, and the pain in her shoulder joints had become dulled.
Only the redness and swelling on my face still stung.
She lowered her head, her long hair falling loosely, covering most of her face.
Only those deep purple phoenix eyes, peering through the gaps in the hair, fell upon the limp figure in the corner.
Sister Hong.
She huddled in the corner, her severed wrist wrapped in rough strips of cloth. The bleeding had stopped, but her face remained deathly pale.
She did not look at Zhao Qingxue.
He just kept his head down, staring at his empty right wrist.
His eyes were filled with deep-seated hatred.
The hatred was so intense it almost solidified, permeating the air.
Zhao Qingxue looked at her, her heart at peace.
........
Time passed slowly in silence.
The sunlight moved from the east window to the west window, and then gradually dimmed from the west window.
Twilight Quadruple.
Zhao Qingxue had no idea how long she had been hanging under the beam.
All she knew was that when the door was pushed open again, her consciousness was already somewhat blurred.
It is Yunluan.
She was still wearing that dark blue outfit, her long hair neatly tied into a high ponytail, and her face was cold and stern.
She walked up to Zhao Qingxue and stopped.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment, then he raised his hand and untied the rope binding her wrists.
Zhao Qingxue's body suddenly plummeted downwards.
But she didn't fall.
Yunluan's hand steadily supported her.
The force was steady and light, yet it left no room for refusal.
"Come with me," Yunluan said.
His voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.
Zhao Qingxue raised her head and looked at her.
Those deep purple phoenix eyes were filled with weariness and confusion.
"Where to?"
Yunluan looked at her and said, slowly and deliberately:
"His Majesty is waiting for you."
Zhao Qingxue's body stiffened slightly.
The moment has finally arrived.
She didn't say anything, but simply let Yunluan help her out of the private room step by step.
Go down the stairs.
We entered another room.
The door closed gently behind me.
That slight sound was exceptionally clear in the silent space, like a silent pronouncement.
Zhao Qingxue stood still, letting Yunluan remove her hand from her arm.
Her legs were still weak, and the pain in her shoulders made it almost impossible for her to stand, but she didn't move.
He simply raised his head slowly and looked into the depths of the room.
This is a more spacious and private place than the previous private room.
The furnishings are much more elegant than the previous room.
The table and chairs are made of rosewood, the window frames are carved, and several pieces of porcelain from the previous dynasty are displayed on the antique shelf.
A bronze incense burner stood in the corner, wisps of smoke rising from its openwork lid, filling the room with the faint scent of ambergris.
Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
And in this interplay of light and shadow, on that soft couch covered with bright yellow brocade—
Qin Mu leaned back, his posture languid.
He had already changed his clothes.
No longer was he wearing the moon-white robe he wore during the day, but a dark black casual outfit with a slightly open collar, revealing his well-defined collarbone and a small patch of his muscular chest.
Her long hair was loosely tied up with only an ebony hairpin, with a few strands falling across her forehead, gleaming faintly in the moonlight.
He rested one hand on his chin, while the other hand rested casually on his knee, his slender fingers gleaming like jade carvings in the moonlight.
Hearing the door open, he slightly raised his eyes.
Those deep eyes, like two dark stars in the dim light, were now fixed on Zhao Qingxue.
From her long, flowing hair to her pale face, to the tattered, barely covering moon-white robe she wore, and to the small, thin old shoes on her feet.
His gaze was slow and meticulous, as if he were admiring a long-awaited treasure that had finally been presented to him.
Then he smiled.
The smile was faint, yet it carried an undisguised satisfaction and joy.
"Your Majesty," he began, his voice languid yet clear, standing out distinctly in the quiet room, "you have arrived."
Zhao Qingxue looked at him.
Looking at the smile on his face and the satisfied light in his eyes.
Her heart was filled with coldness.
coming.
Of course she came.
She traded her dignity, her body, and everything else for this moment.
In return, she received the hand of Sister Hong that slapped her countless times.
In return, I got the chance to be bitten by a dog.
She lowered her eyes and remained silent.
He simply took a few slow steps and walked towards the soft couch.
The pace was slow and steady.
Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.
Every step required the utmost effort.
She stopped three feet in front of the soft couch.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her.
The moon-white robe was already tattered, with crisscrossing tears revealing the snow-white inner garment and the skin faintly visible beneath it.
The red, swollen handprints on her face were still clearly visible in the moonlight.
There were still traces of dried blood at the corners of her mouth.
Her long hair was loose, covering most of her face, but it couldn't hide the extremely complex emotions in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
Qin Mu's smile deepened as he looked at her.
He did not get up, but remained leaning against the soft couch.
He simply raised his hand slightly and beckoned to her.
The movement was so casual, as if it were beckoning a cat that had finally come closer.
"Come here," he said.
Zhao Qingxue's eyelashes trembled slightly.
She didn't move.
I just stood there and watched him.
Something was churning in those deep purple phoenix eyes.
It was anger, resentment, humiliation, and a numb calm that comes from being driven to the brink of despair.
Qin Mu wasn't in a hurry.
He just looked at her and waited for her.
The moonlight flowed gently between the two of them.
Finally, Zhao Qingxue moved.
She stepped forward and walked to the soft couch.
I sat down on the edge of the tatami mat.
His back remained ramrod straight, like a sword that refused to bend.
But her deep purple eyes remained lowered, never looking at him.
Qin Mu turned to the side, his gaze falling on her face.
It landed on those swollen, red handprints, on her pale lips, on her slightly trembling eyelashes.
He stretched out his hand.
Long, slender fingers gently touched her cheek.
The touch was scalding hot, and though it was swollen from being hit, it was still as smooth and delicate as cream.
His fingers slowly traced the red, swollen marks, his movements light and slow, as if caressing a fragile piece of porcelain.
Zhao Qingxue's body stiffened slightly.
She could feel the warmth of his fingertips, the calloused pads of his fingers tracing her face, and his faint breath right beside her ear.
Her fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve.
My fingernails dug deep into my palm, sending a sharp pain through me.
But she dared not move.
They dared not struggle, dared not dodge, dared not make any move to resist.
Because she knew what the price of resistance would be.
It was Sister Hong's hand that had been severed at the root.
It was a more cruel humiliation, a longer torment.
Yes--
Qin Mu seemed to notice her stiffness.
He smiled gently and withdrew his hand.
"Your Majesty," he began, his voice as gentle as if in casual conversation, "do you know how long I have waited for this moment?"
Zhao Qingxue did not speak.
She kept her head down and didn't look at him.
Qin Mu didn't care.
He continued, his tone tinged with genuine emotion:
From the moment I first saw you at the Nujiang ferry crossing, I thought—
"When will I be able to make this high and mighty Empress of Liyang willingly come to me on her own?"
He paused, his gaze falling on her face, deep and unfathomable:
"I never expected this day to come so soon."
Zhao Qingxue's eyelashes trembled violently.
Willingly.
These four words were like a thorn, piercing her heart.
She did it willingly.
She was making Sister Hong pay the price.
She did it so that she would no longer suffer that kind of humiliation.
She was driven to the brink and had no other choice.
But she did not defend herself.
Because arguing is useless.
In the face of absolute power, any explanation is pale and powerless.
She took a deep breath, finally raised her head, and looked at Qin Mu.
In those deep purple phoenix eyes, the complex emotions gradually receded like the tide.
All that remained was a cold, almost numb calm.
"Qin Mu," she said softly, but each word was clear, "I'm here."
"Do whatever you want."
Qin Mu looked at her.
Looking at the cold calm in her eyes, and at her "let me take what I want" attitude.
"Your Majesty the Empress,"
Qin Mu spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "I know this is not your true choice."
Zhao Qingxue's eyes flickered slightly.
Qin Mu continued, his gaze fixed on her face, deep and unfathomable:
"I know you hate me, you hate me so much you're grinding your teeth."
"I know that you are sitting here now only to make Sister Hong pay the price."
"I know you're not doing this willingly at all—"
He paused, then the smile on his lips deepened even further:
"You were simply driven to the brink, with no other choice."
Zhao Qingxue looked at him.
Looking at his smiling, handsome face, which she hated to the core.
An indescribable sense of absurdity welled up in her heart.
he knows.
He knows everything.
He knew she wasn't sincere, he knew she was forced into it, and he knew she hated him to the core.
But he still...
"Then what are you waiting for?"
She spoke, and her voice finally carried a hint of emotion—a mockery, a sarcastic tone, a desperate, resigned despair.
"Since you already know, why waste time talking?"
Seeing her like this, Qin Mu was not angry at all; instead, he smiled even more deeply.
He reached out and gently lifted her chin.
This forced her to look up at him.
"Your Majesty," his voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable certainty:
"Although I know this is not your true choice."
"But I am still very happy."
He paused, his gaze settling on her deep purple phoenix eyes, and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"I am very happy that you have made this decision."
Zhao Qingxue's pupils contracted slightly.
Happy?
What's making him happy?
Are you happy that she finally gave in?
Are you happy that she finally gave in?
I'm so happy she finally—
"Because it means,"
Qin Mu continued, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze:
"You've started to waver."
His fingers gently caressed her chin:
"That pride, that dignity, those things you thought you'd never let go of—"
"It's being ground down by reality, bit by bit."
"And I, I am very patient."
He withdrew his hand and leaned back on the soft couch, his posture languid.
"I can wait."
"Wait until the day you're willing."
After hearing these words, Zhao Qingxue remained silent for a long time.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her pale face.
Those red, swollen handprints looked particularly glaring in the moonlight.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and something was churning in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
After a long while, she finally spoke.
The voice was very soft, so soft it was as if she were talking to herself:
Do you know what I'm thinking right now?
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Zhao Qingxue continued, each word seeming to be squeezed out from the deepest part of her heart:
"I'm thinking—"
"Just consider it as being bitten by a dog."
A faint, self-deprecating smile curved her lips.
"At least, that woman paid the price."
"At least, she's missing a hand."
"At least, from now on, she will remember who made her crippled every single moment."
She paused, then looked up to meet Qin Mu's gaze:
"And I was just bitten by a dog."
"This deal—"
She spoke slowly and deliberately:
"It's a great deal."