159 Love Me Anew

The howling wind suddenly swept into the carriage, jolting Yun Xueyan awake from her deep slumber. Opening her eyes, she realized they had already reached the frontier. At that very moment, Duan Nanyu was bending over her. Before she could even react, he swept her up into his arms and carried her down from the carriage.

The resting soldiers nearby cast all sorts of sideways glances in their direction, but Duan Nanyu seemed utterly oblivious to them.

"Put me down!" Yun Xueyan low-voicedly commanded, struggling a few times to break free from his confinement. Yet, he only held her tighter. A sense of anxiety washed over her; what would people make of such behavior? How was she supposed to face all these soldiers from now on?

"Don't even think about Feng Xilou coming to your rescue. He is currently leading men to scout ahead," he warned coldly, as if trying to shatter any lingering hopes of waiting for Feng Xilou.

Recalling everything he had witnessed inside the carriage, fury consumed him, and he turned to vent his frustration on the surroundings.

"What are you all staring at? Got nothing better to do? Anyone who wants to stand around can get the hell back and stand further away!" With those words, he strode into the tent.

"What do you want? Duan Nanyu, what is the meaning of this?" The moment she was set down, Yun Xueyan scrambled to her feet, lifting her delicate chin to meet his gaze, her eyes brimming with reproach.

The stove inside the tent had already been lit, filling the space with a comforting warmth—clearly prepared in advance so it would heat up quickly. But Yun Xueyan had no mind to ponder such details; the man before her was scrutinizing her with the hungry gaze of a predator eyeing its prey.

He... remained unchanged, still the cold and ruthless Prince Xiao.

Whether due to her heavy layers of clothing, the stifling heat of the tent, or the sheer terror inspired by Duan Nanyu standing right before her, fine beads of perspiration began to break out across her forehead.

Her hands were clenched tightly together, gathering all her remaining strength in her legs. If... if he dared to attempt anything against her, she would bolt. She would no longer stand idly by and let him dispose of her at his whim!

"You..." His tone softened instantly. "Must you really look at me like that? Yan'er... do you have any idea how hurtful a gaze like yours is?"

He had intended to speak gently with her. Fearing she might catch a chill, he had ordered the tent pitched and the stove lit well in advance. It was not that he lacked consideration, merely that his consideration fell short. Compared to Feng Xilou... perhaps he truly fell far behind.

Hurtful?! Was she hurtful? What about him then? How many hurtful glances had he once cast her way? How many scathing and acerbic words had he used to break her down? How many bone-deep, agonizing actions had he committed to drive her to despair!

Bit by bit, thread by thread, he had trampled out every last remaining spark of hope she possessed.

Yun Xueyan remained silent, simply watching him, carefully tracking every single micro-expression that crossed his face. She dared not let down her guard; she knew all too well the fragile defenses remaining in her heart!

"Say something, speak to me!" His voice dropped lower, carrying the pleading undertone of a suppliant. Her silence terrified him, yet he feared that whatever she said might be laced with alienation, triggering his fury.

He felt that overwhelming panic crawling toward him like a serpent with its maw agape, darting a forked red tongue to swallow up every shred of light and hope he had left.

"What should I say? What do you want me to say?" Her voice dropped as well, her hollow tone growing gradually profound. "I made myself clear to you long ago. I... no longer love you. My heart for you is completely dead; even hatred no longer remains, because from the very moment I fell off that cliff, my body died and my affections were severed!"

Staring at him, her voice suddenly turned agonizingly mournful. "Are you satisfied with such an answer, Prince Xiao? If you are not satisfied, Jueyan can give you another answer!"

His expression collapsed instantly, plunging into a profound, heavy gloom. A stern, frosty glint flashed across his dark eyes, and a sharp pang of heartbreak caused his entire body to shudder. He reached out, his hands gripping Yun Xueyan's frail shoulders with brutal force, and cried out in a voice hoarse and raw:

"Then I will make you fall in love with me all over again! I will retake your heart. If there is no love and no hatred, if your heart is empty, I will fill it up once more! You will be my woman, and mine alone!" His voice rose sharply, betraying the turmoil of his emotions. "Yun Xueyan, don't you dare try to escape me! You belong to me, and only me!"

"Call it overbearing, call it coercion—I will never let you leave my side! Never!" Terror had consumed him, and his fingers dug deep into her shoulders, as though he sought to fuse her very being into his own body.