055 Unable to Love Her

"Want to see Yun Qi Xiao?" His gaze flickered, then he burst into laughter. "Alright, such a small request—I can grant it!"

She stared at the laughing man before her in disbelief, her earlier panic dissipating. Perhaps she had worried too much; he wasn’t as heartless as she’d imagined.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she replied, a faint smile appearing on her otherwise indifferent face. Her clear, watery eyes finally revealed tenderness as she looked at Duan Nan Yu.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Turning slightly, he didn’t catch the emotion in Yun Xue Yan’s eyes, and simply asked coldly.

Surprised, she stood frozen. There really was nothing else for her to say to him. She, somehow, couldn’t find any other words.

"No… nothing else," she answered truthfully. Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her waist, a chill on her chin—the face of Duan Nan Yu was right before her, glaring furiously.

It seemed she would be devoured in the next instant!

He flung her away violently. Yun Xue Yan staggered and fell to the ground as his tyrannical voice thundered, "Must I beg you just to get a word out of you? Yun Xue Yan! Let me tell you—don’t overstep your bounds. The leverage I hold over you is countless; don’t provoke me!"

He paused, then his sharp voice erupted again, "Daughter of a courtesan, do you still want to be so pure and lofty? Tell me, how pure do you expect to be? Your fate is no more than that of a favored servant, fit only to warm my bed!"

Courtesan? Favored servant? Bed warmer?

Leaning against the cold, gray floor, her heart seemed frozen—rigid and numb.

Looking at her aggrieved, detached face, Duan Nan Yu grew furious, flung his sleeve, and stormed out. Yet, he had barely stepped out when he returned, snatching her up from the ground.

She was driving him mad with anger!

Yun Xi Yin was with child, and after handling matters in the study, he had come to find her, only to be met with her stiff expression. What was he supposed to do? What more did she expect from him?

Startled by his abrupt action, she felt a chill crawl over her skin, so cold it made her shudder. She dared not resist, letting Duan Nan Yu hold her with such force it seemed he might crush her.

Moments later, he pushed her away again, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.

Duan Nan Yu entered Jun Yu Pavilion, pushing the door open. Yun Xi Yin was leaning against a soft couch, asleep. He walked over quietly and carried her to the bed.

She was the one he wished to love; that other woman was not. She was fit only to be beneath him, nothing more.

He did not want the woman he cared for to end up lonely like his mother, who could not win a single moment of affection from his father. Even after his mother died, his father still sought pleasure with other women.

He hated it! He swore he would only ever love one woman, and that choice had long ago fallen on the one before him. Yun Xue Yan’s appearance was nothing more than an accident.

"Nan Yu, why are you here?" Yun Xi Yin woke, gazing at him, her eyes brimming with tenderness.

Looking into her eyes, Duan Nan Yu smiled gently. This was the woman he loved, the one who gave him gentle smiles, nestled by his side, treating him as her support, her only one.

"I came to check on you. Rest well," he coaxed softly, but noticed a flash of displeasure on Yun Xi Yin’s face. "What’s wrong, Yin’er? Is something troubling you?"

"Nothing."

"You’re lying. If something’s wrong, just tell me."

Biting her lip, Yun Xi Yin raised her head, full of grievance as she looked at Duan Nan Yu. His heart softened instantly. "What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?"

"Nan Yu, are you going to abandon me? Have you fallen for my sister? I’m not jealous, but… I’m afraid you’ll be taken away, Nan Yu."

His hand, just about to caress Yun Xi Yin’s face, hovered in the air for a moment before finally touching her. "Don’t think nonsense. Never."

"But I’m scared. I truly am…" She looked at Duan Nan Yu, sobbing, pitiful in her vulnerability.

"Yin’er, I know what I must do. I will love only you," he replied, his dark eyes shining, though their depths were unreadable.

To the readers:
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