Chapter Two: She Should Have Given Up Long Ago

Lu Xuanheng pinched her waist, then gently lifted her and placed her on the writing desk. It had been months since they last met; he must have been truly pent-up to act so boldly here.

“Let go of me!” Jiang You’an raised her hands to push him away, but he easily grabbed them and pinned them behind her back.

He pressed his forehead against hers, softly coaxing, “Say something sweet.”

Jiang You’an hated him so much she wished she could bite him, but swallowing her shame and anger, she stammered, “Cousin…”

A smirk curved Lu Xuanheng’s lips, but the desire deep in his eyes grew even more intense.

Suddenly, Jiang You’an realized her mistake—Lu Xuanheng was utterly shameless and would never let her go.

The ink brush, paper, and inkstone on the desk were swept to the floor as Lu Xuanheng pinned her beneath him like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey.

To the outside world, he was the virtuous eldest son of the Lu family, but only Jiang You’an knew just how ruthless he could be.

Jiang You’an was left incoherent, her words dissolving into broken moans. She covered her mouth, refusing to make a sound.

Lu Xuanheng breathed softly near her ear, chuckling lowly, “It doesn’t matter; no one will come here, no one will hear us.”

Furious, Jiang You’an bit his shoulder hard.

The desk creaked and groaned as if about to collapse, but Lu Xuanheng was not satisfied. He lifted her onto the bed.

“When I wasn’t home, you must have been wild, right? Did you meet that Shen Heping again?”

Jiang You’an opened her eyes, her gaze moist and tinged with anger. She kicked him sharply in the chest. “You had someone watch me?!”

“So what if I did? You’re not obedient, so naturally, I have to keep a closer eye on you,” Lu Xuanheng said, holding her ankle and planting a kiss there before leaning down to kiss her eyes. “Behave, and once I marry, I’ll give you the status of a concubine.”

Jiang You’an closed her eyes and endured silently.

Become Lu Xuanheng’s concubine? Was she mad? No matter how miserable or fallen she was, she would never stoop to that.

She was willing to endure now because she was not foolish—a cousin’s status in the Lu household was better than drifting from place to place.

But if Lu Xuanheng thought he could trap her like this forever, it was impossible.

Seeing her silent, thinking she had finally yielded, Lu Xuanheng grew more passionate.

After a long ordeal, Jiang You’an was exhausted to the point of fainting. Lu Xuanheng forced her to call him “good brother” and “good husband” repeatedly before finally relenting.

In her daze, her hand was grabbed, and Lu Xuanheng fastened something around her wrist.

The red agate bracelet gleamed softly, contrasting with her snow-white skin, but to Jiang You’an, it felt like handcuffs.

She tried to remove it with a look of disgust. “I don’t want your things.”

Lu Xuanheng pressed her hand firmly. “Wear it well. If you dare take it off, you’ll regret it.”

Jiang You’an was too tired to argue and fell asleep on the bed.

Lu Xuanheng stroked her hair and smiled softly, “That’s better.”

When Jiang You’an awoke again, dusk was near.

She hurriedly got up and found that she had been washed. Her pale skin was marked with red welts, especially on her chest—too painful to look at closely.

She glared at the sleeping Lu Xuanheng beside her and cursed him silently.

Their clothes were scattered messily on the bed. She painfully gathered her garments one by one but found her undergarment trapped beneath him.

She tugged twice but couldn’t free it, so she gave up and hurriedly dressed in outer clothes, quietly slipping out of bed.

“Don’t want your undergarments anymore?”

Just as she reached the door, she heard a teasing voice from the bed.

She turned to see Lu Xuanheng holding her delicate undergarment, its slender straps tangled around his long fingers in an utterly suggestive way.

Jiang You’an’s cheeks burned again. Without thinking, she knew what mischief awaited her if she stayed. Gritting her teeth, she pushed open the door and left.

Lu Xuanheng smiled crookedly, inhaling the lingering scent from the garment.

He got out of bed, opened the window, and watched Jiang You’an’s hurried figure until she disappeared into the snow.

He summoned Xiuzhu and instructed, “Tell the steward downstairs to send more charcoal to her room.”

Xiuzhu nodded, then added, “We have the finest silver-thread charcoal in our room. Should I deliver some directly to Miss You’an?”

“No need.”

Xiuzhu smiled wryly, “Young master is always like this—caring but never straightforward. That bracelet, too; you struggled so much to get it. Why not just give it to her directly to avoid embarrassing her?”

“If it’s given to her so grandly, wouldn’t it seem unfair to the others?”

“Then it would show how much you care for her. She’d remember it.”

Lu Xuanheng snorted softly, “Who said I care for her?”

…

“He just hates me and deliberately torments me.”

Back in her small courtyard, Jiang You’an gloomily brushed her hair in front of the mirror.

Qiulan blushed upon seeing the marks on her neck. “When will the eldest young master finally let you go?”

Jiang You’an smiled bitterly. “I’m a fallen phoenix, not even worth a chicken. He’s so vengeful; what good outcome can I expect?”

Alas, she was once the noble scion of the Minister’s household, while he was merely a destitute relative seeking refuge.

At that time, Lu Xuanheng’s father had died young, leaving him and his mother with no support. They came to visit relatives at the Minister’s mansion and stayed for several months.

At first, all was well, but she overheard from a maid that before Zhao was married, her father had arranged a match, hoping to take her father’s concubine.

She was only eleven or twelve then, headstrong and temperamental. When she saw Lu Xuanheng, she scolded him shameless.

For months, she found ways to bully him. Once, she deliberately overturned an incense burner, leaving a burn scar on his hand—a scar that still remained.

Later, they left, and many years passed. She had long forgotten him, only to learn that Lu Xuanheng had risen from an unknown soldier to become the great general of the northern army.

But her father was embroiled in factional strife, and her whole family was ruined. From a wealthy lady, she became destitute and disgraced.

She was to be sold as an official slave, but on the day she was to be sent to the imperial palace, Lu Xuanheng appeared and brought her back to the Lu estate.

That night, he utterly crushed her.

Since then, whenever he beckons, she must obey.

Today, he had tormented her half to death; her waist still ached.

Exhausted, Jiang You’an asked Qiulan, “Is the medicine ready?”

Qiulan brought the bitter decoction with a complicated expression. Jiang You’an drank it all in one go, rinsing her mouth with clear tea, her expression easing slightly.

“Luckily, there’s still the promise with Shen Heping. He’s already entered the Hanlin Academy—his future is bright. Marrying him is the best choice. His mourning period is over; I need to urge him to propose soon.”

Unexpectedly, the man arrived the very next day. Jiang You’an was sewing when Qiulan rushed in excitedly.

“Miss, Madam Shen is here, and Master Shen is with her. They’re in the front courtyard, and the matriarch has asked the younger generation to greet Madam Shen. Do you think the Shen family has come to propose?”

Jiang You’an’s eyes brightened. “Help me get ready quickly!”

At the Moon Embrace Residence, Xiuzhu informed Lu Xuanheng of the Shen family’s arrival.

“Miss You’an also went to the front courtyard.”

“Such a thoughtful girl.” Lu Xuanheng’s expression darkened, then he sneered, “Let her go. She should have given up long ago.”