Cultivation finished, and just like yesterday we made our way to eat dinner, except this time I was leading Gao Chen down to the fire lit room.
My jaw was clenched as I walked, the sight of her bare tan body covered in love bites still irritating me more than I cared to admit.
The woman's actions towards me were still despicable, but I had started to accept them, hell, I even started craving them these last few days.
Besides accepting them, I had grown greedy, thinking that I was going to continue to be her one and only outlet, that I was going to be able to hoard her attention all to myself, never sharing her again.
The disgust at that thought didn't flare as much as it had before, and I felt my lip rise at the thought of Gao Chen leaving dinner early again.
However, I was also too angry, too confused, and too disgusted to turn and speak to her, instead focusing on the floor as I walked.
The woman in question simply followed behind me in silence, and I had to hold back the urge to turn back and stare at her face, wanting to know what she was thinking currently.
When I did finally get a glimpse of her features when we entered the room, I felt a mixture of smugness and hate as I saw her glaring at me, her orange eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on me.
Continuing to ignore her, I started eating, my chopsticks swiftly picking apart the entire salmon before me.
Marveling at the rich taste and soft texture, I then turned to the small bowl of vegetable broth, the warm liquid washing down the fish.
As I ate, Gao Chen slowly and angrily picked at her own meal, her bottle of wine completely untouched as she stared at me.
"Little bunny..."
Her voice was still, but I remained unfazed, continuing to eat the rice I had in front of me.
Her chopsticks froze, and I felt her orange eyes narrow further as she glared at me, however I held in the shiver that threatened to give me away.
"Yi'er."
Speaking again, her voice was turning cold, and from the corner of my vision I saw her grit her teeth.
"Li Yichen."
Each syllable of my name was accentuated by her harsh voice, and I finally glanced up, tilting my head as I stared at her blankly.
Meeting her gaze, I remained silent as I waited for her to speak, mild joy flooding my heart at her indignant expression.
"Why have you been-"
The sliding door opened, and Ci walked in, the voluptuous Snow Woman holding a thin tray in her hands, a letter laying on top.
Approaching Gao Chen, Ci offered her the tray, forcing the orange eyed woman to look away from me, her irritation and annoyance amplified by the interruption.
Scooping the letter off of the tray, she used her Qi to slice the envelope open and unfurled the letter, swiftly reading over it.
Nodding to herself, Gao Chen then had her Dark Qi flare in her palm, completely vaporizing the paper.
"Leave us."
Hearing the frosty, flat voice of her Mistress, Ci nodded and exited, her blue eyes flickering towards me for a moment.
When Ci was gone, Gao Chen stared at me for a moment before saying "The Matriarch wishes for us to come visit in the next few days."
Dabbing at my lips with a handkerchief, I nodded, holding in a smirk as Gao Chen's expression twisted slightly.
For a woman who had everything she ever wanted, it seemed that being denied attention easily got under her skin.
How ironic.
Enjoying the immediate annoyance that permeated her stiff figure, I started clearing off my table, setting the finished plates and bowls where they needed to be before finishing the last few drops of my tea.
With everything ready to be carried away, and the meal over with, I stood up and bowed to Gao Chen, making my way towards the door.
However, before I could reach for the immaculate paper sliding door, Gao Chen grabbed my wrist, her touch cool and firm.
"Where do you think you're going, little bunny?"
Hearing her still voice again, I turned and stared at her, tilting my head as I whispered "To care for my White Willow and cultivate?"
Her grasp on my wrist tightened, and I flinched as her fingers pressed my bones together, the sharp pain erasing the twisted joy in my heart instantly.
The orange eyes that loomed above me were filled with a dark gleam, and the aura around my fiancee grew colder as she stepped closer.
That one step sent my panic and fear into overdrive, the previous display of my dislike of her actions feeling stupid as the much stronger woman towered over me, her face still.
"No, you're not. What you are going to do-"
The space around us flickered, and my eyes widened as I found myself back in her room, my back on the soft sheets of her bed.
"Is explain what has come over you, 'little bunny'. I hate repeating myself, but when I call for you-"
Leaning down, she slid her free hand to my throat, her voice dropping into a guttural growl.
"You. Answer."
The pressure pulsing off of Gao Chen's body was suffocating, and I struggled to breath as she glared down at me, her anger bubbling in her eyes.
"Now..."
Tightening her grasp on my throat, my heart started pounding as I felt my airway constrict, my eyes wide as I stared at her.
A sick, demented grin appeared on her face as she whispered "This is better, little bunny... Squirm for me~!"
Her other hand started roaming my body, and fear coursed through my system as she stripped me, all while holding me by my throat.
I had miscalculated how deeply my actions could affect me, and now that miscalculation had resulted in my vision blurring and darkening, my fingers clawing at her hand as I tried to free myself.
Gao Chen would pin me down for the entire night, her hands never leaving my throat as she kept me deprived of oxygen, allowing me small windows of lucidity while she slammed herself into me, her laughter echoing in the room as she took me.
Towards the end of the results of my miscalculated actions, I think I felt something, a tether of sorts, between that seed and my dantian.
My Qi felt like it was being redirected to that seed, but I couldn't focus on anything as Gao Chen dominated me.
However, I did hear something whisper to me, something that I could barely make out from my slowed down brain.
"What a fine Regent you could be..."