Half an hour ago, Xing Yuanzhi suddenly woke up from a nightmare. She sat up abruptly from the bed, her nightgown slipping off, revealing her delicate shoulders. Sweat covered her from her forehead to her neck and back, cold and clammy.
Childhood memories flooded back, accompanied by nauseating shame and guilt, almost overwhelming her at the same time. She struggled to get out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, turning on the faucet in the bathtub.
Since that incident, Xing Yuanzhi developed severe cleanliness obsession, bathing at least three times a day. She often sat motionless in the hot water-filled bathtub, mechanically scrubbing her body repeatedly, as if it were still tainted with filthy bloodstains.
Apart from her father, Xing Wenxing, no one else knew about the incident. When her father returned home and heard about it, his face turned ashen, and he immediately dismissed the household servants. That night, father and daughter disposed of the two bodies outside the family estate.
With the prestige of the Xing family in Hejian, as long as the Three Law Departments and the Six Ministries don't intend to cause trouble, the lives of both clans can still be controlled.
However, when it comes to publicly declaring the cause of death afterwards, certain elders show a thoughtful expression, or there's a deeper meaning in the gaze towards Xing Wenxing, which makes Xing Yuanzhi tremble.
This scandal, I'm afraid many people in the clan have already known about it. However, if it were to escalate, Xing Wenxing and his daughter would certainly be the biggest victims, and the reputation of the entire Xing family in Hejian would plummet.
Extramarital affairs, attempt at incest within the family, forcing a daughter to be—all of these are enough to turn the family into a laughingstock of the times.
Therefore, everyone tacitly unified their stance externally, claiming that the deceased was too late to receive medical treatment and died of a sudden illness.
After many years, Xing Yuanzhi had already forgotten about this incident... or rather, when she became an supernatural, she intentionally sealed off that memory, intending to carry it to her grave. But she didn't expect it to suddenly appear in her dream tonight!
Quietly washing herself for a moment, Xing Yuanzhi hugged her knees in the bathtub and buried her face in the hot water. Underwater, she forcefully opened her eyes, and her thoughts involuntarily returned to the nightmare of a few minutes ago. The face of her mother, the appearance of that man, she couldn't remember anymore.
The only thing that left a faint impression was when her father returned home and found her standing between two mutilated bodies, crying hysterically, hee whole body covered in sticky, filthy bloodstains.
Bloodstains...
In the dream, she saw two indescribable masses of flesh, representing her deepest fears, needless to say.
In the dream, she killed them again, Xing Yuanzhi despised them, naturally not wanting them to become her nightmare again.
However, just before the dream ended, she suddenly felt something, turned her head, and saw a familiar face in the shadowy corner of the room.
Cheng Jinyang, her once intended fiancé, appeared in her most unforgettable nightmare.
If it were someone else, they would probably just think it was a coincidence. However, Xing Yuanzhi was sensitive and upon closer examination, she realized that her nightmare was extremely vivid, with every detail, including the environment and dialogue, meticulously recreated from her memory. It shouldn't have abruptly introduced a peer unrelated to the incident at the crucial moment.
Could it be a psychic intrusion into dreams...
As she pondered this, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if the hot water in the bathtub had instantly turned to ice, giving her a fear that made her teeth chatter.
This matter must be clarified!
Hastily drying herself with a towel and putting on her clothes, Xing Yuanzhi waved off the servants who had come to inquire and didn't even summon the family driver. Braving the late-night chill, she silently left the clan's territory and headed to the address she had previously investigated.
Inside the automated light rail tram, the entire carriage was empty, with only her sitting alone.
Gazing at the neon lights outside the window, bright as daylight, Xing Yuanzhi secretly made a determined decision in her heart.
....
Through the peephole, seeing Xing Yuanzhi standing mysteriously outside the door at four in the morning, Cheng Jinyang couldn't help but feel a creeping chill. However, he couldn't hesitate for too long, or the person outside would soon notice something was wrong.
So, while pretending to change clothes, Cheng Jinyang quietly grabbed a fruit knife from the kitchen and concealed it in his sleeve, then opened the door for Xing Yuanzhi.
"Sorry for disturbing you late at night," Xing Yuanzhi apologized with clasped hands and a smile, "I came to personally confirm the matter of the previous engagement we discussed."
After she changed her shoes and sniffed around, pretending to be curious, she asked, "Is that the smell of instant noodles?"
"I woke up hungry and made myself something to eat," Cheng Jinyang replied as he closed the door.
"Really?" Xing Yuanzhi chuckled, covering her mouth. "You actually woke up hungry? Did you skip dinner last night? And it's 4 a.m., usually the time people wake up from 'nightmares,' right?" Her tone was casual, as if discussing something very ordinary.
Cheng Jinyang remained calm and nodded, saying, "So, you're not sleeping at 4 a.m. and came over because you were scared awake by a nightmare?"
Xing Yuanzhi's pupils contracted imperceptibly, then she smiled flawlessly, "More or less. Well, I'd like to see that engagement contract. Have you found it?"
Her warm and gentle smile was a far cry from the cold demeanor when they first met.
For why Xing Yuanzhi acted this way, Cheng Jinyang also knew in his heart, so he quietly took out a marriage contract from his school bag and gently pushed it across the table.
Seeing the marriage contract, Xing Yuanzhi's heart was filled with mixed feelings. If it were before, she would probably have breathed a sigh of relief, then taken it away and destroyed it without any burden, thus having no further involvement with Cheng Jinyang.
However, now, not mentioning involvement, the more serious leverage might have already fallen into the other party's hands! If this matter isn't clarified, she will have trouble sleeping and eating for the rest of her life.
After carefully reading the marriage contract, Xing Yuanzhi sighed and said, "Our Xing family also deeply regrets the matter of Uncle Cheng Qinghe."
Bringing this up now, where was it before? Cheng Jinyang sneered inwardly and remained silent with his head bowed.
"In the past, both the Cheng and Xing families were strongly opposed to Uncle and Aunt's marriage," Xing Yuanzhi continued, "It's always difficult for aristocratic families to marry commoners, and if I remember correctly, your mother's maiden name is...?"
"Xie," Cheng Jinyang answered, "My mother's surname is Xie, but she is not from the Xie family of Fufeng, just a commoner."
"Well, if Aunt Xie is from a humble background, it's easier to explain. But if she's a commoner, it's extremely difficult to marry into the prestigious Cheng family. However, Uncle acted on impulse and actually eloped with Aunt. Although there were many criticisms within the Xing family, I personally admire this kind of courage..."
Her explanation was quite clever, immediately separating the "Xing family" from "herself." Although the "Xing family" opposed your parents' marriage, I support your parents' love!
Even though Cheng Jinyang still didn't fully trust her words, upon hearing them, his expression eased slightly, and his liking for her increased a little bit.
Xing Yuanzhi's mind sank slightly, but she continued to chat warmly on the surface while quickly calculating in her mind:
'Fufeng Xie Clan? It doesn't seem to be a psychic ability, nor have I heard of rumors about manipulating others' dreams...'
"In fact, the matter of breaking off the engagement, my father was originally unwilling."
Her mind wandered, while she continued with a bitter smile, "But as you know, I am now burdened with high expectations from my family, so the marriage cannot be chosen casually. If you were to fulfill the engagement with me, you would inevitably face criticism from my family. I cannot bear to involve you in that..."
"Understood, understood," Cheng Jinyang nodded repeatedly, pushing the postponed engagement further away, "So let's consider this engagement null and void, so as not to cause difficulties for you and your father."
Xing Yuanzhi: ???
Wait a minute, I remember last time when I mentioned breaking off the engagement, this person was quite down-and-out, helpless, resentful, and lost.
In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore and left in anger. How come, in just one night, he suddenly became so reasonable and pragmatic? Just one night...
Thinking about this, she suddenly stared at Cheng Jinyang's face, her eyes slowly widening.