He left something on me, and no insects dares to come near? What kind of thing could be that powerful?
As I thought it over, my mind suddenly went back to the green snake in the cave. I was weak then, willing but unable to fight it. It clearly intended to attack, but… when I accidentally threw out the sachet!
When I accidentally threw out the sachet, it hesitated and recoiled, as if it feared something, certainly not me, given how sickly I looked then.
“It’s the sachet!” I instinctively clutched my chest. The sachet was fastened there by Shen Jianqing with a silver chain. Since… since that day, it hadn’t been taken off.
At first, I felt uncomfortable and wanted to remove it, but then I met Shen Jianqing’s chilling gaze and instantly froze. Now, I’ve gradually grown used to its presence.
The sachet was plump, and pressing it produced a crisp rustle of dry herbs. Its scent had gradually faded; I couldn’t smell it anymore. But as the saying goes, “Enter a room of orchids and sweet herbs, and over time, you cease to notice their fragrance[mfn]This is a classical saying, often used to illustrate how a good environment subtly influences a person. Just like you grow used to a pleasant fragrance over time, being around virtuous or refined people can quietly shape your character without you realizing it.[/mfn].” Perhaps I had just grown accustomed to its scent and adapted.
Shen Jianqing smiled delightedly, “You’re so smart, Li Yuze! Truly worthy of being the person I like.”
“What’s inside it?” What could make creatures without subjective consciousness, relying solely on experience and subconscious judgment of danger, feel fear?
“Guess,” Shen Jianqing said, half-joking. “Guess if it’s the Gu I put there.”
My heart instantly chilled.
Gu? His Gu container…
I looked towards the windowsill; his Gu container was no longer there, but a red insect was perched there. Such a crimson one, about the size of a fingernail, looking enchanting and ominous.
It seemed conscious, noticing me watching it, and even propped itself up with its two hind legs. Due to the distance, I couldn’t make out its full appearance, but I still felt a pang in my heart.
“Shen Jianqing, that insect looks so strange. Is it poisonous…?”
In nature, the more vibrant a creature, the more likely it is to be poisonous, and you can’t be too careless.
My intention was for Shen Jianqing to get rid of it. Instead, he stood up and walked to the window, lowering his eyelids and reaching out his hand slightly. The insect surprisingly and obediently crawled onto his fair hand!
“This is Honghong, my little pet,” Shen Jianqing said, bringing it closer to me. “Li Yuze, it really likes you. Do you want to pet it? It’s very well-behaved.”
As it got closer, I could finally see the strange patterns on the red insect’s back, they were irregular, yet possessed an indescribable, eerie charm. Its tiny eyes, like two ink dots, could swivel around, making me guess its field of vision was extremely wide, which also sent shivers down my spine.
As it approached me, it even wiggled its two front limbs, hopping twice on Shen Jianqing’s hand.
I’m not afraid of insects generally, but I felt a deep repulsion and fear towards this one. I closed my eyes briefly and shook my head, saying, “No, take it away.”
Hearing this, Shen Jianqing sighed regretfully, gently stroked the insect’s back with one finger, and murmured to Honghong, “What should we do, Honghong? Yuze Ah-ge still doesn’t like you. You’ll have to work harder!”
After speaking, he bent down and placed Honghong on the ground. Honghong wiggled its body, paused for a moment, and then scurried out of sight.
I didn’t want to stay in Shen Jianqing’s room any longer. Although it was well-lit, it still gave me an inexplicable chill. I said, “Can I go back to my room? I can go by myself; I won’t trouble you.”
Shen Jianqing, however, said, “I’ve already done what you asked of me, and I have something I want you to do for me too.” He spoke while moving closer to me, his words almost pressing against my side as he finished speaking, his breath tickling the side of my neck.
Habit truly is a terrifying thing. Pavlov’s dogs could develop the habit of salivating at the sound of a bell in twenty-one days. But I didn’t even need twenty-one days; in just a few short days, I had grown accustomed to Shen Jianqing’s intimate, boundary-crossing actions.
Even these past two days, we had maintained a distorted calm, pretending nothing had happened. But I knew this calm was precarious, waiting for his next outburst of rage and madness to shatter it.
I still resisted deep down, unable to help but avert my gaze, saying, “My body isn’t well yet…”
“Li Yuze, don’t keep thinking about ‘that’ all day long.” Shen Jianqing suddenly interrupted me, his voice laced with laughter, his eyes gleaming with cunning, as if a foolish prey had finally stepped into a carefully laid trap.
He made it sound like I was eager for it!
I didn’t want to humor him. Just as I was about to get up, using the bedpost for support, he embraced my waist: “Li Yuze, I said the wrong thing. Don’t ignore me.”
He was always like this, feigning retreat and flattery. I thought if he kept it up, I’d eventually become truly numb to him. So, I constantly reminded myself not to forget my predicament.
I took a deep breath and said, “What do you want me to do?”
Shen Jianqing gently but irresistibly pulled me back down to sit, resting his head on my shoulder. He really liked this position. He said, “In a few days, it’s my mother’s death anniversary. Will you accompany me to see her?”
As he spoke, he looked up, his beautiful eyes burning as he gazed at me. Anyone facing such a look would find it hard to refuse.
I quietly agreed: “En.”
The next few days passed very calmly, so calmly that sometimes I genuinely believed I was a member of this Miao village, waking with the crow of roosters and falling asleep under the evening stars.
Except for the lock that still appeared on my door every day. It was like a cold symbol, reminding me that I was nothing more than a prisoner.
Shen Jianqing, however, never spent the night in my room again. He had once explained with a third of shyness that in the Miao tribe, unmarried people could not sleep in the same room.
“But, according to custom, once you live together, you must marry!” Shen Jianqing added this, his eyes gleaming startlingly.
He certainly startled me.
Marriage?
I had once imagined what kind of girl I would marry and build a family with. Perhaps she’d be beautiful, or perhaps ordinary. Perhaps very clever, or perhaps a bit dull. Any way was fine, as long as she wouldn’t abandon me like my parents did.
My demands weren’t high, but in all my imaginings, not once was the object a boy.
I had never considered marrying a boy. Oh, and in society outside, this isn’t accepted anyway.
I forgot how I responded to him then; perhaps I nodded, or perhaps I didn’t.
In any case, these past few days have been very calm. Shen Jianqing hasn’t gone crazy again, nor has he said anything more outrageous.
I actually felt a little content.
