Chapter 24: Never Leave Me

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“Huh?”

Chuntao scratched her head in confusion. The two people before her were breathing slightly hard, as though another thrilling scene had just taken place.

Chen Xingmiao pursed her lips in annoyance.

Although she had enjoyed herself for the moment, it seemed she would have to find another way to deal with the little villain’s mother’s ashes.

She cautiously asked, “Husband, will you be angry that I’ve made things between you and the Xiao family so strained?”

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.

She had expected Xiao Ziyu to ignore her, but instead he gave a soft laugh and stepped forward to smooth the disordered strands of hair across her forehead.

“I don’t care what they think. Didn’t you say that from now on, we would have only our own home?”

When he finished speaking, he gently took her hand.

Our own home?

She blinked blankly, never expecting that he would remember something she had said so casually while trying to raise his affection for her.

So…

If he ever found out that she had only said those things to complete her mission, she would surely die a horrible death.

At the thought, she shuddered and forced out a guilty smile.

“Should we put some medicine on your back?”

Xiao Ziyu shook his head and said indifferently, “I’m used to it. There’s no need.”

The atmosphere grew awkward, and Chuntao tactfully fled the scene.

“It’s cold outside.” Xiao Ziyu took Chen Xingmiao’s hand and led her toward the bedchamber.

Actually, she was rather curious about who the first love the little villain had mentioned on his mother’s memorial day was, and what had happened in the past between him and Xiao Yingsheng.

She had to uncover this gossip.

After sitting down beside the table, she took Xiao Ziyu’s hand.

“Husband, the woman you mentioned during Mother’s memorial ceremony last time… and the person you spoke about with that scumbag father of yours today—who were they?”

She studied Xiao Ziyu’s face closely, prepared to placate him at the slightest sign that something was wrong.

However, he merely poured himself a cup of water, took a small sip, and let out a quiet sigh.

“Do not ask about what you should not.”

His voice was heavy and cold.

To her surprise, she puffed out her cheeks in reluctant frustration.

The little villain guarded himself against her as though she were a thief. He would not say even a single extra word about his own affairs.

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“If you still can’t forget your first love one day and want a divorce, you can tell me.”

Resting her chin in her hand, she spoke entirely on her own.

Xiao Ziyu looked at her in confusion. “First love?”

“Your first love is the first person you ever liked.”

Xiao Ziyu grew even more puzzled, and his previously relaxed brows drew together slightly.

Why did he not remember ever saying that he liked anyone?

She turned toward him and reached out to pat his shoulder.

“You don’t have to pretend. I don’t mind. You mentioned her during your mother’s memorial ceremony that day. Someone who left the world in that manner would surely be impossible to forget. I can understand.”

Xiao Ziyu gave a faint smile and said nothing more.

Seeing his inscrutable expression, her curiosity began to spread like weeds.

She had always been the sort of person who refused to stop until she achieved her goal. Besides, the secret hidden behind all this might very well hold the key to completing her mission.

“Husband, just tell me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” She blinked her watery eyes and gazed at Xiao Ziyu pitifully, even giving his arm a gentle tug as she coaxed him.

Her appearance left Xiao Ziyu both helpless and amused.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally sighed and slowly began, “You really want to know?”

The instant Chen Xingmiao heard that, her eyes lit up. She hurriedly nodded like a pecking chick. “You’re the best, Husband!”

“The best?” Xiao Ziyu’s gaze gradually grew distant.

Did that mean he was better than Lin Yu?

She nodded emphatically again, watching him expectantly as she waited for him to continue.

“His name was Chu Feng. He was once my best friend.”

His very first sentence left her dumbfounded.

A friend? Chu Feng? A man?

Xiao Ziyu seemed to have anticipated her expression. He smiled and continued, “As you saw on our wedding day, I had lived that sort of life since childhood.”

The script had mentioned that he had lived as a servant from a young age, so she knew about that. But no matter what, it still should not have led to murder.

“Chu Feng was the son of a fallen family. He was sold to the Xiao family. He taught me to read and write, but my father forbade me from having contact with anyone else.”

At this point, Xiao Ziyu fell silent, and his tone grew increasingly heavy.

She took his slightly trembling hand and asked softly, “What happened afterward?”

“Afterward…” He drew in a deep breath. His expression instantly darkened, and pain and fury flashed through his eyes. “Afterward, Father found out and had him beaten with a hundred strokes.”

His fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

She was equally shocked and sympathetic. Xiao Yingsheng’s shamelessness had once again pushed the limits of her understanding.

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A servant’s life was still a life. How could any ordinary person possibly survive a hundred strokes?

So it was not a first love, but a deceased brother—and he had died because of the little villain.

That truly was something impossible to forget.

Xiao Ziyu took a deep breath, doing his best to calm his emotions.

“What? Now that you know she was not someone I loved, are you disappointed, Wife?”

He raised a hand and waved it before her dazed eyes.

Chen Xingmiao looked at him, her heart filled with complicated emotions.

The script’s description of his past had been nothing more than a brief mention. It had never said that someone had died because of him.

Seeing how restrained he was now, he would probably carry that guilt for the rest of his life.

So…

If she did not raise his affection now, when would she?

She took a piece of candy from her sleeve and placed it in his mouth, then opened her arms and embraced him.

“Don’t worry, Husband. You have me now. I won’t leave you.”

Xiao Ziyu froze where he stood, his body trembling slightly. Faced with her sudden gesture, he seemed completely at a loss.

She tilted her head up slightly and gently buried it against his chest. Beside her ear, she could clearly hear his strong heartbeat, one beat after another, like the steady rhythm of a drum.

Although the little villain was frail and slender, the sense of security he gave her was inexplicably overwhelming.

Xiao Ziyu’s lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but his throat felt clogged by some unseen obstruction, and not a single word came out.

After a long while, he slowly raised his arms and cautiously returned her embrace. He lowered his head against her shoulder, greedily drawing in her scent.

“Then stay by my side. Never leave me.”

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Otherwise… he would kill her.

His gaze suddenly darkened. Deep within his eyes, a fleeting ruthlessness and resolve flashed past. That shadowy emotion concealed in the depths of his heart was like lightning streaking across the night sky—gone in the blink of an eye.

At that very moment, a sudden commotion erupted in the courtyard.

“Miss! Master! Something terrible has happened!”

It was Chuntao’s cry, choked with tears, sharp and urgent.

“A group of fierce-looking men has arrived outside! They say they were ordered by the eldest young master to take you and Master away for punishment!”

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