gged on the floor, carefully pondering.She remembered splitting up with Qiaoer last night and ending up in a completely unfamiliar courtyard, then drinking and encountering someone—or rather, she must...Chapter 22 The Flower Thief

"It seems it happened faster than I thought."

In the darkness, Zi Yin was lying on a wind tree, swinging his wine cup. He smiled as he looked at the figure on another tree, with a hint of mockery in his eyes. The person held a wine pot and drank without using a cup. His gaze never left Qi Lin's retreating back, cold like tonight’s moon.

The surrounding temperature seemed to be affected by this person's chilliness, making people shiver uncontrollably.

"Did you start feeling something for her" Playing with his wine cup, his slender fingers looked almost transparent under the moonlight. He smiled and said, "That makes sense, she is your first woman after all. Feeling something is normal since... you are a man."

Feeling The man slightly raised the corner of his mouth upon hearing this. He tilted his head back to finish off the wine in one go, then put on a smile and said, "Heart What is it"

He had long since lost his heart or perhaps his heart no longer moved.

Zi Yin understood that of course, but when Mu Qingfeng hugged Qi Lin earlier, the sudden coldness was something he hoped was just a misunderstanding. Suddenly hearing something fall, he looked up to see the person opposite him had already disappeared.

He sneered and threw his wine cup away without hesitation, stood up, patted his hands, glanced at the bright moon in the sky before walking off.

When Qi Lin finally made it to Bamboo Leisure House, he found it pitch dark inside. Yu Mu wasn't around either; he assumed he had gone out to entertain important guests due to the many high-ranking officials and nobles coming for the Hundred Flowers Competition. Though all of them seemed friendly on the surface, they were still vicious men or infatuated women who would try to meet Yu Mu at any cost.

However, it was unusual for Yu Mu to be out so late at night. Even when he went out during the day, he would leave Mai Dong behind or light candles. But now that Mai Dong wasn't around and no candles were lit, this quietness left Qi Lin feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

He rummaged through the cabinet for matches but stumbled upon finding a candlestick. However, when he blew on them for a long time without success, he was at a loss—didn’t Mai Dong just light candles by blowing Did something strange happen today

The thought of ghosts came to mind as he heard wind rustling through the bamboo outside and shadows resembling demonic figures were cast onto the door under moonlight.

If you have no guilty conscience, there's no need to fear a knock from ghosts at midnight.

Firmly holding onto this belief, Qilin straightened her chest and looked down upon the tree shadows with disdain, but the unease in her heart still prevented her from dealing with the fire starter.

When she heard dozens of knocks persistently coming from outside the door, Qilin finally couldn't bear it anymore. She walked over to the door in a few steps and opened it without hesitation.

Instantly, a strong wind rushed towards her face, blowing into her collar, causing her to shiver involuntarily. She glared fiercely at the bamboo swaying with the wind. If not for Yu Mu's fondness for these plants, she would have chopped them down long ago to avoid this nagging irritation.

That damned Maidong, where did he run off to Wasn't he usually by her side like a shadow Did he fancy some other lady now Then there was Ren Dong, who was normally as silent and still as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Why follow Yu Mu when he's just doing his own job And what about Yu Mu himself Didn’t he usually avoid guests

What’s wrong with today

Squinting down at the sprawling shadows of bamboo on the ground, she felt something missing inside her. She quietly closed the door and thought to herself that there was no point in lighting a candle when everyone wasn't here anyway. She casually tossed aside the fire starter and used moonlight to locate the bed before diving onto it without thinking.

"Thump, thump"

The steady, powerful heartbeat sounded oddly reassuring. She slightly curved her lips upward and listened quietly until Qilin realized something was off.

“Ah!” Qilin jumped back, but before she could even close her mouth due to shock, she found herself unable to move at all.

The tall figure in front of her cast a shadow that completely enveloped her.

Robbery Or murder and arson All possibilities flashed through Qilin's mind. Even though Yu Mu was usually low-key, everything he owned was top-notch. The wheelchair he sat on seemed to be crafted from the finest purple sandalwood. Purple sandalwood—what a luxury! In modern times, anyone owning an item made of this wood would be considered wealthy; yet Yu Mu used it for his chair.

It wouldn’t be surprising if someone broke in to rob him. Qilin quickly blinked and opened her mouth to find she could still speak—thankfully. So she lowered her voice and said, "Sir...if you're after money, take your pick from any of the furnishings here; they are all priceless and will fetch a good price."

So be it if Yu Mu punishes me with kneeling for one or two days—it’s better than dying here.

Hearing Qilin speak like this, the man's lips curled upward. He had thought she would scream loudly; instead, her first words assumed he was a bandit and even kindly pointed out there were many valuable items in the room. Fascinating.

"Is that so But there isn't a single item in this room that catches my fancy." As he approached Qi Lin, he suddenly caught a faint fragrance. He couldn’t quite identify the scent but it had a strong allure to him; it was because of this smell that he lost control last time.

But all the furnishings here are top-notch, even a small candle holder is worth a lot of money. So when she accidentally knocked over one last time, Rin nagged her for hours.

Inhaling sharply, Qi Lin pretended to be calm and said, "That's because you haven't seen better ones yet. Why don't you unbind my acupoints so I can find something better"

Hmm Hearing what Qi Lin had said, the man became even more interested. He sized her up from head to toe and suddenly noticed a half-exposed brocade pouch in her embrace. He remembered that it was given to her by Mu Qingfeng. Stretching out his long arm, he snatched the pouch. Although he had guessed what might be inside, seeing Qi Lin’s slightly alarmed expression made him want to tease her.

"Is this something important to you" Shaking the pouch in hand and noticing how Qi Lin's eyes followed his movements cautiously, he smirked when observing that despite her carefree faade. "Isn't it a gift from your lover"

No... She wanted to deny but then thought about it again; Mu Qingfeng’s items would have some fame to them. If this person recognized him and showed him some respect, he might let her go. After contemplating this, Qi Lin replied, "Yes. It's a gift from someone I like."

Is that so Narrowing his eyes, the force of his grip tightened as he pulled Qi Lin closer by the waist and spun them around to end up in bed. He pressed her down tightly with his body, their gazes locking.

Facing away from the moonlight, Qi Lin couldn’t see this man’s face clearly but the faint tea scent reminded her of someone she had tried hard to ignore all along.

"This pouch seems quite valuable. Perhaps you have something even more precious on you Let me take a look." With that, his large hand started rummaging over Qi Lin's body without hesitation.

What! Shocked by this sudden turn of events, Qi Lin’s eyes widened but her hands remained bound. As the man’s hand moved from her waist up, she finally realized she could speak again. "After raping me once, do you want to force yourself on me a second time!"

Hmm Furrowing his brows slightly and stopping his actions, he looked at Qi Lin who was already pressed tightly against him due to her panic-induced breathing. The strange scent became even stronger.

Leaning close to her lips, he stroked her gently with his long fingers and said with a smile, "Do you know me"

Qi Lin clenched her lips tightly together, not giving him any chance to tease her. But she couldn’t resist him completely as several times she almost bit him but failed. Resigned, she coldly replied, "Tea scent."

This time there was a hint of alcohol mixed with the man’s tea fragrance. Through the darkness, using her intuition to locate his eyes, it seemed that he smiled faintly.

"I remember the scent of tea on you." He spoke again, and was reminded of their first encounter at White Tiger Mountain.

The scent of tea The man was taken aback. Was there really such a smell on him As he touched Qí Lín's slightly flushed face, this woman always made him act on impulse. Originally just planning to take a quick look, upon smelling her fragrance, he couldn’t resist pinning her down to the bed.

The last time they met, he mistakenly thought she was an agent sent by that person, but unexpectedly felt a desire for her. When he saw the crimson on the white rock, he was surprised, and when he saw her embracing Mu Qingfeng, his chest tightened.

Qí Lín noticed the man seemed to be in deep thought; she wondered if she had said something wrong Glancing at the courtyard outside, damn it, why hadn’t anyone returned yet If they didn’t come soon, she’d end up being violated completely.

Cypress wood Hurry back.

Qí Lín prayed fervently in her heart. At this moment, of all people, she thought of the less mobile Cypress Wood, who usually wasn't one to meddle in others' affairs but would always help when it came to her matters. No matter where she was, Cypress Wood could arrive just at the right time. She hoped this time Cypress Wood would hear and come over.

She suddenly felt a loosening on her body; Qí Lín opened her eyes, only to find that the man had already stood up. Just as she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, his large hand came to the neckline, pulling hard.

"Tear."

The crisp tearing sound instantly robbed all thoughts from Qí Lín's mind; her brain went blank, and she numbly stared at the ceiling. It wasn’t until he took out something from inside her shirt that she snapped back to reality.

"What are you doing Uh" Seeing the handkerchief in his hand, Qí Lín was stunned—it had belonged to this man. This time she was truly in trouble.

The man smiled faintly as he saw the neatly folded handkerchief. Looking at Qí Lín's tearless but pained expression, he asked, "Do you like me"

"I couldn’t care less about whether I like your sister!" Without thinking twice, Qí Lín blurted out; the chill on her chest reminded her that this person was a beastly man—no, worse than a beast. Adjusting her mood, she firmly stated, "Leaving you something isn't because I don’t want to forget my pain. There is no way in this lifetime that I would like someone who forcefully violated me."

Forget the pain The man watched Qí Lín silently under the moonlight filtering through the window. He could see her eyes flickering with anger and helplessness at being unable to resist. Since she felt that way, then fine; he was a villain for raping a virtuous woman, but today he would turn it around: since there's already a wound, why not sprinkle some salt on it

He leaned down again, spreading the handkerchief over her face. He knew if she could move, she would fight back to death." Bai Qianye said while toying with his teacup. "And you're very diligent.""Thank you for your concern, I'm doing well and not about to die anytime soon." Qi Lin did not turn around but continued her...