Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

That night, Lin Zhiyao was truly enraged.

With his last bit of strength, he slapped Shen Jin twice hard.

The slap left his handsome face slightly red, revealing a light pink handprint.

Shen Jin seemed oblivious to the pain and didn't feel ashamed of being slapped. Instead, he grabbed her slender white wrist, kissed her hot palm, and even laughed, "Yao Yao, look, you've stamped your cousin's face... so, your cousin can only ever be yours for the rest of his life."

Lin Zhiyao looked at him in disbelief.

His lips trembled slightly.

Shen Jin continued, "My cousin still has virginity, and Yao Yao's little hand hasn't been stamped yet..."

After saying that, he grabbed her wrist, placed her delicate palm on his abdominal muscles, and slid it down, wiping away the thin layer of sweat on it...

Lin Zhiyao closed her eyes completely.

I neither wanted to nor dared to look.

*

More than half a month has passed just like that.

Day and night, there is never a moment of peace.

The nights were just like at the manor; Shen Jin always found a way to make Xiao Tao sleep soundly before openly entering her room.

As for the daytime... Lin Zhiyao had tried to have Xiao Tao follow her around every step of the way, but Shen Jin could always find an excuse to send Xiao Tao away openly. When he couldn't get rid of her, he would stare at her with his deep fox eyes and then demand her back at night with even more ruthlessness.

It was as if she owed him countless times.

Lin Zhiyao was so tormented that she couldn't take it anymore. Her body felt like it was falling apart and being pieced back together, only to be taken apart again and again, endlessly, each day feeling like a year.

That night, Shen Jin was very noisy again, tossing and turning from sunset until the moon was high in the sky. Lin Zhiyao was pressed down in the quilt by him, and the bells on her ankles rang urgently and frequently, as if they were crying for her.

She was completely exhausted by the end.

She slumped limply between the pillows and mattress, too weak to even lift her hand, and her breathing was broken.

Shen Jin embraced her from behind, gently massaging her lower abdomen with his palms, resting his chin on her shoulder, burying his face in her hair and taking a few deep breaths until his breathing gradually calmed down.

Lin Zhiyao tilted her head, her temples damp with sweat and clinging to her cheeks. Her throat was dry and sore. After a long while, she slowly mustered a little strength and asked in a hoarse voice, "Cousin, don't you...don't you need to attend court?"

Shen Jin paused slightly as his lips touched the back of her neck.

Then, as if he had heard something funny, he chuckled softly, his chest vibrating against her back, full of languid satisfaction.

"His Majesty has dispatched me to the Kinki region to manage the floods."

Shen Jin explained lazily, his voice still a little hoarse, "But I actually took care of this task on my way back to the capital. It's just that the memorial hasn't been submitted yet, so the Ministry of Personnel has put it on hold."

He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her earlobe, his warm breath brushing against her thin skin: "A few days ago, someone from the Ministry of Revenue came looking for the same thing. I kept it under wraps and didn't report it, so I'm using this as an excuse to stay here."

Lin Zhiyao kept her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembled, and she didn't reply.

I didn't expect Shen Jin to have even thought of these things.

She remembered that she would be setting off back to the Shen residence in a few days, and a sense of anticipation she had never felt before welled up in her heart.

Back at the manor, Shen Jin always had to attend to affairs. He had to go to court early in the morning, and during the day he also had to approve official documents from the Ministry of Personnel and meet with officials who came to visit. Unlike here at the temple, where he could pester her endlessly day and night.

As she thought about this, she drifted off into thought, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the edge of the quilt.

As if sensing her wavering thoughts, Shen Jin slid his hand up her lower abdomen, cupped her chin, and gently turned her tilted face back. Her absent-minded almond-shaped eyes looked at him with a hint of doubt.

"What is Yao Yao thinking about?" Shen Jin released his hand.

"...It's nothing."

Lin Zhiyao turned her head away, buried her face in the pillow, and said in a muffled voice, "I just want to go back to the manor."

The fox-like eyes stared intently at Lin Zhiyao for a moment in the dim light, then chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss her sweaty nose.

"Yaoyao," Shen Jin whispered, his voice low, as he pressed his lips to hers, "once we return to the manor, your cousin will have plenty of ways to help you too."

Lin Zhiyao's eyelashes trembled suddenly, and she closed her eyes without answering.

Shen Jin wasn't in a hurry. He simply held her close and kissed her for a while, then took the string of bells off her ankle and held it in his palm.

The bell made a muffled sound and he tucked it under his pillow.

"I won't bother you tonight."

*

The next day.

a bolt from the blue.

Xiao Tao brought back a letter, saying it was sent by Chunlan. According to the lady, her reputation for praying for blessings had already reached the palace, and the emperor was overjoyed. So the lady thought of letting her stay in the temple until she returned before entering the palace.

In other words, she will have to stay here for more than a month.

"How could this be..."

Lin Zhiyao sat blankly on the edge of the bed, covering her face, almost bursting into tears.

Xiao Tao was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Miss, Miss, what's wrong?"

Thinking that the young lady was in this state because she heard the news that she couldn't go back, Xiao Tao prepared to chase after her.

"Miss, if you want to go back, I will go and stop Chunlan and speak to her. If Madam does not agree, I will go and beg the young master. Madam will definitely listen to the young master."

Xiao Tao had seen how well the young master took care of the young lady in the temple, so she subconsciously felt that asking Shen Jin for help would definitely make things work.

Ask him?

Lin Zhiyao reached out her limp hand and pulled Xiaotao, feeling dizzy. "No need, let's leave it at that."

It's possible that Shen Jin orchestrated this whole thing in secret.

Otherwise, how could we have discussed this matter just yesterday, and then received news today that our return to the Shen residence would be postponed?

Lin Zhiyao's face was slightly pale, and she pursed her pink lips.

Xiao Tao stared at Lin Zhiyao for a while, her face full of concern: "Miss, you look even thinner since you went to the temple to cultivate yourself. Please eat more today."

Lin Zhiyao simply nodded and whispered, "I understand."

afternoon.

When Xiao Tao returned after clearing the dishes, she saw Lin Zhiyao sitting by the window in a daze, so she squatted down beside her and whispered, "Miss, when I went to help in the kitchen this morning, I heard the young monks at the temple talking about the young master."

Lin Zhiyao didn't respond, but she didn't chase her away either.

Xiao Tao continued, "They say that when the eldest young master was the prefect of Jiangnan, he solved many cases and arrested many corrupt officials. The people all called him 'Upright Official.' They also say that the eldest young master is a man of few words and never goes to brothels. Many noble ladies in the capital want to marry him, but he doesn't even glance at them."

As Xiao Tao spoke, her tone filled with admiration, she looked up at Lin Zhiyao and said, "Miss, the young master is truly a rare and fine man in this world."

Lin Zhiyao opened her mouth, as if to say something, but swallowed the words back.

She stared at the old cypress tree outside the window, sunlight filtering through its branches and casting dappled, dancing spots of light on the ground.

A bitter feeling slowly welled up in Lin Zhiyao's heart, like a long-simmered medicinal soup, both bitter and sticky.

If Xiao Tao knew how this "upright and honest" young man she spoke of had pinned her down at night, staring at her with those fox-like eyes, forcing her to cry, forcing her to beg for mercy, forcing her to...

They'd probably be so scared they'd take three steps back.

Lin Zhiyao lowered her eyelashes, her fingertips clenching gently inside her sleeve, without saying a word.

After talking for a while, Xiao Tao finally got to the point and offered Lin Zhiyao some advice, her eyes showing concern.

"Miss, the young master values ​​you highly. If you are not comfortable staying in the temple, why don't you speak to him and ask him to talk to the madam on your behalf? Perhaps you can return to the manor."

Lin Zhiyao sighed, turned her gaze away from the window, and said indifferently, "Xiao Tao, unless I ask you, you don't need to tell me about the young master anymore. I don't want to hear it."

Xiao Tao hesitated for a long time, then, seeing that Lin Zhiyao's expression was not good, she stopped talking. Although she didn't understand, she could only reply, "This servant understands."

A young lady has her reasons.

She only needs to listen to her mistress.

*

And so another month or so passed.

It wasn't until less than a week before she was to enter the palace that her aunt sent someone to bring her back to her residence.

Shen Jin naturally followed him all the way back.

Lin Zhiyao sat in the sedan chair, calculating in her mind that there were less than five days left before she entered the palace.

Shen Jin rode his horse alongside him.

Upon entering the Shen residence.

Lin Zhiyao got out of the sedan chair without even glancing at Shen Jin beside her, and hurriedly returned to her boudoir.

Shen Jin was left standing there, gazing intently at her thin, hurried figure as she left.

He gripped the reins tightly, pulling so hard that the horse beneath him neighed several times and kicked its legs repeatedly, almost throwing Shen Jin off.

He suddenly came to his senses and loosened his grip.

But his gaze remained fixed on the direction Lin Zhiyao had left in, and he did not look away until that shimmering blue figure disappeared from sight.