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

Lin Zhiyao's ears were burning hot.

I don't know what to say.

But Shen Jin clearly had no intention of letting her off so easily. He loosened his grip and instead slowly slid his fingers along her reddened earlobe, finally landing on the cool, long hair on the side of her neck.

His gaze slid from the top of Lin Zhiyao's head to the bare side of her neck, where nothing was attached.

Shen Jin twirled a strand of her hair between his fingertips, casually playing with it with his long, slender fingers.

"I had over a dozen outfits and several boxes of hairpins prepared." Shen Jin's androgynous face always carried a half-smile, making it impossible to discern his true feelings. "You spent so much time choosing, and this is all you wear to see me?"

Lin Zhiyao was held by his waist, and the coolness from the pillars seeped in through her thin summer dress.

She lowered her eyelashes, staring at the dark gold python scales on his black robe. "I... am not used to using things that are too luxurious; I find them too ostentatious."

Shen Jin didn't reply.

His knuckles were still tucked into her long hair that fell over her shoulders, and he slowly gathered it up, letting strands of hair slip through his fingers, cool and smooth.

"Extroverted?"

Shen Jin chuckled cryptically, "Miss Lin, don't you think that just standing here with that face of yours is flamboyant enough?"

Lin Zhiyao's lips moved, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she tightened her fists at her sides and bit her lip.

If she didn't have such a face.

It's highly unlikely that he would even be noticed by that deserving-to-be-cut-a-thousand-cuts-all-heavens old man.

Shen Jin seemed to find it boring and suddenly released his hand from her hair, but he didn't let go of her waist. "Miss Lin, what brings you to see me?"

Lin Zhiyao composed herself before speaking, "Lord Shen, may I... ask about the household..."

"Your father and your brother?"

Shen Jin interrupted her, casually withdrew his hand, picked up a few fish pellets from the pouch at his waist, and flicked them onto the surface of the pond. "Very good. I sent someone to deliver a message saying that you have been allowed to stay at the manor as a guest for a few days. Your father replied that he wants me to treat you well."

He turned his head to look at her, his eyes deep and dark, the smile on his lips not reaching his eyes, "Your father and brothers are more open-minded than you."

Lin Zhiyao felt a lump in her throat.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say that this was impossible. Knowing that she was alright, how could her father agree to let her stay here?

But he swallowed the words back down his throat.

Lin Zhiyao suddenly remembered.

Her father knew perfectly well what sending her in meant from the very beginning.

The four words "treat me well" in that letter... were probably the most respectable thing my father could offer.

Lin Zhiyao clenched her sleeve tightly with her fingertips.

Shen Jin scattered the last few fish food pellets, clapped his hands, turned to the side, and looked down at her.

The sun slanted in from the west, casting a thin layer of light on one side of his face, while the other half was shrouded in the shadows of the corridor, its light shifting unpredictably.

"What, are you scared now?"

Shen Jin lowered his head, leaned closer to Lin Zhiyao, and said in a low, soft voice, "When I put the drug in your tea yesterday, I didn't see you this scared."

Lin Zhiyao pursed her lips and didn't answer.

Shen Jin straightened up and raised his chin toward Qing Wu, who was waiting under the corridor.

"Take Miss Lin to dinner, and then bring her to the study after dinner."

Shen Jin paused, then added with a smile, "After all, you need to be well-fed to have the energy for assassinations, don't you agree, Miss Lin?"

Lin Zhiyao trembled all over.

She didn't know if Shen Jin's words had a hidden meaning, whether he was really talking about assassination, or something else...

Shen Jin turned and left along the corridor. Lin Zhiyao also didn't know whether he happened to run into her while feeding the fish or was waiting for her in the outer room... No, was there any need to think about it? He must have just happened to run into her.

Lin Zhiyao stood still.

Watching Shen Jin's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, I belatedly realized that my back was already damp with a thin layer of sweat.

A gust of wind blew by.

It's chilly.

Qingwu stepped forward, bowing respectfully with her hands at her sides and her head lowered: "Miss, this servant will take you to the side hall for your meal."

Lin Zhiyao nodded and followed Qingwu, but the tension in her heart remained unbearable.

study?

It doesn't sound like a good place.

Lin Zhiyao looked down at the embroidered shoe tips, thinking to herself, no matter what, she had to survive first.

As for the others—

Lin Zhiyao's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She couldn't care about anything else for the time being.

*

Lin Zhiyao didn't eat much.

With the future uncertain, she naturally didn't have much of an appetite. She only ate a few bites before saying she wanted to go for a walk in the courtyard to digest her food.

Qingwu hesitated for a moment, but soon another servant came over and whispered a few words to Qingwu, and Qingwu agreed.

Lin Zhiyao's heart sank slightly.

This means that although Shen Jin was not present, she was being watched by informants.

But that makes sense.

If she were assassinated, she would definitely keep an eye on the assassin's actions. No, if she were assassinated, she would definitely kill the assassin immediately to prevent future troubles.

Lin Zhiyao stopped thinking about it, walked out the door, and passed by the koi pond again.

She walked over without letting Qingwu follow, saying, "I want to go and take a look over there by myself."

"Well, Miss Lin... alright."

Qingwu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stopped and waited under the eaves.

Perhaps seeing that the surroundings were open, they figured she couldn't have run far.

Lin Zhiyao slowly walked along the grassy path to the edge of the pond. As she got closer, she saw koi carp crowding on the surface of the water, their mouths agape, waiting for her to feed them.

She hadn't brought any fish food, so she just bent down and glanced at it twice.

Just then, a fishy smell wafted from behind the artificial rockery. Lin Zhiyao covered her nose and subconsciously looked in the direction of the smell.

Beside the artificial rockery was a wooden basin about half a person's height, with unwashed debris still hanging from the rim. On the stone slab next to it lay a dark red object, mostly split open, with uneven edges, resembling meat.

It appears to be an ingredient for making fish food.

Lin Zhiyao's face paled slightly, her stomach churned, and just as she was about to look away, she caught a glimpse of a small dark blue tattoo on the piece of meat, hidden among the blood vessels.

It looks somewhat familiar.

Lin Zhiyao took a closer look and recognized him. Her face turned deathly pale, and she retreated in horror.

That tattoo... that tattoo clearly belongs to one of my father's subordinates...

Her face turned deathly pale, and she couldn't help but run to the tree, leaning against the trunk and retching uncontrollably.

She won't admit her mistake.

Before assassinating Shen Jin, her father specially drew a striking mark of his old subordinates for her, repeatedly instructing her to remember it so that she wouldn't be mistaken for someone who was there to meet her, thus wasting a precious opportunity to escape.

did not expect……

In the end, it came in handy today.

Lin Zhiyao hadn't eaten much to begin with, and after gagging a few times, she had practically emptied her stomach.

My stomach keeps refluxing acid.

too frightening.

Shen Jin is absolutely terrifying!

If she stays here, her chances of survival are slim. She needs to find a way... to escape!

Lin Zhiyao's pale face was filled with panic; otherwise, she would have been turned into fish food and fed to the fish without even realizing it.