Chapter Fourteen

Feng Xiaoli raised her arm to block, and in an instant, their tightly pressed bodies collided fiercely. She hurriedly retreated several steps, her eyes full of wariness as she watched him. Zilin glanced at his now empty chest and gave a wry smile. “Li’er, don’t you appreciate a hero saving a damsel in distress?”

Feng Xiaoli spat, “A hero? You? I’d say you’re more like a cowardly bear! Don’t tell me you weren’t hiding and secretly watching for ages before you showed yourself. You bastard, if I die, I’ll make sure to drag you down with me!”

Zilin was genuinely moved. “So you want to share life and death with me, Li’er? I’m overwhelmed! You’ve always had a place for me in your heart. Don’t worry, I’ll go propose marriage at Prince Chun’s manor right away—this life and the next, I’ll marry no one but you!”

In the midst of the fight, Shadow Phantom quickly interjected, “Young Master, that cannot be!”

“Shadow Phantom, you talk too much.” Where Feng Xiaoli couldn’t see, Zilin shot Shadow Phantom a chilling glare, cold as a winter’s dragon. Shadow Phantom’s heart sank and he fell silent.

“You plague, you fiend! Wherever you appear, those men in black immediately find me. And you still want me to marry you? Stop telling jokes that would make anyone’s teeth fall out from laughter!” Though Feng Xiaoli’s words were light, she never let down her guard around Zilin.

This man was anything but simple. His inexplicable appearance at the prince’s residence last night was already suspicious, and now he’d shown up here again. Only a fool would believe his nonsense.

Zilin chuckled at Feng Xiaoli’s obvious distance and wariness. He soon caught the key words. “So, if the men in black can’t find me, you’ll agree to marry me?”

“Over my dead body! Even if no one tries to kill you, I won’t marry you. I beg you, just leave me alone. Honestly, I don’t even know you, and you don’t know me. I can’t fathom why you’ve suddenly taken such an interest in me—it really makes me question your motives.”

Zilin propped his chin, deep in thought. “Could this be that so-called love at first sight?”

“Love at first sight, my foot!” Dealing with this shameless man, Feng Xiaoli could only curse and curse again. Her elegant image was utterly shattered—if she’d ever had one to begin with!

“Li’er!” He paused, then continued, “Deep down you must like me too, don’t you? As the saying goes, hitting is love, scolding is love—the banter of lovers is only natural. Now that you’re cursing me for my sake, I’m honestly overjoyed!”

Feng Xiaoli felt countless black lines streak across the back of her mind. She couldn’t tell if this man was hopelessly optimistic or simply naive; every word that entered his head came out twisted enough to drive anyone mad, and any attempt at rebuttal only left her more exasperated.

Deciding not to focus on Zilin, she turned to Shadow Phantom. “Hey, you, take your young master away before I accidentally kick him to death!”

Shadow Phantom hesitated. “Miss Li, don’t worry. No matter how hard you kick, the young master will survive!” Originally, Shadow Phantom had truly wanted to respond to Feng Xiaoli’s request and take Zilin away, but he didn’t have the courage. Defying the young master’s orders would bring him a swift death. Just now, when he saw how delighted the young master was by his words, he was even more grateful he hadn’t spoken his mind.

The old master was terrifying, but it was the young master who truly filled him with dread! The old master had no idea how terrifying his son was—if he ever found out, what would become of them all?

The men in black split into two groups: one continued to tangle with Shadow Phantom, while the other turned to attack Zilin and Feng Xiaoli. From Zilin’s angle, he could clearly see their approach. Ignoring whether Feng Xiaoli agreed or not, he wrapped an arm around her slim waist. The faint scent clinging to Zilin enveloped her once again.

“Li’er, isn’t this what they call throwing oneself into another’s arms?” Zilin dispatched the black-clad men with ease, all the while holding Feng Xiaoli as she struggled to break free.

“You’re the one throwing yourself at me!” Feng Xiaoli shot back.

Zilin nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Li’er. It’s indeed me throwing myself into your arms. I thought you’d be delighted by my embrace, but it seems not!”

“Of course not!” For once, Feng Xiaoli agreed with Zilin.

“Li’er, you want to run over here and hug me yourself!”

Feng Xiaoli was utterly dumbfounded. If there’d been a sword on the ground, she’d have picked it up and stabbed him several times, then slapped him a few more, and finally cut off his precious little treasure—because with that thing, he was so outrageously brazen and shameless.

“You are truly out of your damned mind!” Feng Xiaoli shouted in utter despair. Heaven help her—was there no one who could save her from this?

Shadow Phantom, witnessing this, broke out in a cold sweat. He genuinely felt a bit sorry for Feng Xiaoli.

Zilin grinned broadly. “I really am sick. I’ve contracted a disease where, if I can’t see you, I’m tormented to the brink of death; if I don’t hear your voice, I have nightmares at night. Tell me, am I hopeless? Only you can cure me. Only seeing you can relieve my illness!”

Feng Xiaoli retorted with a cold laugh, “What does your illness have to do with me? Your torment has nothing to do with me, your nightmares have nothing to do with me, whether you’re beyond saving has nothing to do with me, whether you recover or not has nothing to do with me. You shouldn’t come to me—you should go see a doctor. I’m nothing to you, but if you must call me something, you can call me your mother!”

At the word “mother,” Zilin’s body trembled, and the smile on his face seemed to freeze.

Feng Xiaoli, oblivious as always, didn’t notice Zilin’s change and continued, “If I were your mother, I’d guarantee your illness would be cured for good! I’d find you a gentle, virtuous girl who’s adored by all, and then you wouldn’t come looking for me anymore, ha!”

Still lost in her fantasy, Feng Xiaoli didn’t see Zilin’s face grow pale. His smile seemed to freeze the very air, his eyes glazing over with a frosty sheen. Gradually, Feng Xiaoli sensed something was wrong and stopped talking. At some point, Shadow Phantom had finished off the men in black on his side, and the ones attacking them had all been eliminated by Zilin while they were speaking. Shadow Phantom no longer wore his earlier faint smile; his expression was now identical to Zilin’s.

At last, Zilin said nothing. He didn’t spare Feng Xiaoli a single glance and simply walked away.

“Did I… say something wrong?” Feng Xiaoli whispered.

But even Shadow Phantom wouldn’t pay her any mind. He only replied coldly, “Never mention the word ‘mother’ in front of the young master.”