Chapter 152: [Overwhelmed by Shame] (Part 2)

He lowered his head and looked at his little brother again; fortunately, although he'd been bitten, he hadn't suffered any serious injury—the skin seemed slightly broken, but the wound was shallow, still clearly a tooth mark. Le Yao, Le Yao, you sure know how to pick a spot—you bit a place with no bone. Lucky this time it's nothing; if you'd bitten it off, who would I go to for compensation? A doctor can't heal himself, and I can't perform a reattachment on myself.

The worst injury was still his nose; Murong Feiyan, angry and embarrassed, punched Hu Xiaotian so hard he saw stars. Thinking about it, he felt depressed—two girls had taken advantage of him, and then he got punched too. Although his nasal bridge wasn't broken, his nose had swollen up, red and puffy, much larger than usual, making him look like a clown.

Hu Xiaotian washed the blood off his body, but he couldn't wash away the resentment in his heart. Who had he provoked to deserve this misfortune? At least there was a silver lining—just now, on the little widow's bed, the feeling had been quite nice. He closed his eyes, savoring that tender scene, when a knock sounded at the door. So late at night, besides Murong Feiyan, there wouldn't be anyone else.

Hu Xiaotian asked warily, "Who is it?"

Murong Feiyan said, "Are you hungry?" Her voice differed from her usual coldness, sounding quite gentle.

Hu Xiaotian thought he had misheard: "I am a bit hungry."

Murong Feiyan whispered, "I still have some snacks here; come to my room." After saying that, her footsteps faded away.

Hu Xiaotian felt both startled and delighted. He climbed out of the wooden tub, wiped off the water on his body, since he had temporarily decided to stay the night at Ten Thousand Manor. Naturally, he had no change of clothes, but fortunately, when he'd caught the flower thief earlier he'd been wearing a round-collared shirt and loose trousers; though they were torn, he still had his outer robe, so he put on the spacious outer robe and walked over to the next room, where Murong Feiyan's door stood open and a light was on inside.

She had also changed her clothes; earlier she'd been in all-black night attire, now she wore her usual uniform, becoming the dashing female constable again. Seeing Hu Xiaotian enter with his big red nose, Murong Feiyan couldn't help laughing, and Hu Xiaotian laughed along—though his laugh looked lecherous no matter how you looked at it, making Murong Feiyan think of what had just happened. Both cheeks flushed.

Hu Xiaotian sat opposite her at the table. Murong Feiyan pushed a plate of snacks toward him; he took a piece of osmanthus cake and ate it slowly. On the surface all was calm, but he wondered what her true motive was for summoning him so late at night. Given his understanding of Murong Feiyan, she would hardly throw herself at him. Unless she'd taken the wrong medicine—just like earlier—she had invited him over, most likely to test him and see what had really happened.

Murong Feiyan poured Hu Xiaotian a cup of fragrant tea and handed it to him personally: "Drink tea!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Feiyan, you're really kind to me!"

Murong Feiyan asked, "What happened to your nose?"

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, You're feigning ignorance while knowing full well—clearly it was your punch that did this. Now you're putting on an act in front of me, hey, hey. Trying to play mind games with me? You're nowhere near good enough. Hu Xiaotian certainly wouldn't tell the truth; although he'd suffered a loss tonight, if he revealed the real story everyone would surely be embarrassed, and Murong Feiyan might never be able to face him again—she might even storm off in anger. He knew her well enough: though she seemed strong-willed, her skin was thin. Especially after what happened tonight, to her it was nothing short of an unbearable nightmare.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, set down his tea cup, and said, "I don't know what happened either. When you were fighting that flower thief, I went to rescue Le Yao; I had just helped her up when I saw you collapse, so I brought you both into the room. Afterwards I smelled a strange odor on you, then I felt dazed and my mind went blank. Now, trying to recall, I have no idea what happened in between—I woke up looking like this."

Hearing him say that, Murong Feiyan was truly surprised—she had thought Hu Xiaotian knew exactly what had happened, but he acted as if he knew nothing at all. Could it be… could it be…? She furtively observed Hu Xiaotian's expression; when he spoke those words he looked sincere, not feigning. Could it be that when the flower thief threw the smoke, he too inhaled it unintentionally, causing his memory loss and leaving him dazed and infatuated just like her? If that were the case, that would be great—at least he hadn't seen her just then. But then the question of what exactly happened during that time becomes an unsolvable mystery. She should have been the first to wake among the three; she punched Hu Xiaotian unconscious, then woke Le Yao.

Just now, while bathing, Murong Feiyan had also checked herself over—there was nothing abnormal on her body, so she shouldn't have been taken advantage of by Hu Xiaotian; even if she had been, she wouldn't know. In any case, her chastity mark was still intact; she remained a pure and spotless maiden. Thinking of the words "pure and spotless," her cheeks flushed again. The tooth mark on Hu Xiaotian's chest was hers—she had bitten him. If he didn't notice, this kid must be deliberately avoiding the issue; he's guilty as a thief.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Feiyan, just now… did I do something improper?"

Murong Feiyan thought to herself, Tonight's improprieties weren't limited to just him—she didn't even dare recall what she and Le Yao had done. Fortunately Hu Xiaotian had also lost his memory; she frowned, a plan forming in her mind. As the first to wake, she could say whatever she wanted and they'd believe it. She put on an act, sighed, and said, "That flower thief used a powerful drug—it must be peach blossom miasma."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Peach blossom miasma?"

Murong Feiyan nodded and said, "If an ordinary person inhales peach blossom miasma, they become dazed and infatuated and act improperly."

Hu Xiaotian feigned panic: "I must have inhaled a lot—did I do something improper?"

Murong Feiyan said, "Fortunately I know martial arts; when I woke up I saw you tearing at your own clothes, shouting and yelling…" Up to that point she felt a twinge of guilt—she had never told a lie like this in her life. But it concerned her reputation, so she had to distance herself from it.

Hu Xiaotian put on an act of remorse, covering his face with both hands. Actually he wanted to laugh, but feared Murong Feiyan would see through her. Her lie was so clumsy—her eyes darted when she lied, and she couldn't even look him straight in the eye. She didn't realize she was lying to someone who held a master's degree in psychology; trying to deceive him was like brandishing a broadsword in front of Guan Yu.

Hu Xiaotian said, "What did I do? What exactly did I do?"

Seeing his remorseful expression, Murong Feiyan actually believed him a little—Hu Xiaotian's nature wasn't bad; at least he knew what shame meant. She sighed again and said, "To be honest, you didn't really do anything improper; you were just under the drug's influence, and I managed to stop you in time—otherwise the situation would be unimaginable." Looking at Hu Xiaotian's red, swollen nose, she felt the bitter taste of lying and was filled with guilt.

Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced. Hey, hey, you think I'm an idiot? Unimaginable, really—if it weren't for my steadfast will as Sir, those two she-wolves would have ripped off my underpants just now. But some things require feigning ignorance; if the truth came out, it would only embarrass everyone, and might even provoke her to anger. Given Murong Feiyan's temperament, she might turn on me and slash me to protect her chastity. After all, in this era a girl values her virginity more than her life, unlike the society of my past life where sleeping around and hooking up were as common as daily meals.

Hu Xiaotian realized he was still quite traditional—at heart he preferred more conventional women. He quietly turned his thoughts over and decided to keep silent for now, guarding this secret. As for himself, he hadn't suffered too great a loss; although two beauties had bitten him, he hadn't lost any flesh, and his vital parts were unharmed. If anything, the worst injury was his nose—Murong Feiyan's punch had really landed.

Hu Xiaotian touched his nose and said, "My nose must have bled quite a bit, huh?"

Murong Feiyan now knew what it felt like to be guilty as a thief; since meeting Hu Xiaotian, this was the first time she had appeared so bashful and guilty. She said, "I saw you under the drug's influence, losing your will; in desperation I punched you to wake you up."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, You're making things up, just keep fabricating—one day I'll expose your lies.

Murong Feiyan bit her lower lip and said, "You don't blame me, do you?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "No, I don't blame you—you're not doing this for my benefit, and I hold no grudge against you."

Murong Feiyan gave a faint smile and said, "I knew it—you're not much of a person, but your mind is still fairly broad."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Not just broad—my two pecs are quite well developed."

Hearing the words "pecs," Murong Feiyan couldn't help but recall the clear tooth mark on his chest, and her face flushed red up to her ears.

Seeing her bashful look, Hu Xiaotian secretly wanted to laugh and deliberately said, "Feiyan, I feel you're acting a bit abnormal—did I just overstep propriety with you?"

Murong Feiyan hurriedly shook her head: "No, no, nothing of the sort!"

Hu Xiaotian put on a show of sighing: "If that's the case, good. If I've done anything to disappoint you, you must tell me; otherwise I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"Really not!" Murong Feiyan emphasized, lowering her head.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Really not? Well, I'm actually a bit disappointed. If I had done something, you shouldn't be afraid—I'd take full responsibility."

"Pah!"

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