Chapter 86: He Is Indeed Possessed by Madness

It's not you, anyway it's not you!

Shen Shuangning didn't know where the strength came from; she fiercely shoved the man away, and her earrings shook violently.

She lifted her red, tear-filled eyes, her gaze holding sorrow and arrogance.

Xiao Jingyuan looked at her for a long moment, then uttered: "So you remember."

Shen Shuangning froze at the words, then gritted her teeth: "What does it matter that I remember?"

Xiao Jingyuan suddenly laughed, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; he raised his hand to wipe the blood she had bitten from his lip, then spoke:

"You remember, yet you refuse to admit that person is me, willingly going along with the mistake." He lightly lifted his eyes, gaze like a blade, "And you still dare say you didn't know me long ago, avoiding me like a snake and scorpion?"

He was already certain; Shen Shuangning also had memories of her past life, but what puzzled him was that the things she knew seemed to exceed his own by a lot.

The man's gaze almost saw through her.

Shen Shuangning choked up instantly; she hadn't expected that at this moment Xiao Jingyuan could still calmly set a trap for her, and compared to that, her mind was already in turmoil.

That's right; for Xiao Jingyuan, he had only dreamed it, so he could speak of it so lightly.

And she is someone who truly experienced it, having walked that thorn‑filled road.

Heaven is so unfair...

Shen Shuangning lowered her lashes; her thick lashes cast a trembling shadow beneath her eyes, hiding the surging gritty feeling in her gaze.

Just then, a hurried hoofbeat came from afar, growing nearer.

It was the people sent by Princess Jingyu who had arrived.

Shen Shuangning turned her face, hastily wiping her tears with her sleeve, not looking at him, she said coolly: "Heir, today you rescued me from danger; I will not hold your earlier rudeness against you, but you have now caused me great trouble; I will try to propose to Her Highness the Princess to change the archery instructor, and I hope you will be tolerant, Heir."

Having said that, she stood with her back straight, but her fingertips clenched tightly at the cuff, her voice even hiding a barely perceptible tremor.

She had no wish to mention past‑life entanglements with him, nor did she care what he was thinking at the moment.

Because in this world there is no true empathy; if dredged up again, it would merely tear open the wound she had barely healed, inflicting death by a thousand cuts all over again!

"Heir, calm down, you're just making a laughingstock of yourself." Shen Shuangning's voice was thin as a layer of ice, devoid of emotion.

Xiao Jingyuan said nothing, took out a silk handkerchief embroidered with dark patterns from his sleeve, and stepped forward to offer it to her.

Shen Shuangning snatched it up and wiped her tears.

Only then did Xiao Jingyuan speak slowly: "Last time I got drunk and acted improperly; I didn't mean to. That day my mind was muddled, and I mistook the present for my past life… I was rash, I'm sorry."

Shen Shuangning paused, gripped the handkerchief tightly, then in an instant turned and slammed it hard into the man's chest, as if she could bear it no longer.

"Heir, conduct yourself! Don't bring up such nonsense again, lest people say the Heir has gone mad!"

Clearly, she just didn't want to hear it.

Xiao Jingyuan raised his hand to catch the handkerchief slipping slowly from his chest; the fabric was soaked with the woman's warm tears, a damp patch.

Such a thin handkerchief, when it landed in his palm, felt unexpectedly heavy, as if bearing a thousand‑jin load.

He slowly lowered his lashes, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

He thought to himself, I am indeed possessed by madness.

Otherwise, how could I keep tugging at those past events before this person—events I myself can't tell true from false—just to provoke her anger and only deepen our mutual torment?

Xiao Jingyuan lowered his gaze to her tense profile and spoke softly: "What I just said is no joke. Shen Shuangning, I will not yield you to Xie Lin."

Shen Shuangning stared coldly, saying nothing, as if even another word would be too much.

If Xiao Jingyuan insists on being a heartless, unrighteous villain, there's nothing she can do about it!

In no time, a group of riders came galloping from afar.

Princess Jingyu herself had come riding to find her.

"Ningning! How are you? Are you alright?" Princess Jingyu almost flung herself off her horse and rushed over to her.

Normally, Shen Shuangning would first worry about how she dared ride such a distance alone.

After all, Princess Jingyu's horsemanship is still somewhat unskilled; a delicate noblewoman like her, if she met with any mishap on the way, that would be a huge trouble.

But at this moment, Shen Shuangning felt all her strength drained, even the strength to move the corners of her mouth lacking.

She gazed at Princess Jingyu's concerned face, forced a faint smile, shook her head, and said: "Your servant is fine; thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Princess Jingyu saw her red eyes, obviously just having cried, thought she must have been frightened into tears, and quickly took her hand to soothe her gently:

"It's fine, it's fine, don't be afraid, you're safe now. Earlier, the two young lords of the Yongning Marquis's residence mistakenly charged into the riding grounds, causing the trouble; I've already disciplined them."

Princess Jingyu spoke, as if suddenly recalling some happy news, her eyes brightening and her tone lightening a bit: "By the way, there's another matter—I'm sure you'll be delighted to hear it. Young Marquis Xie has already successfully wiped out the Black Wind Stronghold; counting the days, he should return triumphant in a few days."

As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Shuangning's expression, expecting to see some delight, but saw only a slight stunned pause.

"Is the Young Marquis coming back?" Shen Shuangning asked again.

Princess Jingyu said: "Indeed, this is no falsehood; that's why my father summoned the Lady of the Yongning Marquis."

Shen Shuangning's expression flickered with understanding; she glanced at Xiao Jingyuan not far away.

Just now she had wondered whether this person had suffered some stimulus; now it made sense.

It was Xie Lin who was coming back.

Shen Shuangning snorted coldly in her heart and withdrew her gaze.

Princess Jingyu then looked at Xiao Jingyuan, her gaze landing on his lips, without probing the reason, she casually remarked: "The Heir is also wounded."

Xiao Jingyuan glanced at Shen Shuangning and said, "It's nothing."

Recalling the intense kiss just now, a faint redness appeared at Shen Shuangning's ears; without looking at him, she hurriedly pulled Princess Jingyu close.

"Your Highness, it's getting late; let's head back."

Princess Jingyu's gaze naturally fell on Shen Shuangning's face, and she also noticed that her lip color was gone, her lips still slightly swollen.

Normally, Princess Jingyu wouldn't have thought much of it, but now, for some reason, a sudden inspiration struck her.

Princess Jingyu opened her mouth, her round eyes wide as saucers, her mouth forming a tiny "O" as if about to speak.

Shen Shuangning's heart gave a little jump—there were still plenty of people around!

"Your Highness! Looks like it's going to rain; let's hurry!" Her tone carried a hint of urgency.

Jingyu heard this, her train of thought interrupted; she looked up at the overcast sky—sure enough, it was going to rain.

Just a moment ago the sky was cloudless; how could it change so quickly? Jingyu muttered to herself.

Afterwards the group rode off, Shen Shuangning and Jingyu sharing a horse, while Xiao Jingyuan rode his horse Chasing Wind and fell behind.

Hardly had they returned to the camp when a torrential downpour began.

With horseback archery impossible, Shen Shuangning and Jingyu prepared to return; during this time she had no further contact with Xiao Jingyuan, while Jingyu's gaze darted back and forth between them, growing increasingly uneasy.

After returning to Chang Le Gong, Jingyu naturally went to Shen Shuangning's side hall to have a chat with her.

After dismissing the attendants, only the two of them remained in the hall; Jingyu could no longer suppress her doubts, she leaned close to Shen Shuangning and whispered:

"Ningning, tell me honestly—did something happen between you and the Xiao prince?"

Hearing this, Shen Shuangning was not surprised.

She plopped onto the chair, bent over to pull off her cold, wet boots, revealing ankles that were red from the chill, and remained silent for a moment.

Regarding the entanglement with Xiao Jingyuan, Shen Shuangning had from the start resolved to keep it buried in her heart, not wanting anyone to know.

Just as she was pondering how to fabricate an excuse, she looked up and met Jingyu's clear eyes.

They held only pure concern, no gossip, causing Shen Shuangning's prepared explanation to catch in her throat.

Shen Shuangning sighed inwardly.

Forget it; letting Jingyu know would be better, sparing her the need to find excuses to persuade Jingyu to change teachers—Xiao Jingyuan now is like a time‑bomb, and continuing to involve herself with him could trigger some uncontrollable mess.

Thus Shen Shuangning lowered her eyes slightly and gave a soft "yes."

She hung her head, shoulders slightly slumped, looking as if on the verge of tears, utterly like she had suffered a great injustice and been badly bullied.

Seeing this, Jingyu automatically imagined many unspeakable scenes.

Jingyu couldn't help covering her mouth with her hand, eyes wide with astonishment as she exclaimed: "Good heavens, I was right! I said why you two didn't come back—just now the atmosphere was so stiff it was frightening… He actually lured you to a deserted place and did that to you—nothing short of a beast in human guise!"

Who knows what Jingyu's little brain had conjured, but her face was still a bit flushed.

Shen Shuangning ultimately offered no explanation; hearing the phrase "beast in human guise," she nodded in deep agreement.

Jingyu could no longer stay seated; she sprang up from her chair, face full of disbelief: "I never noticed any sign before—how could he harbor such feelings for you!"

She added: "Usually he treats you just like anyone else!"

Seeing Jingyu's shocked expression, Shen Shuangning involuntarily showed a hint of "weary of life," and said softly: "Of course you couldn't tell."

Even she herself, the party involved, was rather slow on the uptake.

Xiao Jingyuan is by nature extremely adept at concealing his emotions; if he doesn't want anyone to notice, no one can discern any genuine thought from his stern face.

Moreover, Jingyu fears him to death; even during archery practice, a second glance makes her nervous, so naturally she finds it even harder to notice anything amiss.

The Xiao prince presents himself flawlessly before others, treating everyone with a detached chill, as if nothing in the world could enter his gaze.

No wonder Jingyu was so shocked.

"Saying this now is pointless." Shen Shuangning grabbed Jingyu's sleeve and pleaded: "Your Highness, I truly… truly dare not see him again."

Jingyu's heart instantly filled with pity; she quickly took Shen Shuangning's cool hand and said: "I'll go ask Father Emperor to change teachers shortly—please rest assured."

As Jingyu was about to go settle this, Shen Shuangning hurriedly caught her arm, her eyes pleading.

"Please, Your Highness, keep this confidential."

Jingyu agreed without hesitation: "Fine, fine, fine—I won't utter a word."

Even without Shen Shuangning saying so, Jingyu would never divulge it, for if it got out it would damage a young lady's reputation.

After Jingyu left, Shen Shuangning finally put away her fragile expression, lifted her hand to touch her slightly swollen, reddened lips, her feelings a tangled mess.

After washing up at night, Shen Shuangning sat at her dressing table, opened the jewelry box, saw the jade pendant inside, carefully took it out, and held it in her palms.

This was given to her by Xie Lin before he departed, asking her to keep it safe.

Since he left the capital to suppress bandits, Shen Shuangning, whenever she had free time, would hope for his early return.

But now that she learned he would soon return victorious, she felt none of the expected joy; Xiao Jingyuan, acting out of character, awaits Xie Lin's return, and no one knows how he will behave.

Worries came one after another.

Shen Shuangning sighed, returned the jade pendant to its original place, then lay back down on the bed to rest.

That night she slept restlessly, having many bizarre dreams, waking several times, after which she found it hard to fall asleep again.

The rain poured all night long, only ceasing at dawn.

The price of a sleepless night was drowsiness during early morning class.

Thus, when Professor Pei lectured on *Guoxue*, she drifted off without realizing it.

Pei Zhi's voice was too pleasant, his content too soporific; it's no wonder she fell asleep.

Immediately after, her head drooped and her chin struck the desk; she didn't wake, simply sleeping on peacefully.

When Pei Zhi's words paused, he glanced over at her.

Jingyu, sitting upright in front, turned her head and saw that Shen Shuangning was actually asleep.

"Ningning, wake up..." Jingyu turned, reached out, and gently poked the girl's head.

Shen Shuangning then startled awake.

She lifted her gaze and met Pei Zhi's calm eyes.

In an instant, all drowsiness vanished!

Shen Shuangning always held teachers who lectured on learning in high regard; now she felt only regret, wishing she could sink into a crack in the earth—falling asleep in class was utterly inexcusable!

And it happened during Pei Zhi's lesson!

Shen Shuangning's face flushed completely red.

She hurriedly rose, intending to apologize.

But as she rose too hastily, her knee slammed hard into the desk edge; with a "clatter," the whole desk toppled over onto the floor.

The brush, inkstone, carved brush rest, together with that indigo‑blue‑covered 《Guoxue》, all clattered and rolled onto the floor, ink splatters covering the ground.

Shen Shuangning: "........." She felt foolish.

As a result, she had no reaction for a moment.

Jingyu beside her was also startled by the sudden commotion, instinctively opening their mouth wide.

Pei Zhi on the podium, however, did not become angry; his expression remained calm, his eyes full of tolerance, as he slowly lifted his foot and walked over.

Before Shen Shuangning had come to her senses, Pei Zhi bent down to pick up the books from the floor for her.

As he lowered his body, the hair bound with a green hairpin fell to one side, revealing his long, fair neck; Shen Shuangning's gaze inadvertently swept over it and suddenly locked—

Only then did she see that on his clean nape sat a tiny red mole.

Like a speck of cinnabar stained with rouge, it stood out especially against his skin.

Shen Shuangning's pupils shrank sharply.