Chapter 28: He Needs Little Sister

Chu Hengyang leaned forward, his posture reflecting nothing but deep reverence for Xiao Yixi.

Xiao Yixi handed the imperial decree to him. Without exchanging a single word, they both returned to their original positions.

"Today’s poetry competition ends here," Xiao Yixi announced. Once the participants on and off the stage had paid their respects, she turned and left, unable to linger for a moment longer.

Her pace remained steady, but her heart was already riddled with wounds.

Unaware of this, Chu Hengyang rose slowly. His face wore a warm, gentle smile—a look of modesty and grace that everyone was accustomed to. It was as if the heartstrings that had been stirred by Xiao Yixi throughout the day had never been plucked at all.

Clutching the imperial decree, he boarded the carriage back to his residence.

The moment the carriage curtains were drawn, he dared to reveal the dark thoughts he had been harboring. The face of a gentle, jade-like scholar lost its usual composure, replaced by an uncontrollable desire.

"Princess... Princess..." he murmured.

On his exceptionally handsome face, his half-lidded eyes burned with a craving so intense it seemed ready to burst forth. Only by repeating Xiao Yixi’s title over and over could he soothe this burning obsession. The enclosed space of the carriage provided a perfect shroud for the hidden desires of his heart, offering him a brief moment of release on the journey from the Imperial Academy to the Chu estate.

Upon returning to the home where Chu Ying resided—the one person who could truly calm all his dark impulses—he immediately felt a sense of urgency.

"Where is the Ninth Miss?" Chu Hengyang asked the gatekeeper the moment he stepped off the carriage.

He usually returned home at the start of the evening meal. At this hour, his younger sister, eager for her favorite meat dishes, would always be waiting at the gate to hurry him toward the dining hall. Why was she not there today?

Chu Hengyang clenched his hands, his breath hitching. His younger sister was the tranquilizer that could quell every dark, unspeakable thought in his mind. She was his only spark of goodness. He... he needed her. He needed her presence to pull him out of the mire.

"The Ninth Miss is sleeping in her chamber," the servant, Xiao Liu, replied. "I don't know why, but she seems unusually exhausted. She has been asleep since shortly after noon and hasn't woken up yet."

"Very well." Chu Hengyang’s expression softened, and he walked with light steps toward Chu Ying’s courtyard.

"Young Master," A-Yu, who was guarding the door, bowed as he approached.

"Has she not woken up yet?" Chu Hengyang asked in a low voice.

"No," A-Yu shook her head. "The Mistress and the Master have both checked on her, but she remains asleep."

"I see." Chu Hengyang nodded gently, his eyes glowing with the warm, golden light of the setting sun. "Open the door. I will go in and check on her."

"Yes," A-Yu replied, opening the door softly.

Chu Hengyang moved with extreme caution, crossing the inner chamber and stepping past the screen to reach Chu Ying’s bedside. In her sleep, she looked incredibly docile, quiet, and sweet. Chu Hengyang smiled silently and tucked the blanket around her.

The restless, turbulent anxiety that had gripped him all day finally dissolved into peace.

Stepping out of the room, he smiled and instructed A-Yu, "Tell the kitchen to prepare some meat dishes and have them ready."

"Don't worry, Young Master. The Mistress and Master have already given those orders," A-Yu replied.

"Good." Only then did Chu Hengyang feel fully at ease as he made his way to the dining hall.

Inside the hall, Chu Jue and Liu Shuang'er had been waiting for him for some time. Seeing him arrive, Liu Shuang'er asked, "Have you seen your sister?"

"Yes, Mother," Chu Hengyang replied, sitting down with a smile on his lips. "She is still sleeping."

"I see." Liu Shuang'er nodded and exchanged a glance with Chu Jue. "You may all leave," she commanded.

Li Xiu led the servants out of the hall. As the doors were tightly shut, Chu Hengyang realized something important was coming and set down his chopsticks.

"I have already prepared the materials for your sister to enter the Imperial Academy," Liu Shuang'er said. "Our Chu family is prominent and draws much attention. Your father is the Minister of Justice, you are a teacher at the Imperial Academy, and your seven brothers all hold positions. We have no idea how many people envy us or harbor designs on us—people who wish to take a bite of our flesh or drink our blood. Your sister is their only weak point."

At these words, Chu Hengyang’s gaze darkened.

"For years, the suitors coming to ask for her hand have been endless," Liu Shuang'er continued, her hand under the table finding comfort in Chu Jue’s. "Since her coming-of-age ceremony last month, there have been even more. I fear that once she enters the Imperial Academy, many will target her. You—you must protect your sister."

The stern-faced Chu Jue, moved by his wife's words, felt his hands trembling. In his heart, he was weeping. *Oh, his poor daughter! Because of him—a useless father—and her useless brothers, she is targeted by so many! She cannot even have a free and happy life! What if... what if he cannot protect his precious daughter? Oh, he is so afraid...*

"Sit up straight," Chu Jue said, his cold, authoritative gaze fixed on his son. He could not accompany his daughter to the Imperial Academy, so he had to entrust her safety to his eldest son. He prayed that Hengyang would protect her well.

"Father, Mother, rest assured," Chu Hengyang said, his smile vanishing, replaced by a look of absolute determination. "I will surely protect my younger sister."

If anyone dared to harbor improper thoughts toward her or cause her the slightest grievance, he... he would make sure they lived the rest of their lives in a hell worse than death.

With those words, Chu Jue and Liu Shuang'er finally felt at ease. Their eldest son appeared gentle, the kind of scholar whom everyone would praise as a refined gentleman. But as his parents, they knew he possessed a ruthless, venomous heart that no one could ever imagine.

***

Elsewhere, Lin Xiaoyue was sitting at a table eating. Having learned from G97 that Chu Hengyang had returned to the estate, she smiled. Her pure, innocent expression was now laced with a seductive, bewitching charm.

*Finally back.* She had been waiting for him for quite some time.

"Sister, Sister..." Lin Xiaoyue blinked her moist phoenix eyes and tugged on Li Qiao's hand. "I want to go for a walk..."

Once she was out of this room, she would find an opportunity to ditch this servant and then... sneak directly into that ancient man's chamber. She would lie on his bed and wait for him properly.

A wicked smile curled on Lin Xiaoyue’s lips. It had been a long time since she had played the homewrecker and stolen someone else's man. How exciting!