Looking at his fiancée's deeply bashful expression, Bai Feng smiled and nodded, his heart fluttering slightly.
Emerging from the bathroom, Xu Shuyin quickly climbed into bed and burrowed beneath the covers, leaving only her head visible.
"Brother Feng, you should go wash up too. I'll wait for you."
Seeing Brother Feng sitting on the sofa, Xu Shuyin's cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of shyness, her heart pounding frantically. The moment she finished speaking, she hid her head away.
Witnessing this, a smile touched the corner of Bai Feng's lips as he rose and headed toward the bathroom.
In the soft, spacious bed, Xu Shuyin's cheeks remained flushed, yet she quickly shed her clothes, determination shining in her eyes.
"Should I turn off the bedside lamp? Once you're asleep, I'll go sleep on the sofa," Bai Feng said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of the bed after finishing in the bathroom.
"Mm, turn it off. Brother Feng, can't you sleep beside me instead of going to the sofa?"
Xu Shuyin's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and the bashful blush on her cheeks instantly spread to the tips of her ears and down her neck.
Seeing Xu Shuyin, her cheeks suffused with crimson, radiating shyness and allure, Bai Feng felt his heartbeat quicken. He raised his hand and switched off the bedside lamp.
In the darkness, feeling Brother Feng lift the quilt and lie down beside her, Xu Shuyin's heart drummed wildly and her breathing grew extremely shallow.
As Bai Feng lay down, he froze in surprise—Xu Shuyin had somehow stripped off all her clothes.
"Brother Feng, Master Nangong told me that you have the Profuse Yang Constitution and are fated to face nine mortal calamities. I possess the Profuse Yin Phoenix Constitution, and I can wipe away one of those calamities for you, saving your life. Won't you make me yours? I don't want anything to happen to you."
Trembling slightly, Xu Shuyin wrapped her arms tightly around Bai Feng as she spoke.
"You silly girl, I..." Held tightly in her embrace, Bai Feng felt a deep wave of emotion.
"Brother Feng, I know there will be other women by your side in the future, but I don't care about that. I just want you to stay alive. If you don't, I won't want to live either. Right now, you're the only person in the world who is truly close to me." Xu Shuyin wept softly, her words laden with worry.
Master Nangong had said that Brother Feng had to unite with nine women carrying dense Yin Essence in order to survive. Brother Feng was the only person besides her grandfather who cherished her, loved her, and gave her courage and confidence. She refused to lose him forever one day.
"Brother Feng, I want nothing in return. As long as you hold me in your heart, I'll be content. Promise me you'll live a good life, okay?" Xu Shuyin whispered once more.
"Mm, I promise you." No sooner had the words left Bai Feng's lips than Xu Shuyin pressed her burning lips to his in a kiss.
In an instant, the fire within Bai Feng's body was ignited, and he swiftly responded.
"Brother Feng, you must remember what I look like."
With eyes misty with desire and a face full of bashfulness, Xu Shuyin reached out and switched the bedside lamp back on.
Instantly!
Bai Feng's surging passion cooled, his expression returning to absolute calm.
"It's my fault for failing to protect you."
Gazing at the angry red, slightly swollen rope marks on Xu Shuyin's body, Bai Feng felt a stabbing remorse, his eyes filled with tender affection and rage.
"It's okay, Brother Feng, it doesn't hurt at all," Xu Shuyin murmured softly.
"How could it not hurt? Let me channel some energy to massage and clear your meridians first, otherwise it will leave scars."
With that, Bai Feng channeled a surge of Origin Qi into Xu Shuyin's body and began gently massaging her.
Hearing that scars might remain, Xu Shuyin grew visibly anxious, closing her eyes as she looked utterly pitiable and captivating.
Beneath Bai Feng's continuous massage, infused with hypnotic techniques, Xu Shuyin slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile on her lips, while the swollen, crimson rope marks began to fade away.
Twenty minutes later, Bai Feng slowly stopped. A fierce resolution settled in his heart: from now on, no matter who in the Xu Family dared to lay a hand on Xu Shuyin, he would make them regret it.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Fengcheng Xu Family conference hall:
"Grandma, I... I'm back."
Facing the authoritative Matriarch Xu at the top and the powerless middle-ranking members of the Xu Family below, the breathless Xu Shushan grew even more flustered and nervous.
"What happened to your face? Catch your breath before you speak." Sitting in the chief seat, Matriarch Xu wore an expression of effortless majesty.
Originally, they had wanted to attend the banquet at Fengyan Pavilion today, but Zhang Shihao had insisted that only the younger generation needed to attend the engagement party, leaving them no choice but to send Xu Shushan.
"Xu Shuyin was taken away by someone. Not only did that person slap Zhang Shihao across the face, but they also snapped both of Zhang Shihao's hands. Zhang Shihao said... said we must give him a satisfactory explanation this time, otherwise..." Xu Shushan's eyes widened in sheer panic.
Swish!
Matriarch Xu and the others instantly turned grave. They had never anticipated that things would go so wrong today.
"Otherwise what?" Matriarch Xu demanded hurriedly.
"Otherwise he'll ruin our family and leave us with nothing. Zhang Shihao said he means what he says." Xu Shushan's body trembled uncontrollably.
Gasp!
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
What Xu Shushan described was not just a slap to Zhang Shihao's face; it was a direct insult to the Zhang Family, a top-tier powerhouse in Fengcheng.
Judging by the past behavior of that arrogant young master Zhang Shihao, he was entirely capable of destroying the Xu Family.
At that moment!
Matriarch Xu's face drained of color, her composure utterly shattered!
After a full minute, Matriarch Xu cast a gloomy gaze at the man and woman standing in the room.
"Xu Yuru, Xiao Nan, look at the shameless little blemish of a daughter you raised! Just how on earth did you teach her?"
Her face livid with rage, Matriarch Xu berated her eldest son and daughter-in-law, her expression boiling with extreme displeasure.
"Mom, we didn't expect something like this to happen either," Xiao Nan muttered, clearly lacking conviction.
As for Xu Shuyin's father, Xu Yuru, he pulled his head back into his shoulders and kept his eyes lowered, not daring to utter another word.
"Grandma, I told Zhang Shihao that we'd clean Xu Shuyin up first thing tomorrow morning and send her over. Right now, what we need to do is track her down immediately," Xu Shushan chimed in hastily.
"You've done well so far. Then hurry up and find her, and hand her over to the Young Master of the Zhang Family."
Matriarch Xu forced herself to calm down first.
"Everyone else, move out immediately! Search the entire city for that wretched girl Xu Shuyin. Find her no matter what!"
Matriarch Xu barked orders at the gathered members of the Xu Family, her expression turning stern to the absolute extreme.
Without wasting a second, the rest of the Xu Family members scattered to take action.