Chapter Thirty-Four: You Are Not Worthy to Speak Her Name

Qin Mengxue stared at Xue Tian’ai in utter disbelief, her eyes wide with fury. “How dare you?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Xue Tian’ai chuckled, making a squeezing gesture with both hands in the air.

Seeing the lascivious grin on Xue Tian’ai’s face, Qin Mengxue was instantly seized by a bad premonition. Her face turned pale as she glared at him, her voice quivering. “Don’t you dare do anything reckless… or I’ll scream for help!”

“There are only the two of us in this villa. Do you think calling for help will make any difference? Even if any sharp-eared neighbor hears, they’ll probably just think we’re spicing things up. Rest assured, no one will disturb us tonight.” Xue Tian’ai gave a wicked laugh.

Qin Mengxue’s face grew even paler. “Stay away from me! If you lay a finger on me, I’ll take you to court!”

Xue Tian’ai was completely unfazed. “The police wouldn’t care. What would you sue me for?”

“I—I’ll accuse you of marital rape!”

To Xue Tian’ai, this sudden shift in Qin Mengxue’s demeanor was unexpectedly adorable. Who would have thought that the famous Ice Queen CEO had such a cute side?

“Does that crime even exist here? Even if it does, I have the marriage certificate and a righteous reason. If I’m ever taken to court, I’ll simply argue that what I did was nothing more than fulfilling my duty to continue our family line.”

Hearing this threat, Qin Mengxue suddenly fell silent. Her eyes reddened and her lips trembled, forming a pitiful pout. She looked wounded, as if on the verge of tears.

Xue Tian’ai was taken aback by her reaction. He had only meant to tease her with a few jokes, never expecting she’d be so upset. Fearing she might truly burst into tears, he hastily explained, “Hey, honey, I was just kidding, just joking! Don’t take it to heart…”

At these words, Qin Mengxue froze. She looked up at Xue Tian’ai, and seeing the sincerity and remorse on his face, her hurt vanished, replaced by a blazing anger.

“Xue Tian’ai! You bastard, you’re making fun of me again!” she shrieked, leaping up from the bed and charging at him, claws bared.

“Wait, honey, your clothes!” Xue Tian’ai’s eyes lit up as he saw her jump out of the covers wearing nothing but a skimpy top, her figure tantalizing and irresistible. No matter how many times he saw her like this, he would never tire of it.

But for the sake of his personal safety, Xue Tian’ai decided it was better to remind her, lest she realize her state and fly into an even greater rage.

Qin Mengxue, reminded of her undressed state, shrieked and dove back under the covers. “Don’t look! Don’t comment! Get out and find somewhere else to sleep!”

Her barrage of orders made Xue Tian’ai silently curse—women! The very definition of unreasonable. He truly felt trapped.

“But honey, aren’t married couples supposed to sleep in the same bed?” Xue Tian’ai protested. By all rights, his logic was flawless.

“That’s for other people. It doesn’t apply to us right now!” Qin Mengxue retorted, shaking her head and snatching up a pillow, preparing to hurl it at him.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go! But honey, if you ever want to sleep with me, just come over. I won’t mind, not at all!” Seeing her determined expression and the pillow in her hands, Xue Tian’ai quickly waved his hands in surrender, sighed, and left the room.

“In your dreams!” Qin Mengxue called after him, secretly relieved he’d left. She had truly feared he might try to force himself on her.

But before she could fully relax, Xue Tian’ai opened the door and stepped back inside, making her tense up again. “Now what? I’m not sleeping with you, not even if you beg!”

He gave her a sheepish grin. “Honey, what time do you start work tomorrow? I’m afraid I’ll oversleep. Could you wake me up? I’ll be in the room next door.”

“Work starts at seven. I’ll wake you,” she replied curtly.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go now. Don’t miss me too much!” Xue Tian’ai grinned, showing his teeth, and left once more.

“As if!” Qin Mengxue scoffed, quickly locking the door behind him. She was still afraid he might barge in again.

After double-checking the lock, she went to the mirror and finally took a serious look at herself in her black and white top. She should look good, shouldn’t she? She asked herself the question, though she didn’t know whether she was asking herself or Xue Tian’ai, who had just left.

She tried on a few more sets of lingerie Xue Tian’ai had bought, feeling her cheeks grow hot. She didn’t bother turning on her computer, but burrowed under the quilt, replaying the day’s events in her mind.

That morning, Ye Hairuo had visited her; that night, she’d learned she was already married. It seemed that from the moment she found out about her engagement, everything had become strange.

Tossing and turning in bed, tiredness soon overtook her. Before long, she drifted into a sweet, peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Xue Tian’ai stood by the window, his face grim, phone in hand as he demanded, “What’s the meaning of this marriage certificate?”

“Ah, Tian’ai, I trust you know the reason by now,” came the reply from Xue Xiwen, who had been berated by Xue Tian’ai that morning and had subsequently drowned his sorrows in drink—none other than Xue Tian’ai’s father.

“Yes, I heard everything when Mengxue called earlier. I’m a man, I can handle it, but she’s just a girl, only twenty-three. Don’t you think you’re being cruel? We have no emotional foundation at all. Isn’t this too harsh for her?”

“I know, Tian’ai, the family owes you an apology. But your grandfather has promised not to interfere anymore. As long as you live well with Mengxue, you needn’t worry about the Wolf Pack or the Xue family ever again.”

“Really? Since when have you been so reasonable?” Xue Tian’ai replied coldly. “You must have sensed Mengxue was in danger, and that’s why you called me back, right? Don’t bother with the ‘freedom’ excuse.”

On the other end, Xue Xiwen’s brow furrowed deeply. “Mengxue is in danger? What do you mean?” He genuinely had no idea of any threat to Qin Mengxue.

“Isn’t that why you called me back?” Xue Tian’ai asked, his voice calm and indifferent.

“Absolutely not. The family simply wanted you back, nothing more. But never mind that—what danger is Mengxue in?” Xue Xiwen’s tone was tinged with anxiety; after all, she was his daughter-in-law.

“Just before I left Europe, I discovered that Mengxue had been listed on a hitman bounty platform. The contract was picked up by a killer organization from country B in South America.”

“What? Someone wants to kill Mengxue? How is she now?”

“Yes, that’s the situation. But I didn’t come straight back here; I changed course and wiped out the organization that accepted the contract. The client has since withdrawn the bounty. Now that I’m back, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on her. She is my wife, after all.”

“That’s a relief. And you weren’t hurt?”

“I’m fine. But do you know anything about someone called Mr. Y?” The mysterious client’s identity still troubled Xue Tian’ai.

“Mr. Y? Who’s that?” Xue Xiwen was baffled; he had no recollection of anyone by that name.

“He’s the one who put out the bounty on Mengxue. If you don’t know, then never mind.”

“I’ll look into it. If I find anything about this Mr. Y, I’ll let you know,” Xue Xiwen said, then paused. “By the way, have you visited Hairuo?”

“You have the nerve to mention her?” For reasons he couldn’t explain, Xue Tian’ai suddenly erupted in anger. “Let me tell you, the Xue family can never repay what it owes the Ye family—not in a lifetime! You don’t deserve to bring her up!”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to,” Xue Xiwen’s voice was full of regret.

“Don’t apologize to me—save it for Hairuo. I’ll visit her when I have time. She’s had it hard all these years. Enough, I don’t want to talk anymore. Don’t bother me unless it’s important. I’m going to sleep.”

“Alright, Tian’ai, take care of yourself,” Xue Xiwen said, his aging face seeming to grow more lined with each word.

“Hmph. If you’d cared so much about the Ye family and my mother back then, none of this would have happened. I truly despise you all, but what can I do? I was born a Xue.”

“Tian’ai…” Xue Xiwen trembled at his son’s words, the image of a beautiful woman—the wife he’d lost, Xue Tian’ai’s mother—flashing through his mind.

But Xue Tian’ai had no intention of listening further. He hung up and threw himself onto the bed.

All these years, he had never been able to escape those shadows. Even after all the blood he’d spilled, becoming Sirius, becoming Phantom Butterfly, those memories still haunted him—worse, even, than the Butterfly’s Tragedy.

Having gone two nights without rest, Xue Tian’ai did not dwell on regrets or sorrows. Sleep claimed him quickly.

That night, both Xue Tian’ai and Qin Mengxue slept soundly, undisturbed by their troubles.