Chapter 118: Nian Nian’s Tears Are Sweet

The people in Linlang Pavilion gradually dispersed, and the farce drew to a close.

Yin Buqi saw Jiang Niannian crouching on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, yet his heart remained as calm as still water over Zhao Anming’s death.

Zhao Anming and Shen Yu were alike in many ways.

They were both people who lived in pain.

Their kindness and cruelty were never pure, and so they suffered.

Yin Buqi picked Jiang Niannian up in his arms. His tone carried neither pity nor mercy as he said, “This was the path he chose. The cycle of heaven turns; cause and effect shape the world.”

“I understand.” Jiang Niannian rested her chin against his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck as she nodded.

“But I still feel a little sad…”

Yin Buqi gently and almost obsessively licked the tears from the corner of her eyes, his cheek brushing against her neck.

A peculiar obsession flickered in his gaze as he murmured, “Nian Nian’s tears… are sweet.”

Jiang Niannian’s cheeks grew warm, her teary eyes still glistening.

She whispered, “Tears are salty. How could they be sweet?”

“They are sweet,” Yin Buqi insisted stubbornly, his red eyes gleaming like a hungry wolf.

“My Nian Nian must never shed tears for another again. I want everything about you to belong to me.”

Jiang Niannian fell silent.

The arms around her tightened abruptly, making her cry out in pain.

A damp, bone-chilling mist seemed to seep into the air around them, and an icy dread rose along her spine. She looked up and saw his pale expression, her heart sinking in alarm.

His grip on her hand was unrelenting, the pressure sending a sharp pain straight into her bones.

Panic welled up in her chest, but she gazed at him earnestly, her voice soft and tender, “Everything of mine is yours. Let’s go back to the inn—I’m a little tired.”

Yin Buqi seemed to be bewitched by her words. His eyes sparkled with an almost dazzling light, bright and feverish.

His grip loosened unconsciously. Under her gentle and sincere gaze, his heart swelled with an overwhelming joy.

Her nose was slightly red, and her lips, moist like a tender flower, glistened under the light. He couldn’t help but lower his head and kiss her, rubbing his face against hers with fierce possessiveness. “Alright, I’ll take Nian Nian back to rest.”

She could only be good to him. She could only smile for him. He wanted all her emotions to revolve around him alone.

He belonged to her, and she could only belong to him.

Even if he possessed her tenderly countless times, it still felt insufficient.

He wanted to imprison her.

But deep inside, a voice kept whispering—if he let his twisted love spiral out of control, if he only wanted to lock her away by his side, she would slip through his fingers once more.

Once more…

Why once more?

A flash of something flickered through his mind.

He saw himself, drenched in blood, his arms broken beyond recognition, his body mangled and battered.

And yet, the first thing he did was not tend to his wounds—but stand before a golden cage.

His face was deathly pale as he muttered hoarsely, over and over again:

“Master, I only have you left. You can’t leave me. You’re not allowed to go. You cannot go…”

“…Buqi?”

Yin Buqi snapped back to reality.

“What…?”

That vision had been so vivid that for a moment, he felt utterly dazed.

Jiang Niannian gently pinched his cheek, looking at him with worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Yin Buqi shook his head and gave her an affectionate smile.

“Let’s go back.”

“Alright.”

Back at the inn, Yin Buqi wasted no time shutting the door behind them.

He leaned in, capturing her lips.

Their breaths intertwined, as if their souls were melting into each other.

Jiang Niannian felt herself enveloped by his presence.

Dark hair spilled down, soft and fragrant, hazy and intoxicating.

Behind her, a tail emerged once again, swaying instinctively.

Soft.

“Nian Nian, do you remember how you answered me last night… when you were beneath me?”

Yin Buqi’s gaze was dark, his slender fingers tracing the outline of her lips, his touch both possessive and lingering.

His cool fingertips skimmed over her skin, leaving a faint, tingling pain in their wake.

Jiang Niannian felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Something about Yin Buqi’s current demeanor was hard to put into words.

Dangerous.

She swallowed dryly and whispered, “Forget everyone else… and think only of you…”

Yin Buqi’s hand slid downward, pulling at her robes.

Around her delicate collarbone, a deep red cord was tied.

He slowly tugged it down, revealing soft, pale skin beneath.

“But today, Nian Nian cried for another man.”

Yin Buqi’s voice was low and unreadable.

“Do you think that’s right?”

Jiang Niannian, in truth, didn’t see anything wrong with it.

But she knew that wasn’t the answer Yin Buqi wanted to hear, so she hesitated before shaking her head.

Immediately, Yin Buqi pressed her against the wall, his lips trailing downward from her neck, sinking into the hollow of her collarbone, leaving behind dark, possessive marks.

“Nian Nian hesitated.”

His voice was hoarse.

“Looks like I still wasn’t thorough enough last night…”

His lips trailed back up, his heated breath brushing against her skin, sending tremors through her body.

She gasped, her words slurred—

“Buqi… Buqi…”

“Hey, now that Zhao Anming is dead, what’ll happen to the Zhao family’s massive estate?”

“Who knows? He was the only heir, and he had no children to inherit it.”

“That fortune could buy several palaces!”

“You’re thinking too small—it’s worth even more than that!”

Jiang Niannian startled and struggled to push Yin Buqi away.

“There are people outside…”

“I set a barrier.”

“No, not here… Buqi!”

Yin Buqi carried her to the **, his tail curling around her wrist as its soft fur brushed against her neck, leaving tingling warmth in its wake.

Jiang Niannian lay sprawled on the small couch, her robes in disarray, eyes half-lidded, head tilting back.

The flickering candlelight cast scattered shadows across her chest, and her dark hair lay in soft waves against her shoulders, exposing her slender, porcelain-like neck.

“Nian Nian, you know what I want.”

Yin Buqi murmured, “I truly wish I could marry you right now.”

Jiang Niannian felt as though an eternity had passed.

Her lips were swollen and reddened, her breath uneven, and tears slipped from her eyes.

He kissed every part of her, meticulously, possessively, like a beast savoring its prey.

His touch was both tender and inescapable, drawing her deeper into an abyss she could no longer resist…