The Birth of a Villainess

Meanwhile…

Lin Xiaofei, who was on her way to her husband's study was shooting daggers using her eyes.

Whenever a servant or a maid came around to greet her or pass her, she would end up glaring at them like she was going to kill them for the fun of it. Thus, every servant made a decision to never anger the young duchess and a new rumor in the Qu residence has started to come around.

Turning to a corner, Lin Xiaofei wished she could grab someone's neck and choke them out of their lives. Preferably, a widely-known duke's neck.

How dare he lie to me…?

Once she saw the study in front of her now, Lin Xiaofei quickened her pace. She hasn't noticed that the guards that should be guarding the place against any intruder or enemy were no longer where they usually stood.

After passing through several doors and the long corridor leading to the main study, she was faced with the main door which instead of opening it gently with her hands, she kicked it open and made a lot of noise.

When Lin Xiaofei came to the main study, she first imagined a certain duke sitting behind his desk, reading a few scrolls about important matters and looking surprised when he saw her storming inside.

Unfortunately, the reality was far off from her expectation.

Instead of seeing a very serious-looking duke in his study, Lin Xiaofei saw her husband standing in the corner. Of course, the sight of him standing in the corner was not surprising at all. However, what made her stare at him stupidly and standing rooted in her place was because not only was Qu Xing Xu standing in the corner like what he was doing now… he was also in the middle of taking his clothes off…

"What are you doing right now?" Lin Xiaofei gritted her teeth as soon as she found her voice.

"Hm? Oh, you're here…" Qu Xing Xu said as if he was not informed of her arrival. "I was feeling hot and decided to take a few layers of my clothes while also admiring the beautiful night sky."

"Do you want to join me?" Qu Xing Xu soon added.

Inhaling hard, Lin Xiaofei tried to keep her temper in check. But being reminded of what had just recently happened, her anger came out raw and fiery.

"No… and what were you thinking?" She rushed to his side and slapped her palms against the table.

With a 'pa' sound the candle stand on the table fell and the fire on the candle was extinguished, while some of the hot melted wax fell on the back of her hand. The pain one should feel when wax falls on them, Lin Xiaofei didn't feel it. The only thing she felt was the familiar feeling that came surging inside her.

However, Qu Xing Xu, who saw the hot wax falling on her pale hands, was immediately alarmed. The playful and teasing air around him soon disappeared and when Lin Xiaofei blinked once, he was already standing beside her, holding her hand.

"Can't you be careful with yourself? Look at this…" Qu Xing Xu looked worriedly at the red mark that was left by the wax that fell on her hand. "What will you do if this leaves a mark?"

"It doesn't matter to me." Lin Xiaofei truthfully told him. She honestly didn't care about a scar or two on her body.

Just as she finished speaking, she felt the hand holding her own tightening. She looked up to meet his eyes and saw how his eyebrows were knitted together as if he was displeased with her answer.

"Don't say that… even if you don't care about yourself, you should at least think about what the people around you would think once they saw this on you?" Qu Xing Xu went around the table and pulled on the cabinet where he produced a white gauze and a small container of precious medicine.

"Besides, what will your grandfather think of me once we meet him? He would think I'm mistreating you." He added, using a scared tone.

It was a ridiculous sight to see him fearing someone when Qu Xing Xu was known for being fearless and unbothered about what other people would think or say about him. But hearing him say that he feared her grandfather warmed her heart.

Even Qu Xing Xu was shocked with his words when he finally realized what he had just said. He noticed how he was adapting to being a filial grandson-in-law to Lin Xiaomeng. And instead of correcting himself, Qu Xing Xu stayed silent as he put the medicine on her hand.

When Qu Xing Xu was finally done putting the medicine on her hand, Lin Xiaofei broke the silence that stretched for three minutes.

"Don't think because you helped put medicine on me I will forget what you did behind my back, Qu Xing Xu." The threatening tone in her voice made Qu Xing Xu pause. "How could you use my friend and ward in your plans?"

Qu Xing Xu hadn't answered yet and stood up to return the rest of the gauze and medicine back to the cabinet where it was originally stored. Lin Xiaofei silently watched him and followed suit, standing up and sitting on the table not far from him.

"I'm sorry." Qu Xing Xu said and poured her a cup of tea.

Lin Xiaofei sighed and asked, "Why did you use them?"

"Because they asked me to," he told her as he pushed the cup of tea towards her. Lin Xiaofei unwillingly accepted the tea but didn't take a sip from it just yet. "They told me that they wanted to help you, and I only provided them with a plan that could grant what they wished for."

"I originally thought of using this plan after a few more years. But hearing your story and seeing that ugly mug of that prince made me think that waiting for a few years to use this plan was a waste of time, so I decided to do it anyway, even without those two's involvement." He continued on.