The Villain And His Sweet Wife

Present Day

Yuan Bojing went to meet with the Empress before he headed to the DragonHead club.​​

He hated how he had to keep the knowledge of what Long Xia wanted to know from her. But he was not allowed to talk about his family secrets; he was not allowed to be in a romantic relationship with another competitor; he was not allowed to form any attachments with any of the selected.

But in due time, Long Xia would know. She'd know everything. And then he would be free from the burden of secrets that kept them apart.

The time they weren't together was hell—pure hell. But it was the only way. The only way.

There was more to them than just keeping secrets. If it were only secrets, he'd damn it all just to be with her, but there was more, so much more that she could never understand until the inevitable happens and then she'll know. She'll know, and hopefully then, she will forgive him.

Yuan Bojing didn't deserve her forgiveness, but he hopes that when she learns it all—his motives, the way he turned her love into hatred for him, the way she would move on without him, it was all for her. She'd have to know when it happens.

His mother was angry when she learned he joined the selection, and to this day, his mother's anger never faded, but she learned to live with it. Every moment together, she cherished it.

"It's dangerous," she said many years ago. "Why do you think I never let you inherit my role? I brought back the tradition of the selection, so you don't have to take what was passed onto me."

"I'm sorry, mother," he said to her.

"Empress," she reminded him.

When she was masked, she was the Empress. When unmasked, she was only Shi Yen, his mother.

He had two of her phone numbers. Whenever the Empress had to see him, his phone would flash Empress. When it was his mother, it was just mother.

"What changed your mind?" she paced back and forth in front of him.

"I want to be Emperor," he answered.

She moved forward, closing in on him. "Bullshit. You weren't interested before. What changed your mind?" she gritted out again, angrily this time. She looked impatient.

Yuan Bojing took a deep breath. "It's complicated."

The Empress removed her mask, and all Yuan Bojing saw was his mother, the woman that raised him. Shi Yen had ink-black hair and coal-black eyes with deep and dark depths that told you she had seen and done horrible things. Time barely touched her skin; she was beautiful and looked like she was in her late thirties.

Tears welled at the seams of her eyes, and he'd never seen her cry before, let alone make her cry. His heart cracked, a lump formed in his throat.

"Why?" she whispered, not commanded. "You will be Xiatian's rival. She will see you as a competitor. The last challenge is a deathmatch. The strongest person will be the last man standing. You will have to kill her…or she will have to kill you."

"Then I will make her hate me. It will be easier for her."

Shi Yen pulled him hard by the collar. She faced him with red eyes and the look of a predator. She looked as if she wanted to snap some sense into him harshly. "Don't talk about how easy you'll make it for someone to kill you, least of all to me. I won't hesitate to eliminate any threat to my family. Even if Xiatian is a family friend."

Yuan Bojin's eyes widened, panicked. "Xia is not the threat."

He could see how his mother looked at him with conflict, like she was trying to wrap his motives around his head, trying to make sense of it. Why would he want to join a suicidal deathmatch? Why is he giving up everything he had with Xia? Why was he willing to die?

"I won't ask again, boy," she told him. "Why did you join the selection?"

She was asking him a question as a mother to a son. He could see that Shi Yen felt like she failed him. She didn't. It was all him. It broke her as much as it broke him.

So Yuan Bojing told her everything. Everything his mother needed to know. The truth.

When he finished, her eyes widened as she looked at him, unblinking, her lips wholly parted. "I…understand," she finally spoke.

"You do?"

"Yes," she answered. "But you must defend your life in the end, or I will never forgive you."

He nodded. "I love her," he confessed.

His mother gave him a sad smile. She glanced at her left, toward the man she married—his father. "I know the feeling," she spoke, looking back at him. "You're doing this for her."

Yuan Bojing nodded in answer.

"This is ridiculous." She took his face in her hands. "But I understand." She smiled at him. "You're such a strong boy."

He smiled at her grimly.

"Are you sure there is nothing I can do to change your mind? It's not too late to withdraw."

Yuan Bojing looked at her painfully. "You know I can't."

His mother took a deep breath. "Fine. Okay."

"I love you, mother."

She wrapped her firm arms around him. "I love you too, my son. You make me proud."

…

Yuan Bojing contemplated his life, his choices. He normally didn't drink heavily, but he was feeling the dread and anticipation of the final competition.

He nearly passed out on the counter when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

He turned around, not believing his eyes.

She was here. Long Xia was standing right before him. She wore a flimsy white gown with a light blue shawl as if she had come out of bed to look for him. She wore her ankle brace, but she had no crutches.

She looked at him with a scowl, but she wasn't angry, only concerned. Yuan Bojing had to hold back the urge to hold her in his arms.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

He wanted to tell her no. He wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her the reason why he joined the selection. He wanted to confess everything, to tell her he was sorry and to beg for her forgiveness and to win back her affections.

"If you were to marry the son of the Empress and become the next Empress, would you want it?" he asked her.

Long Xia was thrown off from his question, but she thought about it for a moment. "I doubt that woman has children but hypothetically speaking, no. I want to win the title myself from my hard work. I don't want to be someone's consort."

Yuan Bojing had already known that, but he wanted to ask again before making his final decision.

"I'm ready to leave," he said.

"Come with me, then," she replied.