The Villain And His Sweet Wife

The following day, Long Xia woke up with a splitting headache. 

She had spent most of the evening drinking with Jin Qing. His expression was dark and broody for most of the night, and he looked as if he had a lot in his mind and desperately needed a companion. So she kept him company, equally having a lot on her plate, drinking the same amount. 

Long Xia liked him. In a non-romantic way. 

She gasped when she was suddenly doused in water.

Long Xia jumped from the bed, alert. "What was that for?" She yelled at Yuan Bojing. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but drawstring pants. Her angry expression quickly turned into a lustful gaze as she gave him a once-over, admiring the way his abdomen was marvellously carved, the dip of his hips. But once she met his eyes, they were whirlpools of darkness. 

Yuan Bojing chucked a magazine on her bed. There was a photograph of Jin Qing and Long Xia drinking during a night out on the front cover, and they were close. Very close.

On the outside, it looked as if they were an engaged couple in love. But that was not the case. It was a sham of an engagement. 

"He invited me out, and I accepted. Besides, it looks good if I keep up the pretense with him…"

Yuan Bojing rolled his eyes. "That's not why I'm upset."

Oh. 

Yuan Bojing then stepped over to her closet, searching for some fresh clothes for her to wear. "You can go out with whoever you want, don't let me stop you," he continued, "but you should treat your body like a temple. There's only a week left. You should be focused on training." 

Right.

Long Xia thought there was no point in training anymore. She would die anyway, and she thought to spend her last week surrounded by friends and family, with him…

So she decided to give up. 

Long Xia watched him and began to sneak up from behind. She coiled her arms around him, leaning into his muscled backside, resting her head on him. He froze, holding a pair of black leggings he selected for her in mid-air. 

Her hand was on his chest, moving down to his navel, to the drawstring of his pants. She slipped her hand beneath his pants, nearing his cock. She ached for it. He muffled a groan before he stilled her hand right when she was about to stroke him. "Later," he told her, turning to face her. 

Long Xia curved her bottom lip in a pout. She wanted to seduce him to bed, but he wanted to go training. She sighed in defeat. 

Yuan Bojing's mouth curved up into a knowing smile. He kissed her gently at first, and then it quickly became hard and rough the way she liked it. He parted from her lips after robbing her of breath. He held her face, caressing her cheek with the brush of his thumb, his eyes darting across her features, soaking in the flushed sight. "Let's go," he told her softly. 

Long Xia nodded, following him to dress. 

Usually, Long Xia and Yuan Bojing would train in front of the other competitors to get a feel for what they are up against and vice versa. However, Yuan Bojing said he wanted it to be just the two of them. 

So they spent three hours sparring, moving back and forth, circling each other. Yuan Bojing would stop them sometimes to correct her stance, to give her tips on her form. Long Xia appreciated how much he cared about her positioning, knowing that one mistake can be lethal. But it was pointless, she thought. But she kept on fighting for him. 

…

The days became routine. Long Xia and Yuan Bojing would wake up and train. She'd then do some work and spend time with her family, and then she'd end the night in his arms with him pumping inside her. 

It then became two days before the fight they spent years waiting for, and Shao Lin decided to throw them a surprise "Good Luck" party with all of their family and closest friends. 

Long Xia took it as an opportunity to explain things to Jin Qing privately since he was unaware of the entire situation.

When he received the news of what she was going to do, he looked neutral and unaffected. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she explained. "But if anything happens to me, I want you to look after my family…my sister. She will need someone." 

He swallowed hard with a nod of his head. "I hope it won't have to come to it," he said with a gentle and encouraging squeeze of her shoulder. "But I will look after them…and your sister too." 

She smiled gently before she hugged him. "Thank you, Mr. Jin, and I'm sorry..."

She was apologizing, and he understood why. This meant they could not get married anymore. Long Xia had confessed she was in love with someone else, and he knew exactly who. 

Jin Qing wrapped his arms around her. "Good luck, Miss Long." 

Long Xia stepped back from him, giving him one last smile before Jin Qing walked away. When he disappeared into the party, Long Xia remained on the terrace. 

She then fought tears as she heard footsteps padding behind her. 

She turned around, expecting to see Yuan Bojing or Shao Lin, but it was her parents. 

Her mother was already crying, tears streaming from her dark lashes. Her father also took steps forward. They knew the dangers, the risks in her dreams and accepted it, but they never spoke about it. 

Long Xia felt like if she knew her parents might not want her to do this, then she would have withdrawn, but they never voiced it, not wanting to step in her way. She sucked in a breath, tears falling from her face as she leapt into their shared embrace. 

"We love you," Long Jie spoke. 

"I love you too," she responded in a choked sob. 

During their emotional moment, Shi Yen had walked in on them.

She usually wore an impassive and indifferent expression, but her face was softer than ever before. "I'm sorry for interrupting," she spoke, "I was hoping to speak with Xiatian." 

Her parents nodded as they glanced at her once more. Long Jie kissed her forehead, and her mother kissed her cheek before they left together. 

Long Xia faced Shi Yen, the woman who can make the room's temperature chill to ice with her cold glares and make anyone look like a lesser being. But tonight, it was as if she had stripped her mask, allowing Long Xia to see her true self beneath the cold depths. 

Was this the real Shi Yen? 

The woman barely spoke to her, even when Long Xia spent so much time with her son. 

But then her gentle expression quickly turned into something like fear and panic. She never knew a woman like Shi Yen could ever look like that.. "Miss Xia," her cool and dark voice spoke, "There's something I must tell you."