Lotus in a Bottle - Chapter 20

Section 32

I threw out the words “I want a divorce” and made to leave the private dungeon. I had only just turned around when Tan Lian grabbed me from behind.

“A divorce is out of the question. You may name another condition.”

I was so furious I nearly laughed.

Right. I had almost forgotten that Lord Tan still had to maintain his benevolent public image. Naturally, he could not let go of a useful tool like me so easily.

So this marriage had been nothing but a one-woman show from beginning to end. To him, everything was merely a transaction whose terms could be negotiated.

Wiping away my tears, I used all my strength to pry his hand off me.

“Do whatever you want.”

He was the protagonist, after all. With the Xie Family tied to his ship, nothing too terrible would happen to them. At worst, he would bleed them of every last coin they owned. At least they would not lose their lives.

Even the Prince Regent was no match for his schemes. What right did I have to negotiate with him?

I strode away.

Just as I was about to cross the threshold of the private dungeon, Tan Lian, still standing in the shadows, suddenly said, “Baoping, my wound hurts.”

The injury he had suffered in Xiangyang had been quite severe, and he had rushed back before it could properly heal.

Judging from the cold-blooded killer he was now, he had not exactly taken it easy after returning to the capital, either. His wound had probably torn open again.

My steps faltered for a moment.

But the stench of blood was too thick. It completely smothered the faint, delicate fragrance that always clung to Tan Lian and forced me to realize once and for all that he was no flower deity. He was a demon through and through.

In the end, I still did not dare look back. Pretending I had not heard him, I left without turning around.

And so I did not see the light vanish from Tan Lian’s eyes…

Nor the terrifying expression on his face, like the calm before a storm.

Section 33

Tan Lian and I entered a cold war.

Although we still lived in the same courtyard, I moved into a side room. Whenever I happened to run into him, I acted as though he were not there.

I had no idea whether Tan Lian was deliberately trying to disgust me, but every day, the kitchen sent over all the dishes I had loved while I was putting on my act.

They had seemed like such sweet gestures at the time. Looking back now, knowing Tan Lian’s temperament, he had probably just been amusing himself by treating me like a pet dog.

The thought made me so angry that I lost my appetite altogether.

Within days, the roundness I had previously put back on my face disappeared again.

I was quite pleased with the beauty in the mirror, but Tan Lian was furious.

One day, when I refused to eat, he picked up the chopsticks and tried to feed me himself.

This time, he made no attempt to play the gentle, soft-spoken husband. His tone was downright harsh.

“Eat.”

I pressed my lips together and turned my head away, refusing to acknowledge him.

He might meddle in everything under heaven, but could he really force me to eat food I did not even like?

He tried two or three different dishes, but I remained unmoved. Anger churned in Tan Lian’s eyes, and he slammed the chopsticks down.

Thinking he was about to hit me, I flinched violently. When I looked up, I found Tan Lian staring at me, his face dark with rage.

That only frightened me more.

“What exactly do you want?”

Tan Lian drew a deep breath, as if forcibly suppressing the urge to strike me.

I was on the verge of tears. Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch. What good were his looks? Who would have guessed he was a potential wife-beater?

Choking back a sob, I answered without hesitation, “A divorce. I want a divorce.”

“Impossible.”

Then why bother asking me?!

I fell silent, lowered my head, and picked at the tablecloth.

After an unknown length of time, Tan Lian rose and left. His steps were steady, betraying no trace of emotion.

“I can let you return to the Xie Family. If you wish to go, leave now.

“But no matter what you hear afterward, you are not to come out.

“Otherwise, if I catch you again, do not blame me for locking you away somewhere no one will ever find you.”

I released the tablecloth and sprang to my feet. Without so much as glancing at Tan Lian’s expression, I rushed back to my room to pack.

That evening, an inconspicuous carriage departed through a side gate of Tan Manor and traveled straight to the rear entrance of The Xie Family of West City.

My father was overjoyed when he saw me. Slapping his enormous belly, he threw his head back and laughed.

“Your mother said that Tan boy was more lovable than I am. How could that possibly be true? My precious daughter loves her father best. I win!”

I smiled and embraced my parents as though nothing had happened.

“Father, Mother, I missed you, so I came back to stay for a while.

“I’m starving. I want some of Mother’s noodles.”