What's With All the Freaks? - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I made a move to retreat, but he sensed it before I could. He extended a long arm and pulled me into his embrace, his tone inexplicably annoyed. “Leaving again?”

I looked up blankly. Though I couldn’t see his face clearly, I held my head high and retorted, “Who said I was leaving? Just move back a bit; I can’t even move.”

His hand lightly pinched the back of my neck as he took a perfunctory step back. “Oh.”

Tan Yin was the type of person who had zero trust in others. Even though I said I wasn’t leaving, he still kept a grip on the back of my neck to prevent me from running away.

“Be my male consort,” I invited.

He let out a cold laugh, as if he had heard the world’s biggest joke. “On what basis? You certainly are confident. Do you really think saving me gives you the right to threaten me? Killing you would take me no more than the flick of a wrist.”

I had extensive experience dealing with lunatics. Since he bothered to ask a follow-up question, it meant he wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. Even if his words were harsh, he was likely confused about his own feelings.

As long as you use the right method, a lunatic can be turned into a treasure.

I quickly lunged forward a step, throwing myself directly into his arms. I clung tightly to his waist and buried my face against his chest. “Because I like you.”

Years ago, I had used this exact trick to stop Zhu Yiyan when he wanted to kill everyone.

I had held him back then, weeping fiercely: “Brother, you and I are the closest people in the world. I won’t leave. If you trap me in the Imperial City, I will stay in the Capital for the rest of my life. Just stop killing people, okay?”

Under the Blood Moon, he had been indulging in a massacre, yet he dropped his blade because of my embrace.

Tan Yin was startled by my sudden action and was unable to snap out of it for a long time. Suddenly, he chuckled softly, his tone languid yet tinged with a faint, heartbroken sigh. “How hateful. You have no sincerity at all; I really should kill you.”

Hiss.

This guy wasn’t following the script.

Are my tears not worth anything anymore?

I sobbed a few times, and just as I was about to defend myself, I heard him speak again. “Having no sincerity is for the best. I’ll be your…”

I stood on my tiptoes and gave his chin a light peck to prove I wasn’t entirely heartless. “Be my male consort.”

His body stiffened, and then he laughed. “Princess, your deception is truly unrefined. No one wears what they want so clearly on their face. You’re too stupid.”

Tan Yin let out a low, bright laugh, yet he pulled me into a death grip of an embrace, one hand clamping around my neck.

His grip was neither light nor heavy, as if he were waiting for me to struggle.

“Then what’s written on my face? That I want you?” I was a bit scared, but my mouth remained stubbornly honest.

Tan Yin wasn’t the same type of lunatic as my brother; he wasn’t so easy to fool.

As I thought about it, I suddenly recalled that year.

Back then, what I said probably wasn’t a lie.

He suddenly began to laugh as if he were having a fit, intimately rubbing his chin against my hair. “Your face is covered with the words ‘watch how I trick you.’ It’s actually quite funny.”

“…Maybe you should just choke me to death instead.” I would rather die than have someone mock me.

Tan Yin laughed again. The hand on my neck moved up to pinch my cheek, giving it a shake. He said affectionately, “I wouldn’t have the heart to choke you to death. A beauty like you should be turned into a lantern.”

I was startled by his words, and goosebumps broke out all over my skin.

Lunatic. Pervert.

Tan Yin seemed to sense my trembling again and asked quite curiously, “Why are you frightened again?”

With that, he gave my back a symbolic pat, his tone lazy. “Don’t be afraid. I was just teasing you.”

“I’m afraid of the dark.” I wasn’t just trembling because of his words; more than that, I simply couldn’t stand being in the darkness for too long. I pursed my lips. “Light the lamp.”

He seemed to mutter something about me being spoiled and told me to stay put while he looked for a fire starter.

Tan Yin quickly found a fire starter and leaned down to relight my silk lantern. Suddenly, a warm halo of light broke through the endless night, and my vision cleared once more. A faint, inscrutable smile played on Tan Yin’s lips. “Princess, do you have any other orders?”

“Be my male consort,” I said again. “Treat it as a business transaction. I will give you whatever you want.”

His eyes flickered, and he watched me for a long while. “Fine.”

“What do you want?”

As soon as I asked, he covered my eyes again and gave my neck a firm bite. “This is what I want right now.”

Madman!

Tan Yin slowly released his hand from my eyes. His smiling dark eyes stared at me without blinking. “The Princess is indeed different from ordinary people.”

I glanced at him. “How so?”

Tan Yin tilted his head slightly, appearing to recall something carefully. Then, he grinned at me, looking eerie. “Your flesh is sweeter.”

I silently covered my neck and leaned back slightly to prevent him from taking another bite.

Tan Yin watched my reaction and burst into another fit of wild laughter. Once he’d had his fill of laughing, he pinched my cheek, his eyes sparkling. “Do you really think I’ve eaten people before?”

There wasn’t a single word of truth in this man’s mouth!

“The Jiang Royal Family is full of hypocritical and devious creatures, so how could there be one like you…” He scrutinized me, as if trying to see the soul beneath my skin, his tone a mix of love and hate. “How is there such a fool like you?”

“…If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

“I can’t bring myself to kill you.” He held me and let out a long sigh, sounding as though he truly regretted that he couldn’t end my life.

His chin rubbed against my hair with an air of deep attachment. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he lifted his head, gripped my shoulders with both hands, and asked seriously, “Why don’t you become the Emperor instead?”

My first reaction was that he was beyond help. My second was mockery.

Usurp Zhu Yiyan’s throne?

The mere fact that Zhu Yiyan had managed to fight his way out from among so many princes proved he was not someone to be trifled with.

He wasn’t a good person, nor a good monarch, but to the common people who never saw him in person, he was indeed a good Emperor.

He didn’t impose heavy corvée labor or exorbitant taxes; he refined the laws and maintained political integrity. Most importantly, there were very few corrupt officials.

When Zhu Yiyan was in a bad mood, he wanted to kill people. When he was in a bad mood, he would kill corrupt or incompetent officials, occasionally killing the chicken to warn the monkeys in court. Over time, there were few corrupt officials left in the Jiang Kingdom, and those who remained dared not break the law, for even a slight slip-up could lead to a hundred kinds of torture.

“I don’t want to be the Emperor. It’s not interesting at all.”

Tan Yin sounded immensely disappointed. His long, fair fingers began to toy with my hair. “Forget it, then. You should just stay as your little princess.”

The night grew deeper, and the silk lantern in my hand was almost burnt out. The light was fading fast. I lifted my arm to show him the lantern. “I need to go back. It’s too dark here.”

“Alright.”

Tan Yin finally stopped holding me, and I let out a sigh of relief. His body was cold as a stone, impossible to warm up, and it seemed to sap the heat from anyone he touched.

I carried my lamp and summoned the courage to walk out.

I had only taken two steps when Tan Yin suddenly swept me up into his arms and began walking out with long strides. “Close your eyes.”