Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 198

Smelling the increasingly strong ambergris, Zi Jin's lips curled into a wicked smile. She took off her clothes and stepped into the bathtub, rubbing the remaining datura flowers on her body to extract the liquid, and leisurely washing her long hair that had grown to her waist.

"Is the young lady ready?" The old nanny's voice rang out from outside the door.

Zi Jin slowly got up, casually wiped her body, glanced at the prepared silk robe, casually draped it over her shoulders, her long hair still dripping water, and quickly went over to open the locked door.

"girl……"

Before Zi Jin could react, she was scooped up in someone's arms. The old nanny quickly lowered her eyes and obediently closed the door.

Zi Jin looked at Jun Lin's angry eyes with bewilderment, glanced at the incense burner casually, and asked somewhat guiltily, "Wh...what's wrong?"

Jun Lin didn't say much, but his anger grew even stronger. He strode behind the screen, took out the useless cloth, and vigorously wiped Zi Jin's wet hair.

Zi Jin hissed as the hands gripped her so roughly and with such clumsy movements, but she dared not utter a word of anger and simply resigned herself to her fate by lying face down on the table.

Seeing that the wet hair had stopped dripping, Jun Lin's anger gradually subsided, and his hands softened. Seeing Zi Jin's unusually obedient behavior, Jun Lin's anxious anger seemed to be instantly extinguished by cold water, and he felt extremely relieved: "From now on, you are not allowed to go out before your hair is dry."

"Mmm," Zi Jin responded softly, her head resting on the table.

Jun Lin frowned as he looked at Zi Jin, who was slumped weakly on the table, and asked anxiously, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Zi Jin shook her head, lying on the table: "I ate too much, I'm a little sleepy."

"Master." The old nanny's hushed voice came from outside the door.

Jun Lin glanced at the closed door and asked, "What is it?"

The old nanny said, "The pear blossom wine that the young lady requested has been found. Shall we send it in?"

Zi Jin suddenly sat up and ran towards the door, ignoring Jun Lin's happy expression, but Jun Lin pulled her back into his arms. Zi Jin looked at Jun Lin with slight confusion.

Jun Lin frowned and said, "It's late..."

Zi Jin grabbed Jun Lin's sleeve and pleaded softly, "Jun Lin... I... I'll just have a little bit, okay? I was really craving it during dinner, and they said they didn't have pear blossom wine, but they found it now... Jun Lin..."

Jun Lin slowly pulled back his sleeve: "Bring it in."

The old nanny carried in a pot of wine, her eyes lowered. Zi Jin quickly stepped forward, grabbed the pot, and sat down on a nearby chair with a joyful expression, eagerly taking a small sip. Zi Jin smacked her lips contentedly, looking like a kitten that had just stolen some cream, strangely endearing.

Seeing that the old nanny had left and closed the door again, Jun Lin walked to Zi Jin's side with a smile on his lips.

Zi Jin looked at Jun Lin warily, clutching the pear blossom wine tightly to her chest: "Don't you dare take it!"

Jun Lin's smile deepened. He stared at the pear blossom wine in Zi Jin's arms, then slowly sat down next to her, watching her possessive behavior with a half-smile.

Zi Jin frowned as Jun Lin stared at her, and in a fit of pique, she shoved the pear blossom wine into Jun Lin's arms: "Alright, alright, stop looking, here's a sip for you."

Jun Lin's slender fingers pinched the small wine pot, examining it closely.

Zi Jin looked at the wine pot, swallowed hard, and said rather unfriendly, "Drink it or not? If not, give it back to me!"

Jun Lin grinned mischievously, picked up the wine jug, and began to drink it in large gulps.

"Drink less! Drink less! Leave some for me... leave some for me!" Zi Jin stood to the side, stamping her feet anxiously, looking as charming as could be.

Seeing that the wine pot was almost empty, Zi Jin disregarded everything else, reached out and snatched the pot away. She shook the nearly empty pot with a pained expression, looking at Jun Lin with a bitter face. Zi Jin gritted her teeth, ultimately remaining silent, and quickly finished the rest of the wine. Then she slammed the pot down on the table, glaring fiercely at Jun Lin.

Jun Lin stared intently at Zi Jin's charming and innocent expression, feeling an indescribable tenderness in his heart. He reached out and hugged Zi Jin's waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck and inhaling her breath deeply: "Jin'er, Jin'er, Jin'er..." he murmured over and over again, his soft and gentle voice seeming to be able to squeeze water out of it.

Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three generations of marriage and resentment, when will they be able to sing the lament of old age together? (Part Four)

When shall we play the Ballad of White Hair (Part 4) Zi Jin stood stiffly in place, looking at the incense burner not far away through Jun Lin's shoulder, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. After a long while, she slowly reached out and wrapped her arms around Jun Lin's waist, sighed softly, and rested her face against Jun Lin's chest.

Perhaps it was because of the half-pot of pear blossom wine, Jun Lin's face had already turned slightly red, and his phoenix eyes were even more watery and misty. He gently rubbed against Zi Jin's shoulder, constantly calling her name in a low voice, which became more and more ethereal and weak, as if he were in a dream.

Zi Jin led Jun Lin, whose eyes were shimmering, to the bedside step by step. With unusual gentleness, she untied his belt and removed his robes piece by piece, leaving him only in his underpants. Zi Jin gently pushed him onto the bed and asked softly, "What are you thinking about, Jun Lin?"

"I miss Jin'er... okay?" Jun Lin stared blankly at Zi Jin with his phoenix eyes.

Zi Jin smiled gently, stood by the bed, leaned close to Jun Lin's ear, and whispered, "Jun Lin, do whatever you want, everything will be as you wish..."

Jun Lin gripped the bedding tightly with both hands, staring straight at Zi Jin standing outside the bed. A smile that could melt ice and snow appeared on his face, and his eyes became even more misty and shimmering.

Zi Jin smiled sweetly at Jun Lin, slowly lowered the bed curtains, walked quickly to the table, blew out the lamp, and then sat down on the footstool under the bed.

Soon, low, heavy breathing came from inside the tent, mixed with soft calls of "Jin'er, Jin'er".

Gradually, her breathing subsided, followed by Jun Lin's tender whisper: "Jin'er... don't be afraid... it won't hurt, trust me... trust me..."

A rapid gasp escaped the tent, and the person inside seemed to stop moving. After a long while, they cried out, "Don't cry...don't cry...it doesn't hurt...I'll never let you hurt again...Jin'er, Jin'er..."

Outside the tent, Zi Jin slapped her head in frustration. How could Jun Lin still think she was a virgin in his subconscious? Didn't he see the bedsheets she shared with Prince Anle back then?

The breathing inside the tent grew heavier. "Mmm..." A quick, soft moan escaped, and the sounds from inside the tent suddenly subsided, as if someone was adjusting the blankets. Then, Jun Lin's unusually gentle voice came through: "Don't catch a cold, go to sleep..."

After an unknown amount of time, long, even breathing came from inside the tent. Zi Jin, who had been holding her breath, let out a soft sigh and carefully stood up. She extinguished the ambergris incense in the incense burner, then returned to the bedside and carefully drew back the gauze curtains, using the extremely faint moonlight to observe the person lying on the bed, sleeping soundly.

The blankets were neatly draped over her, her arms feeling empty yet as if she were holding something. She opened the blankets to reveal a patch of white fluid on the sheets. Zi Jin gritted her teeth, pulled out the silver hairpin from Jun Lin's hair, and plunged it fiercely into the inside of her arm, mixing her blood with the white fluid. She then wiped the hairpin clean and tossed it aside. Pulling at her long silk robe until it was completely disheveled, Zi Jin gently nestled into the arms Jun Lin had prepared for her.

Looking at Jun Lin's unusually content sleeping face, Zi Jin felt a mix of emotions—guilt, bitterness, and a subtle pain. But what could she do? What you did today would only push us further apart.

Jun Lin… Jun Lin… I’m so sorry, so sorry, so sorry… I know that three words, “I’m sorry,” can’t make up for all the hurt I’ve caused you, but now, only those three words remain between us. I can’t repay you, I can’t afford to, but you shouldn’t… but you shouldn’t have laid a hand on Master, you shouldn’t have laid a hand on Master…

The intense discomfort forced Zi Jin to open her eyes. She couldn't help but rub her head and let out a soft groan. The hallucinogenic drug made from ambergris, black datura, and pear blossom alcohol was indeed potent. Although the two calming pills suppressed the hallucinations, they had also damaged her nerves. Her head was throbbing so badly that it felt like it wasn't even her own anymore.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Before I even opened my eyes, I heard Jun Lin's anxious voice.