The Empress Chose My Bride, and Now I’m Stuck with a Yandere at -9999 Affection - Chapter 21:
Chapter 21: The Approaching Battle of Emotions:
After learning about Xia Xiaoyu’s plan, Jiang Xuan was completely stunned. Letting her stay over for the night was no different from inviting a wolf into the house. But if he refused, Xia Xiaoyu still had that recording stone in her hand. If she really lost her mind and gave it to Nangong Liuyun, then no matter how he looked at it, everything would fall apart.
Seeing through Jiang Xuan’s hesitation, Xia Xiaoyu’s gaze gradually dimmed. She slowly let go of Jiang Xuan and lowered her head like a dejected child. “It seems Brother Xuan still can’t accept me for now. It’s okay, I’ll come again another time. Sorry for bothering you, Brother Xuan. Please have a good rest.”
Jiang Xuan: !!!
Watching Xia Xiaoyu really about to leave the room, Jiang Xuan quickly reacted and stopped her. “Wait! Xiaoyu, I think your request isn’t unreasonable. We are childhood sweethearts, so such a request is fine.”
At that moment, Xia Xiaoyu, who had her back to Jiang Xuan, slightly curled her lips into a smile. As expected, everything was unfolding exactly as she had rehearsed.
In Xia Xiaoyu’s view, directly threatening Jiang Xuan with the recording stone to force him to stay was the worst option. That would only make Jiang Xuan resist her or even grow to hate her. That wasn’t the result she wanted, because she was greedy—she wanted not only his body but also his heart.
Her plan was to use the recording stone as a subtle aid while giving Jiang Xuan choices indirectly, slowly closing the distance between them. Naturally, every choice Jiang Xuan made was already within her expectations.
Hearing Jiang Xuan’s words, Xia Xiaoyu turned around with a joyful expression. “Brother Xuan, are you serious? I can really stay here tonight?”
“Mhm, as long as you’re happy, Xiaoyu, you can stay as long as you want.” On the surface, Jiang Xuan seemed very gentle, but inwardly he was complaining fiercely: [Anyway, if she insists on staying, I don’t have the strength to kick her out.] [Ugh, why does everything feel more and more wrong? Xia Xiaoyu still looks silly, but somehow she’s different from before.] [Why do I feel like I’m being completely led by the nose? I need to find a way to deal with her quickly.]
Meanwhile, Xia Xiaoyu happily stepped forward and hugged Jiang Xuan again. “I knew Brother Xuan was the best. Let’s go to bed early then.”
Jiang Xuan: ????
Jiang Xuan froze for a moment before fully processing Xia Xiaoyu’s words. “Sleep? Alright, Xiaoyu, you can sleep on that soft couch. I’m not sleepy yet, so I’ll just make a bed on the floor later.”
“What? Brother Xuan, are you disgusted by your childhood sweetheart?”
“No… It’s just… well… a little inappropriate.”
“What’s inappropriate about it? We’re childhood sweethearts. Sleeping together on the same couch for a night is totally normal, right? Or is it that Brother Xuan never cared about my feelings?”
“Of course I care. After you went missing back then, I searched for you for a long time.”
“Uwu, Brother Xuan really does care about me. Let’s go to bed early then.”
Without giving Jiang Xuan a chance to object, Xia Xiaoyu dragged him onto the soft couch. As soon as they lay down, Xia Xiaoyu clung to Jiang Xuan like an octopus. Before Jiang Xuan could even question her, she preemptively said, “Brother Xuan, don’t misunderstand. It’s normal for childhood sweethearts to hug each other, right?”
“Well… I guess that’s normal…”
Before he could finish speaking, Xia Xiaoyu gently left a small mark on Jiang Xuan’s neck. “Brother Xuan, don’t overthink it. It’s just a little detail between childhood sweethearts, perfectly normal, right?”
“Ah? This counts as… little details?”
Feeling more and more that something was wrong, Jiang Xuan called out to his system in his mind. “System, this situation isn’t looking good. Do you have anything that can help me?”
[Replying to the host, I must emphasize once again that this system is merely an auxiliary function system and doesn’t have any treasures.]
“Is that so? System, you’re certainly not a treasure yourself, but I don’t believe you. You’re always hiding things. I’m not asking for much—just give me another newbie gift pack.”
[Scanning system:…]
Suddenly, the mechanical voice of the scanning system sounded: [Ding! A faint killing intent toward the host has been detected within a hundred-mile radius. The individual is quickly approaching the host’s location. It is expected that they may appear before the host shortly.]
Jiang Xuan: ???
“System, what’s going on? Who is it? Do I know them? What’s happening right now? System, you better come through for me, or else if I’m done for, I’m dragging you down with me too!”
[Ding! Based on analysis, the individual is Murong Ying from the Murong Royal Mansion. Host, please be extra careful.]
After giving this answer, the scanning system fell silent, leaving Jiang Xuan feeling utterly hopeless. There was no need to ask—Murong Ying, the female war god, was someone Jiang Xuan had tricked before. Now that she was heading toward the Jiang family, the only possibility was that his true identity had been exposed.
The situation was extremely bad. If Jiang Xuan were alone, he could still manage to bluff his way out. But now, with Xia Xiaoyu here, it was over. This was clearly the start of a deadly battle of emotions!
Thinking quickly, Jiang Xuan hurriedly said to Xia Xiaoyu, “Xiaoyu, I just remembered—my mother wants to talk to me about marriage matters later. Maybe you should come another day?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Xiaoyu frowned. “No, I want to stay here tonight!” she said as she tightened her arms around him, showing no intention of letting go.
At this point, Jiang Xuan completely panicked. He was terrified that Murong Ying would barge into his room at any moment. When that happened, this scene would be impossible to explain.
However, Murong Ying had already arrived at the Jiang family. Instead of rushing in, she first chose to meet the Patriarch, Jiang Yuyan.
Inside the Jiang family’s main hall, Jiang Yuyan greeted her warmly. “Lord Murong, it’s been a long time since we’ve gathered like this. I didn’t expect you to come personally to the Jiang family.”
“I just happened to pass by, so I thought I’d drop in for a visit. It’s so late, I hope I’m not disturbing you? Sister Yuyan, don’t be so formal with me. Just call me Sister Ying like before.”
“That won’t do. You’re now the only non-royal king of the Dajiang Empire and have countless military achievements. I must observe proper etiquette.”
“Come on, Sister Yuyan, we’re in private. No need for all that formality. Back then, I was just a soldier under your command. If it weren’t for your promotion, how could I have achieved anything today?”
“Alright, alright. Then I’ll listen to you, Sister Ying. Tonight, we won’t stop drinking until we’re drunk!”
Although Murong Ying was the Dajiang Empire’s female war god, she wasn’t very old. Jiang Xuan was 20 years old now, and she was only five years older than him. Ten years ago, she had just started to shine and, by chance, had served under Jiang Yuyan. Later, by crushing an army of over ten thousand enemies by herself, she made her name legendary in a single battle. The Empress even granted her the supreme title of non-royal king to honor her achievements.
Soon, after noticing Jiang Yuyan becoming slightly tipsy, Murong Ying subtly steered the conversation back. “Sister Yuyan, I heard you have a son? Over the years, both of us have been busy on the battlefield, and I didn’t expect you to have secretly been enjoying a peaceful life.”
“Sister Ying, I mentioned it to you before, but you must have forgotten. When you were under my command, didn’t I tell you? My son takes after his father—very handsome. I even said that if you didn’t have anyone you liked, I could arrange a marriage for you. But you were focused solely on destroying the enemy back then and refused to think about love.”
Hearing that, Murong Ying narrowed her eyes slightly and then chuckled. “Looks like I missed out on a good marriage. By the way, could I see what the husband I missed out on looks like?”
“Of course. I’ll have someone call Xuan’er over right away. But… sigh, it’s a pity. Recently, Xuan’er was granted a marriage by the Empress, otherwise, I might have asked for your opinion again. After all, you and Xuan’er aren’t that far apart in age, and I really trust you.”
“Oh? That’s unfortunate. I’ve always respected you, Sister Yuyan. Come, let’s drink a few more cups.”
Meanwhile, back in Jiang Xuan’s courtyard, a knocking sound echoed, followed by the voice of the maid, Ling Yue. “Young Master, the Patriarch has called you to the main hall.”
“Got it, I’ll be right there.”
After responding, Jiang Xuan turned to Xia Xiaoyu. “Xiaoyu, um… you stay here and rest for now. I’ll go see my mother and come back later.”
Xia Xiaoyu had thought Jiang Xuan was just making an excuse to get rid of her, but now it seemed he really was serious. Helpless, she finally let him go. “Alright, but Brother Xuan, you must come back. Otherwise… I’ll have no choice but to leave.”
Jiang Xuan: …
Although Xia Xiaoyu didn’t say it outright, Jiang Xuan understood the hidden threat in her words. Fine, fine, threatening me, huh? Then I’ll threaten my system into giving me something useful to turn this situation around.
After Jiang Xuan left the room, he quietly asked Ling Yue, “Xiao Yue, why is Mother calling me to the main hall so late?”
“Young Master, I heard that an old subordinate of the Patriarch came to visit. They’re drinking and chatting, and the Patriarch seems to want to introduce you.”
Nodding after hearing this, Jiang Xuan headed to the main hall alone. On the way, he still felt puzzled and asked the system, “System, didn’t you say Murong Ying was coming for me? Why haven’t I seen her yet? Are you messing with me?”
[Ding! This system never lies to the host.]
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve known you long enough. You’ve tricked me plenty of times.”
While Jiang Xuan was still bickering with the system, he finally arrived at the main hall—and froze.
Inside, Jiang Yuyan was slumped over the table, clearly drunk, while Murong Ying was sizing him up with a playful smile.
“You’re here. I didn’t expect us to meet again so soon. Should I call you Lin Xuan or Jiang Xuan, my dear husband?”
Jiang Xuan: !!!
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Tanu Singh
Poor guy 😅😂