Chapter 14 An Offer from Zhan Peng

Zhan Peng grinned devilishly at her.
The words “It’s not a dream” echoed in her mind again and again. She reached for her clothes to realise she was wearing nothing but a sheer outer coat that didn’t belong to her.
Her facial expression morphed into that of pure rage.
“What… What happened? What am I doing here? And you, why are you in my room?”
He just threw his head back and laughed at her.
“Do you remember what you just asked of me? Are you saying that you’re going back on your own words?”
She felt the heat of her embarrassment creeping across her cheeks.
He leered at her. “If you, as a future advisor, can swallow what you just said, then who would take your words seriously in future?”
His words made sense, but how could she have even thought she was still dreaming, after waking up from another lusty dream of performing the deed with Zhan Peng?
She could have slapped herself on the face. She tried to move, but Zhan Peng inhibited her movement. Earlier he had distanced himself from her and treated her rather coldly. So why the sudden change of mind?
She rubbed her head and attempted to remember what had happened.
Yang Tian had confessed his admiration for her, but deep in her heart she suspected they were cousins, and carried the same blood in their veins. In Shang-Yi, the rules didn't condone marriages between cousins. But she knew of the gift of the Su family; as her mother and Su Yan were sisters, they carried a special ability, which they would always pass on to their children.
If Yang Tian possessed that power in him, it was a viable reason for them not to have any relations with each other since such powers would clash terribly. But aside from their probable blood ties, there was another reason she couldn’t accept his love. Over everything, she wasn’t interested in him. Then there was her duty, followed by her confused feelings, which she couldn’t differentiate from lust, for Zhan Peng and lastly the engagement she didn’t know what to do about.
Then, she had been thinking actively about all these issues when she received a message from a pigeon. A note was attached to the pigeon's leg.
It had said,
[Yuxi,
I have found that Lang Juan is dead and therefore the engagement is revoked with further effect.
Du Hui]
The stamp from Du Hui’s jade seal was proof of the letter’s authenticity. She also recognised the pigeon by the unique marks on its body. Du Hui only adopted the best pigeons as bearer for his messages, and they encrypted each message to each other. Using their secret code, she deciphered the message, which was written in special characters.
That night, she ordered the most potent of the inn’s wine, not anticipating that the inn would have drugged the wine. She remembered finishing half of such a pot, finding no wine in it, but she had passed out then.
When she figured she woke up, she had actually moved from one dream to another, and now she couldn’t get away. Though she was supposedly in a drugged state during that period where they were fighting, she had heard their conversations loud and clear. It was only after that, when she sunk into another of her dark dreams.
“What do you want, Zhan Peng?”
She was enjoying this part of him. The part that matched the rebel in her strongly. She could use this opportunity to sin.
If Lang Juan was dead, there wasn’t a point in keeping herself for him anyway, but would she grow to regret her decision?
Yet, her lust for Zhan Peng conquered her.
“Qian Yuxi, you need to make a choice between Yang Tian and I. Or your betrothed.”
Her eyes appeared marvelled at his words. She smiled sweetly, a bold idea forming in her head.
“What if I say I don’t want to decide?”
“You’ll suffer by my hand. Do you want to know what a secret employer and mercenary relationship is like?”
He had cast the words directly at her. Instead of detesting him more, Yuxi felt it ignited a fire deep inside her. She knew part of her decision stemmed from the drug inside her, but she was still half-sober, wasn’t she?
The other half of the drug, absorbed by Zhan Peng inside his body, should have a similar effect.
The mention of having a discreet relationship just triggered her to accept his terms immediately.
“What kind of relationship are we talking about here, Zhan Peng?” She made no move to escape, but licked her lips to tease him playfully.
“No regrets, Qian Yuxi?”
She had to admit she was a little nervous at what he was playing about, but she found her courage and cast aside her concerns for now.
When Zhan Peng had allegedly pushed out part of the drug from her body and absorbed that portion, she had somehow seen part of her lost memories. They had come to her like a cloud of memories in her head.
She acknowledged the truth that she had a night of passion with Zhan Peng then, although she didn’t remember most of it. Fragments of their intimacy appeared in her mind, making her unsure.
Maybe if she let herself go and allowed herself a chance with Zhan Peng, it would soon become clear. She put down her principles for now, telling herself Lang Juan was gone, and her fate in the mission was yet for her to know. The message from the witch, which she called the ancient evil, flashed through her mind.
She had to be stronger than what she was now. Judging by how she couldn’t hold her emotions back now, she knew it was the drug in action. She hoped it had the same effect on Zhan Peng, so she answered him recklessly.
“What is in it for me if I agree with your demands, Zhan Peng?”
His voice sounded more amorous as he moved closer to pin her with his robust body to the icy stone wall.
“You can’t hide your secrets from me, Qian Yuxi. You thought nobody saw you hiding behind the long grass, acting inappropriately. Pleasuring yourself, hiding your true self from the world. And how you swam in the bath chambers stark naked. You name it.”
She gulped, recognising the truth behind his words.
He continued, “That night, the night you allegedly forgot. I could feel all the desire pent up in you. Be my discreet lover, Qian Yuxi, and I promise I can satisfy you to the fullest. It’s a promise I seek to keep forever.”
“And if I don’t?”
He smiled impishly. “Then I can’t promise your secret will be safe.”
She smiled back, staring at him with wanton intent in her eyes.
“So, you’re blackmailing me now, Zhan Peng?”
“What if I am?”
She pondered about it for a few minutes.
“Can I answer you later, Zhan Peng?”
“And why so?” He leaned, positioning his face closer to Yuxi’s face so intimately that she blushed profusely. She could smell his breath, and it surprised her that his breath didn’t turn her off one bit. “Aren’t you afraid that I can’t hold on to your secret?”
“Because you and I aren’t in our usual state of mind. The drug will affect both you and me, thoughts and action wise. And the other thing is, your sworn brother might find it strange to find his brother gone in the middle of the night. You know how bad things can get if he finds out you’re in a woman’s room.”
Zhan Peng retreated, leaving her ample space to catch her breath.
“I’ll give you three days to accept or decline my offer. Don’t make me wait too long.”
With that, he exited the room, leaving Yuxi to her thoughts. With her heart beating so vigorously, she was at a loss for what she could do next.
But her secret was only the least of her worries.
There was a lot on her mind, stemming from the conversation she heard earlier between Zhan Peng and another man, and the lust deep within her.
The words of the witch repeated themselves in her mind, compelling her for an answer.