Chapter 17 Fooled

She wondered who could have sent the boy when it was barely a week that she had arrived at the village, and few people could have recognised her in the customary dress of the Erlus.
Her curiosity prompted her to head over to the address to see who it was who was looking for her. The boy had mentioned little, just that she would find someone she knew there. After passing her the message, he vanished without a trace, swift like a fox.
The scene that unfolded before her eyes later turned out to be such a disappointment. Following the tip of the boy, she found herself on the outskirts of the village.
In the distance, Zhan Peng had his arm curled unceremoniously around the meagre arms of a petite girl with unkempt hair and narrow eyes. She dressed drably in tattered clothing and appeared sloppy. Yuxi recognised the girl as Yonghe, the country girl smitten with Zhan Peng and clung to him like glue.
What she never expected was how Zhan Peng would have a rendezvous with that country bumpkin in secret. She fumed, but thought clearly. She would need more proof or Zhan Peng would accuse her of maligning him. Meticulously, she ensured that nobody was watching her and tiptoed through the long grass to follow them towards an isolated hut. What she expected was to catch them in action.
They had left the door to the hut open, and not suspecting anything, she entered, knowing what she saw would leave her distraught. But she still proceeded anyway.
She came to realise that maybe only by seeing him in bed with Yonghe would she ever put him down.
It took her a considerable amount of strength to proceed past the front door, to where the sounds of Yonghe's moans became more rampant. She swallowed hard and pushed open the wooden door.
Zhan Peng and Yonghe stood apart, all smiles.
What in the world just happened?
She saw Zhan Peng hand over a silver nugget to Yonghe, who bowed and smiled conspicuously and left.
"Wait! What's going on?"
The girl ignored her and walked out of the hut.
Zhan Peng smirked. That insolent fool! If only she could just get her hands on him! Yuxi silently cursed. She wished she could strangle him to death to assuage her anger.
"So, you fell for it." He was next to her, breathing down her neck, before she could get close to strangling the hell out of him.
"What do you mean, I fell for it?"
She folded her arms across her chest, scowling in indignance. But she wasn't willing to admit he had fooled her. Not wanting to look at him, she faced the other direction. However, Zhan Peng wasn't ready to let her have her way.
He stepped in front of her. "You just don't want to admit it. Otherwise, why are you here?"
She could have left instead of following them into the hut. But she had not.
Zhan Peng looked confident.
She still sought to deny what he said.
"It was you who sent the little boy with the message to lure me here, correct?"
"So what if I did?" He inched closer and locked his eyes on hers with a devious grin. "If you truly didn't care, would you have turned up?"
"I'll leave now."
He barred her from taking a step towards the exit.
"Where do you think you're going, Qian Yuxi? Don't you think you owe me an answer?"
She hesitated.
"Yes or no, is it that difficult?"
"What if I don't want to agree?"
"Qian Yuxi, you know that's not what your heart tells you."
He encircled her slowly, admiring her choice of attire.
"But I have to get back to the festival-" she protested.
"The festival for getting a groom? You're not even from Erlu, Yuxi. Don't lie to me." He stroked her chin. She felt her heart race.
"You're blushing. Are you still going to deny your attraction for me?"
"I-"
He impeded her from speaking further with an intrusion on her lips. His tongue snaked into her mouth, rendering her defenceless as he undid the shiny buckles of her festive dress, stripping it off her body. Her smooth bare skin shimmered under the brightness of the candles luminating the hut.
The thumps in her chest got more intense, but she discovered herself rooted to the spot, unable to say a word. From the books, she knew what was going to happen, but instead of stopping him, she welcomed it.
Maybe she was tired of running away from her true nature and decided it was time to embrace it. Or it was that voice inside her that was calling to her. The voice of the witch in her vision.
Whatever the reason was, she didn't know.
Zhan Peng broke the kiss suddenly, while her thoughts distracted her.
"Yuxi, if you're not willing, I can stop here. The last thing I want to do is force you into submission."
What, how come he was now being such a gentleman? He resorted to blackmail, tempting her, hiring Yonghe to fool her and now… he was asking her to decide?
Wild thoughts ran around in her head like a stampede of horses. Even if she had a night of passion with Zhan Peng before, she couldn't remember most of it. Even in books, they only depicted a man lying down with a woman, nothing about the action. She wasn't sure what to expect.
Yet, if she let go of the opportunity now, what if another few Yonghes appeared?
"Let yourself go," the voice in her mind spoke.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Zhan Peng had that effect on her. He confused her and made her yearn for him.
But it wasn't love. It was lust. She was aware of that.
One time was enough. Perhaps it would help her get her mind off him and focus on her goal.
"Just one time," she told him. He grinned at her from ear–to-ear.
"So tonight, I own you, Qian Yuxi." She remained silent.
With no warning, he lifted her up and carried her to a nearby haystack.
"Don't think I'll fall in love with you or that you have a hold on me, Zhan Peng," she warned. He just smiled back calmly.
"Let's see who has the last laugh, then."
With a stroke of his fingers, he put out most of the candles, dimming the room. Should she trust him?
A wave of uncertainty struck her, but the touch of his powerful arms on her shoulders suppressed her concern.
Reaching for the high knot which she had done her hair in this morning, he released her hair and then moved down to her collar to undo the shiny buckles of the Erlu dress. She allowed him, shaking with nervousness at each turn.
Her greatest fear was that she would want more than that.