Ouyang Ye watched Mu Anxiao’s speechless expression, unoffended. Instead, he smiled and said, "Since you've been exposed, there's no point in pretending any longer. Take it." He deliberately brought the pill close to Mu Anxiao's mouth.
Mu Anxiao resisted internally, but with Ouyang Ye having spoken so directly, her continued stubborn refusal would be meaningless. Swallowing, she unhesitatingly snatched the pill. "If you dare poison me, I'll drag you down with me." As she spoke, her eyes darkened, and she hesitated.
Ouyang Ye observed Mu Anxiao's hesitant look, then glanced at her wedding attire. He spoke in a low voice, "If you don't eat it, I'll withdraw the opportunity for Feng Qishi right now."
"Can you stop using him to threaten me? Is that interesting?" Mu Anxiao said impatiently.
"I think it's interesting, and that's enough," Ouyang Ye replied.
"You..."
"I'll count to three..."
"No need for you to count, I'll eat it." Mu Anxiao cut him off, abandoning all reservations and directly popping the pill into her mouth.
Immediately, Ouyang Ye, without another word, bent down swiftly and kissed her in one go.
Mu Anxiao's eyes widened, but she had lost the chance to struggle.
Time seemed to stand still. Under Ouyang Ye's sly maneuver, Mu Anxiao was forced to swallow the tasteless pill. "I knew you'd play tricks," Ouyang Ye said as he pulled away.
"Despicable," Mu Anxiao said, raising her hand and forcefully wiping her mouth.
Ouyang Ye laughed. "Say whatever you like. For now, you'll obey me. Otherwise," he fixed his gaze on Mu Anxiao's lips, "you'll have to wait for me to kill Feng Qishi."
"What exactly did you give me?" Mu Anxiao continued to wipe her mouth as she spoke.
"A Heart Devourer pill. Before the wedding, whenever you think of Feng Qishi, you'll feel pain. Of course," Ouyang Ye added with a faint smile, "once everything is settled, I'll give you the antidote."
"So you really poisoned me," Mu Anxiao growled.
"Stay put here obediently. I'll be back soon," Ouyang Ye said.
"What are you going to do?" Mu Anxiao felt a sense of foreboding.
Ouyang Ye gave a meaningful smile. "As I said, I'll give Feng Qishi two choices. If he's smart and chooses to marry Zhao Mei'er, you'll see him soon. If not," he paused, "if he's disobedient, then don't blame me for being harsh with him."
"You wouldn't dare," Mu Anxiao said. Her hands suddenly felt numb, and her entire being began to feel off.
"You're thinking of him," Ouyang Ye said calmly.
"You..." Before she could finish, Mu Anxiao's heart gave a sharp clench. She quickly raised her hand to cover her chest. In the next moment, her heart began to beat with noticeable, violent intensity, each beat bringing a cramping, searing pain. The sensation made her feel increasingly unwell, but even so, she forced herself to finish speaking, "If you dare, I'll kill... Mo Juan." Sweat had already begun to bead on her forehead.
"You? Forget it." Ouyang Ye said, his face now showing only anger towards Mu Anxiao. "Also, rest assured, this kind of pain won't kill you." With that, he vanished.
Mu Anxiao collapsed.
At that moment, Mo Juan appeared before Mu Anxiao. "Do you truly have feelings for Feng Qishi?" she asked in a low voice.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao gasped. Then, as the pain subsided slightly, she lifted her face and looked at Mo Juan. "Why are you here?" she retorted.
Mo Juan crouched down. "I'm asking you, do you have feelings in your heart..."
"Even if I do, can you help me?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, her face deathly pale.
Mo Juan reached out and brushed the hair clinging to Mu Anxiao's face. "As long as you say you have feelings for him, I'll help you."
"You're Ouyang Ye's dog. I don't trust you," Mu Anxiao said, closing her eyes briefly from the pain.
Mo Juan looked at Mu Anxiao's state and quickly said, "I've always had feelings for Ouyang Ye. If you leave, he'll finally look at me properly. You... tell me the truth, do you have feelings for Feng Qishi?" She genuinely wanted to hear Mu Anxiao's accurate answer.
Mu Anxiao rolled her eyes. "I'm in so much pain, can you stop talking nonsense? Ugh..." she said, burying her face in the carpet. "If you don't believe me, then kill me." She began to ramble incoherently.
Immediately, Mo Juan's eyes darkened, and she swiftly placed two fingers on Mu Anxiao's shoulder, asking, "Is it better?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao did indeed feel some relief. She took a deep breath and looked up at Mo Juan again. "Where is Feng Qishi?" she asked, her brow furrowing again.
"He should have returned to his courtyard with Zhao Mei'er by now," Mo Juan said softly, then conjured a red pill in her palm. "Take this."
"What is this?" Mu Anxiao glanced at the red pill, her heart filled with apprehension.
Mo Juan supported Mu Anxiao's arm. "This is the antidote for the Heart Devourer pill."
"The antidote?"
"Yes, take it quickly. This way..."
"Ouyang Ye poisoned me, and you're trying to poison me too," Mu Anxiao said, laboriously pushing herself up. She let out a cold laugh. "Do you think I'm stupid? Mu Anxiao doesn't just swallow things randomly." She deliberately raised her voice.
Mo Juan frowned. "Take it quickly. If you don't believe me," she paused, then continued, "I'll tell Feng Qishi to die."
"..." Mu Anxiao stiffened, retorting, "What did you say?"
"Feng Qishi and I have cooperated," Mo Juan stated seriously.
"Then Zhao Mei'er..."
"I only found out these past two days that the demons around me, while claiming to obey me, were actually listening to Ye. None of them are truly loyal to me. If you marry Ye, I'll truly have no standing. Conversely," Mo Juan interrupted, her gaze sincere, "I might be driven away by Ye. So as long as you leave, my position will be secured."
"Then kill me," Mu Anxiao said provocatively.
Mo Juan frowned. "Stop saying such things. If I really kill you, and Ye finds out, I won't survive either. What we can do now is fulfill each other's needs. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Is this pill truly the antidote?" Mu Anxiao pointed at the red pill.
Mo Juan nodded.
"If you're lying to me, I'll kill you right now," Mu Anxiao said, snatching the pill and swallowing it.
Seeing this, Mo Juan continued, "If Feng Qishi doesn't agree to Ye's demands, Ye will imprison him in the demon tower near the forbidden forest. You can go there directly then," she said, standing up. "Also, be careful in front of Ye. He's very intelligent." With that, she left.
Mu Anxiao took a few breaths and found that... her chest truly no longer hurt.