Chapter 84
Lin Tian’s heart lurched violently.
Setting aside the fact that he was a transmigrator, the cold truth remained—right now, he was nothing more than a small-time villain, an expendable side character…
And Xuan Yuan Qingya? The power she could command at this moment might not be any less than Jiang Yifeng’s!
[Crap! I think I’ve overdone it… Damn it, is this woman going to retaliate? Were my words just now too harsh? Hiss—should I run? But with the level of defense in this castle, even the Dragon Group couldn’t break in. How the hell am I supposed to get out?!]
For the first time, panic set in.
Yes, he was a transmigrator. Yes, he had a system.
But none of that meant he was safe right now…
But that so-called system of his was as good as dead—no starter pack, no cheat skills, not even the most useless perk to his name!
He hadn’t transmigrated with any overpowered abilities either.
Right now, he was just an ordinary man… nothing more.
And if he really had managed to anger this young lady of the Xuan Yuan family, then the consequences probably wouldn’t be much better than provoking Jiang Yifeng himself.
For a moment, Lin Tian even considered backpedaling, maybe offering an apology.
A real man knows when to bend and when to stretch—if bowing his head could save his life, then so be it! What was an apology compared to staying alive?
After all, it wasn’t like he’d lashed out on purpose. He’d just lost control for a moment, let his emotions spill over.
[Damn it… but what if she doesn’t accept it? This woman’s been pampered and proud her whole life—who’s ever dared talk to her so harshly? I’m screwed, I’m seriously screwed this time…]
As Lin Tian’s thoughts tangled into a mess, he suddenly noticed something—
Xuan Yuan Qingya’s body gave the faintest shiver, her face growing even redder.
It was as if… she really was about to cry.
……
When Xuan Yuan Qingya first heard Lin Tian speaking to her in that fierce, commanding tone, her heartbeat quickened.
Almost instinctively, she found herself wanting him to speak to her like that again.
And then, when Lin Tian raised his voice at her a second time, the sensation that washed over her was even stranger, even more overwhelming…
If she had to describe it, it was as though she were a parched traveler, trudging through the desert for days without water—only to suddenly be struck in the face by two bottles of ice-cold mineral water!
That surge of excitement, the racing heartbeat, the tingling current rushing across her whole body—it was completely beyond her control.
Almost without thinking, she had chosen to provoke him further, just to make him lash out again.
And sure enough, Lin Tian fell right into her design.
Only this time, what burst forth from him was not just irritation, but the full weight of all the suffocating pressure he had been suppressing over the past few days.
His voice was loud—almost like a restrained roar, each word brimming with suppressed fury.
His tone was ice-cold, detached, laced with irritation and anger, sharp to the point of being terrifying.
His presence was suffocating—his eyes, his expression, the tension in his movements, everything about him radiated an overwhelming sense of hostility. Lin Tian, in that moment, embodied the very essence of fierce.
And then, almost unconsciously, he took step after step closer…
That sensation, like a tyrant closing in on his prey, made Xuan Yuan Qingya feel as though she had just unlocked an entirely new world.
In her heart, Lin Tian was already imprinted as two things: her savior and a unique existence who could hear her innermost thoughts.
Those two alone had already made her feel an inexplicable closeness to him.
But now—now, as Lin Tian scolded her with such harshness, she realized something shocking.
From body to soul, she felt no resistance at all.
Instead… her heart beat faster. Her emotions swirled into something strange, indescribable, yet intoxicating.
At this moment, it was as if her mind had slipped beyond her control.
Especially when Lin Tian’s sharp words—“Do you understand?” “Do you get it?”—echoed in her ears, Xuan Yuan Qingya couldn’t help but bite her lip.
At this moment, she sat on Lin Tian’s bed, both hands clutching the cup tightly, her body curling in on itself like a startled fawn that had done something wrong.
Yet none of this matched what Lin Tian imagined—that she was angry.
No!
What overwhelmed her was the strange, intoxicating sensation stirred by his harsh words, wrapping her completely.
This state lingered… until Lin Tian’s inner voice, filled with hesitation about apologizing, reached her ears.
Only then did she snap awake.
In that instant of clarity, her eyes went blank, dazed, and bewildered.
What just happened to me?
Why… when Lin Tian scolded me, did I feel that kind of reaction?
I think I… actually like it when he’s fierce with me?
Xuan Yuan Qingya’s mind was still spinning with messy, tangled thoughts, yet her lips moved almost on instinct as she softly spoke:
“I… Lin Tian… I understand now. I’m sorry, I was too abrupt. Please… don’t be angry.”
At that moment, she didn’t look like the proud, untouchable empress she always expressed. Instead, she was like a pitiful little pet begging for its master’s forgiveness…
Her shy expression, reddened eyes, and trembling body only deepened that impression.
The entire aura around her shifted—completely, utterly reversed, as if she were a different person.
Lin Tian was utterly dumbfounded.
In the original story, Xuan Yuan Qingya was the kind of woman who never lowered her pride, not even in front of her mother.
Even after she became part of Jiang Yifeng’s harem, she remained distant from the other women, always standing apart—unique, mysterious, and unlike any of the rest.
Because of this, Lin Tian never imagined she would interact with him in such a way.
Even when she knocked on his door earlier, he had simply assumed she’d come to call him down for dinner—never once did it cross his mind that Xuan Yuan Qingya might approach him the same way Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, or Bai Bing’er had…
The main thing was—this woman’s pride was carved into her very bones. How could she possibly be acting like this?
And yet…
Looking at Xuan Yuan Qingya’s shy expression, hearing that faintly excited tone hidden beneath her words, watching her behave like some little girl who’d just done something wrong… Lin Tian was completely stunned.
What on earth was going on with her?
Xuan Yuan Qingya… apologizing?
No, something was off!
This was way too out of character!
Caught in his confusion, Lin Tian couldn’t help but ask with a doubtful expression:
“Um… Miss Xuan Yuan, are you sure you’re alright? Did you maybe catch a cold in the rain or something?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Xuan Yuan Qingya almost wanted to bury herself under the blanket in shame.
She hurriedly stood up, fidgeted with her deep-purple long dress, and without even caring about her flushed face anymore, stammered out in a rush:
“I… I’m fine. Really. As long as you’re not angry, that’s all that matters… Um, would it… be alright if I used your bathroom?”
Lin Tian was still utterly baffled. This young lady had just been scolded by him, yet she didn’t seem the least bit angry.
In fact… she was being polite?
Was this really the same proud, domineering Xuan Yuan Qingya he had in mind?
“Uh… p-please, go ahead…”
With a completely bewildered expression, Lin Tian stepped aside. Xuan Yuan Qingya lowered her head, flustered, and hurried into the bathroom.
“Tsk, strange things happen every year… but today’s just overflowing with them,” Lin Tian muttered under his breath, utterly speechless.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Lin Tian casually called out, “Who is it?”
“Mr. Lin, it’s the castle’s butler… may I ask, is the young lady inside?”
The voice outside was aged and carried a hint of anxiousness.
Lin Tian quickly took a few steps forward, opening the door as he replied, “Oh, yes, yes—she’s here.”
As the door swung open, the old butler—whom Xuan Yuan Qingya had addressed as Uncle Zhong—followed the direction of Lin Tian’s pointing finger. His face froze in utter confusion.
My young lady… is in the bathroom?
What for? Taking a bath?
What exactly… were you two doing in here???