Wolf Wife

"I find myself in a most peculiar place," murmured Zhu Xiaonuo, groggily pulling herself up from the icy ground, her mind clouded as she surveyed the surroundings.

Gazing at the sudden array of tombstones neatly arranged in the heart of an expansive grove, it seemed she had inadvertently stumbled upon a certain family's burial ground. However, as she rubbed her head, she couldn't fathom whose gravesite she had come upon and how it had been constructed in such an odd manner.

Cold and hungry, it appeared she had been unconscious for quite some time. Xiaonuo assessed the deathly silence enveloping the vicinity and felt an inevitable tremor of fear. She recalled vividly celebrating her esteemed mother's birthday earlier that day, but then a dispute had arisen with her imperial sister over the throne of the White Tiger Kingdom. In a fit of anger, she impulsively uttered, "I might as well disappear!" And then... Xiaonuo tapped her temple, unable to recollect the events that had transpired. All she vaguely remembered was glimpsing terrified faces, witnessing something utterly inexplicable in the end! Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself here. Yet, why had she ended up in such an peculiar place? Lost in contemplation, as Xiaonuo mulled over these thoughts, a distinct set of footsteps drew closer, disrupting the desolate silence of the graveyard, nearly impossible to ignore in its vast emptiness.

Uncertain of her current predicament, Xiaonuo promptly concealed herself behind the nearest tombstone.

"Forgive me! I am compelled to disturb momentarily, I implore your forgiveness, please!" Xiaonuo hurriedly offered a few prayers to the tombstone sheltering her, only then daring to press herself tightly against it to assess the newcomer's situation.

"Do not come this way, do not come this way!" Watching two figures slowly approaching, Xiaonuo nervously pleaded to the heavens.

Unfortunately, from the moment fate cast her here, it seemed she had been selectively forgotten!

Closer they came! Xiaonuo watched with wide eyes as the two figures drew nearer and nearer until they stood in front of the tombstone where she hid!

"Disaster!" Xiaonuo cursed inwardly, fearing discovery. She hadn't even had the chance to scrutinize what the arrivals looked like before hastily retreating behind the tombstone, not daring to make a sound.

Fortunately, the newcomers failed to notice Xiaonuo concealed behind the tombstone. One of them, a seemingly young man, slowly spoke, "Uncle Wang, wait for me in the car! I need some time alone."

"Very well," an aged voice replied, containing a mix of kindness, resignation, and profound worry.

Seemingly grasping the elderly man's implications, the young man added, "Rest assured, I'll be fine!"

"In that case, young master, I'll head to the car first! Please, take care here, be cautious!" With no further response, footsteps echoed shortly after, indicating the departure of the elderly gentleman.

Another bout of silence enveloped the surroundings. If Xiaonuo hadn't heard the conversation earlier, she might have assumed no one had been there at all! After a while, just as Xiaonuo was on the verge of giving in to the urge to reveal herself, the individual finally began speaking.

"Xiaonuo, I'm sorry I only came to see you today!" Another deathly silence followed, prompting Xiaonuo to mutter inwardly, "Why beat around the bush? Hurry up and speak!"

"Xiaonuo, I came today to tell you something. I've avenged you. But even if I've eliminated everyone who ever hurt you, you won't return, won't smile sweetly and call me 'brother' as you did before!" The voice chuckled self-deprecatingly before continuing, "Honestly, I despise being called your brother. If I hadn't been your brother, perhaps what followed wouldn't have happened. With your kindness, even if I had sought revenge for you, you probably wouldn't have found happiness! Yet, if not for this, I truly don't know what else I could have done for you." The voice carried not just sorrow but also deep regret, layered upon regret. Even Xiaonuo, who didn't know the speaker, could sense the anguish and helplessness in his words.

"Xiaonuo, after you left me, the only reason I lived was to avenge you. But when I took revenge with my own hands, I suddenly realized I had nothing left! All this talk of revenge or not, it's merely an excuse for my own escape!"

Xiaonuo frowned, "Seems like another man trapped by emotions!"

"Xiaonuo, my biggest regret in life is not acknowledging my love for you sooner. Otherwise, there wouldn't be this many regrets today!"

"People are dead, what's the point of saying all this?" Xiaonuo muttered behind the tombstone.

"The title of siblings, perhaps you never took it seriously! You knew of my feelings for you, yet I insisted on treating it as mere sibling affection. Time and again, I hurt you, deliberately disregarded the pain in your eyes, deliberately ignored your repeated disappointments."

"This woman is utterly useless!" Xiaonuo scorned silently.

"Regrettably, by the time I realized it, it was already too late! They say men don't shed tears easily, but it's only because they haven't reached the point of heartache. Listening to the man's suppressed sobs, Xiaonuo felt an inexplicable pang in her heart.

"Xiaonuo, do you know what I want to say to you most now? It's those three words, 'I love you.' Unfortunately, you'll never hear them again. And I, I've forever lost the chance to say them!"

"This man, truly a hopeless romantic!" Xiaonuo silently judged. Though aware that eavesdropping was unethical, the circumstances seemed to compel her to listen.

"Xiaonuo, I truly wish to see you just once more, even if only a glance, Xiaonuo!" The man, overwhelmed by the pain in his heart, knelt on the ground like a child, pounding the earth fiercely, crying out, "Xiaonuo, get up, don't sleep here! Get up, you hear me. Do you hear me... sobs... O God, please, return Xiaonuo to me!"

Xiaonuo, in terror, covered her mouth, thinking, "Heavens, could this man be deranged, mentally unstable? If he discovers me here, it could be dangerous!"

Perhaps in moments of heightened tension, people were more prone to errors, as Xiaonuo felt her efforts to remain hidden were futile!

"Ah... Ah... Ah-choo!" Before Xiaonuo realized her mistake, a loud sneeze escaped her. She hurriedly covered her mouth, attempting to rectify her blunder, but—

"Who?" The chilling, icy tone, despite the warmth of the day, sent shivers down Xiaonuo's spine. It seemed the fragile voice from earlier had been nothing more than Xiaonuo's fleeting illusion!

"Would you kindly show yourself? Otherwise..."

"The power of a human voice can indeed be as sharp as a blade," Zhu Xiaonuo had to admit. The man's voice just now carried more force than her two sisters combined.

"This man, utterly lacking in tenderness," Zhu Xiaonuo said indignantly. Yet, recalling the man's madness from earlier, she involuntarily swallowed her spit, still lacking the courage to come forward and acknowledge him.

"Brave enough to eavesdrop but not brave enough to show yourself?" The man's tone dripped with disdain.

"Who says I don't dare to appear!" Zhu Xiaonuo detested being called cowardly, especially by a man. So as soon as the man's voice fell, a small head peeked out from behind the tombstone. Then, a pair of round, glossy, and swirling eyes along with an incredibly cute doll-like face appeared in front of Ye Tian. Despite her irritation, her face was still blushin