The Cold Minister’s Obsession: Chasing His Wife - Chapter 14

Hua Qingyue dug her heels into the cobblestone path, slowly inching her body backward.

Lu Yan had one foot planted firmly on the black-clad figure beneath him. His cold, hawk-like eyes flicked toward her before lowering again, his voice icy as if laced with frost. “Since you won’t talk, then die.”

With a brutal twist of his foot, the man spat out a mouthful of blood before going completely still.

This was Qingyue’s first time seeing death. Huddled in the corner of the covered walkway, she trembled uncontrollably, hands clamped over her mouth as she watched him casually withdraw his foot, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips.

As effortless as crushing an ant.

Lu Yan took in her terror with detached indifference. He pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and methodically wiped the blood from his hands before stepping inside to change his clothes. When he returned, Qingyue still had her eyes tightly shut, shivering faintly.

His brow furrowed slightly as he ordered Fei Jiu beside him, “Have someone clean this up.”

Only then did he stride toward Hua Qingyue.

Her mind replayed that fatal stomp over and over—until the metallic stench of blood grew overwhelming in her nostrils. She gagged, unable to hold back.

Lu Yan didn’t pause. He walked straight up to her, his large, veined hand clamping harshly around her chin, forcing her head up.

The sudden movement stunned Qingyue into paralysis. She squeezed her eyes shut with all her might, too terrified to look.

“Open them.”

His grip tightened, each word sharp and unyielding. “Don’t close your eyes. Look at me.”

Earlier, he had wielded that bloodied sword like an endless river of crimson. A single twist of his foot had ended a life. Only now did Qingyue truly understand who she was dealing with.

“Open them,” he commanded.

The chilling aura around her was unmistakable. Slowly, she pried her eyes open, meeting his face up close. Her voice quivered as she stammered, “Big Brother…”

“Afraid of me?”

His fingers pressed slightly harder, his dark, fathomless eyes boring into hers.

Qingyue nodded instinctively—then quickly shook her head.

The towering figure above her remained silent, his broad frame blocking nearly all the light from her view. “Tell me,” he said, voice devoid of warmth, “since you saw what happened just now, how should I punish you?”

Her face instantly drained of color.

“Big Brother, I—I won’t tell anyone,” Qingyue stammered, raising three fingers in a trembling oath. “I swear.”

Lu Yan let out a cold laugh. “Only the dead can keep their oaths.”

Her eyes flew open in shock as she scrambled backward. What did he mean?

Was he going to kill her?

But the Hua family had once saved the Lu family. Even his grandmother held them in gratitude. As the future head of the Lu clan, shouldn’t he at least hesitate before defying public opinion?

As if reading her thoughts, Lu Yan—long accustomed to absolute authority—spoke with ruthless finality. “Don’t bother bringing up favors. They mean nothing to me. If I decide to kill, no one can stop me.”

Qingyue’s breath hitched. The hand gripping her chin had somehow shifted to her throat. Though she sensed he wasn’t applying real pressure, she already felt suffocated.

She instinctively tried to retreat, but her back hit a wooden pillar—nowhere left to go.

Lu Yan leaned down, his gaze predatory. “Yesterday,” he murmured, “what did you do when you went to Lu Li’s place?”

As he spoke, his hands lightly caressed her smooth, fair neck. “Did he say he wanted to marry you, or did you say you wanted to marry him?”

Hua Qingyue’s pupils dilated abruptly. For a moment, she couldn’t grasp Lu Yan’s true intent behind the question. If such a relationship existed, perhaps he would spare her out of respect for her status as his future sister-in-law.

Or perhaps he was testing how tightly she held onto her secrets—whether a few threats from him could loosen her tongue about what she had said to Lu Third Young Master. If so, she might also reveal today’s events verbatim in the future.

She couldn’t decide immediately, but one thing was certain: betraying the Lu family would earn her no mercy from Lu Yan.

“Neither. Grandmother asked me to bring lotus seed jelly to Brother Li. We didn’t discuss such things.”

Her red lips had been bitten pale by her teeth, and tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill at any moment.

A cold smirk curled at the corner of Lu Yan’s thin lips. He loosened his grip slightly, though the chilling aura around him remained. His hands pressed against the railing behind her as he leaned in closer, their uneven breaths intertwining. Every word he spoke carried a warning,

“Among all the young men in my family, you chose to deliver it specifically to Lu Third Young Master. Such an intimate gesture—did you want him to misunderstand, or others to misunderstand, hmm?”

Silence stretched between them.

Hua Qingyue frowned, fat teardrops rolling down her cheeks one after another.

The more pitiful she looked, the more he wanted to torment her—just like that night.

The more she pleaded, the less he could let go.

Lu Yan’s gaze lingered on the woman before him. From this angle, he could see her fair, slender neck and the delicate curve disappearing beneath her collar—

The softness from that night flooded his mind once more.

No one knew better than he did just how soft she was.

Lu Yan abruptly averted his gaze, his tongue pressing against his molars as his grip tightened slightly.

Hua Qingyue’s face flushed from the pressure. No matter how hard she struck his hand, it was futile. Gradually, the air she could breathe grew thinner.

She could only shake her head desperately.

Lu Yan let out a cold laugh and released her neck. She gasped for air, only to hear his mocking voice in her ear.

“Better not be. They’re not people you can afford to provoke.”

After speaking, he deliberately exhaled a warm breath against her ear. “You’d do well to remember my words.”

Only then did he finally pull away, straightening up and walking into the courtyard.

In that brief moment, Hua Qingyue’s back was already drenched in cold sweat.

She stared blankly at his retreating figure.

Old Madam Lu hadn’t announced it publicly, but yesterday, she had hinted that Qingyue should wait until the Lotus Viewing Banquet and spend this time getting closer to Lu Li, nurturing their feelings.

Now, with less than ten days left before the banquet, once Old Madam Lu declared her engagement to Lu Li, this man would have no reason to interfere.

Lost in thought, she watched as he sat gracefully on a stone bench in the courtyard, the picture of noble refinement.

Had she not witnessed it herself, she would never have believed such cold-blooded intimidation could come from him.

Yet just then, Lu Yan smiled faintly, his voice cool and composed as ever. “Qingyue, come here. The instructing matron isn’t here today—it’s a good chance to test your recent progress.”

After this ordeal, Hua Qingyue understood all too well the cold-blooded ruthlessness hidden beneath this man’s disciplined and courteous facade—how he could take a life in the blink of an eye. Not daring to hesitate any longer, she took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and walked toward him.

She stopped just a few steps away.

He was sitting sideways, with a movable desk in front of him. A sheet of white paper was spread across it, as if he were painting.

Perhaps sensing someone’s gaze, Lu Yan set down his brush and curled his fingers, beckoning her over.

Hua Qingyue glanced around, then pointed at herself to confirm he was calling for her before rising hesitantly and walking over.

By the time she stood beside Lu Yan, a guard had already brought her a stool.

One moment, he wanted to kill her; the next, he treated her so kindly.

What a capricious madman.

Though puzzled, Hua Qingyue obediently sat down, ensuring her posture and expression were flawless.

Lu Yan picked up his brush, glancing at her intermittently before returning to his strokes on the paper.

Was he painting her portrait? The thought terrified her into stillness.

Before long, however, her rigid posture grew stiff, and her legs began to numb. She shifted slightly to ease the tingling pain in her feet.

At that, he set the brush down and cast her a cold glance, mocking, “I was almost done, but now I have to start over.”

Hua Qingyue dared not speak or move.

Half an hour later, she heard him say, “Do you only know this one pose? It’s unflattering. Do it again.”

Her innocent eyes filled with confusion as she looked at him. “Big brother, are you painting Qingyue?”