Yuanxi’s scolding fell on deaf ears as Xiao Du ignored her, comfortably nestled under her blankets, his eyes twinkling with anticipation. It seemed he was determined to be shameless and stubborn to the end.
No matter how much Yuan Xi glared at him, Xiao Du remained shamelessly lying in bed, much to her dilemma. With his face thicker than a city wall, he didn’t budge, leaving her at a loss for what to do. She approached the bed with a stern face, intending to reason with him, but before she could react, she was suddenly pulled, and in an instant, he had pinned her beneath him.
With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he was close, his hot breath caressing her face, making the atmosphere suddenly ambiguous.
Yuan Xi’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst out of her chest. She quickly turned her head away, trying to push him away with both hands, inadvertently causing the bed to creak. Li Mama, outside, heard the noise and approached, knocking on the door with concern. “Miss, is everything alright? Do you need us to come in?”
Startled, Yuan Xi quickly composed herself, pretending to be calm as she called out, “It’s nothing, I just had a nightmare. You all go back to sleep, there’s no need to come in.”
Li Mama scratched her head, a bit puzzled, and simply responded with an “Oh” before returning to her bed.
As the footsteps outside faded away, Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling her palms sweaty with nervousness. But when she looked up, she saw Xiao Du grinning slyly, whispering in her ear, “Let them catch us if they will. We’re husband and wife, what’s there to be afraid of?”
Yuan Xi felt her anger rising and decided to take action. She fiercely bit his earlobe, catching him off guard. He winced in pain, almost crying out, and then suddenly, he was kicked to the edge of the bed.
Yuan Xi quickly grabbed a blanket to wrap herself tightly, turning her back to him, fuming, “Sleep separately. If you dare come over again, I won’t spare you.”
Seeing her truly angry, Xiao Du reluctantly lay back down, looking like a scorned wife.
In the darkness, the only sound was the rhythm of their breathing. But in reality, neither could sleep, their eyes wide open, enduring this torturous night. After a while, Xiao Du tentatively tugged at Yuan Xi’s ponytail, calling out softly, “Xi’er…”
Yuan Xi closed her eyes, determined not to respond, but Xiao Du, with a pitiful tone, said, “Xi’er… my leg hurts again.”
Yuan Xi buried her head in the blanket, forcing herself to harden her heart. “Endure it yourself.”
With a sigh, Xiao Du persisted, “Xi’er… I’m cold!”
Yuan Xi’s tone remained cold. “There are more blankets in the cupboard. Get them yourself if you’re cold.”
Xiao Du sighed again but still didn’t give up. “Xi’er…”
Yuan Xi was getting annoyed by his persistence. She turned around, glaring at him. “What do you want?”
Xiao Du looked into her eyes, his lips curling up into a smile. “I just want to look at you. Just looking at you is enough for me.”
Yuan Xi’s face flushed suddenly. Before she could speak, Xiao Du had already slipped under her blanket, whispering in her ear, “When two people hug, they won’t feel cold.”
His seductive and hoarse voice left Yuan Xi momentarily confused. Before she could react, she found herself enveloped in his embrace. His strong chest pressed tightly against her soft body, through the thin inner clothes, every slight friction sparked fireworks, reminding them of things they shouldn’t be remembering.
Yuan Xi felt her whole body burning up. She wanted to struggle, but Xiao Du firmly held her head down, his voice hoarse, “Don’t move, I just want to hold you. If you move again, I won’t be able to control myself.”
Yuan Xi’s head was spinning, feeling powerless against him. She could only obediently nestle in his embrace, their hearts beating violently together, the surroundings feeling hot as if they could burst into flames at any moment.
In the hazy night, with the warmth of his embrace, Xiao Du couldn’t resist any longer. His hand, placed on her waist, began to wander restlessly, his desire burning within him. Eventually, guided by his longing, it found its way to where it had been longing for.
Caught off guard by his sudden advance, Yuan Xi’s body trembled violently. She wanted to cry out in surprise but could only let out a soft moan, and then, all her curses and moans were silenced by him. His tongue gently teased hers, dissolving countless thoughts and grievances in their tender entanglement.
They kissed until the air in their lungs was almost sucked dry, and only then did Xiao Du satisfiedly release her lips. Yuan Xi, embarrassed and angry, tried to push him away, gasping, “You! You’re not keeping your word!”
But Xiao Du wasn’t satisfied with just lingering between her lips. As he skillfully traced her curves, inching downwards, he muttered, “I’ll just kiss you, nothing else.”
He was too familiar with her body, every touch causing her pleasure. Yuan Xi bit her lip hard, trying to suppress the almost involuntary moans, cursing him in her heart, “Big liar, this is not just kissing.” But her body had already turned into a pool of water, unable to resist his every touch and caress.
So, as the breaths in the room grew heavier, what should have been kissed was kissed, and what shouldn’t have been done was done anyway.
Finally, as the sounds of heavy breathing in the room gradually subsided, Yuan Xi, red-faced, straightened her clothes. Turning around, she saw the culprit, still smiling slyly. She gritted her teeth and said, “It’s almost dawn, why aren’t you leaving?”
Xiaodu couldn’t help but gaze fondly at her cheeks still flushed with color. Though her eyes held a hint of anger, there was a certain charm about her. He found himself infatuated once again, feeling that at this moment, not even mountains or seas could tear him away from her. So, he gently brushed aside the damp hair on her brow, kissing her forehead and then her eyes, until he found himself back at her lips, murmuring, “It’s not yet dawn, we still have time.”
Yuan Xi was once again entangled by him, her heart pounding in surprise. Could it be that he still wanted… But he had already proved her guess with his actions. His warm hands began to roam, igniting a fire between them once again until it spread and burned out between them.
As the first light of dawn filtered through the window, casting its glow upon the layers of curtains, the creaking bed finally returned to silence. A strand of black hair slid down from his robust neck, intertwining with the scattered strands on the pillow. Seeing the person beside her finally fall asleep satisfied, Yuan Xi felt sore all over from the night’s ordeal, lacking even the strength to glare at him.
Just then, there came a knock at the door, followed by Li Mama’s voice, “Miss, Seventh Auntie is here, she said she’s waiting for you to have breakfast together.”
Yuan Xi suddenly opened her eyes, remembering that she had made plans to have breakfast with Seventh Auntie this morning. She looked at the person sleeping beside her and quickly woke him up, signaling him with her eyes to hurry and get dressed.
Xiao Du groggily opened his eyes, still not understanding what was going on, before being pulled out of bed by her. The warmth in his arms turned into a cold robe, making him shiver uncomfortably.
Yuan Xi quickly put her finger to her lips to silence him, then cleared her throat and called out, “I know, you all don’t need to come in yet, I’ll be out in a moment.”
Xiao Du reluctantly put on his robe, muttering discontentedly, “I’m the legitimate son-in-law of your family, why do I feel like a thief?”
Yuan Xi remembered her flushed face from last night and regretted her lack of determination. She tapped her crimson cheeks and whispered, “Hurry up and get dressed. Go out through the window. There’s a side gate at the back of the courtyard. It’s usually not guarded, and it’s still early now. You should be able to leave without being noticed.”
Xiao Du felt even more uncomfortable, glaring at her, “Why should I sneak away? If I’m leaving, I’ll leave openly with you.”
Yuan Xi was afraid he would delay Li Mama outside, who might come in at any moment. She urged anxiously, her eyes red with urgency, “Xiao Du, what we did last night was already inappropriate. We haven’t figured things out yet. How can we just go back together like this?”
Xiao Du, afraid she would cry, had to coax her, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”
So, reluctantly, he had to do as she said, limping out the window and sneaking around to the back of the courtyard, carefully avoiding the mansion guards, before slipping out through the side gate.
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he walked into a dark alley and saw a horse carriage parked there with a green curtain. He approached and lifted the curtain, seeing Xiao Chun sleeping inside. Xiao Chun woke up groggily, seeing that the Marquis had returned, and jumped up excitedly, “Marquis, you’re finally back! I was worried something happened to you!”
Xiao Du boarded the carriage with a grim expression, grumbling, “With my skills, what could happen to me?”
Xiao Chun looked him up and down, seeing that he hadn’t returned all night. While his face was gloomy, there was a hint of spring in his eyes. Immediately understanding what had happened, Xiao Chun’s adoring gaze turned into sympathy. It seemed that the Marquis, with all his skills, had spent the whole night trying to coax the Madam back, but failed. It appeared that the Marquis’s skills weren’t quite up to par.
Unaware of Xiao Chun’s thoughts, Xiao Du instructed the coachman to hurry back to the mansion. Xiao Chun hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage and whispered to Xiao Du, “Recently, I’ve acquired the latest one hundred and eight secret techniques. Would the Marquis like to learn them? They might come in handy next time.”
Xiao Du didn’t understand at first, but when he finally did, a shrill scream echoed through the dark alley, lingering endlessly…