The Wei family had an underground ice cellar specifically for storing ice to provide relief from the summer heat.
Winter had just passed not long ago, and the ice cellar was full of stored ice. The maid was ordered to immediately seek out Zhang, the Wei family’s housekeeper, for ice. Hearing that the west wing urgently needed ice, and a large quantity at that, Zhang was puzzled but immediately took the key to open the cellar door and retrieve the ice. She filled two large buckets and had them carried to the west wing, personally delivering them to Xiao Qiao, who directed them to be placed outside the bathroom door. As the servants withdrew and Xiao Qiao followed to close the door, she heard footsteps behind her, knowing it was Weishao taking the ice. Remembering his nakedness, she didn’t dare turn back to look.
A moment later, she heard two splashing sounds from the bathroom, knowing the ice blocks had been poured into the water. Then, it became quiet inside.
While waiting for the ice, Xiao Qiao had been speculating about his purpose for it.
Initially, she thought he wanted to take a cold bath to exercise his body. But on second thought, it didn’t seem likely. It was too abrupt – how could he suddenly decide to take a cold bath for exercise after just having a meal in the east wing? As she pondered this, she suddenly remembered noticing something unusual protruding from his lower body when he first entered, though she had been too flustered by his pushing her aside to think much of it at the time.
Now, thinking carefully and considering his abnormal behavior, Xiao Qiao suddenly had a realization, and she immediately felt embarrassed…
But new questions arose: how had he suddenly become like this for no apparent reason?
It didn’t take much knowledge to know that this was definitely not normal for a man.
Understanding the situation, Xiao Qiao initially thought to leave and avoid him, returning only after he had cooled down on his own.
This wasn’t just for her safety; Xiao Qiao guessed that he probably wouldn’t want her around to see him in such a vulnerable state.
However, he had been in there for quite some time, and apart from the initial sounds of ice being poured, there had been no other noise. She began to worry. Holding her breath, she listened carefully. There was no sound at all.
Xiao Qiao finally approached and asked through the curtain, “How… are you doing?”
There was still no response from inside.
Xiao Qiao began to feel uneasy. After hesitating, she lifted the curtain and looked inside.
He was completely submerged in the water, with only his head and neck exposed. The thick layer of ice floating on the surface had slowly melted and shrunk. His head was tilted slightly back, his brows furrowed, eyes closed, his expression still very tense and pained.
Hearing her movement, he slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing that he was still alive, Xiao Qiao let out a sigh of relief. Not daring to look at him directly, she lowered her gaze, focusing on the pile of clothes he had thrown on the floor in front of her feet. She spoke in a voice she tried to keep as normal as possible: “Then I’ll go out for now. I’ll be just outside the room. If you’re feeling better, or if you need anything else, just call out.” With that, she quickly turned to leave. After taking two steps, she heard his voice from behind: “I’m thirsty… help me get some water…”
His voice sounded broken and hoarse.
Xiao Qiao paused, then responded with an “Oh,” and hurried to fetch water and return.
“Here’s the water,” she said softly, holding it out to him.
Weishao’s eyelashes trembled slightly, like two thin butterfly wings, giving Xiao Qiao a sense of weak beauty amidst torment.
He slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at her, sitting up slightly and lifting a bare arm from the water to take the teacup from her hand.
Her hand accidentally brushed against his.
Although it was just a brief touch, Xiao Qiao felt the scorching temperature of his skin. The ice-cold water seemed to have done little to lower his body temperature.
Weishao tilted his head back to drink. Xiao Qiao heard the clear gulping sounds as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving violently up and down with each swallow. A few floating ice cubes touched his chest and were pushed away, slowly spinning aimlessly on the water’s surface.
He finished the water in just a few gulps. Xiao Qiao took back the teacup and hesitated before saying, “If you’re not feeling well… should I go to the north wing and tell Grandmother…”
“Don’t let Grandmother know!” He immediately interrupted her.
Xiao Qiao was startled, then nodded, “I understand. Is there anything else I can do for you? If not, I’ll go out now.”
Weishao’s gaze fell on her, lingering for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing once more.
“Another cup of water, more…” He finally mumbled, his voice as hoarse as a whisper. Then he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tub wall.
Xiao Qiao responded with an “Oh,” and “Just a moment.” She chided herself for not bringing the entire teapot earlier. She hurriedly turned to leave, and as she was about to lift the curtain at the bathroom door, she suddenly heard the sound of water splashing onto the floor behind her, mixed with the slight bouncing sound of ice cubes hitting the ground.
Weishao suddenly opened his eyes and emerged from the water, his bare feet touching the ground as he took large strides toward her. Water clung to his shoulders and back, quickly forming thin streams that rolled down along the slight undulations of his muscles, leaving a wet trail on the ground behind him.
Xiao Qiao was stunned. Before she could turn around, she felt heat on her back as the tall, hard body of the man behind her enveloped her.
Weishao embraced her from behind, his arms passing under her armpits, holding her tightly against his body, forcing her to press closely against his skin.
She was wrapped in a thin silk spring robe. As soon as he pressed her against his chest, Weishao felt a coolness like jade, completely different from the icy water, and unbelievably soft. It was as if he could completely meld her cool softness into his skin if he applied just a little more pressure.
His tormented body finally felt some comfort. The part of him that had been numb and unable to find relief suddenly seemed to come alive again, blood beginning to flow once more.
A moan escaped his throat, and he couldn’t help but lower his head, his mouth once again enveloping her cool earlobe, his hot tongue curling around it and nibbling.
Caught completely off guard by Weishao’s sudden assault, with her earlobe feeling like it was about to be bitten off, Xiao Qiao cried out in pain and shock. The teacup slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, shattering into two halves with a “bang.” She immediately struggled to break free from his arms.
But Weishao could no longer control himself. With one hand, he easily scooped up Xiao Qiao and, ignoring her struggles and blows, carried her straight to the bed and threw himself on top of her.
Weishao didn’t know what kind of aphrodisiac his mother had given him to drink, but it was incredibly potent. After forcefully suppressing the initial surge of the drug’s effects, it refused to completely subside. Though no longer as violent as at first, it had transformed into a persistent, dull sensation that was extremely uncomfortable and tormenting, and he was unable to release it on his own.
Earlier, he had felt as if he had died once. Now he felt alive again, wanting to completely relieve himself through her. Ignoring her struggles and resistance, he tore off her clothes in a few swift movements, stripping her as bare as himself. The sight of her smooth, jade-like skin further inflamed his eyes. As he gritted his teeth, about to possess her, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Xiao Qiao had bitten him hard, her sharp, fine teeth sinking deep into his flesh like a fish hook in a fish’s mouth, drawing blood.
Then she began to cry, large tears rolling down from the corners of her eyes, her sobs muffled and heartbroken, filled with pain.
Weishao abruptly stopped, breathing heavily. He lay on top of her for a moment, then suddenly rolled off, lying motionless on his back at the edge of the bed.
On his left shoulder’s deltoid muscle, a deep set of teeth marks remained, with crimson blood slowly seeping from the skin, forming a crescent moon shape with an eerie beauty.
…
He had barely begun, yet Xiao Qiao was already in unbearable pain. Unable to imagine how it would feel if he forcefully entered her, the pain combined with panic, and being pinned down and unable to move, she bit down hard on his shoulder. Now finally free, she felt as if granted a great pardon. She grabbed her clothes and scrambled across his thighs, not even taking time to put on her shoes before running away barefoot.
“Where are you going?” Weishao’s voice rang out from behind, tinged with dejection.
Xiao Qiao didn’t respond, running in one breath to the screen by the door, hurriedly wrapping her clothes back around herself.
Weishao pulled a nearby blanket, casually covering his lower abdomen as he slowly sat up.
Xiao Qiao watched him warily.
“Earlier at my mother’s, I accidentally ingested an aphrodisiac,” he said slowly, looking at Xiao Qiao. His expression was dejected, even listless.
Xiao Qiao was stunned.
“At first, as you saw, I thought I could handle it. But…” He trailed off, his eyes falling on Xiao Qiao.
Xiao Qiao came to her senses, hurriedly clutching her clothes at her chest and taking a step back. She blurted out, “Do you want me to call someone? I’ll call right away! If one isn’t enough, I’ll call two!”
After she finished speaking, seeing his eyes still fixed on her, his gaze flickering, she became even more flustered.
“Or wait! Just hold on a bit longer! I’ll get dressed and go tell Grandmother to call a doctor for you…” She turned to leave. Weishao got off the bed and strode towards her, reaching out to embrace her and bringing her back to the bed, pulling down the bed curtains in one motion.
The light on the bed immediately dimmed, becoming hazy.
… although she hadn’t dared to look closely earlier, Xiao Qiao had still caught a glimpse. Even without him entering her earlier, she had been in terrible pain. And he had taken that kind of drug. In this situation, if he were to… it would be a lifelong trauma.
Xiao Qiao struggled again, but he pinned her down on the pillow. She opened her eyes wide, watching in terror as his hand reached towards her, tears immediately welling up and falling down her cheeks.
He grasped one of her hands.
“I’m in a lot of pain. Please help me,” he said softly, lying down and turning his face to look into her eyes.
Xiao Qiao was stunned. Suddenly, she understood his meaning.
“Can’t you do it yourself?” she asked, her voice choked with sobs, tears still hanging from the corners of her eyes.
“It’s numb, I can’t finish. If you help me, I won’t do anything else for you. I promise,” he said slowly.
Xiao Qiao stopped crying and looked at him.
Their foreheads were almost touching.
His forehead was burning hot as if he had a fever. His face was flushed like he had been drinking, his expression heavy and frustrated.
Looking into Xiao Qiao’s beautiful eyes still brimming with tears, he slowly guided her hand, finally placing it under the blanket and pressing it down.
Xiao Qiao’s face immediately turned bright red. She tightly closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling incessantly.
Weishao also closed his eyes, letting out a long, comfortable sigh.
…
Weishao’s mother was truly courting death, not only harming her son but also causing Xiao Qiao to suffer collateral damage. If she weren’t her mother-in-law, Xiao Qiao would have wanted to rush over and dump a chamber pot over her head. Who knows what she had fed her son, for the drug to be so potent? Once was far from enough; later, they had to go through several more rounds until near dawn when Weishao, having finally fully released and become utterly exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.
Xiao Qiao slept straight through until the afternoon of the next day. When she woke up, she was alone in the bed.
Her poor hand had not only lost its innocence but her arm was so sore she could barely lift it.