When Cui Yunchu heard that Shen Xiabai had driven Shen Zilan out of the residence, she felt a little guilty.
After changing and freshening up, she waited and waited in the room, but Shen Xiabai still did not return.
Xing’er teased her, “Miss, have you reached the point where you can’t sleep without Lord Shen?”
“Yes.” Cui Yunchu admitted it with complete frankness. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she asked, “I thought Dowager Shen doted on Shen Zilan. Why would she drive him out over such a small matter?”
Xing’er replied, “Apparently, the Dowager wants him to marry as soon as possible—to marry Miss Chen. Young Master Shen isn’t willing.”
Chen Miaohe was indeed a fine young woman.
Resting her chin in her hands, Cui Yunchu stared toward the door.
The moment Shen Xiabai entered the room, he met her bright, expectant eyes. They gazed at him, brimming with delight.
“You’re back?” Cui Yunchu knelt on the bed and moved forward a few steps on her knees.
Shen Xiabai felt as though his heart had been seized in a tight grip. His blood rushed to his head, leaving him short of breath. He answered her and strode forward to meet the arms she had opened toward him.
“Why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”
“I was waiting for you,” Cui Yunchu said softly.
Nearby, Xing’er watched the two of them with a flushed, delighted smile. Then someone gave her sleeve a sharp tug. Yu Feng whispered, “Still watching? Come on, let’s go.”
Xing’er was dragged straight out of the room.
Cui Yunchu did not spare her even a glance. Her entire attention was fixed on Shen Xiabai. He had bathed and changed in the study. His inner robe hung slightly open, and a thick cloak was draped over it. A faint, warm woody fragrance lingered around him.
Kneeling on the bed, Cui Yunchu tilted her head back to look at his face, somewhat entranced.
In her previous life, it had been this face that first caught her eye—elegant, striking, and utterly intoxicating.
Shen Xiabai clearly enjoyed her gaze. “Am I handsome, my lady?”
Cui Yunchu nodded. Then, pressing one hand against his shoulder, she pushed him directly onto the bed.
Their movements sent the bed curtains swaying, completely concealing what was happening inside. Shen Xiabai’s Adam’s apple bobbed several times as he stared blankly at the woman straddling him.
Her dark hair fell loose, brushing lightly against his partly exposed chest. The sensation tickled, and heat rose through his body.
“A Chu.”
His chest was broad and powerful, his features sharp and masculine. Cui Yunchu could not help swallowing as she reached out to tug at the sash of his inner robe.
“A Chu.” Shen Xiabai hurriedly caught her hand. “Don’t move around.”
Cui Yunchu fell silent.
She tugged hard, but could not loosen it, and grew somewhat displeased. “Let go.”
Shen Xiabai’s face was flushed. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders, he pressed her against his chest. “Wait a little longer. We aren’t married yet.”
“…”
She did not mind, yet he was the one being old-fashioned.
“Didn’t you say it would be soon?” Cui Yunchu frowned.
“It will be soon indeed. Don’t be impatient, A Chu.”
“I am.” Cui Yunchu knit her brows and reached for his sash again.
Shen Xiabai rolled over and pinned her beneath him, catching her wrists with a helpless expression.
Cui Yunchu was the sort of woman who dared to drug a man the moment she took a liking to him. Now that they loved one another, she certainly had no reason to be afraid. Even when they had been without a name or status, she had never been one to hold back.
“Has Lord Shen lost his nerve?”
Her lips were red and moist, especially alluring whenever they parted to speak. Shen Xiabai suddenly lowered his head and sealed those lips with his own.
Cui Yunchu took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his waist.
At first, Shen Xiabai only meant to silence her with a kiss. But the woman beneath him clung to him like a vine, refusing to let go, and he found himself wanting to go deeper, to explore and understand her little by little.
Before either of them realized it, only a thin layer of clothing remained between them.
Cui Yunchu’s arms were slender and fair, and the hand clasped around his neck held him tightly. Shen Xiabai found it difficult to breathe.
“A Chu, why are you suddenly being like this?”
“My lust came over me.” Cui Yunchu sounded perfectly justified. “We already share a bed. Why should I make things difficult for myself?”
“Or is it that you’re not certain you can marry me?”
Shen Xiabai slowly closed his eyes. “Just wait. Tomorrow, I’ll kill Xiao Lan.”
His palm pressed against the small of her back, pulling her firmly into his arms. The brazier crackled in the room, and a thin sheen of sweat gathered over both their backs.
Exhausted and utterly spent, Cui Yunchu lacked the strength even to move her fingers. Her arm slipped beyond the bed curtains, only for Shen Xiabai’s strong, knuckled hand to catch it. Their fingers interlaced, and he pulled her back inside.
His burning chest pressed against Cui Yunchu’s back…
The motion left her head throbbing.
His powerful arm slipped around her shoulders from behind and held her tightly, leaving her unable to move. Cui Yunchu clutched the bedding beneath her, already regretting her momentary indulgence.
“My… my brain is about to be shaken into mush.”
She protested several times, but the man behind her swallowed every complaint whole.
…
Before one wave had even settled, another rose. Through the lattice window, Cui Yunchu watched the sky gradually brighten. Completely drained, she let her head loll to one side, ready to pass out.
Indeed, lust was a blade hanging over one’s head. How had she failed to realize in her previous life that he was so vigorous?
Her exhausted fingers were too tired to move. Leaning against him with her eyes half closed, she could still feel the pleasure of the night lingering in her mind.
After indulging himself, Shen Xiabai could not help feeling somewhat remorseful. “Your husband guarded himself so painstakingly for so long, only to throw all that effort away tonight.”
Cui Yunchu kicked him. “Don’t act as if you haven’t benefited. I’m the one who should be complaining, yet I haven’t said a word.”
“It’s dawn. You should get up and attend court.”
“Let’s wait a little longer.” Shen Xiabai held her close. “A Chu, when you were seducing your husband just now, you seemed to have quite a few tricks.”
He caught the hand that had been misbehaving earlier and brought it to his lips. Cui Yunchu had slept in a daze all night and barely heard what he was saying.
“Where did you learn that?”
“Experience,” Cui Yunchu mumbled.
“One time makes the next easier.” After all, she had spent several hours tormenting him in her previous life. How could she not know exactly where his weaknesses lay?
Those words made Shen Xiabai sit bolt upright. The covers shifted with his movement, letting in a draft.
Cui Yunchu turned back in displeasure and shoved hard against his chest. “What are you doing? You’re disturbing my rest.”
“Where did you get that ‘one time’?”
“What are you talking about?” Cui Yunchu glared at him.
Shen Xiabai caught the back of her head and tried to make her sit up. Cui Yunchu refused, burrowing deeper beneath the covers. “Oh, leave me alone.”
“…”
Shen Xiabai said angrily, “You weren’t saying that last night.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, wishing she could merge herself into him.
“Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today. People can’t go on living in the past.”
“Get up and explain yourself.” Shen Xiabai stubbornly tugged her upright, refusing to let her sleep.
Cui Yunchu stared at him blearily. “You’re just not good enough, and now you’re blaming my technique. What kind of logic is that?”
Shen Xiabai’s face instantly darkened. Pretending to be angry, he reached out and pinched her slender neck.
Cui Yunchu suddenly threw off the covers, exposing herself. Shen Xiabai immediately released her, his breathing growing ragged.
“That’s all the ability you have?” She snatched the covers back over herself, lay down, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.
Shen Xiabai was speechless.
“My lord, it’s time for court.” Yu Feng’s voice came from outside.
Shen Xiabai watched Cui Yunchu’s peaceful sleeping face for a while before angrily throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.
“Make sure she’s properly covered. Close the door, and add more charcoal to the brazier. It’s a little cold.”
Cui Yunchu murmured a few instructions. Shen Xiabai had already reached the doorway, but then returned with a dark expression and followed each instruction to the letter.
Yu Feng had thought his master would be in high spirits today. He waited outside with a broad grin, only to see Shen Xiabai emerge with a grim face.
????
Could it be that things had gone badly from the very start?
That couldn’t be right. He had clearly heard some very unmistakable sounds last night.
Could it be that his master’s… physical condition was—
Yu Feng handed him his cloak and offered some consolation. “Don’t be upset, my lord. Imperial Physician Chen is quite skilled in this particular area. Why not have him take a look after court?”
Shen Xiabai could see the pity and sympathy in Yu Feng’s eyes.
The Shen residence was neither particularly close to nor far from the imperial palace, but getting there on foot was still quite exhausting. By the time Yu Feng had braved the wind and run after the carriage all the way to the palace gates, he felt as though the wind had nearly flayed the skin from his face and ears.
