As the end of the year approached, An Sheng grew increasingly busy at the Inner Depot.
When the Inner Depot was busy, it meant that everyone in the imperial court, from top to bottom, was not going to have an easy New Year.
The night before New Year's Eve, A Mei instructed the servants early on to prepare hot water.
When An Sheng returned to the estate that night and stepped into the room, A Mei immediately came forward to greet him. She asked first, "Husband, have you eaten?"
An Sheng looked exhausted, a lingering hostility resting between his brows. It only softened slightly when his eyes met A Mei's.
"I ate at the Inner Depot. Why aren't you asleep yet? Didn't I tell you that my official duties are heavy these few days and you shouldn't wait up for me at night?"
A Mei stared at her husband's tired face, her expression full of heartache. She spoke softly, "I wanted to wait for you. Thinking about how hard you work outside in such cold weather, how could I possibly sleep?"
An Sheng's lips curled up. With a sweep of his large arm, he pulled A Mei into his embrace, revealing his first smile of the day. "Good girl."
"Husband, the bathing room is ready. Let me serve you during your bath; you'll sleep much more comfortably afterward."
"Alright."
By the time the two finished washing up and came out, snowflakes had begun to drift down from the sky. A Mei was both surprised and delighted. "Husband, look, it's snowing!"
The sky was filled with snow cascading from the endless dark night above, reflecting a unique and poetic atmosphere under the fading lights of the An estate.
An Sheng, holding A Mei's hand, came to a halt in front of the courtyard, pausing just as she did.
A Mei turned to look at An Sheng, her bright, watery eyes sparkling like starlight. Her gaze fell upon his features, lightly dusted with snow. Even though her husband's face was cold and clear in that moment, his pitch-black eyes seemed to harbor endless whirlpools, as if threatening to draw her entirely in. A Mei suddenly felt the whole world turn soft and dreamlike.
"Husband," A Mei called out softly.
"Mhm." An Sheng curled his lips in response.
A Mei tilted her small face up and gave a sweet smile. "I suddenly feel so happy."
An Sheng looked down at A Mei's little face. His entire being relaxed, the exhaustion and gloom of the day vanishing in an instant. He asked, "Do you like watching the snow?"
A Mei nodded, then shook her head. "I like watching the snow with you."
As the snowflakes drifted down and a gentle breeze brushed past, An Sheng felt for the first time that falling snow could be so pleasing to the eye.
...
Inside the thick bed curtains, An Sheng hovered over A Mei, covering her beneath him. Supporting himself with one arm, he used his other hand to gently untie her slender sash.
A Mei's small face was already flushed pink. Her bright, watery eyes fluttered, filled with shyness and delicate charm.
An Sheng stared at A Mei, feeling a burning heat in his chest. He spoke in a low voice, "I've been leaving early and returning late these past few days, and I haven't loved on you properly. Did you feel like I've been neglecting you?"
A Mei was momentarily taken aback by his words. Then she blinked, her small face turning red as she glared playfully at him. "What are you saying, Husband? You are clearly so tired every day. Am I the kind of person who would pester her husband for marital intimacy every single day?"
A Mei huffed again. "Even though I like being intimate with you, I also know how to care for you. Besides, besides..."
"Besides what?" An Sheng stared deeply at A Mei, asking softly.
A Mei widened her innocent eyes. Although she was dying of embarrassment, she gave a delicate pout and confessed her true thoughts to her husband. "Besides, if you bullied me like that every day, how could I possibly take it?"
Then, A Mei pitifully pouted her small lips. "Last time, my body was sore and weak for several days."
The "last time" A Mei mentioned naturally referred to the time they had been drinking.
An Sheng suddenly found it amusing. A profound sense of masculine satisfaction and achievement welled up in his heart once more. This feeling, for a man like him who was not a true man, was truly wonderful. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pity and protectiveness toward the woman beneath him.
Staring at A Mei's charming and pretty appearance, An Sheng slowly coaxed her, "It's just that I've been falling asleep the moment I get back these past few days. I've been so tired that I haven't kissed or hugged you, and I was afraid my wife would feel neglected and sad."
An Sheng's words fell on A Mei's ears like sweet honey, as if she were completely immersed in a honeypot. Her heart felt impossibly sweet. Her bright eyes blinked as she gazed at An Sheng, and she said softly, "Not at all. You are so tired; I only feel heartache for you. How could I be sad?"
As she spoke, A Mei voluntarily raised her arms to make it easier for her husband to undress her.
When her clothes were removed, revealing her fair, tender, and crystal-clear skin, A Mei felt a bit chilly. She couldn't help but reach out to wrap her arms around An Sheng's neck, leaning into his embrace.
She whined softly, "It's a little cold. Husband, hold me."
An Sheng quickly took off his own clothes and leaned down, letting her delicate skin press against his warm chest.
A Mei let out a comfortable sigh.
He pulled the quilt over their entwined bodies, then leaned down to kiss A Mei's pouty, red lips.
An Sheng pecked and kissed her softly and meticulously, showing none of his usual frenzy and roughness.
"Good girl, come here, catch my tongue."
"Yes, stick it out a little more."
He slowly nibbled at A Mei's lips and teeth, patiently coaxing her to keep up with his rhythm. It provoked continuous soft pants from A Mei. Unable to swallow in time, a bit of saliva escaped the corner of her lips, only to be licked away by An Sheng...
When the kiss ended, An Sheng kissed his way down her slender neck bit by bit, his entire body slipping under the quilt.
On the bed, only A Mei's flushed little face could be seen exposed to the air, panting heavily, while the quilt covering her shifted and bulged with movement.
Not knowing where he had kissed, A Mei let out a sudden gasp.
"Don't..."
The next moment, her restlessly moving small hands were pinned to the sides of the bed by a pair of large hands.
"Be good, don't move."
"No, not there..."
"Be good, I like kissing..."
"Mmph... no... Husband, I've had... enough..."
An Sheng's tone brooked no refusal. "Enough what? We haven't even started yet. Be a good girl, A Mei. Let me make you comfortable first, and then you can make me comfortable."
...
