A Mei woke up before dawn.
Having slept for so long, A Mei finally felt that she had made up for yesterday's lack of sleep and the exhaustion in her body.
Still in that familiar embrace, A Mei shifted in An Sheng's arms, then lifted her head toward the source of his steady breathing.
The candles in the room had gone out at some point, and there was no light outside. A Mei blinked; although she couldn't see her husband's silhouette clearly, her heart felt incredibly grounded and sweet.
At this moment, An Sheng also opened his eyes. With his soft and delicate wife in his arms, his heart only felt increasingly tender. He curled his lips into a smile, lowered his head just right to touch A Mei's forehead, and planted a gentle kiss.
"You're awake?"
In the dark, A Mei gave a soft hum. "Husband, what time is it? Why is it still so dark?"
"It should be almost dawn."
"Oh."
"Do you need to relieve yourself?"
A Mei shook her head slightly, then remembered her husband probably couldn't see her do that, so she whispered back, "I don't want to. What about you, Husband?"
"I don't." An Sheng reached out and rubbed A Mei's head. Finding the texture pleasing, he rubbed it again.
A Mei let out a soft whine, acting coy in a low voice, "Husband, don't rub A Mei's hair like that. It will be hard to comb when we get up later."
Remembering that A Mei had always been afraid of the dark, An Sheng said softly, "It's all right, I will help you comb your hair later. Since we are no longer sleeping, I'll get up first and light the candle."
As he spoke, An Sheng was about to lift the quilt and get out of bed. But just as he sat up, a pair of slender, soft arms wrapped around his waist.
"Don't go, Husband. It will be dawn soon anyway. A Mei likes it like this. With Husband by my side, A Mei feels at ease no matter what."
A Mei's arms circled An Sheng's waist. Her small hands took the opportunity to squeeze his firm abdomen, then slowly moved upward, touching his hard chest, and finally reaching his heart, where she heard the strong, powerful beats, one after another.
The restricted vision in the dark amplified the physical sense of touch, and An Sheng's breathing gradually grew heavier.
His voice hoarse, he asked, "Do you want it?"
Those few light words instantly burned A Mei's ears red. Before she could answer, she heard An Sheng chuckle, "Since you can't sleep anymore anyway, and it's still early, why don't we... Ouch!"
A Mei pinched the soft flesh at An Sheng's waist and chided coquettishly, "Are you ever going to stop, Husband! Hmph!"
The dark night concealed A Mei's blushing cheeks. Remembering how much her husband had tossed her about over the past two days, she was exhausted no matter how much she liked it. Feeling it wasn't enough to vent her frustration, A Mei simply pinched him a few more times.
An Sheng deliberately twisted his waist exaggeratedly to dodge, begging for mercy, "Ouch, ouch, I was wrong, please be gentle, my lady."
A Mei suddenly glared, her tone both sweet and bossy, "You dare to hide? Who was it that said yesterday I could beat and punish him as I please?"
Although An Sheng couldn't see clearly, he could naturally imagine A Mei's cute and charming look from her tone of voice. His heart burned hot, and he simply turned around, pulling the fragrant, soft beauty into his arms and pressing her back beneath him.
An Sheng kissed the source of the voice, a light touch that quickly parted, and coaxed, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. My lady is right, I absolutely submit to your beatings and punishments. If you must blame someone, blame my lady for being too cute, charming, and deliciously beautiful. Even though I am just a rootless eunuch, nowadays whenever I see my lady, I can't help but want to be intimate and entangled with you, caressing you to the fullest. I can't help it, and I can't control it. Tell me, A Mei, what should I do?"
An Sheng's confession, spoken like sweet nothings, made the corners of A Mei's mouth rise high in undisguised joy.
Her heart bloomed with happiness.
She had wanted to pretend to be a little fiercer, but the moment she opened her mouth, she couldn't hide her secret delight and attachment. "Then... then there's nothing we can do. Husband better not hold back then."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt An Sheng's chest vibrate as he let out a low chuckle.
A Mei pinched An Sheng again. "Husband, you are not allowed to laugh!"
An Sheng immediately straightened his attitude. "Mm, I'm not laughing."
A Mei gave a nasal hum in response. Then, her hands moved up from An Sheng's waist, climbing onto his neck and pulling downward slightly. An Sheng followed her lead and lowered himself. Their noses touched, and A Mei's toes curled slightly. She pursed her little lips in the dark and acted coquettishly toward An Sheng, "Husband, kiss me. Kiss me gently."
Immediately after, warm, moist, and tender kisses fell over her face, lingering deeply like a gentle breeze and a soft drizzle.
...
In the bathroom, the steam was dense. A Mei squinted her eyes, soaking in the hot water, letting An Sheng scrub her body.
An Sheng controlled his strength very well, rubbing exceptionally gently, making A Mei hum in comfort.
"Husband, a little lower."
"Yes, it's a bit sore here, rub it a little more."
"Phew, that feels so good."
When she was just about done washing, An Sheng wrapped A Mei up, lifted her out of the bathtub, and placed her on the chair in front of the dressing table. The jade hairpin holding her hair was pulled out, and her wet hair cascaded down.
An Sheng stood behind A Mei with his eyes lowered, holding a towel and carefully drying her hair.
A Mei looked through the mirror at her husband's face with his lips slightly pursed and eyes lowered, reflecting the faint yellow light of the morning dawn. She felt her whole being fall into a trance.
The thought that her usually uninhibited, free-spirited, and arrogant husband was now quietly and silently grooming her made A Mei's heart leap with such joy it felt like it would tremble out of her chest.
It wasn't until An Sheng seemed to sense it and lifted his gaze, sweeping a look of silent love deep into A Mei's heart.
Suddenly, even though it was just a single glance, it made A Mei blush and her heart race.
An Sheng's slender eyes narrowed slightly, and his palm couldn't help but caress A Mei's crimson cheeks.
A Mei couldn't help but close her eyes, gently rubbing her cheek against An Sheng's palm. A wave of warmth blossomed in her heart, as if wrapping her entire being in it.
Then she opened her eyes, smiling like a blooming flower, and called out, "Husband."
"Mm."
"Husband."
"Mm, what is it?"
"Nothing, A Mei just wanted to call you."
An Sheng's eyes were full of indulgence. He leaned over and coaxed softly in A Mei's ear, "All right. Whenever my lady calls, I will answer."
A Mei's eyes visibly brightened, and the corners of her mouth curled up high. The word sweetness instantly took on a physical form on A Mei's little face.
Suddenly, A Mei's eyes widened, and she let out a soft gasp.
"Oh no, Husband. Today is the second day of the new year, and yesterday was the first. We went to the palace early in the morning, and up until now, we completely forgot to give Douzi his New Year's money!"
Saying this, A Mei couldn't sit still anymore and was about to get up.
But she was gently held down by An Sheng. "Don't worry, my lady. I have already made arrangements."
Hearing this, A Mei relaxed. She turned her head and said happily to An Sheng, "That's great then. Husband is always so thoughtful."
As soon as she finished speaking, An Sheng took a step to A Mei's side and held his open palm out to her:
"My lady, I am naturally too embarrassed to ask you for New Year's money. But as a high-ranking official of the imperial court, I have long since handed over my entire fortune to you. After giving Douzi his New Year's money yesterday, my purse is completely empty. Money is really tight for me right now; isn't it about time my lady gave me a little pocket money?"
A Mei: ...
