Unlike in the past where An Sheng always took the lead, A Mei's kiss was not as forceful and domineering as his. It was cautious, carrying a young girl's shy affection, gentle and lingering.
An Sheng considerately accommodated A Mei, slowly and carefully deepening the kiss.
By the time their lips parted, the two had already rolled onto the couch.
At this moment, A Mei lay beneath An Sheng, her face flushed red, her eyes moist and hazy. Her entire body trembled slightly, completely soft and yielding, as she called out in a delicate, gentle whisper, "Husband."
An Sheng's breathing grew even more ragged, his large hands slipping inside her clothes along her exquisite, soft curves.
Right then.
"Knock, knock, knock—" A light tapping on the door reached their ears.
"My Lord, your servant has an urgent matter to report."
It was Wu Da's voice.
An Sheng stiffened completely. His face instantly darkened, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly. After a brief pause, he took a deep breath and rolled off A Mei. Blushing furiously, A Mei also sat up.
Their clothes were in disarray. A Mei, in particular, had her garments half-undone from An Sheng's caresses, making her look exceptionally alluring.
An Sheng carefully helped A Mei dress properly with his own hands before straightening his own clothes. He walked over and opened the door. Shooting a sharp glare at Wu Da, he curled his lips and said menacingly, "This had better be something important."
Wu Da's heart skipped a beat, feeling that Eunuch An was absolutely terrifying at this moment. He swallowed hard, not daring to overthink, and quickly gathered his wits. Holding up the letter in his hand, he said cautiously, "To answer my Lord, it is a secret letter from the palace."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow and reached out to take it. With a single glance from him, Wu Da hurriedly retreated.
As An Sheng closed the door, A Mei immediately came over, her eyes darting toward his hand.
A Mei blinked, gossipy and curious. "Husband, what secret letter? What does it say?"
An Sheng wrapped an arm around A Mei's shoulders, leading her further into the room.
Sitting down on a chair, An Sheng pulled A Mei into his arms to sit on his lap, holding her as he opened the letter.
A Mei stared at it for quite a while before turning to meet An Sheng's profound, meaningful gaze. "Husband, what does this mean?"
An Sheng lowered his eyelashes slightly. When he looked up again to meet A Mei's inquisitive eyes, a flash of doting affection crossed his gaze. He explained, "Since it's a secret letter, it's naturally written in code. How could it be easily understood by just anyone?"
A Mei let out an "oh" and pestered An Sheng to tell her exactly what it meant.
"It's nothing much. Just a minor personnel change in the palace, letting me know." An Sheng didn't want to say more. His eyes then curved up slightly as he teased on purpose, "Why haven't I seen you this curious about your studies?"
Then, An Sheng put on a slightly stern face. "I've been busy lately and haven't checked your schoolwork. Have you been slacking off recently?"
A Mei nestled softly against An Sheng's chest. She gave him a shy sidelong glance and said crisply, "On the days Husband didn't come home, A Mei studied hard every day. It's only these past two days being with Husband that A Mei has fallen behind."
An Sheng nodded in understanding and said leisurely, "Oh, so it's my fault then. For the sake of your studies, it's best if I don't come home every day."
"Hey!" A Mei grew displeased. She shifted her body, wanting to stand up from An Sheng's lap, but his arms tightened, keeping her immobilized for the moment.
A Mei simply went back to leaning against his chest, huffing, "That won't do!"
Saying this, she looked up and shot him a charmingly reproachful glare. "How can Husband go back on his word?"
"How have I gone back on my word?"
A Mei pouted, half-coquettishly and half-accusingly complaining with grievance, "It was clearly Husband who said back then that once we returned to the capital, you wouldn't let A Mei sleep in an empty room alone."
An Sheng suddenly fell silent.
He held A Mei's small hand and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. Feeling a slight tremble, his heart suddenly ached for her, and he said hoarsely, "I'm sorry. I did break my promise."
A Mei froze for a moment, feeling both touched and a bit awkward. She shook her head, her moist eyes reflecting An Sheng's affectionate yet serious face. She murmured, "A Mei doesn't blame Husband. A Mei knows Husband has no choice, and everything Husband does is for the future of our family. Husband doesn't need to apologize to A Mei. A Mei shouldn't have said that."
An Sheng sighed, his large hand stroking up and down A Mei's back. "A broken promise is a broken promise. I shouldn't have teased you on purpose either. Knowing how much you care about me, I still talked about not coming home. I was wrong."
Seeing A Mei's eyes growing red again, he first placed a light kiss on her lips, then rubbed his nose against hers. With their faces pressed together, they could hear each other's hearts pounding like drums, a testament to their mutual yearning.
"Good A Mei, I have always known your feelings."
An Sheng then sighed and continued, "This is my first time being a husband. There might be areas where I haven't treated you well enough. If you ever feel wronged in the future, you must tell me."
Not only did A Mei's eyes turn red, but her face flushed as well. She slowly closed her eyes. "A Mei knows Husband's feelings too. With Husband treating A Mei like this, A Mei is truly so happy."
"Husband, no one ever taught A Mei how to be a good wife. If A Mei does something poorly in the future, Husband must tell A Mei. A Mei will definitely change."
An Sheng didn't speak. He simply held A Mei in his arms, quietly listening to their intertwined heartbeats and breathing, his thoughts gradually drifting away...
A long time passed.
He didn't know how much time had slipped by before An Sheng finally snapped back to reality. He looked down and saw that the little person in his arms had fallen asleep at some point.
…………
A Mei was awakened by the noisy environment outside.
She sat up from An Sheng's embrace and blinked. The lamps in the room hadn't been lit. Glancing out the window, she realized the sky had already grown dim; evening was approaching.
However, A Mei looked suspicious.
Why was there such a huge commotion downstairs?
An Sheng sat up on the couch. He first stretched his back, then wrapped an arm around A Mei's shoulders. Seeing A Mei's adorable, groggy, and obedient look right after waking up, he couldn't help but plant a kiss on her tender cheek.
An Sheng spoke softly, "Get up. The Zhuifeng Pavilion is only just beginning its real business hours. Come on, I'll take you to experience it."
…………
