Chapter 5: Cui Ying's personal undergarment.

His yard and his house are his to do as he pleases.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qiyu suddenly felt much more justified. He got up, went forward and knocked on the door, his tone unfriendly: "Cui Ying, hurry up, I need to change my clothes too."

He leaned against the door all night, and when the door finally opened, he ran out without even changing his clothes, afraid of being locked up with this devil again.

The sunlight cast dappled shadows, and the scent of the paulownia tree quietly spread. A girl's loud shout came from inside the room, startling the magpies on the eaves.

"What's the rush? Just wait and see!"

Xiao Qiyu instantly became annoyed and said in a voice no weaker than Cui Ying's, "Fine, I'll wait! Why are you being so fierce!"

Enraged, he picked up a pebble and kicked it. The pebble traced a smooth arc in the air before landing steadily in the pond, splashing water everywhere.

Xiao Qiyu was still furious. He turned around, about to say another word through the door, when the door suddenly opened.

Sunlight bathed Cui Ying's already radiant complexion, making it appear even more delicate and smooth, like white jade. Because she was in a hurry to see the Xiao family's matriarch, she didn't wear much makeup, only applying a little lip rouge to her lips to enhance her complexion.

She wasn't too particular about her clothes; she wore a red pomegranate-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a lotus pattern, and a light blue blouse with embroidered peonies on her collar. She had a coral-colored shawl draped over her arm, and her hair was simply styled in a bun with a gold hairpin inlaid with pearls at her temples, the ornate tassels swaying slowly by her ears.

Just like her usual attire in her boudoir, she was bright and lively.

"You can change here slowly. I'm not waiting for you. I'm heading over now."

Cui Ying glanced at Xiao Qiyu, raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight with her fan, her brows slightly furrowed, whether from the sun or from being annoyed by someone, it was hard to tell.

In short, he left without looking back.

Xiao Qiyu was blinded by the light of the hairpin dangling from her ear, and was stunned for a long time.

Only after everyone had gone far away did he scoff and stride into the room: "Who cares about you waiting like that?"

After arriving at the door, Xiao Qiyu found his usual clothes, went behind the screen, and quickly stripped off his wedding clothes. His movements were rough and simple, and he didn't care at all whether he had torn the nice "prison clothes" he was wearing.

The room was brightly lit, revealing the boy's lean and strong body.

Unlike his face, which never gets tanned no matter how much sun he gets, Xiao Qiyu's upper body skin has a rich honey color, almost like the color of ripe wheat, due to years of training shirtless in the military camp.

Unlike his handsome face, which could be described as "delicate," he had broad shoulders and long arms, and even appeared somewhat slender when dressed, exuding youthful energy. Once shirtless, his muscles became immediately apparent; beneath his delicate collarbones, his chest muscles were full, his abdominal muscles were clearly defined, and the V-line between his hips tapered down to his waistband. With every gesture, the veins on his arms were boldly prominent and intimidating.

His face was still youthful, but his body already resembled that of a mature man.

Xiao Qiyu spread his long arms and casually draped his wedding dress over the screen. Besides his clothes, Cui Ying's wedding gown was also on the screen. Because he threw it with considerable force, a small red section of the dress was accidentally shaken to the ground.

He muttered "trouble" under his breath, bent down to pick up the red stain, and glanced at it.

A delicate fragrance wafted through the air as a rough palm brushed against a soft red silk ribbon. The ribbon was cut into a diamond shape, with ribbons sewn along the edges, and embroidered with a vibrant and exquisite twin lotus flower.

Even if Xiao Qiyu were a complete idiot, he could tell that the object in his hand was a woman's undergarment.

Cui Ying's close-fitting undergarments.

In an instant, Xiao Qiyu felt as if he had been stung by a poisonous insect; his palm trembled, and his clothes fell to the ground again.

He didn't bother picking it up anymore, hurriedly put on his clothes, and rushed out of the room as if his life depended on it.

...

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The corridor is covered with roses, with thousands of branches hanging down and tens of thousands of pink flowers in full bloom, their fragrance attracting countless butterflies.

As Cui Ying was walking, she heard hurried footsteps behind her and couldn't help but turn around to look.

In the prime of youth, the young man wore a dark black straight-sleeved round-necked robe, the cuffs of which were tightened by leather wrist guards, revealing a section of fair and slender wrist bone. His ivory-white trousers wrapped around his two long, slender legs and were neatly tucked into black boots. He strode towards the sky, his black and white contrasting with his movements, like dark clouds stirring snow.

But for some reason, the leather belt around his waist was tied in an unusually crooked way, as if it had been tied haphazardly in a panic, and it was far from aesthetically pleasing.

Cui Ying's gaze was fixed on the leather belt, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, as if the sun had risen in the west.

From childhood to adulthood, whenever Xiao Qiyu appeared in public, he was always impeccably clean and tidy from head to toe, and even if the sky were to fall, the hem of his clothes would never be disheveled.

I went out today without fastening my belt properly. Did I take the wrong medicine?

Why is your face so red?

As they got closer, Cui Ying noticed Xiao Qiyu's expression.

And it wasn't just red; she felt like his head was smoking.

A gentle breeze rustled through the flowers, and a rose petal landed on Cui Ying's shoulder, reflecting on her fair face and her clear, bright eyes.

Xiao Qiyu glanced down at her, his face turning even redder.

"None of your business."

With a hint of panic in his cold voice, Xiao Qiyu strode away, showing no intention of walking alongside Cui Ying.

If it were an ordinary girl, she would only assume that the other person was extremely disgusted with her and would refuse to go forward again after hearing such words and actions.

But Cui Ying was no ordinary person.

As she watched Xiao Qiyu's pace quicken noticeably, only one thought crossed her mind—he was racing against me to see who was faster.

So she quickened her pace, swung her arms, and chased after him, sneering at Xiao Qiyu: "So what if you have long legs?"

Xiao Qiyu: "..."

Xiao Qiyu: "Cui Ying, are you sick?"

Cui Ying walked only two steps ahead of him before deliberately putting her hand to her ear: "What did you say? You're walking too slowly, I can't hear you."

Xiao Qiyu was clearly too lazy to play such a childish and boring game with her, but seeing Cui Ying's smug expression, his competitive spirit was instantly aroused. He strode forward to catch up with her, raised his head and "humphed".

Seeing this, Cui Ying disregarded the provocation and quickly continued walking briskly, not daring to relax in the slightest, striving to catch up with Xiao Qiyu.

Drizzled with rose petals, the two sometimes walked side by side, sometimes one in front of the other, and sometimes the other in front of the other. Wherever they went, the maids only felt a gentle breeze on their faces, but could not see the two people. They only felt two blurry figures flash by in an instant.

Cui Ying's legs were sore and weak, but when she looked up at Xiao Qiyu's icy face, her strength returned instantly.

How could she possibly lose to him?

After descending the long corridor and entering the moon gate, and then exiting the moon gate into the covered corridor, what should have been a journey of two incense sticks' worth of walking was completed in half a cup of tea by the two stubborn ones.

Outside the Bodhi Hall, two maids dressed in red and green were eagerly waiting under the hanging flower gate. When they saw the two approaching from afar, they quickly stepped forward and teased, "This servant greets the groom and the new mistress. The old lady and the madam are waiting inside. Please go in quickly."

Cui Ying was already out of breath and wished she could just lie on the ground and rest for a long time before she could finally step through the hanging flower gate, her feet trembling.

The courtyard is simple and elegant, with a rockery made of Taihu stones surrounding a babbling brook. Various koi carp swim in the water, and two tall sal trees are planted by the brook. They are in full bloom, with their crowns covered with small yellow and white flowers. When the wind blows, the yellow and white flowers sway all over the trees.

Laughter filled the main house.

Upon hearing that someone had arrived at the door, a deep, aged woman's voice immediately rang out: "Quickly let my granddaughter-in-law in. The sun is strong outside; be careful not to let her get too hot." As soon as she finished speaking, she began to cough rapidly.

Upon hearing her grandmother's voice outside, Cui Ying immediately straightened her arms, which had been swinging wildly, and placed them neatly in front of her waist. The hairpins swaying by her temples also calmed down, and her flushed and hot little face was full of seriousness.

Xiao Qiyu noticed her out of the corner of his eye and said sarcastically, "Oh, so you're putting on airs now."

Cui Ying rolled her eyes at him and stepped into the main house: "Do you think I, the third young lady of the Duke of Wei's mansion, have no dignity?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her weak toes kicked the threshold, and she fell uncontrollably down.

"Young Madam!"

In that instant, at least eight maids stretched out their hands, but not one of them managed to grab her.

Cui Ying felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and a faint pain in her body.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already pressed against the ground, practically prostrating myself.

Inside the Bodhi Hall, the elders of the Xiao family sat in order of seniority and rank, maintaining a clear hierarchy and orderly arrangement.

At this moment, they were all dumbfounded, staring blankly at the bride who had just entered the door and tripped and fell, forgetting to even blink.

A note from the author:

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