Chapter 86 [V] Situation Swap...
Xue Yi stood quietly in front of the door for quite a while, during which many thoughts flashed through his mind like a fleeting dream.
Even in the end, he struggled internally. If his wife truly had some kind of affair with her maid, he wouldn't be disgusted and would try his best to persuade her to mend her ways. As long as she could reform, life would continue as before.
But if she can't...
Although Xue Yi was a rough man who grew up in the countryside, he was actually quite thoughtful. He considered things comprehensively, and in this situation, he naturally thought of all aspects and all possible scenarios.
But if she can't... He lowered his eyes slightly, his long eyelashes concealing unfathomable depths in his dark eyes.
Clearly, he couldn't accept this, but it seemed difficult for him to give up the Li family for it.
Just as Xue Yi hesitated, the grating laughter inside the room suddenly stopped.
Xue Yi snapped out of his reverie and calmly pushed open the door. Inside, he saw his wife sitting in a round-backed chair, with her maid, Qingniang, massaging her shoulders and back.
The two men appeared natural, not at all uncomfortable because of his sudden intrusion.
This situation was beyond his expectations.
Li Yan was unaware that such a small incident had triggered such a dramatic internal struggle in him. Seeing him return without speaking, she took the initiative to ask, "Did you send someone to deliver the message?"
Xue Yi didn't know how to continue the conversation, but seeing that his wife had taken the initiative to speak, he replied, "Mm."
Li Yan suddenly remembered Li Jiaojiao's attitude towards her that day, and then she thought that the original owner of this body was their enemy rather than their relative, so she said, "My mother passed away early, and my father married a new woman and forgot the old one. Over the years, I have been an orphan. So from now on, we should avoid contact with them as much as possible, and just live our own lives well."
Xue Yi shared the same idea and naturally thought it was a good idea.
In the past, he would have had a lot to say. But today, because of the great blow he had suffered, he was not in the mood.
Li Yan noticed something was wrong with him. She glanced at him, looked him up and down, and frowned as she asked, "What's wrong?" He wasn't like this when she came over. "Did something happen?"
Seeing that she had noticed something was wrong with him, Xue Yi gave her a meaningful look, paused for a moment, and then shook his head: "It's nothing."
Li Yan assumed he had encountered some official business that he couldn't discuss with her, so she didn't ask any further questions.
Qingniang was still massaging her back and shoulders, her gaze shifting between the two of them. Xue Yi kept glancing at Qingniang out of the corner of his eye, noticing that she was oblivious to his presence; even though he, the master of the house, had returned, she remained there, showing no intention of leaving to serve him in the outer room.
Xue Yi couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.
But he didn't tell her to leave. Instead, he got up and went around to his wife's back.
He gently waved Qingniang's hand away before speaking, "You can go out now."
But Qingniang only listens to her master, Li Yan, so she looked at Li Yan with a pleading gaze.
Li Yan was also puzzled. Qingniang was massaging her shoulders just fine, so why did Xue Yi ask her to leave?
But then he saw Xue Yi circle around to his side, and guessing that he had something to say, he dismissed Qingniang, saying, "You can leave now."
Qingniang then replied, "Then I'll be going."
After Qingniang left, Li Yan thought Xue Yi had something important to tell her. Just as she was about to ask, she saw him raise his hands, and soon, his hands landed on her shoulders.
Undoubtedly, his strength was much greater than Qingniang's.
However, he hadn't been trained by me, so although he was strong, it was all brute force rather than skillful technique, and he wasn't pressing on acupoints, so he didn't feel comfortable.
Li Yan hissed.
Seeing this, Xue Yi immediately stopped what he was doing and hurriedly asked with concern, "Did you hurt yourself?"
Although they had discussed it that day, aiming to cultivate their relationship and become a normal married couple, in reality, apart from talking more, spending more time together, and sleeping in the same bed at night... they haven't had any other contact.
Physical contact like this is even rarer.
So when Xue Yi's warm hand pressed on her shoulder, Li Yan's back stiffened and goosebumps immediately rose all over her body.
Something feels off.
"No." After instinctively denying it, she suddenly realized something was wrong, so she immediately nodded, "It hurts."
"Then I'll be gentler." With that, Xue Yi lightened his grip and pressed down again.
After enduring his efforts, Li Yan couldn't help but say, "Let's call Qingniang back."
Xue Yi, however, kept her still, not letting her move, and said, "Where do you feel uncomfortable? I can fix it."
Li Yan said, "With Qingniang and Xing'er here, why do you need to do all this yourself?" It would not only lower his status, but it would also make her uncomfortable. There's no need.
But Xue Yi said, "There are many things in this world that only a husband can do, and no one else can do them for him. In the future, if you feel tired, I will help you relax."
Li Yan was surprised and felt flattered.
More than anything, it was reluctance.
"You'll massage my shoulders and back? And you'll do it from now on?" Li Yan asked incredulously.
"What's wrong?" Xue Yi's eyes were lowered, his gaze fixed on her slender shoulders and neck. But sensing the deeper meaning in her words, he shifted his gaze to her fair face, where the fine red veins were almost visible. "Is something amiss?"
Li Yan thought to herself, "Of course this is inappropriate."
However, he himself didn't care. She was a person who had traveled from the future. Was she supposed to be more feudal than the ancients?
So she didn't say what she really thought, and just smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with it. If you're willing, what else can I say? But..." she started to nitpick, "You're using too much force, it hurts. Also, you're not pressing on the right acupoints. I didn't feel any relaxation, it just made my neck and shoulders feel even more uncomfortable."
She thought that after being challenged like this, he would give up. Unexpectedly, after she pushed her luck and challenged him further, he was actually quite happy and earnestly asked, "Then how should I press it?"
Li Yan thought that perhaps he wanted to improve their relationship, so she stopped thinking about it and taught him the same way she had taught Qingniang.
Tell him where to press and how much pressure to apply. Which side should be pressed harder and which side should be pressed lighter.
He was quite talented and genuinely wanted to learn; he wasn't just going through the motions. So, in no time, he gradually got the hang of it.
Li Yan sat there, feeling the soreness in her shoulders and neck, and even let out a "hiss" and "ouch" of relief.
Xue Yi, who had been focused on his work, turned his dark eyes to look at his wife when he heard those "familiar" sighs. Then, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
There seemed to be a hint of self-mockery in that smile.
There was a hint of relief in his self-deprecation.
Clearly, he realized he had misunderstood. His wife and her maid had no affair; the maid had simply made that sigh because she felt comfortable while the maid was massaging her shoulders.
Now, as he massages her shoulders and neck, she feels comfortable and makes the same sound.
After realizing he had wronged her, Xue Yi felt relieved, but also felt more apologetic and wanted to make amends. So, he massaged her shoulders with even more care and patience.
At this moment, all those complicated thoughts and emotions disappeared. Xue Yi focused his attention on his subordinates and then discovered that his wife not only had delicate skin, but also a fragrant bone structure.
Holding that piece of soft bone in his hand, Xue Yi felt a tightness in his heart, and soon his whole body became hot.
Seeing that she was about to stand up, Xue Yi quickly looked away. He also removed his hand from her shoulder, trying hard to force himself not to think about that place.
Seeing that there was no movement behind her, Li Yan turned her head to look and saw the man standing there straight, his dark eyes seemingly hiding many emotions, looking at her with a solemn expression.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Xue Yi shook his head: "It's nothing."
At this moment, Li Yan sensed the urgency in his tone, and his breathing seemed slightly heavy.
Li Yan then realized that he was having inappropriate thoughts.
Li Yan suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but more than that, she was feeling a stirring of romantic feelings.
She's not a nun; she's a normal adult woman with normal needs. When she encounters a suitable and attractive man, she can also get carried away and experience impulses and thoughts.
Seeing that Xue Yi had fallen in love, Li Yan took the opportunity to give him the signal that "it's time to take things further."
The atmosphere grew increasingly ambiguous. Just as Xue Yi, his chest heaving, was about to press down and kiss the person beneath him, suddenly, a noise came from outside the door. Qing Niang rushed in, saying, "General, Dong..." After entering, she realized something was wrong and ran back out.
Xue Yi's eyes held suppressed anger, but that anger vanished in an instant, eventually turning into endless helplessness.
When the atmosphere was just right, Li Yan had some ideas. But now that the atmosphere has been broken, it's naturally inappropriate to continue.
Li Yan, fearing embarrassment, quickly called Qingniang in.
Qingniang hesitated, peeking half her head in first. Seeing that everything inside was indeed normal, she then came in, but this time she stood by the door. Like a child who had made a mistake, she just stood at the door, not daring to come in, and then lowered her head and said, "The old lady sent someone to call you to dinner."
Li Yan said, "I understand."
After Qingniang replied, she immediately left. Li Yan then looked at her husband, who was standing silently to the side, and took the initiative to ease the atmosphere, saying, "Let's go, don't keep your mother waiting."
Xue Yi thought there was plenty of time, and there was no need to rush this matter.
If we can have this atmosphere today, we can have it again another day.
On the bright side, at least his wife shares his thoughts and is willing to take things further.
After Xue Yi composed himself, he stood up, reached out and gently took his wife's hand. The couple then walked side by side toward Old Madam Xue.
At this moment, Xue Yi's men also brought a message to Han Yue, saying that the general was busy with military affairs and had no free time these days, so he was afraid he would not be able to entertain Han Xiucai.
Originally, Han Yue had used all his dignity when he handed that visiting card to the Xue family. He was originally a scholar who had taken the imperial examination route, but he had to stoop to currying favor with a rough man from the military.
This was a desperate measure taken when all other options were exhausted.
Now, having abandoned his dignity and pride to take the initiative to befriend him, he was met with an easy rejection. Feeling deeply humiliated, Han Yue clenched his fists tightly, his fair face reflected in the afterglow of the setting sun, and dark currents surging in his dark eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com