Chapter 6: The Dark Emotions That Upright Gentlemen Shouldn't Possess
Just as Xiao Xu closed his eyes, he heard a rustling sound of someone turning over beside him.
It pretends to be fast asleep, but its movements are very affected.
The impulse from before had vanished in an instant, and Xiao Xu kept his eyes closed without exposing her.
But not long after, the rustling sound started again.
Yun Sheng tried her best to fall asleep, but the tea she had drunk in front of the couch earlier took effect.
She wanted to use the restroom, but when she heard Xiao Xu call her, she thought he was going to change his mind, so she subconsciously pretended to be asleep and ignored him.
If we were to set off and stay there now, wouldn't that be an admission of guilt?
Thinking about it carefully, why would Xiao Xu suddenly change his mind? He is older, calm and composed, and doesn't seem like the kind of person who would go back on his word, nor does he seem like the kind of person who would overindulge in lust as Granny Wenxin said.
Yun Sheng's cheeks flushed, and she tried to endure it by clamping her legs together for a while, but she couldn't help but turn over again.
Xiao Xu had already guessed the consequences of the half-pot of cold tea from her turning over. He originally planned to pretend he didn't know until the girl couldn't bear it anymore and got up to go to the bathroom.
However, he underestimated her stubbornness, or rather, he underestimated the impact of the noise from the other person sharing his bed.
It's hard to ignore and disturbs sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Sheng was still turning over slightly, not yet determined to get up.
Xiao Xu felt that if this stalemate continued, she would have to spend the whole night tossing and turning in front of him.
The soft rustling sounds were pleasing to the ear, and as she moved, a gentle breeze carrying a warm fragrance wafted by, along with her loose, black hair.
Xiao Xu opened his eyes and looked down. A strand of curly black hair slipped into his clothes in the darkness, the end of the hair almost touching his chest.
At this moment, Yun Sheng, who was bent over, suddenly curled up her legs.
She didn't turn over, but the subtle movement still managed to completely pull that strand of hair into his arms.
The ends of her hair brushed against something almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Xu's expression changed slightly. He took a deep breath and suddenly raised his hand to support himself.
He chased away the stray strands of hair, and his arm touched the back of the person next to him without any restraint. He felt the skin suddenly stiffen, and he pushed it away gently.
Yun Sheng could no longer pretend to be asleep. She twisted her neck and turned her head back, raising her sleepy eyes.
"Did I wake you?" Xiao Xu had already sat up and said expressionlessly, "Sorry."
Oh, it was an accident.
Yun Sheng asked in a low voice, "It's nothing, what's wrong?"
They're putting on quite a convincing act.
Xiao Xu said, "It's nothing, I'm just thirsty, I'll go get a glass of water."
Having said that, he got up from the bed and strode toward the table.
Yun Sheng could no longer bear it, and under the pretense of being woken up, she followed him out of bed.
When Xiao Xu stopped at the table, he turned and glanced at her.
Yun Sheng awkwardly pointed towards the bathroom, her lips moving but barely making a sound.
Watching her hurried departure, Xiao Xu smiled faintly while holding the jade cup, then tilted his head back and drank the cold tea in one gulp.
Back on the couch, Yun Sheng fell asleep very quickly.
As she had expected, Xiao Xu's presence did not disgust her. His body temperature and scent permeated the bed, yet did not affect her sleep in the slightest.
The next day at dawn.
When Yun Sheng woke up and opened her eyes, she saw the man's figure appearing by the bed. She was so frightened that she almost screamed. Then she realized that it was Xiao Xu sitting by the bed.
Xiao Xu keenly sensed the movement, turned his head and saw that she was awake, and said softly, "Did I wake you up again?"
Memories of last night surfaced in her mind, and Yun Sheng blushed instantly.
It was frustrating to think about; she had never gone through so much trouble just to go to the bathroom at night.
She racked her brains and ended up in an embarrassing situation, all because there was another person beside her during what should have been the most private time of night, when she was going to bed.
But Yun Sheng knew that this was marriage. From being alone to relying on each other, her husband had been very considerate in helping her gradually adapt.
Yun Sheng sat up, raising the corners of her eyes as if she had perked up: "No, I woke up on my own, it's already dawn."
Xiao Xu's gaze lingered on her face. His eyes showed no emotion, yet they made her feel uncomfortable.
In just one day, he had looked at her like this several times.
Yun Sheng couldn't help but speak up to ease the tension: "When did you wake up?"
"You just woke up. It gets light early in the summer, so you can sleep a little longer."
Yun Sheng shook her head: "I'm not going to sleep."
As she was about to get up and sit on the edge of the bed, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Xu out of the corner of her eye that his firm chest, outlined with clean lines, extended into the slightly open collar of his robe.
Yun Sheng's eyelashes fluttered, but she kept her eyes straight ahead, pretending to be unaffected.
But the daytime scenery, unlike the hazy background of the night, was clearly imprinted in my mind with just a quick glance.
Xiao Xu said calmly, "Sheng Sheng, you need to get used to it soon."
“…I know.” Yun Sheng said, pulling her fairly neat clothes together to prevent herself from revealing any skin, while she was even more annoyed that he was talking too much.
Couldn't he have just pretended not to notice? He insisted on pointing it out, making her feel embarrassed again.
Besides, what does he want her to get used to? It can't be getting used to seeing his open-chested chest every morning.
As the morning light shone through, the two sat side by side on the edge of the couch, neither speaking, with only the sound of their breathing filling the quiet room.
When the maid entered the room, Xiao Xu set off to wash up in the bathroom.
Cuizhu walked in front and knelt down next to Yunsheng first.
Yun Sheng lowered her eyes and saw the worried look in her drooping eyes.
Last night was the wedding night. Several servants stood guard outside the bridal chamber, all hoping that the newlyweds would complete the ceremony and call them in to serve them. But the room remained silent all night.
Yun Sheng understood Cui Zhu's worries, but still felt that things were better this way. She couldn't imagine how she could have consummated her marriage with Xiao Xu under the atmosphere of last night.
On the morning of the first day of their marriage, there were still specific arrangements. After a group of maids helped Yun Sheng change and wash up, they left the room. Xiao Xu, who disliked being near people, also finished getting ready in the bathhouse by himself and went back to his bedroom.
Yun Sheng sat in front of the dressing table. When she saw him coming, she turned her head and asked, "Chang Yu, do you know how to draw eyebrows?"
If it were a man who was going to get married anyway, he would usually learn a little bit before the wedding, but Xiao Xu was just starting out, and Yun Sheng felt that he was completely clueless.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xu looked at her undrawn eyebrows and said, "I have never drawn eyebrows for a woman."
Yun Sheng pouted and muttered, "I knew it."
As she reached for the drawer on her right, she said to him in a serious tone, "Then just pretend, don't actually draw it on."
Xiao Xu found it somewhat amusing to see her looking so afraid of making her eyebrows look bad.
Just as he was about to respond, Yun Sheng opened the drawer.
The two lowered their eyes simultaneously, and the atmosphere suddenly froze.
Inside the drawer, on the top shelf, sat a dark blue sachet. The sachet was embroidered with a slender pine tree in varying shades of blue silk thread. The dense branches and leaves were intricately stitched yet neatly, showing the care taken in its creation. The branches and leaves subtly peeked out, like the reserved thoughts of a young girl in her boudoir.
Yun Sheng's pupils contracted and dilated, and she hurriedly covered the sachet in a panic.
Xiao Ling, courtesy name Songlan.
This is a sachet that she embroidered herself for Xiao Ling before she got married.
She was so focused on whether Xiao Xu could draw his eyebrows that she forgot that after the newlyweds had been so intimate in front of the dressing table, they were supposed to exchange tokens of affection. This sachet had been placed in an easily accessible spot long ago.
A moment of silence fell, so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.
Yun Sheng hesitated and glanced at the bronze mirror.
The bronze mirror reflected the expressionless face of the man behind him, his eyes seemingly devoid of any emotion.
Wasn't he angry?
Why was the atmosphere like that...?
Yun Sheng felt that no matter what their situation was, Xiao Xu had already reorganized Xiao Ling's betrothal gifts, marriage certificate, and even the wild geese yesterday, so how could he accept wearing the sachet that was originally given to someone else?
She didn't want him to wear it, and she certainly didn't want him to see it.
Suddenly, a warm breeze brushed against her ear. Xiao Xu leaned over and reached out to grasp her wrist.
Her slender, fair wrists appeared fragile and vulnerable under the man's large hands.
Yun Sheng's heart sank as she watched Xiao Xu remove her hand from her cover, revealing the beautiful pine and cypress sachet beneath her palm.
Xiao Xu recalled his mother's reply to him two years ago.
"It is said that the young lady has taken a liking to Sanlang. They are about the same age and both are handsome and good-looking, so they are a good match. Since you are unwilling, I will arrange this marriage for Sanlang."
Long ago, emotions that were previously unclear resurfaced at this moment.
Anger, jealousy, possessiveness—those dark emotions that a proper gentleman shouldn't have intertwined in his heart, and after two years of settling, they became an overwhelming surge.
However, what triggered them was just a trivial sachet.
Yun Sheng saw in the bronze mirror that the man's expressionless face gradually tightened his jaw, and his eyes darkened, indistinguishable from dark clouds or a storm, as if something was about to crawl out from that noble and aloof skin.
She panicked, pulled away from Xiao Xu's hand and closed the drawer, saying quickly, "It must have been placed here before, and I didn't check it again when I moved it."
Yun Sheng turned around, wanting to see his expression directly with her eyes, but she felt that what she saw in the bronze mirror was an illusion.
Looking up at the bronze mirror, I couldn't see anything unusual.
Xiao Xu met her gaze calmly, his expression and voice gentle: "Yes, I know, don't worry about it."
Yun Sheng froze, then Xiao Xu grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
"Hand me the pen."
"But……"
Xiao Xu said, "The rules must not be broken."
"Remember to replace my sachet later."
"What I meant was that you do know how to draw eyebrows."
He didn't know how to draw eyebrows, and she hadn't prepared a sachet.
"Let's just forget about this."
Xiao Xu casually opened the drawer again, seemingly ignoring the sachet, and took out an eyebrow pencil with his slender fingers, but did not close the drawer.
"Never, not that I can't"
He came to Yun Sheng's side, leaned down and got close to her, his face magnified in front of her.
Yun Sheng held her breath instantly, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the sachet fully exposed in the drawer. She subconsciously reached out to close it.
Before I could even raise my hand, my wrist was grabbed.
"Don't move."
Too close.
Yun Sheng blinked, and her momentary breath caught in his, becoming entangled with his. Even holding her breath wouldn't break the entanglement.
The touch of the pen tip drawing on my brow bone, something I'm used to being waited on, inexplicably made me feel uncomfortable and unbearable.
Yet, Xiao Xu still called her "Sheng Sheng" in such a close manner.
Yun Sheng stiffened her neck and didn't open her mouth to answer him: "Hmm?"
She saw a faint smile curve at the corners of Xiao Xu's lips, his warm breath brushing against her cheek and spreading behind her ear.
You haven't answered me yet.
Yun Sheng's mind was blank, her heart pounding wildly, and she had no choice but to ask, "What do you mean, 'answer'?"
Xiao Xu paused, his gaze, which had been focused on the space between her brows, shifted downwards and met her eyes directly.
Their eyes met, and Yun Sheng belatedly realized the heat that had already been rising within her.
Trying to look away, I noticed the sachet in the open drawer once again.
Yun Sheng's gaze almost met Xiao Xu's eyes.
She heard his low, deep voice: "Sheng Sheng, remember to replace my sachet later."
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Xiao Xu: Crawling in the shadows
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