Chapter 22 Sharing a Bed: "Me Too"
After drying my hair, it was time to go to bed.
Jiang Zhiyao sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do next.
“Madam, please sleep on the inside,” Yan Zhenxi said, breaking the silence.
"Okay." Jiang Zhiyao encouraged herself in her heart. It's okay, it's just sharing a blanket and sleeping in the same bed.
Jiang Zhiyao stiffly took off her outer clothes and lay down on the inside of the bed.
Actually, the bed is quite big, and as long as she is careful, she won't bump into Yan Zhenxi. Besides, her usual sleeping posture should be fine, so Jiang Zhiyao felt a little relieved.
Yan Zhenxi skillfully blew out the lamp beside the bed, plunging the room into darkness, with only a sparse moonlight shining in through the window.
Noticing that the other side of the bed had sunk slightly, Jiang Zhiyao unconsciously held her breath, making Yan Zhenxi's actions even clearer in her mind.
A small section of the bed sank in as he sat down to take off his shoes.
A slight breeze blew in as he lifted the blanket beside him.
The cool breeze disappeared, and he lay down.
As he lay down, a unique, cool aura emanated from him.
There was a distance of one or two fists between Jiang Zhiyao and Yan Zhenxi, like a clear dividing line between Chu and Han. If they weren't doing it on purpose, they wouldn't actually be able to touch each other.
But this distance was still too close for Jiang Zhiyao, so close that she could even feel the blanket rising and falling slightly with Yan Zhenxi's breathing.
"Are you asleep?" After some time, Jiang Zhiyao heard Yan Zhenxi's voice.
"Did I disturb you...?"
"No." Before Jiang Zhiyao could finish speaking, Yan Zhenxi interrupted, "It's my first time sharing a bed with Madam, so I'm a little nervous."
Jiang Zhiyao was taken aback by his words and didn't know how to respond for a moment. After a while, she said sullenly, "Me too."
Yan Zhenxi chuckled upon hearing Jiang Zhiyao's rare candor.
The soft laughter of Yan Zhenxi reached her ears; it was so pleasant that it made Jiang Zhiyao's ears feel tingly.
"Look at that window over there," Yan Zhenxi said, a hint of a smile still lingering in her voice.
Jiang Zhiyao looked up and saw a small, slightly high window, through which the bright moon was now visible.
Different shaped cutout patterns were made next to the window, and from Jiang Zhiyao's perspective, bamboo leaves now appeared on the moon.
“I often have trouble sleeping, so I had a window made like this. The location was also specially chosen. When I can’t sleep, I just stare at this window.”
"Although it can't be seen now, a replica was still made when the government was divided."
Jiang Zhiyao responded earnestly, "It's very beautiful and interesting."
Then she told Yan Zhenxi what the pattern on the moon was now.
Like a floodgate opening, the two started chatting.
As they talked, the relationship and distance between them gradually narrowed. As they chatted, Jiang Zhiyao became sleepy. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she glanced out the window and saw a little rabbit on the moon.
-
When Jiang Zhiyao woke up in the morning, there was no one by her bedside. After getting dressed and going out to ask the servant, she learned that she had gotten up half an hour later than usual.
Upon entering the main hall, they found that Yan Zhenxi had already arrived, sitting upright in his seat, slowly sipping a cup of tea.
One hand slowly brushed the surface of the water with the tea lid, and today, that hand with its distinct knuckles was adorned with a white jade thumb ring.
"Husband," Jiang Zhiyao called out as she walked in.
"Madam has arrived." Yan Zhenxi put down the tea in his hand and then gestured to the servant beside him.
Not long after Jiang Zhiyao sat down, a servant brought out a steaming hot breakfast.
Jiang Zhiyao said somewhat shyly, "If I wake up late next time, you don't need to wait for me."
"It's alright," Yan Zhenxi replied. "I don't have anything else to do anyway."
After having breakfast, Jiang Zhiyao returned to her courtyard.
Seeing Nan Zhi walk over with a curious look, Jiang Zhiyao quickly said before Nan Zhi could speak, "Nothing happened, I just took a nap."
"Ah." Nan Zhi's face showed visible disappointment, but then she regained her excited expression. "It's alright, there's still plenty of time, Miss will have many more opportunities."
After hearing Nan Zhi's words, Jiang Zhiyao was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore."
Yan Zhenxi is in a very good mood today.
As the ministers who had come to discuss matters with Yan Zhenxi were leaving, they couldn't help but quietly ask the attendant beside him, "Did Lord Yan encounter anything good yesterday?"
The servant shook his head blankly; he didn't know either.
Yan Zhenxi recalled the time she went to sleep last night.
As they were talking, they heard that the person next to them was no longer responding, so Yan Zhenxi stopped. After a while, he heard Jiang Zhiyao's steady breathing.
He smiled silently.
Jiang Zhiyao was fast asleep when Yan Zhenxi reached out and touched her hand.
Normally, Jiang Zhiyao's hands are cool, but now, in bed, they are warm.
Yan Zhenxi slowly hooked Jiang Zhiyao's little finger around her hand, then touched her palm and gently squeezed it.
Finally, he intertwined his fingers with Jiang Zhiyao's hand. After doing this, Yan Zhenxi felt a surge of joy, a smile appeared on his lips, and he drifted off to sleep.
The warm sunlight shone through the window, and Yan Zhenxi woke up, feeling more relaxed than ever before. It was a rare and restful sleep.
As consciousness slowly returned, he realized that he had separated from Jiang Zhiyao at some point, but in their place, Jiang Zhiyao's body was slightly close to his.
The boundary line between Chu and Han that existed before going to sleep last night had already been broken by the two of them, and they had moved closer to each other.
Jiang Zhiyao was lying on her side facing Yan Zhenxi, sleeping soundly.
Yan Zhenxi also lay down on his side in her direction. Looking at Jiang Zhiyao's sleeping expression, he felt his heart filled with something warm and cozy, and a smile unconsciously appeared in his eyes.
Afraid of waking her, he traced Jiang Zhiyao's sleeping face with his hand from a distance.
Is this what it feels like to share a bed?
Yan Zhenxi originally thought that since it was the first time someone had slept next to him, he would definitely not sleep well, given his wary nature. However, to his surprise, he not only fell asleep but also woke up later than usual.
The thought of becoming a real couple with her suddenly filled Yan Zhenxi with immense joy.
After looking at Jiang Zhiyao face to face for a while, Yan Zhenxi got up and dressed quietly for the first time. Before leaving the room, Yan Zhenxi stood by the bed and looked at her for a while.
Seeing that Jiang Zhiyao was still fast asleep, Yan Zhenxi thought that she probably thought the experience of sharing a room with her this time was alright.
-
After that night, just like having a meal together, the two of them slept together again.
Some of the things that Jiang Zhiyao originally had in her dormitory, just like those in the study, were gradually moved to Yan Zhenxi's dormitory.
One day, Jiang Zhiyao brought a rag doll that was originally on the dormitory bed to Yan Zhenxi's bed and placed it at the very back of the large bed.
Jiang Zhiyao should have asked about this change that crossed the line, but she thought it was better to be a little oblivious for now.
To her, Yan Zhenxi was still the moon in the sky. Even if the distance between them was shortened, it was just the difference between looking at the moon from the ground and looking at the moon from the attic.
These past few days, Jiang Zhiyao and Yan Zhenxi have been eating together, sleeping together, spending their free time together, and telling each other when they go out, just like a real couple.
But it's only similar.
Jiang Zhiyao has always held a pessimistic view of happiness, believing that all happiness and possessions only stay in her hands for a short time, and she is powerless to stop them from leaving.
Deep down, she felt that she couldn't keep them and didn't deserve them.
Therefore, she never lets herself have too high expectations for these things; without expectations, there will be no disappointment.
The closer she got to happiness, the more apprehensive she became, like a person of low status and timidity carrying incredibly precious and dazzling gold. Even though the gold was hers, it still made her afraid—afraid of attracting controversy, afraid that someone would take it away, afraid of attracting the suspicious gazes of others, afraid that one day she would accidentally lose it.
But whenever happiness truly arrives, she cherishes every moment she has and secretly prays that happiness can stay with her a little longer.
Just like now, everything she has makes her feel incredibly happy: Ji Wanqing, Cheng Mingzhu, Nan Zhi, Yan Zhenxi, and other people and things she cares about.
She cherished it immensely, even if it was just a lucid dream.
Another night fell, and perhaps because the quiet of the night was too conducive to overthinking, Jiang Zhiyao began to imagine all sorts of things, such as Yan Zhenxi starting to distance himself from her or even worse, trying to adjust herself so that she wouldn't be too heartbroken when that day came.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but it must have been a long time, because Jiang Zhiyao could see that the moon was no longer visible through the small window.
She suddenly felt sad, more so than when she had imagined the worst possible scenarios.
For no apparent reason, Jiang Zhiyao began to hate herself, hate her personality, and hate that she always overthinks things.
But she quickly tried to calm herself down, afraid that making too much noise would wake up Yan Zhenxi who was next to her.
After a while, listening to the soft breathing of the person beside her, and feeling a bit depressed, Jiang Zhiyao sat up slightly and looked at Yan Zhenxi, who was fast asleep beside her.
He still looked so handsome. The light was too dim at night, so Jiang Zhiyao couldn't see his face clearly. She moved closer and examined Yan Zhenxi closely.
The moon is sleeping right next to her now, seemingly within reach.
Anyway, he's asleep now, isn't he? A voice in her mind was tempting Jiang Zhiyao.
Mustering her courage, Jiang Zhiyao closed her eyes and bent down.
But before the kiss, a tear slid down her cheek.
The mist clouded Yan Zhenxi's veil.
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