Chapter 63 Is this what it means to be a loving and respectful wife?
He didn't say anything more, slightly parted his knees, placed his right hand on his knee, and absentmindedly turned the black jade thumb ring.
The water droplets belonging to her coiled around the ring he had always treasured, a ring that remained untouched by dust.
He felt her warmth through his fingertips and had to admit that he preferred Xue Lanyi, who possessed warmth.
I like Xue Lanyi, who lives in Shuanghuazhai; she's flesh and blood, at least a living being.
Her half-dead, half-alive state was truly repulsive.
From now on, since he didn't want to face that lifeless face every day, he could only indulge her a little.
He turned his head to the side and said, "From now on, whatever you want, as long as it's within the rules, I can give it to you."
later?
What "future" did she and he have?
How he treats her "from now on," and what does that have to do with her?
Xue Lanyi sneered inwardly, then her dark eyes slowly swept over her, filled with danger. "Tit for tat. You should know what I want."
Xue Lanyi's smile came to an abrupt halt.
She knew very well that she was still in a dangerous situation, and if she didn't satisfy him once, it would be difficult for her to get away.
In another half hour, the envoy will come to pick her up a second time.
She didn't want to wait until there were crowds outside, and then, separated by a wall, do *that* with him.
Since he had already agreed to give Granny Liu to her, she had no other requests and was unwilling to make any further demands.
“Come on.” She bent her legs and faced him in the most direct way.
Looking at her feigned infatuation, Wei Zhang's expression darkened, and he blurted out, "That's not what I want."
His voice, though not loud, was deep and resonant, echoing within the four curtains for a long time.
After that, both of them fell silent.
After a long pause, Xue Lanyi spoke first, "What do you want?"
This was the second time she had asked him this question. There was something on Wei Zhang's lips, but he didn't know what to say.
He exhaled a breath of stale air. "Think about it yourself."
"..."
Wei Zhang had just clearly stated that he wanted not only Xue Lanyi, but also Li Zhaoyang.
In the end, he still wanted her to follow him with the same enthusiasm, without reservation, and without hesitation as before.
But all of that was based on love. She didn't love him, so how could she possibly satisfy him?
Xue Lanyi was in a dilemma and pondered for a long time.
She sat up and sat down next to him.
The two sat side by side on the edge of the couch, her wedding dress brushing against his python robe.
Wei Zhang glanced at her lightly.
Another silence followed.
Xue Lanyi bit her lip. "Just now, on the daybed in the outer room... you... you wanted to drink the nuptial wine with me?"
"..."
Wei Zhang hadn't expected her to suddenly change the subject like this, and his pupils contracted slightly. "Don't speak recklessly, I didn't..."
"I do!" Xue Lanyi raised her voice, then her voice trailed off. "If I am willing to share a cup of wine with you, will you be satisfied?"
Wei Zhang's rebuttal froze on his lips, and he paused for a moment in surprise.
Xue Lanyi felt that she must have guessed his thoughts.
This morning he went through all sorts of trouble to put the veil on her head and hold the golden cup for her. Now he is lying in bed with her. Isn't this the ceremony of their wedding night?
She knew, of course, that he wasn't marrying her because he loved her.
He must have been resentful because his things had been taken from him, so he deliberately did these things with her before Xiao Cheng and she had their grand wedding.
He only wanted to humiliate Xiao Cheng and prove that she had once been his.
Fine, whatever his true motives are, as long as we satisfy his desires, vent his anger, and make him release her quickly, that's all that matters.
Thinking this to herself, Xue Lanyi got up and went to the outer room to fetch two cups of wine. She then walked slowly toward him with graceful steps.
Her skirt rippled like waves.
Throughout the process, Wei Zhang's expression shifted from blank to suspicious.
The closer she got, the more wary he became.
Finally, she came into the range of his inky gaze. Those deep, calm eyes were like a fine, intricate net, piercing through her body, trying to see through her every move and motive.
Wei Zhang was always vigilant. When Xue Lanyi suddenly suggested drinking with him, he must have been thinking: What trick is she up to now?
Something unusual must be going on; she must have ulterior motives.
Did she poison or drug her?
Or perhaps they conspired with Xiao Cheng to frame him?
...
Although he did not say these words, Xue Lanyi certainly saw the complex expression in his eyes.
Even the emotional fluctuations in his eyes were more complex than Xue Lanyi had imagined.
Therefore, he hesitated to accept the wine cup that Xue Lanyi offered him.
However, she did not refuse.
This at least proves that Xue Lanyi's actions were more pleasing to him than her feigned flattery.
Xue Lanyi then sat down beside him under his probing gaze.
When no one accepted the wine glass offered to her, she clinked glasses with herself, placing one on the edge of the couch between the two of them and bringing the other to her own lips.
She wanted to tilt her head back and drink it down to prove that the wine was not poisoned and that she had no intention of harming him.
The moment the golden cup touched her lips, a strong hand grasped it, enveloping her hand in its palm.
Xue Lanyi lifted her eyes, but Wei Zhang's gaze remained fixed on her, suspiciously observing her expression.
In the end, he pulled her in front of him.
Xue Lanyi's head bumped against his firm chest, and she sat even closer to him.
The sake rippled in the golden cup, and ripples spread across the calm water.
But Wei Zhang's hand was steady, and the wine in the cup did not spill out; only a few drops splashed onto his fingertips.
With his other hand, he picked up the cup on the edge of the couch, and at the same time, he took Xue Lanyi's hand holding the phoenix cup, and they linked arms.
This is a ritual of sharing a cup of wine, performed only by wives.
Wei Zhang was a man who valued rules and regulations very much. Even when venting his anger, he would not joke about worldly ethics and morality.
He's really gone mad today!
Xue Lanyi stood there stunned in surprise, while Wei Zhang, under her puzzled gaze, covered his sleeve and drank the nuptial wine.
After finishing the cup, he placed the empty cup horizontally for Xue Lanyi to see, while his gaze became even more intense as he stared intently at her.
Xue Lanyi only intended to clink glasses with him and complete the concubine ceremony that she hadn't finished last time; she had no intention of exchanging cups with him.
The so-called "crossing cups" refers to sharing a cup of wine, symbolizing a bond of lifelong commitment, unwavering loyalty, and a destiny set for three lifetimes.
This is the most important promise between husband and wife.
Xue Lanyi was unwilling to give him such a promise, and her hand holding the cup stiffened slightly.
But she brought it up herself, so there was no reason for her to back down now.
Under his intense gaze, she finally raised her hand to cover her face and tilted her head back to drink.
The bright red wide sleeves intertwined with his black robe.
Through the gap in the cuff, Wei Zhang could clearly see the slender neck moving as it swallowed the nuptial wine that belonged to them.
The cool, refreshing wine flowed through his body, and also through hers.
This was the kind of bond he hated most.
Why is it that as he watches her drink this cup to the last drop, and their bond deepens, his heart feels even fuller?
Wei Zhang suddenly realized.
At this moment, Xue Lanyi, having finished a cup of wine, fell into a state of confusion.
When Hongxiu put down, her body was weak and she leaned against Wei Zhang's chest.
The soft warmth enveloped him, jolting Wei Zhang back to reality. He frowned and looked down.
The girl's cheeks were flushed, and the blush quickly spread from her cheeks to her neck. Her breath reeked of strong alcohol and the lotus leaf chicken she had eaten the day before.
Wei Zhang disliked the smell, so he pinched her chin to prevent her alcohol fumes from staining his clothes.
But when he lifted her head, he saw her almond-shaped eyes looking up at him with tears in them.
The instant his shadow was reflected in her pupils, her eyes suddenly shone like stars.
His eyes and brows held a hint of intoxication and a hint of a smile.
Wei Zhang was stunned.
The smile in Xue Lanyi's eyes deepened.
She couldn't hold her liquor; after just a couple of drinks, she would become dizzy and disoriented.
She couldn't fool Wei Zhang with a pretense, so she deliberately got herself drunk.
When you're drunk, those uncontrollable grudges will fade away.
If I don't hate him so much, maybe I can give him a satisfying love affair.
However, it's unclear whether it's because he looks too much like Ah Xuan, or because she misses Ah Xuan too much.
In the mist, the person before her gradually transformed into the image of her beloved.
She saw the boy's eyes, as vast as the stars and the sea, smiling at her, and her eyebrows curved into crescent moons.
She reached out to touch the smiling face that seemed to float in mid-air, sometimes near, sometimes far.
This time, she succeeded.
She truly grasped his collar.
She felt his body temperature and longed to be close to him.
However, the person in front of me was cold and hard, with his back straight and guarded.
She was unhappy, so she opened her arms and gave him a big hug.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed her flushed face against his chest through his clothes.
"I'm dizzy, hug me!" Her cheeks puffed out, and her thick nasal voice sounded like a child's whining.
The person in front of her had a barely perceptible rise and fall of chest for a moment, but instead tensed up even more, as if trying to push her shoulder away and get away.
"Don't leave me!"
Xue Lanyi hugged him tightly, her ear close to his chest, "Your heart is beating so fast. You clearly like it when I treat you like this, don't you?"
The fragrance of orchids sprayed onto Wei Zhang's chest, and the words that seeped into his chest sounded so familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before.
The images from the past lingered in Wei Zhang's mind, but he soon realized that she was drunk.
Her real intention in drinking with him just now was to use drunkenness to cover up her true emotions.
She was unwilling to have sex with him when he was sober.
She even tried to imagine him as someone else in order to have sex with him.
She has such audacity!
A massive undercurrent swirled within his chest, the air currents converging and coalescing into a surging vortex.
A vortex that, once you get close, will engulf and devour you.
His gaze grew colder and colder, transforming into a chilling blade that pierced the person in his arms.
But at that moment, a pair of soft lips kissed his brow.
Xue Lanyi had wanted to do this for a long time.
She had felt an irresistible urge to tiptoe and kiss her boy many times before.
But back then, she loved teasing him and loved seeing his frustrated expression.
Perhaps there's also a psychological element to it—liking the way he pursued her.
She was so convinced that he wouldn't leave halfway through, and she thought they had a long time ahead of them and that many things could be taken slowly, so she never gave him any firm promises.
If she had known that their relationship would one day come to an abrupt end, she would have embraced him with the most passionate love, just as he had.
The wilder the thoughts in his mind, the more passionate his kisses became towards the phantom before him.
She straddled his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tilted her head back to kiss his eyebrows, his high nose, and his tightly pursed lips.
While kissing him, she mumbled, "Ah Xuan, do you like it when I kiss you?"
"I don't like it." Wei Zhang was thoroughly annoyed by her strong smell of alcohol.
He tried to push her away.
But she held on so tightly, as if she would never let go in this lifetime.
Wei Zhang couldn't budge her.
The two chased and dodged, eventually both falling onto the bed.
She fell hard on her back, but she never let go of his neck.
Even with his cold face and furrowed brows, she felt no fear whatsoever, her burning gaze following him relentlessly.
Wei Zhang hated being pestered like this, "Let go!"
"I won't let go!"
She hooked her arms around his neck and shook her head, looking aggrieved.
She finally managed to get hold of him, and she's not going to let go now!
"I will follow you, I will follow you for the rest of my life!" she declared loudly.
Wei Zhang pulled her hand away and stopped.
A sudden gust of wind arose behind them, causing the curtains to fall.
Her vows were all confined within the four-dimensional space.
Light streamed in through the swaying curtains, casting a soft glow that revealed the bride's coquettishness and shyness on her wedding night, as well as the unwavering determination hidden in her eyes.
Everything seemed to return to that first night when she embraced him from behind and said, "My heart is as firm as a rock, it cannot be changed."
A gentle voice emerged from the crack in Wei Zhang's chest.
The chasm widened and widened until it suddenly collapsed, and a powerful beast broke free of its cage.
He easily pulled her hand away and held it above his head.
The red silk curtains flowed like water, rippling and shimmering, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Not far away, a pair of red candles burned, their flames mingling.
The red candle weeps tears, the stream flowing endlessly.
"Ah Xuan, do you like it when I kiss you?" she asked again.
"I like it," he said.
*
An hour later, the rain gradually subsided.
Xue Lanyi nestled in Wei Zhang's arms, curling up into a ball.
After the passion subsided, her skin appeared even whiter, and her body became thinner; even the soft silk pillow was not dented by her weight.
Her swollen lips murmured faintly, "It hurts, it hurts so much."
Just now, although Wei Zhang didn't ask for much, he asked for a deep one. She had never experienced that kind of pain in her abdomen before, and she was still trembling.
Her mind was still foggy, so she took Wei Zhang's hand and said, "Rub it."
Her soft breath was spraying onto Wei Zhang's chest, sending shivers down his spine.
She hadn't acted so affectionately towards him in a long time, and Wei Zhang was momentarily stunned.
Then, he turned her around so that her back was to him, and put his hand under her waist to massage her.
But he was strong, and as he rubbed her, her brows furrowed even more.
Wei Zhang restrained his strength and gently circled her abdomen.
Her brows and eyes relaxed a little.
As soon as he stopped, her brows furrowed again.
Wei Zhang had no choice but to endure the aching in his hands and continue to massage in circles with consistent force.
A martial artist's hands are thicker and warmer; if he really wants to, massaging them would feel very comfortable.
Xue Lanyi's pain eased somewhat, and she found a safe place to rest on his chest in a daze.
After Chen Shi (7-9 AM), dawn breaks.
Two birds were pecking at food on the windowsill, and a gentle breeze carried the delicate fragrance of gardenias.
The golden sunlight shone on Xue Lanyi's face, making her cheeks slightly red and gradually warming up.
He stared intently at the person in his arms, truly savoring the tranquility of life.
After having a wife, is it generally true that couples should live in harmony and mutual respect?
If it's a bond that can relieve boredom and fatigue, why not want it?
Even if the bond lasts for a lifetime, what does it matter if it extends to countless lifetimes?
This thought stirred Wei Zhang's heart. He reached out and tucked the stray hairs from her temple behind her ear, intending to lean down and kiss her ear.
Xue Lanyi was just getting sleepy when she felt a ticklish breath and placed her hand on his face. "Ah Xuan, stop fooling around."
Ah Xuan used to tease her with foxtail grass, but now when she reached out, she didn't touch foxtail grass, but rather a cold, hard, angular outline, and the temperature was getting colder and colder.
Xue Lanyi suddenly opened her eyes, meeting Wei Zhang's gradually freezing gaze.
In an instant, most of the intoxication subsided.
Her head buzzed, and she realized that she had mistaken someone for someone else while she was drunk.
In her fragmented and chaotic memories, she recalled the moment they made love, with the man in the python robe standing behind her. He appeared cold and aloof, yet the force beneath his robes was powerful and intimidating.
The harshness he displayed clearly stemmed from his dissatisfaction with her mistaking someone else for someone else.
Xue Lanyi was afraid that he would cause more trouble and make it impossible for her to escape, so she quickly shook off his hand on her abdomen, got off the bed, and didn't even have time to put on her shoes in her panic.
"I...I..." She opened her mouth again and again, but couldn't say anything coherent, and instinctively moved away from the bed.
When she sobered up, her gentle and charming demeanor vanished.
Wei Zhang glanced at his empty hands, sat up, and a shadow flickered in his eyes.
Just then, there was a knocking sound at the window.
"Your Excellency, it has been an hour. Have you finished your questions?" The envoy asked respectfully, having already waited for half an hour.
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