Chapter 107 Not Attending Morning Court Meng Lingyao was panting, her eyes reddening, and she looked like a ghost…
Meng Lingyao didn't react at first. She opened her eyes groggily and asked softly, "Why did you stop pressing?"
Pei Xu's hand slid down the back of her neck. "No rush."
No, she was in a hurry.
Meng Lingyao instantly regained her senses. On their wedding night, there was naturally something to do.
Besides, she already knew that he had actually been holding back for a long time...
But he has a hidden illness!
She looked up, her shimmering eyes staring straight at him, as if she had said nothing, yet as if she had said everything.
Pei Xu stared at her for a few moments, then suddenly reached out and took the red silk ribbon used to tie the gourd from the tray where the nuptial wine vessels were placed. The ribbon was extremely long and brightly colored, standing out conspicuously between his slender fingers.
He raised his hand and gently unfolded the red silk, softly covering her face.
The light before her suddenly became hazy, leaving only the warm and ambiguous candlelight filtered through the thin red silk. She could vaguely see the outline of his tall figure, but she couldn't make out his expression.
"Pei Xu?" she called out subconsciously, her voice carrying a hint of doubt and barely perceptible tension through the red silk. This action was truly unexpected.
"Mmm," he responded, his voice almost touching hers. Through the red silk, she could feel his closeness; his warm breath brushed against the silk, creating a slightly ticklish sensation.
The next moment, a very light and slow kiss landed on her forehead through the thin red silk.
Meng Lingyao trembled slightly. The sensation was wonderful; the coolness of the silk intertwined with the warmth of his lips. The barrier between them only made the touch clearer and more alluring.
His lips didn't leave immediately, but pressed against her forehead, gently caressing it, before slowly moving downwards, sliding down her delicate nose little by little.
The red silk rippled slightly with his movements, clinging to the contours of her skin. Meng Lingyao involuntarily held her breath, her fingers unconsciously clutching the soft brocade quilt beneath her. She was usually quick-witted, but at this moment she was somewhat unsure of his intentions. This intimacy through the fabric was more unsettling than direct touch.
"This, this is not fair..." she finally couldn't help but say, "You can see me, but I can't see you." She raised her hand, wanting to tear off the annoying red silk, but her wrist was gently held by him, his fingertips gently caressing the delicate skin on her wrist.
"Then I won't look." His voice was seductive, and through the red silk, his lips precisely found the position of her lips, touching them almost imperceptibly.
Even through the silk, the heat was still clearly felt. His warm tongue gently traced the shape of her lips, wetting the thin silk and pressing tightly against her skin. She instinctively tried to turn her head away, but his free hand firmly supported the back of her neck, leaving her no room to retreat.
This slightly forceful control ignited the stubbornness within Meng Lingyao. She stopped trying to break free from his grip on her wrist, instead gently tickling his palm with her fingertips. At the same time, she tilted her head back and, through the red silk, awkwardly but boldly responded with a kiss to his lips.
Pei Xu's movements paused noticeably, and his breathing suddenly deepened. He released his grip on her wrist, instead cupping her cheeks and kissing her more deeply and intensely through the red silk. The red silk seemed to be the last barrier between his reason and his loss of control, growing increasingly hot and moist as their lips rubbed together.
As they whispered sweet nothings to each other, Meng Lingyao found the red silk extremely cumbersome. Taking a breath, she suddenly tilted her head back, and the red silk, which had only lightly covered her neck, slid down gracefully and piled up around her fair neck.
The obstruction vanished abruptly, and the candlelight shone unobstructed on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes glistened with moisture; the carefully drawn upturned corners of her eyes were redder than peach blossoms in March.
She breathed softly, looking up at Pei Xu who was so close to her.
The last shred of restraint in his eyes shattered completely. The falling of that red silk seemed to have also pulled the string out of his taut strings.
"Is it fair now?" he asked in a low, husky voice, his gaze intense.
Before Meng Lingyao could answer, he leaned down and kissed her lips without any obstruction.
At first, she tried to maintain a sliver of clarity, even clumsily attempting to take the initiative, but under his powerful and meticulous offensive, that resistance melted away instantly, like a snowflake thrown into a raging fire.
The candlelight cast a warm glow, cascading down and falling on Meng Lingyao, making her skin appear even whiter than snow. The cool air touched her skin, causing her to shiver, only to be pulled closer into an embrace.
Over the years, Pei Xu has seen many beautiful sights, from towering mountains to shimmering lakes, but none can compare to what he is seeing now.
His eyes welled up slightly, and he lost his words, all his praise translated into action. From his lips down his jaw, neck, collarbone... his mark was everywhere.
“Pei Xu…you…” Her voice trembled, and she couldn’t help but sob.
With weak and powerless arms, I could only transform into a dodder vine, clinging tightly to the tree with no other option. I tried to say something, but was interrupted by the raging wind and rain.
After an unknown amount of time, the terrifying torment finally subsided. Pei Xu raised his head, gazing at her flushed cheeks for a long time, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Panting, Meng Lingyao finally came to her senses and asked, almost as if possessed, "...What does it smell like?" She was stunned when she asked the question, and then she was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl under the covers.
Upon hearing this, Pei Xu's eyes welled up with emotion, and his lips, still glistening with moisture, made a move to lean in and kiss her lips.
"No..." Meng Lingyao immediately turned her head away, reaching out to press against his chest, her face showing undisguised disgust, "Don't..."
Pei Xu chuckled softly, his chest heaving.
"Sweet."
Meng Lingyao was extremely embarrassed and kept her head turned away, refusing to look at him.
He didn't insist. He got up, walked to the table, picked up the cup of tea that was still unfinished next to the nuptial wine, and calmly rinsed his mouth.
When he returned to the bedside, only the refreshing scent of tea remained on him. He leaned down, cupped her face in his hands, and gazed into her sparkling eyes. "Is it alright now?"
Meng Lingyao didn't speak, but tilted her head slightly and took the initiative to meet his descending lips.
She had made ample preparations, but when the time actually came, she still couldn't help but frown from the pain and grip his arm tightly.
Pei Xu was extremely patient and gentle, carefully kissing away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
An indescribable feeling gradually replaced the pain. Meng Lingyao felt as if she were a taut string being repeatedly pulled until it finally snapped.
The red candles burned tirelessly, casting flickering light and shadows within the tent, illuminating the figures of the couple closely entwined.
The red silk that had slipped down her neck was suddenly clenched in her palm, then slowly loosened, scattered messily in a corner of the mandarin duck brocade quilt, and no one paid any attention to it anymore.
Meng Lingyao didn't know when she finally fell asleep.
All she remembered was Pei Xu's relentless pestering, which swept away all her reason and strength. She was so exhausted that she couldn't even lift her fingertips.
She was coaxed into saying countless unpleasant things until she was almost crying and begging for mercy before Pei Xu reluctantly let her go. When he carried her to clean her up, she was so unconscious that she had no idea what day it was.
When she opened her eyes, it was already broad daylight. Even through the bed curtains, she could feel the bright sunlight outside. Meng Lingyao felt as if her whole body had been taken apart and put back together; she felt weak all over, and her eyelids were incredibly heavy.
She had just moved, as if to call for help, when she felt a tightness around her waist as a strong arm pulled her closer into a warm embrace.
"Awake?" Pei Xu's voice, hoarse from the early morning, rang close to her ear.
Meng Lingyao jolted awake, the events of last night flashing back in her mind, making her ears burn. She tried to break free from his embrace, "What time is it? It's time to get up, we still need to serve tea..."
According to custom, the bride should get up early on the second day to serve tea to her elders.
She wasn't exactly a diligent person, but before she left, her mother repeatedly reminded her that although Pei Xu's parents were no longer alive, there was still the old master and the eldest princess in the capital, and she couldn't break the rules.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a noticeable change in the body pressed against her from behind. Meng Lingyao froze, turning her head in disbelief.
He was already up so late last night, yet he still had energy!
Turning her head, she met Pei Xu's deep, dark eyes, and the undercurrents within them startled her.
"Pei Xu!" She was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, and pushed him hard, but her strength was weak and had no deterrent effect. "Practicing lewdness in broad daylight, you... do you have no gentlemanly conduct at all!"
Pei Xu did not restrain himself; instead, he took advantage of her sideways position to hug her even tighter, showering her neck and shoulders with delicate kisses, his voice low and husky, "Grandfather told me yesterday that he is getting old and is used to waking up late, so we don't need to get up early to pay our respects and disturb his peaceful sleep."
Meng Lingyao was so breathless from his kisses that she forgot to correct his mistakes. Who wakes up late when they're old? Aren't they all awake early?
A sliver of remaining reason allowed her to speak, "Then... what about Her Highness the Princess?"
“My aunt is at the Princess’s residence,” he said, his kisses continuing, even venturing deeper into the slightly open collar of her nightgown. “She drank a lot of wine yesterday, so we shouldn’t disturb her. We can visit her this afternoon.”
As he spoke, he easily thwarted her already feeble resistance. Meng Lingyao was both angry and helpless, trapped in his small space, listening to his steady heartbeat and increasingly heavy breathing. In the end, she was pulled by him and once again drowned in that blush-inducing wave.
When the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, Meng Lingyao didn't even have the strength to glare at him. She curled up in the brocade quilt, wanting only to fall asleep. Pei Xu, on the other hand, felt refreshed. He called for water and personally wrung out a warm towel to wipe her down.
When she awoke again, the sun was high in the sky, and it was already early noon. Meng Lingyao sat up, her body aching. The maids waiting outside the tent heard the commotion and filed in one after another.
Pei Xu, dressed neatly in a dark blue robe with cloud patterns, sat on the couch by the window, flipping through a book. When he saw her wake up, he put down the book, took the clothes from Song Lan's hands, and dressed Meng Lingyao piece by piece. His movements were calm and unhurried, and he didn't even tie a single belt in the wrong place.
Meng Lingyao paused slightly as she yawned, realizing once again that Pei Shaoqing was indeed a gifted learner.
The maids served Meng Lingyao as she washed and dressed. When she sat down at her dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror, even though she was somewhat prepared, she was still startled by the ambiguous red marks on her collarbone. Her skin was fair, making the marks particularly noticeable. Songlan glanced at them, then immediately lowered her head, keeping her eyes down and not daring to look any longer.
Meng Lingyao glared fiercely at the culprit in the mirror. Pei Xu walked behind her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders and kneading them with just the right amount of pressure. Meng Lingyao wanted to shake him off, but the pressure was just right and did relieve some of her fatigue, so she let him be, still ignoring him.
She picked up the ink and carefully began to draw her features in front of the mirror. Pei Xu stood behind her, watching her quietly as she outlined her eyebrows, his eyes fixed on her.
As if by some magical spell, with just a few strokes, that face, which originally carried a sense of weariness and languor, quickly became clear and sharp, as if it had been draped in an invisible armor.
After she finished dressing, the maids quietly withdrew. Meng Lingyao straightened her sleeves, her gaze sweeping across the bright sunlight outside the window, and suddenly spoke leisurely, "When your father returns from his travels to the capital, we should thank him properly."
Pei Xu's brow twitched slightly.
Meng Lingyao slowly stood up, turned to him, and smiled faintly. "If it weren't for his carefree travels and lack of formality, how could we have..." She paused, glancing meaningfully at the sumptuous feast already prepared on the table.
"...Can we have breakfast and lunch together?"
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Author's Note: Finally finished writing 555! I've been working on this synopsis since I started writing! [shy][shy][shy]
And I need to ask for leave from everyone. Recently, I've been working on a critical phase at work, and I've been working overtime until very late every day. My health has also deteriorated due to the sharp drop in temperature.
My nose is running nonstop, and my wisdom tooth is hurting so badly it's unbearable.
I forced myself to finish this chapter, but I'm completely exhausted. I'll try to update every other day this week. This gives you all a chance to think about what kind of side stories you'd like to see. [Please][Please][Please]
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