Chapter 34
After returning to her room, Gu Xi went to find her pajamas, and prepared to go to the bathroom to change.
She was used to changing clothes in her room, but now that there was a man in the room, it wasn't appropriate to change in front of him; she couldn't be that uninhibited yet.
Where to?
A large hand easily grabbed her arm, stopping her movement.
Gu Xi looked up at him. Perhaps because the indoor lighting was not as bright as during the day, the man looked very different under the light. He was not as cold and stern, but the sense of danger was still there.
She honestly replied, "I'm going to change into my pajamas."
Shen Mingzheng released his grip and said, "Go."
Having received his instructions, Gu Xi obediently went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas.
When she returned after changing into her pajamas, she found the man sitting at the head of the bed, clearly waiting for her.
When he looked over and met her deep, dark eyes, she felt a sense of danger. She found the man sitting there both dangerous and alluring, like a cheetah lurking in the savanna...
Thinking that they were already married and that this person wouldn't hurt him, he obediently walked over.
Shen Mingzheng watched her walk over. She had changed into summer pajamas, shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Her exposed skin was dazzlingly white under the light. Her legs were slender and long, with a beautiful shape. Her ankles looked very thin, and one hand could completely encircle them...
As she approached, he reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
Gu Xi stiffened for a moment, then obediently leaned against him.
This was the first time she had been so close to a man, and she discovered a great difference between men and women. His embrace was broad and strong, making her feel petite when she leaned against him. Moreover, his muscles were hard and firm, unlike Aunt Feng's soft embrace. The heat from his body seeped through the thin fabric, making her feel hot all over, and her face uncontrollably flushed.
His hand on her waist tightened, as if he wanted to pull her into his arms, which made her feel a little scared.
His aura was too domineering, instantly invading her space.
"Big...Big brother," she whispered, her voice soft, "you're holding me too tightly."
"I'm sorry." The man's voice rang in her ear, more hoarse and deep than usual, and more dangerous.
He lowered his head and gently nuzzled the side of her neck, able to smell the scent of a girl—fragrant and soft.
Gu Xi knew what was going to happen next. Even though Jiang Huijun's words last night were vague, she wasn't completely ignorant. With the internet so developed in the future, she had occasionally glimpsed certain Japanese adult videos collected by otaku when she was a ghost...
She swallowed hard and whispered, "Big brother, could you turn off the light first?"
She felt very uncomfortable with the lights on.
Shen Mingzheng reached out and turned off the light.
With a snap, the room plunged into darkness. Then Gu Xi felt herself being lifted up by a pair of strong arms and carried to the bed...
In a daze, she finally realized that her action of changing into her pajamas was completely unnecessary.
**
Gu Xi slept very soundly, as if she was making up for the lack of rest she hadn't had during the previous few days at the Gu family home.
When she woke up, it was already broad daylight.
The curtains weren't drawn tightly, and light seeped into the room from outside.
Gu Xi opened her eyes and stared blankly at the chest in front of her. She found herself curled up in his arms, her head resting on his arm, covered in sweat.
In this kind of weather, it's no wonder they're hot sleeping like this, huddled together like that.
"woke up?"
A slightly hoarse voice sounded as a hand stroked her forehead, wiping away the sweat.
Gu Xiren was still a little dazed and subconsciously asked, "What time is it?"
"It's just past 9:30."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi immediately sat up, but she didn't expect to get up too quickly, which aggravated her sore waist. She immediately frowned and fell back down.
Shen Mingzheng wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Be careful."
His voice carried a clear hint of laughter.
Gu Xi lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at him. Her fingers unconsciously tugged at the sheet beneath her, and then she realized that the sheet on the bed had been changed to a new one, not the one she had used before going to bed last night. Her face instantly turned red.
last night……
She was so tired that she fell asleep immediately, not even knowing when he changed the sheets, and what to do with the old sheets? Maybe she should sneak off and wash them later…
"Do you want to continue sleeping or get up for breakfast?" Shen Mingzheng asked, his hand supporting her slender waist.
Gu Xi said, "Let's not sleep anymore, let's have breakfast."
Shen Mingzheng didn't say anything, got out of bed to change his clothes, and took her clothes with him, which was a beautiful dress.
Gu Xi accidentally caught a glimpse of him changing clothes and saw his well-defined abs and clear V-line... She had personally checked it last night, and it felt pretty good.
After he changed his clothes and went out to wash up, Gu Xi quickly got up and changed her clothes as well.
But when she got out of bed, she felt uncomfortable all over, especially her groin area, which was very stiff, as if she had pulled a muscle. She couldn't help but look down and saw two bluish-black finger marks on her side...
When Shen Mingzheng came in, he saw that she had already changed her clothes and was sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze.
"What's wrong?" He walked over and ruffled her hair, noticing that she liked to sit there alone, lost in thought, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking, or perhaps she wasn't thinking about anything at all.
Gu Xi looked up, her almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright, staring at him. She bit her lip, suppressing her embarrassment, and asked, "Big brother, where are the sheets we changed last night?"
Shen Mingzheng: "I washed it."
Who washed it?
"I washed it."
"when?"
"Morning."
"..."
Gu Xi looked at him with a conflicted expression, and finally turned her head away in despair.
Forget it, they got married yesterday. Whatever happened, those who need to know already know. There's no need to hide it like this.
Shen Mingzheng knew exactly what she was thinking. A smile appeared in his eyes. He found her concern about such things to be very vivid and cute.
He walked over, helped her up, and then noticed that her wrists were somewhat bluish.
He paused slightly, then had someone sit down and went to get a tube of ointment to apply to the bruises on her wrist.
Gu Xi obediently reached out to apply the ointment, looking at him with a hesitant expression.
When she was changing clothes, she was shocked to see the marks on her body. This was too much... No wonder she felt so uncomfortable.
And her wrists, which he grabbed last night, even left marks. Luckily, the marks weren't deep, otherwise she would have had to wear long sleeves today.
"What's wrong?" Shen Mingzheng asked, his voice much gentler than usual. This side of him, which was usually hidden from others, was only revealed in his room.
Gu Xi looked at him one by one, "I have many marks on my body, and you... you've applied medicine to them?"
Shen Mingzheng calmly hummed in agreement, "I applied the medicine to you after you fell asleep last night."
Her skin was too fair, making her prone to scarring and leaving marks. He hadn't expected to leave so many marks on her, even though he hadn't used much force... or perhaps he had accidentally used too much force when he couldn't control himself.
Gu Xi felt like her whole body was about to burst into flames.
Just thinking about how he had been completely asleep last night, he turned on the light and applied the medicine to her...
I must never sleep so soundly again!
Finally, Gu Xi tried her best to keep a straight face and went downstairs with him to have breakfast.
When she saw that only Aunt Wang and Shen Mingrong were in the living room downstairs, she was glad that it wasn't a day off and that Feng Min and Shen Chongshan weren't there, otherwise it would have been even more awkward.
"You're awake! Come and have breakfast."
Aunt Wang went to the kitchen and brought over the breakfast she had specially prepared for them. She looked them over with the eyes of someone who had been through it all, but her expression was very serious, so as not to embarrass Gu Xi.
However, she could still tell that Gu Xi's walking posture was a bit stiff, and she couldn't help but shake her head secretly.
Only Shen Mingrong complained, "Sister Xi, you got up so late today! I've been waiting for you for over an hour..."
They usually get up at eight o'clock, have breakfast, and then go out to play together.
Gu Xi said without changing her expression, "I haven't been sleeping well these past few days, so I slept a little more."
"Alright then." Shen Mingrong didn't think much of it and chattered away around them, looking very happy. "By the way, I can't call you Sister Xi anymore, I have to call you Sister-in-law! But it feels so weird to suddenly change from calling you Sister Xi to Sister-in-law..."
Shen Mingzheng served Gu Xi a bowl of porridge and said, "From now on, you should call her sister-in-law!"
Seeing his brother's cold face, Shen Mingrong obediently replied, pouting, "Big brother, you're the same before and after marriage! Aren't men supposed to change after marriage? Why don't you change at all?"
He thought that after his brother got married, he would become more gentle and easier to talk to, instead of always having a cold and intimidating face.
Shen Mingzheng ignored him and sat down to eat breakfast with Gu Xi.
Although he got up early today, he didn't come out for breakfast. Instead, he stayed in the room with her until now.
After breakfast, Gu Xi slumped on the sofa, not wanting to move.
The feeling of sore back and weak legs was unpleasant, especially the stiffness in her groin area, which made her reluctant to walk, afraid that someone would notice something and it would be embarrassing.
Shen Mingrong asked, "Sister Xi, are you going out to play today?"
"We're not going out," Gu Xi said. "We still have to deliver wedding candies to the people in the compound this afternoon."
Shen Mingrong was a little disappointed, but considering how much she had done at the wedding yesterday, she figured she must be very tired, so she didn't say anything more and decided to play chess with her to pass the time.
Shen Mingzheng came out of the study and looked at his younger brother who was pestering Gu Xi to play chess. He suddenly felt that the children's holidays were too long and it was not good for them to stay at home every day.
Aunt Wang asked with a smile, "Mingrong, aren't you going to play with Shao Xiaojun and the others today?"
"I'm not going, I want to play chess with Sister Xi!" Shen Mingrong said without looking up. "Sister Xi has been gone for several days, and I miss her so much. I've decided to dedicate all my time today to Sister Xi and spend it with her!"
Aunt Wang: "..."
Shen Mingzheng: "..."
Aunt Wang looked at Shen Mingzheng, who was standing there with a cold face, and felt helpless.
However, he found it quite amusing. He never expected that this usually composed man would have such a side. When he saw his wife being entangled by his younger brother, his eyes turned cold. But Shen Mingrong was clearly too oblivious and didn't care about his brother's cold stare, so he didn't notice at all.
It seems that all men are the same after they get married.
Gu Xi and Shen Mingrong played chess in the living room all morning, while Shen Mingzheng went to the study to read.
After finishing lunch, Gu Xi yawned and prepared to go back to her room for a nap.
Although I slept quite well last night, I haven't had a good rest these past few days, and I'm still quite tired.
I had just lain down when I heard the door open.
She opened her eyes and saw that Shen Mingzheng had returned, so she subconsciously sat up.
"Big brother..." she asked, "Are you taking a nap too?"
Shen Mingzheng hummed in agreement, changed into his pajamas, and then got into bed.
Gu Xi shrank back a little to make room for him, but as soon as she moved in, a pair of hands pulled her into his arms. She could feel his masculinity and heat, and her mind couldn't help but recall the scene from last night when his sweat dripped onto her...
"Big brother," Gu Xi said, blushing, "it's too hot, could you please not stand so close?"
Although there is a fan in the room, it doesn't cool the room enough.
Shen Mingzheng held her tightly, not letting go, and touched the skin on her neck, which felt warm and cool.
He noticed last night that as long as she was quiet, her body temperature was not very high, her skin was cool, and her body temperature was significantly lower than that of an average person, probably because she was prone to feeling cold.
My great-aunt said that she had a hard childhood and developed many health problems, including being cold-sensitive. Although many women suffer from this, hers was particularly severe. Even in the summer, her hands and feet were always cold, and winter was even more unbearable.
"Gu Xi," Shen Mingzheng said, "we'll go to your great-aunt tomorrow to get you some medicine."
While I'm still in Beijing, I'll go find my great-aunt and get her a few more doses of medicine to take with her so she can take good care of her health.
Gu Xi: "..." She didn't like hearing that.
Seeing that she remained silent and expressed her resistance, Shen Mingzheng found it somewhat amusing. He knew perfectly well that she was very reluctant to go to the hospital, probably because she was terrified of traditional Chinese medicine.
"Alright, go to sleep."
He softened his voice and gently patted her back.
Gu Xi felt like a child being coaxed, which made her feel a little awkward, but she still fell asleep quickly.
As for complaining that he was too close and it was too hot, I completely forgot about it after falling asleep.
**
In the evening, Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng went to deliver wedding candies to the people in the compound.
Just then, everyone got off work and went home, so it was a good opportunity for Shen Mingzheng to introduce Gu Xi to the people in the military compound.
Those who received the wedding candy congratulated them and chatted with Shen Mingzheng. Some men of Shen Mingzheng's age laughed and patted his shoulder, congratulating him and saying they would get together again another day.
Shen Mingzheng bumped fists with the other party.
This was a rare sight for Gu Xi. Judging from the happy expressions on those people's faces when they saw Shen Mingzheng, it was clear that Shen Mingzheng was extremely outstanding among this group of people back then. Even though he went to the army and rarely came back, many people still remembered him.
When they were delivered to the Zhou family, Zhou Huaimin and his sister were both there.
Zhou Huaiying greeted Gu Xi happily, "Gu Xi, congratulations! By the way, how about we exchange addresses? When you go to the army, we can write to each other."
She really wanted to be friends with Gu Xi, but Gu Xi was about to leave to join the army, which she found quite regrettable, so she decided to become pen pals with her.
Gu Xi thought about it and did not refuse her suggestion.
She is a slow-to-warm-up person and rarely takes the initiative to make friends. She finds it difficult to refuse a warm and cheerful girl like Zhou Huaiying.
Before leaving, Zhou Huaiying repeatedly urged her to write to her in the future until Gu Xi agreed.
By the time I finished delivering the wedding candies and got home, it was already dusk.
Shen Zhongshan and Feng Min have already arrived home and are waiting for them to come back so they can have dinner together.
"Xixi, Mingzheng, you're back! Go wash your hands and eat."
During the meal, Feng Min kept putting food into Gu Xi's bowl, saying, "Xi Xi, eat more, you're too thin."
Gu Xi looked somewhat reluctant. "Aunt Feng, I can't eat that much."
"Eat first, and if you can't finish, give it to Mingzheng!" Feng Min said, then added, "Oh, and don't call me 'Auntie' anymore, call me 'Mom'!"
Gu Xi looked up at Feng Min, met her smiling face, and smiled back, calling out, "Mom!"
Feng Min exclaimed "Oh!" and smiled from ear to ear. She could finally hear Xixi call her "Mom."
Seeing that Shen Chenshan was also looking over, Gu Xi called out to him, "Dad." Shen Chenshan's expression softened, and he smiled and responded.
After dinner, Feng Min took Gu Xi to the study to sort out the wedding gifts and monetary donations from the guests at yesterday's wedding. She wrote them down in a notebook, explaining that these were gifts to be returned later.
Shen Mingzheng also went over to help.
After working for half an hour, Feng Min rubbed her lower back and said, "I'm getting old. I feel tired after doing so little work. You can take care of the rest."
"Mom, go and rest. Gu Xi and I will take care of it," Shen Mingzheng said, taking out his pen and writing down the numbers.
Gu Xi also said, "Mom, you've had a long day at work, leave these to us."
Seeing the young couple busy at work, Feng Min couldn't help but smile and left happily.
After registering all the items, the two packed up their belongings.
Gu Xi glanced at the notebook spread out on the desk and saw the strong and powerful characters on it. Each stroke had its own unique style, and even someone without an appreciation for art could tell that the handwriting was very beautiful.
She praised, "Brother, your handwriting is so beautiful."
Shen Mingzheng coughed lightly, his ear tips turning slightly red: "This is what my grandma made us practice when we were little. Her family used to be a scholarly family, and they valued our studies a lot. Every child in the Shen family had to practice calligraphy with her from a young age..."
Gu Xi looked on with envy.
She didn't start school until she was fifteen. Before that, let alone writing, being able to read numbers one through ten was considered quite impressive. From the age of fifteen to twenty, she crammed together all the courses from elementary to high school, but her handwriting was still not very good, which made her very envious of those who had beautiful handwriting.
Seeing the envy on her face, Shen Mingzheng said, "If you want to practice calligraphy, I'll teach you."
"Okay!" She immediately smiled, her almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright, looking up at him as if they held starlight.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as Shen Mingzheng gazed at her with his deep eyes, then pulled her into his arms.
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