Chapter 35
Gu Xi was very enthusiastic about practicing calligraphy, so she immediately asked him to write a piece of calligraphy and post it so she could trace it.
Shen Mingzheng glanced at her, took out his calligraphy practice book, and wrote a passage of a red quote on it. His strokes were strong and powerful, and one could feel the sharpness and coldness emanating from them.
Gu Xi glanced at the handwriting, then at him, and thought to herself that the saying "handwriting reflects the person" was indeed true.
She admired this quote from the Communist Party and thought it was worth framing and hanging on the wall.
“My calligraphy isn’t suitable for you to practice,” Shen Mingzheng said. He went to the bookshelf against the wall and found a calligraphy practice book. “You can use this to practice first.”
His calligraphy is too rigid and not beginner-friendly.
Gu Xi took it and found that the characters on it were elegant and refined, completely different from his own.
It's like the handwriting of an elegant and intellectual woman.
Gu Xi compared the two calligraphy samples. Although she really liked the momentum that permeated his calligraphy, she knew that she probably couldn't imitate it, so she decided to start practicing with this calligraphy sample first.
Before she could even start practicing, he pulled her up.
He said, "It's getting late, I should go back to sleep. I can practice again during the day when I have time."
Gu Xi paused slightly, glanced at him, met his deep gaze, nodded stiffly, and obediently followed him back to the room.
After washing up, Gu Xi sat in front of the dressing table, casually applying skincare products.
She had no concept of skincare and didn't understand these things before. Feng Min taught her, and even bought her skincare products, saying that girls should treat themselves better.
The skincare products smell nice, and they smell good when applied to the body, making the skin feel smoother.
As she was applying the ointment, she heard a noise at the door and knew that Shen Mingzheng had returned after taking a shower.
Her body stiffened again as she slowly wiped herself, feeling an urge to escape the room.
Shen Mingzheng walked over to her and watched her apply something to her arm. Although he didn't quite understand why a woman would apply something like that, it smelled very nice on her.
Under the light, her skin was very delicate, like milk, and felt smooth and creamy to the touch.
She was all limp and soft, unlike herself who was stiff and unyielding.
Shen Mingzheng watched her wipe her hair, then reached out and lifted a strand of her hair, lost in thought.
With him staring at her like that, Gu Xi couldn't bring herself to wipe it off anymore. She could only wipe it haphazardly and then put the things away.
"Finished applying?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Gu Xi lowered her head and gave a soft "hmm," somewhat reluctantly as he pulled her up.
Shen Mingzheng could easily see her reluctance and unease, as if last night... had indeed caused her suffering.
He pulled the person back onto the bed and then turned off the light.
Once the lights are turned off, the room is completely dark. After your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can only see the vague outlines of the room.
The two lay on the bed. Gu Xi felt an arm reaching around her waist, and then she fell into his arms, her chest pressed against his. She could feel the man's steady and powerful heartbeat.
Before yesterday, although they were engaged, they had only met a few times and were not familiar with each other.
Before marriage, they had no intimate gestures other than holding hands. It seems unbelievable that they suddenly became so close.
She lay there stiffly, feeling the hand gently caressing her waist through her clothes, afraid that it was going to happen again.
"Big...Big brother," she said in a trembling voice, "I'm still feeling unwell..."
The man simply pulled her into his arms, patted her gently, and said, "I won't touch you tonight."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi immediately relaxed.
Last night was her first time, and it's impossible not to feel uncomfortable. Aside from the initial chaos, it got better later. However, after experiencing his stamina and endurance as a soldier, she really didn't want to go through it again; she would break down. She's still feeling unwell and doesn't want to do it.
Gu Xi felt his embrace tighten and asked again, "Big brother, can you let go of me?"
"how?"
"I'm not used to it..." she said honestly. She wasn't used to being held like this while sleeping. Last night, she was too tired and slept soundly.
Although she slept with her two younger sisters in the countryside, they were both small and curled up beside her, unlike now, where she is curled up in his arms.
Shen Mingzheng kissed her hair. "Go to sleep."
Seeing that he didn't let go, Gu Xi knew what he meant; he intended to keep holding her like that.
At times, he is an extremely calm and restrained person who respects her opinions, but at other times, he reveals his unique desire for control and is a very domineering man.
With no other option, she adjusted to a more comfortable position, nestled in his arms, and listened to his steady, powerful heartbeat as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up again, I found that it was already daylight.
Perhaps because she didn't cause any trouble yesterday, she woke up very early today and was in good spirits. This was not only because she slept well at the Shen family home, but also because someone was with her last night.
Having lived in the same room and slept in the same bed with her two younger sisters since childhood, she was used to having someone with her. After coming to Beijing, she started sleeping alone. When she curled up in bed at night, she was always afraid and discovered that she was not only afraid of the dark, but also afraid of being alone.
She didn't dare tell anyone about this little problem, otherwise she would be accused of being pretentious.
Who wouldn't want their own room, especially a girl? But she actually wanted to share a room with her sisters and sleep with her younger sister.
Gu Xi sat up and found that no one was beside her.
She was in a daze for a while, and as she was about to get out of bed, she heard the door open and saw Shen Mingzheng come in, his clothes damp with sweat.
"Awake?" He walked over and gently stroked her face. "Breakfast is ready, come down and eat."
Gu Xi responded and looked up at his handsome face. "Big brother, did you go for morning exercises?"
Just by looking at the moisture on his clothes, you could tell he had come back from running exercises and taken a shower.
How early do you have to get up?
As Shen Mingzheng looked for clothes for her, he said, "It's not that early. This is the routine we had in the army, I'm used to it." He took out a round-neck, light yellow dress and asked, "Are you wearing this today?"
Gu Xi shook her head. "I'm wearing a shirt and pants."
He took out a woman's shirt and pants hanging nearby, and seeing the underwear on the other side, he also took one and handed it to her.
Gu Xi couldn't remain calm. She blushed and took the gift, staring at him with her eyes wide open.
Shen Mingzheng understood what she meant, turned around and left the room, telling her to change her clothes.
When Gu Xi changed her clothes and went to have breakfast, she found that Shen Chenshan and Feng Min had not yet left the house and were sitting there eating breakfast.
"Good morning, Dad and Mom," Gu Xi greeted them.
Feng Min smiled and said, "Why are you up so early today? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Since they were newlyweds, no one said anything even if Gu Xi slept in until noon. Feng Min treated Gu Xi like a daughter, and no matter what she did, it was all good in her heart.
In addition, she has a job as a cadre in the military region's factory office, and she usually focuses her energy on her work, so she naturally doesn't pay attention to trivial matters. With such an open mind, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will only be more harmonious.
Gu Xi smiled at her, "I've had enough sleep, so I'm up now."
Feng Min looked at her face; it was rosy and glowing, and she looked full of energy. She nodded in satisfaction.
She has eyes to see; how could she not see that Gu Xi couldn't sleep well at the Gu family home before the wedding? She felt this was evidence that the Gu family was treating her badly, so she couldn't rest well after staying at the Gu family home for a few days.
Feng Min asked, "Where are you going to play today?"
"Go to the hospital and find your great-aunt," Shen Mingzheng said. "Have her prescribe some medicine for Gu Xi to take to the army."
Hearing him say that, Feng Min suddenly remembered that they would be leaving in a few days, and she immediately felt lost.
After breakfast, Feng Min and Shen Chongshan went to work, while Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng also prepared to go to the hospital.
Shortly after they left, Shen Mingrong finally got up. When he learned that his brother had already taken Gu Xi out, he was shocked and regretted that he had gotten up too late that day.
Upon arriving at the military hospital, they first went to register.
We waited a bit long today. When they went in, we saw my great-aunt wearing reading glasses and looking through medical records.
Actually, she could have retired at her age, but she felt that she was just sitting idle anyway, and it would be a waste not to use her medical skills to save lives, so she retired but was rehired to continue working at the military hospital. Many patients booked her appointments.
Upon seeing the two of them, the great-aunt asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"
Knowing they're newly married, shouldn't young people go out and have fun?
Shen Mingzheng placed the gifts he had specially brought for the old woman on the table next to him and said, "Grandma, we're leaving in a few days. We came to visit you and ask you to prescribe some medicine for Gu Xi to help her recover."
Upon hearing this, the great-aunt indicated that she understood, and asked Gu Xi to reach out and take her pulse before writing a prescription.
As she wrote the prescription, she said, "You have quite a few health problems, so you need to pay more attention in the future. Get plenty of rest and eat well; that's the most important thing. Don't overwork yourself! Also, your periods are irregular, so you need to be careful about that. You always feel uncomfortable when you have your period, so I need to help you regulate it. Remember not to touch cold water or catch a cold..."
Gu Xi felt a little embarrassed because Shen Mingzheng was still there.
However, Shen Mingzheng obviously didn't think anything of it and listened attentively to his great-aunt's words. Although he didn't understand women's menstrual cycles, his mother was also a woman, and as long as he cared about his mother, he would have come into some contact with her.
Since it was during working hours, the two did not linger there. After getting the medicine, they said goodbye to their great-aunt.
This time, there was a lot of medicine, enough for a month. Her great-aunt even wrote a prescription for her, so that if she felt unwell after arriving at the military base, she could go to the hospital to get the medicine and take care of her. If there were any problems, she could also call her and she would help adjust the prescription.
Carrying large and small bags of medicine, they went home first and asked Aunt Wang to help them decoct the medicine.
At noon, after lunch, Gu Xi took a large dose of medicine and then went to take a nap.
In the afternoon, when the sun wasn't so strong, Shen Mingzheng somehow got hold of a bicycle and, while Shen Mingrong was still taking a nap, took Gu Xi out to visit the nearby temple fair. They didn't return until dark.
When the two returned home, they were stopped by the angry boy.
"Big brother, you're so mean! You took Sister Xi out to play without telling me!" He looked at Gu Xi with a wronged expression. "Sister Xi, am I not your favorite child?"
Shen Mingzheng's expression was cold and stern, and he completely ignored him.
Gu Xi found it amusing, patted the boy's head, and said with a smile, "Mingrong is of course my favorite child! We'll take you out to play tomorrow."
Seeing Shen Mingzheng looking over, she smiled ingratiatingly at him, and he said nothing more.
As they were going to bed that night, Shen Mingzheng said, "You spoil Mingrong too much. You can't spoil a boy like that, or he'll become spoiled."
The boys in the Shen family started exercising as soon as they could run and jump, and were strictly disciplined, resulting in them all being incredibly healthy.
Shen Mingzheng grew up like this, believing that boys should be trained from a young age and not spoiled. Even though his mother doted on him, she would never back down on certain matters of principle.
Gu Xi was surprised, "No, Mingrong is very well-educated and won't be spoiled."
The way adoptive parents treat their only son, and the way the Gu family treats Gu Yuanhui, that's what you call spoiling someone. Gu Xi knows very well that they will cause a big disaster sooner or later.
As for her adoptive parents' son, she could ignore him since they lived far away and had no connection with him anymore. As for Gu Yuanhui, she figured he would probably follow the same path as in his previous life.
“If we indulge him and give in to his every whim, he’ll be spoiled.” Shen Mingzheng looked down at her defiant face. “You don’t believe me?”
Gu Xi puffed out her cheeks. If he said it was another child, she would naturally believe him, but she would never believe it was Shen Mingrong.
In his previous life, Shen Mingrong was admitted to a military academy and became a high-level talent in the army after graduation. Although his achievements did not reach the level of his brother, they were still something to be proud of. However, he got married at an advanced age, which made his parents very worried.
Shen Mingzheng suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek; it was soft and easy to pinch.
With that pinch, her puffed-up cheeks deflated instantly, and she froze, staring blankly at him.
She was wearing a thin, off-white nightgown, her hair loose, sitting there looking small, dazed, cute, and soft—too beautiful to be true. It easily stirred a man's violent, destructive urges, a desire to destroy her, to paint her with his own colors…
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he reached out and pulled her into his arms, lifting her chin and kissing her.
Gu Xi's eyes widened, and she even forgot to breathe.
Her breathing went from steady to rapid, then to almost suffocating; her eyes gradually became unfocused, until finally she could only close them, weakly tugging at his clothes…
Gu Xi didn't know how she fell asleep. She only felt that in her dream, she was tightly wrapped by a large python, which even bit her, making her feel hot and uncomfortable, as if she had been poisoned by snake venom.
That giant python was extremely controlling, manipulating her, not allowing her to resist, and trying to control her body...
When Gu Xi woke up, she saw the man holding her as she slept and blinked her sore eyes.
So the giant python was right here.
Her eyes were dry from crying so much last night. She rubbed her eyes and struggled to get out of his arms.
"Sleep a little longer." Shen Mingzheng pulled her back to bed, his eyes still a little sleepy.
He had just woken up.
Gu Xi touched her watch and glanced at it, finding it was exactly 6:30. She decided to get up; it wasn't good to always sleep in, and although no one said anything, she felt ashamed.
Shen Mingzheng had no choice but to get up as well. He paused when he saw that her clothes were slightly open, revealing her rounded shoulders with a bluish tooth mark on them.
Did he really bite me last night?
Gu Xi didn't notice his expression. It was only when she was changing her clothes that she noticed several teeth marks on her body. Her face immediately turned red, and then it showed signs of turning bluish.
No wonder he dreamed of being entangled and bitten by a giant python; he's actually someone who likes to bite.
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