Chapter 30 A Wicked Temperament
The thunder and rain were intense, rumbling and booming.
Bai Hua kept her eyes tightly closed, clutching the sheet in her hand. At this moment, her attention was entirely focused on the wind and rain outside the porthole, and she did not notice that the person behind her was breathing heavily and exhaling hotly.
Her back was pressed against his chest, and she could faintly feel his heartbeat. Ning Jue lowered his arm and gently embraced her waist.
Bai Hua tacitly approved of this, showing no rejection or defensiveness. Whenever white lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window, the force of his soothing pat on her shoulder brought her a sense of comfort and peace of mind.
The moonlight was obscured by clouds and rain, making the cabin dimly lit and pitch black.
As he gently patted her soothingly, her eyelids slowly grew heavy. Once her emotions had calmed down, she closed her eyes and began to silently drift off to sleep.
In the darkness, the young master did not seem to be lying comfortably. Their backs and chests were inevitably close together, but he deliberately kept his distance from her below the waist.
The two slept fully clothed; the tight-fitting clothes were a bit uncomfortable, but they allowed them a lot of freedom.
She closed her eyes to comfort herself, reminding herself that this was just an emergency, and that sleeping with her back turned was no longer related to romance.
Unfortunately, the waves were surging, and the boat rocked erratically, sometimes with the bow pointing upwards and sometimes with the stern swinging up. The irresistible force of nature made it impossible for the two to separate.
On deck, the wind and rain howled, the sails billowed, and the clamor reached straight into the cabin. The thunderstorm intensified, and the crew did their best to furl the sails and control the rudder, occasionally exchanging a few words amidst the wind and rain.
Bai Hua held her breath, paying close attention to the commotion outside. She could vaguely hear the crew members talking, seemingly discussing changes in the shipping route and tomorrow's meals.
The voices were enthusiastic, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, without any fear of being in the downpour.
The ship was facing rough seas again, the cabin tilted, and Bai Hua crashed into Ning Jue's arms once more, right there in front of him.
Ning Jue's throat bobbed, but he didn't make a sound.
He didn't know if Bai Hua was unaware of what was going on, or if she was clueless about matters of the heart, because she didn't utter a sound.
Ning Jue sighed, paused for a moment, and whispered in Bai Hua's ear, "...I'm sorry."
Bai Hua did not respond to him; her body remained tense, and with each clap of thunder outside, she would hunch her shoulders and tremble.
She feared thunder more than he did.
Thinking of this, Ning Jue stopped avoiding her, shifted his waist, slowly adjusted to a comfortable position, and reached out to hug her, being very careful throughout.
He held her tighter and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
After that, neither of them made a sound.
After an unknown amount of time, the rain outside gradually subsided, the thunder and lightning ceased, and the boat's swaying became less and less pronounced. Bai Hua's tense body finally began to show signs of relaxation.
Ning Jue wanted to inquire about her condition, but just as he was about to speak, he realized that her breathing was steady and that she had fallen asleep at some point.
He stroked her rounded shoulder with his palm, making sure she was really asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief, then held his breath and pulled away, getting out of bed in a disheveled state.
Ning Jue opened his baggage, took out a new pair of underwear, and then quietly left the cabin to go to the ship's water room.
About half an hour later, he returned, feeling refreshed and less agitated. His hair was still damp, so he casually wiped it with a cotton towel, tossed it aside, and then went back to bed.
Bai Hua was beside him, her sleeping face still peaceful.
Ning Jue turned to the side, propped his head up with one hand, and quietly looked at her. In the dim moonlight filtering through the porthole, he could see that her eyelashes were long and curled into a beautiful arc, her nose was delicate and upturned, her cherry lips were slightly parted, and her skin was smooth and delicate, with fine downy hairs that were the same color as the moon dust.
His gaze was both gentle and intense. He tucked her in, rolled over, and lay back down, no longer disturbing her, not even with his eyes.
It's hard to fall asleep if you're not sleepy.
The quiet of the night evoked contemplation, and Ning Jue reflected on herself.
He rejected anything that was out of his control, and he believed he was capable of self-discipline. But just now, an unintentional contact through his clothes, coupled with the swaying of the boat, threw him into a state of panic and made his whole body go numb uncontrollably.
This feeling was strange and unfamiliar, making him very uneasy.
He stayed awake almost until dawn, only feeling weary and closing his eyes when the first rays of sunlight streamed into the cabin.
...
The next day, as dawn broke, Bai Hua woke up first.
She opened her eyes, calmed herself down, and suddenly felt a sharp, dagger-like sensation on her waist. She tried to move away, but Ning Jue's arms pressed down on her heavily, making it difficult for her to move and preventing her from leaving his embrace.
Worried about waking the young master, Bai Hua hesitated and dared not move again.
She wondered if it was just her imagination, but after the movement, she felt the opposing force even more clearly now. She closed her eyes, sighed helplessly, and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't seem to ignore it.
The young master slept fully clothed, with his Qingying sword always by his side. She guessed that one end of the scabbard had slipped into the quilt, unintentionally disturbing her.
Bai Hua closed her eyes to try to fall asleep, but she couldn't. In desperation, she tried to lift her waist and actively push against the scabbard, hoping to use her own strength to deflect one end of it.
She was careful, keeping her movements as restrained as possible, and slowly leaned back while keeping her back straight.
Despite her efforts, the scabbard remained motionless, as if it were defying her, and she couldn't push it out no matter what she did.
Was the other end of the sword sheath also pressed down by the young master's body?
Bai Hua thought about it and felt that this explanation was more reasonable.
However, she could not act rashly, lest she wake the young master, which would be a greater loss than gain.
The ship continued to sway with the waves. Perhaps because she was hungry, her stomach began to churn, and a feeling of weakness spread throughout her body.
She didn't want to get up, so she relaxed and lay back down, slowly calming down.
Let me sleep a little longer. It's just getting light, and there's nothing to do if I get up.
Bai Hua closed her eyes again. To make her lower back more comfortable, she came up with a compromise: since her lower back was uncomfortable, she could put it between her legs, where there seemed to be a gap that could accommodate it.
She shifted her position, slowly adjusting herself. It was somewhat unusual, but compared to the pain in her back, she was willing to stay the way she was.
The boat was unstable, swaying from side to side.
Bai Hua felt unwell, her head was spinning, and she didn't think much about it or have the energy to care about anything else. After adjusting herself, all she wanted to do was lie down and close her eyes to catch up on sleep.
They slept soundly, embracing each other, until noon.
Outside the porthole, the cries of seagulls were sharp and loud, quite disturbing.
This time, Ning Jue woke up first.
He raised his hand to his forehead to block the light streaming in through the window, and after calming himself down, he tried to sit up.
But for a moment, Ning Jue felt a distinct pulling sensation in his lower abdomen. He realized something, frowned, and his mind became completely clear.
He was stunned in disbelief at first, then looked down to confirm, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
What did he do after he fell asleep?
Is it a complete indulgence of one's own despicable nature?
Ning Jue's suspicions were not unfounded. In his dream last night, he did indeed treat her without any restraint. She wore a red dress with swaying tassels, and he was on top of her, completely infatuated.
He could always distinguish between dreams and reality. No matter how unrestrained he was in his dreams, he would still have some consideration in reality and dare not force things.
He feared that, in his half-asleep state, he might mistake the reality before him for a nightmare and unconsciously do something outside of his principles.
Ning Jue withdrew with a solemn face, his blood surging, and the veins under his temples throbbed twice.
After standing up and standing still, he glanced down and felt utterly dejected. So early in the morning, he'd actually been so eager to try…
He grabbed a piece of clothing to cover himself, hurriedly left the cabin, and strode to the bathhouse.
On the first night at sea, before we'd even done anything, we'd already soiled two sets of clothes. How were we going to get through the next few days?
...
After a good night's sleep, Bai Hua was refreshed and woke up around noon.
She was alone in the cabin, with no sign of the young master. She sat up and looked at the two small beds pushed together in front of her. Her cheeks flushed and she recalled the scene last night when she panicked and rushed into his arms because of the thunder. Her shyness intensified, and even the tips of her ears turned red.
Looking through the porthole, the sea was calm and the sun was shining brightly, warm and gentle. The azure sky was cloudless, as if the terrifying scene of thunder and lightning yesterday was just a dream.
After getting up and going to the shower room for a quick wash, Bai Hua returned to her cabin to change into a new set of clothes, preparing to go to the deck for some fresh air.
While opening the package, I inadvertently discovered that the young master's luggage also seemed to have been tampered with.
She casually lifted a corner and found that two of the robes inside were missing, one with cloud patterns and the other with axe-shaped patterns embroidered on the collar. She pondered for a moment, wondering why the young master had taken them.
After tidying up, she closed the cabin door and went to the deck.
Perhaps the young master is over there too. The two of them had embraced intimately yesterday, so they might feel somewhat awkward seeing each other again later.
Before even reaching the deck, the aroma of grilled fish was clearly wafting through the air, so strong and unmistakable.
Bai Hua was suspicious. The food provided on the ship was bland and unappetizing. Even when she occasionally saw a speck of meat, it was nothing more than stale, salty dried fish. There was no way she could have freshly grilled fish.
As she pondered this, she continued walking, ascending the steps.
Upon reaching the deck, I looked up and saw a large group of people gathered together, with charcoal burning in the middle, and wisps of smoke rising and falling, the smoke trails growing fainter and fainter in the opposite direction of the ship's movement.
The man who was controlling the fire in the charcoal stove was standing with his back to him. He was tall and slender, and wore the moon-white robe that Bai Hua was most familiar with.
His movements were elegant, controlling the fire gently. Four or five fresh fish, of unknown species, were laid out on the stove, each skewered with thick bamboo sticks from head to tail. He patiently brushed them with oil again and again, and with each brush, the aroma of roasting in the air became even stronger.
Bai Hua thought for a moment, then stepped closer.
Regardless of what happened yesterday, there is no reason for me to deliberately avoid speaking to you today.
With a large crowd of onlookers, it was difficult to squeeze through the outer layer. After several attempts, Bai Hua moved her shoulders and shoved her body, finally managing to break through the layers of clothing to create a passable path.
He still had his back to her.
Bai Hua looked at the familiar figure in front of her, and without hesitation, reached out and tugged at his sleeve, trying her best to keep her voice as normal as possible: "Young master, where did you find this charcoal stove?"
Upon hearing this, the other person paused, hesitated, and turned around.
Bai Hua froze on the spot, because what she saw in front of her was a completely unfamiliar male face.
His figure was very similar to that of the young master, and since they were both dressed in moon-white brocade robes, Bai Hua, still half asleep, made the embarrassing mistake of him.
She apologized repeatedly, explaining that she had contacted the wrong person.
The other party was polite and courteous, and seemed quite willing to help: "Don't panic, young lady. If you really encounter difficulties, I can send my men to help you search."
Bai Hua politely declined, "No need, thank you, young master, I'll take care of myself..."
Before he could finish speaking, his arm was grabbed from behind.
The familiar force reassured her, and when she turned around to confirm, it was indeed him.
Ning Jue glanced at the young man with a cold look in his eyes, then turned to Bai Hua and said sternly, "Why are you running around? There are so many people on the ship, how can you tell who's a good person and who's a bad one?"
Bai Hua lowered her head, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
On the one hand, she knew that she had acted impulsively and without considering the consequences, but on the other hand, because the young master rarely treated her this way, she was not used to it and felt a slight bitterness in her heart.
The young man standing to the side frowned upon hearing this and said with displeasure, "Why must you speak so harshly, sir? When facing a beauty, one should be calm and gentle, and treat her with utmost care. How can you be so ungentle and aggressive?"
Ning Jue gave him a warning glance, his imposing expression intimidating: "What's it to you?"
The other party awkwardly stopped talking.
Ning Jue turned around and pulled Bai Hua out of the center of the crowd without hesitation, leading her downstairs to the cabin door.
He pushed open the door and entered, only to have it slam shut behind him.
Ning Jue released her, but then pressed closer, cornering her against the wall.
He stood before her, the two of them close enough that his tall figure cast an undeniable shadow over her head.
"Are you this unguarded with other people too?" Ning Jue's voice was deep and hoarse, his eyes swirling with emotions.
Bai Hua was stunned, completely unaware of the reason for the young master's displeasure.
Could it be that she simply made a mistake and mistook someone else for her?
She didn't think her small mistake was worth the young master's fury.
If he had a bad temper and was prone to anger, that would be one thing, but after spending so much time together, he had always treated her with kindness and gentleness, rarely even uttering harsh words.
Therefore, she guessed that something must have happened before today to make the young master so sensitive, just because she casually exchanged a few words with the man next to her, which led to such a quarrel with her.
She snapped out of her reverie, looked at Ning Jue, and tried to explain, "No, I don't trust outsiders. The only person I trust is you, young master."
Ning Jue's expression remained unchanged, still cold and stern, but the icy coldness in his eyes seemed to slowly melt away, finally showing signs of softening and melting.
He pursed his lips and said with difficulty, "You can't completely trust me either."
Bai Hua asked, puzzled, "What?"
Ning Jue's tone turned serious as he earnestly reminded her, "All men in the world have wicked natures. You must be wary of anyone, including me. Do you understand?"
Bai Hua was completely confused.
She pondered for a moment, then followed up with, "Does that young master have any wicked qualities? How come I didn't know?"
The two of them have lived under the same roof and spent so much time together. If he really was deliberately hiding something, he couldn't have kept it completely hidden for so long.
Bai Hua didn't think that someone as aloof and proud as the young master, with his clear and gentle demeanor, could have any wicked or unspeakable nature.
She neither knew nor believed it, unless the young master explained it to her in person.
Ning Jue looked at her with a deep gaze, then slowly turned his eyes away, unable to answer her question.
It's easy to admit something is bad in person.
It's too difficult to admit to the desecration, covetousness, delusions, and possessiveness I felt towards her.
Not only that, but should he also admit that he had made love with her passionately in his dreams, and that he had taken advantage of her unconsciousness and the effects of the drug to make her feel pleasure by stirring her body with his fingers?
These are all his unspeakable secrets.
It was also his unspeakable, wicked nature.
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