Chapter 77 Crying, crying, crying—love as sweet as honey; after crying, she longs for her beloved's tenderness. ...
They called it a heart-to-heart talk, but in reality, each harbored resentment and misunderstandings. A few words were enough to escalate into a tense standoff. Their words were sharp and barbed, each stabbing the other in the heart, neither willing to back down an inch.
But the body is inherently honest.
Wen Shiqin held her waist, trapping her in the warm, fragrant bathwater. Water splashed as they frolicked, wetting her hair and shoulders. He continued to utter the most hurtful words, his tone cold and hard, but the strength in his hands around her waist revealed an undisguised warmth and tenderness.
Su Jinxiu struggled to push him away, her fingertips tracing his firm forearm, and words of anger escaped her lips, but her body unconsciously pressed closer to him, craving this long-lost warmth.
Amidst the surging waves, resentment and longing intertwined, and the unspoken care and deep affection hidden beneath sharp words were quietly revealed with the warmth of skin-to-skin contact.
In the end, rose petals were scattered all over the floor, and the warm, fragrant bathwater in the tub was almost completely spilled, leaving only a shallow pool clinging to the bottom.
Su Jinxiu lay sprawled on the edge of the bathtub, her hair disheveled, drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted, unable to utter a single word, only intermittent sobs escaping her throat, accompanied by rapid breathing, her heart aching and throbbing.
Wen Shiqin looked down at her trembling shoulders. He had wanted to hug her tightly for a long time. He wanted to press his face against her chest and feel her heartbeat. But he didn't dare. He was afraid that if he looked up, he would meet her eyes and see even a hint of disgust towards him, and he was even more afraid that she would see the scar that stretched from his cheek to his neck.
When love runs deep, all that's left is this fear of loss.
He cherished her with all his heart, wanting to give her the best of everything, yet he feared she already had someone else in her heart and that he was no longer worthy of her attention. If she showed even the slightest hint of disdain, or even just a cold glance, he felt utterly hopeless, losing the will to live. He figured it was better to be foolish and reckless, to avoid the torment of unrequited love.
The two hadn't been this intimate in a long time, and Wen Shiqin deliberately restrained himself, allowing Su Jinxiu to catch her breath and avoid fainting.
There was hardly any left in the bathtub, which made things easier. He casually picked up a soft towel from the side and, with clumsy yet gentle movements, dried her off completely. All he had to do was wrap her in the warm blanket that had been prepared beforehand, and then they could go straight back to their room.
When Su Jinxiu was wrapped in a warm blanket and carried out in his arms, she was still dizzy and weak all over, not yet recovered from the pleasure she had just experienced.
The rain outside the corridor had intensified, and a cold wind carrying raindrops drifted in. He instinctively pulled her closer to him, shielding her from the chill.
Footsteps echoed on the bluestone slabs, mingling with the sound of rain outside. He lowered his head, his voice hoarse yet carrying a hint of secret triumph: "Can your husband make you feel this good?"
Su Jinxiu was completely wrapped in a warm blanket, her ear pressed against his chest. The sound of the rain and his heartbeat intertwined, the sound sources were blocked by layers, so she couldn't hear the whisper at all, and naturally had no way to respond.
Even though she didn't respond at the moment, Wen Shiqin already had the answer in his heart.
Her surrendering demeanor, her body's instinctive response and trembling—it was all unmistakable. She clearly still cared for him, still loved him.
It seems that her marriage to her husband was not as unbreakable as it appeared.
Wen Shiqin's gaze darkened, and he had already made up his mind.
So what if I'm her lover? It's no big deal.
One day, she will see who truly cares for her and will only remember his kindness. Even if she is married and has children, he won't care. In his eyes, the one who isn't loved is the real third party.
Who took advantage of the chaos, who usurped the opportunity, they all know the answer to.
Despite having such a clear and resolute mindset, all my confidence vanished the moment I stepped into the main hall's bedroom.
Su Jinxiu was exhausted and just wanted to close her eyes and rest, but Wen Shiqin leaned down and pressed down on her, his breath still hot, wanting to kiss her.
The tenderness they had just shared suddenly turned into shame. They hadn't even exchanged two words before this outrageous affair interrupted them, and now she felt utterly embarrassed by her inexplicable compliance.
She turned her head away from his lips, showing no intention whatsoever of getting closer.
Wen Shiqin took it as a coincidence, thinking that she had just turned her head and moved closer from the other side.
Su Jinxiu dodged again, and with a burst of strength, she raised her hand and gave him a slap that was neither too hard nor too soft. The crisp sound was particularly clear in the bed curtains where only the two of them were.
Wen Shiqin then realized that perhaps she had come to her senses afterward and was no longer willing to let him get close to her.
Su Jinxiu turned her head to the side, thinking he would give up, and just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she felt a few drops of wetness on her neck, burning hot.
Looking up, the person who had been so domineering and forceful just moments before now had red eyes, tears streaming down their face. Those eyes, which had been filled with hostility, were now brimming with grievance and bewilderment.
"You don't love me anymore...you really don't love me anymore..."
Wen Shiqin choked up, unable to utter the rest of his words.
He stopped pressing down on her, and just lay down beside her, murmuring as he raised his hand to cover his eyes. His shoulders trembled slightly, and he started to cry like a child.
Here we go again!
Su Jinxiu was furious. She suddenly turned to face away from the bed, covered her ears tightly with both hands, and thought that out of sight, out of mind.
But he wouldn't have it. He pressed himself tightly against her from behind, wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her neck, and soaked her clothes with hot tears. His choked sobs were right next to her ear, every word drilling into her heart, wanting her to hear all his grievances.
Su Jinxiu could no longer hold back. She abruptly lowered her hand, her voice filled with suppressed anger: "I haven't even cried yet, why are you crying? You were so carefree when you visited brothels, and now you're acting all wronged?"
"No..." His voice was hoarse and broken, his chin rubbing against her shoulder, his voice trembling with tears as he protested, "I really didn't, I just wanted to make you jealous, that's why I let her get close to you. I didn't touch anyone else. I just wanted to see if you still cared about me..."
He tightened his arms around her, pleading in fear, "I was wrong, I was really wrong... Don't leave me, don't stop loving me... Sister, Qiaoqiao..."
"I don't want you, there are plenty of others who will!" Su Jinxiu grew angrier the more she thought about it, her voice filled with suppressed anger. "Didn't you want to marry the princess and have a few more concubines? Why bother bothering me!"
"Impossible! What princess, what concubine, I wouldn't even look at them!" Wen Shiqin's voice was urgent and burning as he held her tightly from behind. "You've always been the only one in my heart, don't you know that? The first time, the second time, the third time... every single time after that, it's all yours, my heart is yours!"
He became increasingly reckless, even blurting out details of the reactions that had just occurred in the washroom, rambling on and on without any sense of propriety. Su Jinxiu was so embarrassed that she quickly raised her hand to cover his mouth, only letting go after he calmed down.
But when she thought of those rumors and his actions, her anger flared up again, yet she couldn't suppress her soft heart, and her tone softened a bit: "Then why did you have to make me so angry? What's wrong? Can't you just tell me properly?"
Ultimately, she was moved by his crying and wanted to find out the whole story.
The embrace behind him remained tight, and Wen Shiqin's crying gradually subsided, leaving only intermittent sobs.
What should he say? Ask her how she fell for Yi Ruxu's gentle advances, remained chaste for half a year, and then fell deeply in love with him, even having a child?
Wen Shiqin pondered repeatedly, the words stuck in his throat. He wanted to ask, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to say them.
"Anyway, I won't do that again. It was all my fault. I'll never make you angry again. Please don't leave me."
Hearing him bow his head and apologize, Su Jinxiu naturally wouldn't press the matter further and gave him a way out. However, a strange feeling lingered in her heart; she felt that something was amiss.
And so, Wen Shiqin pulled the brocade quilt over them, wrapping them tightly together. He then embraced her tightly from behind, his arms encircling her waist, his other hand reaching forward to intertwine their fingers, refusing to let go even a fraction, greedily inhaling the fragrance of her hair. This was the scent he had longed for on countless cold nights on the frontier battlefield, a scent that had kept him tossing and turning in vain.
Su Jinxiu was still pondering the strange feeling in her heart when she suddenly remembered that there was still a score she hadn't settled with him.
She reached back and pinched his ear precisely, with just the right amount of force.
Wen Shiqin froze, his body stiffening from the pinch. Before he could react, he heard her question, "Now that you've regained your memories, why are you still pretending to be Feng Erlang?"
Wen Shiqin felt an unbearable ticklishness from her pinching, yet also a tingling sensation on his scalp. He buried his face in the crook of her neck from behind, gently biting her delicate skin a few times, and asked in a hoarse voice, "How did you figure that out?"
Su Jinxiu sneered: "I knew it the moment you called me 'sister,' and now you're crying."
Wen Shiqin pondered for a moment and it seemed to make sense, but then he started to act shamelessly: "Even if I am Feng Erlang, you are now General Feng's adopted daughter, and you are my sister, and it's even more legitimate than before. Isn't it normal for me to call you sister?"
Su Jinxiu was speechless for a moment because she couldn't find fault with these shameless words.
Su Jinxiu's tense nerves gradually relaxed as he gently apologized, earnestly promised, and babbled softly.
Exhaustion washed over me, and that strange feeling that I had forgotten something and hadn't asked the crucial questions finally gave way to overwhelming sleepiness, and I drifted off to sleep.
He slept soundly, but was not still.
As dawn broke, Su Jinxiu frowned slightly. In her drowsy state, she felt a fine itch on her lower abdomen, which kept her from falling back asleep.
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