Chapter 85 A beautiful woman in mourning clothes: To be beautiful, one must wear mourning clothes. ...
Su Jinxiu finished packing, closed the box, and turned around. She saw him staring at the mourning clothes in a daze, probably recalling the past when they were separated by life and death.
A slight stirring ran through her heart; she felt a little abrupt in her earlier coldness towards him.
So she took two steps forward, but before she could even stand firmly, Wen Shiqin reached out and pulled her into his arms. Su Jinxiu followed his pull and leaned closer, subconsciously touching the scar on his cheek that stretched down to his neck.
As soon as his fingertips touched the scar, Wen Shiqin sighed softly, his voice hoarse and tired: "Sister, I've been working non-stop these past few days, I'm really exhausted."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes slightly and leaned gently against her, as if he wanted to entrust all his weariness and exhaustion to her gentle embrace.
Su Jinxiu quickly reached out to support him, her gaze sweeping over the faint dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he had been working tirelessly for days without rest. Her heart ached for him, and she gently stroked his back with the other hand to comfort him, saying softly, "Then what should we do? Why don't you rest for a day tomorrow and not keep pushing yourself like this?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her waist was suddenly tightened, and Wen Shiqin lifted her up by the waist, turned her around, and placed her on the table. He also casually picked up the plain white mourning clothes on the low table beside the bed and placed them beside him.
Su Jinxiu sat on the table, looking directly at him. She was puzzled by his actions and stared at him with a look of confusion.
Wen Shiqin leaned closer, his hot breath brushing against her ear: "I am really tired, but if you can comfort me, I might be able to get rid of most of my fatigue."
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu assumed that he wanted to be held by her as usual to rest and fall asleep, so she nodded slightly and said gently, "Then let's go back to bed and rest."
As she spoke, she tried to get down, but he held her tightly around the waist, preventing her from moving.
"Is my sister agreeing to comfort me?" Wen Shiqin grinned mischievously.
Su Jinxiu frowned, her gaze sweeping over the mourning clothes beside him, growing increasingly bewildered: "What exactly do you mean?"
Before she could think it over, Wen Shiqin had already picked up the plain white mourning clothes and handed them to her, saying in a low, seductive voice, "Since you've agreed, sister, why don't you wear these mourning clothes and let me see them?"
"Why are you wearing this?" Su Jinxiu's almond-shaped eyes widened in annoyance. "This is so unlucky! I was wearing this plain white hemp crown when your coffin was brought back to the manor..."
“I know, I know.” Wen Shiqin interrupted her, his fingertips already touching the waistband of her nightgown, his voice filled with unreasonable stubbornness, “It’s just some worldly transgression, why be so particular? Since I’m not in that coffin, there’s no such thing as wearing this mourning garment for anyone. Be good, sister, let me help you put it on.”
"I don't want to!" Su Jinxiu hurriedly pushed him away, but her strength was no match for his. The soft sash around her waist had been gently pulled off by him, and the collar of her nightgown was loose, sliding down her shoulders to reveal her fair neck and shoulders.
She caught a glimpse of the half-open window out of the corner of her eye, the night wind still blowing in, and she immediately became furious: "Go and close the window!"
Wen Shiqin paused, then asked slyly, "If the window is closed, will you be willing to wear it, Sister?"
Su Jinxiu was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed, and she turned her face away, unwilling to answer. Seeing this, he reached out and pulled her slipped nightgown straight up to her waist. Her fair skin reflected the candlelight, making it dazzling to the eye.
"Close the window first!"
Wen Shiqin chuckled softly and turned to close the window. Taking advantage of this moment, Su Jinxiu got off the table and hurriedly pulled her nightgown back over her shoulders. Just as she was about to tie the soft sash, he strode back, his movements so fast that she was caught off guard.
Her nightgown was pulled open again, and the plain white mourning clothes were forcibly put on her, along with the plain white hemp crown, which he pressed into her hair.
"You!" Su Jinxiu trembled with anger, keeping her back to him and refusing to look back. She gripped the collar of her mourning clothes with both hands and tried to pull them down, but he firmly held her wrists from behind.
"Be good, let me see." Wen Shiqin's breath brushed against the back of her neck, with a hint of triumphant smile. "Sister, wearing this, you will surely look the most exquisite in the world."
Su Jinxiu stood stiffly with her back to him, her ears turning bright red, unwilling to turn around at all.
"You're so inconsiderate!"
Her voice trembled with anger; wasn't he indirectly cursing her?
The thought had barely formed in her mind when Wen Shiqin went even further. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, deliberately adopting a flirtatious and wanton tone: "Oh my, whose young lady is this? So young, yet already a widow."
His fingertips restlessly traced upwards along her wrist, while his other hand wrapped around her slender waist, gently caressing it through the white silk.
"How old are you? Your husband is gone, and the days ahead will be tough. Luckily, I happened to be passing by this mansion today. I was planning to rob some jewels, but I just happened to run into you, a lonely beauty."
His breath brushed against the back of my neck, burning hot, and his words grew increasingly audacious: "Why not serve me well tonight and come with me? It's better than living a widow's life in this secluded mansion, what do you say?"
Hearing this, Su Jinxiu frowned even more deeply; she finally understood.
Not only did he make fun of the mourning clothes, but he also arranged such an absurd play, cursing himself and cheating on her, and even pretending to be a womanizer to tease her. I really don't know what kind of weird hobby he has!
Su Jinxiu felt increasingly resentful as she thought about it. He had made her feel so embarrassed and awkward, while he had taken full advantage of her.
Since that's the case, we might as well play along to the end and see who breaks down first.
So she took a deep breath, suppressing her embarrassment and anger, and her breathing gradually calmed down. She reached back and precisely hooked her arm around his neck, pulling him slightly. Wen Shiqin was already very close, so he immediately complied and leaned down, resting his chin on her shoulder, his hot breath brushing against the side of her neck.
Su Jinxiu turned her face to the side, her lips almost touching his earlobe, her voice both soft and cold: "Although my husband is gone, I have high standards and would never look at a lecherous man like you who is all show and no substance."
A burning, strange light suddenly flashed in Wen Shiqin's eyes. He never expected that she would be willing to play along with him in this absurd drama. Overjoyed, he grabbed half of her cheek and showered her with a barrage of kisses.
Su Jinxiu was breathless and swayed from his kisses. She could only barely keep from being crushed by him by using her forearms to support herself on the edge of the table.
"Am I all show and no substance..." Wen Shiqin pressed his lips against hers, his voice hoarse and almost burning, with a hint of triumphant intimacy, "Why don't you try and see, little lady?"
Before he finished speaking, his hand had already reached down the hem of the plain white mourning clothes.
Su Jinxiu should have known she couldn't outmaneuver such a shameless man. She braced herself against his forearm with all her might, leaning over the table, refusing to lift her head even slightly. She wondered if he had learned these tricks in the army; his former restraint seemed to have vanished, replaced by these humiliating and manipulative tactics.
She pushed hard against Wen Shiqin's wrist, her whole body trembling with tension, but she couldn't move him an inch.
But Shi Qin wouldn't stay still, his hot breath brushing against her ear: "The way this little widow struggles is so alluring." He deliberately caressed her with his fingertips, "Did your dead husband ever share a bridal chamber with you before he died? Did he ever cherish you like this?"
"I suppose not?" He chuckled, his tone growing increasingly dismissive. "Judging by your youthful appearance, you must be living the life of a widow. Why not submit to me, and I'll guarantee you'll experience true bliss, far better than being with a skeleton."
"Besides," he deliberately lowered his voice to entice, his fingertips pressing harder, "if your husband truly loved you, how could he bear to leave you alone in your empty room? Now that I pity your loneliness and am willing to elevate you, you should be grateful, not dare to refuse like this?"
Before Wen Shiqin returned, Su Jinxiu had studied the pipa for a while. Her thumb plucking and index finger picking were only at a basic level, and her left-hand techniques for pressing the frets and vibrato were far from proficient.
Yet, Shi Qin's hands, calloused and weathered by gunpowder, possessed an astonishing talent for the pipa. With each stroke of his fingertips, he plucked and strummed with precision, pressing the frets with remarkable accuracy. Even his vibrato carried a strange rhythm, surpassing the skill she had acquired through years of practice.
When Wen Shiqin first played the pipa, he noticed his teacher's shoulders trembling. He assumed it was because he had already shown promise as a beginner, which pleased his teacher. Filled with pride at his growing skill, he practiced even more diligently and eagerly, hoping to hear a word of praise from his teacher.
But the shame in Su Jinxiu's heart surged through her body like a tide. His malicious words of humiliation, the strange reactions that arose inexplicably on her body, and the heart-wrenching pain of wearing mourning clothes to send him off to his death were all intertwined. The moral dilemma and the fear in her heart were intertwined. She could no longer hold on, and soft sobs escaped from her throat.
As the suppressed sobs gradually became clearer, Wen Shiqin was struck dumb. He froze abruptly, hurriedly letting go of her hand. Seeing her burying her head on the table, trembling with sobs, he quickly picked her up, took two steps back to sit on the stool, and pulled her tightly into his arms.
Only then did he belatedly realize that he had gone too far and had actually humiliated her severely.
"Don't cry... Sister, don't cry!" He frantically wiped her tears with his sleeve, his voice filled with helpless regret. "I'm not acting anymore, I was wrong, I was wrong! Sister, I'm such a bastard, I'll kowtow to you and apologize!"
He was about to get up when Su Jinxiu unconsciously grabbed his sleeve. Wen Shiqin immediately sat down, pulling her closer and coaxing her repeatedly, "You can hit me or scold me, just stop crying, please, sister... I'm such a bastard, I shouldn't have teased you about this, I shouldn't have said those nonsense things, please stop crying, okay?"
Having crossed the line and caused her heartbreak, it was only right that he comfort her. Wen Shiqin shed all his earlier recklessness, patiently kissing away the tears that kept rolling down her cheeks, holding her tightly in his arms as if afraid she would fly away, gently stroking her back to soothe her, so tenderly as if the lecherous man from before was not him at all.
"Sister, I'm sorry, I was a bastard, I deserve to die." He whispered his apologies in her ear, his voice still trembling with panic. "I'll never do it again, I'll never tease you about this again."
He coaxed her repeatedly until Su Jinxiu's sobs gradually subsided and the trembling of her back lessened. Only then did he loosen his grip slightly, still holding her in his arms. With his other hand, he gently wiped away the remaining tear stains on her cheeks, his fingertips carefully and tenderly pinching her flushed cheeks. His tone was full of tenderness: "You've cried like a little kitten... It's all my fault. I deserve to die. I shouldn't have made you cry."
"I deserve to die..." Before she could finish speaking, Su Jinxiu covered her lips with her hand.
"Don't say the word 'death' again... I don't want to hear you say the word 'death'." Her voice was hoarse from crying. "This mourning clothes, when your coffin returned to the mansion, I wore it for so many days and nights, and grieved so many times... You just had to use this to act out those ridiculous plays."
"Yes, yes, I won't wear it anymore, I won't mention it again!" Wen Shiqin quickly agreed, his tone full of flattery.
Su Jinxiu then got up, sobbing, grabbed her nightgown, and went straight into the bed curtains to change out of the shocking mourning clothes. She couldn't bear to look at the white mourning clothes. She didn't even glance at Wen Shiqin as she passed by, and went straight out of the room, throwing the mourning clothes on the corridor before turning back.
To everyone's surprise, as soon as I entered, I saw him kneeling straight by the bed, his head drooping, looking like a defeated dog who had done something wrong.
Su Jinxiu sat on the edge of the couch, coldly watching him. She knew that this demeanor was mostly an act, but her heart still softened. But then she thought that with his wicked nature, if she forgave him so easily today, he might become even worse next time, so she hardened her heart again.
Without saying a word, she raised her hand and lowered the curtain, shutting him out. She then wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and went to sleep with her back to the outside of the curtain.
Su Jinxiu didn't sleep well, her mind filled with thoughts of the mourning clothes in the corridor, his kneeling figure, and his exhaustion from days of official duties. In the middle of the night, she woke up groggily and couldn't help but turn her head. Through the gap in the curtains, she saw that the figure was still kneeling in the same spot, motionless.
Remembering his relentless work schedule these past few days, Su Jinxiu's anger was instantly overwhelmed by heartache, and she finally softened. She abruptly pulled back the bed curtains: "Wen Shiqin, don't you know to go to bed?"
Before the first "three" had even landed, Wen Shiqin felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He nimbly got up and almost instantly crawled into bed, clinging tightly to her, not daring to breathe.
"Good sister, you still care about me after all..." Wen Shiqin immediately snuggled into her arms, his voice aggrieved, "My knees are sore and numb from kneeling, my bones are aching..."
As Wen Shiqin spoke, he snuggled into her arms, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. Su Jinxiu could only raise her hand to hug his broad shoulders and gently pat his back with her palm.
He had only patted the camera a few times when he let out a satisfied sigh.
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