Chapter 160 Men are merely accessories [2]
"Yuexia..." The man buried his face in the crook of her neck, which exuded a faint jasmine fragrance, his voice trembling slightly and filled with immense emotion, "I, Qu Bai... will never let you down in this life!"
Qian Yuexia nestled obediently in his arms, her cheek pressed against his burning chest, listening to his slightly rapid heartbeat... A faint but fleeting smile slowly curved her lips.
It's done.
This first step went even more smoothly than she had anticipated.
The red candle still burned silently, the figures of a man and a woman intertwined!
Qu Bai was the kind of man who had seen countless women.
When his slender fingers untied Qian Yuexia's sash, the movements were as practiced as if he were strumming the seven strings of an ancient zither...
But this was Qian Yuexia's first time.
This realization made Qu Bai unusually considerate when he touched her slightly trembling shoulder.
In the past, he would do whatever pleased him with other women.
He was even somewhat abusive and rude to the women his stepmother handed over to him.
But this time, he didn't treat Qian Yuexia as a plaything, but as a wife.
As he pinned her to the bed, his hand cradled her head: "Relax..."
This reassurance was spoken very softly, for fear of frightening Qian Yuexia.
In the final moment... as she bit her lower lip, he leaned down and kissed away the tears that were about to fall from the corner of her eye, tasting the salty and bitter flavor with the sweet fragrance of rouge.
After just one time, Qu Bai did not continue.
He sat up, took a plain silk handkerchief from the bedside, and gently wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.
He's not a naive young man, so he won't get carried away by the initial success.
The self-control honed over years in the world of romance proved effective at this moment.
He knew perfectly well that a woman's first time with him was like thin ice in early spring, and excessive indulgence would only cause the cracks to spread.
But Qu Bai was also very considerate of her feelings: "Honey, this is your first time. It's not that I don't like you... I just want you to have a wonderful experience."
The words, warm and gentle, blew into her ear, sending a slight shiver down her spine.
He reached out and tucked the quilt back in, his movements lifting her loose strands of hair that had fallen onto the pillow. A few strands of hair tangled around the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, forming a brief bond.
The next day.
Qu Bai didn't bother Qian Yuexia too much last night, because he was afraid that if she woke up late, her stepmother would cause trouble for her.
So he got up early.
"Young Master?" came a servant's hushed voice from outside the door.
Qu Bai gently rose, lifted the curtain, and whispered to the door, "Go fetch some water, but do it quietly."
He turned around and sat on the edge of the bed. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and gently pushed Qian Yuexia's shoulder: "Yuexia, it's time to get up."
Qian Yuexia turned over groggily, mumbled something, and then fell into a deep sleep again.
Looking at her like this, Qu Bai felt a sense of helplessness.
He knew she was tired, but today was the first time she had to pay her respects to her stepmother, Madam Qu. If she arrived late, she was afraid she would be harassed again.
“Yuexia,” he raised his voice slightly, “if you don’t get up soon, Mother will be getting impatient.”
Upon hearing the word "mother," Qian Yuexia suddenly opened her eyes. A glimmer of clarity flashed in her bright almond-shaped eyes, which were then veiled by a thin mist.
She propped herself up, and the brocade quilt slipped off her shoulders, revealing a few faint red marks on her fair skin.
"What time is it?" Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
"It's 3:45 AM." Qu Bai stood up and took her outer garment from the clothes rack. "Hurry up and get ready. We need to pay our respects to Mother today, so we shouldn't be late."
Qian Yuexia took the clothes and put them on slowly and deliberately, every movement appearing exceptionally sluggish.
Qu Bai saw this but didn't want to urge him, so he just dressed himself.
By the time the two had finished washing and dressing, it was already broad daylight.
Qu Bai stood in front of the mirror, letting the servant tidy his clothes.
Qian Yuexia's image was reflected in the mirror. She was sitting in front of the dressing table, having her long, black hair combed by a maid.
"Young mistress is so beautiful," the maid whispered in admiration.
Qian Yuexia smiled slightly, her gaze meeting Qu Bai's reflection in the mirror.
She knew he was eager to take her to pay his respects.
But Qian Yuexia didn't want to.
“Husband,” Qian Yuexia suddenly spoke up, “I’m hungry. Can I eat something first before we go?”
Qu Bai frowned: "It's not too late to have breakfast after you've finished paying your respects."
"But I'm starving," she pouted, feeling wronged. "Wouldn't it be even more impolite if my stomach growled in front of Mother later?"
Qu Bai looked into her expressive eyes, knowing full well that she was deliberately stalling, but he couldn't refute her.
He waved to the maid to fetch some snacks.
Qian Yuexia ate the osmanthus cake in small bites, chewing each bite slowly as if she were savoring some unparalleled delicacy.
Qu Bai paced around the room, glancing at the sun outside the window from time to time: "Yuexia, hurry up."
He really meant well for her; he didn't want her to be mistreated by her stepmother.
That stepmother is a ruthless killer, incredibly cunning!
"It'll be ready soon," Qian Yuexia said without any hurry, picking up another piece of pastry. "Would you like to try a piece, my husband? This osmanthus cake is sweet but not greasy, and it's very delicious."
Qu Bai looked at her thoughtfully, and suddenly understood something.
Perhaps his seemingly gentle wife is not as simple as she appears.
An hour later.
Qian Yuexia had just finished breakfast, which was already later than the normal time for paying her respects.
When Qu Bai and Qian Yuexia stepped into the courtyard, a maidservant had already announced their arrival.
Several old women were standing under the eaves. When they saw them arrive, they all bowed and greeted them, but their eyes kept glancing at Qian Yuexia.
The main hall door was open, and the figure sitting in the main seat could be vaguely seen.
Qu Bai took a deep breath and stepped into the hall first.
Qian Yuexia followed behind him, her steps leisurely, as if it were just a casual visit.
"The son greets his mother."
"The daughter-in-law greets her mother."
The two bowed in unison, but Madam Qu did not immediately tell them to rise.
Qian Yuexia slightly raised her eyes and sized up her stepmother-in-law.
Madam Qu was nearly forty years old, but well-maintained. She wore a crimson-purple jacket with lotus patterns and a set of red gold headdress, exuding a dignified and authoritative air.
She was leisurely stirring the tea foam with the lid of her cup, seemingly oblivious to the two people bowing.
The room was eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of the cup lid lightly touching the rim of the cup.
After a long pause, Madam Qu slowly spoke: "Get up."
The two straightened up, and Qu Bai was about to explain why he was late when Madam Qu smiled first: "Yuexia, how was your husband yesterday?"
“Okay,” Qian Yuexia replied with a smile.
"That's good. After all, Bai'er has so many women. As his mother-in-law, I'm afraid you'll be wronged." She was ostensibly standing up for Qian Yuexia, but in reality, she was trying to sow discord between the couple.
"That's good," Madam Qu put down her teacup, her gaze sweeping over her. "The Qian family comes from a merchant family, so naturally they have fewer formalities..." She paused, her smile deepening, "However, our Qu family values etiquette very much, such as your greeting today?"
Qu Bai quickly replied, "Mother, it was my fault for waking up late; it has nothing to do with Yuexia."
Madam Qu didn't even look at him, only staring at Qian Yuexia: "Although you come from a merchant family, now that you've married into our Qu family, you still need to learn the most basic etiquette. Although our Qu family isn't a prominent clan, we are still a great family and we value rules the most."
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