Chapter 20
The nightlight was just a faint orange line, and the room was so quiet you could hear each other breathing.
Wen Sixue was a light sleeper, and in her drowsy state, she felt as if her chest was being grabbed—Yun Zhan had turned over at some point, his arm was across her body, and his palm was right on her chest, his softness being repeatedly kneaded, still warm from the alcohol.
Wen Sixue suddenly woke up with a start. Her eyelashes trembled, and she didn't dare to open her eyes, but her fingertips quietly curled up and clutched the hem of her nightgown.
That hand, however, was restless: first it gently closed, then slowly opened; the fingertips slid down an inch along the folds of the skirt, stopping at the lower edge of the ribs, as if unintentionally or tentatively.
Wen Sixue's heart suddenly started pounding, her ears burned, and the heat spread all the way to her collarbone.
She instinctively tried to pull away, but Yun Zhan held her tightly in his arms. She could only bury her face in the pillow, her voice barely a whisper: "...Yun Zhan, please...stop touching me..."
Could you please not touch me without confirming your feelings first...?
Wen Sixue gripped the bed sheet tightly and added a sentence in her mind.
Yun Zhan didn't wake up, only mumbled an "hmm", his nose brushing against the most sensitive spot on the back of her neck, his breath, carrying the scent of mint and alcohol, made her shiver slightly.
Wen Sixue curled up shyly, yet she couldn't bear to break free from Yun Zhan's embrace. Her sensitive skin felt like tiny electric currents tingling and tingling as Yun Zhan touched it.
...
At six in the morning, the curtains were left open with only a crack, and pale golden light fell like fine gauze onto the two people's bed sheets.
Wen Sixue's head was pressed against the pillow, leaving a shallow mark. Her breathing was even, and she looked rather cute.
Her biological clock is always quite accurate; she wakes up right after six o'clock.
Yun Zhan was still asleep. She lay on her side, half of her face buried in the soft pillow, with wisps of hair falling casually across her forehead. The morning light shone through the gauze curtains, slanting across Yun Zhan's nose and landing a tiny speck of gold dust on her red lips.
Her breathing was even, and her eyelashes cast a thin shadow that trembled slightly with the rise and fall of her chest, like a small butterfly resting there.
What's worse, Yun Zhan's clothes were still disheveled, with large areas of his fair skin exposed to the air, and the entire bed was filled with Yun Zhan's fragrance.
Wen Sixue noticed that her heartbeat had quietly lost its rhythm, a heat spread from her chest to the side of her neck, the tips of her ears turned a transparent pink at a visible speed, and even her fingertips felt slightly numb.
The heartbeat first made a very soft "thump," then it pounded like a drum, making my eardrums tingle.
Gently removing Yun Zhan's hand, Wen Sixue tiptoed out of bed. She was wearing a loose-fitting, milky-apricot-colored home dress made of cotton and linen, with a loosely tied bow at the neckline and sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing a section of her snow-white skin.
Her hair was casually tied into a low bun, with a few stray strands hanging behind her ears, their edges gleaming softly in the morning light, like a small halo.
Her kitchen was small but clean. Wen Sixue first put a small pot on the stove. After the water boiled, she sprinkled a handful of small wontons. The wrappers were so thin they were almost transparent. The filling was shrimp and pork that she had mixed yesterday afternoon. After making them, she put them in the refrigerator.
The sound of rustling clothes coming from the room indicated that Yun Zhan had woken up.
"His clothes are unchanged, and he doesn't have anything on him... It seems he got through last night safely." Yun Zhan breathed a sigh of relief, and his tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed.
She admitted that she was panicked when she woke up. She had fallen asleep after drinking with that man last night, and then she had a complete blackout. Yun Zhan had no recollection of what she said, what she did, or who she went home with.
She finally felt relieved after seeing Wen Sixue's costume by the bedside.
Yun Zhan: "I didn't do anything embarrassing last night, did I? You didn't even stop me from drinking."
21: Who could stop you? Wen Sixue brought you back last night, and then you slept in the same bed with her.
21 appeared serious, but was actually trying hard to suppress a laugh. It recounted yesterday's events, but not the whole story. Secretly, it had saved a video of Yun Zhan acting foolishly, planning to use it to blackmail her later when Yun Zhan refused to fulfill its requests.
"Awake?" Wen Sixue, with her hair down and wearing an apron, pushed open the door. The girl's voice was softer than the wind outside the window, with a slightly hoarse tone from just waking up.
Yun Zhan half-opened his eyes and saw her squatting in front of the bed. The morning light gilded her eyelashes with gold, and a touch of light pink on the tip of her nose, like freshly applied makeup, but more natural than any rouge.
She smiled at Yun Zhan and pushed the tray forward: "Have some tea first to warm your stomach. You must feel unwell after drinking alcohol last night."
That smile was gentle and tender, as if it were offering the entire morning to Yun Zhan.
Yun Zhan readily accepted the tea and drank it all in one gulp, his clear eyes seemingly forgetting the ambiguity of the previous night.
"Thank you for taking care of me last night..."
With a simple "trouble," all the ambiguity was put away in a drawer.
Wen Sixue's fingertips were still suspended in mid-air, her palms feeling cold and empty.
She lowered her eyes and noticed that the shoulder strap of her nightgown had slipped down her shoulder at some point, revealing a small patch of skin below her collarbone that was translucent in the morning light.
She quietly pulled the ribbon back, as if pulling her worries away with it.
Wen Sixue squatted down to pick up the empty candy wrapper from the ground. She had fed Yun Zhan some candy last night. Wen Sixue's movements were very slow, so slow that she could hear the echo of her own heartbeat hitting the wooden floor.
With her back to Yun Zhan, she folded the wrapping paper again and again, until it was as small as a fingernail, but there was still nowhere to put it. The paper suddenly became very hard, making her palm hurt.
...
Early morning at Mingyue Villa
In the agarwood pavilion, the green gauze window is half-drawn, and the morning sunlight filters in obliquely, like a soft satin veil spread on the sandalwood table.
The girl on the bed had skin as white as snow, with the blue ribbons on her wrists slightly visible. Her black hair was piled up like clouds on the white, moonlit sheets, making her face look even smaller. A blush tinged her fair cheeks.
Shi Mingyue did not get up immediately, but only slightly raised her chin, her long eyelashes fluttering in the morning light.
Her eyes opened a crack, their clarity as if seen through a layer of glass, reflecting a languid stillness. Shi Mingyue's features were exceptionally beautiful, with a delicate nose and lips that were naturally red without any lipstick, exuding a faint warmth from just waking up, like an early plum blossom budding in the snow.
"Miss, is it time to get up?" Wen Yuan had already prepared clothes for Shi Mingyue.
After Wen Yuan was punished last time, she was supposed to be released in about a month, but Shi Mingyue used some tricks and easily got Wen Yuan out right under her father's nose.
The drowning incident was entirely her fault for being willful; how can we let innocent Wen Yuan bear the responsibility?
Shi Mingyue got up, her moon-white silk nightgown sliding down her waistline, her bare feet stepping on the silk carpet, her arches curved like a crescent moon, her toes tinged with pale pink.
He put on the outer garment, which was extremely expensive. The edges of the garment were woven with very fine silver thread, and when the sunlight shone on it, it looked like ripples on spring water.
Shi Mingyue stood in front of the mirror, turned her head slightly, and let Wen Yuan tie up her long hair.
Her black hair was combed, and the morning light fell on her cheeks, but it couldn't hide her innate nobility and languor.
The person in the mirror has eyebrows like a crescent moon, eyes like morning stars, lips naturally red, and skin that needs no makeup.
With a single, indifferent glance, she seemed to take in the entire garden of springtime beauty, yet her coldness silenced even the most vibrant flowers.
"Miss is so beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Wen Yuan was also a sucker for good looks, and every time she helped Shi Mingyue get up, she was amazed by Shi Mingyue's appearance.
Oh my god... how could someone be born so beautiful?
After getting up, Shi Mingyue sat upright at her desk and read for a while.
Shi Mingyue reads a lot of books, including literary works, historical classics, and some scientific works from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign. However, today, Shi Mingyue quietly took out a book called "Marriage" from her drawer.
This book was something she asked Wen Yuan to buy after she rescued her...
She first pushed it away with her fingertips, as if pushing away a petal that shouldn't have fallen on the scroll. But in the dim light of the night, with the sound of the water clock, she couldn't resist—her fingertips trembled slightly as she turned the first page.
"Marriage" is an ancient forbidden book.
In the book, the female fox spirit deeply loves the Li family's daughter, ruins her marriage, kills her fiancé, and takes the girl for herself. The Li family is powerless against the fox spirit's magic. After the fox spirit has held the girl captive for several years, the local magistrate intervenes to hear the case. Upon learning of the affair, the magistrate is furious and immediately says: "You and the fox spirit swagger through the streets, openly displaying your intimacy; your behavior is immoral."
Unexpectedly, after the person was imprisoned, the fox continued its mischief, causing chaos in the prison. After the person was released, the Li family wanted her to remarry. However, the fox then killed the girl's new husband as well.
"Is this fox really that possessive? But Miss, you also read these kinds of stories." Wen Yuan bought this book, so she naturally read it too.
Hearing Wen Yuan's words, Shi Mingyue abruptly closed the book, but her chest heaved uncontrollably, as if a little deer had been secretly stuffed into it.
"Do you think this fox is going too far?" Shi Mingyue's fingertips traced the words on the page, the words burning hot, each one resonating deep within her heart.
"There is a little bit, but I can understand. Miss Li doesn't dislike foxes, she might even like them." Wen Yuan spoke up boldly.
Isn't it just a forced love script? She's seen plenty of those in private.
"But Miss, you don't need to worry about these things. Miss is such a noble girl, she can get whoever she wants with ease."
Wen Yuan's words were like pebbles thrown into a lake, creating ripples in Shi Mingyue's heart.
If you want someone, it's a piece of cake.
Shi Mingyue's tranquility and detachment from worldly desires were like old window paper, which was poked with a small hole by the phrase "easy to catch," and could never be patched up again.
She leaned against the couch, subconsciously reaching out to protect the page of text, as if guarding a secret that had just been revealed.
The flickering lamplight made the newly blush on her cheeks even more vibrant than the first blooming crabapple blossoms in the garden.
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