Chapter 85 What's the tension?
In the morning, soft light filters through the carved window lattice, gently scattering like a thin veil.
Ruan Xingzhu felt a warm breath gently brushing against her face, making her feel itchy. She groggily opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Gu Yun'an's magnified handsome face.
His eyebrows and eyes were as dark as ink, and his nose was straight. He was now standing close to her.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she seemed somewhat at a loss.
And her hands were naturally resting on his shoulders and arms, her whole body nestled in his warm embrace.
This was the first time that Gu Yun'an was still beside her when she woke up. In the past, whenever she woke up, there was always an empty space beside her; he had already left.
For a moment, she felt awkward, as if she didn't know how to conduct herself in this intimate atmosphere, or how to face him in front of her.
I felt inexplicably hot, as if this intimate atmosphere had ignited a fire within me.
Ruan Xingzhu shifted her body slightly, the movement extremely subtle, as if afraid of disturbing the quiet yet somewhat delicate morning. She intended to quietly get up, trying to break the situation that was making her heart race.
But just as she made a move, her waist was forcefully pulled back by a large hand. The hand was broad and warm, and it was very strong.
She instinctively suppressed the urge to cry out, her lips pressed tightly together, even her breathing becoming cautious. She nestled back into his arms, not daring to move an inch, praying that he hadn't woken up yet, afraid of waking him.
At this moment, she thought Gu Yun'an had not yet woken up, but unexpectedly, just as she was holding her breath and keeping her body tense and still for fear of disturbing him, a deep and somewhat lazy voice suddenly came from above her head.
"What's there to be nervous about?" Gu Yun'an looked at the tense person in his arms with a hint of teasing and amusement in his eyes, and couldn't help but tease him.
His voice seemed to carry wisps of warmth, seeping into her heart through her ear.
Ruan Xingzhu's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, as if a star had been suddenly illuminated. When she looked up, she saw Gu Yun'an watching her with great interest. A star instantly panicked, her small hands unconsciously tightening around the corner of the blanket, and she stammered out a message.
"Fourth brother...aren't you going to work?" Her voice was soft, with a hint of probing. Usually at this time, he would have already dressed and gone out to work.
His long, slender fingers gently entwined her hair. Gu Yun'an cleared his throat, his voice carrying the unique hoarseness of early morning.
"No bathing today."
Hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu felt even more at a loss. She had originally planned to wait for him to get up before getting up herself, but now, looking at Gu Yun'an's lazy and comfortable appearance, it seemed that he showed no sign of wanting to get up.
Gu Yun'an looked down at her. Her collar was slightly disheveled, like blooming petals slightly parted, revealing her delicate collarbone, which gleamed faintly in the morning light. Her bright eyes darted around, seemingly lost in thought, but she dared not look him in the eye.
His breath was already a little hot from the intimate contact. Ruan Xingzhu was still nestled in his arms, and he could clearly feel her breath on his chest, like feathers gently brushing against his skin, bringing a tingling and unbearable sensation, as if an invisible hand was gently plucking at his heartstrings.
His body grew increasingly hot, like dry tinder that had been ignited. His thin lips slowly pressed against the top of her head, deeply inhaling her unique scent.
Ruan Xingzhu felt the heat coming from above her head, as if she had been scalded, and couldn't help but move her body.
Little did she know that her unintentional movement was like adding fuel to the already burning flames of Gu Yun'an, making him even more restless and agitated, as if an uncontrollable force was surging within him.
He couldn't help but press his hand against her slender waist, a waist so delicate it seemed it could be encircled by a single hand, as if it could break at any moment. His voice was deep and heavy.
"Don't move."
The voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from deep in the throat, with a hint of suppressed emotion.
Ruan Xingzhu was stunned, her eyes filled with astonishment. But when her gaze swept over his eyes, Ruan Xingzhu was immediately startled back.
His eyes were deep and fiery, as if they held endless desire. She knew them all too well; whenever they were like this, she would burst into tears under his passion, and no matter how much she begged, it was to no avail.
Her body froze for a moment, as if she had been frozen in place, and she dared not move. However, even if she did not move, Gu Yun'an seemed to have difficulty controlling himself.
His warm, thin lips began on her forehead, gently descending down her cheeks and finally settling on the tip of her nose. The touch was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, yet it seemed to carry the force of a wildfire.
Ruan Xingzhu felt his breath getting closer and closer, and she closed her mouth slightly, as if she knew what he was going to do next.
But just then, her gaze swept out the window, and the bright light instantly woke her up. It was broad daylight; how could she do that?
A wave of shyness washed over me, as if someone had seen into the most secret corner of my heart.
She hurriedly pushed him away and got up in a panic. Ignoring his slightly surprised and disappointed reaction, she almost put her shoes on the wrong feet, and quickly got out of bed and rushed to the inner room to change her clothes.
The beautiful girl fled, and Gu Yun'an lowered his eyebrows, looked at his current appearance, shook his head helplessly, and could only sigh before trying to relieve the indescribable heat.
When Ruan Xingzhu came out, Gu Yun'an had already left, which made her feel a little relieved, as if a heavy stone in her heart had been lifted off her shoulders.
But then she remembered what she had said last night, and she couldn't help but feel troubled again. How could she answer Gu Yun'an's question, and how could she call him by his name?
A deep sense of shame and impropriety welled up inside him. After all, their relationship was complex and delicate, and such intimate interaction and words seemed to have crossed a certain line.
But there was another hint of joy in her eyes, because this intimacy made her feel his special care for her.
Gu Yun'an was off work today, so she could see him all day.
As Ruan Xingzhu left the west room, she inexplicably remembered Gu Yun'an saying last night that he wanted to eat the lotus seed soup she had made. With this thought in mind, her steps seemed to be drawn to the kitchen.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of cooking. She carefully selected the ingredients.
Just as she carried the lotus seed soup to the courtyard, she suddenly saw Gu Yun'an coming out of the house. Like a child whose secret had been discovered, she quickly put down the lotus seed soup and tried to shield herself with her body, afraid that he would see her.
After washing up, Gu Yun'an couldn't find Ruan Xingzhu. He was wondering what was going on when he saw her in the courtyard. Without thinking, he walked over with light steps.
Seeing Gu Yun'an arrive, Ruan Xingzhu became even more flustered, tightly covering the lotus seed soup behind her, her hands unconsciously twisting together.
"Where did Xingzhu go?" Gu Yun'an asked as soon as he arrived, his voice filled with concern and his eyes full of smiles.
"Nowhere," Ruan Xingzhu replied dryly, her voice barely audible. She didn't dare look up at him, afraid that he would see right through her.
Gu Yun'an was in a good mood today and didn't pay much attention to her words. He walked straight over and, as if he couldn't help himself, hugged her around the waist.
Ruan Xingzhu was surprised by Gu Yun'an's sudden action. For a moment, her body tensed up, as if she had been acupunctured, and she completely forgot about the lotus seed soup behind her.
When she remembered, she could already hear Gu Yun'an's voice.
"What is this?" Gu Yun'an looked at the steaming contents in the bowl. Through the rising steam, he recognized it as lotus seed soup. Suddenly, his words from last night flashed through his mind.
A hint of joy welled up in his eyes as he looked into Ruan Xingzhu's eyes, his gaze filled with delight and surprise. "Was this made for me?"
Ruan Xingzhu had made things for him before, but ever since their relationship became ambiguous, she avoided him whenever possible, so why would she take the initiative to make things for him?
At this moment, Ruan Xingzhu blushed with embarrassment at his question, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears, but she still nodded obediently.
This is the first time since their ambiguous relationship began that the two have tacitly understood each other.
As Ruan Xingzhu watched him drink the lotus seed soup she had made, spoonful by spoonful, it seemed as if he was drinking her heartfelt wishes, and she felt a surge of joy in her heart.
But thinking about her ambiguous relationship with him, she inexplicably had some other thoughts.
Since Gu Yun'an couldn't possibly not get married, what would she do after he did? This thought, like a dark cloud, gradually clouded her mind, turning her originally joyful mood into one of worry.
These days, Ruan Xingzhu waits for Gu Yun'an to return to Huaiju to have a meal together. She always prepares the food early and sits at the table, waiting quietly.
Sometimes he would come home late, and the food would be cold, all the heat gone, leaving only chilled dishes.
Gu Yun'an couldn't help but feel sorry for her and told her to eat first so she wouldn't go hungry.
But Ruan Xingzhu always felt that she wanted to wait for Gu Yun'an to come with her. Only when she was with him did she find the food delicious, while eating alone always tasted bland.
The stream in Huaiju Courtyard flows gently into the river.
On this day, a distinguished guest arrived at the mansion.
Ruan Xingzhu was walking peacefully in the corridor when she was suddenly bumped into by someone. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and steadied herself in time, so she didn't fall to the ground and was not seriously injured.
The person who bumped into her glanced at her from head to toe with disdain in their eyes and said with some dissatisfaction, "A maid who bumps into her master shouldn't apologize?"
As she spoke, she patted off imaginary dust from her body with a hint of disgust, her eyes revealing undisguised disdain.
"She's not a maid, she's Miss Ruan from the manor," the servant leading the way quickly said, his voice tinged with anxiety, afraid that the misunderstanding would escalate.
Cheng Xiuxiu looked at Ruan Xingzhu, as if she had heard that the Gu family had taken in an orphan girl, and then she didn't say anything more. She just snorted and went straight to the Cheng family's courtyard.
As Ruan Xingzhu watched her leave in a hurry, she heard a maid say, "That's the First Madam's niece, Miss Xiuxiu. She'll be staying in the mansion for a while from now on."
Cheng Xiuxiu? Living in the mansion? Ruan Xingzhu thought about her arrogant figure just now, and her mind wandered a bit more.
However, she was not wrong. Cheng Xiuxiu had been living in the mansion since that day, and news also came that the Cheng family wanted to marry her off to Gu Yun'an.
For a time, everyone in the mansion was very careful around Cheng Xiuxiu, fearing that they might offend this potential future mistress of the house.
Huaiju seemed to be a dividing line; once inside Huaiju, all those whispers and gossips were shut out.
Ruan Xingzhu was filled with apprehension, not expecting this day to come so soon.
She knew Gu Yun'an would get married, but she didn't expect it to be so fast. So fast that she didn't even have time to react before he moved into the mansion.
But if she did that, wouldn't she be able to get rid of that ambiguous and shameful relationship?
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Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
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