Chapter 27 Stars and Frost, Old Friends Return (Part 3) "In the future, please..."
She pushed him away as if she'd been electrocuted, staggering back to the dim candlelight, her fingertips gripping the edge of the table so she could barely keep her balance.
"No...it shouldn't be like this..." Her voice broke, trembling with despair. Her gaze frantically swept across his deep eyes, where she was reflected, clearly still the same girl he had held in his palm five years ago.
But it's all just a mirage, ultimately an illusion.
She was the wife of the Lu family, formally married after a series of formal betrothal rites, and was known throughout Chang'an and even the border military camps as the "eldest sister-in-law" of General Chu.
This identity, like a bottomless chasm, lies between them, even more suffocating and despairing than the eternal darkness she fell into when she lost her sight.
With this broken body and this awkward identity, how can we rekindle our past relationship?
Those deep-seated longings, buried in her heart and untouchable, now transformed into the sharpest silver needles, piercing her internal organs one by one, causing her so much pain that she almost curled up, and even her breath smelled of blood.
Seeing her hesitate and back down, Chu Huaili's heart tightened. He immediately stepped forward, wanting to hug her again and pull her out of that heartbreaking shadow.
But she pushed him away with all her might.
“General.” She turned her face away, burying herself even deeper in the shadows that the candlelight could not illuminate, her voice deliberately maintaining aloofness and calmness, “Things have changed, and I… have long since found someone else.”
"In the future, please do not cause any further trouble, General."
"I didn't mean to be late!" he said, his voice heavy with urgency, as if he were desperate to explain himself.
Chu Huaili slowly approached, picked up the candlestick on the table with its warm flame flickering, and without hesitation, opened the already loose collar of his clothes and brought the candlelight close to his heart.
"I left you back then because His Majesty personally promised that as long as I could recover the lost territories of the three prefectures of Longxi, I would have full authority over my own marriage and would no longer be subject to the constraints of the imperial clan! This stab..."
He pointed to a scar on his left chest that, despite the passage of time, remained grotesque and terrifying. The scar was very close to his heart and appeared even more menacing in the candlelight. "It was left by the personal guard commander of the Western Xia commander-in-chief."
Ye Yixiang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the scar on his chest, and she turned her eyes to meet that fatal old wound.
Even after all these years, the scars are still shocking, as if silently telling the story of the tragedy that happened back then.
In the flickering candlelight, her slender fingertips trembled slightly as she slowly raised them and gently covered the uneven skin.
This position... is deadly enough.
What kind of painful and long days and nights did he endure back then to struggle back from the brink of life and death?
“I was too impatient… A’rao.” His voice became low and hoarse, filled with deep self-reproach and lingering fear. “I was too eager to give you a legitimate status as soon as possible, too eager to fulfill my promise to you, which is why I was so impatient and eager for quick success on the battlefield.”
"I almost... I almost never saw you again..."
He raised his other hand, his fingertips burning hot, and gently ran them across her wet, cool cheek. He tucked a strand of hair stuck to her cheek with tears behind her ear, his tone even carrying a hint of humble pleading, "Arao... don't push me away."
She finally looked up and met his deep, dark eyes, which were churning with too many emotions—pain, regret, longing… and undisguised, profound love.
"I know what you're worried about." He looked into her eyes, his voice firm and clear. "Who you've been married to, what your past is like, I don't care at all!"
"In my heart, you will always be my A'rao, the girl who married me in a red dress in Ouhua Village."
He put down the candlestick, pulled her into a tight embrace, and breathed hotly against her sensitive ear, his voice filled with endless regret. "I only hate... I only hate that I didn't wake up from my coma sooner, that I didn't come looking for you in time, that made you... suffer so much."
Ye Yixiang could no longer hold back her tears, which fell like peach petals blown down by the spring breeze, instantly soaking the front of her clothes.
All the struggles, all the self-loathing, all the despair.
Everything seemed so pale and powerless in the face of his candid confession.
"Besides," he suddenly changed his tone, adding an undeniable certainty and a touch of teasing, trying to dispel her sadness, "I personally acknowledged you as my wife in front of the envoys of both countries! You still hold the gold hairpin I gave you as proof, a token personally bestowed by the Empress Dowager, a gift I gave to my wife."
He lowered his head, his nose almost touching her forehead, his tone carrying a hint of accusation, but his eyes were full of indulgent laughter, "What? You dared to use one of your shares to pawn off Qiankun Workshop, and now you want to deny it?"
That gold hairpin was actually a gift from the Empress Dowager! Ye Yixiang's eyes widened in shock, and she realized that she had... she had committed a terrible crime.
"Back in Ouhua Village, we bowed to heaven and earth and became husband and wife in front of that old banyan tree entwined with red threads of marriage," his voice deepened again, with a seductive huskiness, his gaze slowly becoming tinged with undisguised desire, lingering on her exquisite body, "but at that time you were too weak, and we... hadn't even had a chance to consummate our marriage."
He paused, his fingertips caressing her slender waist. "Today, consider it A-Rao's way of making it up to me."
Before she could recover from the shock of the gold hairpin, and before she could even voice her objection, she felt her body lighten as he lifted her up in his arms, his movements gentle yet with an irresistible force, and gently placed her on the bed covered with soft brocade quilts.
"I...I'm not worthy..." She tried in vain to make a final struggle, but her words were completely blocked by his gentle yet passionate kiss.
His kiss, filled with boundless tenderness and long-suppressed desire, fell softly like spring rain, from her trembling eyelashes to the tip of her upturned nose, and finally captured her slightly swollen red lips, lingering and deepening, entwining with her tongue that had nowhere to escape, and drawing in her sweet breath.
Her sash had been deftly undone, and her elaborate dress, like petals, scattered and fell to the ground. The cool air touched her skin, causing her to involuntarily shiver, before she was enveloped tightly in his even hotter embrace.
His large hands, calloused yet unusually gentle, lingered on her delicate skin. Every touch carried a burning heat, igniting shy flames within her.
When the moment of their final union arrived, he remained extremely restrained and gentle, careful not to hurt her.
That close connection, tinged with a strange, throbbing pain, strangely dispelled all the unease and confusion in her heart.
What follows is an indescribable sense of harmony and joy, as if one's very soul is trembling.
He leaned down and planted soft kisses on her ear, kissing her deeply, yet still calling her name in a low, husky voice: "A-Rao..."
Her hand, which had been resting on his shoulder, unconsciously climbed up his broad back, her fingertips digging into his taut muscles. Soft sobs escaped uncontrollably from her throat, mingling with his heavy nasal breathing.
He guided her, rising and falling in the water, each sway carrying endless longing and certainty. It was an unparalleled pleasure, unlike anything they had experienced before, uniquely theirs.
The candlelight burned tirelessly, casting the intertwined shadows of the two figures onto the bed curtains, swaying gracefully.
He didn't know how much time had passed, until the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, before he finally let her go. He gently kissed her forehead and cheeks, which were covered with fine sweat, pulled the soft quilt over her, and then stretched out his long arm to hold her soft body tightly in his embrace.
Looking at the flushed face of the person in his arms, still bearing traces of tears, Chu Huaili felt a surge of immense satisfaction and peace of mind.
He lowered his head and placed a final, gentle kiss on her hair before embracing her and drifting into a deep, sweet dream together.
When Ye Yixiang woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Warm sunlight streamed into the room through the window, and the air seemed to still carry the lingering scent of last night's romance.
With the slightest movement, she felt weak all over, especially the tingling and discomfort in her legs, which reminded her of the intimate things that had happened the night before.
Uluzhu brought in warm water to help her wash up. The little girl had a shy smile on her face and moved very quickly.
Just as she finished dressing up, a maid from the Nie household came in carrying several sets of brand-new dresses and some jewelry and hairpins, and said respectfully, "Madam, these were sent by General Chu. The general instructed me to convey a message, saying, 'Please forget about irrelevant people, and present your beautiful hair to the one who pleases you.'"
Ye Yixiang's gaze swept over the clothes, all of which were the most popular Suzhou embroidery and Hangzhou silk styles at the time, with bright colors, such as begonia red, emerald green, and lilac purple, which were completely different from her usual elegant style.
The matching jewelry and hairpins were also extremely beautiful and exquisite, shimmering with pearls and jade. "Unrelated person"... does that refer to Lu Qingyuan?
"Sister! Sister!"
A clear, cheerful voice, like the tinkling of silver bells, came from outside, accompanied by light footsteps, and the door was pushed open.
Nie Zhaoxue, dressed in a charming rouge-colored floral dress, hopped in like a happy butterfly, her face beaming with a bright smile. "Sister, do you like these dresses and jewelry? I've been advising Brother Huaili for a long time! He's a grown man, how could he understand these things for girls!"
Looking at her innocent and carefree appearance, Ye Yixiang felt a warmth in her heart. She smiled gently and nodded slightly: "You are all very beautiful. Thank you for your trouble, Sister Zhaoxue."
"I'm glad you like it, sister!" Nie Zhaoxue clapped her hands happily, then stepped forward and affectionately took her arm. "Sister, quickly pick one out and change into it. Come with me to the East Market to buy some things! The streets are so lively today!" As she spoke, she picked up a lilac-colored brocade dress with gold thread and butterflies, which was extremely exquisite. The outer layer was light and thin silk gauze, while the inner layer was lined with warm white squirrel fur.
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