Chapter 24 is truly domineering!
Lou Xueying regretted making the "we can do it tonight" agreement with Li Pan at noon. To Li Pan, this was practically equivalent to "we can do anything tonight".
Men who have just tasted the sweetness of love are eager for more, and a military general like Li Pan is even more energetic. Lou Xueying was exhausted by him, but she didn't dare to let him stop—he had finally shown great interest in her, which meant that her efforts had finally paid off. At such a crucial moment, how could she dare to push him away?
The candlelight flickered, casting hazy shadows on his sunken back and muscular waist. Lou Xueying felt her vision shift between light and darkness. She slumped against the damp brocade quilt, her eyelashes wet, unsure whether it was tears or sweat.
Perhaps to save face for her, Li Pan had a large bucket of boiling water placed in the washroom beforehand, so that there would be no need to call for water midway. At the end of the first round, the water was still warm, but by the end of the second round, the water had cooled down, and afterwards... in short, the water remained cold, and Lou Xueying forbade Li Pan from having anyone boil water again.
The weather is gradually getting warmer, so wiping with cool water is actually not a big deal.
Lou Xueying lay on the bed, not wanting to move. When she saw Li Pan leaning over again, she got impatient and kicked him, saying, "I want to sleep!"
Li Pan, however, caught her knees with one hand, and with the other hand, he scooped her up from behind, lifted her horizontally, and placed her on the table next to him.
"Sit down for a while, I'll change the sheets," Li Pan said without changing his expression. He lifted the messy sheets, crumpled them up, and threw them into the outer room for the servants to clean up tomorrow. He then found a clean sheet in the trunk and quickly made the bed.
Lou Xueying stared at him blankly.
After Li Pan finished making the bed, he came over, picked her up from the table, and put her back on the bed.
Lou Xueying pulled her clothes tighter and rolled into the quilt.
Li Pan also crawled in.
His body was still so hot, but he wasn't as well-behaved as yesterday. He casually put one arm on her, while using the other arm to prop up his head and tilt his head to look at her.
Lou Xueying turned her face away: "Turn off the lights, I want to sleep."
"Why are you ordering me around so quickly? You weren't like this yesterday," Li Pan laughed. "Are you angry and regretting it? Have you realized I'm actually just a barbarian, not as bad as you thought?"
He spoke in a lighthearted tone, clearly joking.
Lou Xueying knew that men who had just been satiated were the easiest to talk to, so she turned her face back to him, glared at him, and said reproachfully, "You do have some self-awareness!"
Li Pan: "I've already told you, don't have any unrealistic fantasies about me, lest you be disappointed later. You see, I have no fantasies about you at all, so even if you're angry, I won't be angry with you in return."
Lou Xueying: "You knew I was going to get angry, yet you still tormented me like this!"
Li Pan: "You're just pretending to be reserved because you're angry afterwards. I could tell you were clearly enjoying yourself just now."
Lou Xueying: "..."
Her face flushed red, and she turned away, deciding not to say another word to Li Pan that day.
Li Pan laughed out loud behind her, clearly in a very good mood.
He moved the arm that was resting on her, reached out, grabbed her hand, and began to play with her fingers one by one.
Lou Xueying pulled her hand away, but he grabbed it back. Lou Xueying pulled it away again, but he grabbed it back again. This happened several times until Lou Xueying had no choice but to turn around and glare at him angrily.
Li Pan: "What, you want to hit me? It's fine, hit me if you want. I reckon your strength is about the same as my mother's, like tickling an itch."
Lou Xueying completely lost her temper and finally broke down in speaking.
"I remember you used to be so serious and never smiled!" she said through gritted teeth. "The day you entered the city, I watched you from upstairs, and you were completely expressionless!"
“Back then I had serious business to attend to, how can that be the same?” Li Pan said, stroking his chin. “What kind of taste do you have? You like men who are unsmiling and expressionless towards you. I smile at you now, and you have a problem with that. Do you really like being ignored?”
Lou Xueying: "..."
How vulgar!
Seeing her face turn cold, Li Pan also stopped joking.
"Forget it, I won't say anything more," Li Pan said. "I was just joking with you. Didn't you praise me for being witty this morning? You're so fickle."
Lou Xueying said in a muffled voice, "Don't say those nasty things about me."
"I'm not going to say anything more," Li Pan replied.
Lou Xueying gave him a slap followed by a sweet treat, feigning grievance as she reached out and hugged Li Pan's neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She whispered, "Before I married into the Marquis's household, my brother repeatedly warned me not to rush to the Marquis's side, to be reserved and keep my distance, so that the Marquis would feel that I was hard-won and would cherish me. But I admire the Marquis, and I don't want to be reserved in front of him, nor do I want to keep my distance. I want to be with the Marquis all the time. If the Marquis is happy, I will be happy too. But even so, I still have my pride and temper. If I offer my heart, but the Marquis thinks, as my brother said, that I am shallow and easily obtained, the kind of person who can be teased and insulted at will, I will really be heartbroken."
By the end, she was genuinely moved and choked up.
She knew that Li Pan's words were unintentional and that he didn't really look down on her, but those words inevitably reminded her of some unpleasant experiences from her past life.
She had been humiliated by the new emperor with all sorts of excessive words. At first, she couldn't accept it, but later she got used to it. But those hurts were ultimately preserved deep in her memory, and would be brought up again at the slightest touch.
Hearing that her voice was off, Li Pan quickly turned her face up to look at her and saw that her eyes were red again, as if she had relapsed into her old ways from last night. He immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
"It's all my fault. I just didn't think before I spoke. Please stop crying, okay?" Li Pan said helplessly. "I was just a little sharp-tongued. You should know I'm not that kind of person. Today, I was worried that the cook wouldn't suit your taste, I took you around the Marquis's mansion to ask for your opinion, and I even fetched water for you, wiped your body, and changed your sheets. I just know you're precious and need to be served carefully. Besides, this is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty, and your family is so powerful. How could I dare to humiliate you? Would I be tired of living?"
Lou Xueying looked at him with teary eyes.
Li Pan frantically searched for a handkerchief, but couldn't find one. So he used his sleeve to wipe Lou Xueying's eyes and said, "Grandma, I apologize to you. I'm sorry. What can I do to make you feel better? You can hit me or scold me, just please stop crying, okay?"
Lou Xueying burst into laughter through her tears and slapped him: "You're so thick-skinned, hitting or scolding you won't do any good."
Seeing her smile, Li Pan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sigh, the pampered young ladies in the capital are indeed difficult to serve. If even the young lady who admires him is so difficult to serve, then how much more difficult must the young lady who doesn't admire him be?
This one is better; it makes you angry quickly, and it calms you down quickly too. It's also easier to appease.
He patted the back of her head, pulled her close, and called out, "Susu."
"Hmm?" She nestled against his chest and looked up at him.
"You're so bold, insisting on marrying no one but me. Aren't you afraid I won't like you after you marry into the family?" he asked seriously.
Lou Xueying thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid."
"Are you afraid you'll still marry me?"
"But I think that given enough time and sincerity, even the hardest heart can be moved, and he'll eventually come to like me," Lou Xueying said with a smile. "I can't think of any reason why a man wouldn't like me. Do you know how many people have proposed to me?"
Li Pan then laughed: "So you're confident after all. Who's proposed to you?"
Lou Xueying: "Whoever doesn't attend our wedding banquet is the one whose marriage proposal has failed."
Li Pan laughed heartily.
Lou Xueying hugged him: "My lord, when will you fall in love with me?"
Li Pan: "Don't I like you now?"
“I don’t like him,” Lou Xueying said. “The Marquis just thinks I’m not bad as a wife, or maybe he likes my appearance, or maybe he likes the feeling that I like him, but he doesn’t like me as a person yet.”
Li Pan paused for a moment, then his gaze began to wander: "Do we really have to discuss such profound issues so late at night?"
"Not necessarily." Lou Xueying blinked. "But I'm just reminding you, Lord Marquis, to remember my good deeds so that we can be mutually in love, instead of it being just me being infatuated."
Li Pan: "..."
Even her courtship was so unique.
She only admitted to having a crush on him last night, and tonight she's forcing him to reciprocate her feelings. That's really domineering!
Sigh, I still have to coax her properly.
Li Pan: "I may not be as eloquent as those literary types, but I think words alone are useless. Besides, I just upset you with my loose tongue. If I were to use sweet talk now, you certainly wouldn't believe me. You should just wait and see. Facts will prove that you will definitely not regret marrying me."
Lou Xueying smiled, pursing her lips.
She said, "Then kiss me, my lord, kiss me."
She spoke in an innocent tone, yet with seductive words.
"Just now... you didn't even kiss me, you were just focused on doing that kind of thing..." she complained softly, "I feel like you don't care about me at all, it would be the same with any other woman..."
"Ancestor, I'm truly innocent!" Li Pan cried out, "Didn't you complain yesterday that I bumped your teeth?!"
Having no experience yesterday, he noticed her lips were slightly parted and, in a moment of inspiration, decided to kiss her as well. However, while kissing her, they both bumped their teeth, and she cried out in pain, covering her mouth and pushing his head away.
So he didn't dare touch her lips today.
"That...that's because your technique is bad. I've never heard of anyone chipping their teeth like that," Lou Xueying scoffed. "I'll give you another chance to prove yourself."
Li Pan was both angry and amused. She was the one who wanted to kiss him, yet now it seemed like he had to prove himself to her? What a smooth talker, twisting the truth completely!
So he granted her wish and rudely shut her up.
His kisses were still haphazard, impatient, and reckless. Although he no longer hit her teeth, he used too much force, making Lou Xueying feel a little pain.
Lou Xueying frowned slightly, cupped his face, and patiently and subtly guided him to calm down and learn to take things slowly rather than rush things.
Li Pan gradually figured out the trick and loosened his grip. His tongue no longer aggressively plunged in, but instead became more fluid, mimicking her speed and rhythm, restrainedly and lingeringly entwining with her.
The only sounds left in the bedchamber were their tender, moist breaths, until they were both almost out of breath, at which point he finally and reluctantly released her.
Her lips were full and luscious, incredibly beautiful. He pressed his forehead against hers, gazing into her shimmering eyes. Those eyes stared at him silently, as if overflowing with unyielding affection.
Li Pan took a few breaths, then suddenly pushed her away and got up to go to the bathroom by himself.
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