Chapter 414 He was covered in injuries, and so was she.
But he didn't.
He simply looked at her flushed cheeks, which were also slightly tinged with alcohol, and her unfocused eyes, and after a long silence, he softly asked, "Why did you hesitate just now?"
"..."
"When your older brother asked you."
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched.
"I didn't—"
She instinctively wanted to deny it, but immediately swallowed the words back.
She understood that even if someone like Yuwen Ye drank nine jars of Jiu Yun Chun wine like Yuwen Yuan did on their wedding night, he could never truly get drunk. People from aristocratic families like theirs would never indulge themselves at the dinner table, would never lose their composure and dignity, and would never completely lose themselves or their sense of self.
So, he really saw her hesitation in that instant.
Even later, she changed her tune.
Shang Ruyi's eyes immediately became confused, and she subconsciously lowered her head. But Yuwen Ye suddenly turned over, and Shang Ruyi was caught off guard. She felt dizzy and was pressed down on the bed by him, with no chance to escape or dodge. His other hand reached out, pinched her chin, and gently lifted her face, making her face him.
Shang Ruyi looked up and met a pair of eyes that were fixed on her with the burning intensity of a predator.
He stared at her: "Why?"
"..."
With the two of them so close, even though they were separated by a thin layer of clothing, their skin was touching. She had no way of hiding her thoughts.
Shang Ruyi didn't speak again. Her small hands, which had been wrapped around his neck, slowly slid down his thick, well-defined back. Yuwen Ye seemed to sense something. Just as he frowned, Shang Ruyi's slender fingertips touched a protruding bump through the thin fabric of her clothes.
It's a scar.
Yuwen Ye's expression froze, and before he could say anything, Shang Ruyi's hand slid to the side again, following the direction of his memory, and touched another spot.
Then, at another location.
That was a scar left from when he was shot three times by Hua Ziying while trying to save Empress Jiang during the fall of Luoyang.
In fact, it wasn't just these three places. Before, at Banyan Temple, when the two met naked and their skin touched, she touched more than one scar on his body.
His reputation as "unparalleled in the world" was not earned by being the second son of the Duke's mansion.
Rather, it was won through leading from the front and fighting bloody battles in every tough fight.
Seeing Shang Ruyi's expression grow increasingly serious, and her eyes well up with tears, Yuwen Ye frowned. Before he could say anything, Shang Ruyi whispered, "I know you're not in pain anymore."
"..."
"But it will still hurt if I get injured again."
"..."
"Me too."
Upon hearing her words, Yuwen Ye's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood: "So, you were late just now because you were meeting with him. He told you all this, right?"
Shang Ruyi nodded gently.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Did he make you worry about me?"
Shang Ruyi said, "I was worried about you too."
"..."
His originally cold and stern eyes suddenly softened with a gentle light. Yuwen Ye's expression gradually relaxed. He slowly leaned down and looked at the young woman beneath him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were unfocused. Even though she had taken the initiative and ignited the fire, she now appeared shy, innocent, and pure.
A faint smile involuntarily appeared on Yuwen Ye's lips.
She is intelligent.
Therefore, she could see through what the other party was planning at a glance. As the saying goes, "I will not do what the enemy desires." Even though what the other party said was exactly what she was worried about, she still considered the overall situation and did not let personal feelings interfere with important matters at this time.
But she's also quite clumsy.
Knowing there might be danger, they still stayed by my side...
Thinking of this, his breath involuntarily became hotter, and the alcohol smell that was already wafting around the two of them became even stronger, almost making Shang Ruyi drunk. She subconsciously raised her hand to push Yuwen Ye's chest, which was pressing down, trying to get some breathing space, but he grabbed her hand.
Then, holding her slender, fair hand, he gently brought it to his lips.
A kiss lands on the palm of my hand.
For some reason, even though it was just a kiss on the palm of her hand, and it wasn't a sensitive spot, Shang Ruyi shuddered the moment her warm lips touched her palm.
Her heart seemed to suddenly come alive, pounding wildly.
When I looked up again, I met his eyes, which were gradually turning red from the smell of alcohol.
He stared at the person beneath him with an aggressive gaze, like an elegant yet powerful beast looking at its prey, who was powerless to fight back, as if searching for where to bite.
Just as his gaze finally settled on those cherry-red lips, which were slightly swollen after all the commotion today, he slowly leaned down and brought his lips close to those trembling lips, almost to once again experience her softness and sweetness, but just as Shang Ruyi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest, he stopped.
He looked into her eyes and whispered, "Is it okay?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched.
At this moment, her face was flushed and burning hot, almost as if it were on fire. She couldn't understand why, even at this point, Yuwen Ye would still ask her such a question—
Was he teasing her?
But the next moment, when she met his gaze again, she seemed to understand something.
This was the first time they had been so close since Luoyang fell and the two of them almost broke off relations.
He was indeed covered in injuries, and so was she.
Moreover, after experiencing the upheaval at Jiangdu Palace, she even suffered a miscarriage. Such immense pain not only broke her heart but also nearly killed her. The fragility and brokenness of those days clearly left a deep shadow on the man before her, so much so that even now, with such intense affection, he still had to ask her something first—
May I?
The lingering bitterness in her heart and the emotions surging in her chest intertwined and surged at this moment. Shang Ruyi slowly raised her slender, fair arms, wrapped them around his neck once more, and brought her lips to his.
He whispered, "I want you..."
The last "you" was swallowed up by the man in front of him.
He seemed to have completely torn away the calm and elegant facade, revealing his fierce and hungry true nature. A pair of burning hot hands roamed over the body that already belonged to him. The fair and smooth skin trembled under his large hands, yet could only rise and fall with his breath.
Night fell...
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