Chapter 71 Strange Dreams She seems to have fallen a little in love with Jiang Xu.
Shi Wan paused slightly, instinctively feeling that these words were somewhat strange, but Jiang Xu's voice was normal, seemingly no different from usual.
The mark on the back of her neck was still warm. Held in his arms like this, Shi Wan's mind instinctively tensed up. But after being together for so long, her body was already familiar with Jiang Xu's embrace. The temperature and breath mingled in their breaths, forming a strange tacit understanding.
She couldn't help but ask, "Are you looking at the mark you bit?" As she finished speaking, the tips of her ears gradually turned red. Her words sounded too much like a coquettish remark, something that could be misunderstood.
But their current relationship...
"Hmm." Jiang Xu responded softly, noticing that Shi Wan suddenly tensed up. His dark eyes blinked slightly, his long, slender black eyelashes swaying at a certain frequency. After a moment, he restrained himself and said, "You knew where I was looking before you even saw my face?"
His mood improved, and he felt that occasionally revealing a bit of "pain" tonight had brought back such an obedient Shi Wan. For a moment, he couldn't help but want to use the same trick again, but if he did it too often, he was afraid that it would arouse her suspicion.
Shi Wan, unaware of Jiang Xu's thoughts, pondered for a moment and said, "Both times you've acted like a dog, haven't you?"
Her words were accusatory, but Jiang Xu suddenly leaned down and began to sniff her hair.
"What are you doing?" Shi Wan had already achieved her goal for this stage and didn't want to cause any more trouble, but subconsciously, Jiang Xu was not acting normally at this moment.
"Since you've insulted me, then I'll act like an animal for once, so what?" Jiang Xu's tone became even more intrigued, with a hint of overt aggression, as if he was itching for a fight.
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "I was just joking, don't take it seriously."
The man's body temperature seemed to be rising. Now that her period was over, she naturally didn't want to do those things with him anymore. Fortunately, after waiting for a while, Jiang Xu subtly changed the subject, "You've never been... such a timid person, have you?"
Having just received the benefit, Shi Wan was afraid that the man would change his mind again, so she hurriedly said, "Let go of me first. I'm very timid. Right now, the timid person is going to have a good sleep."
When she was obedient, Jiang Xu was willing to live in peace. In any case, he had already received a promise, and whether it was just a casual remark or not, he would make it come true in the future.
It becomes the only possibility.
He had barely let go when Shi Wan slipped away, leaving his arms feeling empty. He hastily ate a couple of bites of the silver fish she had pushed to his side, then lost all appetite. He took a bath, changed his clothes, put on a dark silk robe, and went straight to the inner side of the bedroom to find Shi Wan.
As soon as the curtain was lifted, Jiang Xu saw the beauty's black hair spread out on the thin satin under the dim candlelight. The warm glow made her eyebrows and teeth even more beautiful, and she was more beautiful than flowers. Jiang Xu had already made up his mind to help her get pregnant as soon as possible. In addition, he was interrupted last time, so he was even more excited.
He leaned closer and asked, "Are you really this sleepy...?" He had just held her for a while and had already been aroused. Now that the night was deep and the atmosphere was quite nice, he persisted, "It seems like your period is over today?"
"Why are you pretending to be confused?" What do you mean by "seems like"? She knows exactly what's going on, but she's putting on an act. Shi Wan said bluntly, "I'm really tired tonight, no way."
Jiang Xu was refuted, paused, and then backed down, saying, "There are other methods as well."
Shi Wan: "No."
Jiang Xu had already been holding back for quite a while tonight. If he could see the food but couldn't have it, he might have been able to stay calm. But now that he had tasted the delicacies, with them right in front of him, how could he possibly back down?
With a forced smile, he managed to utter, "This won't work, that won't work either?" Knowing that she was never particularly enthusiastic about this kind of thing, he was still really upset. After a brief standoff, he leaned in again, "It'll be over in a little while."
"No." This time, Shi Wan refused even more decisively. After a long while, her long, steady breathing suddenly rang out. Jiang Xu stared at her back hatefully for a while, then suddenly reached out and turned her body around, starting to undress her.
"I told you! What's wrong with you again, acting all crazy?"
Jiang Xu remained unmoved and quickly stripped Shi Wan of her inner garment. The warmth from their earlier conversation vanished instantly. Knowing he was determined, Shi Wan felt annoyed and couldn't help but kick Jiang Xu.
“My menstrual cycle ended around dusk today, which is only a little over an hour ago. This is not appropriate.”
"Tomorrow, will it happen tomorrow?"
Quenching thirst with the sight of plums is certainly not an option, but with the woman before him her eyes sparkling and her face showing anger, coupled with all that had come so hard tonight, Jiang Xu endured it all, and only then did he pinch the soft flesh of her waist hard with one hand, while biting Shi Wan's lips.
"You should go to sleep." After saying that, he tucked the blanket around her and then got up. Shi Wan didn't expect that he would actually stop, and for a moment she felt a little apologetic for his malicious speculation. "...Okay."
Damn Jiang Xu, his body is burning hot like a piece of charcoal, how come his mouth wasn't burned to death!
......
In the days that followed, Jiang Xu put into practice what Shi Wan had said that night. Whenever she called for a stop, Shi Wan would insist that she had given permission. For two days in a row, Shi Wan suffered from back pain.
Another day, as Jiang Xu went to bed as usual, Shi Wan suddenly said, "I want to talk to you tonight."
"Let's chat?" Jiang Xu was in a good mood these past two days since his confinement was lifted, and readily agreed, "Sure, what do you want to talk about?"
Shi Wan glanced at him and saw that he was full of satisfaction. She felt even more annoyed. She had always been the one who had no choice but to use her beauty to please others, but now she had ended up in the same place. After all that trouble, she was just going around in circles and couldn't break free.
"I know you want me to have your child, but... have you thought about what we should do if I do get pregnant?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu assumed she was about to say something unpleasant to spoil the mood, and his expression turned cold, but he still smiled and said, "Why think so much all day? If you get pregnant, just give birth to the baby."
"Give birth to her? Can she call me 'Mother'?" Shi Wan said calmly, "Or, can you guarantee that in the future..." She stopped speaking as she spoke.
On one hand, she clearly understood that Jiang Xu was now obediently keeping her under his wing because she had taken the initiative to back down and no longer mentioned "escaping." On the other hand, she was also somewhat hesitant, which was quite hateful.
She realized that she might be falling for Jiang Xu.
Thinking of this, Shi Wan felt her face burning, as if she were being roasted over a fire, with one side cursing and condemning, while the other side was making excuses for her.
With her background, marrying a wealthy businessman would be the best choice, let alone a hero like Jiang Xu.
Shi Wan looked listless, his whole body trembling involuntarily, the soft flesh of his cheeks almost sinking into his teeth. After a long while, he heard Jiang Xu ask in confusion, "Promise what?"
"N-nothing." Shi Wan came back to her senses, forcing back her tears, but afraid that Jiang Xu would notice, she refused to show any vulnerability.
Jiang Xu merely glanced at her before bluntly asking, "Are you asking me to promise that you'll be the only one for me from now on?" Before Shi Wan could answer, he scoffed, "You're a smart woman; even if I made that promise, you should understand..."
"If I were to actually reach that position someday, how could it be possible?"
He spoke such rebellious words with such certainty that Shi Wan was at a loss for words. The sense of entitlement she felt made her hair stand on end.
A strong fear welled up in her heart. After a while, when Jiang Xu noticed that she had been silent for a long time and looked over, he saw that Shi Wan was already in tears beside him, with large teardrops falling down her face. She looked sad and pitiful.
He softened his tone slightly, "What exactly do you want to ask? I'll answer you."
"It doesn't have to be like this between you and me."
He said bitterly, "Give birth to the child, and I promise you that I will dote on you exclusively for three years." These three years were also a deadline he set for himself. If he couldn't reach Luoyang within three years, then he would be too incompetent.
But Shi Wan only had tears in her eyes, looking at me with pear blossoms in the rain, "What if I want to live alone, would you agree?"
She was dressed in only thin clothes, her eyes filled with tears, her voice choked with sobs. It seemed she hadn't thought much about it. After speaking, she just looked at him with all her heart.
"alone"?
This topic, like "escape," was an unspoken taboo between the two. Jiang Xu had always felt that she was only half-hearted and pretending, but now that he heard her say it as if she were laying her cards on the table, he felt cold inside, but his face became even gentler. He gently put his arm around her and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't say these things and make me angry."
"How can you survive all by yourself?"
The man's tone was sorrowful, as if he was also affected by her lament, but as soon as he finished speaking, Shi Wan suddenly became much more awake.
She nestled against Jiang Xu's chest, and through the thin fabric of his clothes, she could hear his strong, rhythmic heartbeat, one beat after another, just like when he had told her to recognize her feelings earlier—it was beating... a little fast.
But it was only a little fast.
She complained, "What if I can manage to get by? In your eyes, am I really such an incompetent person?"
Jiang Xu enjoyed her dependence and her moderate "tantrums," feeling happy but still suspicious. He wondered why she had suddenly brought this up today. With his thoughts entangled, he said, "No, it's not like that."
He patted her on the back, half-jokingly, and said, "I just want you to stay by my side and rely on me more."
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan seemed to muster up her courage and took the initiative to rub against him.
Jiang Xu was startled, and even lost his composure for a moment. "What's wrong? Have you figured it out?" he said, concealing the obsession and inquiry in his eyes, and responded gently.
Shi Wan said, "I will try my best to accept it."
“I know you treat me well, and you are… affectionate.”
Jiang Xu asked in surprise, "Really?" Seeing her nod, he instinctively hugged her tightly, one hand firmly holding Shi Wan's waist, his tone still gentle, "Then tonight, shall we?"
"Give me some time!"
In the shadows, her amber eyes remained unmoved. Shi Wan pinched the soft flesh in her palms so hard that she left a deep mark, like the back of her neck. Only after experiencing intense pain did she loosen her grip a little.
He pleaded, "Let me think about it carefully, please?"
“…Okay, but there has to be a deadline.” Jiang Xu gently stroked the top of her head. From an angle that Shi Wan couldn’t see, his eyes were cold and distant. After a moment, he heard a soft murmur from the girl in his arms.
Slightly, with tears and gasps.
"Three years."
"Three months." Jiang Xu's movements became even gentler, and he briefly kissed the top of her head. "No more than that."
"Three months it is then." Shi Wan's voice carried a hint of defiance as she nestled in his arms, her eyes gently closed. "You must keep your promise."
If her situation doesn't improve after three months, then she's really pathetic.
If we can postpone it for now, we can at least avoid these things in bed every day.
Under the bright moonlight, the two lingered tenderly beneath the bed curtains for a moment.
Shi Wan made an excuse that she was sleepy, and Jiang Xu unsurprisingly let her off the hook. Perhaps it was because of their relatively sincere conversation tonight, or perhaps they each had their own thoughts. As light and shadow intertwined and the night deepened, they unknowingly separated a space between light and darkness.
In a daze, Shi Wan suddenly remembered that a long time ago, she had been forced to make a three-day agreement with Jiang Xu. Now it had quietly changed to a so-called three-month deadline, but she still felt no joy in her heart.
She has always been forced to accept and keep her promises. If the deadline truly arrives, will she...
Shouldn't we change it?
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