Chapter 20: Even the merciless rain made the application of medicine exceptionally meticulous, inside and out…
Cui Yiluo stared intently at his reaction. She saw Jiang Yunjin pause for a moment, then his brows furrowed deeply, and the knuckles of his hand holding the teacup turned slightly white, perhaps from anger.
"We are not yet married, so we should not engage in intimate acts."
Cui Yilu blinked, but it was all done last night.
She couldn't say that aloud. Her face fell, and she lowered her head. "Alright, I know you didn't mean to hurt me. Since you're unwilling, I won't force you. It's just... I'm afraid the medicine won't be effective. Do you have any internal remedies?"
As she spoke, she emphasized the words "intentionally injured" without her noticing.
Jiang Yunjin hesitated for a moment: "No."
This is a superficial wound, and applying topical treatment is the most effective and efficient method.
Cui Yilu bit her lip, revealing a hint of grievance. She also seemed to have a sore back, so she stiffly straightened her back slightly. The movement was very small, but her slender waist, bound by a light pink ribbon, was still clearly visible even with the slightest movement.
He knew all too well how flexible he was.
Jiang Yunjin's eyes darkened.
Cui Yiluo secretly observed his reaction, only to see him suddenly turn his head away, his face showing a hint of restraint.
His sudden movement startled her, and then she realized what was happening.
So this is what it's like when a pure and noble gentleman is tainted by desire.
A hint of interest flickered in Cui Yiluo's eyes. She stroked the back of his hand again, her knuckles bulging from unconscious exertion. Her slender little finger slipped between his fingers, hooking onto his little finger almost touching it.
She frowned slightly, her expression full of concern: "What's wrong, cousin? Is your back hurting again?"
The ruler, inscribed with the Jiang family rules, struck his back once, as his most respected grandmother hit him.
Jiang Yunjin quickly moved her hand away again.
"Feel sorry."
Cui Yiluo wasn't angry. Instead, she blinked her eyelashes, as if puzzled: "Why did you suddenly apologize, cousin?"
Jiang Yunjin did not answer her question, but said, "I hurt you last night. It was my carelessness. It won't happen again."
Before Cui Yilu could react, he stopped abruptly, his handsome face tightening and a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
after.
Cui Yiluo pondered these two words carefully, and looking at his expression, she could hardly suppress the urge to smile.
He knew in his heart that what happened last night could not end there. Every night from now on, with the candlelight flickering and the night still and quiet, they would repeatedly do that kind of thing on the bed within the curtains.
Jiang Yunjin straightened his expression, and all his extraneous emotions were immediately suppressed and disappeared.
"I still have official business to attend to, you can go back first. If you need anything, you can send someone to find me."
He saw her off decisively, as if he didn't want to stay with her any longer.
Cui Yiluo gave a soft "hmm".
She stood up slowly, as if enduring aches and pains, but the man who had spoken to see her off remained seated. He not only failed to see her off politely, but also did not even glance at her for a moment, his eyes fixed on the emerald green tea in his teacup.
As she passed by him, he turned slightly to the side, placing his wrist on the coffee table, his wide sleeves completely covering his waist and abdomen.
The movements were extremely deliberate.
Just as Cui Yiluo was about to step out from behind the screen, her legs suddenly went weak.
A soft cry was heard, followed by a low groan from behind the screen.
After a dizzying moment, Cui Yiluo stumbled into his arms again, just like last night in the carriage, her buttocks landing on his strong, powerful legs.
Her soft, slender arms wrapped around his waist and abdomen, seemingly touching the wound on his back, which caused the man to groan in pain.
"Cousin, I didn't mean to!"
Cui Yiluo panicked immediately and struggled to get up. The parts that had been touching each other brushed against each other a few times during her struggle.
The man's pale hand, veins bulging, immediately gripped her waist.
"It's nothing, go downstairs."
He lowered his eyelashes and stared at the woven carpet on the ground, his voice still sounding flat.
The powerful tactile sensation doesn't lie.
Cui Yilu climbed onto his shoulders with both hands, as if trying to use the strength to get up, but her body went limp and she pressed herself even closer to him. The hand on her waist immediately tightened its grip, pushing her away.
"Cousin, I'm sorry, it just hurts a little when I walk..."
She bit her crimson lips, her eyes glistening with tears, as if they were overflowing uncontrollably from discomfort, making her look utterly innocent and pitiful.
Jiang Yunjin looked at her with a dark expression, his voice low, as if scrutinizing the truth of her words: "Are you really feeling unwell?"
Cui Yiluo nodded.
The man lowered his eyes and remained silent. Cui Yiluo keenly sensed his hesitation for a moment, and the hand on his shoulder subtly tightened, wrapping around his neck.
Her sweet voice held a subtle allure, and as if afraid of being overheard, she leaned closer, "Cousin, I have a way..."
It had rained outside the window sometime earlier, but the clouds cleared and the rain stopped in no time. Such torrential rains that come and go so quickly are not uncommon in the scorching summer.
Behind the screen with its landscape and bamboo design, a man's hoarse voice suddenly rang out: "All done."
The tall, slender man had his back to the small couch and was repeatedly wiping his long, delicate fingers with a silk handkerchief, leaving damp marks on the handkerchief.
The handkerchief repeatedly wiped the man's fingers, turning his pale skin red. The man's strength was so great that it seemed he wanted to tear the skin and expose the flesh beneath.
His brocade robe remained perfectly in place. His jawline was sharp and his nose was high and straight. But above that, his dark and aloof eyebrows and eyes were completely covered by a thin strip of snow-white cloth, which made him appear even more ethereal and otherworldly against his pale skin.
The soft, smooth touch still lingered on her fingertips as she sucked on it, and then the hand holding the handkerchief suddenly wiped it harder.
Jiang Yunjin covered his eyes with a strip of cloth, his expression indifferent, and said to those behind him, "I'll go outside first."
Having said that, he strode out of the inner room.
Even after the bamboo curtain was lowered, Cui Yiluo, who was leaning against the couch, was still not calming down.
She almost began to suspect that he was intentionally punishing her.
But his breathing was even and his expression was calm; just looking at his face, one might mistake him for someone playing a piece of classical Chinese poetry.
Even when she led him down by the hand, his breathing remained steady; it was the movement of his hand that made her breath ragged.
And after she led him to the spot, he moved aside to apply the ointment, and he was able to apply it precisely and evenly for her, with meticulous movements. He was always serious and cautious in his work, and he was especially careful when applying the ointment.
Cui Yilu stared at his eyes under the white cloth strip with a troubled mind. He did not open his eyes, even though the cloth strip could cover everything in front of him.
She bit her lip, trying to suppress the strange sensation, a sense of resentment rising within her.
But that resentment vanished as he stood up. Although he turned his back very quickly, Cui Yiluo still caught a glimpse of that ferocious expression.
She closed the porcelain jar containing the ointment and put it into a hidden bag, then carefully straightened her skirt before leaving the inner room.
Jiang Yunjin had already removed the blindfold and sat back down at his desk, finishing reviewing the official documents he hadn't yet finished reading. His neatly manicured fingers gripped the hard pen, his posture serious and aloof, making it hard to imagine what he had just done with those hands.
However, Cui Yiluo was not entirely unaware of the stagnation in his finger movements and the faint smell of blood.
Despite receiving such severe family punishment, he could still handle official business without changing his expression; he was truly diligent. No wonder his study was fully equipped; he must have often worked on official business until late at night, simply sleeping there and setting off from there to attend court early the next morning.
That's not bad. He's the same way after marriage, so she'll have a peaceful life on her own. She doesn't want to be with her husband every day like other couples, since they don't really care about each other.
At most, there's only a slight desire.
Jiang Yunjin saw her come out of the inner room and slowly put the wolf-hair brush back into the white jade brush holder.
His gaze swept lightly over her still pinkish-white skin, and he said calmly, "I have something to give you."
Upon hearing this, Cui Yiluo approached. He took out a square brocade box, slightly wider than his palm, from the drawer and handed it to her.
Cui Yiluo took it and opened it at his prompting glance.
The brocade box was lined with bright red silk, which made the mutton-fat jade bracelet appear even more lustrous and white, with a warm and smooth texture. Although Cui Yiluo had never worn such precious jewelry before, she could tell at a glance that it was extremely valuable.
Jiang Yunjin seemed to be able to see through her thoughts and explained, "This was left by my mother."
He didn't say anything more, but Cui Yiluo understood that this was left by Madam Jiang to Jiang Yunjin's future wife, and now that Jiang Yunjin was going to marry her, he naturally gave her the bracelet.
Cui Yiluo did not refuse and readily agreed to close and put away the brocade box containing the mutton fat jade bracelet.
Jiang Yunjin was a gentleman who was self-disciplined and followed the rules of propriety. In his eyes, this bracelet had nothing to do with love, but was more like a guarantee, symbolizing his responsibility to her.
Sure enough, he added the next moment, "I will go to the Cheng family as soon as possible. After he breaks off the engagement, I will formally propose marriage."
While others' engagements and marriages are often driven by affection, even if they are arranged by their parents, Jiang Yunjin described them more as official business.
"But wouldn't this ruin my cousin's reputation..."
After all, she had just broken off her engagement, and he was about to marry her. Moreover, they were cousins living under the same roof, so it was hard not to attract gossip. In the eyes of others, he was a gentleman of integrity, while others would only cast dark speculations on her.
Jiang Yunjin simply said, "Don't worry, it's me who wants to marry you."
His tone was calm, yet carried a sense of composure.
Cui Yiluo felt much more at ease. Jiang Yunjin had made a promise, and he wouldn't go back on his word. Wasn't that the same thing back then? He clearly didn't want to have any contact with her at that time, but for the sake of the person behind him, he still stepped in to protect her, which gave her the opportunity to take advantage of him.
"However, according to etiquette, you will probably have to move out of the Jiang residence for the time being."
According to wedding customs, the groom must go to the bride's home to fetch her, so she naturally cannot stay at the Jiang residence anymore.
However, Cui Yiluo had no relatives or friends in Shengjing except for Lan Hui, and she didn't have enough money to rent another house, so she was in a dilemma.
“I have already sent someone to transfer the house in Luoyun Lane to your name.”
Cui Yiluo was somewhat surprised; he was indeed very meticulous in his handling of matters.
She felt relieved and looked at his calm expression. Suddenly, she smiled and asked in a soft, coquettish voice, "Will my cousin come to see me these days?"
Jiang Yunjin paused for a moment, then coldly and decisively refused, "It's not appropriate for engaged couples to see each other too often."
This was originally an excuse she used to reject Cheng Feng, but now it's being used against her.
Cui Yiluo took a few steps closer, staring intently at him, and asked:
"What if I miss my cousin?"
Author's Note: The next chapter is about the wedding! [hugs]
Because I need to add it to the magazine, the next chapter will be at 11 PM the day after tomorrow~ Two chapters combined [heart]
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