Chapter 50 Whether in the past or in the future, I...
A fair arm peeked out from under the turquoise summer quilt. Bright sunlight streamed through the room, casting shadows and scattering tiny dust particles in the beams of light.
Huiyin slowly got up, wrapped in the summer quilt, her soft black hair hanging down her shoulders. She rubbed her eyes, her head still not quite clear.
The ancient books that Wang Huan sent yesterday were very complete, with most of the Zhou script recorded. However, they needed to be translated one by one. Huiyin was busy until late last night and could only go to bed when she could no longer stay awake.
Under the blazing sun, it was already noon. Huiyin got out of bed feeling embarrassed; it was the first time she had ever slept until this hour.
Yan Niang must have come in quite a few times while she was still fast asleep. Neatly placed beside the bed were a copper basin and a brocade handkerchief for washing, and on the table were dried flower tea and pastries.
Next to it was a box made of rosewood, with exquisite carvings and a piece of gold foil inlaid on the lock. Huiyin walked over and opened the wooden box. The inside of the box was lined with yellow silk cloth, and a bamboo slip was placed on top.
[Huiyin, may your youthful beauty remain forever, adorned with blossoms, year after year—Feng Chengliu]
It was Feng Cheng. Huiyin couldn't help but smile. She didn't need to look to know what Feng Cheng had given her. Every year, he would give Huiyin a jade sculpture.
Huiyin carefully untied the silk cloth, revealing a jade figurine with delicate features that bore a striking resemblance to her own. The figurine was dressed in a double-layered blouse and held a half-fan adorned with peach blossoms.
It's a pity that all the jade figurines that Feng Cheng had given away in the past have been confiscated; otherwise, a row of jade figurines arranged from short to tall would be quite a sight.
"Bang--"
A loud crash came from outside. Yan Niang, Aheng, and Asang looked at each other and stood guard at the kitchen door, watching the ferocious figure inside slaying fish and meat. A rickety copper basin was placed at his feet, with fine wheat flour mixed with dirt.
The kitchen roof beams were low, and Pei Yu, tall and slender, slightly bent his knees to accommodate the low stove. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong forearms, and held a clean wooden pestle in his hand, pounding the delicious bream meat into a paste.
Hearing a gasp at the door, he looked up, his eyes and brows covered in flour, and asked humbly, "I accidentally spilled some flour. Is there any more?"
Before Asang could even close her mouth in surprise, she nodded blankly and went forward to pick up the copper basin from the ground and rummage for wheat flour in the stove cabinet.
Looking at the spilled wheat flour, Yan Niang couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Young General, you are of noble status. Please let me handle this kind of cooking."
Pei Yu raised an eyebrow. "No need."
He washed his hands, scooped up a lump of fish meat, shaped it into a ball, and then mixed it into fine wheat flour. His movements were clumsy, and the shape he shaped was rather strange.
Yan Niang turned her face away, refusing to look at the way he was wasting food. This morning, at the crack of dawn, before anyone in the courtyard had even gotten up, Pei Yu knocked on the door to ask Yan Niang what Huiyin liked to eat.
Before Yan Niang could react, she replied with "bream meatballs," and Pei Yu left without a second thought. However, just as Chen Shi (7-9 AM) arrived, Pei Yu, carrying a bucket of lively bream, went straight into the kitchen, intending to cook himself.
She was making a ruckus in the kitchen all morning, breaking four bowls, ruining a knife, wasting half a bag of wheat flour, and even breaking her usual wooden spatula.
Yan Niang sat under the eaves with a belly full of doubts. Didn't Huiyin say that Pei Yu and Madam Pei were going to visit the Li family today? It's already a quarter past noon, and he's still leisurely making fish balls in the kitchen. Madam Pei hasn't sent anyone to ask. What's going on?
"Bang--"
Another sound came, but Yan Niang was already numb. She didn't need to turn around; she knew from the sound that Pei Yu had broken another plate.
Huiyin, in the main room, frowned. She still had a piece of pastry in her mouth and was flipping through the ancient text she had translated yesterday. The constant banging outside disrupted her thoughts.
Huiyin swallowed the pastry, which relieved her hunger a little. She wiped her hands clean and walked to the door. The door that Pei Yu had smashed was still not repaired, with only a thin gauze curtain hanging down.
She lifted the gauze curtain. Usually at this time, the maids in the courtyard would gather together to chat, but today they were all standing respectfully outside the kitchen, bowing their heads in anticipation.
Yan Nian sat under the eaves of the kitchen with a worried expression, his eyes fixed on the kitchen, his body tense, as if he was about to rush over at any moment.
White smoke rose slowly from the kitchen chimney, and there was a constant clanging and banging noise inside, as if someone was smashing something. Huiyin frowned, wondering who was causing trouble for her so early in the morning.
With Madam Pei and Pei Yu not around, He Jiaying wouldn't cause her any trouble. Could it be that brat Pei Yan? She hasn't offended him recently, has she?
Huiyin stepped forward. White smoke curled from the kitchen, and the figure of the person inside could be vaguely seen. He was dressed in a black outfit covered in white powder. The clean stove looked like a mess, as if someone had fought a battle here.
Sweat beaded on Pei Yu's forehead as he frantically stirred a copper ladle in the iron pot.
Huiyin: "..." Has he gone mad? He smashed up her kitchen and won't even let her eat?
Huiyin frowned, staring at the person who should have been at the Li family's house. "What are you doing?"
Pei Yu paused in his stirring of the pot, then turned back to Huiyin with a smile, pretending nothing had happened, and said, "I heard you like fish balls..."
Huiyin got angry at his joking face. She walked in with a cold face. The heat from the kitchen hit her face, and she could see what Pei Yu was stirring in the pot.
Unidentified white lumps churned in the boiling, murky water, with a layer of greasy paste floating on the surface, making it impossible to discern what they were.
Are these fish balls?
Huiyin snatched the copper spoon from Pei Yu's hand and threw it hard on the ground, angrily shouting, "Get out of here!"
"Hey... stop." Yan Niang couldn't stop them in time, her worries deepened. Let them argue, but don't break things. These two have destroyed everything in her kitchen.
Pei Yu looked at Huiyin's angry face, lowered his head, his long eyelashes covering his eyes, and looked like he was listening to a reprimand.
He didn't move, and Huiyin was so angry that she tried to push him. Pei Yu secretly exerted his strength to stabilize his body, and no matter how hard Huiyin tried, she couldn't budge him.
Huiyin looked up and met his narrow, smiling eyes. She angrily slapped his shoulder and glared at him fiercely.
The two were locked in a stalemate when the boiling pot suddenly splattered, spilling a few drops of hot soup. Pei Yu reacted quickly, pulling Huiyin close to protect her.
Huiyin quickly slapped his hand away. The heat inside the kitchen rose, and sweat began to bead on her forehead. She dragged Pei Yu out the door, pointing coldly at him, "Get out of here."
Pei Yu pursed his lips and glanced around. Yan Niang and the others were hiding behind the pillars, watching the commotion. He felt inexplicably embarrassed. He reached out and held Huiyin's soft hand, whispering, "Let's go inside and talk. Give me some face."
"Smack—"
Huiyin took a step back with a cold face and scolded, "Stop touching me."
Pei Yu held back for a moment, then waved to Yan Niang and the others who were watching the commotion, "What are you looking at? Get down here now."
Huiyin sneered, "General Pei, you have quite the airs."
Well, I've offended her again. Pei Yu touched his nose as he listened to Huiyin's sarcastic tone and said softly, "Don't be angry, let's go eat first."
Upon hearing this, Huiyin also felt hungry. Thinking of the mess in the pot, she said expressionlessly, "Is that what you call food?"
Pei Yu's voice choked, and he strode back to the kitchen. He took out several bowls of food from the other side of the stove and placed them in front of Huiyin. He personally set the table and explained, "This is my first time cooking, so I didn't have high hopes. These dishes have been kept warm on the stove, just waiting for you to get up."
His tiger's mouth was red and swollen, from when he stood in front of Huiyin and was splashed with hot soup. Huiyin swallowed back the sharp words she was about to say and silently sat down to eat.
Pei Yu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this; he had been worried that Huiyin would be angry with him and refuse to eat. He squatted down beside Huiyin and helped her cut the roasted meat into small pieces so that it would be easier for her to eat.
Huiyin watched him work silently without refusing.
Seeing that the two had finally quieted down, Yan Niang quickly called Ah Heng and Ah Sang into the kitchen to clean up. Fortunately, Pei Yu hadn't completely ruined the bream; three were still lying peacefully in the wooden tub. Yan Niang rolled up her sleeves, picked up the bream, and deftly began to prepare them on the cutting board.
After finishing her meal, Huiyin looked at the man beside her. He was leaning against a pillar with his legs propped up. His eyes were dark and dirty, and he looked unusually disheveled. His temples and the ends of his hair were covered with white powder. His sleeves were rolled up at his arms, and in addition to the web of his hand, there was a burn on his arm.
Huiyin paused for a moment, then said, "Weren't you going to the Li family today?"
"Today is your birthday, why didn't you say so?" Pei Yu gazed at Huiyin's slender white neck.
The two spoke at the same time, their eyes meeting. Huiyin avoided his aggressive gaze first, lowered her head to adjust her skirt, and said, "What's there to say about the birthday of a concubine like me?"
Pei Yu frowned. He disliked hearing Huiyin belittle herself. He reached behind his waist and pulled out a brocade sash, handing it to Huiyin. "A birthday gift."
Huiyin's eyes flickered, but she didn't answer. "You haven't answered my question yet."
“I didn’t go to the Li family, naturally because…” Pei Yu drawled, glancing at Dao Huiyin as she leaned slightly toward him. Her ears twitched slightly, and he chuckled inwardly, but didn’t show it on his face.
Pei Yu leaned closer to Huiyin, his eyes darting around unabashedly, and said in a mischievous tone, "I have a jealous woman at home. I don't know where she heard that I was getting engaged to someone else. She didn't ask me about it, but she was secretly jealous, which caused me a lot of trouble."
He shamelessly kissed Huiyin's earlobe, and without thinking, Huiyin slapped him hard, though not hard, it was a solid slap.
Pei Yu froze, still leaning forward. This was the first time in his life he had ever been slapped. It didn't hurt; in fact, it felt a little good.
He raised his hand and touched the spot where Huiyin had fanned him, then sat back down meaningfully, a smile playing on his lips.
Huiyin's body reacted faster than her mind. After she slapped him, she was stunned and staggered backward. She thought Pei Yu would be furious and slam the door shut again, but he just sat there, touching his face and chuckling, without saying a word.
Huiyin clenched her fists. When she slapped him, she accidentally got some white powder on Pei Yu's face. She lowered her head and wiped her hands.
The next moment, Pei Yu forcefully pulled her hand over, wiped it with a damp handkerchief, and asked, "I'm thick-skinned, does your hand hurt?"
His movements were very gentle, as if he were wiping some rare treasure.
Huiyin recoiled as if pricked by a needle, rubbing her hands haphazardly against her body, a blush creeping up her ears. She secretly glanced at Pei Yu, who was sniffing the handkerchief with his head down, a wanton smile on his face.
Huiyin trembled and jumped up to leave as if fleeing. Pei Yu took a long stride, blocking Huiyin in the corridor, leaned against the wall with one hand, and whispered, "Why are you running?"
He revealed that wicked, lowered smile again. Huiyin looked away, trying to appear calm, and asked, "What did you mean just now?"
Pei Yu withdrew his hand and stood up straight, his expression extremely serious. "Song Huiyin, listen carefully. Before you, I never thought about other women, and after you came into my life, I never thought about marrying anyone else. You..."
"Pei Yu, come out here and get out here!" Madam Pei angrily pounded on the wooden door of the west courtyard and shouted.
Pei Yu was caught off guard by the interruption, clicked his tongue impatiently, and reached out to pat Huiyin's head. "I'll settle the score with you for being jealous for no reason later."
He turned to leave, but turned back at the door, leaned closer to Huiyin, and said, "Could I borrow your room to tidy up?"
Huiyin turned and left, saying, "Whatever."
The two entered the inner room one after the other. Pei Yu suddenly stopped and looked at the wooden door and gauze curtain that were only half left. It seemed that he had broken the door.
Madam Pei waited outside for a long time without getting a response. She got angry and ordered someone to kick down the door. Yan Niang crawled out of the noisy kitchen, wiping her hands on the apron around her waist, and was about to open the door.
Pei Yu called her back. Huiyin turned to look at him. Although she didn't say anything, Pei Yu could see a message in her beautiful eyes.
Are you trying to disable my other door too?
Pei Yu's expression became subtle, and he called out, "Mother, stop kicking! Come out right now!"
After he finished speaking, he obediently followed behind Huiyin, wiping his face in front of the bronze mirror. Huiyin looked at his dirty body, frowned, and went to find clean clothes. If he went out looking like this, Madam Pei would definitely take her anger out on her.
After wiping his face, Pei Yu refused the clothes Huiyin offered and went straight out the door. As soon as the door opened, he saw Madam Pei looking furious, with two lines of people behind her, who turned out to be Pei's personal guards.
Huiyin looked at the scene with confusion and remained silent. It was the first time she had seen Madam Pei so angry and irritable, and she even managed to provoke her personal guards.
Huiyin had also heard of these ten men. They were originally the personal guards of Grand Marshal Pei Qing. When Pei Qing went to war, they were left behind to protect Lady Pei and her two young sons. After Pei Qing died in battle, these ten men only obeyed Lady Pei's orders.
Seeing this scene, Pei Yu said nothing. He walked up to Madam Pei and calmly called out, "Mother."
Madam Pei pointed at him, too angry to speak, "You..."
"Mother, if you want to hit or punish me, I will accept it. Please don't upset yourself." Pei Yu lowered his eyes and offered his face slightly.
Madam Pei glared at him fiercely. No matter how angry she was, she would not reprimand Pei Yu in front of outsiders.
Her lips were pressed tightly together. "You come here right now!"
Madam Pei led Pei Yu into the east courtyard. Apart from the ten guards who were allowed to follow, everyone else was driven out. Pei Yan and He Jiaying, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, were locked outside and looked at each other, wondering what had happened.
Huiyin felt uneasy for some reason. The doors and windows of the east courtyard were tightly closed, and she had no idea what was happening inside.
——
"You're so smug, lying to me that you've already gone to the Li residence, leaving me all alone there. Aren't you proud of yourself?"
"You've really grown up, haven't you? I, your mother, can't control you anymore?"
"What are you thinking? Li Yingyue is beautiful and virtuous, and she doesn't mind that you already have a concubine. You don't even want her? Do you want a goddess instead?!"
Three barrages of questions rained down on Pei Yu's ears. Madam Pei, tears welling in her eyes, pounded her chest and cried out, "Tell me! What do you want? Are you really trying to drive me to my death?!"
Pei Yu dared not look up at Madam Pei's tearful eyes. He slowly knelt on the ground, his back straight. "Why didn't Mother tell me that today was the engagement banquet with the Li family?"
"If I told you, would you still go?" Madam Pei rushed up to Pei Yu and shouted at him.
Pei Yu: "I'm not considering marriage for the time being, so please don't make things difficult for me, Mother."
Madam Pei nearly choked on her breath, raising her hand to slap Pei Yu and crying, "You unfilial son, I'd rather raise a dog than you!"
Helpless, Pei Yu grasped Madam Pei's hand, his gaze calm, "No matter what you do, I'm telling you clearly today that my children will only be born to Song Huiyin."
"You..." Madam Pei clutched her chest in disbelief. She knew something was wrong. With Song Huiyin around, how could Pei Yu see anyone else? And now, he even uttered such words about the unyielding principles of the Great Dao, which was simply a blow to her heart.
"You unfilial son! Say it again."
"My son keeps his word."
"Good! Very good..." Madam Pei shouted at the guards behind her, "Bring me the family discipline. I want to see if you're tougher or the stick is tougher."
Pei Yu fearlessly took off his clothes, revealing his scarred upper body. He knelt there quietly, becoming one with the blue bricks, silent and reserved.
Madam Pei looked at the scars on Pei Yu's body and tears streamed down her face. He had fought his way out of the sword fight and never cried out in pain, let alone this little family punishment.
Like his father, he was a stubborn mule.
She turned her back, refusing to watch Pei Yu being tortured, but behind her came the dull thud of a board hitting a gong.
Madam Pei trembled, tears streaming down her face. She remembered many years ago, when someone had defied their father's orders and endured a whole night of family discipline for her sake, refusing to back down.
They were father and son, even their expressions of affection were exactly the same. She seemed to hear the dead ghost whispering in her ear, telling her not to cry.
Madam Pei burst into tears. Five years ago, that man left home with a gun, smiling and waving, saying he would bring her back her favorite wine. But he died on the battlefield, his body never even properly recovered.
Over the years, the tombs she has visited have all been cenotaphs.
The sons of the Pei family are destined to die on the battlefield. Their current achievements are all earned through their own hard work and fighting. Their lives are always at stake, and they might have to go to the battlefield one day, just like their father, and never come back.
Enough is enough. The debt of children can never be repaid. He has found a girl he likes so much, so we can't just force them apart. Let them fend for themselves.
Madam Pei wiped away her tears and waved her hand wearily, "Stop."
"Mother." Pei Yu's lips were pale, and his bare back was covered in bloodstains.
After all, he was her own son. Seeing him beaten like this, Madam Pei's anger subsided. She shook her head and smiled bitterly, "I have never interfered with you since you were little. Now I can't control you, and I shouldn't. From now on, it's up to you who you want to live with."
Pei Yu endured the pain and crawled two steps to Madam Pei, holding her hands and placing them on his face. "You are my son's mother, and you can take care of him for a lifetime."
Madam Pei burst into tears, cupping Pei Yu's face in her hands with heartache, and complaining, "You only say nice things, but you never listen to me."
"If I had known, I shouldn't have let Song Huiyin in in the first place."
Pei Yu chuckled softly, a pang of sadness tugging at his back. He gasped, "If you drive Huiyin away, your beloved grandson will be gone."
Madam Pei rolled her eyes, slapped Pei Yu's bloodied back, and cursed, "All you do is protect her, are you afraid your old mother will cause her trouble?"
Pei Yu picked up his coat and put it on, standing there with a lazy smile, "I'm afraid you'll cause her trouble, afraid you'll upset her, afraid she'll be sad and upset..."
"Get out, get out!" Madam Pei pretended to hit someone and shooed them away. "Get out of here and apply the medicine."
——
Huiyin's gaze wandered over the bamboo slips. Half an hour had passed since Pei Yu and Madam Pei left, and she had been sitting here for half an hour without having absorbed a single word.
Her mind was filled with Pei Yu's carefree smile. Huiyin propped her head up and sighed helplessly. After a long while, she stacked the bamboo slips, got up and went out.
Just as her hand touched the gauze curtain, she saw Pei Yu limping over, his outer garment loosely draped over his shoulders, and the hem of his inner garment stained with blood.
Huiyin's breathing stopped abruptly. She lifted the gauze curtain and ran over, standing helplessly in front of Pei Yu. "You... what's wrong with you?"
Pei Yu gasped in pain, then collapsed against Huiyin, "It hurts so much."
Huiyin gently supported him, accidentally touching his injuries, which elicited a muffled groan from Pei Yu. She froze, too startled to move. "Are you alright?"
Pei Yu gasped for breath, "It hurts so much."
Huiyin supported his shoulders and led him forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pei Yu's pale lips and sweat-drenched forehead. She suddenly felt an indescribable discomfort. Huiyin pursed her lips and said, "Mother Fu, bring a basin of clean water."
Upon entering the room, Pei Yu, feeling heavy, was helped by Huiyin to stumble and fall onto the couch. She made Pei Yu lie face down, removed his outer garment, and revealed that his plain white inner garment was stained with blood.
She exhaled and gently lifted Pei Yu's inner garment, revealing the bloody welts from the caning. Huiyin felt a tightness in her chest, and her voice lowered slightly, "What did you do to anger Madam so much that she even resorted to violence?"
Pei Yu turned his head to look at Huiyin's worried face, and felt a surge of relief. He sighed wearily, shook his head, and remained silent.
Huiyin waited a moment, then couldn't help but ask again, "Tell me."
Pei Yu propped his head up with one hand, beckoned Huiyin with his finger, and gestured for Huiyin to sit down in the seat next to him.
Xu was injured, and his voice was a little hoarse: "My mother told me that Li Yingyue's mother is the only person in recent years who has been genuinely willing to befriend her and has never mocked her background in private. She wants to befriend the Li family and asked me to accompany her to the Li family as a guest today."
Pei Yu paused, then secretly took Huiyin's hand. Seeing that she did not refuse, he more brazenly intertwined their fingers. "In the past, people often mocked my mother for coming from a humble background. She didn't have many close friends over the years. I didn't think too much about it and agreed. Later, I learned that she intended to form a marriage alliance with the Li family."
Huiyin's eyelashes trembled slightly. "And then?"
"This morning I told her to go to the Li residence as a guest first, but in reality I wanted to find Lord Li and tell him that I had no intention of forming a marriage alliance with the Li family, and that it was all my mother's wish."
"Then I returned to Yingfeng Pavilion."
Huiyin nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Back at Yingfeng Pavilion, they almost tore down my kitchen. Yanniang complained to me for ages."
"You smiled." Pei Yu suddenly sat up, the movement aggravating the wound on his back. He frowned slightly and looked at Huiyin, asking, "Are you really not angry anymore now?"
Huiyin stopped smiling, looked at him with a pursed mouth, and said, "Lie down first."
Pei Yu obediently lay down.
Yan Niang placed clean water and a clean handkerchief by the bed, left behind the medicine that Madam Pei had just ordered to be sent over, and quietly withdrew.
Huiyin wrung out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the bloodstains on Pei Yu's back. The wounds were quite deep, indicating that the person who punished him had used considerable force, and they wouldn't disappear for at least half a month.
Pei Yu felt Huiyin's soft hands gently stroking his back, and his body trembled uncontrollably, as if a soft feather was sweeping back and forth on his back. Pain and pleasure spread throughout his body, making him squint his eyes and exhale softly.
Huiyin looked at the trembling back of the person beneath her and thought she had hurt him, so she moved even more gently. After carefully wiping the blood off his body, Huiyin was also covered in sweat.
She took the medicine and poured it evenly on Pei Yu's back. The bitter smell of the medicine hit her face, and Huiyin gently spread it with her hand.
"hiss."
Pei Yu suddenly bent over, and Huiyin's fingernails involuntarily poked his wound.
"What's wrong?" Huiyin put down the medicine and leaned closer to Pei Yu to ask.
Pei Yu's ears turned bright red. He slowly straightened his hunched body. Just now, Huiyin touched his shoulder blade, and his little brother, who was alone in his empty room, couldn't stand the stimulation and immediately reacted.
Of course, he couldn't say something so embarrassing. Pei Yu buried his head in the soft pillow and mumbled, "It's nothing."
Huiyin looked at his flushed nape and reached out to touch his forehead.
Like a startled cat, Pei Yu reflexively backed away.
Huiyin knelt down, looking at his unnatural posture, and asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Looking into her clear eyes, Pei Yu finally couldn't resist the stirrings in his heart and pulled her into his arms for a light kiss.
Huiyin was about to struggle, but his gentle, hot lips held her in his mouth. Worried that struggling would aggravate the injury on his back, she gently lowered her raised hand and couldn't help but hook her skirt under her body.
As soon as the kiss ended, Pei Yu held Huiyin in his arms, breathing softly. His narrow waist showed no sign of regret as he concealed the bulge in his lower abdomen.
Huiyin lowered her eyes, trying to calm herself. Pei Yu gently touched her reddened earlobe, cupped her earlobe with his other hand, turned her around, and leaned down to touch her forehead to his.
He mischievously pressed down, his high, straight nose lightly touching Huiyin's small nose again and again, and murmured, "Huiyin, you have to say it, don't keep it to yourself."
"You need to tell me everything you're thinking, your questions, your sadness and grief.
He tucked a strand of Huiyin's hair behind her ear, slowly knelt in front of her, staring intently into her eyes, not allowing her to look away. "Like a few days ago, you should have asked me directly if you were getting engaged to Li Yingyue?"
"What are you afraid of, Huiyin?"
Huiyin leaned back uncomfortably, clutching her chest and shaking her head. She didn't know why; she was afraid.
What was she afraid of? She was afraid that asking the question would humiliate her, that she would see Pei Yu's mocking gaze, and that she would hear his harsh words.
Huiyin clutched her head in anguish, her breathing rapid. "Don't... say it anymore."
“Huiyin, look at me!” Pei Yu hugged her, stroking her back to comfort her, and said softly, “Don’t be afraid.”
He kissed Huiyin's forehead, pulled her into his arms, and breathed, "You shouldn't be afraid. I should be the one who's afraid."
Huiyin looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, "Why are you the one who's afraid?"
"Because I love you, I want to have you, I want you to have nothing but me in your heart and eyes. I'm afraid you'll leave me, never look at me again, and abandon me."
Huiyin's lips trembled as she covered them with tears. She hugged Pei Yu tightly, burying her head against his neck, her hot tears sliding down into his wounds, sending shivers down his spine.
"I dare not ask, I'm afraid you'll laugh at my wishful thinking. Who you're going to marry, Liu Tan or Li Yingyue, I have no right to ask..."
“You do.” Pei Yu lowered his head and kissed away her tears, his heart filled with tenderness, his voice incredibly gentle. “Only you. No matter what, before or after, I only want you.”
He cupped Huiyin's face in one hand, half-forcing and half-coaxing her to look up, and kissed her deeply. He traced the outline of Huiyin's lips, forcefully breaking open her mouth, their lips and teeth intertwining.
The sound of the two intertwined and churning water filled her ears, and Huiyin tilted her head back and let out a soft hum.
Huiyin was out of breath and instinctively tried to back away, but Pei Yu's lips and tongue held her tightly, preventing her from escaping.
She clenched her fists and gently punched the person on top of her. Pei Yu finally decided to leave Huiyin's lips. Looking at her flushed face and her eyes brimming with spring water, he couldn't help but lower his head and gently peck her again.
Huiyin turned her face away, crawled out of his embrace using both hands and feet, and squatted in a relatively safe place, panting heavily while clutching her pounding chest.
Pei Yu got up from the couch, and the wound that had just been treated with medicine began to bleed again, but he didn't care at all. He let the blood drip onto the floor and walked straight toward Huiyin.
Huiyin's eyelashes welled with tears as she looked up at him and sobbed, "Your injury?"
“It’s alright,” Pei Yu wiped the blood off his clothes, knelt on one knee in front of Huiyin, and said in a seductive tone, “Is there anything else? Tell me whatever you want to ask?”
Huiyin tilted her head slightly, her lips remaining silent, "I saw you chatting and laughing with Li Yingyue, you..."
Pei Yu chuckled softly, his chest heaving. He sighed helplessly, "Looks like I can't talk to other women anymore, or someone will make a scene."
Huiyin blushed deeply and turned her face away, retorting, "I didn't!"
"Li Yingyue used you as a raft, and I only spoke a few words to her before going to find you, but you were already gone."
Pei Yu touched the wound on his back and frowned slightly. His mother had ordered someone to kill him today. Those guards were all veterans who had retired from the battlefield, and they were quite strong.
He didn't let Huiyin see that he was upset. He patted her head and teased her, "Now you understand, right? Next time, just ask me directly. Don't overthink things and end up making things difficult for me."
Huiyin bit her lip, her eyes darting around. How could she have tormented him?
After explaining, Pei Yu was also a little tired. He lay down on the couch with his eyes closed, listening to Huiyin bustling around him, sometimes applying medicine for him, sometimes tidying up the room.
He reached out and pulled her over, making her lie down beside him, and whispered, "Huiyin, give me a child. If you have a child, everything will be alright."
Huiyin's body stiffened, and she stared at Pei Yu without moving. She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't say anything.
Pei Yu didn't ask for her reply. He was really tired. He buried his fluffy head in Huiyin's neck and fell into a deep sleep while holding her.
Huiyin was held obediently in his arms, her ears filled with Pei Yu's steady breathing. Perhaps because of the pain in his back, he was still frowning in his sleep, his lips were paler than usual, and without those bright, dark eyes staring at people, he had softened up, his breath lightly brushing against her skin.
He wasn't wearing an undergarment; his upper body was bare, revealing all the knife and gun wounds on his chest. Huiyin gently raised her hand to touch them. These scars were from a long time ago, and they felt somewhat abrupt under her fingertips. The knife wounds on his arms were new, with tender new flesh already growing back.
Huiyin closed her eyes and leaned quietly against Pei Yu, savoring this rare moment of tenderness. She had never imagined that Pei Yu would treat her like this. She knew that Pei Yu liked her, but that liking was mixed with lust, and she didn't believe it.
Now, Pei Yu's actions towards her have made it clear to her that she cannot reciprocate his feelings. From the very beginning, she came to his side with ulterior motives and never considered a future with him.
She began to feel afraid, afraid of the day the truth came out and Pei Yu's disgusted and hateful gaze, afraid that this rare moment of tenderness would vanish. Huiyin's tears fell on her neck, wetting Pei Yu's temples. His furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he murmured, "Don't cry."
Huiyin covered her lips and sobbed uncontrollably. In her heart, she silently said, "I'm sorry, Pei Yu."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
