Chapter 13: Dangerous Haziness

“That… Mistress, why are you looking at me with such strange eyes?” Suddenly, he felt a touch of awkwardness in the air. Xiao Che had restrained himself for a moment, carefully and cautiously speaking.

Xiao Lushi, her half-hour-long drowsy gaze finally fluttered lightly, hastily averted her eyes, lowered her head, and muttered: “You said those things just now, and you’re not afraid of your monthly wife hearing them, are you?”

Xiao Che glanced around as if pretending to be innocent: “There doesn’t seem to be anyone around, is there? What’s there to be afraid of. Though, even if she did hear, I’m not afraid at all. You know as well as I do, she doesn’t really want to marry me, and I’m not really wanting to marry her either. If she’s your mistress, then I…”

“Don’t say… don’t say it again!”

Xiao Lushi extended her hand, pressing it firmly against his lips, firmly blocking the words he was about to let slip. After a while, she withdrew her hand, leaned her body against Xiao Che’s shoulder, and murmured softly: “Xiao Che, even though I’m a year younger than you, I’m your genuine mistress, in every sense of the word. Some things you can say to other girls, but not to me… not even in a lifetime… I know you’ve actually thought these things… that’s enough…”

In those last two sentences, Xiao Lushi’s voice dropped to a whisper, laced with a heart-wrenching bitterness and sorrow that pierced the soul.

Xiao Che’s heartstrings trembled deeply. He said nothing further, closed his eyes, quietly listening to the girl beside him breathing and her heartbeat.

“When I was little, I was thin, dark, and short. They called me a ugly duckling, always teasing me and bullying me…” Xiao Lushi, leaning against him, murmured in a dreamlike voice: “The only one who played with me was Xiao Che. When they bullied me, Xiao Che would always rush over to fight them, driving them away, and he’d end up with bruises all over himself… the many wounds on Xiao Che’s body were almost all because of me. I got used to it, I enjoyed the feeling of being protected by Xiao Che, and I thought I could be protected by him forever…”

Xiao Lushi’s words made Xiao Che think of his younger self, of Xiao Lushi. Back then, she was indeed as she described—dark, thin, and short, a true “ugly duckling.” Yet because she was his mistress, and as a boy, he was a year older, he would always strive to protect her as if it were a duty… Who could have imagined that when girls turned eighteen, the initial ugly duckling had transformed into today’s beautiful woman? Within the Xiao family, how many young men had yearned for Xiao Lushi?

“Later, Xiao Che was found to have a ruined meridian. I worked hard to cultivate spiritual energy… because it was time for me to protect Xiao Che. At that time, I still thought, whether Xiao Che protected me, or I protected Xiao Che, it was the same, and we could be together forever… until I grew up slowly, I realized, Xiao Che would marry a wife, and I would also marry a man. At that point, we could never be like before… Moreover, among all the girls in the world, the only one Xiao Che cannot marry is me. Among all the men in the world, the only one I cannot marry is Xiao Che…”

Xiao Che: “…”

“It’s been so long, I thought I had completely accepted it. Today, Xiao Che is getting married, I should be very happy. But from morning until night, there’s something heavy in my heart, I can’t explain the discomfort, I want to sleep, but I can’t fall asleep… And Xiao Che, you just now said those things to me… I’m a bit happy, but also very sad… I really don’t know what I’ve become.”

Xiao Che’s chest rose and fell heavily, yet he remained silent. At that moment, he didn’t know what to say.

The dangerous, hazy feeling between them had arisen long ago. And when they became aware of this perilous feeling, the two of them, though they continued to live together day and night, never once hinted at it. Instead, they tried as much as possible to steer it toward the realm of familial affection.

Without the memories of the previous life in the Cemetery of the Living, he was naturally prone to insecurity and timidity. Even if he died, he would only flee, never to speak out. Until he buried such feelings completely. Xiao Lushi… at least until today, she had never shown it. But today’s Xiao Che was no longer the Xiao Che of yesterday. His words had shattered the silence, and in the misty depths of that night in the remote mountains, Xiao Lushi could no longer suppress what she had always thought impossible to utter.

Xiao Che’s heartbeat began to flutter irregularly. Breathing in the intoxicating fragrance of the girl beside him, he extended his right arm and gently embraced Xiao Lushi’s body. Xiao Lushi’s body trembled slightly, yet she did not struggle, closing her eyes, quietly leaning her weight onto his chest.

The girl’s delicate frame was as soft as silk, like fragrant jade. Xiao Che dared not squeeze too tightly, lest he startle or defile her. Soon, he felt two jade arms silently wrapping around his back, clinging to him more tightly, releasing an unfamiliar, subtle fragrance into his nose and deep within his heart.

Xiao Lushi’s eyes were tightly shut, pressing her head against his chest, motionless, as if trying to prove she had already fallen asleep.

Xiao Che also closed his eyes, saying nothing, remaining still, quietly leaning against each other. At that moment, they both did not wish for any words… for that would disturb the serene dream untouched by outsiders.

As the night deepened, when Cai Qingyue found them, they still maintained that position, but had fallen into deep sleep. Cai Qingyue had come looking for Xiao Che. She had assumed he had just stepped out for a walk. During the time he was “taking a walk,” she had also gotten up, spread a blanket in that corner, so he could rest comfortably upon his return. But after a long time, he still had not returned.

Moreover, judging from the sounds earlier, he seemed to have gone over the wall to the mountains behind the Xiao mansion.

With his weak spiritual energy at the initial stage of cultivation, spending the middle of the night alone in the mountains behind the Xiao mansion for so long… Cai Qingyue could no longer hold back. She went out to look for him. And there she saw the scene that made her gasp in shock.

Today was the first day they had been together properly. On the way to the Xiao mansion, he had walked with a calm yet proud bearing. In the hall, he had restrained his anger and hatred. In the new room, although he was verbose and mouthy, his expression and eyes kept flickering with confusion, resistance, and emptiness, even sorrow she couldn’t understand…

But now, beside Xiao Lushi, he was sleeping as still as a baby cradled in a mother’s arms. His mouth curved into a small, warm smile, his features fully relaxed, expression at ease, as peaceful as a child sleeping in his mother’s embrace.

Cai Qingyue felt an uncomfortable sensation in her heart… though this didn’t mean she had any feelings for Xiao Che, but: she and Xiao Che had already become husband and wife. Even though she had always thought this marriage was merely a formality, the title of wife was just a simple designation, and whether it existed or not didn’t stir her heart in the slightest. However, some things are not as one might think, and the feelings in one’s heart don’t always align with one’s thoughts, especially for women, who are more prone to emotions. Unless that person has no heart.

She and Xiao Che had indeed become husband and wife. Though she didn’t particularly care for this union, the fact that Xiao Che was her husband still clearly imprinted itself in her subconscious. As a husband, he was a man belonging solely to her. And now, her husband was sleeping peacefully with another girl on their wedding night, yet his face wore such a warm, contented expression… her subconscious naturally produced those unfamiliar reactions.

Even though this girl was his mistress.

This uncomfortable feeling caused her normally calm, serene heart to stir with some agitation. This agitation made her quickly realize, concentrate her thoughts, and after a while, the agitation gradually faded, her heart becoming clear.

She did not disturb Xiao Che and Xiao Lushi, stepped lightly, and silently left.

A little while later, Cai Qingyue returned, carrying a thick, red quilt. She carefully tucked the quilt around Xiao Che and Xiao Lushi, then silently departed again.

……………………

When Xiao Che woke up, the sky was already light. Xiao Lushi was still asleep beside him, her sleep as sweet as a cherub’s… if one could ignore the large patch of drool on his chest.

As his consciousness gradually returned, scenes from the previous night replayed in his mind. Despite the night’s rest leaving his shoulders sore and numb, he dared not move a muscle, lest he disturb Xiao Lushi’s sleep. At that moment, he suddenly noticed the large red quilt covering him.

“Chamber… pot…” he groaned, reaching for the quilt. A loud, uncontrolled howl escaped his throat… this was the same quilt they had just finished preparing yesterday, spread on the new bed in the new room.

Looking up, he let out a sigh toward his small courtyard. Newlywed night, not only did they not stay in the new room, but they had gone out to sleep with another woman, and his newlywed wife had even come herself to deliver the quilt…

This plot… truly fucking intense!