Chapter 17: Growing Bolder

He sensed the warm, moist touch of a tongue on his palm and quickly withdrew his hand, clenching it into a fist behind his back... yet he still felt as if thousands of tiny insects were crawling beneath his tightly closed fingers.

Her previous behavior was utterly unbecoming of a refined lady.

Lowering his gaze toward the instigator, Pei Jiuru suppressed the irritation welling within him. "I'll help you back to your room to rest."

Jiang Nian inwardly delighted—she was far too easy to tease. With such little skill, he still thought he could cover her mouth?

Thinking this, she shook her head with a light laugh. "No, I want a hug."

Pei Jiuru instinctively took a half step backward. Hearing the faint chuckle from Jiang’s parents, he steeled himself and stepped forward again.

He knew Jiang Nian was drunk, but he also knew she was completely lucid. She still remembered one of the three rules they agreed upon—that they must never arouse suspicion from her parents. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have deliberately put him through this.

“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, Jiang Nian and I will retire to our room now,” Pei Jiuru said to Jiang’s parents in farewell, then resignedly scooped Jiang Nian up in his arms.

Along the way, Pei Jiuru urged the maid to lead them swiftly. Striding briskly, he held Jiang Nian close.

At first, Jiang Nian obediently wrapped her arms around his neck, but soon she began to wriggle.

Pei Jiuru groaned, “Jiang Nian, don’t move around!”

“I feel uncomfortable...” Jiang Nian murmured softly, head bowed.

“If I can’t hold you steady, you’ll fall. Don’t move!”

Jiang Nian looked up at the man so near, her breath thick with the scent of alcohol. “It’s not me—it’s your hair! It’s itching!”

Pei Jiuru bent his head to inspect. He saw her neck glistening with fine sweat, and noticed his own dark hair had fallen onto her pale skin, twisting around her slender neck in a suggestive way.

But both his hands were occupied holding her; he couldn’t free one to brush away the hair. “Hold on a little longer. We’ll be there soon.”

Jiang Nian complained, “Then put me down, fix my hair, and then pick me up again. How can you be so clumsy?”

Pei Jiuru’s expression froze. How had he not thought of this! Now that they were out of the sight of Jiang’s parents, he should have put her down long ago.

“Exactly...” Jiang Nian mumbled, and once her feet touched the floor, she gently untied the hair from around her neck. Seeing Pei Jiuru straighten and toss his hair behind him, she reached out her hands again. But after a few moments, she saw no sign he intended to pick her up once more.

A little embarrassed, she withdrew her hands and called for the maid, only to find the woman had already gone far ahead. Feeling dizzy and her vision blurry, she had no choice but to follow Pei Jiuru closely, stepping on his heels as they walked.

After a few steps, Jiang Nian suddenly bumped hard into his broad back, the impact sending a sharp pain through her head.

“Pei Jiuru! Why did you stop all of a sudden?”

“You lead the way,” he replied.

“Oh right, you don’t know the way...” Jiang Nian blinked. Her anger flared quickly but just as fast it faded. After scrutinizing the path for a moment, she recognized the direction. “This way, follow me...”

They wandered through the Jiang residence for some time before finally reaching the bedroom.

After enduring the wind for a while, Jiang Nian’s intoxication had mostly worn off. She pointed to the bed and said, “You’re sleeping with me tonight.”

Seeing Pei Jiuru nod slightly, she carelessly stripped off her clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

She dozed fitfully for a while, and when she awoke, the candle had burned out, plunging the room into darkness. Moving her arm, she immediately touched the man beside her.

“Pei Jiuru, are you asleep?”

From the darkness came a sigh: “I was, until you woke me.”

“Sorry... but since you’re awake, why don’t we...” As she spoke, Jiang Nian’s hand reached toward Pei Jiuru’s chest.

Though her fingers were clearly cool and soft, they felt as if they carried tiny thorns; wherever she touched, Pei Jiuru winced with pain.

“Jiang Nian!” Pei Jiuru abruptly sat up, clutching the quilt. Anger robbed him of words—this woman was utterly unreasonable!

They were sharing a bed out of necessity, yet she clearly despised it—and yet... desire was a primal instinct!

Jiang Nian was baffled. “What’s wrong? It’s me, don’t be scared!”

“You... you!” Pei Jiuru took a long moment to calm down. “You’re drunk.”

Jiang Nian suddenly understood. His resistance was because he thought she was intoxicated. Did he not want to take advantage of her vulnerability? She knew perfectly well that the alcohol hadn’t robbed her of reason; instead, it had given her the courage to express her desires.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I drank too much and my head hurts, but I’ve sobered up now. I’m very clear-headed.”

Pei Jiuru’s anger flared anew.

If she despised him, why now was she acting like this? Did he look like some servant from a brothel to her?

“I’m going to sleep on the floor!”

“Why?” Jiang Nian reached out and grabbed his arm, confused. On the night they consummated their marriage, hadn’t things gone quite well between them?

The first time he was shy, and she was a bit nervous too. But this was not the first time now—why was he even more hesitant?

Pei Jiuru’s chest heaved with frustration.

Though the night was dark, Jiang Nian couldn’t see clearly but could hear his breathing.

She lifted her hand and placed it over his heart, speaking gently, “You don’t want to? You have to tell me what you’re thinking so I’ll understand.”

Pei Jiuru’s heart raced. Her hand slowly moved, and his thoughts spiraled out of control.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he had misread her intentions before. Was the soft bed prepared for him the next day merely to let him rest comfortably?

Unable to fathom Jiang Nian’s thoughts, Pei Jiuru asked directly, “Do you want to?”

Perhaps because it was dark and he couldn’t see her expression, or because she felt more at ease in a familiar place, Jiang Nian spoke from her heart: “I want to.”

Pei Jiuru was stunned. At this moment, she had no reason to lie... As Jiang Nian’s touch awakened him, he resolved that regardless of what she had thought before, tonight he would give his all.

Soon, though he had not touched a drop of alcohol, he too was intoxicated.

...

The next morning, Pei Jiuru awoke restless and early. He turned to look at Jiang Nian, who frowned slightly, seeming to have slept poorly as well.

He felt somewhat uneasy. After last night, he was certain he had misjudged her intentions—she did not despise him. For some reason, realizing this unexpectedly eased his mind.

Just then, he saw Jiang Nian slowly open her eyes, blinking blankly, still not fully awake.

“You...” Pei Jiuru was about to greet her when he suddenly noticed the look of regret on her face. For the first time, he doubted himself!

Her brows were knitted tightly in frustration as she gripped the quilt; her eyes were filled with remorse.

Again like this! Clearly, she had been fine last night, but at dawn she showed this mix of regret and disdain. Pei Jiuru felt as if she was playing him, threatening to drive him mad, his heart uneasy and unsettled.

Drawing a sharp breath, Pei Jiuru averted his gaze. “I’ll go wait outside and have breakfast. I’ll return to the mansion afterward.”