The chaotic footsteps gradually drew nearer, then halted in perfect unison before falling completely silent.
Shen Youran wondered why those people, who had clearly been heading in their direction and sounded merely two zhang away, had suddenly stopped moving.
Just as she was about to peek out to investigate, her head barely emerged halfway when Sister Pei slapped it back.
Moments later, Qing Jian’s voice rang out: “Who goes there?”
Shen Youran recalled how the arm that had blocked her when she pushed open the window earlier was brimming with strength, and only then realized belatedly that Qing Jian knew martial arts.
Since he practiced martial arts, his footsteps would naturally be light, which explained why Shen Youran hadn’t heard any sound when he approached.
As she ducked back, her sister also pretended to be shy and threw herself into Pei Huaian’s embrace, shifting half a body’s length away to completely conceal her.
The figure that suddenly crashed into his chest felt like a handful of water, a wisp of mist – ethereal and soft.
Although he had prepared for her to lunge toward him, Pei Huaian was still dazed by the impact at this moment.
She half-embraced him, her forehead pressed against his shoulder, her breath penetrating through the brocade clothing to raise goosebumps across his skin.
He almost forgot to play along with her act, merely lifting his hand to support her waist driven by instinct.
“Seventh Young Master, who is that in your embrace?” The originally indifferent tone now carried slight fluctuations.
“Ah?” Pei Huaian’s reactions turned sluggish, momentarily forgetting to pretend to scold the other party.
Shen Yunshu, who was leaning against him, had to slowly turn her head: “It’s me. Is something the matter?”
The other party took two surprised steps back, his expression tinged with embarrassment: “My apologies for disturbing you both.”
“Since you know you’re disturbing us, why don’t you leave quickly!” Shen Yunshu revealed quite some natural talent when it came to acting.
The other party was indeed reprimanded into retreat. Just as he had taken several steps away and Shen Yunshu was about to withdraw from Pei Huaian’s embrace, Qing Jian suddenly turned around.
Startled, she quickly tightened her embrace around Pei Huaian.
The person she held grew increasingly stiff.
Fortunately, Qing Jian hadn’t turned around because he discovered anything amiss, but to inform them: “Seventh Young Master, Seventh Young Madam, the First Young Madam has gone missing.”
“Youran is missing?” Shen Yunshu feigned urgency, “Since when?”
“Less than two ke ago…”
“Then why aren’t you all searching for her immediately…”
“Yes.” Qing Jian clasped his hands in salute and departed, not looking back again.
After Qing Jian and the others had gone far enough, Shen Yunshu released Pei Huaian and turned to check on Third Sister: “Stay here a while longer. The Seventh Young Master and I will pretend to search for you outside, then come back later to escort you to Junzhi Courtyard…”
“No need for such trouble, I can return by myself.”
“It’s dark at night, and your eyesight is poor. What if you get lost…”
“It’s fine. Since Qing Jian and the others are searching for me anyway, I’ll just pretend to be lost and have him escort me back.”
“Very well then. Be careful on your own, watch your step and don’t fall…”
“Don’t worry,” Shen Youran laughed, seeing how her sister always treated her like a child, “My eyesight may be poor, but I’m not blind. No need to worry about me, you two go ahead first.”
Shen Yunshu took Pei Huaian’s hand and said to him: “Let’s take a walk around nearby and pretend to be searching for someone.”
Shen Youran was pulled away from the artificial hill by her. After walking some distance, he inadvertently noticed that he had been staring at their intertwined hands.
“Uh…” She quickly released his hand. “Sorry, I used to hold my younger siblings’ hands often—it’s a habit.”
“I-It’s fine.” Pei Huaian hid his sweaty hand behind his back, yet the sensation of her soft, boneless touch seemed to linger in his palm.
About a quarter of an hour later, Shen Youran also left the artificial hill, wandering aimlessly through the garden.
Having only been married into the Pei residence for two days, she was unfamiliar with its layout. Earlier, when she sneaked off to the kitchen, Pei Huaian had guided her. Now alone, and with her vision unclear in the darkness, she didn’t need to pretend to be lost—she truly was.
It was late autumn, and the night was bitterly cold. A gust of wind swept by, causing the thinly clad Shen Youran to sneeze. Hugging her arms, she went to look for Qing Jian and the others.
When she hadn’t wanted to see them earlier, they had pressed close step by step. Now that she wanted to find them, not a single person was in sight.
Shen Youran wandered outside for a long time, nearly frozen stiff, before Qing Jian finally found her and brought her back to Junzhi Courtyard.
She had assumed Qing Jian would first take her to the study to see Pei Huaijin, but instead, he escorted her directly to the bedchamber, saying with detached politeness, “Young Madam, rest early.”
Huh?
Pei Huaijin wasn’t going to bother with her?
How wonderful!
Shen Youran rubbed her ice-cold arms and eagerly approached the round-arched bed. She casually removed her outer robe, kicked off her shoes, slipped through the red bed curtains, and smoothly rolled under the covers…
The next moment, a scream came from within the curtains.
Shen Youran scrambled up, kneeling at the edge of the bed, her face pale with shock. “Pei Huaijin, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.” Pei Huaijin sat up unhurriedly, his gaze coolly fixed on her, his tone carrying a chill sharper than the wind outside.
“If you were waiting for me, why were you lying in my bed?”
“It’s late, the room is cold, and,” he said, “this is also my bed—our marital bed.”
Though he wasn’t wrong…
“But shouldn’t you be sleeping in the study?”
“Last night, I slept in the study to accommodate your feelings. Starting tonight, I’ll be sleeping here.”
“Why? My feelings need accommodating tonight too.” Shen Youran had accepted the marriage swap, but she wasn’t yet ready to accept him as a person.
Pei Huaijin let out a cold laugh. “I am your husband. You’d better come to terms with that sooner rather than later and stop entangling yourself with Seventh Brother.”
Mention of Pei Huaian stirred a pang of guilt in Shen Youran, but she refused to admit to any entanglement. “What entanglement are you talking about?”
“Then why did you sneak out with him tonight?”
Shen Youran stiffened her neck in denial. “I sneaked out on my own. It had nothing to do with him.”
“There’s a pear core by the window. Seventh Brother gave you that pear, didn’t he?”
Shen Youran’s defiance wavered. “…No.”
“I asked the maids. No pears were purchased in the residence today. Aside from Seventh Brother, who was away from the estate during the day, who else would come to bring you a pear?”
Shen Youran lowered her head. “Alright, I lied earlier…”
She had let down Pei Huaian and her sister. Back at the artificial hill, the two of them had put on an act in front of Qing Jian to cover for her, yet Pei Huaijin had seen through it the moment she returned.
“Don’t misunderstand—I wasn’t entangled with the Seventh Young Master. I was just too hungry and asked him to take me to find something to eat…” Under those cool, mist-like eyes, she weakly explained a few words, then pinched the corner of her clothes and asked softly, “Even if you don’t believe me, you should trust your seventh brother, right? There’s really nothing between us…”
Kneeling on the crimson soft quilt, she hung her head, abandoning her earlier stubbornness, her apologetic demeanor surprisingly docile.
“Are your eyes better?” he asked.
“Huh?” Though puzzled about how he knew her eyes were bothering her, hearing his tone slightly less aggressive than before, she eagerly responded, “Much better, thank you for your concern.”
“Since they’re better, starting tomorrow, copy ‘Admonitions for Women.'”
“…” Shen Youran puffed her cheeks, leaned closer, and pointed to the corner of her eye. “Actually, my eyes aren’t fully healed yet. Look, aren’t they still a bit red?”
So young—give her an inch, and she’ll take a mile.
“I haven’t finished,” Pei Huaijin raised his hand, pressed against her forehead to push her back slightly, and said sternly, “I won’t pursue tonight’s matter further. If there’s a next time—”
Shen Youran hastily raised three fingers to swear: “There won’t be a next time!”
“Mm.” Seeing her sincere attitude in admitting her mistake, he decided to leave it at that for tonight. “It’s late. Go to sleep.”
After he lay back down, he noticed her still fidgeting, her face clearly unwilling.
“Are you… really sleeping here tonight?”
“…” Otherwise? Couldn’t she see he’d already changed into his sleepwear?
Shen Youran slowly tugged the quilt toward herself. “How about… I sleep in the study?”
Pei Huaijin knew what she was afraid of. “I won’t touch you tonight. Sleep peacefully.”
Shen Youran hugged the quilt and lay down awkwardly, but ultimately couldn’t bear it and sat up again. “Actually, I’m not sleepy right now…”
“Then you can go copy ‘Admonitions for Women’ now.”
“Suddenly, I’m very sleepy…”
She lay down, closed her eyes, and clutched the quilt tightly, her eyeballs still rolling beneath her thin eyelids.
Pei Huaijin curled his lips slightly and stopped talking to her, falling asleep on his own.
Fortunately, there were two quilts on the bed today—one for each of them, keeping to their own sides without interfering. Shen Youran hugged hers and gradually drifted into sleep amid her trepidation.
Having slept during the day previously, she, who usually loved sleeping in, surprisingly woke up early this time.
Turning her head to look at the pillow beside her, Pei Huaijin was still asleep, his posture proper, not a single strand of hair out of place.
Does he not move at all when he sleeps?
The dim morning light filtered in, falling on his coldly handsome face. His lashes were long and thick, casting faint shadows under his eyes. When those eyes were closed, it was fine—once open, they held an indescribable chill that could easily see right through her thoughts.
The thought of spending the rest of her life with him filled Shen Youran with regret.
It was also her fault for not being reserved on their wedding night, tempted by his good looks. After bathing, she had rushed back eagerly. If only she had taken her usual flower bath and delayed for half an hour, things might not have reached this irreparable point.
Ah, it turns out that beauty can mislead people, even when it comes to men.
As she sighed at this handsome face, he suddenly opened his eyes, startling her into quickly closing her own and pretending to be asleep.
From the sound, he seemed to have sat up.
For a good while afterward, no other sounds came, likely because he was waking up.
Shen Youran waited patiently. She absolutely wouldn’t open her eyes before he got out of bed. She had no desire to help him dress—she couldn’t even be bothered dressing herself.
Just as she was hoping he would hurry and get up, an inexplicable itch suddenly arose on her back.
Though it wasn’t particularly intense, because she was fully awake and unable to distract herself while pretending to sleep, that slight itch became magnified endlessly. In no time, it grew unbearable…
She thought, even someone truly asleep should be able to scratch an itch, right?
But currently, she was lying flat on her back. To scratch her back, she would need to turn on her side.
But which way should she turn?
Turning inward would mean facing Pei Huaijin directly, while turning outward would let him see her scratching—hardly an elegant sight.
If only he weren’t on the bed.
Shen Youran gritted her teeth and endured a little longer. Hearing no movement suggesting he intended to get up, and unable to bear the itch any longer, she had no choice but to turn away from him, reaching back to scratch the itchy spot on her back…
Unfortunately, the itch was right between her shoulder blades. Her arms weren’t flexible enough to reach it.
So she tried using her other hand, attempting to reach over her shoulder to scratch.
Still couldn’t reach…
She stretched her arm a little further, trying again…
No matter how she tried, neither hand could reach the itchy spot. Instead, her arms were twisted so much they nearly cramped.
A soft chuckle suddenly came from behind her: “Where does it itch? Let me help.”
Forced to abandon her pretense of sleep, she sat up in a fluster of embarrassment, intending to call Danruo in to scratch her back.
But before she could get out of bed, a large hand pulled her back from behind, easily holding her in place.
“Where are you going?”
“To call Danruo.”
“What for?”
“To scratch my itch.”
“Do I not have hands?”
“…” Shen Youran instinctively wanted to say that men and women should maintain propriety, but immediately realized that saying so would only invite another lecture from him. So she swallowed her words and pointed to the itchy spot on her back. “H-here… it itches…”
“Hm.” He responded, his voice slightly hoarse from just waking up.
His long, sturdy hand slipped inside her inner garment, his neatly trimmed fingertips pressing against her back, followed by the pads of his fingers, warmer than her skin: “Is it here?”
At his touch, Shen Youran’s body involuntarily arched forward, a tingling sensation spreading from where his fingers landed.
Biting her lip, she shifted slightly and whispered, “A little higher.”
The large hand moved upward a bit. After she nodded, his knuckles gently curled, moving up and down.
Although his movements were gentle, a man’s strength was naturally greater. Before the itch could subside, a slight pain emerged.
“Lighter…” she muttered.
“Alright.”
Even though Pei Huaijin felt he was already using very little force, he still complied with her request, lightening his touch further.
Now she sat with her back to him, her white inner garment stretched taut by his hand, faintly revealing her snow-white skin beneath.
He was tall, and from his elevated position, he could even see the delicate, fair nape of her neck, tied with the red strings of her undergarment.
The skin beneath his fingertips felt as if coated in wax, smooth and creamy like fine suet. Pei Huaijin’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously before he averted his gaze and asked her, “Feeling better now?”
“Mm, much better.”
The touch on her back withdrew immediately. Shen Youran, blushing, hastily adjusted her inner garment, which had slipped backward from his support. Pushing aside the bed curtains, she scrambled off the bed as if fleeing.
The clothes on the floor were from the previous day. Without a second glance, she walked directly to the wardrobe, intending to pick out a fresh set to change into.
The clothes inside were neatly sorted—one side held her garments, the other Pei Huaijin’s.
On her side, short jackets, Bei Zi, overcoats, long skirts, and trousers were each stacked separately in varying colors, dazzling Shen Youran’s eyes. She randomly grabbed a few pieces: a goose-yellow satin skirt, a rouge-red short jacket, and a lake-blue brocade coat. As she turned around with the clothes in her arms, she saw Pei Huaijin already standing before her.
He glanced down at the clothes she held. “These colors don’t harmonize.”
Each piece was vibrant and striking on its own, but when piled together, each vied for attention, lacking a cohesive beauty.
Pei Huaijin kept only the goose-yellow satin skirt, replacing the rouge-red short jacket with a pale greenish-white one and the lake-blue brocade coat with a twilight-cloud hue.
“Try wearing it like this…” He placed the clothes back into her arms.
“Oh.” Shen Youran carried the clothes behind the screen and rustled through changing.
When she emerged, a graceful yet lively figure stood delicately before him.
She walked to the bronze mirror on the dressing table, holding the skirt and examining herself from side to side. In the mirror, her dark hair cascaded like clouds, her youth radiant. Her unpowdered face, framed by the well-balanced colors, appeared as translucent as jade, delicate and charming…
Pleased, she turned to thank him, just as he approached her.
The bedroom was small, and he reached her side in a few strides.
Tall and slender, his gaze swept down from above.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Youran felt inexplicably flustered whenever his eyes rested on her. “Is something off?”
“Mm.” He lowered his head slightly, his large hand lightly brushing her waist as he undid the messily tied sash. “How can someone your age still not tie a sash properly?”
He had changed into his own clothes earlier while she was behind the screen. The agarwood scent perfuming his garments wafted boldly toward her as he drew near, prompting Shen Youran to instinctively step back.
The half-tied knot of the sash loosened with her retreat.
Unperturbed, he grasped both ends of the sash, pulling her back before continuing to tie it methodically.
“Done.” He released his hands and glanced at her fluffy hairline. “I’ll call the maids to help you with your hair and washing up.”
Seeing his gentle demeanor this morning—scratching her itch, helping choose her clothes, and even tying her sash—Shen Youran assumed he had let go of her offenses: angering his mother into fainting and sneaking out with Pei Huaian late at night. She followed him and said, “I’ll just wash up in the side room.”
However, he halted abruptly, forcing her to stop as well.
“You’re still under confinement. You must stay in the room. They will come in to attend to you.”
“You’re still confining me to my quarters?” Shen Youran stared at him in disbelief. “Then why were you so nice to me this morning?”
Wasn’t he trying to win her over?
“I am your husband,” he said calmly. “I was merely helping you grow accustomed to my touch.”
From her reluctance to share the bed with him last night, he could tell that although she had accepted the arranged marriage swap, she was still resisting his closeness.
Even with separate quilts, she had tightly wrapped herself up and moved to the edge of the bed, maintaining a two-foot-wide boundary between them like the Chu-Han border.
He considered himself a gentleman, but in the intimacy of the bedchamber, even gentlemen could harbor less-than-gentlemanly thoughts.
Moreover, since they were now husband and wife, they couldn’t remain distant forever. Sooner or later, she would have to accept him—both physically and emotionally.
He needed to take some initiative to bridge the distance between them, to help her gradually adapt to his touch, so the inevitable outcome could arrive sooner.
Shen Youran was left speechless by his words, momentarily at a loss for how to respond. She could only watch helplessly as he walked out of the room.
Soon after, a maid entered, first closing the door properly before approaching her and performing a respectful bow. “Young Madam, allow this servant to arrange your hair…”
In a daze, Shen Youran was guided back to the dressing table, watching as the maid picked up an ivory comb and began smoothing her waterfall of dark hair.
After a long moment, she suddenly slammed the table and exclaimed angrily, “Pah! Who needs his hypocritical concern…”
The maid jumped in fright, dropping the comb. “Young Madam, what did you say?”
“I said your young master is no good man…”
She had planned to visit Ciyou Courtyard to see her sister today. Last night in the kitchen, Pei Huaian had been evasive—clearly showing intentions toward monastic life. Though she’d promised to keep his secret, this concerned her sister’s happiness. How could she stand by and do nothing?
But with Pei Huaijin confining her today, she couldn’t relay this information to her sister through others either. She’d have to bear with it temporarily and speak with her sister tomorrow during the bridal return visit.
After finishing her toilette, breakfast was served.
Shen Youran took one bite and noticed something wrong. “Why is this leftover food?” Though the dishes were decent, the flavor was noticeably inferior, lacking the freshness of newly prepared food.
Seeing her anger, the maid cautiously replied, “These are the dishes Young Master set aside for you last night. He said since Young Madam could even drink that indistinguishable noodle soup, these twice-reheated dishes shouldn’t be too hard to swallow either…”
What a petty man!
Shen Youran slammed her chopsticks on the table with a sharp crack, declaring she wouldn’t eat.
The maid quietly reminded her, “Young Master said if you don’t eat this meal, we’ll reheat it again for your next meal. We mustn’t waste food, after all.”
He certainly knew how to manipulate her.
Shen Youran took a deep breath and obediently picked up her chopsticks again.
After breakfast and her eye steam treatment, the maid brought in writing materials, explaining that Pei Huaijin had instructed her to copy the fourth chapter of “Admonitions for Women” ten times today. He would check her work when he returned in the evening.
“This is beyond insulting!” Shen Youran pushed the writing materials away. “I refuse to copy it! What can he possibly do about it?”
After all, she would be returning to her parental home tomorrow. If he still wanted to discipline her, she’d just stay there and not come back.
Seeing her fury, the maid didn’t dare say another word, bowing before quietly leaving the room.
Shen Youran sat at the table fuming for a while, then went to lie down on the bed. Having slept through an entire day and night yesterday, even if she wanted to take a morning nap now, she couldn’t summon the slightest bit of drowsiness.
She had no choice but to get up, remembering there was still a Mohe Le clay figurine in the cabinet that Pei Huaian had given her. It had been passed to her by her elder sister after her engagement to Pei Huaian was settled.
She rummaged through the items, retrieved it, and carried it back to bed to play for a while. After growing bored, she tossed it beside the pillow and found herself listless again.
With nothing else in the room to amuse herself, she rested her head on her hands and thought for a moment. Suddenly remembering something, she got up, moved a stool, and walked toward the window.
She pushed the window open and, as expected, Qing Jian was standing guard outside.
The man stood as straight as a pine tree, clasping his fists in salute. “Young Madam, is there something you need?”
“Locked up in here, what could I possibly need?” She leaned one arm on the windowsill, propping her chin in her hand, her demeanor languid. “Qing Jian, do you know martial arts?”
“Yes.”
“Can you perform qinggong?”
“Yes.”
“Then show me how you fly…” She had always been fascinated by the tales of scaling walls and leaping over eaves described in storybooks.
“…” Qing Jian paused for a moment before explaining, “I cannot truly fly. I can only use momentum to leap into the air.”
“Then leap for me!”
“Young Madam, please forgive me. My duty is solely to guard you under the Young Master’s orders. Amusing you is not part of my responsibilities.”
“Oh, I see.” Her delicate, flower-like figure vanished from the window, only to reappear moments later. Holding up a piece of broken silver, her dark almond-shaped eyes sparkling, she declared, “I’ll pay extra!”
Qing Jian: “…”
By dusk, Pei Huaijin returned to Junzhi Courtyard and ordered Shen Youran’s confinement to be lifted. Qing Jian promptly withdrew from outside the window and returned to Pei Huaijin’s side.
“Did she try to sneak out again today?”
Qing Jian replied, “No.”
“Quite obedient…”
Qing Jian: “Not exactly…” Not exactly obedient.
“Oh?” Pei Huaijin could roughly guess. “She didn’t copy the ‘Admonitions for Women’?”
“No.”
“What did she do today then?”
“Ate, slept, cursed you,” Qing Jian paused, a faint blush appearing on his tanned, stern face, “and flirted with me…”
Pei Huaijin: “…” Quite the busy schedule.
Author’s Note: The red envelopes from the previous chapter have been sent out. The system was a bit glitchy, so if anyone was missed, please let me know.
See you at midnight for the next chapter! The red envelopes for this chapter will also be distributed then.