“I can’t be bothered with you.”
He tossed out the words lightly, his gaze returning to the document in his hands as though she were nothing more than an insignificant interruption.
That attitude—acting as though she did not exist—instantly ignited the spark of anger in Lu Jiaojiao’s heart.
She took another two steps forward, nearly reaching the desk. Bracing both hands against its edge, she leaned slightly toward him and stared at his deliberately composed profile.
“So, you’re planning to sleep in the study tonight?” Her voice rose slightly, carrying an accusatory edge.
“None of your business.”
Huo Shiran did not even look up. He threw out the three words stiffly, though the way he turned the pages betrayed a faint, barely noticeable irritation.
“If I don’t concern myself with you, then who will?”
Lu Jiaojiao laughed in exasperation at his impossible stubbornness.
“I’m your properly and formally married wife! It’s only the second night of our marriage, and my husband is already sleeping in the study. If word gets out, do you want the entire capital laughing at me, Lu Jiaojiao?”
The fingers holding Huo Shiran’s brush tightened.
At last, he raised his eyes.
His gaze was dark as he looked at her, a trace of mockery in his expression.
“What? Third Miss Lu suddenly cares about her reputation now? You were so ‘virtuous and unyielding’ last night, yet today you’re worried about such empty appearances?”
“That was then, and this is now!”
Lu Jiaojiao met his gaze without backing down.
“Last night, I was in the wrong. Today, you’re in the wrong! Huo Shiran, I’m telling you—either you come back with me right now, or else…”
Her eyes shifted, and a mischievous, reckless glint appeared in them.
“I’ll sleep on the floor in your study tonight! Let’s see which one of us can outlast the other! Besides, if anyone loses face, we’ll lose it together!”
Huo Shiran was momentarily stunned by her shameless determination.
He could hardly believe that this was the Lu Jiaojiao he had known since childhood—the girl who, although domineering and unreasonable, had at least possessed some sense of “honor among friends.”
Looking at her flushed cheeks and those fiery eyes blazing with determination, he felt as though his head had suddenly become twice as large.
Irritated, he tossed down his brush and leaned heavily back in his chair, rubbing at his throbbing temples.
“Lu Jiaojiao, what exactly do you want?”
“Go back to bed.”
Her answer was concise and direct, leaving no room for argument.
Their eyes met.
Sparks practically flew through the air.
Neither was willing to yield an inch. One was stubbornly standing her ground, while the other was filled with mounting frustration.
“I’m busy with official business,” he said stiffly, fixing his eyes firmly on the pages before him.
“You’re on seven days’ leave. What official business could you possibly have?”
Lu Jiaojiao immediately exposed his excuse.
“I’m studying military strategy.”
He changed his explanation, his tone becoming even more rigid.
“Young General Huo, you began your education at three and started learning archery at five. You’ve been able to recite those basic military texts backward for years. Do you really need to study them now?”
She pressed forward step by step, her reasoning flawless.
“I’m reviewing.”
Huo Shiran practically forced the two words out through clenched teeth, the knuckles gripping the book turning slightly white.
“Huo. Shi. Ran—!”
Lu Jiaojiao had completely run out of patience.
She no longer bothered arguing with him.
Instead, she walked around the large rosewood desk and crossed the room in just a few steps until she stood directly in front of him.
Huo Shiran was utterly speechless.
When he looked up at her, he finally noticed what she was wearing.
This woman had actually come running over in nothing but a thin, plain-colored inner robe, with a crimson outer robe casually thrown over it!
Her long black hair had not been pinned up, hanging loosely down her back. Her collar had fallen slightly open with her movements, revealing a small stretch of delicate collarbone and smooth skin.
In the flickering candlelight, she looked somehow even more striking than she had in her elaborate daytime attire. There was an indescribably languid charm about her now.
For some inexplicable reason, his heart skipped.
His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.
He forced himself to look away, his voice carrying both irritation and a trace of panic he could not quite conceal.
“Y-you… what kind of appearance is this?”
Lu Jiaojiao paid him no attention.
Standing over him, she reached out—not to pull him to his feet, but to snatch away the copy of The Six Secret Teachings that he had been clutching tightly.
Smack.
She slammed it shut and placed it face-down on the desk.
“The military text can wait until tomorrow.”
Her tone allowed no argument.
Her beautiful eyes burned as she stared directly at him.
“Now, come back with me.”
Huo Shiran looked at his empty hand.
Then he looked up at her stubborn, determined little face.
That familiar feeling of helplessness—the feeling of being completely at her mercy—rose within him once again.
He finally understood.
There was no reasoning with this woman.
She had a thousand different ways to make sure you never had a moment’s peace.
He let out a long, heavy sigh.
As though resigned to his fate, he suddenly rose to his feet.
The movement was so abrupt that the chair scraped backward with a harsh screech.
He came to a stop directly in front of her.
His tall figure instantly enveloped her in its shadow, carrying an unmistakable sense of pressure.