Qin Lie felt his hand was scalded by a branding iron, immediately wanting to yank it back.
But Jiang Wu pressed down stubbornly, not letting him move.
Her hands were small, her strength not great, yet Qin Lie seemed to be under a binding spell, his entire body rigid, immobile.
Beneath his palm was her soft, elastic skin, and the strong, powerful beating of her heart.
That heartbeat seemed to carry a magic, transmitting through his arm directly to his own heart, throwing his own rhythm into chaos, wild and erratic.
“You… let go!” Qin Lie used immense effort to force those words from his throat.
His voice was hoarse as if sanded by sandpaper, and his face burned as if it could fry an egg.
“I won’t.” Jiang Wu looked at his expression, a mix of wanting to flee yet not daring to, repressed and flustered, and inwardly, she was delighted.
Not only did she not let go, she even grasped his hand and gently rubbed it over the spot on her chest.
“Husband, look, it’s beating so fast. Feel it, isn’t it?” Her voice was soft and coquettish, carrying an innocent yet tempting note, like a feather lightly scratching at Qin Lie’s already taut-to-the-limit nerves.
Qin Lie sucked in a sharp breath.
He felt all the blood in his body rushing madly towards one place. That place clamored, clamored, making him feel both unfamiliar and panicked.
He had lived twenty-six years, receiving the most orthodox and strict education. In his view, relations between men and women were sacred and private. He had never encountered a woman as bold, direct, or even… shameless as Jiang Wu.
Her words, her actions, every detail was madly challenging his limits, also madly stirring his most primal instincts as a man.
“Jiang Wu!” He gritted her name through clenched teeth, his eyes roiling with suppressed anger and a trace of desire he himself was unwilling to acknowledge. “If you keep fooling around, don’t blame me for…” He wanted to threaten her, but the words stuck in his throat as he realized he couldn’t think of any truly intimidating thing to say.
Hit her? Yell at her?
Looking at that face of hers, both innocent and seductive, he couldn’t bring himself to raise a hand, nor could he open his mouth to curse.
“Don’t blame you for what?” Jiang Wu tilted her head, blinking those large, misty eyes, asking knowingly. “Throw me off the bed?”
She mimicked his earlier tone to tease him.
Qin Lie was choked by her words, almost losing his breath, his face turning a shade of crimson.
“You…” He “you-ed” for a long time without getting anywhere, finally letting out a helpless, frustrated growl. “What exactly do you want!”
“I don’t want anything, really.” Jiang Wu released his hand with an innocent expression.
Then, she sat up and leaned in close to him.
Their faces were extremely close, close enough for Qin Lie to count the long lashes on her eyes, to smell the sweet scent of her breath.
“I just want you to stay with me for a while.” Her voice was soft as a whisper. “Husband, we are husband and wife, aren’t we?”
“Between husband and wife, doing some… intimate things, isn’t that normal?” As she spoke, those mischievous little hands of hers began tracing circles on his chest again.
That light touch was like tiny sparks, igniting his skin all over, making his body burn hotter and stiffer by the second.
“Jiang Wu, we need to talk.” Qin Lie took a deep breath, using all his strength to grab her hand that was causing fires everywhere.
He took a step back, creating a safe distance. He felt he could no longer be led by the nose by her; he had to clarify things with her.
“Alright.” Jiang Wu nodded obediently, sitting cross-legged on the bed, hands propping her chin like an elementary school student ready for a lesson. “What do you want to talk about?”
Seeing her overly well-behaved demeanor, Qin Lie felt another wave of helplessness.
He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound more serious. “First, about Zhou Mingyuan.”
He paused, looking into her eyes. “What exactly happened between you two?”
Although he had chosen to believe her in front of everyone earlier, there was still a knot in his heart. He had to hear her explanation with his own ears.
Hearing this question, Jiang Wu’s face immediately switched back to a pitiful expression.
“I… I really wasn’t close with him.” Her eyes began to redden again.
“I admit, in the past… I was a bit immature.”
“Because you always ignored me, were always so cold to me, my heart ached, so… I just wanted to find someone to talk to.” As she spoke, tears began to fall.
Tears fell like broken pearls, one after another, making Qin Lie’s heart ache and tighten again.
“That Zhou Mingyuan, he appeared around that time. He looked refined, knew how to say sweet things. He said he understood me, that he felt sorry for me. In a moment of foolishness, I… I ended up talking to him a bit more, and I wrote him a few letters in reply.” She cried while explaining, half-truth, half-deception.
She didn’t completely deny it because that would seem fake. She simply shifted all the blame onto Qin Lie’s “coldness” and her own “immaturity,” painting herself as an ignorant young girl who made a mistake due to a lack of love.
“But, I swear!” She raised three fingers, crying. “I absolutely never did anything to betray you with him! I never even held his hand!”
“You’ve always been the only one in my heart! It’s just that you were so cold to me, I got confused!”
“Later, I realized he wasn’t a good person at all, he just wanted to deceive me, so I never paid him any mind again!”
“For him to show up today, he must have seen you treating me well, got jealous, and wanted to cause trouble! Husband, you have to believe me!”
She cried pitifully, looking utterly heart-wrenching. Her explanation was also reasonable and seamless.
Qin Lie looked at her, and the last trace of doubt in his heart completely vanished.
Yes, what she said was right.
Ultimately, all of this was his fault. It was because he neglected her too much that he gave another man an opening.
“Alright, stop crying.” He walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and clumsily wiped away her tears. “I believe you.”
“Really?” Jiang Wu lifted her head, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
“Mhm.” Qin Lie nodded emphatically.
“Then… you won’t abandon me because of this, will you?” She asked, still worried.
“No.” Qin Lie looked into her eyes, speaking word by word. “As long as you behave properly from now on and stop associating with those unsavory people, you will forever be my wife, Qin Lie’s wife.”
Getting this solemn promise from him, a heavy weight finally lifted from Jiang Wu’s heart.
Her tears turned into a smile, and she threw herself into his arms once again.
“Husband, you’re so good!” She hugged his neck and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.
A wet, tear-salted kiss.
Qin Lie’s body stiffened again.
“This is the second issue.” He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to keep some distance, his expression turning unprecedentedly serious.
“From now on, you are not allowed to lay hands on me or act improperly in public! And you absolutely must not say those… shameless words again!” He was referring to her clinging to his leg and the “glorious feat” of saying “die on your bed.”
Just thinking about that scene made his face burn again.
“Oh.” Jiang Wu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. “Then… what about at home?”
She blinked her innocent big eyes. “At home, can I lay hands on you and say shameless words?”
Qin Lie: “…”
He felt like this woman was going to drive him crazy! How was her brain wired?! Why could she always precisely seize the “loopholes” in his words?!
“At home… it… it’s still not allowed!” He stiffened his neck, forcing the words out.
“Why not?” Jiang Wu asked, confused, looking disappointed. “We are husband and wife. Isn’t it normal for husband and wife to be intimate? Don’t you… want to be intimate with me?”
Her directness left Qin Lie utterly defenseless.
“I…” He wanted to say “no.”
But looking at that tempting little face, recalling that soft kiss and the startling sensation under his palm just moments ago, those two words simply wouldn’t leave his mouth.
His silence, in Jiang Wu’s eyes, was acquiescence.
Her face immediately showed a triumphant smile again.
Her hands began to wander again, moving up his arm and coiling around his neck.
“Husband, do you want it too?” Her voice was extremely low, carrying a fatal hoarseness and allure, like a beautiful serpent flicking its tongue, wrapping around his body and ensnaring his soul.
“It’s just… you’re too shy to say it, right?” As she spoke, she pressed herself closer.
Her soft body leaned tightly against him. Through two thin layers of clothing, he could clearly feel every curve of her body and the astonishing heat.
Qin Lie’s breathing completely fell apart.
He felt like a traveler dying of thirst, with a pool of clear, sweet spring water before him.
Reason screamed wildly: Don’t drink it! It’s poisoned!
But his body’s instincts urged him madly: Drink it! Drink it now!
Just as he was torn, on the verge of collapse, Jiang Wu’s next words utterly shattered his last line of defense.
She looked up at him, her eyes seductive as silk, and extended her pink tongue to lightly lick her own slightly dry lips.
Then, in a voice so sweet it could rot one’s bones, she said:
“Husband, my chest hurts today too. Help me rub it, okay?”