He couldn’t help but begin to care.
As the words left his mouth, he realized he was questioning her.
He had previously said he wouldn’t dwell on it, trusting that she knew her limits. Yet, for some reason, as he looked at the rouge on her face and caressed her cheek, the words slipped out.
That wasn’t his intention, but… if he were honest, he truly wanted to know. After all, Pu Jinyu was his wife, the one who shared his bed, and he was her husband.
His emotions stirred, but he remained silent, continuing to stroke her cheek. The rouge, dampened by tears and sweat, had not yet fully dried, leaving a faint stickiness.
His attendant had mentioned that she had accepted and even handled the cosmetics Cheng Wenque had sent. Had she used them today? If so, was the rouge on her face now from Cheng Wenque’s gift?
For some reason, this thought brought a faint sense of unease and displeasure to his heart.
Tonight, he and Pu Jinyu had engaged in the most intimate act between husband and wife. In such moments, it should have been just the two of them, a union of body and soul. Yet, she had used cosmetics gifted by another man, making him feel as though that man had intruded upon their intimacy.
Moreover, her reaction at the return banquet suggested that the two might have been acquainted in the past…
The more he dwelled on it, the deeper his displeasure grew. His breathing had nearly steadied, but turmoil still churned within his chest.
The man’s brow furrowed slightly, his handsome features hidden in the dim light, his eyes dark and unfathomable. His slender, jade-like fingers continued to caress her cheek, the scent and traces of their intimacy lingering on his knuckles.
Exhausted, Pu Jinyu lay still, unable to see his face or guess his thoughts.
Hearing his question, she was surprised, having assumed Yan Chiyun wouldn’t ask.
For the sake of her plan, she had intended to confess everything even if he didn’t inquire. Since he had asked, she lifted her head, resting her chin on his chest, and looked up at him. Softly, yet with surprise, she said, “Husband, you know?”
Caught off guard by her movement, Yan Chiyun paused his fingers and met her gaze, her eyes as clear and beautiful as polished jade.
“…Yes.”
Pu Jinyu continued, “I was just about to explain this to you, husband. I hadn’t expected you to find out so soon.”
Her tone carried genuine surprise, implying she hadn’t anticipated the news reaching his ears today.
Hearing this, Yan Chiyun recalled his attendant’s report and calmly explained, “It was your personal maid who mentioned it.”
The attendant had actually learned of it from a maid serving in the Yan Family household. However, the maids in his courtyard were tight-lipped; unless ordered by their master, they would never gossip about their mistress. That was why he had questioned how his subordinate had come to know of it.
“Jing Chun said it?” Pu Jinyu feigned further inquiry.
“Did she not know you accepted the gift?” Yan Chiyun countered.
Pu Jinyu shook her head, her body shifting slightly with the motion.
As she sat up abruptly, the soft, pale curve of her bosom swayed gently before his eyes. He glimpsed the marks of his fingers and kisses, averting his gaze almost imperceptibly.
Yan Chiyun thought she was pulling away from his embrace, as she often did after such moments—moving to the side of the bed, creating distance between them.
Yet unexpectedly, she no longer wanted to lie on his chest. Propping herself up with her hands, she shifted upward and nestled back into his embrace, her small face pressing against the side of his neck, her breaths washing over him entirely.
The softness of snow pressed against his chest.
Not content with merely holding him, she even wrapped her legs around his waist, avoiding the danger zone, but…
Yan Chiyun’s breathing, which had just settled, grew slightly warmer again, though it seemed the person in his arms hadn’t noticed.
She slept extremely restlessly, clinging to him so tightly that it stirred his desires. Yan Chiyun endured silently, without a trace of movement.
Pu Jinyu appeared innocent on the surface, but beneath her lowered gaze, endless amusement flickered, for she knew exactly what she was doing and could sense his arousal.
What fun was there in simply giving and taking? She wanted to tease him, to ruffle him, yet not satisfy him.
As Yan Chiyun’s desires stirred, he waited for her response. After a while, she still hadn’t spoken. Her breathing was steady—she wasn’t asleep.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Chiyun sensed her hesitation.
Pu Jinyu remained silent. Just as he was about to speak again, urging her not to keep things hidden in her heart, she suddenly moved once more. But she didn’t speak; instead, she leaned up and gently kissed his cheek.
It was clearly just a very soft kiss, yet it stirred an inexplicable flutter in his heart.
She pulled away as soon as their lips touched, then wrapped her arms around him again, nuzzling her small face against the side of his neck, looking both aggrieved and utterly dependent on him.
Even after kissing him, she still didn’t speak, merely leaning against him, clinging to him tightly.
Yan Chiyun stretched out his arm, and she nestled completely into his embrace, no longer lying flat against him.
He held her, looking down at the crown of her head, breathing in the delicate fragrance of her dark hair, feeling its softness. He spoke again, his voice unconsciously softening slightly.
“What’s wrong, hmm?”
Pu Jinyu still refused to speak. She turned her face, burying it in his neck—not kissing him, yet kissing him all the same, for her lips pressed against his neck.
How could she be so alluring, especially when she had just been so exhausted she could barely catch her breath?
Yan Chiyun could hold back no longer. He gently turned her face, lifted her delicate chin, and kissed her lips.
Earlier in the night, after their intimate encounter, the rouge on her lips had long since faded. He kissed her soft lips, gently caressing them, lingering on the outside for a while before adding light bites and gentle sucks.
After kissing her for a long while, he wanted to part her lips and deepen the kiss, but this felt far too intimate. So he paused slightly, watching her expression, her eyes, wanting to know if it was allowed—if she would permit him to kiss her more deeply.
Strangely enough, they had already shared more intimate acts, yet the thought of kissing her deeply felt inexplicably more intimate than the rites they had already performed.
He didn’t know why, but just moments ago, she had seemed aggrieved. If he now acted solely on his desires without considering her feelings, wouldn’t that be just fine?
The young woman before him, with her palm-sized face smudged and her lips now exceptionally red from his kisses, gazed at him. Gradually, her eyes filled with misty, rippling spring waters, making it impossible for him to look away.
Since she didn’t refuse, it should be allowed, right?
Thus, Yan Chiyun continued the kiss, prying open her lips. The moment he deepened it, she retreated slightly, but soon after, cautiously extended her tongue to respond to him.
Such an obedient Pu—he was truly inexplicably softened and stirred by her actions.
Yan Chiyun lowered his gaze, his large hand firmly cradling the back of her head as he intensified the kiss.
Pu Jinyu had always been aware that in the previous years, Yan Chiyun had exercised restraint during their consummation. It was only in recent days, under her subtle influence, that he had begun to loosen some of those restraints.
But she hadn’t expected that a mere kiss would make him grow increasingly fierce—not only was the force of the kiss heavier, but he even controlled the back of her head, forcing her to accept his kisses without evasion.
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, she began to dodge left and right, even pushing against his chest.
Even so, Yan Chiyun kissed her for a while longer before finally pulling away from her lips, though the lingering connection between them was not entirely severed.
His thumb stroked her lips as he gazed at her face, then pressed it back against the side of his neck, holding her close.
Pu Jinyu’s breathing had not yet fully steadied, but the flicker of emotion in her eyes was veiled with a detached coldness.
Even with just a few words, and though she had said little, Yan Chiyun already understood: the personal maid by her side was not entirely loyal.
Recalling how this maid had repeatedly obstructed him from helping her bathe, insisting that she must maintain her exquisite makeup before resting, he had vaguely sensed something amiss before. Now, looking back, he became increasingly aware of the underlying issue.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. Could it be that she never wanted to maintain such elaborate makeup all along, and it was the maid who forced her to do so?
“If you don’t like it, I’ll have someone else serve you.”
Hearing this, Pu Jinyu almost imperceptibly curved her lips and raised an eyebrow.
This time, he heard her reply, “But Jing Chun is the dowry maid arranged by Mother.”
Mentioning Madam Pu, Yan Chiyun recalled the reserved and constrained demeanor of the woman in his arms in front of her mother-in-law.
The mother and daughter had never seemed particularly close, and Madam Pu’s expectations of her appeared exceedingly high.
So, just as he suspected, the maid was sent by Madam Pu to discipline her behavior and speech—she was not truly her own person.
“It’s fine. If Mother-in-law asks, I’ll explain.”
“Then… thank you, husband.” She lifted her small face and smiled at him.
Although Yan Chiyun often saw her smile, at this moment, he felt her joy was genuine and heartfelt.
Gazing at her smiling face, he hummed in acknowledgment.
He had thought she might kiss him, given the intimate atmosphere of the night, but she did not, simply lying back down instead.
Yan Chiyun didn’t know what had come over him or what he was expecting—he actually wanted her to kiss him?
Tonight, the fluctuations in his emotions were unusually pronounced.
In the quiet night, neither spoke further. The disarray on the bed had yet to be tidied. Just as he was about to speak, she suddenly kissed him.
Yan Chiyun paused, his lips parting, and Pu Jinyu proceeded to explain that the reason she had accepted Cheng Wenque’s gift was due to his overwhelming insistence. He had claimed that staying at the Yan Family was already an imposition, and if she did not accept it, he would feel unable to reside there peacefully.
“The intention behind Mother-in-law’s insistence on keeping this person, husband, you must also be aware of it, right?”
Yan Chiyun certainly knew—it was for Yan Huaixiao’s marriage.
“So I accepted it, but I was just curious and opened it to take a look. I didn’t keep it,” she coaxed him.
Yan Chiyun snapped out of that sudden kiss, letting out another soft “Mm.”
Pu Jinyu propped herself up on her hands, gazing at the man’s handsome face. Yan Chiyun met her eyes.
Their gazes collided in the dim light, intense and silently entangled.
Pu Jinyu slowly leaned closer. Yan Chiyun felt her bending down, and his heart, which had just calmed, slowly rose again.
But just as he thought she was about to kiss him once more, she suddenly turned her face away, preparing to leave. “We should go bathe.”
Despite the dim light, he didn’t miss the faint, teasing smile at the corner of her lips. Yan Chiyun grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
Pu Jinyu let out a soft, coquettish cry as she was trapped and pulled into the man’s embrace.
Even though she was clearly at a disadvantage, why wasn’t she the least bit afraid, still staring straight at him?
Since the conversation had reached this point, driven by curiosity, he simply asked, “Are you and Huaixiao’s friend old acquaintances?”
[Author’s Note]
Here it is! Randomly dropping a Luck-piecing red envelope in this chapter [rainbow fart].