Su Nuanru was afraid she might press down on Huo Hanye again, so she shifted as far inward as she could and fell asleep facing the wall.
Hearing his wife’s even breathing from the inner side of the bed, Huo Hanye turned onto his side and looked at Su Nuanru’s back.
Although the two of them had already become husband and wife, there still seemed to be a vast distance between them. Marrying her was already more than he could have hoped for. What more could he possibly ask for?
His lips curved into a self-mocking smile. He lay flat again, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Yet just after he fell asleep, he felt a little more weight settle on his chest. His eyes flew open, and he saw a slender arm draped across him. He stared at that arm for a moment, did nothing, and closed his eyes again.
Early the next morning, Su Nuanru woke to the sound of wood being sawed in the courtyard. In her previous life, she had often woken in the middle of the night. The slightest noise outside would startle her awake, and she had never slept soundly. But ever since her rebirth, she felt that she slept well every night and rarely woke up. She rubbed her face against the pillow and opened her eyes.
The moment she did, she froze.
She was lying on Huo Hanye again, and she had rubbed his collar open. Ever since the morning she had discovered herself sprawled on top of Huo Hanye, she had made an effort to sleep pressed against the wall. She had never expected to drift over again last night. So what she had just rubbed against had not been the pillow—it had been Huo Hanye’s chest?
Su Nuanru’s face flushed bright red.
She cautiously glanced at Huo Hanye’s face. Seeing that his eyes were closed and he was still asleep, she immediately let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, Huo Hanye had not woken up. Otherwise, she truly would not have known how to face him.
She was just about to move away when her gaze dropped to Huo Hanye’s chest.
This was not the first time she had seen his chest. She had also seen it that day when he was changing clothes. Even then, she had thought that Huo Hanye did not look nearly as thin without his clothes on as he did when he was dressed. Now that she was so close, she could see it even more clearly.
Just now, she had unconsciously rubbed her face against that chest. It felt both soft and firm… How could it produce such a strange sensation?
She wondered what it would feel like to touch it. Her hand moved faster than her thoughts, and she placed it on his chest.
The sensation was far too good.
He looked so thin, yet she had never expected his chest to be so solid.
She had only touched him twice when a powerful grip suddenly closed around her wrist.
Su Nuanru’s heart leaped into her throat. She slowly raised her head and looked at Huo Hanye, only to find him staring down at her with dark, heavy eyes.
Her heart gave a sickening lurch.
This was bad. She had been caught red-handed.
Huo Hanye had still been angry with her over dinner last night, and this morning she had not only moved close to him of her own accord, but had even touched his chest. Would he think she was some kind of pervert? If he told anyone what she had done today, her reputation as a proper young lady would be completely ruined.
Huo Hanye narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, “What are you doing?”
Su Nuanru’s face turned scarlet. Her eyes darted about, and she did not dare reveal what she had really been thinking. Stammering incoherently, she said, “I… I… I wasn’t doing anything. I didn’t do anything.”
Looking at her expression, Huo Hanye felt all the blood in his body rush to one place. He seized her wrist and pressed her down onto the bed.
Under his intense, forceful gaze, Su Nuanru’s heart pounded wildly.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I won’t do it again. You mustn’t—”
Tell anyone.
Before she could finish, her lips were covered.
Su Nuanru felt an unfamiliar presence sweep over her: warm lips, scorching breath, and the firm restraint around her hands. It left her no time to think and no way to move. It was an entirely new experience. Her heart pounded, and her mind went blank.
Huo Hanye had helped her many times before, and she was no longer as afraid of him as she had been. Yet at that moment, she began to fear him again. Along with the fear, there was another indescribable feeling. It was as though her heart had already slipped beyond her control.
In her previous life, she had also shared intimate moments with Scholar Qian, but she had never felt anything like this.
Only when she began to struggle for breath did she finally come back to herself and begin struggling.
Huo Hanye was like a mountain; no matter how hard she tried, she could not move him.
With no other choice, Su Nuanru bit his lip.
At first, Huo Hanye did not stop.
Su Nuanru increased the force of her bite, and the taste of blood spread through her mouth.
The pain finally brought Huo Hanye back to his senses. Looking down at the woman beneath him—with her disheveled hair, slightly swollen lips, and eyes clouded with tears—his heart tightened. At last, he realized what he had done in a moment of impulsiveness.
This time, he had truly frightened her.
Would she be even more afraid of him now? Or would she begin to hate him?
Su Nuanru pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes. “You hurt me.”
Huo Hanye did not dare look into her eyes again. He released her wrist and lay back down in his own place.
Neither of them spoke again.
Huo Hanye tried to calm his restless, agitated body. After a long while, he said hoarsely, “I’m sorry.”
Su Nuanru was rubbing her reddened wrist. Hearing his apology, some of the discomfort in her heart faded. Remembering what she had just done, she said, “About that… I didn’t mean to touch you just now. I… I only pressed against you by accident. Could you please not tell anyone?”
Huo Hanye glanced at Su Nuanru. She was so delicate, and she was always prone to tears. He had just kissed her forcefully, yet she had not cried or cursed him hysterically. Instead, she had brought up what had just happened herself.
Did that mean she did not dislike his kissing her quite so much?
When Su Nuanru saw that Huo Hanye did not answer, she assumed he was unwilling to agree and continued, “I won’t do anything like that again. Really. You have to believe me.”
If she did not dislike it, did that mean the two of them could become a little closer in the future?
Huo Hanye looked deeply at Su Nuanru and said hoarsely, “You can touch me.”
Su Nuanru froze. Her face instantly reddened.
Who… who wanted to touch him?
Watching the blush slowly spread across Su Nuanru’s cheeks, Huo Hanye felt a warm, tingling current pass through his heart. He coaxed her, “We’re husband and wife. Wife, you can do anything to me. I won’t tell anyone.”
Su Nuanru’s face was nearly burning red. She stammered, “I didn’t… I didn’t… I didn’t want to do anything to you.”
She was not some kind of pervert. How could she possibly do anything to him?
Huo Hanye saw how embarrassed she was. Afraid that she would become angry from shame if he continued, he looked at her a few more times before reluctantly getting out of bed.
Su Nuanru pressed her lips together, and a sudden twinge of pain came from them. Just now, she had been so preoccupied with what she had done to Huo Hanye that she had forgotten that Huo Hanye had also been intimate with her—and had gone much further than she had!
She had wanted to say a few words to him, but then she remembered how she had become lost in Huo Hanye’s kiss, and she could no longer bring herself to do it. She was clearly afraid of Huo Hanye, yet for some reason, she did not hate being kissed by him.
She hurriedly pulled the quilt over her head, afraid that Huo Hanye would notice something was amiss.
Not long afterward, Huo Hanye returned after washing up. He changed his clothes and prepared to leave.
Su Nuanru suppressed her embarrassment and lifted the quilt. “Are you going to the county town today?”
Huo Hanye said, “Yes.”
“I suddenly remembered that there’s still some money at home—enough to open the shop. Why don’t you go work in the fields for now instead? The wharf will be opening soon, and our shop will need to open as well. There are quite a few things to handle at home these next few days, and we need the help. I’m worried that when we need someone, we won’t be able to find you. You’d better not go to the county town for now.”
After their conversation last night, Su Nuanru felt that Huo Hanye probably had no intention of lending money to Hao Chunniang. Since that was the case, there was no need for him to hurry to the county town. Besides, if Huo Hanye really went to the county town to find work, he would be even more likely to help Hao Chunniang once he earned some money. It was better to keep him where she could watch him.
Huo Hanye thought it over, then agreed. “All right.”
He still needed to earn money, but there was no need to rush. Once the South Wharf opened, he would be able to earn more. And the shop really did need someone these next few days.