Night had fallen deep. Cold wind battered the window lattice, howling softly through the cracks.
Inside the room, only a single dim kerosene lamp flickered, stretching the shadows of the two figures long and short. The atmosphere was eerie and taut.
The narrow wooden bed against the wall was barely enough for Huo Jingchuan alone on an ordinary night. Now, trying to fit two people on it was pure fantasy.
Bracing himself with his arms, Huo Jingchuan laboriously shifted toward the inner side of the bed.
With his back to Jiang Mian, his right hand silently slid beneath the pillow—where a military dagger, honed razor‑sharp, lay hidden.
Even though he had heard her greedy inner thoughts, he hadn’t let down his guard.
Greed could be an act.
The Jiang family’s eldest daughter had suddenly backed out of the marriage, sending this second daughter instead. Who knew whether this wasn’t a carefully arranged honey trap—or a planted spy?
Given his position, he had offended far too many people. There was no shortage of those who wanted him dead.
“Get on.”
He spat out the words coldly, every muscle in his body taut, his hearing locked onto every tiny sound behind him.
If she made any sudden move—reaching for a rope or a blade—he would snap her neck without hesitation.
Jiang Mian stood by the bed, staring at the rock‑hard wooden planks with nothing but a thin mattress laid over them. Inside her head, ten thousand mythical alpacas were stampeding wildly.
But the act had to be carried through.
She blew out the kerosene lamp, and darkness instantly swallowed the room.
Feeling her way forward, Jiang Mian climbed onto the bed with exaggerated caution, as if afraid of waking a sleeping beast.
She curled herself along the very edge, barely half her body touching the bed, fully prepared to be kicked off at any moment.
“Brother Jingchuan… you should sleep early too.”
Her voice was soft and gentle in the darkness, tinged with a newlywed’s shyness and nerves.“If your leg hurts, call for me. I won’t sleep too deeply.”
In the darkness, Huo Jingchuan tightened his grip on the dagger beneath the pillow and held his breath.
Here it comes.
Was she finally going to make her move?
The next second, the familiar inner voice detonated in his mind:
[Damn—this is HARD!]
[Isn’t the Huo family supposed to be high‑ranking? How are they so poor they can’t even afford proper bedding? This isn’t a bed—it’s a torture device! My waist is about to snap!]
[Is this the so‑called “tough guy” aesthetic? More like “hard sleep” style. At this rate, I’ll get a herniated disc before I manage to outlive him!]
The hand gripping the dagger twitched slightly.
No killing intent—only resentment.
Suppressing the urge to kick her off the bed, Huo Jingchuan closed his eyes, trying to block out the noise in his head.
But the winter cold seeped in through the window cracks. There was no fire in the room, and the temperature was freezing.
Jiang Mian’s old cotton jacket offered little warmth. Not long after lying down, she began to shiver uncontrollably.
She curled up like a shrimp, teeth chattering.
[So cold… this is freezing!]
[This lousy room leaks wind from all four sides. Not even a hot‑water bottle. That idiot Jiang Yan is probably cuddled up on a warm kang bed with Zhao Zhiqing right now, while I’m freezing my ass off here.]
[No, this won’t do. I’ll definitely catch a cold by tomorrow. And then I’ll have to spend money on medicine—totally not worth it!]
Huo Jingchuan felt the person behind him wriggling restlessly, the blanket being tugged back and forth.
Just as irritation rose in his chest, warmth suddenly spread across his back.
The woman who had been curled at the edge was inching closer—little by little.
Like a hamster seeking a heat source.
Huo Jingchuan’s entire body went rigid.
She was getting closer.
Was she about to strike?
Choke him in his sleep?
Or—
Jiang Mian finally reached his back.
Even through layers of clothing, the man’s body radiated heat like a furnace—an endless source of warmth.
She let out a satisfied little sigh.
[Holy crap! Why is this man so warm? He’s basically a walking heater!]
[Sure, his temper sucks and he’s crippled—but this body heat is no joke. Strong output, wow.]
She hesitated, then cautiously poked his solid back with one finger.
When he didn’t react (Huo Jingchuan was pretending to sleep), her courage grew. She quietly pressed closer, lightly leaning against him from behind.
[Whatever. The bed’s awful, but at least he’s warm.]
[I’ll just treat him like a jumbo hot‑water bottle for the night. Free heat—might as well use it.]
[Mmm… closer, closer. That’s much better. Sleep, sleep. In my dreams there’s braised pork, White Rabbit candy, and a million‑yuan widow’s compensation after my husband dies…]
Huo Jingchuan: “……”
The hand beneath the pillow slowly relaxed—though the veins on it bulged even more prominently.
Hot‑water bottle?
She dared to treat him, a regiment commander, as a hot‑water bottle?!
And what was that about compensation money?
She was literally dreaming of his death?!
Feeling the small body behind him stop trembling, her breathing growing steady and deep—she even had the audacity to tuck her icy little feet into the bend of his legs for warmth—
Huo Jingchuan’s temples throbbed violently.
This was without question the longest, most humiliating, most murder‑inducing yet utterly helpless wedding night of his life.
Staring into the darkness, he ground his teeth and thought:
Jiang Mian, you’d better pray I never catch you slipping.
Otherwise, I’ll personally show you what it really means to be a “scalding” hot‑water bottle.