Thank you, and as I always say, every comment is useful to me.

Although the overall direction remains the same, I've adjusted some dialogue by looking at feedback.

Thank you, everyone.

A'Ru stood in the courtyard.

Darkness had fallen, the sky dotted with stars like scattered jewels.

She recalled that early summer, the day the heir apparent and the young mistress were married.

The courtyard had been hung with red lanterns, bathing everyone in a crimson sheen.

Looking at the courtyard now, only two dim, old red lanterns hung there, devoid of any celebratory air.

Should she go find some new red lanterns to hang...

The wait for this bridal chamber had been too long, and...

A gust of night wind swept by, making A'Ru shiver involuntarily...

And the one she waited for would never come again..., Now, this one...

A'Ru snapped back to her senses and spun around, running back inside.

Qi Yue was nearly crushed to death.

She pounded at the man's body with her hands, but everywhere her touch landed was smooth.

Chang Yuncheng's hands were already pulling at Qi Yue’s clothes.

The person beneath him writhed like a fish, which only served to heighten his excitement.

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his brow; what began as reluctant necessity was quickly turning into arousal.

Qi Yue, pinned below him, had both hands forced above her head.

This allowed Chang Yuncheng to feel the fuller swell of her chest.

His hands instinctively sought them out, and the next moment brought searing pain in both ears...

The advantage of being a physician is knowing a person’s weak points...

Qi Yue shoved the man off her, leaped to the floor in a couple of quick motions, nearly tripping over the quilt that had fallen, and finally managed to stand up in a disheveled heap. "You crazy woman, what are you throwing a fit for!" Chang Yuncheng roared, clutching his ears.

He could barely hear his own voice, only a persistent ringing.

Had a woman actually managed to deafen him? "Me, crazy? You're the one who’s mad!" Qi Yue's anger flared.

She twisted her head around, snatched up a nearby stool, and raised it to smash down.

Chang Yuncheng raised an arm to block.

It was fortunate he was trained; he managed to seize the stool firmly, accurately, and strongly.

Had he failed, even if it hadn't broken him, it would certainly have caused pain. "Isn't this what you wanted!" He roared back, anger surfacing, snatching the stool and hurling it to the ground.

It cracked audibly upon impact. "What I wanted was for your mother!" Qi Yue spat. "Who wants to sleep with you! You ought to weigh your own worth!" Chang Yuncheng was choked with rage at the insult.

He couldn't help but look down at himself.

Was he really that bad? Qi Yue was still in a state of frantic fury. "Wants to sleep with me! Wants to sleep with me! Damn it, forget that we’re enemies now, even if we weren't, it wouldn't be this easy!" She paced the room, grabbed another object for self-defense—this time, not aimed at Chang Yuncheng, but at herself.

Chang Yuncheng watched her, his expression heavy, his brow furrowed.

He didn't grasp the majority of Qi Yue’s rant, but one thing he understood clearly. "If you dare touch me again, I’ll kill myself right here just to show you, so you can take a corpse back to report your business!" Qi Yue held a silver hairpin pointed at her own throat.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her, his gaze probing. "What are you looking at? Put your clothes on! You exhibitionist!" Qi Yue glared, then quickly squinted her eyes shut again.

That naked male body displayed before her was truly too much of a provocation...

Chang Yuncheng suddenly burst into laughter.

Not only did he refuse to dress, but he reclined back onto the bed. "If I put on clothes, I can leave, right?" he asked. "Chang Yuncheng, face reality.

Who is begging whom here," Qi Yue said angrily. "I am begging you," Chang Yuncheng replied readily. "If you don't leave, then let's just go to sleep early." Qi Yue spun around and walked out, slapping open the inner door.

Outside, A'Ru, startled, immediately bolted out like a frightened rabbit. "A'Ru, you run fast enough!" Qi Yue called out.

Meanwhile, Chang Yuncheng, hearing the door open and Qi Yue call for A'Ru, reached down and snatched up his clothes from the floor, pulling them on.

When he emerged, Qi Yue had already grabbed A'Ru. "You are utterly disloyal, abandoning me when I was in dire need..." she murmured fiercely, tugging at A'Ru.

A'Ru offered apologies with a flustered look while subtly pointing toward the door, signaling her to keep her voice down.

Chang Yuncheng stood there.

His outer robe was on, but the ties were loose, fluttering around him, revealing glimpses of his solid chest. "Qi Yue Niang," he called out. "Come here." Qi Yue snorted dismissively. "You tell me to come, and I'll come? I’m not coming," she retorted.

Chang Yuncheng laughed loudly and strode down. "Hey, don't come over here! If you provoke me further, I’ll die here before I go back with you," Qi Yue said, hiding behind A'Ru. "My Lord, the Young Mistress...

she's still unwell...

please...

please bear with her..." A'Ru said apologetically, blocking Qi Yue, her manner anxious. "Qi Yue Niang, come here.

Let's discuss how we can cure your illness," Chang Yuncheng said with a smile, striding over.

He reached around A'Ru, grabbed Qi Yue, pulled her out, and turned to leave.

Qi Yue stumbled along, dragged by her arm. "Bring some more hot dumplings," Chang Yuncheng instructed.

A'Ru paused for a beat before quickly responding, "Yes, My Lord." "In short, regarding what happened before, some of it was my fault, and some was yours..." Chang Yuncheng remarked.

Qi Yue glared at him. "Let's not talk about the past," Chang Yuncheng raised a hand to stop her from speaking.

He scooped up a dumpling, ate it in one bite, and swallowed it down quickly. "I guarantee there won't be any instances of burning bridges in the future." Qi Yue paused in the act of picking up her chopsticks, took a dumpling, and ate it. "Where is my wine?" she asked, looking at her own empty wine cup on the table.

A'Ru hesitated for a moment. "Young Mistress, perhaps you shouldn't drink any more wine..." she whispered.

Chang Yuncheng reached out.

A'Ru dared not disobey and handed the wine pot to him.

Chang Yuncheng reached across the table and poured wine for her. "Cheers," he said.

Qi Yue nodded. "That's more like asking for something," she observed, taking a delicate sip from her cup, then gracefully picked up her chopsticks to eat dumplings. "But remember the saying, once bitten by a snake..." "A gentleman’s word is as good as gold," Chang Yuncheng countered. "Oh, a gentleman, are we?" Qi Yue looked at him with a half-smile. "Last time, I didn't explicitly say I wouldn't burn bridges," Chang Yuncheng said, draining his own cup, refilling it, and smiling faintly.

It seemed he hadn't...

Qi Yue searched her memory.

But wasn't that the minimum expectation? "Minimum expectation?" Chang Yuncheng scoffed. "There are plenty of things that are 'expected' in this world." "And there are plenty of vows spoken in this world, too," Qi Yue scoffed back, lifting her cup and draining it in one go.

Did it matter? No...

What should be forgotten would fade, and what was meant to change would still shift.

Qi Yue sighed, raised her cup, and gestured toward him.

Chang Yuncheng reached to pour her another glass and poured one for himself as well. "Remember what you said," Qi Yue stated, lifting her cup. "Actually, what I want is very simple: respect." Respect, a woman demanding respect...

Chang Yuncheng chuckled.

Qi Yue’s expression immediately soured, and she put down her cup.

Chang Yuncheng quickly rose, leaned over, picked up her cup, and offered it to her lips. "Fine, I remember," he said, clinking his own cup against hers, draining it immediately.

Only then did Qi Yue take the cup he offered, raise it, and drink. "There," she set the cup down, ate another dumpling, and dropped her chopsticks. "It’s getting late; you should rest." She paused, then quickly added. "You are absolutely not sleeping here.

Find somewhere else," she said, tinged with suspicion.

Chang Yuncheng stood up, seeing the distinct wariness in her eyes, and felt an unexpected twinge of discomfort.

This was the first time he’d seen such an expression directed at him on a woman’s face...

When he noticed that strange feeling, he immediately gave a cold laugh.

This woman was clearly playing hard to get, using tactics he didn't know who taught her, but they were somewhat effective... "Don't worry.

There are plenty of women waiting for me to sleep with," he stated casually. "Wait a moment," Qi Yue said, looking at him. "Have you already forgotten what you just said?" Chang Yuncheng frowned.

Was this woman never going to stop? What was she on about now... "Be direct and speak plainly," he said, trying to suppress his impatience. "I am your wife.

I live in this home.

You’re going to sleep with other women? What will people think of me?" Qi Yue demanded. "Is that 'respect'?" It didn't matter to her how many women he had; the crucial point was that she lived in this household, nominally his wife.

The more women there were, the worse the situation became for the wife.

She’d read novels about concubines and lesser wives causing trouble, and she wanted to avoid unnecessary complications.

It would be better to be quiet and comfortable until she left.

After she was gone, he could have as many women as he liked; that was none of her concern.

What in the world was this...

Chang Yuncheng frowned. "Only sleep with you?" he stated.

Only after saying it did he realize their entire exchange had revolved around the word "sleep," sounding more like a conversation between two men.

Wasn't this topic something women found difficult to broach? A'Ru, standing nearby, flushed as red as a boiled shrimp, wishing desperately she could burrow into the earth. "Watch your language," Qi Yue warned, frowning. "Respect." "Who needs to watch their language?" Chang Yuncheng stood up, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You are a woman, what kind of language are you using!" "You started it," Qi Yue reacted, feeling a bit embarrassed as she touched her nose, but the important matter needed to be settled first. "It's not 'only sleep with me.' If you want to...

do that with me...

it's not that easy," she quickly clarified. "You apologized, and I forgave you for kicking me out, but that doesn't mean things between us are suddenly good.

At least, not good enough to...

to that level." Chang Yuncheng looked at her, feeling for the first time that he was speechless. "Don't worry.

I will wait until you beg me before I...

before I do that," he finally replied. "That’s wonderful.

You just wait," Qi Yue said with a cheerful smile, a great weight visibly lifted from her shoulders. "Go, go," Chang Yuncheng said, waving his sleeve, unable to look at her any longer. "Safe travels," Qi Yue said smilingly, seeing him off.

Chang Yuncheng took a deep breath, turned, walked a few steps back, and suddenly grabbed her wrist. "What? What are you doing?" Qi Yue jumped, the near-loss of her virtue earlier having been truly terrifying. "Going home," Chang Yuncheng roared.

This statement made Qi Yue laugh. "Who said I was going home?" She gripped the table with one hand. "I think it’s quite nice living here.

I’ll stay a few more days and see." Chang Yuncheng stared at her. "Are you saying everything I just said was for nothing?" he asked, faint veins beginning to bulge on his forehead. "How could that be?" Qi Yue plastered on a completely changed expression. "I'm not one to tell lies, and besides, I keep my word.

One issue is one issue; your apology and whether I return home are two separate matters." That line sounded strangely familiar.

Chang Yuncheng looked at Qi Yue, then abruptly, without another word, reached out and hoisted her over his shoulder.

Qi Yue never expected the man to do such a thing; hanging suspended between his arm and shoulder, she couldn't help but shriek. "A few nice words, and you really think you can do whatever you want!" Chang Yuncheng said with a cold sneer. "Whether you stay or go, do you truly think you get to decide!" Amidst Qi Yue's shrieks and curses, Chang Yuncheng carried her steadily over his shoulder and strode out the door.