The man remained remarkably well-behaved the entire night, not even tending to his own needs; Qi Yue, utterly exhausted, slept soundly until dawn.

A sumptuous breakfast was laid out, and she ate with restored vigor, listening to the man across from her speak—his eyes shadowed with fatigue from a sleepless night.

“...Mother said you were tired, so there’s no need for formalities. What happened that day is forgotten, as long as you know you were in the wrong,” Chang Yuncheng stated.

Qi Yue eyed him suspiciously. Xie Shi would say that? Impossible.

“Really?” she asked.

Chang Yuncheng nodded, his face devoid of any blush. He hadn't even sought out Xie Shi himself yet.

“It’s really fine, honestly. It was my fault for falling asleep that day; I don’t know what came over me,” Qi Yue laughed. “Since it’s your mother, of course, I should show proper respect. Don't worry, I won't hold it against her.”

Chang Yuncheng’s face darkened. How did that sound so awkward coming from her?

But it seemed Fan Yilin was right again; the moment he mentioned Xie Shi’s consideration, the woman actually backed down a step...

After repeatedly reassuring Qi Yue, Chang Yuncheng impatiently rushed off to test the waters with Xie Shi.

After three days of continuous kneeling, Xie Shi, ever the doting mother, finally called him inside when she saw Chang Yuncheng constantly kneeling outside.

“...I know Mother worries for me and fears I’m being wronged. I only wanted Mother to know I’m fine, that I haven't been wronged, which is why I had Yue Niang do these things—to show Mother that woman dares not cause trouble in my presence...” Chang Yuncheng said, half-kneeling before Xie Shi.

These words brought Xie Shi comfort.

As long as it wasn't for that woman...

“But, what do you plan to do about that woman?” Xie Shi asked, her expression turning grim.

“Whatever Mother says, I will do,” Chang Yuncheng replied. “If Mother dislikes seeing her, then she needn't see her.”

Xie Shi nodded, yet something still felt amiss.

Wouldn't that be letting the woman off too easily?

But, ignoring her—that would be the greatest torment for her, especially once a new daughter-in-law arrives. The comparison would ensure she’d have no peace in this household...

Thinking this, Xie Shi smiled.

Chang Yuncheng let out a breath, his hand, resting beneath his thigh, clenching tightly.

Good. If the two didn't interact, perhaps things would finally be peaceful.

“...Elisa threw all the clothes in her hands away... Immediately, eleven beautiful princes appeared, but tragically, the youngest prince still had one arm of a swan’s wing...”

“...I can speak now; I am innocent... Elisa declared loudly...”

“...Crimson roses sprouted on the firewood; the King walked over, plucked them, and personally placed them on Elisa’s head...”

“Alright, time for bed,” Qi Yue said, reaching out to pat Yan’er’s head, smiling. “Story time is over.”

Yan’er looked at Qi Yue contentedly and obediently closed her eyes.

Chang Chunlan, standing nearby, lowered her head, wiping away tears.

“I’ve troubled you,” she said as she escorted Qi Yue out.

“Big Sister, you’re speaking formally again,” Qi Yue laughed, then sighed, taking Chang Chunlan’s hand. “Did you go kneel before Mother that day? You said it was because of you that I couldn’t fulfill my duties as a wife?”

That day, right after Yan’er’s surgery, Chang Chunlan claimed she was returning briefly to collect something, but she took half the day and came back limping. The sharp-eyed Quezhi saw it, inquired, and discovered she had knelt in Xie Shi’s courtyard for half the afternoon.

Chang Chunlan kept her head down, wiping tears.

“It truly was because of me...” she choked out.

“Big Sister, don’t be silly; it wasn’t because of you,” Qi Yue said with a smile, patting her shoulder. “Don’t dwell on it.”

The concubine said so, and now she said so too. Chang Chunlan sighed; only those who truly cared for her would offer such comfort.

Chang Yuncheng returned from his routine morning greetings and meal with Xie Shi, his first question being what and how much Qi Yue had eaten.

“Oh, stop fussing,” Qi Yue called from inside the room, hearing him. “I’m not a masochist; I wouldn’t dare mistreat myself.”

Chang Yuncheng entered sheepishly, finding Qi Yue seated on the kang, fiddling with a strange object.

“What is this?” he asked.

“A wind chime,” Qi Yue replied, lifting it up. The small bell-like items strung on the cord produced a clear, tinkling sound.

Women loved these trinkets...

Chang Yuncheng immediately began thinking about which household he had seen something similar in, so he could ask for one.

“This is for Yan’er to practice speaking,” Qi Yue said, handing the chime to Chang Yuncheng.

Confused, Chang Yuncheng took hold of it. Qi Yue stood beside him and blew gently on the wind chime, causing the little bells to make a crisp sound.

“Practice speaking?” Chang Yuncheng asked, perplexed. “Speaking to a wind chime? Isn’t that silly?”

Qi Yue burst into laughter.

“You’re the silly one,” she stood up and said. “You blow on it to practice breathing exercises.”

“Breathing exercises? Isn’t that even more ridiculous?” Chang Yuncheng responded, then tried blowing himself.

The wind chime spun, ringing musically.

He couldn't help but smile. Qi Yue blew again, and in the candlelight, the woman’s delicate face bloomed like a flower.

Chang Yuncheng’s heart accelerated, and he struggled to turn his gaze away.

“Give it to me,” Qi Yue reached out for it.

Chang Yuncheng instinctively raised his hand, and Qi Yue’s reach fell short.

“What?” she laughed, playfully hitting his arm. “What are you doing?”

Chang Yuncheng swallowed hard and handed the chime over.

“Blow again,” he requested.

Qi Yue smiled and indeed tilted her head back to blow. Just as she exhaled, Chang Yuncheng leaned in and captured her lips with a kiss.

Qi Yue’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden assault.

This wasn't their first time; they had kissed and touched before, but this time the sensation was entirely different.

This time, his movements were gentle and unhurried. Drawing on previous experience, the man seemed to have intuitively mastered the technique; his tongue rolled and suctioned inside her mouth, drawing an involuntary gasp from Qi Yue.

After a breathless moment, they separated slightly to avoid suffocating.

Chang Yuncheng stared at the woman inches from him, his eyes blazing red. The wind chime was still clutched in her hand.

After that fierce kiss, the woman’s face was flushed, her eyes glistening. Her swollen lips looked even more tempting.

“Hmph, you brute,” Qi Yue said, her face red, giving him a gentle push as she tried to turn away.

Chang Yuncheng set down the wind chime and reached out, grasping her arm.

“Yue Niang,” he called out in a husky voice, thick with heat.

Qi Yue felt as if she were being held by a furnace, the intense warmth making her feel flustered.

“Yue Niang...” Chang Yuncheng whispered again, pulling her close before lowering his head to take her mouth once more.

This time, as he coaxed her mouth open, her small tongue proactively tangled with his.

Chang Yuncheng trembled violently, his hands gripping Qi Yue’s waist fiercely, kneading her skin.

Qi Yue was squeezed close to suffocating and let out a muffled moan before pulling away from his lips.

“Be gentler...” she gasped, but before she could finish, the crazed man scooped her up and decisively laid her down on the nearby Luohan couch, immediately pressing his weight upon her.

“Yue Niang, is it alright tonight?” Chang Yuncheng asked, supporting himself on his arms, his voice trembling.

Qi Yue’s heart pounded like a drum.

Is it alright?

This... this...

“I haven’t washed—go wash first...” she managed through gritted teeth, raising a hand to push him away.

As she raised her hand, the one Chang Yuncheng had slipped under her robes felt the fullness beneath increase noticeably.

Wash...

Recalling the previous times their intimacy had been interrupted, Chang Yuncheng resolved fiercely: washing, or even if the sky fell, he would not let go this time... If he didn't take this woman now, he was certain he would burst.

He haphazardly tore at her clothes, ripping them as he unfastened them, and seeing the dazzling expanse of white skin revealed under the lamplight, Chang Yuncheng ignored his own lower garments, quickly stripping himself bare atop her in a few swift motions.

This sort of thing wasn't a big deal... it was natural desire for a man... common human impulse... Everyone was an adult now... Let nature take its course when the time is right...

Qi Yue looked up, her face flushed crimson, at the naked man above her. Although she had seen a man unclothed before, it had been in the context of ‘one must not look,’ and she hadn't dared. But now, looking at her man, surely that didn't count as forbidden sight...

Her man...

The thought crossed her mind, and Qi Yue’s face burned even hotter...

She truly hadn't expected to be intimate with a man from a thousand years ago...

Heavens, this... this was truly...

His skin slightly tanned, his muscles bulging and hard, his iron-like arms busied themselves removing his final shorts, and beneath his sculpted abdomen, the symbol of manhood abruptly leaped forth, trembling powerfully like a rigid column pointed directly at her...

Qi Yue couldn't help but let out a small cry, covering her face with her hands.

The light in the room suddenly extinguished. The person standing outside jumped in fright, then heard a woman’s stifled moan.

“It hurts... slowly...”

Aru, terrified as if something terrible had happened, scrambled to usher everyone away in disarray. The courtyard gate was locked, and the maids’ windows were tightly shut, yet still, shameful sounds seemed to drift through the air.

“...Be gentle... Bastard... Don't bite.... Ah... It hurts....”

Qi Yue knew the first time would hurt, but this was too painful. This body felt too tight and narrow... Most critically, this man was too eager...

Accompanied by her low cries, the man above her quickened his pace. Qi Yue instinctively grabbed the bed coverings tightly, afraid she might be tossed off entirely.

She couldn't control herself, panting with open breaths, emitting moans to alleviate the sensation that was painful yet tingled, and itchy.

Chang Yuncheng felt he was going mad. He felt the pain too—that agonizing pressure threatening to drive him insane. The woman beneath him cried out repeatedly, making his entire body tremble. Damn it, it wasn’t enough; he needed more, he needed deeper...

He arched his back, pinning down the woman trying to writhe away, tilting his head back, gritting his teeth, and ruthlessly thrusting himself deeper again and again.

Heavens... the feeling of being tightly embraced, sucked in by the narrow, warm passage...

The woman’s cries intensified. He lowered his head; her loosened long hair spread beneath her, a stark contrast against the pale, tender skin. The waves of her chest rose and fell, the swollen, crimson tips glistening, ripe for the taking.

Chang Yuncheng suddenly lunged down, opening his mouth to bite, letting out a low growl as his hips drove faster and harder.

This intense stimulation made Qi Yue lose all reason. She wrapped her arms around the man’s rock-hard back and bit down hard. With that bite, the man shot forward violently, and Qi Yue relaxed her jaw, tilting her head back to let out a trembling cry.

“Chang Yuncheng~” she called out, her voice drawn out, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

That single cry made Chang Yuncheng’s entire body tense up. Coupled with the rapid constriction of the passage, which was exquisitely hot and tight, he roared, lowered his head to seal the woman’s gasping mouth, thrust a few times rapidly, roared again as he released, and collapsed heavily onto Qi Yue.

“Why are you shouting... Don't shout my name...” the man gasped angrily. “I’m not finished yet....”

Qi Yue was utterly dazed, unsure of where she was. She hadn't heard a word he said, simply closing her eyes and drifting off from sheer exhaustion.

This chapter, you didn't see it, didn't see it, didn't see it~~~~(》_《)~~~~RS

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