Pei Huaian hadn’t seen Shen Yunshu return all day at the residence, but he did receive good news—his father had come back.
As soon as his father arrived, Grandmother’s illness improved by half. The worries weighing on Pei Huaian’s heart as a son instantly lifted. After chatting briefly with his father, he decided to go out for a while.
His father asked where he was going, and Pei Huaian said the evening was already late and he was going to the Shen residence to fetch Shen Yunshu home.
“You really have to go pick her up?” his father asked. “I happened to pass by the Shen family, went inside for a while, and even saw your wife. She said she wouldn’t be coming back tonight.”
“Hah,” Pei Huaian was a little surprised. “I just knew it. Once she saw her sister, she’d leave right away.”
It was definitely Shen Youran’s coaxing that made his wife stay behind.
He hadn’t seen his wife all afternoon, and since she was staying at her father-in-law’s house, he decided to stay there for a night as well. He would return with her early the next morning.
Ignoring his father’s attempts to dissuade him, Pei Huaian happily went to the Shen residence to look for Shen Yunshu.
The gatekeeper recognized him and led him to Shen Yunshu’s courtyard. When they arrived, he was shown the way and then the gatekeeper returned to his post.
Pei Huaian planned to sneak in quietly and surprise Shen Yunshu, but the moment he stepped into the courtyard, he got a shock: his wife was actually with a man, and she was touching the man’s face!
How could she touch another man?
“Wife, who is this wild man?” He rushed over, pulling the furry man away, glaring angrily at them both.
Shen Yunshu was startled by his sudden appearance and paused for a moment. She opened her mouth to explain but immediately remembered her father’s instructions not to reveal her second younger brother’s identity to others for now.
And she certainly couldn’t tell Pei Huaian, as revealing her brother’s identity would expose Pei Huaian’s true identity as well.
She parted her lips: “Don’t be angry yet, let me explain…”
She wasn’t lying to him—everything would become clear in a few days. She was thinking about how to explain when she suddenly looked at the younger brother before her: “Why do you look so familiar…”
It wasn’t the face that was familiar but the outfit.
Pei Huaian suddenly realized: wasn’t this the young leader among the bandits who had kidnapped him and Shen Youran before?
Why was this bandit here?
Immediately, Pei Huaian grabbed Shen Yunshu’s hand and stepped back two paces, his expression full of suspicion as he stared at the man.
“Sister,” the man suddenly called out to Shen Yunshu. “What should we do?”
Sister?
A rather rough man actually dared to call his wife “Sister.”
Was this a title he was allowed to use?
“You go inside first,” Shen Yunshu responded to him. “I’ll explain to him.”
“Alright.” The man obediently walked into the room, carrying two unconscious guards he had knocked out one by one, placing them inside the hall.
Pei Huaian was anxious and angry. “Wife, do you know who he is? He’s the young leader of that group of bandits.”
“I know.”
“You know?” Pei Huaian was surprised. “Then why is he here?”
“He was brought back by Father-in-law.”
“My father? Why would my father bring a bandit back?”
“You’ll know in a few days. Don’t ask now, alright?”
“Why can’t you explain it now?” Pei Huaian, naturally a man who rarely lost his temper, was now unable to hold back after seeing how close she had been with that man. “I want to hear your explanation now.”
“Be good,” Shen Yunshu cupped his face, stood on tiptoe, and planted a calming kiss on his lips. “In a few days, you’ll understand everything.”
Her lips softened against his, and Pei Huaian was stunned. His wife… had actually kissed him of her own accord.
It was the first time she had kissed him without him begging.
His expression changed slightly, but only for a moment before he snapped back to reality. “But I still want to know who that wild man is right now.”
Shen Yunshu stood on tiptoe again and pecked his lips once more. “He’s not a wild man. He’s a long-lost relative of mine.”
“Then why were you touching his face?”
“We’re not like you think,” she kissed him again, “trust me.”
Though Pei Huaian kept a serious face and continued questioning, the corners of his mouth twitched up involuntarily, suppressing a smile. “Wife, is it true that if I ask a question, you’ll kiss me?”
He pulled her into his arms, one large hand supporting her waist, holding her steady as she stayed on tiptoe. “If this is how my wife chooses to shut me up, then that’s fine…”
Under the bright moonlight, the person in his arms seemed even more ethereal.
Pei Huaian’s gaze fell on her lips, desire flowing deep in his eyes, far from satisfied by the few fleeting kisses just now.
Seeing that he had finally calmed down, Shen Yunshu stopped his advancing lips. “Not here.”
Pei Huaian nuzzled her nose, completely abandoning his earlier questions. “Then where shall we go?”
“You go back first.”
“Then later I’ll take you to the guest room…”
“Let’s go now.”
“I have to check on her, wait for me a moment.”
“Let’s go.”
The two entered the main hall. Ting Lan was asleep, slumped over the table, covered with a thick coat. The other two guards were carried in by Shen Changyu and dumped on the floor.
The culprit had already hidden inside the bedroom, not coming out.
Shen Yunshu shook Ting Lan awake while Pei Huaian pinched the philtrum of the two guards to rouse them.
The guards, upon waking, immediately tried to complain to Shen Yunshu, but she said, “I know. He meant no harm. You all have a hard night, so keep watch carefully…”
She secretly instructed Ting Lan to call two more guards and keep a close eye on the man. If he tried to escape again, report it to her father immediately.
Ting Lan nodded obediently, and Shen Yunshu took Pei Huaian to the front courtyard, found a guest room, and had the servants tidy it up simply before settling in.
No sooner had the door closed than Shen Yunshu’s body turned toward him. The next moment, he pressed her against the door.
Their breaths mingled as he gradually closed the distance, yet he wasn’t the one to take the initiative: “Wife, I’m ready. You may kiss me.”
Shen Yunshu looked at the young man so close to her. Though his youthful charm had faded considerably, his features seemed more mature than before, and his shoulders looked broader. Maybe he was still growing taller—he seemed a bit taller than her now, and when he leaned in, he could envelop her completely in his embrace.
Being called “Wife” by the young man felt right, but if a grown man called her that, she felt he was still too young.
She climbed onto his shoulder, but as she was about to kiss him, she suddenly hesitated.
She thought of his identity.
He was, after all, Pei Huaian.
Would she still be his wife?
Momentarily distracted, he noticed. Pei Huaian looked quite pleased: “Wife, why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
His mind was pure and full of affection. He had no idea that a huge upheaval was about to shake their lives.
Shen Yunshu’s complex emotions lessened her enthusiasm. She rested her hands on his shoulders, kissed him briefly, then pulled away.
“That’s it… done with the kiss?” Pei Huaian opened his eyes, smacking his lips, unable to stop savoring it. “Wife, you’re being perfunctory.”
“It’s very late, let’s get some rest.”
“Alright!” Pei Huaian blocked her way, refusing to let her leave. “How I usually kiss you is the standard—you have to kiss me like that.”
Though they hadn’t consummated their marriage yet, they often showed affection, especially before bed, when his clingy side came out and he’d hold her down and kiss her for a long time.
It was a technique he’d learned from some book: simple kisses weren’t enough; he had to grind his lips, invade her teeth, and slowly entwine deeper.
Often, she’d end up breathless from his kisses.
Now he was demanding she kiss him that way. Shen Yunshu blushed with heat and scolded, “Don’t push your luck…”
Suddenly, she was lifted into his arms.
The distance from the door to the bed was short, and in an instant, he was pressing her down onto the freshly laid mattress.
“Wife, I’m jealous.”
“I know.”
“I saw you touching his face,” he caught her hand, raised it, and brought it to his lips. “You touched him with this hand, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Then let me clean this hand first…”
“…Hm?”
He bit gently, teeth lightly pressing to punish her, then sucked on each finger one by one, from fingertips to palm, patiently licking and nibbling.
A little pain, a little tickle, the warm wetness carried a faint tingling that was even more embarrassing than a kiss.
He gripped her wrist tightly, not releasing it even after finishing, instead pressing her hand against her head. His lips trailed down to hers again, holding them firmly.
From shallow to deep, with his breath growing heavier, he sank into the kiss, almost wanting to swallow her whole.
Shen Yunshu finally caught her breath. Fortunately, she still had one free hand.
She pushed his shoulder, signaling him to stop.
When she did this, he knew she was holding up and would pause, then after she regained her breath, he’d kiss her gently again.
This time, when she pushed him, though he stopped demanding, his lips and tongue never left her, tracing her cheek, ear, neck, and moving downward.
“Pei Huaian!” She hurriedly cupped his face to stop him. “Not here.”
Previously, to help him focus on studying and to avoid pregnancy, they had agreed to postpone consummation. Now that his identity would soon be revealed, the future was uncertain. If she got pregnant now, the Shen family might figure everything out.
“I-I’m just trying to help you undress…” Pei Huaian knew they couldn’t consummate yet and reluctantly stopped.
“I can do it myself, you come here first.”
The guest room’s heater was just lit, so the room wasn’t very warm yet. They shed their outer clothes and slipped under the quilt.
Fortunately, his body heat was strong, and holding him close, she quickly warmed up.
“Wife, I don’t want you touching other men. Your hands can only touch me…”
“Got it.” Why was he still hung up on this?
“Then do you want to touch me now?”
“…”
Ever since he had pinned her on the bed and kissed her, Shen Yunshu noticed he had been sitting cross-legged all along. Now that he was actively asking her to touch him, he surely had no good intentions.
“No.” She rejected him mercilessly.
This wasn’t the Ziyou Courtyard, and Ting Lan was nearby. If she got flustered here, who would come in to bring water or towels?
“Wife,” a large hand slipped under her inner clothes, “may I touch you then?”
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