Chapter 9 : And you are my reward

The first day of marriage didn’t seem so scary.

It was just that something went wrong when I was sleeping at night.

After washing up and changing clothes, Cui Yunzhao returned to the bedroom. As soon as she entered, she saw Huo Tan lying on his side on the bed, quietly watching her under the candlelight.

Huo Tan was truly very handsome.

Under the warm light, his striking features were even more pronounced, especially his deep, starry eyes, which seemed to hold an endless sea of stars.

Huo Tan patted the space beside him and said, “My lady, come to bed.”

His demeanor was quite bold.

Cui Yunzhao shot him a glare and ignored him, sitting leisurely in front of the mirror applying her makeup.

Huo Tan had never seen a woman behave like this before and felt a surge of curiosity. Compared to his previous life, he was more talkative.

“My lady, what are you doing?”

Cui Yunzhao continued to ignore him.

Huo Tan asked again, “My lady, I need to leave for the military camp early tomorrow and might wake up early. You should sleep inside.”

Cui Yunzhao paused her actions, slowly applying the lotus cream to her face, then stood up and returned to the bed.

“Then move over.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a delicate thread brushing across Huo Tan’s heart. It felt a little tingly and a bit itchy.

Huo Tan sighed slowly and then turned over to lie straight on the outer side of the bed.

“My lady, please.”

Cui Yunzhao looked at him in silence for a moment. Huo Tan wasn’t at all intimidated by her gaze and even gave her a playful smile.

Cui Yunzhao thought, “…”

Why hadn’t she realized before that Huo Tan could be so shameless?

Cui Yunzhao quickly glanced at him, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. The bed was very large and wide, like a small loft, standing firmly in the bedroom.

As soon as Cui Yunzhao climbed up, she touched Huo Tan’s leg. As she was figuring out how to crawl over him, she heard Huo Tan’s soft laugh.

Cui Yunzhao’s eyes flickered, and she raised her head. Moments later, she carefully crawled over and reached Huo Tan’s waist and abdomen.

Huo Tan looked down and saw Cui Yunzhao trying to crawl over him.

It seemed impossible.

In the next moment, Cui Yunzhao felt a sudden dizziness as Huo Tan’s arms enveloped her.

The hardness of his body, all muscle and well-defined bones due to his tall stature, made it somewhat uncomfortable for her to lie on him. Additionally, he was incredibly warm.

Huo Tan didn’t use any perfume.

His body naturally carried a fresh soap-like scent, but now, it mingled with her own fragrance of pear, creating a subtly ambiguous and intimate atmosphere.

Heavy curtains fell, blocking out the faint candlelight from outside.

The room was dim, and while Cui Yunzhao couldn’t see the person in front of her clearly, she could hear the steady, strong beat of his heart.

Thump after thump.

In that moment, Cui Yunzhao suddenly felt a surge of impulse.

She almost couldn’t hold back and spoke.

“Huo Tan, why did you marry me?”

Their marriage had many internal complexities, and even someone who knew nothing would not think it was a good match.

Some even said that Huo Tan was a mercenary, marrying her to secure a future he couldn’t see.

In reality, the marriage didn’t provide Huo Tan with any actual benefits. The Cui family was already declining, so it didn’t offer him much support.

Later, when they separated, it further tarnished Huo Tan’s reputation.

In hindsight, for Huo Tan’s rising status, marrying a general’s daughter would have been more advantageous.

Cui Yunzhao had always been puzzled by this question in her past life, but she and Huo Tan had always been taciturn with each other, so she never asked.

Some emotional knots build up over time, eventually settling deep in one’s heart, with no way to question or seek answers.

The warmth in the room and the sweet pear scent made their entangled bodies feel like the perfect match in the world.

Huo Tan did not find Cui Yunzhao’s question particularly sharp.

In the darkness, his eyes were deep, holding an indescribable, profound meaning.

He neither smiled nor showed anger.

His large hand firmly held her slender waist, making her soft body depend entirely on him.

Just like many ordinary couples. No matter how chaotic things started, they would eventually harmonize and grow old together.

Huo Tan’s eyes were deep, and his night vision was excellent, allowing him to see the contours of things in the dark.

He could see Cui Yunzhao’s little face lifted up. Although he couldn’t discern her expression, he knew she was serious.

Cui Yunzhao was puzzled.

Everything she did and said after their kiss was different from what he had expected.

He thought she would cry, act out, stay silent, or refuse to accept anything from the Huo family.

But she didn’t.

She was cheerful with her mother, kind to her siblings, and actively arranged their bedroom. It was as if she quickly integrated into his life and became the mistress of the household.

It was better than he had anticipated.

No, it was more than just better. But it was completely different from the original Miss Cui.

Huo Tan’s eyes deepened, his voice low and steady: “My lady, This marriage was arranged by General Lu Mingji personally.” He didn’t use sweet words or fabricate a story of instant love. He got straight to the point and told her the truth.

“When the Lulong Military Governor rebelled, General Lu led the troops to suppress him. My father served under him.”

“Because of our past together on the battlefield, General Lu took great care of me after I transferred to Bo Ling and was involved in my marriage.”

Huo Tan’s voice was heavy and steady, with none of the daytime cheerfulness or the apparent confidence seen by others.

In the darkness, Huo Tan seemed to be his true self.

A young emperor who, since the age of fifteen, had shouldered the burden of a family, survived countless life-and-death battles, and ultimately ascended to the throne.

Cui Yunzhao, nestled quietly against him, seemed to listen with great seriousness.

Huo Tan continued: “At that time, the head of the Cui family sought General Lufor the position of assistant judge, and General Lü, reminded by his wife, remembered that the Cui family had a good daughter.”

Cui Yunzhao’s marriage had been arranged because her second uncle wanted the position of Bo Ling assistant judge and had specially sought General Lu. She just didn’t understand why General Lu gave such a good opportunity to the inexperienced Huo Tan.

“I remember General Lu’s eldest son was also unmarried.”

Cui Yunzhao’s voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, clear and pleasant.

Huo Tan chuckled softly.

His chest vibrated, and the strength and ambition of a young man were clearly conveyed to Cui Yunzhao’s heart.

Before Cui Yunzhao could fully process this, Huo Tan spoke again “Because General L’s eldest son lost to me in the martial competition, General Lu promised to reward me, and you are that reward.”

Huo Tan’s hand gently lifted, accurately holding Cui Yunzhao’s delicate chin.

“And you, are my reward.”

His words seemed intended to provoke Cui Yunzhao, with a slightly elevated tone that conveyed pride and ambition.

Cui Yunzhao was no longer a teenager. After ten years of life and death experiences in her previous life, she had developed a resilient mindset and was not easily provoked by words.

Moreover, his remarks were not particularly offensive.

After a moment of silence, Cui Yunzhao suddenly smiled.

“General Huo,” she used a new address, “perhaps you are the one who is my reward.”

In the quiet bedroom, her voice was faint and ethereal.

She was a contradictory person.

Though she should have exhibited the dignity of a noblewoman, her actions and demeanor were unexpectedly free-spirited, quite different from what Huo Tan had imagined.

Huo Tan looked at her carefully, slowly releasing his hold.

“Perhaps, My lady, you are right,” Huo Tan’s voice returned to its daytime cheerfulness. “With a son as good as me, it’s indeed you who is fortunate.”

At this point, Cui Yunzhao realized he was about to be frivolous.

As expected, Huo Tan’s sliding hands came together, firmly holding her in his embrace. In an instant, it was not an exaggeration to say that their closeness was like warm, soft jade.

Huo Tan sighed, “But I am also very fortunate.”

A faint blush appeared on Cui Yunzhao’s face, and she was grateful for the darkness, as it concealed her rare shyness.

Unable to move due to Huo Tan’s embrace, they were pressed closely together, their heartbeats overlapping.

She whispered, “My lord, how can you be untrustworthy?” Huo Tan was always trustworthy.

Cui Yunzhao had secured a promise from him the previous day, so she dared to test him repeatedly in the past two days.

Before everything was settled, Cui Yunzhao did not want to fully embrace the role of a normal wife.

Huo Tan heard her words but did not respond for a while. After waiting, he gently released her.

“Oh, I was just worried you might be cold.”

In the darkness, Cui Yunzhao rolled her eyes at him and quickly moved to the other side of the bed.

Perhaps Huo Tan’s body was indeed very warm, or maybe the bed had been cold for too long. After lying on her own side, Cui Yunzhao suddenly felt a bit cold.

She pulled the quilt over herself tightly and adjusted her sleeping posture, behaving very obediently.

Although her character had changed from the rigid propriety of her newlywed days, old habits remained.

Huo Tan turned his head and saw her lying very properly and obediently. He commented, “You are different from what I imagined.”

Cui Yunzhao opened her eyes. “How so?”

Huo Tan thought for a moment and said, “You are not the noblewoman that people talk about. You are a living, vibrant woman.”

Cui Yunzhao knew she had changed a lot, but she didn’t want to change back or force herself to pretend to be her former self just to avoid Huo Tan’s doubts.

Huo Tan was not foolish, in fact, he was frighteningly smart. 

But living in pretense was exhausting. Having been reborn, why should she continue to suffer for the sake of appearances?

So she chose to be natural and reveal her true self to him.

Cui Yunzhao asked, “Does my lord think it’s good or bad?”

Huo Tan didn’t answer directly. He simply said, “You married me, and I only hope you live comfortably.”

“Everything else, I will handle.”