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It took some effort for An Huan to convince Dongdong not to sleep in the same bed with his Father and Mother.
“Mommy, did Daddy really bite my butt after I fell asleep last night?” Dongdong poked his head out from under the covers, looking at his Mother with wide, puzzled eyes.
An Huan nodded without a hint of guilt. “He did. And if you sleep with us again tonight, he’ll bite it again.”
Dongdong covered his little bottom with both hands, shaking his head vigorously in disgust. “No, no! Dongdong doesn’t want Daddy to bite his butt again.”
An Huan tucked the blanket snugly around him. “Then be a good boy and sleep by yourself.”
In truth, Dongdong had already gotten used to sleeping on his own. Hearing this, he didn’t protest much, but he did look at his Mother with worry and said earnestly, “Then Mommy, you have to protect yourself. Don’t let Daddy bite your butt.”
An Huan nearly burst out laughing.
After coaxing her son to sleep, An Huan gave herself a quick wash, then pulled out a lake-green silk nightdress and slipped it on.
She was already slender and graceful by nature, and the lake-green hue made her skin look even more lustrous, like polished jade.
Xiao Zheng had gone about his own business after returning home from dinner. An Huan didn’t bother him either. After changing into the nightdress, she lay down on the bed, covering herself with just a thin blanket that accentuated her delicate curves.
She heard sounds from outside—it seemed Xiao Zheng was taking a shower in the Courtyard again.
It was summertime now, so bathing was easy and frequent. But once winter arrived, he would probably be like most people—considered clean if he managed a visit to the bathhouse once a week.
When Xiao Zheng came back inside, he saw An Huan lying on her side with her back to him.
The curve of her body was pronounced, her waist deeply tucked in—just the size to fit within a single palm.
Xiao Zheng froze on the spot.
An Huan stirred.
He watched as she slowly propped herself up into a sitting position, her long, wavy hair cascading over her left shoulder like seaweed, revealing the elegant line of her right shoulder and neck. Her snowy, delicate skin was adorned with nothing but a thin spaghetti strap.
Xiao Zheng was sure that with almost no effort at all, he could tear that strap apart.
“All done with your work?” An Huan deliberately lowered her voice, her tone lazy and sweet.
“Mm.” Xiao Zheng glanced around the room. “Where’s Dongdong?”
“He wanted to sleep on his own,” An Huan replied.
Xiao Zheng walked to the edge of the bed.
An Huan’s heart pounded. Her eyes wandered across the muscles on his back, and a phrase suddenly popped into her mind—broad back and strong waist.
Almost involuntarily, she reached out and touched him.
He clearly tensed up.
“What did you eat growing up to end up with all this muscle?”
After a moment, Xiao Zheng responded hoarsely, “We were poor when I was a kid. There wasn’t much to eat. I was as thin as a twig. I didn’t start growing until I joined the military at fourteen.”
She must be disgusted by him again.
She used to say she hated his body—coarse and barbaric.
But instead, she said, “It’s beautiful.”
Xiao Zheng turned his head. “What did you say?”
An Huan smiled. “I said your muscle definition is beautiful.”
Not the kind of greasy muscles bulked up with gym workouts and protein shakes, but real, powerful strength—like a beast that clawed its way to the top of the jungle through sheer will.
An Huan finally understood why she’d never dated a muscular man before. Maybe it was because she had never met someone like Xiao Zheng—natural, unpretentious, and utterly raw.
After a moment, Xiao Zheng muttered, “That’s not what you used to say.”
An Huan choked a little and playfully gave him a smack. “I already told you—I used to be prejudiced against you. But now the fog’s cleared and my eyes are open. My taste’s changed. Is that so hard to believe?”
Xiao Zheng felt a tingling rush all over. He couldn’t even hear what she was saying clearly, just kept nodding. “Right. Whatever you say.”
“Then let’s get some sleep,” An Huan said, poking his back lightly with one finger, grinning like a mischievous little fox.
Xiao Zheng’s body trembled slightly, and he responded with a soft “Mm.”
The lights were turned off, and they lay down.
An Huan closed her eyes and waited quietly for a long time—until she heard the faint sound of snoring.
…?
Sleep actually just meant sleep?
In the darkness, An Huan stared with wide eyes for a while, then scoffed in disbelief.
So all her flirtation had been wasted on a blind man?
No, that didn’t make sense. A normal man, after years of going without, wouldn’t just lie still when faced with his wife. Even if he wasn’t ravenous, he definitely wouldn’t be indifferent.
And judging by their past physical interactions, Xiao Zheng definitely wasn’t unresponsive to her.
Last night, it could still be chalked up to their son being around. But tonight, it was just the two of them—there wasn’t any excuse for “inconvenience.”
Given how strict the military was in this era when it came to discipline—directly tied to one’s career prospects—An Huan didn’t for a second suspect Xiao Zheng of cheating.
She glared angrily at the dark figure beside her. A beautiful woman like me lying right next to you—how do you even fall asleep? At your age, if you don’t seize the moment to work hard now, you think you’ll still have the energy when you’re old?!
Plagued by the burning question of why Xiao Zheng wouldn’t sleep with her, An Huan eventually fell asleep in a cloud of frustration.
And once again, she dreamed of that tiger—massive, fierce, suffocating her with its weight. She struggled for what felt like forever before she finally broke free, slapping the tiger with all her strength.
That’s when she woke up—dazed, only to realize that the tiger was actually Xiao Zheng.
Seriously?! He won’t come near me when I’m awake, but now that I’m asleep, he wants to act up?
“I’m tired, stop messing with me…” she mumbled.
A while later, the rustling of clothes being put on broke the silence.
An Huan lifted herself slightly. “You’re up this early?”
Xiao Zheng replied, “I’m heading out for morning drills. You go back to sleep.”
An Huan looked outside—it was still pitch dark. There was no way it was even five yet.
Xiao Zheng had already pulled the door open and walked out.
Once again—fleeing in haste.
An Huan had a strong feeling: it wasn’t that Xiao Zheng had no desire, but that he was forcibly restraining himself.
And yet, she still couldn’t figure out why.
You’ve got a wife right next to you and you’re just lying there holding it in—what are you, some kind of ascetic turtle?!