Chapter 65

Sang Yao sat upright on the bed, fingers tightly gripping the copper coin, her gaze fixed on Xie Yun.

The man remained composed, his movements steady.

His hand rose and fell, and Sang Yao held her breath nervously, time seeming to stretch infinitely in her eyes.

Just as his hand was about to touch the small wooden box, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She raised her arm and spoke up loudly, “Wait!”

The copper coin she had been holding fell to the ground with her movement, no longer gripped tightly.

At the same time, Xie Yun’s hand landed near the teapot beside the wooden box. He paused.

The coin dropped from Sang Yao’s hand, emitting a crisp sound in the silent room. It rolled to the foot of the bed, then under both their gazes, all the way to Xie Yun’s feet.

In the silence, Xie Yun glanced at the flustered Sang Yao, then lowered his eyes to the coin at his feet. She breathed a sigh of relief, and both their eyes focused on the small copper coin.

Just a mere copper coin, with the words “Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon” engraved on it, though slightly suggestive, it was much better than the little box. Xie Yun asked, “What are you nervous about?” Then, he bent down to pick up the coin. Sang Yao, feeling guilty under his gaze, muttered, “Nothing.”

She improvised, “This was given to me by an old Taoist before. It’s said to be a token of enlightenment. Although our marriage isn’t based on love, harmony is still important afterward.”

Xie Yun stood up, holding the coin in his hand.

The front of the coin was inscribed with the words “Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon.” He flipped the coin casually. The candlelight made the pattern on the back of the coin particularly clear.

Sang Yao continued, “I brought it here specially, hoping that we can get along well in the future. Please don’t bully me.” Xie Yun stared quietly at the bold design on the coin.

After a moment, his gaze slowly shifted to the girl sitting quietly on the bed.

She was wearing light and thin nightclothes, her face flushed due to the removal of heavy makeup, her nervousness evident. Xie Yun found it difficult to ignore.

She had been nervous since they got married.

Xie Yun closed his hand around the copper coin and asked quietly, “What do you mean by harmony?”

Then he added, “Why would I bully you?” Sang Yao couldn’t come up with an answer, and truth be told, Xie Yun had never bullied her.

Xie Yun didn’t seem to care about her answer.

He walked slowly towards her, and Sang Yao quickly brought her legs together and shifted to make room for him on the bed.

He handed the coin to her and asked, “Were you planning to sleep with it?”

Looking up at his tall figure, Sang Yao felt sensitive about the word “sleep” again. She shook her head and whispered, “Just put it there for me.”

Xie Yun placed the coin on the low table by the bed.

With only one bed, as Xie Yun approached her, the clean floral scent emanating from her invaded him. Her movement revealed the porcelain-white skin underneath the delicate nightclothes.

Xie Yun had caught a glimpse of her body a long time ago, and he had noticed the uniqueness of this garment when he entered the room.

She seemed to think that her movements could conceal something, but it was futile. Xie Yun didn’t want to remind her.

From June to August, this marriage was more complicated for him than anything else he had dealt with.

Always disliking such meaningless rituals, he could have chosen a simpler path. He could have married her in June instead of waiting until August. But in the end, he chose to follow the customs, not leaving anything out.

Now that this matter was finally concluded, he didn’t feel rushed to explore her.

The night was deep, and outside was quiet.

Xie Yun naturally took off his loose robe and placed it next to the copper coin.

Every move he made was magnified in Sang Yao’s eyes. She could hear her heart beating rapidly.

As one of the candles flickered out, the room dimmed. He half-lay beside her, but he didn’t make a move.

Why wasn’t he moving? He couldn’t just let her, a girl, make the first move.

Summoning her courage, Sang Yao shuffled closer to him until she touched him, then reminded, “Let’s… let’s sleep.”

Only then did Xie Yun glance at her.

Her cheeks still carried the familiar fleshiness, her long hair obediently falling on her shoulders. With her head resting on his shoulder, it was evident that suggesting this took all her courage.

This wouldn’t do.

Lowering his gaze, as she wished, Xie Yun reached out to her.

Sang Yao instinctively flinched, but Xie Yun showed no intention of backing off. His fingertips forcefully landed on her cheek, tracing down to her chin.

Sang Yao dared not move.

It was the first time Sang Yao was touched by him with desire. She bit her lip tightly, feeling a tingling sensation where he touched.

She didn’t actually dislike Xie Yun’s proximity; it was just that every time he touched her, she felt unbearable, like boiling water she couldn’t control, making her tense, wanting to cover herself with a blanket.

Xie Yun’s hand reached her neck, treating it like a delicate porcelain. Sang Yao felt ticklish. Then he continued down until his fingers touched her collar, knowing that nearby lay a small mole.

He gently lifted it a bit.

Sang Yao couldn’t understand why his movements were so slow; it was more agonizing than asking her to undress. Finally, he saw the mole clearly, at the brink of danger.

He was satisfied, feeling more and more convinced that marrying her was an extremely correct decision.

But he restrained himself and didn’t reach out.

Sang Yao remained stiff, not daring to move. When Xie Yun’s hand accidentally brushed against her again, the shame in her heart reached its peak.

She instinctively moved back. But as soon as she did, she regretted it. She didn’t refuse; she just hadn’t experienced it before, and his slow actions made her unable to bear it.

Sang Yao thought Xie Yun would chase after her like before. But he didn’t. There was no trace of desire on his calm and cool face.

Their eyes met, and Xie Yun calmly withdrew his hand. The previous tenderness seemed to have vanished with it. He whispered, “Let’s sleep.”

Sang Yao was puzzled. Was he angry?

Without even bothering to tidy up her clothes, she grabbed his arm and stuttered, “I didn’t mean to…”

Xie Yun interrupted, “It’s okay.” Sang Yao asked, “Are you sure?”

Xie Yun nodded and said, “This is between you and me, no need to care about others.” “If you don’t like it, just forget it.”

He didn’t say anything, but as soon as Sang Yao spoke, she felt a twinge of guilt. Who gets married without consummating the marriage? She couldn’t act this way. Before leaving, many people, including her uncle’s wife, had reminded her. She had even planned to guide him.

What is this now? And she must have hurt him just now. The way he looks, he must be angry.

She leaned in closer to Xie Yun and whispered to him, “I didn’t resist, I was just a little scared. Aren’t you allowed to be scared?”

Trembling slightly, she reached out her hand, stiffly wrapped it around Xie Yun’s waist, and said, “Please don’t be angry.”

After some thought, with her face burning red, she added, “Let’s continue.”

She rested her head on Xie Yun’s shoulder, her soft arm draped around his waist, even feeling the muscles of his abdomen. But if she were to look up, she would see no trace of anger on the man’s face.

Feeling her taking the initiative to embrace him, Xie Yun replied slowly, “Are you nervous?” Sang Yao was indeed nervous, even now she couldn’t quite accept the situation.

Sang Yao said, “I just haven’t tried it before, I’m not very good at it, and I don’t know what to do.”

Xie Yun, hearing this, reached out and held her chin, making her look at him, then said solemnly, “In that case, I can reluctantly help you practice.”

Sang Yao: “…Huh?”

How do you practice this?

Xie Yun said, “Between you and me, apart from that one time you kissed me, we haven’t had any other physical contact.” “It’s understandable that you’re nervous, but as we become more intimate in the future, this will naturally fall into place.”

He paused and added, “I feel the same way.”

Sang Yao changed her position, kneeling in front of Xie Yun, her pretty face still flushed, her mind racing to consider Xie Yun’s proposal.

What he said seemed reasonable. Both Xie Yun and her felt a bit overwhelmed by this sudden development. She didn’t know how, and Xie Yun probably didn’t either, so why not explore it together?

It also provided them with an opportunity to ease into it gradually, without having to jump into something so daunting from the beginning. This way, she probably wouldn’t get pregnant too quickly either.

But then the question arose.

“…So how do we practice?”

Xie Yun’s expression remained unchanged, his lips slightly parted as he looked at her. “Miss Sang, please come here and kiss me.”

Sang Yao’s breath caught at the words, though her face couldn’t get any redder. Actually, the proposal wasn’t too outrageous, since she had kissed Xie Yun before.

After hesitating for a while, Sang Yao, with a shy expression, leaned closer to Xie Yun, supporting herself with her arms. She caught a whiff of his cologne.

Then, under the man’s gaze, she closed her eyes and lightly touched his lips.

Their breaths mingled.

After a moment, Sang Yao separated slightly from him, avoiding his gaze, and whispered almost inaudibly, “I’ve kissed you.”

Xie Yun remained motionless. Suppressing the urge to lift her and press her against himself, he calmly said, “That doesn’t count.”

Sang Yao lifted her head, her lips slightly parted in surprise. That didn’t count? She felt like she had been kissing him for quite a while already.

Sang Yao asked, “Then how should I kiss?”

Xie Yun patiently replied, “I can teach you.”

Sang Yao said, “Then… would you teach me?” With his permission, Xie Yun finally embraced her waist with an air of dignity.

Her supple waist, separated by a layer of silk, was firmly under Xie Yun’s control.

This time, it was Xie Yun who initiated the kiss, and Sang Yao’s heart was pounding uncontrollably, but the matter didn’t end there.

He whispered softly, “Open your mouth.”

This was not unfamiliar territory for Xie Yun; in fact, he was quite adept at it.

Sang Yao grabbed his sleeve and obediently parted her lips. Then she distinctly felt Xie Yun lick her lower lip. Before she could react, her lips and tongue were occupied.

She widened her eyes, completely losing control. Amidst the chaos, she heard Xie Yun say two sentences to guide her response, but she really didn’t know how.

Though Xie Yun’s actions were assertive, he didn’t rush her. He patiently continued kissing and teaching her. Sang Yao didn’t quite understand, and eventually she became anxious, moving clumsily and accidentally licking him.

Xie Yun’s movements paused briefly. Sang Yao felt both nervous and embarrassed, her chest heaving. In this damp and ambiguous atmosphere, she dared not look at him, thinking she had done something wrong.

The man’s hand rested on her waist, seeming somewhat satisfied. He coaxed her softly, “Do it again.” Later, his kisses gradually moved beyond her lips, a faint sensation of pain emerging.

Sang Yao lost track of how long they kissed. Her tongue felt too tired to move anymore, and only then did Xie Yun feel she had passed the test.

After separating, Sang Yao slowly climbed off Xie Yun’s body, meeting his gaze. The memory was fresh, her mouth still sore.

“…” She couldn’t take it anymore.

The two of them drew close once again.

She immediately turned her head and escaped back to the foot of the bed, then gladly let the blanket cover herself completely, not wanting to come out for the rest of her life.

Xie Yun didn’t rush her either. After a while, when the girl was almost sweating under the covers, Xie Yun finally asked, “Are you going to sleep?”

At this moment, the blanket moved, and a messy head of black hair popped out from inside. She looked at him with shining eyes and asked cautiously, “Can we practice kissing again tomorrow night?”

Xie Yun stared at the red mark on her neck and agreed with satisfaction. Only then did Sang Yao crawl out from under the covers and sit in front of Xie Yun again.

Xie Yun scrutinized the girl in front of him. The malicious and unworthy thoughts in his heart became clear again, but he didn’t show any of it. She was like a newly bloomed white flower on his bed, and he wanted her to be whatever color she wanted to be.

It was a somewhat difficult task. Before she became familiar, he had to restrain himself.

Sang Yao’s legs were a bit weak,

But at this moment, she still thought Xie Yun was doing it for her own good, so she cooperated with him in practicing. Actually, after kissing, she felt like it wasn’t so bad. Plus, she learned a new kissing technique, and Xie Yun had just praised her.

Xie Yun said, “There’s also tomorrow’s content that you can practice in advance.”

Sang Yao asked, “What is it? Let me try.”

Xie Yun leaned against the bed railing, staring at the thin fabric on her body, with a cold and handsome face, saying, “Take off your clothes.”