Chapter 64

In the spacious room, every detail of the decoration exuded the joy of the newlyweds. Xie Yun wore a bright red wedding attire, but the word “joyful” seemed disconnected from him.

His expression appeared unusually serious, and his gaze, when directed at her, still carried a sense of oppression.

Because of his earlier words, Sang Yao felt both angry and embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed, and she hastily whispered, “I was looking at the sachet on your leg!”

She even raised her finger to show him, “It’s this one.”

However, Xie Yun didn’t believe her. He made a sound of acknowledgment, somewhat dismissive.

Speaking of the sachet, it was delivered to Xie Yun the day before the wedding. He had never worn a sachet before and didn’t understand much about it.

But he had heard that the patterns on these sachets were mostly in pairs. Yet the one Sang Yao gave him had only one white crane on it.

He pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out why she embroidered this, why others were in pairs, and his was solitary. He wasn’t quite satisfied.

“Haven’t you seen enough of it at home?” “Miss Sang, even if you admit it, I won’t laugh at you.”

Sang Yao felt speechless. She took a deep breath, intending to explain carefully, but Xie Yun suddenly glanced irritably out of the window.

Following his gaze, Sang Yao saw a blurry figure.

It seemed to be urging Xie Yun to go out and greet guests.

Xie Yun had always been used to doing things his own way. He urged others in official matters but had never been urged himself in private matters. Because of this engagement, he had been pushed into doing things he didn’t want to do.

Although this wedding was arranged hastily, none of the formalities had been neglected. He once again reaffirmed his decision to never get involved with other women in his life.

With a stiff smile, Xie Yun said impatiently to Sang Yao, “I’ll leave first.”

After he said that, if Sang Yao were to stop him and explain forcefully, it would seem like she cared a lot about this issue. Feeling somewhat aggrieved, she remained silent and simply made a sound of acknowledgment.

After the ceremony, it was dusk. It would be completely dark in about an hour and a half.

The door was closed, and the footsteps disappeared.

After Xie Yun left, the room became quiet. Sang Yao finally had the opportunity to look around the room. It was spacious but not empty, with simple yet exquisite furnishings that made her feel unfamiliar.

Perhaps because she didn’t have to go out to greet guests and was not familiar with the Xie family, she remembered the small courtyard in the Sang family and felt somewhat lost at this moment.

This was clearly her wedding, but she inexplicably felt detached from the noise outside. The only things that felt real to her were the heavy headdress on her head and the heat brought by the wedding attire.

She was married like this, to someone who seemed familiar yet unfamiliar.

After a while, another maid, whom she brought from the Sang family, entered the room. She opened the window for Sang Yao, making the room feel less stuffy.

She asked softly, “Miss, would you like to have your meal now or after bathing later?”

Sang Yao casually replied, “After bathing.”

The maid helped Sang Yao to sit at the dressing table. Another servant came forward to remove her makeup, and the heavy headdress was taken off, finally relieving Sang Yao’s neck.

She couldn’t help but think that she had started putting on makeup after lunch, and it had been almost two hours now.

Chen just finished painting, covering the middle with a red cover, and hardly anyone saw it.

As Sang Yinyue was about to leave, she wanted to praise her to the heavens, saying she could enchant the groom-to-be. But Sang Yao thought about it; Xie Yun didn’t compliment her appearance when he saw her earlier.

He didn’t seem to be captivated by her at all.

It was such a hassle to put on and even more so to take off. Getting married is really troublesome.

After a lot of fussing, Sang Yao finally took a bath, then changed into a red nightgown and sat quietly on the bed.

This nightgown felt subtly different from what she usually wore. The fabric seemed thinner and closer to her body. When she moved, she could see the ribbons inside and the embroidery on the gown.

But it wasn’t obvious as long as she didn’t move.

Sang Yao didn’t really want to wear it, but she was obedient by nature. She thought this might be part of the bridal chamber process. After struggling, she reluctantly put it on.

Very uncomfortable.

She hugged her knees and waited for Xie Yun to return.

The bathwater seemed to have a hint of floral scent, so now and then Sang Yao could smell the fragrance spreading from her body.

The sky was completely dark now, and the noise outside had ceased at some point.

It was summertime, and there was new ice in the nearby copper basin. The night wasn’t as hot as the day, and even though she was lightly dressed, Sang Yao still felt restless.

After a long silence, she couldn’t help but ask Ran Dong, “Ran Dong, when do you think he’ll come back?” She asked not because she was looking forward to Xie Yun’s return, but because she felt uneasy.

Because the dim night seemed to hint at the arrival of something else.

At first, Xie Yun told her that he married her to escape family pressure, but she knew the real reason. Now that they were finally married, with that man being so lecherous, he definitely wouldn’t let her off easily.

But she had no experience with this at all. The closest she had been to anyone was a few months ago when she kissed Xie Yun on the lips, and most of the other touches were accidental, easily overlooked.

Not to mention whether she liked it or not, the whole thing was simply unacceptable to her now. To be intimately entangled with a somewhat unfamiliar man like this, naked and vulnerable, it felt forced upon her.

But the kiss had already happened; there was no room for her to refuse.

Ran Dong said, “Miss, it’ll probably be soon, maybe another stick of incense.”

“But I heard that Master didn’t drink much today, so you can rest assured.”

Whether he drank or not had nothing to do with her; Sang Yao didn’t care about that at all.

Seeing Sang Yao’s unease, Ran Dong guessed and reassured her, “It’s okay, Miss. It’s normal for you to feel this way when you get married.”

After a pause, she lowered her voice and added, “But Master may not have much experience in this, Miss, so don’t be shy. Just guide him.”

Sang Yao: “…” She didn’t know anything herself, so how could she guide Xie Yun?

She had originally thought to just go along with it; the marriage was done, and she could grit her teeth and get through this. Since Xie Yun had helped her, she had to endure some hardship.

But now it seemed Xie Yun might not know either, and she would have to guide him.

She might as well be dead.

If she couldn’t, then why not just not do it?

Sang Yao didn’t say anything more. After sitting for a while, she found it unbearable and asked, “Did my sister bring the box for me?”

Ran Dong replied, “Yes, she did.”

Originally, she was supposed to open it last night, but she was scared by that little porcelain bowl last night, and forcibly forgot about it. Today, she was busy all day and didn’t have a chance to look at it.

Ran Dong handed her the box. She unlocked it but didn’t open it for her.

As the time drew near, and Xie Yun might return from the front yard at any moment, it wasn’t suitable for Ran Dong to stay here all the time. After hesitating for a while, she said, “Miss, I’ll wait outside. If you need anything, just call me.”

Sang Yao reluctantly agreed.

She took a deep breath and then got off the bed, sitting at the table and opening the small wooden box her sister had given her.

This marriage felt a bit like a blind wedding and dumb marriage. She still occasionally felt fearful and nervous when she saw Xie Yun.

But the marriage was done, so she had to accept it.

She thought her nervousness was because of Xie Yun’s high status and power. Now that she was his wife, she shouldn’t feel that way anymore. To avoid being bullied by Xie Yun in the future, she had to learn the tricks of handling men sooner rather than later.

The box did contain a book. Sang Yao picked it up and quickly flipped through it.

After a glance, Sang Yao closed it again.

What was it? It turned out to be another erotic picture book. A genuine one!

Sang Yao’s face turned pale. She had been shocked for two consecutive nights, and now her mind was full of those terrifying images.

Although she didn’t want to look, Sang Yao carefully put the book back into the box. But at that moment, she noticed that there seemed to be a few copper coins at the bottom of the box.

She was a little curious, so she picked one up. When she held it up to the candlelight, she saw the words “Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon” engraved on it.

Sang Yao breathed a sigh of relief. See? These copper coins were much more discreet.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside, Ran Dong’s voice as she greeted Xie Yun.

“Master.”

Sang Yao’s heart tightened, and she quickly closed the wooden box with a snap, then turned around and sat back on the bed. The door suddenly opened.

Xie Yun walked in, and the girl was now sitting obediently on the bed.

He paused for a moment, then looked at her and asked, “What were you doing just now?”

She was still holding the copper coin tightly in her hand. Sang Yao said, “Waiting for you to come back.”

Xie Yun entered and casually closed the door.

He had changed into a different outfit, probably after taking a bath before coming to find Sang Yao. But he wasn’t wearing a red nightgown like her; instead, he wore a casual robe.

Sang Yao was a little dissatisfied. Why was she the only one wearing strange clothes? Xie Yun’s gaze fell on Sang Yao, and it was quite obvious that she was a little nervous, but he didn’t bother to expose her.

Now that her glamorous makeup had been washed away, revealing a beautiful face like a water lily. After confirming it countless times, Xie Yun felt that Sang Yao was indeed more beautiful than others. With such a beautiful face, any style had its own unique charm.

To ease the awkwardness, Sang Yao tried to speak naturally, “You’re back.”

It was actually a very ordinary thing to say.

Her mother used to say the same thing to her father all the time. Xie Yun had been busy with many things recently, so he hadn’t really fantasized about his life with Sang Yao.

But now, he actually had a concrete idea about it. Strange as it may sound, it wasn’t bad at all.

He nodded quietly.

He walked slowly towards her, and Sang Yao inexplicably began to feel nervous. She involuntarily stiffened her body, and her shoulders shrank slightly.

Her actions were noticed by Xie Yun.

After removing the elaborate wedding attire, it was even more apparent that she was a bit thin. Although it wasn’t obvious, the lines of her shoulders and neck became more distinct.

Xie Yun didn’t approach the bed; he stopped at the round table.

But Sang Yao didn’t relax because of this.

Her little box was still there, unlocked and lying openly in Xie Yun’s gaze. Xie Yun raised his hand slightly.

Sang Yao held her breath nervously. If Xie Yun didn’t come to the bed, and if he saw the erotic picture book, she wouldn’t need to look for a hiding place; she might as well just die.