Chapter 79

Sang Yao was lying on Xie Yun’s body, her cheek against his chest, her rosy lips moving as she talked.

Because of the hot weather, the thin blanket had slipped down to Sang Yao’s waist.

As she spoke, her fingers idly played with Xie Yun’s, her long lashes brushing against his chest, tickling him.

Xie Yun frowned in silence for a moment.

A few years ago?

He couldn’t recall Sang Yao’s name from a few years ago.

Their interaction had been minimal.

When she first appeared at the Ministry of Justice, he had looked at her beautiful face and vaguely remembered seeing her before, but he couldn’t quite place her.

So where did this “starting a few years ago” come from?

And most importantly, not long ago, this girl had just turned eighteen.

A few years ago, she might not have even been fifteen yet.

Though he might be a scoundrel, he couldn’t have had any thoughts about such a young girl.

He asked, “What do you mean by a few years ago?”

Sang Yao snorted.

She knew Xie Yun wouldn’t easily admit it.

They had known each other for so long, not only had they married, but they had also consummated their marriage.

Maybe soon they would have a child, but this stubborn man still wouldn’t admit he liked her.

She turned her head to the side, then said, “Xie Yun, you’re really good at pretending. It’s so obvious, and yet here you are, still not willing to admit it. After all this time together, I know you better than anyone else.”

Xie Yun’s true nature was known only to himself.

But hearing this kind of talk at this moment left him perplexed.

“What do you mean by my true nature?”

Sang Yao thought Xie Yun was too formidable.

With his attitude, it’s no wonder the Xie family chose him as the family head.

He genuinely wasn’t afraid of her directly throwing that book at him.

Sang Yao stayed silent for a moment, then said, “Anyway, I have evidence.”

She had mentioned the so-called evidence more than once.

Xie Yun’s hand rested on Sang Yao’s rounded shoulder.

He often couldn’t understand what this little apple was thinking.

He said she liked him from the start, but sometimes her actions didn’t seem like those of someone deeply in love.

Saying she didn’t like him…

That was not possible.

So she must be playing a game, a classic strategy of playing hard to get.

That’s why she never openly admitted her feelings for him, but she had let slip many times.

She refused to admit it and yet was eager to prove that he loved her too much.

She was adorable.

Thinking of this, Xie Yun didn’t want to push her further.

Since she said there was evidence, then there must be.

Xie Yun’s hand slid to her waist and hip, gently teasing.

Sang Yao shifted, wanting to evade his touch. But Xie Yun always pursued, and Sang Yao sat half on him, her face serious.

She always felt too passive; it was supposed to be a husband and wife affair, yet she had no initiative last night.

Xie Yun kept asking her, “So, show me your evidence.”

Sang Yao stared at him tightly, wondering how this man could be so composed.

Would he still be so composed when he saw the little book?

Sang Yao ignored his warning and shifted backward.

Xie Yun’s expression changed, and he said, “Don’t move.”

Sang Yao had initially thought that consummating the marriage would be very painful, as she was told it would be by the nursemaids.

They had advised her to endure it and grit her teeth through it.

Sang Yao had always thought so.

But last night wasn’t as terrifying as she had imagined.

Because Xie Yun didn’t enter directly. He kissed her for a long time, like…

If we don’t count the red marks on her body elsewhere, she hadn’t actually been hurt much.

So, generally speaking, she didn’t feel too bad.

Sang Yao reached into the thin quilt boldly, grasping Xie Yun’s hand.

“Take it out,” she said.

“This thing has been poking me for ages. Even when he’s like this, he can still talk to me with a cold face. He’s really inhuman.”

Xie Yun’s face darkened. “Let go.”

Sang Yao didn’t dare hold on for too long, but she didn’t want to show weakness, so she said, “You tell me, is this your true nature?”

Xie Yun squeezed her waist, his breath somewhat heavy.

Clear and inappropriate images flooded his mind.

He was so close to not having to endure.

But Xie Yun still removed her from himself, then said heavily, “Do you want me to change the way I apply the medicine? Why weren’t you this bold last night?”

Sang Yao: “…”

Who will save this shameless man!

Xie Yun couldn’t lie with her anymore, so he lifted the quilt and sat up.

Sang Yao, half-covered in the quilt, sat behind him.

The light was bright, and her gaze traveled down from the man’s broad shoulders to his prominent shoulder blades, smooth muscle lines, and narrow waist.

Sang Yao naturally noticed the tattoo on his side waist.

This time, she saw it much clearer than before.

It was a soaring falcon, a species not common in the capital but a fierce bird in the borderlands.

The falcon’s wings extended down to his lower back, with some wrapping around the right side of his abdomen.

Its sharp beak, curved claws, all seemed out of place for the scholarly and refined man before her.

Sang Yao couldn’t help but ask, “When did you get this?”

Xie Yun didn’t explain much to her, casually saying, “Several years ago.”

Sang Yao nodded.

She had wanted to ask more questions, but something suddenly occurred to her.

She sat up straight and asked, “Isn’t your leave supposed to be over today? Why didn’t you go to court?”

Xie Yun put on his clothes, the dark garments restoring his usual refined appearance.

He said, “It’s been postponed for a day.”

As he spoke, he was already dressed, while Sang Yao sat on the bed wrapped in a quilt. She stared at him as he washed up and then searched for something on the long table.

She knew this man couldn’t stay by her side all the time.

After finishing searching, Xie Yun walked to the bedside, looking down at the naked girl lying there.

Before experiencing her power, Xie Yun had always scorned lust and desire, but since he got married, he hadn’t underestimated them again.

Getting out of bed seemed to be a difficult task; he couldn’t take Sang Yao with him.

Even though he had claimed her fiercely last night, it still felt insufficient.

It would be best if she stayed by his side every day, but that seemed unlikely.

Xie Yun kissed her lips lightly and said, “Rest for a while. I’ll be back soon.”

Sang Yao nodded without asking where he was going; he was busy every day anyway.

Xie Yun smiled and whispered in her ear, “Don’t walk too much today; you might feel uncomfortable.”

“…” She needed the strength to walk, though.

After Xie Yun left, Sang Yao lay on the bed for a while, then slowly called Huaimeng in to help her get dressed.

She didn’t have much strength; although her body didn’t hurt, her limbs still felt weak.

She had planned to find Yuzhi today, but now it seemed impossible.

Shortly after, the clear sky darkened, clouds gathered, and it began to drizzle.

The sound of rain pattered down, and the dampness spread.

Sang Yao decided not to go out anymore. She asked Huaimeng to bring the account books that had been sent recently.

She was still managing the estate her father entrusted to her. Although she claimed not to like looking at the account books, she would still glance at them from time to time.

The Xie family was a prominent one.

Although Sang Yao had only recently married into it, she had already discovered that many things were not as simple as they seemed on the surface.

She might not be very clever, but as Xie Yun’s wife, even though she didn’t have to worry about these things now, one day in the future, she would need to have a basic understanding of household affairs.

In order not to be led by others in the future, she had to take the initiative to learn about some things.

Looking at account books, managing shops, these were just some of them.

Xie Yun had said he would be back soon, but an hour had passed, and there was no sign of him coming back.

It wasn’t until Randong came over and handed a letter to Sang Yao, “Miss, this is from the Sang family.”

Sang Yao was surprised, “Is it from my father?”

Randong shook her head, whispering, “It’s from the master.” Sang Yao bit her lip and opened the letter.

After scanning it quickly, Sang Yao folded the letter and said, “Send it back.”

After a moment of thought, she added, “In the future, they don’t need to send their letters to me.”

Randong nodded.

Seeing Sang Yao’s obvious displeasure, she could guess what the letter contained.

She suggested, “Miss, should I find a way to tell the master to talk to the eldest master?”

Sang Yao shook her head, “No need.”

In fact, the content of the letter was very simple.

After lengthy greetings, it was asking her to whisper in Xie Yun’s ear.

He shouldn’t have said anything; now that he did, Sang Yao might have to curse him in Xie Yun’s ear.

With this happening, Sang Yao had no mood to look at account books anymore.

The rain outside continued, washing the leaves brighter.

The cool breeze coming in from the window made people feel refreshed.

Sang Yao called for a chair to be placed under the eaves and sat down with the unfinished letter.

But after reading two pages, she found it uninteresting and remembered the little booklet Xie Yun wrote.

She couldn’t help but wonder what the difference was between real affairs and Xie Yun’s imagined affairs.

She hadn’t read it in a long time and was somewhat curious. She said, “Huaimeng, take out the booklet from my little box.”

“The key is under the vase.”

At this moment, Jinglian was walking briskly on the stone path.

With him was a former attendant of Xie Yun, named Caixu.

He had been transferred elsewhere later on, and Jinglian had never liked him much.

It couldn’t be said why, maybe it was because he had a sleazy demeanor.

Caixu sighed and said to him, “I never thought the master would have a day like this.”

No kidding, didn’t he know who their young lady was?

Jinglian nodded and said, “The young lady is beautiful and gentle, and the master has a good eye.”

Caixu nodded, “Indeed.”

“But I can’t help feeling a bit regretful.”

Regretful?

Jinglian squinted at him, “Oh?”

Caixu lowered his voice, just thinking of chatting, and said, “Let me tell you secretly, I used to think the master would be with the daughter of Minister Li. I thought they were a perfect match.”

Jinglian didn’t say anything.

Caixu continued, “I even accidentally bought a couple of their booklets before. They were so sentimental.”

“Although I don’t know much about Miss Li, I thought the master and Miss Li were a perfect match!”

He paused, “Hey? Jinglian, what’s with your expression?”

Jinglian smiled and finally found the reason why he had never liked him.

What other expression could there be? It was the expression of your impending doom.

He smiled, “Caixu, you’ve worked hard all these years. But I will pass on your words to the master as they are. Good luck.”

After saying that, he walked away directly, heading to Xiyuan at Xie Yun’s command to pass a message to Sang Yao.

As he approached, he saw a girl in a purple dress sitting quietly under the eaves, reading a book.

So beautiful.

Jinglian’s eyes were purified in that moment.

He walked quickly and said, “Madam.”

Sang Yao moved her gaze from the booklet and looked at Jinglian, surprised. “Jinglian, why are you here?”

Jinglian said, “Madam, the master asked me to tell you that Mr. Chen came by just now, and he might need another incense stick before he can come back.”

Sang Yao nodded.

Jinglian was about to leave when his gaze suddenly fell on the book in Sang Yao’s hand.

Hmm? It looked somewhat familiar.

Not sure, he took another look.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The yellowed color, the curled corners of the book, the perfect thickness, everything matched with the precious book that disappeared a few months ago.

Even if it turned into ashes, he would recognize it! Sang Yao looked at him and said, “Jinglian?”

Jinglian’s throat seemed to be stuck.

His fingers were stiff, and he couldn’t speak or move.

He had seen many storms in his life and couldn’t remember most of it.

But … he might always remember this moment.