Chapter 14

After Chen Yue left, Tangxiu found herself unable to sleep, a rare occurrence.

She lay flat, then rolled onto her side, tossing and turning, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Chen Yue’s gaze as he left, as if she had committed a grave sin by sending him away.

Tangxiu hadn’t felt a shred of guilt—she hadn’t even blamed Chen Yue for colluding with Liucai, depriving her of a night of enjoyment. She was an idiot if she blamed herself—but now, she was pondering whether she had been a little too cold to him.

If she had sat down and talked to Chen Yue properly before letting him go, would the outcome have been better?

They had been married for so long after all, and she still had the patience to have a calm conversation.

Of course, she wasn’t sure if she would have had time to talk to Chen Yue if she had really let him stay.

Men and women, in the end, were just like that. She had planned to do something with the official tonight, and Chen Yue had planned to do something in his place. They both knew what was on each other’s minds. The Book of Rites said, “Food and sex, the great desires of man exist.” Tangxiu didn’t think there was anything wrong with what happened tonight. But no matter what, she didn’t want to sleep with Chen Yue.

They were already divorced. Couldn’t he just be a decent ex-husband? Why did he have to keep appearing in front of her, deliberately provoking her? She couldn’t believe he wasn’t afraid of the tangled mess they were in.

Thinking about it carefully, maybe he was actually hoping to stay connected, to keep her entangled with him, a difficult ex-husband in every way. That way, she would never be able to find another man.

What a terrible intention.

After a while of overthinking, Tangxiu gave up, opened her eyes, and got up to pour some tea.

The tea had long since gone cold. Tangxiu was too lazy to get some hot tea. She just gulped it down. Even after she finished, her chest still heaved, as if an invisible fire was burning in her heart.

Admittedly, this fire was different from the one in her dream. It was purely ignited by Chen Yue’s kiss.

And Tangxiu was in no mood to find a new official to put out the fire.

She was annoyed.

She was furious with Chen Yue.

It was all his fault!

She poured another cup of tea. The teapot was completely empty. But Tangxiu still felt a burning sensation in her chest. She had no choice but to take out the incense she had put away earlier and also find Feng Jingrong’s old robe to put on. She leaned against the headboard, hugging her knees and smelling the incense.

The incense Feng Jingrong used was very pleasant, with a light, elegant scent, very refined, with a sense of tranquility and far-reaching peace. Surrounded by this fragrance, Tangxiu gradually calmed down, and the fire in her heart subsided.

She rubbed her dry eyes. She seemed a little sleepy.

The incense was nearly burnt out. Tangxiu added some new incense to the burner to keep it burning, then turned around and got into bed to sleep.

She didn’t sleep for long. When Tangxiu opened her eyes again, it was still dark. The outside was quiet, and the servants hadn’t woken up yet.

She couldn’t sleep no matter what. Tangxiu irritably ruffled her hair.

She got out of bed. She didn’t call Liucai. She casually tied up her hair, picked up a lantern, and went out.

It was only the windy

people on the estate still asleep, but the fields and hills were also pitch black, silent, and empty. A rooster crowed in the distance. Dew dripped from the treetops, falling on her, cool and refreshing. Tangxiu looked down at the path, avoiding the slippery moss.

But no matter how careful she was, she still tripped halfway through.

She didn’t fall completely. Someone caught her.

There had been no one around just a moment ago, but now, an arm stretched out from the side, wrapping around her waist. With a pull, she was brought to a place without moss.

“…”

The mountain was even quieter.

The early morning wind came from afar, rustling through the trees, passing over the river, but it didn’t wake her up. Instead, it made her thoughts more chaotic and complex. The lantern in front of her swayed. Tangxiu took a deep breath. She could feel the chest pressed against her back, hot and burning, and the arm around her waist was as hard as stone.

He lowered his head, his nose brushing against her neck, his breath heavy and hot, scorching.

It was as if he, like her before, had a fire burning inside him.

Tangxiu didn’t struggle.

She just said softly, “Let go.”

Chen Yue didn’t say anything. But she could feel him shaking his head.

Then he moved closer. First, Tangxiu felt a sudden chill on the side of her neck, followed by a wave of heat, then a slight tingling. He had actually pulled open her robe collar and sucked on her neck.

This reckless act made Tangxiu frown.

She reached out with her free hand, pinching his cheek. She repeated, “Let go.”

Chen Yue’s face was almost deformed from being pinched, but he insisted, “No.”

As soon as he spoke, he hugged her tighter, almost squeezing her into his body.

The heat surged like a tide, engulfing her completely. His breath was heavier and hotter than before, even becoming rough. Tangxiu felt like the parts of her body pressed against him were about to melt away from his heat. The overly familiar temperature made her legs go weak, and she couldn’t stand properly.

This wouldn’t do.

Her mind and body were both agitated, but Tangxiu’s mind was clear. She couldn’t let this happen.

They were already divorced.

So, when Chen Yue pulled her collar open again and leaned in to kiss her, Tangxiu closed her eyes. The ripples in her heart, stirred by his warmth, were forcibly calmed.

Chen Yue was a martial artist, so his strength was undeniable. Tangxiu had never even considered using physical force to resist him. Especially now, he was like a rogue, his face so thick that she couldn’t even pinch it. Tangxiu decided to take a different approach.

She said, “Why are you here at this hour?”

Just those words made the arm around her waist stiffen slightly. Tangxiu took advantage of the moment and pried it away, finally breaking free from Chen Yue’s embrace.

She steadied herself and touched her neck. It was still slightly warm. She didn’t need to look to know that he had kissed it red.

Tangxiu sighed in exasperation.

He probably wouldn’t break his habit of leaving his mark on her.

It was as if, as long as he had marked her, she belonged to him alone.

Wiping away the remaining moisture, Tangxiu straightened her collar, then looked down at her clothes. The robe, which had been pristine when she left, was now wrinkled and crumpled. She brushed it off in disgust, but it was useless. She simply turned away, pretending not to see it, and urged Chen Yue with her eyes. He hadn’t answered her question yet.

Their eyes met. With Tangxiu’s sharp eyesight and her understanding of Chen Yue, she immediately saw that he was feeling guilty.

Tangxiu thought something was wrong.

What was he guilty about?

Could it be…

“I didn’t leave.”

As soon as he said that, Tangxiu was taken aback.

“…What?”

“I’ve been outside the estate, I didn’t leave.”

“The whole time?”

“Yes.”

“From last night until just now?”

“Yes.”

Tangxiu wondered if Chen Yue had been driven crazy by the night wind.

From last night until just now, that was at least four hours. He had been guarding outside the estate the whole time?

What was he guarding? If she hadn’t come out, who was he guarding for?

Was he so sure he would be able to wait for her?

Tangxiu couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, you’re crazy,” Tangxiu said, genuinely annoyed. There was a hint of laughter in her voice, but it was a dangerous kind of laughter. “I told you to go back. Don’t you understand?”

Tangxiu was speechless.

What was wrong with this man? She had even found an official and sent him away. If it had been any other man, he would probably have wanted to cut off all ties with her and never see her again. But Chen Yue didn’t seem to care at all. He even waited for her specifically?

Who would believe this? The Commander of theEmbroidered Uniform Guard，completely unfazed by a woman stepping all over his dignity?

Tangxiu realized she had been too naive. Chen Yue wasn’t just a decent ex-husband. He was clearly the best in the world. His tolerance was greater than a prime minister’s.

Tangxiu was more and more annoyed. She couldn’t help but laugh again.

Her laughter was cold and mocking, making the already dark depths of Chen Yue’s eyes even darker. Wasn’t it natural for a husband to wait for his wife? But seeing that Tangxiu was genuinely angry, he knew that even if he explained, she wouldn’t listen now. He could only say, “I’m sorry. Don’t be angry.”

Tangxiu ignored him.

Her fingers, gripping the wooden handle of the lantern, turned white. She was squeezing it hard, as if it were him, and she wanted to strangle him right there, to save him from tormenting her like this every day.

When Tangxiu didn’t respond, Chen Yue didn’t say anything either.

He stood opposite her, silent as a pine tree, his gray robe almost blending into the night.

“…Forget it.”

After a fit of anger, Tangxiu also came to her senses. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” She had fallen for him in the first place, which meant that he must have something different about him compared to ordinary men. She just hadn’t discovered it before. It wasn’t too late to find out now.

So, “Sit down,” she told Chen Yue. “We’re going to have a good talk today. Tell me exactly what you’re thinking.”

It was clearly a commanding tone, but Chen Yue seemed to hear it as a perfectly ordinary request. He found a nearby tree stump, cleared it, and even laid down a handkerchief, gesturing for Tangxiu to sit first.

Tangxiu was speechless.

Did he really have no temper at all?

Or was he deliberately showing weakness, trying to soften her heart?

Tangxiu looked at Chen Yue with a complex expression, momentarily finding his emotionless face rather inscrutable.

“Come on, sit,” Chen Yue had no idea what she was thinking. He assumed she thought one handkerchief wasn’t enough, so he pulled out a second one from his sleeve and laid it down. “It’s clean.”

Tangxiu: …

Tangxiu said, “Where did you get so many handkerchiefs?”

Chen Yue said, “I don’t know. I just grabbed a few when I left.”

Tangxiu wanted to ask further, but she suddenly remembered that this was a habit he had developed because of her.

It was all because of that incident.

Sometimes, they would get carried away in the study or somewhere else, and she would be too embarrassed to ask someone to clean up. He would use her handkerchief to wipe her down. Over time, he started carrying handkerchiefs with him. He was even mocked behind his back for carrying a woman’s handkerchief. People said he probably had rouge and powder on him too. This made Commander Chen seem less intimidating.

And indeed, for a while, Chen Yue did carry face powder and lipstick with him, so he could directly touch up her makeup after their intimate moments outside.

Her thoughts drifted back. Looking at the two handkerchiefs side by side, Tangxiu felt uncomfortable. It was as if they had just made love under the open sky.

Tangxiu instinctively tightened her grip on the lantern’s wooden handle.

This summer night was truly stifling.