Chapter 25 If I dislike you, you have nothing to do with me

“Do you ever feel like I’m too rough, not good enough for you?”
Lan Xubai had always wanted to ask that. He was curious and hopeful, eagerly awaiting Lian Nanshu’s answer.

She puffed up her cheeks and stubbornly refused to answer.

Lan Xubai’s heart raced, nervous and anxious, eyes fixed on her with anticipation.

“I’m not telling you,” she said. “I’m going to dry my hair. You should go take a shower.”

Suddenly breaking away from his embrace, Lian Nanshu got up and went into the room to get the hairdryer.

In this era, owning a hairdryer was already considered a luxury. Although not as advanced as modern ones, it was far better than having none at all.

Lan Xubai felt a little disappointed at not getting an answer, but he comforted himself—there would be time.

Five minutes later, after coming out of the washroom, he was outside in the courtyard doing laundry.

When Lian Nanshu finished drying her hair and applying skincare, she began to wonder, “Is he angry?”
She had deliberately kept him in suspense by not answering his question earlier.

Still wondering, she stepped into the main hall—only to see him, in a sleeveless shirt, hanging up laundry.

He had just finished washing and was hanging up clothes, including her intimate garments.

Lian Nanshu was instantly embarrassed. She quickly turned around and rushed back to the bedroom.

Lying face-down on the bed, she touched her flushed face and remembered how he had been doing her laundry these past few days. Her heart swelled with both shyness and joy.

“Where else could I find such a wonderful soldier like him? Lian Nanshu, you really ought to be thankful!”

Becoming Lian Nanshu might just have been a blessing.

Lan Xubai finished the laundry and wiped his body down with a towel.

When he walked into the room, he saw Lian Nanshu lying face-down on the bed, her legs kicking lightly against the mattress.

Her legs, half-exposed and alluring, made him sigh in frustration. He had originally planned to go easy on her tonight, but she was unknowingly tempting him nonstop.

“Once your hair’s dry, you should rest. If your face looks better tomorrow, I’ll take you out for a walk.”

Lan Xubai did his best to avoid looking at her. He shut the door, went around to the other side, lifted the blanket, and lay down.

“Go to sleep,” he said.

He didn’t get a reply, and his heart sank.

Lian Nanshu now realized—he was mad.

She shifted closer, but Lan Xubai didn’t respond right away. That moment of being ignored made her feel oddly uncomfortable.

After hesitating, she snuggled up to him on her own.

“Stop messing around, just go to sleep,” Lan Xubai said, grabbing her hand to stop her from tickling him.

Feeling rejected, Lian Nanshu was upset.

Lan Xubai pulled the blanket over her.

She lay down helplessly, staring at the dark ceiling.

Is he really mad? she wondered.

She had only wanted to tease him a little, hadn’t expected him to completely ignore her.

“Soldier boy~” Lian Nanshu turned over and called out sweetly.

Lan Xubai’s Adam’s apple bobbed again, but he still tried hard to restrain himself.

He was still fixated on the fact that she hadn’t answered his question—it clearly bothered him.

When she tried to cuddle with him, he suddenly turned over, causing her to fall awkwardly onto empty space.

That did it—Lian Nanshu got mad too.

She flopped back onto the bed, her back to him, looking pitiful.

Now both of them were upset, lying there in silence, neither sleeping—each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Lan Xubai, hearing no movement from her side, started to worry.

Is she mad? Maybe… maybe she doesn’t like me. Fine, let her be angry.
The more he thought, the more frustrated he became.

After lying there for a long time, Lian Nanshu felt overwhelmed with grievance.

Fine! Don’t touch me for the rest of your life then! she thought angrily.

You’re the one who rejected me first!

She tried to comfort herself with logic, but it didn’t help—she just felt even worse.

She had rarely been this forward, and now she’d been rejected?

It didn’t feel fair.

She turned over again, staring at the ceiling, tears brimming in her eyes from the injustice of it all.

She sniffled and began to cry quietly, barely able to breathe through her nose. A faint sound escaped her lips.

Lan Xubai noticed something was wrong immediately. He turned over and asked, concerned, “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Lian Nanshu, still mad, didn’t respond. She turned her body away from him.

Seeing that, Lan Xubai grew more anxious and reached over, but she immediately shook him off.

“Don’t touch me. I’m sleeping!”

Though she replied, her voice was clearly off.

Lan Xubai sat up and turned on the bedside lamp, then moved closer to her and gently patted her shoulder.

“Is your face still hurting?” His heart clenched with worry.

Hearing his concern only made Lian Nanshu cry harder, tears soaking into the pillow, her body trembling as she wept.

Lan Xubai panicked and gently pulled her into a sitting position.

“I’m sorry! I was wrong!” he pleaded.

She turned her head away from him, refusing to look.

Lan Xubai wiped her tears away. “I really know I was wrong. Please stop crying! You can hit me if you want, okay?”

Still sulking, Lian Nanshu ignored him.

Lan Xubai immediately pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back.

She couldn’t speak through her sobs. She didn’t even know why she was crying—she just was.

It felt like ever since he started taking care of her, she had become more fragile.

“Let go of me!” she snapped, angry now, pushing against him. But she wasn’t strong enough to break free.

“I didn’t mean to ignore you, I just…”

He just felt insecure—because she hadn’t answered his question. How could he not mind?

Lian Nanshu choked out, “Just what? You think I look down on you?”

Lan Xubai fell silent, too ashamed to say yes.

“Is it really that important?” she asked.

Lan Xubai: “It’s important!”

How could it not be important? If he didn’t genuinely care about someone, it would never last. Besides, he really liked Lian Nanshu—how could he not care?

“If I looked down on you, then we…” Lian Nanshu suddenly paused.

“Then what?” Lan Xubai let go of Lian Nanshu and stared at her intensely.

That look of his made Lian Nanshu feel both exasperated and amused. Why was he always so serious?

“Well, say it?” Lan Xubai pressed.

Lian Nanshu, with her thin skin, was completely flustered by his questioning. How was she supposed to answer that?

“If I looked down on you… I would’ve rejected you long ago. I wouldn’t have let you… you know, and then still claim I despise you!” she muttered shyly, lowering her head, her voice barely audible.

But Lan Xubai heard her.

The seriousness vanished from his face, replaced with the joy of a child. “I knew you didn’t look down on me!”

He gently wiped away the tear streaks on her face and leaned in to kiss her when—

“Let me go!” Lian Nanshu raised her hand to block him, firmly rejecting the kiss.

Lan Xubai only laughed and pulled her back into his arms. “Nanshu, I won’t let you be sad again. This time, it was my fault.”

He had thought she rejected him because she truly despised him, and realizing he had made her sad because of that misunderstanding, he felt both guilty and excited.

But Lan Xubai’s mood changed too fast, and Lian Nanshu was still mad and hadn’t calmed down yet.

“I haven’t forgiven you! Let go of me!” she puffed her cheeks angrily and pushed him away.

“Nope!”

“I said let go!” she struggled again.

Lan Xubai did loosen his hold, but just as Lian Nanshu let her guard down—smooch!—he stole a kiss.

“You shameless jerk!” Lian Nanshu fumed, covering her lips where he kissed her.

Even though she was still mad inside, she couldn’t help but feel a little shy too.

“A husband kissing his wife—it’s perfectly natural!” Lan Xubai said with a smug grin, giving her no chance to rest or refuse.