Chapter 76.2

It was still early in the day, but the curtains were drawn.

Lu Yu put on his coat and opened the door awkwardly. When the door opened, the noisy sounds outside became clearer.

Unable to control her gaze, Jiang Nian’s eyes slowly drifted downwards.

Suddenly, her cheeks turned bright red, and she quickly pulled the blanket over herself, covering up tightly.

Lu Yu’s ears reddened slightly, and he coughed lightly  before fastening his collar and leaving the room.

The noise outside intensified when the door opened.

Jiang Nian pushed aside the blanket and curtains. Bright sunlight poured into the room. She patted her still slightly flushed cheeks, got up, straightened her clothes, and put on her shoes. The lively atmosphere outside and the scent of alcohol drifted in.

Before long, Chen Ping and He Yue came in. He Yue smiled and talked with Jiang Nian, while Chen Ping interjected, “Jiang Nian, will you be living in the family apartment from now on? Or at the embroidery shop?”

Jiang Nian looked calmly at Chen Ping. Although she concealed it well, Jiang Nian could still see the embarrassment and stiffness in her eyes.

Jiang Nian: …

He Yue glanced at Chen Ping, “Isn’t your question pointless? Jiang Nian and Commander Lu are married. They’re a couple. Why wouldn’t they live together?”

Chen Ping: …

She spoke without thinking.

As it grew dark, Lu Yu and the others arrived.

The bridal chamber pranks^[1]This tradition can date back to Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) and originally refers to nao dongfang (闹洞房, lit. teasing the new couple in the wedding chamber), where guests make fun of the bride … Continue reading here were more intense than usual, especially within the military.

Lu Yu was forced to do 300 push-ups, and then squat up and down while holding Jiang Nian. It was all about endurance. Jiang Nian was genuinely frightened, her hands embracing Lu Yu’s neck, while the man effortlessly held her, and people around them cheered and counted.

But that wasn’t all. Chen Yao and the others came up with several more playful tricks. Jiang Nian watched as Lu Yu’s forehead beaded with sweat. For the first time, she felt genuine concern. Unable to hold back, she reached out and wiped his sweat-drenched brow.

Chen Yao clapped and laughed, “Sister-in-law is worried!”

Others teased, “Give her a kiss, give her a kiss.”

Jiang Nian blushed deeply, and Lu Yu didn’t hesitate to kiss her on the lips in front of everyone, causing the room to erupt in laughter.

Usually, it was Lu Yu who trained them, but today they finally had the chance to play with him.

The lively scene continued until midnight.

Jiang Nian didn’t do anything the whole time, yet she felt utterly exhausted. Lu Yu had been teased by Chen Yao and the others the whole time, but he remained energetic. After everyone left, Lu Yu carried Jiang Nian to the bed. “Go take a shower first. I’ll clean up here.”

Jiang Nian nodded gently. After Lu Yu left, she took off her red wedding outfit and wanted to put on her own clothes. However, she realized her clothes were in the closet in the adjacent room.

At the moment, she was naked and exposed, with nothing to cover herself. Jiang Nian opened the closet door, where Lu Yu’s military uniform and white shirts were hanging.

Jiang Nian took Lu Yu’s white shirt and put it on. He was tall with long legs, and the shirt was large, covering Jiang Nian’s thighs perfectly. She sighed as she listened to the sound of sweeping outside. Walking to the door, she opened a crack and saw Lu Yu sweeping the floor outside, bending over with his back arched, cleaning up melon seeds and candy wrappers.

Upon hearing the door open, Lu Yu looked up.

With the door slightly ajar, Jiang Nian grabbed the edge of the door, poked half of her head out, cheeks slightly flushed. She whispered to him, “Turn around first.”

Lu Yu’s tall figure suddenly tensed. His deep black eyes glanced through the crack of the door and vaguely saw Jiang Nian wearing the white shirt, its hem leaning against the door inside, with only scattered light from the floor visible.

The man’s Adam’s apple moved, his voice suddenly hoarse, “Alright.”

Seeing Lu Yu turn around, Jiang Nian gathered her courage and opened the door, running towards the bathroom. Lu Yu heard the small steps thudding as she ran. Unable to resist, he turned back and saw a flash of white running towards the bathroom. She wore his white shirt, the hem fluttering in the wind as she moved.

Lu Yu saw something he shouldn’t have seen.

His eyes darkened suddenly. The veins on the back of his hand gradually became distinct. Separated by a door, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. Lu Yu tightly pursed his lips, quickly finished cleaning the room, took off his jacket, and hung it on the hook.

Jiang Nian stayed in the bathroom for a long time. When she came out, she felt refreshed. She was still wearing Lu Yu’s white shirt, her hair wiped dry but still dripping water from the tips, trickling down her neck and into the collarbone hollow.

Her eyelashes were moist, tinged with a blush after the steam from the hot water.

Jiang Nian didn’t expect to see Lu Yu standing outside the bathroom when she opened the door. He was shirtless, wearing military pants with a black belt buckle around his waist. In a blink of an eye, his powerful and lean abdominal muscles appeared before Jiang Nian.

She trembled with surprise. Before she could look up, Lu Yu pressed her against the wall, his arm around her waist, his head lowered to lock her lips.

Steam filled the air, and Jiang Nian suddenly felt unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

The strength in that arm seemed to embed her into the bones. The collar of the shirt trembled and swayed as she moved.

Jiang Nian felt the intensity of passion for the first time.

Lu Yu, who had been restrained all along, faced Jiang Nian at this moment. Her heartbeat accelerated violently. When she finally saw clearly what was in front of her, she was already lifted by Lu Yu. Jiang Nian was so frightened that she hugged Lu Yu’s neck, the shirt clinging tightly to his body.

Both of them froze for a moment.

Jiang Nian’s face suddenly blushed completely. The expression in Lu Yu’s eyes darkened even more than before.

From the bathroom to the outer room, and then to the inner room, Jiang Nian didn’t react until she fell on the bed. She turned her head slightly, hands propped on Lu Yu’s shoulders. His arm muscles were symmetrical and taut, feeling like iron to Jiang Nian. She whispered softly, “Take a bath first.”

She pursed her lips, adding, “You smell of alcohol and sweat.”

“Okay.”

Lu Yu’s voice was deep and husky.

He got up and went to the bathroom. Jiang Nian suddenly felt light-hearted. She gathered the red dates and peanuts on the bed, swept the bed, then changed into a vest and shorts, crawling into the warm bed. After all the fuss, Jiang Nian fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

On her wedding night, she slept even more deeply than a pig.

When Lu Yu came out of the bathroom, he saw Jiang Nian lying on her side, her snow-white arms resting on the bed, legs wrapped in the quilt, sleeping soundly.

Lu Yu: …

He wiped his head with a towel, suppressing a yawn. Walking over, he lay down on the bed, lifting the covers and scooping Jiang Nian into his arms. She nestled in the crook of his arm, finding a comfortable sleeping position.

Then her hand touched his body and chuckled softly in her sleep, “Abs, eight-pack.”

Lu Yu: …

He gently pinched Jiang Nian’s cheeks, looking at the blush on her lips. With narrowed eyes, he called out softly, “Jiang Nian.”

The sleeping person murmured in response and snuggled closer into his embrace.

Lu Yu: …

The man pinched the throbbing vein on his forehead, sighed weakly, and hugged Jiang Nian tightly, without a trace of sleepiness.

Compared to Lu Yu, Jiang Nian slept deeply this night.

It had been a long time since she dreamed of her home in the new century, but unexpectedly, she dreamed again tonight.

Just as before, she pushed open the door and saw her grandparents, father, and mother sitting at the table eating. This time, there was no ‘Jiang Nian’, but her family was just like last time, as if they couldn’t see her. Jiang Nian frowned slightly, sitting on the empty seat, watching her father and mother talking beside her. Her eyes were slightly moist.

“Dad, I got married.”

“Mom, I’m married.”

Jiang Nian looked at them, but in her parents’ eyes, she had indeed become an invisible person.

The only regret of marriage was the absence of her closest family. Jiang Nian sniffed, unable to control her tears. She got up and ran back to her room, which was still as clean and tidy as before, except for the book missing from the table.

‘Jiang Nian’ was not there.

She almost doubted whether the dream from last time was just a dream or a real event.

Jiang Nian sat by the bed for a long time, then slowly lay down. When her hand touched the corner of the orange-shell notebook under the pillow, she didn’t remember having this notebook. So she took it out and hesitated for a long time before opening it.

——Jiang Nian.

The handwriting was a bit twisted, completely different from hers. At first glance, it looked like it was just learning to write.

Jiang Nian instantly thought of another ‘Jiang Nian’.

At this moment, curiosity overcame morality. She wanted to see what ‘Jiang Nian’ had written, wanted to know what connection existed between her and this ‘Jiang Nian’. More importantly, she wanted to know why she kept dreaming back to the new century?

Just as she flipped to the first page, her waist suddenly tightened. Before she could react, 

The scene in front of her shattered and disappeared. Jiang Nian blinked drowsily and saw Lu Yu close by. She blinked in confusion and asked with a sleepy, soft voice, “What are you doing?”

Lu Yu replied, “Continuing what we didn’t finish last night.”

Having not slept half the night, with the soft fragrance in his arms, and it being their wedding night, Lu Yu abandoned all restraint he might have had!