Chapter 31: Uncontrollable Emotions

Looking at the dazed, silly boy in front of her, Nan Qiao couldn’t help but feel playful. She lightly tapped her fingers on his chest.

When she felt his chest muscles suddenly tense up, her smile grew even more radiant.

“Still not letting go?”

The girl’s breath was warm and fragrant as it brushed against Sheng Yanchuan’s neck.

His body froze. Looking at her red lips so close to his, he involuntarily leaned down slightly, inching toward that enticing color.

The arm wrapped around Nan Qiao’s waist tightened even more.

Seeing his movement, Nan Qiao no longer felt like joking. A trace of panic rose within her.

His arm around her waist was holding her tightly. She tried to push him away, but couldn’t budge him. At this moment, his strength seemed overwhelming. Watching his handsome face draw closer, she felt uneasy—maybe because it was their first time being so intimate. Her long lashes trembled slightly, casting a shadow under her eyes, and her gaze was filled with emotion—but she didn’t know how to respond.

Though she didn’t dislike Sheng Yanchuan, they hadn’t known each other long. Even if she now knew he was the second young master, there was still so much she didn’t understand.

Instinctively, she reached up and covered his mouth.

“No… you can’t.”

Feeling her rejection, Sheng Yanchuan snapped out of it. As if scalded, he instantly released his grip on her waist, flustered and worried that he had made her angry.

“S-sorry, I… I…”

Seeing him stammer for so long without finishing, Nan Qiao didn’t say anything. She simply closed the window.

With the sound of the latch clicking into place and her calm “Go back and rest,” it felt like Sheng Yanchuan’s heart was hanging by a thread—tense and uneasy.

He stared at the shut window and the now-darkened room. Then, with a regretful slap to his own face, he silently cursed himself.

He’d always been steady and self-controlled—how had he lost it like that just now? How could he have acted that way toward her?

He wanted to say something more, to explain, but he was afraid she was still angry and it would only make things worse.

For a long moment, he stood there, unsure what to do. He didn’t even know how long he had waited before finally letting out a sigh and turning to leave.

Inside the house, after closing the window and lying on the bed, Nan Qiao’s heart was pounding uncontrollably.

Logically, she should have been angry at Sheng Yanchuan’s disrespectful action. After all, they weren’t even in a relationship yet, and for this era, what he did was crossing the line.

But instead, she realized she wasn’t angry—she was even a little… expectant. If it weren’t for the lingering unease from being in this unfamiliar world, maybe she wouldn’t have stopped him…

Still, she felt like something was missing. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

Looking at Sheng Yanchuan’s silhouette on the window, Nan Qiao eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Whether Sheng Yanchuan slept well that night was unknown—but Nan Qiao certainly did.

The next morning, before the alarm even rang, Nan Qiao was already awake. The early sunlight shone through the gaps in the wooden window, casting dappled spots of light across the room through the pale blue curtains.

She stretched lazily and entered her space to wash up. Normally, her body needed at least eight hours of sleep to feel rested. But ever since she started drinking the “Wuzhuo Water,” four or five hours had been plenty.

Still, she loved the feeling of sleep. If she could stay in bed a little longer, she would never get up early without reason.

In the space, Bai Man sensed Nan Qiao the moment she arrived. He dropped the prey he had just caught and bolted down the mountain.

Seeing Nan Qiao’s figure, he immediately lit up and ran over affectionately.

But when she saw his blood-stained mouth, she ducked behind the water vat in disgust. “Wait, wait! Don’t move!”

Hearing her command, Bai Man obediently screeched to a halt, leaving a long trail behind him.

His big tiger head tilted slightly, eyes bright and puzzled, as if asking why she wouldn’t let him come over.

“What were you doing? Why is your mouth full of blood?” she asked. Once he sat down, she stepped out and grabbed a wet towel to wipe the blood from his mouth.

Feeling her care, Bai Man squinted his eyes and purred deeply from his throat, patiently waiting for her to finish cleaning.

“Went hunting?” she asked, tossing the towel in the trash after wiping him clean.

“Awuu~”

“Ah, the animals on the mountain have spiritual energy too. I bet they taste great.”

Suddenly, her ears picked up a mature male voice, though it originated from a tiger’s roar.

Nan Qiao paused in surprise.

If she remembered correctly, the last time she heard him speak, it was in a little boy’s voice?

“Your voice… why did it change?”

“I hadn’t fully recovered that day. After eating quite a bit of prey from the mountain these past few days, I’ve returned to my normal state. It won’t change anymore.”

Nan Qiao nodded. She didn’t fully understand the process of Bai Man’s growth, but it was fine. She didn’t need to.

After freshening up in the space, she ate a portion of soup dumplings and wontons she had bought before transmigrating. Then she exited the space and curled up on the heated brick bed to rest with her eyes closed, quietly waiting for her alarm.

Before long, the alarm rang inside the space. Nan Qiao got up and knocked on Shen Nian’s door. After hearing a response, she went to the courtyard and sat leisurely, waiting for Shen Nian to come out.

Over the past few days, Shen Nian had gradually adapted. She didn’t need Nan Qiao to wake her anymore—she got up on time herself.

Sure enough, Nan Qiao had just sat down when Shen Nian walked out, already braiding her hair.

When they arrived at the fields, Li Zhuoran was already sitting at the edge. He stood up with a bright smile when he saw them.

“You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting ages,” he said cheerfully.

“We’re not late, are we?” Shen Nian looked around. Some of the other educated youths and a few village aunties hadn’t arrived yet.

“You scared me! I thought I overslept again.”

“You’re not late. I just came early today and started ahead of you,” Li Zhuoran chuckled, seeing her flustered.

“Let’s get to work. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home,” Nan Qiao muttered as she went to start working.

Not far away, Sheng Yanchuan looked at the girl bundled tightly in her work clothes. He wanted to go over and talk to her—to explain, to apologize—but with so many villagers around, he knew it wasn’t the right time.

He sighed and lowered his head, returning to work with a despondent air.

Peach Blossom, watching her big brother look so pitiful, was full of gossip. But she couldn’t ask their mom, so she grabbed her little hoe and ran to Nan Qiao.

“Sister Nan, do you know what happened to my second brother in town yesterday?”

Nan Qiao looked up at Peach Blossom’s mischievous grin.

“Yesterday? Nothing much happened,” she said. They had gone to the black market, but she couldn’t tell Peach Blossom that.

“No way… Look at my brother. He’s totally out of it. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he got dumped.”

Nan Qiao instinctively glanced in Sheng Yanchuan’s direction.

Coincidentally, he was looking her way too. As their eyes met, flashes of last night’s intimate moment surfaced in her mind. She quickly lowered her head in embarrassment and continued working, urging Taohua beside her, “Hurry back and help your mom. I really don’t know what happened yesterday. If you’re that curious, go ask your brother.”

The mischievous glint on Taohua’s face immediately vanished the moment she heard she’d have to ask her second brother.

“How would I dare? He’s been asking me every now and then what I’ve been doing at your place at night. I said studying, but he didn’t believe me! Said I’ve never been one to like studying… kept hounding me about it. I’m already doing my best to avoid him!”

“If we can’t afford to offend him, we can at least avoid him,” Nan Qiao teased, nudging Taohua’s arm with a rare playful glint in her tone.

Taohua sighed and returned to her family’s plot with her little hoe in hand. She didn’t get the answer she wanted and kept sighing all the way.

By midmorning, Nan Qiao remembered she needed to deal with the pork stored in the cellar for lunch, so she wrapped up her work early and found Shen Nian.

“I’m heading back to mince the pork and make some buns. You can finish up here and come home later.”

“Can you manage alone? Want me to come with you?” Shen Nian asked, a bit worried.

“It’s fine. I didn’t request leave, so going alone is less suspicious. If the village chief finds out, he won’t say much. But if we both leave early, that’s harder to explain.”

“Alright then. Just be careful. If anything’s too much, wait for me to get back and we’ll do it together.”

“Okay.” Nan Qiao waved and left.

When Sheng Yanchuan looked toward Nan Qiao’s spot again, she was no longer there. Thinking she’d gone to drink water, he glanced at the big tree—but still didn’t see her. He looked around anxiously but couldn’t find her anywhere, panic beginning to creep in.

He waved Taohua over. “Did you see where your Sister Nan went?”

Taohua looked around. “Nope. I haven’t seen her.”

“What did you talk about this morning?” Sheng Yanchuan asked awkwardly. He’d wanted to ask Taohua all morning, but since she’d been with their mom, he hadn’t had the chance—now he finally did.

“She… didn’t really say anything.” Taohua stammered, her gaze darting away. She couldn’t exactly tell him they had been gossiping about him.

She tried to run off, but Sheng Yanchuan caught her by the arm.

“Out with it, or I won’t buy you sweets next time we go to town.”

“Second Brother, that’s cheating!” Taohua pouted. “Why bring up my candy just to make me talk?”

“If you tell me, I’ll bring you milk candy next time,” Sheng Yanchuan bent down and coaxed.

“Really?”

“Really!”

“No take-backs?”

“Promise!” he assured her.

Taohua’s large, grape-like eyes rolled mischievously. She shook off his grip and finally said, “Sister Nan said, ‘If we can’t afford to offend him, we can avoid him.’”

With that, she ran off—shouting back, “Don’t forget my milk candy!”

Her words struck Sheng Yanchuan like a thunderbolt.

What does that mean? ‘Can’t afford to offend him, so avoid him’?? Is she avoiding me because of what happened last night…?

Even under the blazing sun, he felt as if he had been doused in cold water, down to the marrow. His body and mind were frozen with dread.

He tossed aside his hoe and bolted home, not even hearing Aunt Xiumei call after him.

“What’s gotten into him?” Aunt Xiumei called in confusion.

“Who knows? He’s been in a funk since yesterday. Looks like he’s completely out of it today. Maybe he’s suffering from heatstroke,” another aunt nearby said.

“Must be. We should check on him at noon. If he’s not feeling well, he should rest this afternoon. He’s strong—he’ll recover fast.”

Back in her courtyard, Nan Qiao locked the outer gate, entered her room, and went into her space to search for yeast and a braised pork seasoning packet.

After finally finding them, Bai Man pounced and snatched them from her.

“Awuu~”

“You can just cook it here in the space—I’ll keep you company,” Bai Man said as he tackled her, rubbing his fluffy cheeks against her.

To avoid forming lazy habits, Nan Qiao had synced the passage of time in the space (outside of the storage areas) with the real world.

So naturally, she heard Sheng Yanchuan’s voice outside her room.

But Bai Man’s large paw was pressing her down completely—there was no way she could get up, let alone leave the space…

Outside, Sheng Yanchuan sprinted to Nan Qiao’s courtyard. Seeing the gate locked, he wasn’t sure if she was home. In the village, it wasn’t uncommon for people to leave a lock in place even when they weren’t home.

So he circled around to her back window and knocked for a long time, but no one responded.

His heart grew more and more anxious. He knew, as a sent-down youth, she couldn’t leave the village easily. But not being able to see her filled him with panic he couldn’t control.

If she wasn’t home, he had no idea where else she could be. He stood there, thinking for ages, but couldn’t come up with anywhere else to look. Listless and defeated, he finally returned to his own house, closed the door, and leaned against it, lost in thought…

Inside the space, Nan Qiao finally wriggled free from Bai Man’s paw, put the seasoning into the kitchen, and looked around—but she could no longer hear Sheng Yanchuan’s voice.

Recalling how urgent his voice had sounded earlier, she exited the courtyard and headed toward his house.

At this hour, if he’s in such a rush to find me… did something happen? Nan Qiao wondered, quickening her pace.

When she reached Sheng Yanchuan’s place, the courtyard door was open. The main house and kitchen doors were locked, but it seemed his room wasn’t. Nan Qiao entered and knocked.

“Sheng Yanchuan, are you there?”

The moment her voice rang out, the door swung open from the inside.

Before she could react, she was pulled inside by the man within.

Her world spun, and by the time she came back to her senses, she was pressed tightly into his embrace, leaning against the wall.

“Let me hold you… just for a moment.”

The scent was familiar, his arms slightly trembling, and his voice carried a hint of pleading. Nan Qiao didn’t resist and simply let him hold her.

In the small entry room was a table and a cabinet, but no window. The only light came from the inner room’s window, and since the door between the rooms was still shut, the space was dimly lit.

A dim room. A man and woman in an embrace. The atmosphere grew more and more ambiguous.

After a while, once she sensed his emotions had settled, Nan Qiao finally patted his back and asked gently:

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”