Qin Fang finished his shower and returned to his room.

He usually preferred to take cold showers, but today he used hot water because with cold water he would need to warm up afterward.

He had waited for over a year, and as the moment approached, he could hardly wait any longer.

However, once he entered the room, he felt a bit nervous.

Before this, he had fantasized about it countless times and had practiced with Yang Haiyan over and over again.

But now that the moment had come, his mind was blank.

Qin Fang tiptoed to the bed and looked at the woman sleeping soundly.

He wondered how to get into bed.

Should he be gentle, or should he pounce on her directly?

Yang Haiyan groggily opened her eyes. “You’re here?”

The earlier sound of firecrackers had woken her up, but although she was awake, she still felt drowsy.

Noticing a shadow by the bedside, she opened her eyes and asked, “What are you standing there for?”

Her voice was soft, almost like a pout.

To Qin Fang, this was an invitation.

He had been thinking about how to get into bed, but now he discarded all thoughts and climbed into bed.

As soon as he got onto the bed, it sank under his weight.

Yang Haiyan instinctively snuggled into his arms.

Qin Fang’s gaze darkened; he felt his wife was too eager.

He immediately embraced her and kissed her fiercely.

His kiss was passionate and urgent, like a beast devouring its prey, and in the heat of the moment, he bit Yang Haiyan’s lip.

Yang Haiyan opened her eyes in response to his enthusiasm and gently pushed him. “What are you doing?”

Qin Fang replied, “It’s past midnight. You’re eighteen now.”

The Next Day

It was already noon, and Yang Haiyan was still lying in bed like a corpse.

In novels, women often described their first time as especially exhausting and painful, but that was a lie.

In reality, the first time wasn’t as tiring or painful as described.

However, there was one prerequisite: the man shouldn’t be too big, and his stamina shouldn’t be too good.

Yang Haiyan did feel exhausted and pained, primarily because she and Qin Fang didn’t quite fit together, and Qin Fang’s energy and stamina were exceptionally high.

In the end, she could only instinctively enjoy the pleasure and then fell asleep in the midst of it.

But now, her waist didn’t feel like her own anymore, and the tearing pain below made her feel as if she couldn’t bear it any longer.

Qin Fang came in carrying porridge.

Upon entering and seeing Yang Haiyan lying in bed with her eyes darting around, his face flushed slightly.

Unlike the energetic state he had been in last night, he felt shy this morning.

Yang Haiyan turned her head, shot him a glare, and pulled the quilt over her, not wanting to look at him.

Speaking of which, she felt a bit shy too.

She didn’t know if all women felt a little shy after losing their first time, but she definitely felt it.

It was a feeling of wanting to look at him but not being able to.

Qin Fang didn’t understand her shyness and thought she was upset with him.

He cautiously placed the porridge down and gently tugged at the quilt. “Yanyan…”

Yang Haiyan said somewhat petulantly, “Go away, I don’t want to talk to you.”

Qin Fang felt a little nervous and quickly apologized, “Yanyan, I was wrong. Don’t be angry.”

Yang Haiyan huffed, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Qin Fang really didn’t know, but even the dullest man knew he couldn’t say that directly.

So, he thought for a moment and replied, “I was wrong for not listening to you and not finishing it earlier.”

Hearing this, Yang Haiyan’s face turned even redder under the covers.

Did this man have no shame?

Who asked for that?

Although she had urged him to hurry last night, still…

Qin Fang continued, “Yanyan, even if you’re angry at me, you need to eat something. Otherwise, if you get hungry, it will be you who feels uncomfortable.”

As he spoke, he slowly pulled down the quilt covering her head. “Yanyan, listen to me and eat first.”

As the quilt was pulled down, Yang Haiyan stared at him, her face flushed like she had been painted with rouge.

But to Qin Fang, this shy version of her was even more enchanting.

The woman after their intimate encounter had transitioned from a girl to a woman, now exuding a feminine charm that no girl could ever possess.

Qin Fang instinctively swallowed hard.

A man who had tasted a woman’s sweetness developed a deep sense of possession and desire for her.

This feeling was purer and deeper than before.

For Yang Haiyan, Qin Fang felt not only affection, respect, and concern—because she was his wife—but at this moment, he viewed her not just as a wife but simply as his woman.

Qin Fang helped Yang Haiyan sit up and asked, “Come on, Yanyan, have some porridge.”

Yang Haiyan glanced at him and took the porridge from his hand. “I can do it myself.”

She didn’t want him to feed her; she didn’t like that greasy way of eating.

Qin Fang sat beside her, watching her drink the porridge, his eyes never leaving her.

Yang Haiyan felt the warmth in his eager gaze as she sipped the porridge.

When she was almost done, Qin Fang asked, “Do you want more?”

She handed the bowl back to him. “Yes.”

She hadn’t eaten anything since morning and had only had one bowl of porridge, so of course, she wasn’t full.

Qin Fang hurriedly said, “Wait, I’ll get more.”

Yang Haiyan watched him leave, and after a while, he returned with a bowl of millet and red date porridge. “Yanyan, I’m back. Here you go.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Thanks.”

Qin Fang watched as she finished her second bowl of porridge and asked again, “Do you want more?”

Yang Haiyan shook her head. “No more.”

Qin Fang set the bowl aside. “Then you should rest.”

Yang Haiyan nodded and snuggled back into the blanket.

Then… she noticed Qin Fang had taken off his clothes and got into bed with her. Yang Haiyan leaned closer. “What are you doing?”

She thought of many scenarios from novels and said sternly, “I can’t do that right now; you can’t come over again.”

Qin Fang froze for a moment. “I just thought it was cold, and you’re afraid of the cold. I wanted to warm the blanket for you.”

Yang Haiyan was a bit skeptical. “Really?”

Qin Fang assured her, “When have I ever lied to you?”

“Last night,” Yang Haiyan replied without thinking.

He had deceived her thoroughly, saying everything was fine but then continuing.

Qin Fang was taken aback and quickly added, “I won’t lie to you again.”

Yang Haiyan didn’t fully believe him, but it didn’t stop her from letting him be her heater. “Then you lie down properly.”

Qin Fang got the message and lay down right away. “Come here.”

Yang Haiyan nestled into his arms, and indeed, having someone next to her made the blanket much warmer.

Qin Fang felt great; even after the long night, he was still in good spirits.

He rested his hand on her waist, looking down at her sleeping face, filled with joy.

This outstanding and intelligent woman finally belonged to him.

All this time, whenever he faced her, he always wanted to work harder, to be more ambitious, because he felt unworthy of her, worried that one day she might look down on him.

But now, he felt at ease.

Looking at her lying in his arms, noticing the exhaustion on her face and the lingering kiss marks on her neck, he finally felt secure.

He completely had her, and it was no longer just a dream. “Yanyan,” Qin Fang couldn’t help but call her name.

Yang Haiyan responded with a soft “Mm.”

She wasn’t very sleepy; she just wanted to rest because she was tired.

Qin Fang buried his head in her hair, inhaling her fragrant scent. “Yanyan, I will treat you well for a lifetime.”

Yang Haiyan hummed again.

Qin Fang didn’t care whether she was being dismissive or not; he continued, “Yanyan, you belong to me now.”

Yang Haiyan chuckled lightly.

She reached out and held his hand, placing it on her abdomen, then softly said, “You’ve always been mine.”

That dog of a man just loved to hear that.

Qin Fang was eagerly waiting for her third “Mm,” but instead, he heard this sentence, and suddenly, he felt free.

He was overjoyed, and his emotions were incredibly evident. “Yes, you have always been mine.”

His deep voice carried obvious pleasure as he couldn’t help but repeat, “You are mine; you’ve always been mine.”

In his twenty-one years of life, this was the happiest thing he had ever heard.

Yang Haiyan smiled slightly; because of his happiness, her mood also brightened.

Her hand rested on his hand, and every time she lay in his arms, it made her feel secure.

Last night, there was a lot of noise coming from the master’s room, and the wet nurse next door, Granny Lian, listened to it all night.

In the end, she got up to boil water.

It was also her who called Aunt Fan to prepare millet and red date porridge today.

Granny Lian was in a good mood; the master and mistress were now officially together, and as the mistress’s steward, she was naturally happy.

With the end of the first month, March arrived in the blink of an eye.

For the military camp, the most tense time had come because the imperial envoy, Deputy Minister Du Ke from the Ministry of War, had arrived.

Mrquis Yonghe led his son and others to welcome Du Ke.

Du Ke was a rather thin man, looking shrewd.

He wore a smile on his face, but his eyes were particularly sharp.

From the surface, it was clear that he was a meticulous person.

Marquis Yonghe said, “Deputy Minister Du, it’s been a year since we last met in the capital. I didn’t expect to see you so soon again.”

Du Ke laughed heartily, “I was eager to see you, so I rushed here without stopping.”

Marquis Yonghe also laughed heartily, “To have Deputy Minister Du thinking of me is truly my honor. Your tent has been prepared; do you want to rest for a while?”

Du Ke shook his head. “No need. I’ve rested enough on the way to the border, but I wonder if the leaders of the surrendered tribes have been properly arranged? I want to see them now.”

Marquis Yonghe was somewhat surprised, not expecting Du Ke to be so eager for work.

He said, “I knew the Deputy Minister would arrive in the next few days and made arrangements long ago. We can introduce them to you at any time.”

Du Ke replied, “That’s great. By the way, are Qin Fang, Ao Youtian, Rong Cunliang, Bai Fei, and Wang Haobin here?”