◎ One minute ago, one minute later ◎

The gel in Tao Xiaoxi’s hair was difficult to wash out. She spent nearly two hours in the bathroom before coming out. He should have already finished in another room, his hair slightly damp as he leaned back against the headboard, texting on his phone.

She glanced at him, then quickly looked away. She had always thought that people with fair skin looked better in red, but today, he changed her opinion. For some people, it wasn’t the clothes that made them look good, it was they who made the clothes look better.

His pajamas were the same set she was wearing—red from head to toe. One long leg was slightly bent and resting on the crimson quilt, while the other leg was lazily draped over the edge of the bed. His posture was relaxed and comfortable, in sharp contrast to her nervousness.

Tao Xiaoxi thought, is this the difference between being at home and being a guest?

When Chen Fang heard her come out, he looked up slowly and said, “I thought you were too scared to come out of the bathroom.”

At the moment he looked up, Tao Xiaoxi quickly averted her gaze. She straightened her back and acted nonchalant, softly replying, “What’s there to be afraid of?”

She had just taken longer in the shower and was catching up on some transfer payments that others had sent her. She realized it added up to quite a bit. That was just the mobile transfers; cash wasn’t even counted yet. She had given so many gifts over the years. Looking at her suddenly increased balance, she quickly did the math. She had originally wanted to borrow more from her parents, but with this money, she could almost afford to purchase that shop. She felt better with each passing thought. Once she had finished her plans, she came out of the bathroom. She wasn’t hiding from him at all.

Chen Fang smiled, clearly amused by her bluff.

Tao Xiaoxi felt even more self-conscious with his smile. She procrastinated by fiddling with this and that around the room, but she didn’t get into bed. Chen Fang didn’t rush her. In the end, the result would be the same, just a matter of whether it was early or late. He wasn’t in a hurry. The night was long, and since he wasn’t going to the office tomorrow, he could give her a bit more time to procrastinate.

Tao Xiaoxi procrastinated until there was nothing left to fiddle with and suddenly remembered, “Did you drink honey water?”

She had rushed straight into the bathroom when she got home and had completely forgotten what her mother had said.

Chen Fang asked, “Do we have honey at home?”

…

How would she know? She had just moved her things in yesterday. This was his home. Shouldn’t he know better than her what’s here?

Chen Fang thought for a moment. “We probably don’t have honey.”

“How do you feel? Are you still uncomfortable? Should I go downstairs and buy a jar?”

Tao Xiaoxi considered herself a gentle and thoughtful wife.

Chen Fang replied, “How about… you help me massage my head again? I think your massage works better than honey water.”

…

So, he wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. Tao Xiaoxi decided to stop fussing over him, but what was she supposed to do next? Get into bed?

She took a step forward with her foot, then quickly withdrew it. Never mind, maybe she should wait a little longer.

Chen Fang clearly saw her small movements, his eyes full of amusement. He patted the spot beside him on the bed and said, “I won’t tease you anymore.Come up, I need to talk to you about something serious.”

Tao Xiaoxi saw his serious expression and tone, which didn’t seem like a joke. “What serious matter?”

She walked to the edge of the bed but didn’t sit where he had patted. Instead, she sat at the corner of the bed, then shifted slightly, positioning herself at a diagonal from him.

She sat cross-legged, with her legs pressed under her. As she moved, the cuffs of her pants rose slightly, revealing her fair ankles. Her feet were resting on the red quilt, and the red polish on her toenails sparkled under the light.

Chen Fang’s gaze darkened, and he reached over to the nightstand, retrieving an envelope and handing it to her.

Tao Xiaoxi didn’t take it. “What’s this?”

Chen Fang leaned closer to her. “This is all the money we have in the family.”

… We… family…

Had they already become “we”?

He pulled out the contents and explained one by one. “I have both fixed and current deposits. These are the passbooks. I’ve also bought some investments and funds. From now on, we’ll use this card for family expenses. The password is written on the back.”

Tao Xiaoxi was stunned. She hadn’t expected him to discuss these matters so formally with her.

“Also,” Chen Fang picked up another bank card, “I heard from Dad that you want to buy a store. The password for this card is the same as the other one. You can use it when the time comes.”

Tao Xiaoxi shook her head. “That’s not right. I can raise the money for the store myself. I can’t use your money. This is all your hard-earned money.”

She was a bit overwhelmed and hadn’t quite adjusted to becoming part of “we.” She instinctively separated herself from him by saying “I” and “you.”

Chen Fang smiled. “The money I earned isn’t just for me. It’s for my wife and children. Aren’t you my wife?”

…

Tao Xiaoxi bit her lip, unsure whether to say yes or no.

Chen Fang took out a red certificate from the envelope, flipping it open with his fingers. “It says here, my wife’s name is,” he dragged out the last word, “Tao—Xiao—Xi. Isn’t that you?”

“No.”

Tao Xiaoxi lied with her eyes wide open, her face turning as red as a ripe peach. She hurriedly shoved everything, including the marriage certificate, back into the envelope and into his arms. “Go find your wife. Don’t delay my sleep.”

Chen Fang laughed so hard that he collapsed onto the bed.

Tao Xiaoxi was annoyed. She lifted the corner of the blanket and covered his face with it.

Chen Fang, taking advantage of her distraction, reached out with his long arm and pulled both her and the blanket into his embrace.

She was underneath, and he was on top.

Their eyes met, and the air around them grew still.

Tao Xiaoxi’s heartbeat sounded like an old-fashioned jet train, pressing against the tracks, hissing steam, clanking loudly, until, halfway through, a question finally popped into her mind, something that could ease the current tension.

“How much can you actually drink?” She asked, her expression one of genuine curiosity.

She had thought he would either fall asleep right away or end up hugging the toilet, vomiting uncontrollably. But now, after all this time, he looked no different than usual, as if he hadn’t had a drink at all.

Chen Fang indulged her curiosity, “If it’s white wine, I can handle a bottle. Red wine, maybe a bit more.”

Tao Xiaoxi didn’t believe him. Earlier, Yan Chengbo and Fang Bin each had a bottle of white wine, and by the end, both bottles were empty. Not to mention people like Zhao Yijiang who specifically poured him drinks. She was sure he had been drinking, especially since someone had been checking his glass throughout the night.

“Want to know why I’m fine so quickly?”

Tao Xiaoxi nodded.

“It’s simple. Yan Chengbo had the wine, and Fang Bin had the water. When the toast was to someone easy to talk to, I drank from Fang Bin’s side; when it was to someone who was harder to deal with and likely to stir things up, I drank from Yan Chengbo’s side.”

As he explained, his eyes wandered over her lips, tracing them as if distracted. It wasn’t about her lipstick; her natural lip color was already this red, like a delicate flower bud.

Tao Xiaoxi blinked, “You’re kind of bullying the honest people.” There was a clear difference in how he treated everyone. It was more straightforward to be like her, using tea to replace beer the whole time.

Chen Fang chuckled, “Drinking’s about mixing the real with the fake. If I only drank what was handed to me, even ten stomachs wouldn’t be enough. I have to save some energy for tonight’s real business.”

What exactly was tonight’s business? What could possibly be that important?

The real business became clear when she had taken a picture and asked him if her lipstick looked good. At that moment, she should have realized he wouldn’t let her off easily, no matter how many questions she threw his way to distract him.

Chen Fang leaned down, wanting to taste that red hue that had been teasing him all day, to see if it was still as tender as he remembered.

Tao Xiaoxi gave a small struggle.

Chen Fang paused just above her lips, his nose touching hers. “If you’re not ready, I’m not in a hurry. We don’t have to rush tonight.”

The arrow was already on the bowstring, and his words were slightly insincere, but he was giving her the choice.

Tao Xiaoxi swallowed and answered, “No, I’m just a little nervous.”

In truth, she was far more than a little nervous. This was her first time.

She hadn’t dated anyone in college. Meng Qing, her mother, had always taught her when to do what, insisting she focus on studying. Even when she entered the workforce, the first two years were consumed by work. Later, when Gu Zichu pursued her for over a year, they had been together for more than a year. Meng Qing had always subtly reminded her to keep things in moderation, not to give everything away unless they were ready for marriage.

At that time, Tao Xiaoxi had thought her mother was more conservative than her father, who was a teacher. But she had been influenced by her mother’s views, always feeling like things with Gu Zichu weren’t at the natural point yet. That’s why she’d never let him stay over. Gu Zichu had said he fully respected her wishes and wouldn’t do anything she didn’t like. She had thought he loved her deeply, only to realize later that he had other plans for the night. If she had let him stay, she might have ruined his plans.

Tao Xiaoxi closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, trying to focus on the person in front of her. Tonight was their wedding night, and it was time to do what belonged to this night.

Chen Fang could feel her tension. He gently touched her lips, “Don’t worry. If you’re uncomfortable, just let me know, and I’ll stop.”

Tao Xiaoxi nodded absentmindedly.

It started with a gentle kiss, very different from the urgent and intense one from the night before. This one had more of a soothing quality, calming her nerves and stiffness.

Tao Xiaoxi was put at ease by his soft touch. Her body began to relax, one arm softly draped around his neck. She half-closed her eyes, watching his eyelashes, thinking that he seemed far too skilled now compared to before when he wasn’t so confident.

Chen Fang sensed her response, and his breathing grew heavier. His hand moved instinctively lower, quickly undoing the buttons of her bright red nightgown. The tenderness vanished, replaced by a more urgent, possessive kiss. His hands tightened, and Tao Xiaoxi couldn’t help but moan softly in pain.

Hearing her discomfort, Chen Fang eased the pressure on his hands, though the speed didn’t slow. In just a few seconds, she was completely exposed, her clothes discarded.

Tao Xiaoxi squeezed her eyes shut, feeling as if she hadn’t had enough. She placed her arm across her eyes, blocking all the light from entering.

Chen Fang looked at the pale figure lying under the bright red quilt and couldn’t help but think, “She’s so damn fair.”

He bit her ear, “Why are you so fair, hmm? I remember you don’t really like drinking milk.”

Tao Xiaoxi didn’t understand how he knew she didn’t like milk, but she didn’t care. Her blood was boiling, and she felt like she was burning up, turning into a boiled shrimp. She buried her face in the blanket, gasping for breath, unable to say a word.

Chen Fang let out a low, amused chuckle, his voice both hoarse and satisfied.

For the first time, he realized how much fun teasing her was.

He bit her ear again. “If it’s too much, just say something.”

The shrimp turned even redder.

Chen Fang’s laughter grew louder.

A minute later, the man who had been so carefree and reckless became silent, still in disbelief over what had just happened.

Tao Xiaoxi felt a moment of pain—real, sharp pain, as if something had been torn apart inside her.

Then…

There was no “then.”

Even though this was Tao Xiaoxi’s first experience, she had seen pigs run before. This… was a bit too fast for her…

However, this situation involved the man’s absolute pride. A misstep could leave a psychological scar for life.

She endured the pain, caressing his thick, dark eyebrows, her face flushed as she comforted him with sincere words, “It’s okay, maybe it’s because I’m too white.”

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

Author’s note:

There’s a kind of awkwardness where you think you’ve prepared yourself well, made many preparations and gave many hints, and others also think you’re ready, but in reality… you’re not ready at all… in fact, you’re far from it…

This kind of awkwardness is called—the one-minute moment of embarrassment…