Chapter 166: "It’s My Fault; I’ve Made You Suffer, My Lady.
Chapter 166: Chapter 166: "It’s My Fault; I’ve Made You Suffer, My Lady.
A little lower...
His gaze was like a flame, making Cui Lingyao’s cheeks burn.
Her knuckles trembled as her fingers slowly crept downward.
Her soft fingertips ambled across his waist and abdomen.
It was as if she were teasing him on purpose, pausing every now and then...
...her fingers trembling lightly against his firm abdomen.
Xie Jinbai held back as long as he could, trying to coax her to hurry.
It was no use.
’She must be doing this on purpose.’
’She is *definitely* doing this on purpose!’
The surging desire finally broke past its tipping point. Xie Jinbai’s jaw clenched. He grabbed the waist of the girl on top of him, shot up into a sitting position, and ground out his words.
"You asked for this!"
If she kept dawdling, he was going to make a fool of himself.
Cui Lingyao froze. Before she could say a word, the world spun, and she found herself pinned beneath him.
Her skirt was bunched up, her knees held fast.
His movements were a fluid, seamless series of actions. By the time Cui Lingyao could react, all she felt was pain.
Her body went rigid. She frowned and pushed at the man on top of her. "Xie Jinbai!"
This man was a master of self-control. During his youth, an age when he should have been indulging his passions and acting on his whims, he had always maintained an unshakeable, cold, and abstinent demeanor.
When they later married, even on their wedding night, he had been a bit clumsy and unsure, but never this desperate.
Cui Lingyao was in discomfort. She pushed frantically at his shoulder. "You bastard! Slow down!"
"I can’t, Yaoyao."
"I can’t hold back..."
Xie Jinbai gripped her wrists, pulling her into his arms and lowering his head to kiss her eyelashes.
"Hush... just this once. I’ll be quick..."
As it turned out, he hadn’t lied.
It was, indeed, very quick.
It was over in the blink of an eye...
Now, it was his turn to go stiff.
At that moment, Cui Lingyao’s clothes were still more or less intact.
He buried his head in the crook of her neck and said nothing for a long, long time.
The air hung still for a moment.
Cui Lingyao sensed what had happened. She blinked, stroking the back of his head as she chose her words with care. "Don’t worry. I don’t hold it against you."
’He’s a write-off. Good thing I don’t mind.’
’That’s what he was worried about, right?’
Xie Jinbai was already mortified. Her words nearly made him laugh in exasperation.
"And I suppose I should thank you for your tender consideration?"
He gritted his teeth. "Then I’ll have to trouble you to be a little *more* considerate to your husband!"
Without another word, and before she could reply, he hooked his hands behind her knees again.
And drove his hips down.
"Xie Jinbai!"
’So sudden again!’
Cui Lingyao’s eyes flew wide. She tried to kick him away, but he caught her leg with a deft counter-move.
"...Just bear with it."
Xie Jinbai didn’t even look up as he reached for the thin sash at her waist.
His lips descended, never pausing for a moment.
A body starved for so many years simply wouldn’t allow him to be slow and methodical.
A fine, dense shower of kisses rained down from her neck to her collarbone.
Burning and urgent.
Cui Lingyao was starting to get a taste for it.
’A little rougher...’
’...it seems there are benefits to being a little rough.’
The room was filled with a sensuous air...
Outside, Li Yong, who had been about to knock, heard the commotion inside and froze, his hand hovering in mid-air.
He sucked in a sharp breath and quickly led his men out of the courtyard.
’So *that’s* why he ordered hot water.’
’Tsk...’
’I wonder if His Highness’s body can handle it.’
Inside, Xie Jinbai was oblivious to his subordinate’s concerns.
The feeling of having her again was too real.
It made his very soul tremble.
His broad, slender hands never left Cui Lingyao’s waist.
He held her fiercely, taking from her tirelessly.
Kisses rained down, one after another.
Cui Lingyao soon found herself overwhelmed. Her initial cooperation turned into resistance.
Finally, when she saw she couldn’t push him off, she started cursing him.
But she was, in truth, a refined young woman. In two lifetimes, she had never truly cursed at anyone.
She just repeated the same few words over and over.
To Xie Jinbai, it sounded like nothing more than encouragement.
He showed no sign of stopping.
From the bright light of afternoon until nightfall.
Cui Lingyao watched helplessly as the sky outside grew dark. Her throat was raw and hoarse from cursing, but the man on top of her showed no mercy and refused to let her go.
Of course, Xie Jinbai did feel for her. When he noticed her voice growing hoarse, he would kiss her lips.
He would even take a moment to coax her, telling her to just bear with it a little longer.
The words were infuriating.
Cui Lingyao was beside herself with anger, but she had run out of words to curse him with.
Finally, her eyes rolled back, and she passed out.
...
When she regained consciousness, it was pitch-black outside. Her hips and legs were sore and weak, but her body felt clean and refreshed.
Apparently, after she had fallen asleep, the man who had worked so hard all afternoon had even washed her.
She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was his chest.
Half of it was wrapped in gauze.
The dressing must have been changed. There was no more blood on the gauze. After taking the Hundred Diseases Pill, his wound seemed to be recovering well.
The other half of his chest was bare, revealing lean, firm muscles that held a sense of latent power.
’Definitely powerful.’
Cui Lingyao gritted her teeth and gave his chest a hard poke.
Her wrist was immediately caught.
"You’re awake?"
The man’s voice was husky, tinged with an indescribable satisfaction.
Xie Jinbai held her hand, brought it to his lips for a gentle peck, and said softly, "My apologies. I’ve overtired you, my lady."
"..."
Having experienced just how outrageous he could be, Cui Lingyao felt this was like a wolf apologizing to a lamb.
Her lip twitched. The first word out of her mouth was, "Beast!"
She had repeated that word to him over and over this afternoon while he was...
The images that flashed through her mind were far too vivid.
Especially since her voice was still dry and hoarse.
All thanks to him.
Xie Jinbai couldn’t help it; his loins began to tighten again.
He cursed himself inwardly. ’Beast.’
Suppressing the renewed surge of desire, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said placatingly, "You’re right, I was wrong. I promise not to put you through that again."
Cui Lingyao didn’t answer. She buried her face in his chest and sniffled, feeling wronged.
Xie Jinbai’s heart instantly softened. He reached out, lifted her chin, and looked down into her red-rimmed eyes. "...Did I really hurt you?"
’But I checked,’ he thought. ’She was clearly...’
"You went too far," Cui Lingyao glared at him, her eyes red. "You were even worse than the last time, three years ago!"
He hadn’t taken her for that long that night.
Nor had he coaxed her with gentle words while his body did the complete opposite.
’It was too contradictory, too much.’
"It would have been better if you’d just been rough from the start, instead of giving me false hope that you might let me go."
"I would have felt better then."
Her accusing gaze made Xie Jinbai falter. He explained in a low voice, "It was my fault. I just... lost control."
His reason had fled; all he could remember was not to be too reckless and hurt the girl beneath him.
Everything else, he truly couldn’t hold back.
His hand slid down her back to her waist, and he began to massage it gently. "You’ve left me high and dry for too long. If I didn’t put it to use, it really would’ve become useless."
Thinking of the embarrassing start to their afternoon, Cui Lingyao’s lips tightened. Feeling a little awkward, she mumbled, "I wouldn’t have minded even if it was useless."
She was being so considerate, but Xie Jinbai’s expression darkened at her words. He didn’t stop massaging her waist, but he commanded, "Don’t you ever say that again!"
He lowered his head and kissed her hair. "If it were useless, how could I please you?"
His tone was surprisingly earnest.
Cui Lingyao was mortified. "Stop using me as an excuse! I don’t need you to ’please’ me."
"Is that so?"
Xie Jinbai lifted her chin, gazing at her with a smirk. "Don’t deny it, Yaoyao. You just think I gave you too much. It’s not that you don’t need me at all."