Chapter 183: "He’s Such a Beast!
Chapter 183: Chapter 183: "He’s Such a Beast!
"Even if I’m taking a concubine, you’re still my wife. What do you think I’m doing?" Xie Jinbai chuckled, his voice low. "Don’t refuse me, Yaoyao."
With one hand, he held her knee, while the other slowly, deliberately traced a path up from the hollow behind it, gently kneading and caressing her skin.
His lips captured her earlobe, and he asked her again and again, "Do you want me?"
The young woman beneath him said nothing. A light mist clouded her bright, almond-shaped eyes, the rims red as she stared up at him, her eyelids half-lowered.
Now and then, a stifled moan escaped her throat.
The sound made it difficult for Xie Jinbai to restrain himself.
’This girl has always been a stubborn one.’
He stopped insisting on getting an answer from her and quickly convinced himself...
’Silence means she agrees by default.’
With that thought, he leaned down without hesitation and kissed the lips of the young woman in his arms.
...
Cui Lingyao’s eyes were half-closed, her mind a muddle. She felt dazed and groggy, unable to even tell what day or time it was.
She felt as if she were floating on the sea, adrift on the wind and waves.
At times, it was gentle and soothing, only to give way to a sudden squall...
She was soon overwhelmed, whimpering in distress.
His heart ached for her. He lowered his head to give her a soothing kiss, patiently murmuring sweet nothings he would normally never be able to say aloud.
But she hadn’t lost all her senses. Cui Lingyao quickly came to, raising a hand to cover her eyes.
Her toes curled tightly in embarrassment.
But a moment later, her wrist was mercilessly pulled away.
Xie Jinbai moved to kiss her again.
As he leaned over her, the pressure from his lean, solid abdomen grew heavier.
He was relentless.
Cui Lingyao was growing angry. She opened her eyes, about to curse him out, when she saw a single, scalding tear slide down the bridge of the man’s nose.
It landed right on her face.
"!!!"
Cui Lingyao’s eyes flew wide.
’Was that a tear?’
’It had to be!’
’Aren’t I the one being taken advantage of?’
’...So why is he crying?’
She said nothing, but her expression said it all. Xie Jinbai gritted his teeth and let out a low, humorless laugh.
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her over, so her back was facing him.
’It was his mistake.’
’He shouldn’t have wasted his sympathy on her!’
...
In the dead of the silent night, an autumn wind swept through.
Beneath the eaves, two delicate lanterns were blown about, swaying left and right.
Inside the room, just a door away.
The rhythmic creaking of the canopy bed sounded out, waxing and waning...
It was accompanied by a woman’s urgent, low moans, which were quickly muffled, sounding out in broken, intermittent gasps.
Fragmented.
Shattered.
After a long time...
All movement and sound ceased.
Cui Lingyao’s breath came in ragged gasps, the hair at her temples askew.
Her forehead was slick with sweat, half her face buried in a soft pillow. Her eyelids were red and slightly swollen as she struggled to catch her breath.
She looked for all the world as if she had been terribly wronged.
Xie Jinbai propped himself up on the bed with one hand and reached for her head with the other, coaxing, "Turn over. You won’t be able to breathe."
’Like he cared whether I could breathe a moment ago. What a hypocrite.’
Cui Lingyao didn’t even lift her eyelids, utterly ignoring him.
Her long lashes rested demurely on her eyelids. Her cheeks and lips were flushed, and even her earlobes were a vivid, tempting red.
’Does she have any idea how tempting she looks right now?’
Xie Jinbai watched her for a moment, his eyes darkening, then lowered his head to kiss the nape of her neck.
His hand roamed downward without hesitation, bending her knee as if to start another round.
Cui Lingyao jumped. Not knowing where she found the strength, she kicked out and scrambled to turn over.
"I’m turned over!" she cried hastily.
Only when she spoke did she realize how hoarse her voice was.
It sounded as if she had truly been through a terrible ordeal.
She had rarely suffered so much at his hands.
In the past, Xie Jinbai would have been overwhelmed with concern by now, ready to give her a cup of tea.
But now, he was silent for a moment before saying, "This way works too."
’He wasn’t picky.’
Cui Lingyao’s mind felt starved for air. It took her a moment to react, her eyes slowly widening. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Kill..."
Xie Jinbai actually seemed to consider it for a few seconds before agreeing, "That’s an option, too."
’Anything was fine.’
’Dying together... that sounded rather nice as well.’
Cui Lingyao: "..."
She stared at him, speechless.
They were embracing tightly, their bodies pressed so close that the slightest change in him was unmistakable.
’This man was a little unhinged.’
Cui Lingyao was genuinely afraid he would ignore her and continue. After a moment’s thought, she wrapped her arms around his waist and softened her voice. "Can you stop fooling around? I’m already exhausted."
’So sweet.’
Xie Jinbai couldn’t refuse her affection.
Nor could he turn a blind eye to her soft-spoken pleas.
But he wasn’t satisfied.
After a moment of silence, he said in a hoarse voice, "Actually, we’ve only gone twice."
In their three years of marriage, they had often gone for far more rounds than just two.
Cui Lingyao tilted her head back to glare at him. "How is this the same?"
"In the past, if you came back and I was already asleep, you would never, ever wake me up to put me through this!"
...
Xie Jinbai thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll stop."
’It really was different.’
’He had never lost control so wantonly before.’
He was a man of his word, so once he promised to stop, Cui Lingyao relaxed and began to whimper about her aching back.
Xie Jinbai massaged her lower back and asked softly, "Should I have some water brought so we can wash up?"
"Not yet," Cui Lingyao sniffled. "I’m a little thirsty."
Xie Jinbai lifted the quilt and got out of bed. When he returned, he was carrying a cup of warm tea.
The contents were perfectly warm.
Clutching the bedding, Cui Lingyao sat up, took the cup, and drank it all in one go.
She wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, and as she sat up, her slender back was exposed.
Her fair, lustrous skin was covered in red marks.
This was especially true on her waist, where two distinct finger marks were visible.
All of it his handiwork.
Xie Jinbai glanced over, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slowly. He asked again, "The water’s ready. Shall we take a bath?"
Seeing how eager he was, Cui Lingyao shot him a wary look. "I’m not bathing. I’m too tired."
"I’ll help you. You won’t have to lift a finger," Xie Jinbai said.
Without waiting for another refusal, he bent down, scooped her into his arms, and carried her directly into the bathing chamber.
...
He was true to his word. He didn’t make her exert herself in the slightest.
Cui Lingyao even discovered that Inner Strength could not only be used to warm tea, but also...
The water in the bathing tub had to be reheated three times.
before Xie Jinbai finally carried her out.
The young woman in his arms was completely drained of strength.
She didn’t even have the energy to curse him.
He tenderly kissed her flushed lips, patiently dressed her in a nightgown, and warmed her long hair until it was dry.
Finally, holding her in his arms, he fell into a deep sleep.
It had been an exhausting night.
When Cui Lingyao awoke, the spot on the bed beside her was already cold.
The man who had toiled all night had apparently woken up full of vigor.
She, on the other hand, had an aching back that seemed to spasm, and her limbs felt like they were about to fall off.
Cui Lingyao was not one to admit defeat. She forced herself to try and get out of bed, but her legs trembled so badly she nearly collapsed onto the floor.
She pounded the bed in frustration. "Damn it! Xie Jinbai!"
"..." Dongzhi, Xiazhi, and the other maids didn’t dare laugh. They hurried to help her lie back down, advising, "It’s raining outside today, My Lady. It’s not convenient to go out anyway, so you should just rest in your room."
What else could Cui Lingyao do but rest?
She flopped onto her stomach on the bed and ordered Dongzhi to give her a massage.
Dongzhi had the most skillful hands, her pressure always just right. Seeing her mistress groaning in comfort, she said sympathetically, "The Prince really doesn’t know how to be gentle."
"I know!" Cui Lingyao fumed. "He’s a complete animal!"
"..." Dongzhi faltered. She glanced at her furious mistress and steeled herself to speak up for Xie Jinbai. "The Prince just missed you terribly, My Lady. For a husband and wife to get carried away in the moment... that doesn’t quite make him an animal."