Chapter 203: A Gentleman Out of Bed, a Couple in Bed
Chapter 203: Chapter 203: A Gentleman Out of Bed, a Couple in Bed
She was unhappy that a few of her maids had seen him in such a state.
Hence her unreasonable fit of pique.
Realizing this, Xie Jinbai couldn’t suppress the joy that filled his heart.
The angrier she got, the stronger her possessiveness over him.
And that only made Xie Jinbai happier.
After all, when it came to her, he was obsessed with every single detail, almost to the point of madness. No one understood this feeling better than he did.
If their roles were reversed—if she were the one lying naked, covered only by a thin quilt, and exposed before his subordinates—
Xie Jinbai would probably have exploded on the spot.
This was, in fact, the very first time their positions had been swapped.
For the first time since the dawn of creation, he truly felt he had finally gained a foothold in his beloved’s heart. Xie Jinbai was utterly ecstatic.
The joy radiating from his usually stern face was so obvious that even the cleaning servants could see it.
Let alone Cui Lingyao.
’I can’t even watch him,’ she thought.
After breakfast, Xie Jinbai pulled her up and headed out.
She wanted to ride, and of course, he would grant her wish.
Prince Yu’s Mansion had its own Horse Racing Ground, but it wasn’t very large.
With this rare leisure time, Cui Lingyao wanted to go to the Royal Horse Field in the suburb of the capital, where she could gallop freely.
Not only that, but she also felt that riding with just the two of them wouldn’t be lively enough. It would be better to call up some friends for an impromptu gathering and liven things up.
Cui Lingyao had several close friends, but after marrying, they had all left the Capital City to join their husbands at their posts.
The only friend left in the Capital City whom she could invite on a whim, without formal notice or ceremony, was Chen Minrou.
Then, her thoughts turned to the two sisters, Shen Hanyue and Shen Hanyun.
When she had been Pei Shuyao, they had shown her a brief period of sisterly warmth, and Cui Lingyao was very fond of them.
’But now that I’m back in my original body, I can’t just get close to them for no reason. Still, since we’re all in the same circle of powerful families in the Capital City, I’ll find an opportunity sooner or later.’
With that in mind, she instructed the coachman to head to Duke Zhao Mansion.
Xie Jinbai, who had been expecting a day for just the two of them, was slightly taken aback.
Cui Lingyao said, "Minmin has completely recovered. Let’s invite her along and see if she still remembers how to crack a whip."
For someone from a noble family, skills like archery and horsemanship were never neglected.
Back in the day, Chen Minrou had been a girl who could draw a bow and tame a wild horse.
Xie Jinbai was quite displeased, but seeing her high spirits, he didn’t want to be a wet blanket. After a moment’s thought, he relented, "Then invite Minzhi as well."
"No, don’t. Minmin and Zhao Shijie are still..."
She was cut off mid-refusal.
Xie Jinbai said, "Otherwise, it would be awkward for her to tag along with a married couple like us."
There was something even more blunt he left unsaid.
’Who’s ever heard of a husband taking his wife and his wife’s close friend out alone, just the three of them?’
’How would that even work?’
...
「Duke Zhao Mansion.」
The Hundred Diseases Pill had a potent aftereffect. Not only had it pulled Chen Minrou back from death’s door, but it had also slowly strengthened her constitution.
After giving birth, she had been bedridden for over a year, so frail that she constantly needed medicine.
Now, she felt more energetic with each passing day.
Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes were bright, her hands and feet were warm, and she was brimming with boundless energy.
Her vital energy was so thoroughly replenished that she even felt restless and had trouble sleeping at night.
All this fiery energy had no outlet.
Lying beside her was a man who had been deprived for years and was more than willing to help her expend some of their mutual energy. However, the resentment in Chen Minrou’s heart hadn’t faded. She just couldn’t get past that hurdle and had no desire to touch him.
These past few days, she had been forcing herself to endure it, getting a taste of what it was like to be full of vigor yet suffering from unfulfilled desire.
’It was... quite hard to bear.’
And this was the same torment Zhao Shijie had endured for more than two years.
Ever since she had become pregnant for the second time, she hadn’t allowed him near her.
He was in his twenties with his beloved wife right beside him, yet he lived like a lonely widower.
Back when she was pregnant with their first child, they were in the height of their marital bliss, and he hadn’t been treated this way.
At that time, Chen Minrou knew perfectly well how to dote on her husband.
Throughout the entire pregnancy, even if they couldn’t have intercourse, she couldn’t bear to let him suffer.
In the bedroom, she would eagerly comply with any request Zhao Shijie made.
She would even take the initiative to explore things he hadn’t thought of or asked for.
The most direct expression of loving someone is to feel for them.
She just couldn’t bear to see him wanting.
He didn’t have to do anything; he could simply stand before her, and Chen Minrou would feel he was working too hard and that she wasn’t doing enough for him.
She was always willing to find ways to be better to him.
To make him happy and satisfied, from his body to his soul.
That kind of love was so pure, so beautiful.
If you called it strong, it was nigh indestructible.
Even if the Zhao Family were to fall from grace—be it exile, execution, or even begging for food—Chen Minrou would have gone with him without a second thought.
But it was also fragile.
So fragile that it couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand.
So fragile that a single thoughtless sentence could shatter that love in an instant.
After evolving over several years, it had become like cheap wine that had gone bad.
Sour and bitter, with an acridity that shot straight to the sinuses.
Chen Minrou could no longer tell if she still loved him or not.
But she knew that the pure, fearless version of herself, the one who gave her whole heart, was gone forever.
Perhaps she had died amidst his threats to take a concubine.
Or perhaps she had died in that absurd, nonsensical dream.
Through her cold treatment day after day, Zhao Shijie gradually came to understand this.
He refused to accept it. He didn’t even know what mistake he had made.
What had he done to make her abandon their love so decisively?!
When Cui Lingyao came calling, this Young Master Heir, renowned throughout the Capital City for his gentle looks and courteous manners, was enjoying the sun in the courtyard with his wife.
The winter sun was a precious thing.
The couple sat together; one was flipping through a book, while the other was sewing an undergarment for their young child.
The teapot was BUBBLING, steaming gently.
It was a picture of serene domesticity.
The servant’s announcement shattered the silence.
Upon hearing that Cui Lingyao was waiting at the gate to invite her to the Royal Horse Field, Chen Minrou’s eyes lit up. All that pent-up energy finally had an outlet.
She tossed aside her needle and thread, hitched up her skirt, and made for her room to change.
Brimming with energy and vitality, she could run and jump again. The forced tranquility of her long illness was gone, replaced by the lively demeanor of her unmarried days.
Zhao Shijie watched her, his eyes filled with longing.
He wasn’t angry at being ignored. He set down his book and followed her into the room.
Inside, Chen Minrou had already taken off her outer clothes. Seeing him through the screen, she quickly said, "Don’t come in yet, I’m changing."
Zhao Shijie’s steps faltered, and he stopped as she asked.
"A gentleman outside the bed, husband and wife in it."
This was a rule she had set for him during their newlywed days because he had been so clingy, wanting to be intimate with her at every moment, regardless of the occasion.
For years, he had never broken it.
This time was no different.
The screen was made of only two layers of light gauze, offering little real cover.
Zhao Shijie stood rooted to the spot, his gaze piercing through the screen to the figure within.
The woman’s graceful silhouette moved and stretched as she dressed.
Zhao Shijie didn’t know which was more alluring: this tantalizing state of being half-hidden, or having her stand enchantingly right before him.
He only knew that a fire had ignited inside him and was beginning to burn through his entire body.
It left him parched.
It made his abdomen tighten.