Second Marriage

Chapter 44

Ye Shen knew that she was bold.

He had seen her on the day of her wedding when she set fire to the Li Residence and stood on the main street to stand up for herself. He had also seen her confront the scheme from the Second Branch of the Xiao Family. She was not afraid of facing danger and had even come to negotiate with him before.

This girl who had been bound by various upright rules since childhood was utterly bold and did not want him to underestimate her.

Her ability to kiss and tease him was really bold too!

Ye Shen was surprised by her boldness but indulged in how his heart was pounding because of her boldness.

He never knew that the relationship between a man and woman could be intense and passionate because of a simple kiss or even an act of intimacy that did not even count as a kiss.

He heard his heart jumping so violently that he felt dizzy.

After kissing him on the cheek, Xiao Youning lowered her head and blushed. Her hands were twisting the hem of her clothes. She looked a bit like a child who had done something wrong.

In fact, this was just an impulse she had for a fleeting moment. And after acting on it, she became bashful and was left with an inexplicable worry.

She seemed to be… too unreserved!

But when it came to liking him, it seemed like she couldn’t control herself. She couldn’t help but want to be close to him, especially after seeing that young lady who had tried to get close to him. She was full of desires to make the person in front of her completely hers.

She had never had such deep feelings before. It was probably like what she said: she is a jealous woman, she is jealous!

Xiao Youning looked up and then down again. Then, she decided to let out all the vinegar 1 she had just swallowed, and raised her head to kiss him again.

Who knew that Ye Shen would be one step faster than her.

He gently held her chin with his index finger and thumb. It was different from the kiss she gave that was like a child playing house. Her entire body was pressed down.

The man’s body was like a mountain. She was gasping a bit, but he kept kissing her lips and she could not breathe. She was like a fish out of water, flopping around… unable to endure being on the shore.

The only difference was that the fish that left the water could only wait for despair to arrive, while he gave her a piece of the world that she had never experienced before. Every part of her was numb because of him, and she felt like she was a bit drunk and as light as a feather.

Xiao Youning did not know how much time had passed before she was let go. He was breathing heavily into her ear, his hot breath was hitting her neck. The numbness from before had yet to dissipate before it intensified again. She was softly trembling in his arms.

“I know you’re scared at this moment.” He breathed fondly on her neck, and his lips touched her pink earlobe.

He bit her.

It was a little painful. Xiao Youning finally regained her senses thanks to the stinging pain and gasped for breath.

But he took another bite in retaliation, and his voice was even lower and huskier than before. “You don’t know how horrible men can be, especially those who look at you day and night.”

Xiao Youning’s head was buzzing, but she understood; her face was dyed as red as blood.

When Ye Shen caught a glimpse from his peripheral view, he thought it was time for her to push him away and he would never dare to do that again. In the end, instead of stepping back, she wrapped her hands around his waist and whispered, “I… I just wanted to kiss you. I felt uncomfortable knowing that someone else was thinking about you.”

As she said that, she hugged him more tightly.

Ye Shen was stunned. She hit him on his back with her fist and complained, “It’s your fault!”

He was even more stunned.

In all honesty, it was he who was set up, and he who was provoked. So in the end, it was his fault!

But he could not help it at that moment. He did not realize how she felt and teased her. He was bound to be guilty.

He hugged her and let out a long sigh. “Yes, yes, yes, it’s all my fault, it’s me who is wrong. Shall I make amends for you?”

The way he yielded was thick with pampering. It made her embarrassed to be unforgiving, and this jealousy issue could be considered over. Thus, she angrily released him and sheepishly ran to the corner furthest from him.

Ye Shen looked at her and wanted to sigh again.

From the way they touched just now to the cold shoulder treatment right now, it made him realize what it felt like to be high in the clouds and then to fall from it.

However, this young girl was thin-skinned, and if he didn’t show what he meant at that moment, then she was probably going to always hide it and not talk to him about it.

He got up and sat down next to her. Without waiting for her to speak, put his head on her lap and said, “I’ve been sleeping on that couch these past few days. My back is sore and I haven’t slept properly. This carriage is also crowded. I can only find this space next to you to stretch out my legs.”

It was possible that a man was born to be thick-skinned and knew how to make a girl feel bad for him.

The Fifth Master Ye who had never picked flowers before was acting like a “flower thief” and driving a lightweight carriage on a familiar road2.

Xiao Youning was about to push him away when she put away the hands she couldn’t raise. She saw that he had dark circles and knew that he did not sleep well on the ship.

She was very ashamed of herself for trying to hide. How could she have been so hypocritical and try to hide all the time?

After thinking it through, she simply and naturally reached over to pull out the hairpin from his bun and took out a comb: “I’ll brush your hair. It will probably take all afternoon.”

Ye Shen agreed and closed his eyes. He was not sleepy at first, but he actually ended up falling asleep.

When he was awakened, he saw that it was dark outside. The carriage steadily stopped at the edge of an inn.

Xiao Youning saw that he was awake and asked him to sit properly. She helped him with his bun while she was giggling.

Ye Shen vaguely asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Fifth Master snores when he sleeps, like a pig.” She let out a snort. Ye Shen’s face darkened, but luckily the carriage was dark and it could not be seen clearly.

He had never slept so soundly. It turned out that he slept for more than two shichen, without even a dream, and he couldn’t feel more peaceful.

It was time for them to get out of the carriage, but Xiao Youning sat without moving. Ye Shen thought it was strange and asked what was wrong.

She reached out and said, “My legs went numb after letting you use me as a pillow for more than two shichen.”

He was startled, but then he shook his head and laughed. He pulled her up into his arms and carried her out in a princess carry.

Yuan Guo and Jian Yin were more or less used to their intimacy. That night, Ye Shen didn’t go anywhere else to sleep. He just stayed with her on the bed but put an extra quilt between them.

Traveling by land was more tiring than by water. They were trapped in a carriage every day and she felt lightheaded from all the jolting encountered on the difficult road.

In order to ease her discomfort during the journey, Ye Shen racked his brains to prepare a game of chess, leaf cards3, and even things like throwing arrows into the pot. He would find the game and then store it in the carriage. There was even a day where he accompanied her to jump rope.

Xiao Youning realized that the seemingly omnipotent Fifth Master Ye had a rare frown that was caused by a jump rope. He stared at the way she was jumping like he was cautiously writing an essay.

Along the way to the north, the weather had also become drier. There were several dangerous incidents along the way.

The road collapsed, refugees rebelled, and mountain bandits had suddenly appeared. But all of them were resolved by Jian Yin. Their problems were all solved without them needing to get out of the carriage.

With Datong getting closer and closer, Xiao Youning had also become more restless the past two days. She had some expectations in her heart, but she was afraid those expectations would not be met. It was so excruciating that she received canker sores.

From the day that Ye Shen kissed her, even if they shared the same bed, he had never crossed the line. He was afraid that his self-control would break and he would really bully the young girl. If he actually saw Marquis Ningyuan later, then he would not be able to explain himself. Over the past two days, she was so anxious that had canker sores. She did not even dare to bite her lips and had to call Yuan Guo into the carriage to take care of it.

Another day went by and the sun was setting down the mountain. Jian Yin looked around at the vast wilderness and reported to the carriage, “Fifth Master, we can only sleep outside today. If we hurry tomorrow, we will be able to get to the town.”

The place where they were at right now was between two mountains. It was flat everywhere.

Ye Shen pulled the curtain and looked outside. Then he said they would spend the night here.

But Xiao Youning felt that something was a bit odd. Ye Shen was always together with her in the small carriage, so she could see he was being cautious.

Could it be… that what he said earlier was true and we will have to break into the mountain bandit’s lair?!