“Is this your courtyard?”
“This was the courtyard where my father lived before. After he left, my grandfather kept it for him.” Mu Yao said softly.
The two had now returned to the courtyard. Mu Yao locked the main gate. The courtyard was very large. Mu Yao had lived here before, and everything in it was unchanged. It was also cleaned regularly, so there wasn’t even a speck of dust.
“I lived with the Mu Family for a while when I was little. Thinking back now, I can feel that my grandfather really hoped my father would return to the Mu Family, but he was too embarrassed to say it.”
Jiang Huai looked at Mu Yao’s cheeks and smiled, “Then do you think your grandfather was at fault for what happened back then, or your father?”
“I grew up by my father’s side, so naturally I side with him. Grandfather insisted on arranging a marriage for my father back then. He thought since that Second Miss of the Qin Family was so beautiful, why would my father have any reason to refuse? It’s a shame my father didn’t appreciate his good intentions. I even saw that Second Miss of the Qin Family when I was little. She was indeed very beautiful.”
“No matter how beautiful she is, if your personalities don’t match, living together in the future will only cause mutual annoyance. Love is something that, most of the time, cannot be forced,” Jiang Huai replied softly.
“What kind of personality do you like?”
“A little quieter?” Jiang Huai answered softly.
In reality, it wasn’t quite like that. Fu Fu and Luo Yueguan were the more boisterous types, and Bai Li was also carefree with no semblance of ladylike charm. It was just that when Jiang Huai had to describe what he liked, he couldn’t quite pinpoint it himself.
Perhaps liking someone was a momentary thing. You fell in love with a certain spark in them, and then began to fantasize endlessly, attributing all sorts of wonderful qualities to her. But fantasies eventually faded. When you looked beyond the fantasy and suddenly realized you had gradually gotten used to everything about her, love would quietly descend.
However, after Jiang Huai said this, Mu Yao was silent for a long time.
He blinked slightly and looked down. He then realized Mu Yao was hanging her head, her eyelashes also lowered, her voice becoming very small, “You’re lying.”
“Lying?”
“If I was quiet and obedient in front of you, would you like me?”
“If you were to pretend to be a quiet lady, a daughter of a prominent family, you wouldn’t even be yourself anymore. Would you like that version of yourself?” Jiang Huai listened to her dejected tone and replied gently.
“You’re right no matter what you say anyway.” Mu Yao pouted her lips slightly, her voice becoming very soft.
At this moment, her cheeks were red, but not from shyness. The two cups of wine earlier had already reached her limit. The potent liquor had quite an effect, and even Jiang Huai felt a slight dizziness. Mu Yao clutched his sleeve and led him through the courtyard to the edge of the bathhouse, saying softly, “Bathe, and then go to bed early. We have to enter the Secret Realm at noon tomorrow.”
“Mmm, you go ahead and bathe first. I’ll wait for you outside.”
“With me.”
“I’ll wait for you outside the door.”
Jiang Huai looked at Mu Yao. Mu Yao had now lifted her head, her eyes filled with stubbornness. “You just said you wouldn’t lose control when drunk. Are you scared?”
“What’s there to be afraid of?”
“Then you don’t dare to bathe with me?”
“This isn’t about not daring, it’s just improper.”
“Is it proper for you to bully me with a rabbit’s tail?”
This time, Jiang Huai was truly in the wrong. He couldn’t argue with Mu Yao on this matter. Mu Yao’s fingertips gently clutched the ties of her dress. “Since you won’t lose control after drinking and want to be a gentleman, then prove it to me.”
She had already unfastened the ties of her light purple palace dress. Such a gorgeous dress was a bit cumbersome to take off. After completely disrobing, she was left only in the light purple underwear Jiang Huai had chosen for her that day. The bra tightly bound the girl’s soft chest, and below her slender waist were the tied underwear bottoms, with a small butterfly knot at the hip. A gentle tug would make them slip down.
She did not remove her underwear, but slowly walked into the water. The water in the bathhouse was cool, gradually submerging her body. She looked at Jiang Huai on the shore from a distance, tilting her head, “Come down.”
Jiang Huai gazed at the figure of the girl in the water, looking at her tilted head, her hands behind her back, her slender waist held straight. Her snow-white cheeks were now flushed, as if her fair skin had taken on a faint pink hue.
“I’ll wait for you outside.”
Before Mu Yao could splash water on him, Jiang Huai escaped from the bathhouse.
…
A while later, Mu Yao, now wearing a nightgown, came out of the bathhouse, lifting the curtain. Jiang Huai was leaning against a tree in the courtyard, sobering up.
The firefly stones in the courtyard were all lit, casting light. Jiang Huai lowered his head, fighting the dizziness in his mind, until a section of fair, slender ankle appeared in his sight. Mu Yao extended her hand towards him.
Jiang Huai stood up, swaying as he walked towards the bathhouse. Getting into the bath, he groggily undressed and washed away the smell of alcohol. Mu Yao sat by the bluestone of the bathhouse, gazing at him quietly.
The water rippled under the moonlight. Mu Yao asked softly, “Do you want help applying bubbles?”
“No need.”
The girl swung her fair calves and simply gazed at him quietly. After a long while, Jiang Huai emerged from the water, changed into light clothes, and when he saw the girl extending her hand towards him, he gently grasped her small hand and walked back to the room with her.
“There’s no room for you, and no bed for you to sleep in.” Back in the room, Mu Yao looked back at him. “So you can only hold me to sleep.”
“Oh…”
Earlier, she had been full of grievances because he refused to bathe with her, but now, upon hearing his “Oh…”, Mu Yao felt her body become lighter. She jumped onto the soft, fluffy big bed, lifted the quilt, and patted the empty space beside her. Only when Jiang Huai lay down did she burrow into his arms like a cat.
Perhaps because she had drunk too much, Jiang Huai quickly closed his eyes. Mu Yao didn’t pester him to tell stories anymore, just rested her cheek against his chest. Later, feeling that the clothes on his chest were too bothersome, she took off the top of the dazed Jiang Huai’s body. Her fair face pressed against his burning chest. Seeing Jiang Huai in a deep sleep, strange thoughts arose in her mind. Her delicate pink tongue quietly extended and licked his chest.
How strange.
Mu Yao herself couldn’t explain why she wanted to do this, as if she were a cat stealing fish.
She had been rejected so clearly, so cruelly. She knew further effort would be futile, yet why couldn’t she give up? Had she truly become the little dog he described as being soaked by the rain? But how could she be liked? If she painstakingly managed her persona, advanced cautiously in relationships, and yearned for his favor, only to gradually lose herself… what difference would that make from the little dog soaked by the rain?
Mu Yao couldn’t learn to lie. She couldn’t hide her feelings for someone.
Jiang Huai was truly drunk. Even now, as her tongue licked his chest, he showed no reaction. Her chest was already covered in water stains from the tip of Mu Yao’s tongue, yet Mu Yao found her heartbeat accelerating faster and faster. The wicked little beast named greed was gnawing at her reason bit by bit. Her tongue began to quietly kiss Jiang Huai’s neck, then his lower abdomen.
The drunken Jiang Huai became like a puppet. Thus, absurd thoughts surfaced in her mind again.
Hmm, he was clearly asleep, but just a light lick and…
Mu Yao began to try to tentatively swallow. But no matter how hard she tried to press her tongue down, when it reached her throat, tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.
No, no, it’s better to just lick.
The young girl thought thus. Her delicate pink tongue, soft and wet, began to swirl again, or perhaps it was from the beginning to the end. At this moment, her heart was beating so fast, for fear that Jiang Huai would wake up the next second. But if he woke up, would he punish her? She suddenly realized how conflicted she was. She was afraid of Jiang Huai waking up and discovering her secret actions, but she also looked forward to him waking up and severely dealing with her.
But he doesn’t like you, and yet you are so… lowly, so despicable! This is clearly asking for trouble, but why can’t she control herself? Mu Yao began to overthink again. Was there truly some spell of love in this world? Had Jiang Huai secretly cast a spell on her mind, so that whenever she was by his side, she couldn’t help but go crazy?
It was as if fireworks were burning wildly in her heart, crackling and popping. Every time she saw his eyes, the reason in her heart would burn into a wasteland.
…
Jiang Huai had more strange dreams. He dreamed he was immersed in the sea, tightly embraced by the water, with small fish swimming around him from time to time, bringing a slippery, soft touch. He was dazed, but as his consciousness gradually cleared and he realized something was wrong, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up instinctively.
At this moment, Mu Yao was lying not far from him. Seeing him wake up, she panicked and quickly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. However, this action was precisely captured by Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai hadn’t fully come to his senses. He looked down, then looked at the filth on Mu Yao’s neck and collarbone.
Along with her extremely guilty, shy, and frightened eyes.
Jiang Huai took a deep breath.
“Come here.”
“N-n-no, I won’t come!” Mu Yao extended her hand and tightly clutched the quilt.
Unfortunately, Jiang Huai lunged towards her the next second. Her small body was held tightly in his embrace, and she trembled like a startled little deer. He leaned close to Mu Yao’s ear, feeling both angry and exasperated, with a hint of amusement. “Was it fun?”
“Y-you, you were asleep…”
Jiang Huai directly flipped her over, and she ended up lying across his body. Jiang Huai raised his hand. Mu Yao tightly closed her eyes, covering her ears, refusing to listen or think, scared tears welling up in her eyes.
Her body was trembling slightly. Jiang Huai looked at her tender, white buttocks and gave her a sharp slap.
Five times. Not one more, not one less.
Mu Yao’s calves had initially moved unconsciously, but now they lacked the strength to move. She seemed to have been thoroughly subdued by Jiang Huai. Yet, seeing her with her lips slightly parted, her delicate pink tongue sticking out and panting lightly, Jiang Huai felt this might not be a punishment for her.
Jiang Huai took out the “rabbit’s tail”.
“Sleep,” Jiang Huai extended his hands and firmly restrained Mu Yao’s small, delicate body, not allowing her to move an inch. Mu Yao curled up, her eyes tearful, begging, “How can I sleep like this…”
“Sleep like this. Let’s see if you learn your lesson.”
“My body… it’s still sticky… I want to bathe.”
“No. You’re not going anywhere.”
“You’re bullying me…”
“You weren’t good first.”
“Then you can’t bully me like this…”
“I’m unreasonable. Crying is useless.” Jiang Huai lowered his head, looking at Mu Yao’s extremely wronged expression. He only held her small, delicate body tighter, not giving her any chance to move.
