It wasn’t the first time sleeping in the same bed with Wujing, so Gu Jianli gradually lost that initial awkward feeling of embarrassment. In fact, she was even prepared, waiting for Wujing to snuggle up and hold her like a pillow.
But after waiting for a while, Wujing remained motionless. There was no sound from behind her; Wujing was so quiet that it felt like he wasn’t there at all. Gu Jianli couldn’t help but find it strange. Remembering how Wujing had been coughing up blood the past two days, she started to worry again. Hadn’t Nanny Lin mentioned before that Wujing had suddenly fainted several times?
Could it be happening again…
Startled, Gu Jianli carefully turned around to face Wujing.
It was too dark; she couldn’t see clearly.
Gu Jianli gently raised her upper body and leaned close to Wujing’s face to see if he was alright. Just as she got close, Wujing suddenly spoke, “What are you doing?”
Gu Jianli was so startled that her supporting hand went limp, and she nearly fell onto Wujing. In her panic, she reached out to support herself, her palm landing squarely on Wujing’s chest. She hurriedly withdrew her hand and quickly lay back down, whispering, “Nothing, just checking if you were asleep…”
She hid her hand under the blanket, her slender fingers clenching and unclenching. She had just touched something smooth and warm…
He… he wasn’t wearing anything on his upper body…
Gu Jianli’s heart suddenly raced.
Wujing turned around and reached into Gu Jianli’s blanket, accurately grasping her still slightly stiff hand.
“Can’t sleep without Uncle holding you?” Wujing chuckled softly, his tone teasing.
He moved closer without a sound, like a venomous snake creeping through the night. By the time Gu Jianli realized it, Wujing was already very close. He lifted his upper body slightly, causing the blanket to slide down, revealing his shoulders and a large part of his chest.
Gu Jianli caught a glimpse of Wujing’s collarbone and quickly lowered her gaze, feeling apprehensive. She forced herself to remain calm, trying to speak in a steady voice, “Fifth Master, I saw the sky at dusk; it looks like it will snow again in the second half of the night. Please cover yourself well with the blanket, so you don’t catch a cold.”
Even at night, Wujing’s vision in the dark was excellent. He watched Gu Jianli’s shy and timid face with interest and slowly said, “You touched my chest twice today. Wouldn’t it be fair to touch yours in return?”
Feeling Wujing’s chest with her palm already made her hand burn, and his words startled Gu Jianli so much that she instinctively tried to cover her chest with both hands.
But she forgot that Wujing was holding her right hand, which led to her unintentionally bringing Wujing’s hand to her chest.
Gu Jianli could clearly feel Wujing’s slender fingers against her bosom. She let out a light “Ah” and quickly pushed Wujing’s hand away, frantically grabbing the blanket to wrap herself up, and scooted backward until her back was pressed against the wall. Her movement was so fast that her head hit the wall with a “thud” in the silent night.
The pain quickly brought tears to her eyes.
In the pitch darkness, Gu Jianli heard Wujing’s low laughter.
Wujing’s hand reached over to rub the back of Gu Jianli’s head. He asked, “Does it hurt?”
Gu Jianli just wanted Wujing to let go, so she said, “It doesn’t hurt…”
Wujing responded with an “Oh” and, as Gu Jianli wished, let go of her. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, Wujing yawned lazily, smiled, and said, “You’re right, it is quite cold.”
Gu Jianli felt the blanket on her being lifted, and the next moment, she was pulled into Wujing’s bed. Her blanket fell over them both.
She raised her hand to keep some distance between them by placing it on Wujing’s chest, but she panicked and let go again as she felt his bare skin.
Wujing chuckled softly, yawned lazily again with a hint of fatigue, and closed his eyes, saying, “Sleep.”
With nothing to keep them apart, the distance between them suddenly closed, their bodies tightly pressed together. Gu Jianli obediently tucked her upper hand behind her back, while the lower hand seemed misplaced no matter where she put it. If she placed it in front, it might accidentally touch Wujing’s bare chest, so she thought of pulling it back under the blanket.
Then, she felt something soft and odd.
What was that? Could there be a bug in the blanket?
Gu Jianli froze for a moment and instinctively squeezed. The soft thing quickly grew.
She immediately pulled her hand back, her face turning pale with fright.
“I didn’t mean to!” Gu Jianli’s voice trembled.
Wujing made a “Hmm” sound, slowly opened his eyes, and smiled, asking, “Was it fun?”
Gu Jianli shook her head and repeated softly, “I didn’t mean to…”
Wujing let out a strange “Hiss,” dragging out the sound with a tone so ambiguous it was hard to tell if he was serious or joking. “You really have seen and touched everything, haven’t you? Such a loss—”
“I really didn’t mean to…” Gu Jianli repeated for the third time, her trembling voice tinged with a bit of panicked sobbing.
“The old saying goes, ‘Suffering losses is a blessing.’ I don’t mind,” Wujing said with a peculiar smile. He grabbed her hand and brought it under the blanket, guiding it back. “Play with it, go ahead, you can squeeze however you want.”
“No, no…” Gu Jianli desperately tried to pull her hand back.
Wujing didn’t grip her hand tightly, allowing her to easily withdraw it.
Gu Jianli sat up, her hands nervously held behind her back. The two hands clasped together, one cold, the other hot.
Wujing didn’t speak, just let out a slow sigh.
Hearing Wujing’s sigh, Gu Jianli suddenly felt a strange sensation in her heart. She looked up at Wujing, and the panic and embarrassment in her heart gradually calmed down.
Her hands clenched tightly behind her back, her features scrunched up in a struggle of indecision. It felt like she had considered it for a hundred years, yet it also seemed like just a fleeting moment of thought.
In a small but calm voice, she asked, “Fifth Master, do you want to consummate the marriage?”
Wujing, who had just closed his eyes again, opened them to look at Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli clenched the fabric at her lower back, and as she slowly lowered her hands to her sides, she lowered her eyelids and softly said, “I am willing…”
—If this was her duty as a wife, she was willing. Even though this marriage was nothing but a trap and conspiracy, not something she had wished for.
The moment Gu Jianli said she was willing, the image of the young man she once knew flashed before her eyes.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, forcing the memory of his face and voice away. When she reopened her eyes, any trace of tears had been pushed back. She looked up, sincerely and candidly meeting Wujing’s gaze. Or perhaps she was simply waiting.
Wujing licked his lips, gazing at Gu Jianli with his fox-like eyes devoid of any emotion.
“Not interested.” Wujing’s tone was casual as he smiled.
It took a moment for Gu Jianli to respond with an “Oh.” Her hand, which had been tightly gripping the blanket, gradually relaxed, and her tense shoulders slowly eased.
Wujing noticed.
He chuckled heartlessly, patted the bed, and said, “Not playing anymore. Uncle is really tired. Sleep.”
Gu Jianli softly replied with another “Oh,” lay back down, and gently turned over to face away from Wujing, careful not to touch any inappropriate places.
Her lips parted slightly, as if wanting to say something, but it felt as though something was stuck in her throat, preventing even a single “Fifth Master” from coming out. The tears she had held back suddenly flowed without warning, sliding down her face, through her hair, and soaking into the pillow.
Yawning, Wujing reached out, pulling Gu Jianli into his arms. She obediently and submissively let him hold her.
Wujing buried his face in her nape, nuzzled, and murmured “fragrant,” then chuckled.
Wujing soon fell asleep contentedly, but Gu Jianli couldn’t sleep at all.
The armored worm pressed against her tender hip like fire.
Gu Jianli dared not move, feeling paralyzed by the hardness of the armored worm against her. How could she possibly sleep?
The long night dragged on, unbearably so.
Listening to the even breathing behind her, Gu Jianli stared blankly into the darkness, silently wishing for someone to save her. But who could descend from the heavens to rescue her? No one could. She furrowed her brows, just hoping for the long night to end sooner.
In the end, Gu Jianli didn’t know when she finally fell asleep. The next morning, she woke up very early. When she woke, they were still in the same position as the night before. Gu Jianli gently moved Wujing’s hand off her slim waist and slipped out of his embrace.
She lifted the blanket and got out of bed, not even putting on her shoes. Holding her shoes in her hands, she tiptoed quietly out of the room.
As usual, Wujing woke up very late. By the time he was up, Lizi had already made a trip back to the Marquis of Guangping’s residence, bringing back some clean clothes for Wujing and the two children, as well as Wujing’s wheelchair.
Wujing sat lazily in the wheelchair, eating fish porridge slowly, watching Gu Jianli crouch in front of Ji Xinglan, helping her tidy up her clothes.
Wujing’s gaze then shifted to Ji Xinglou, who stood on a stool, jumping off it. After jumping down, he climbed back onto the stool and jumped again, finding endless joy in this simple game.
After tidying Ji Xinglan’s small cotton-padded jacket, Gu Jianli stood up. She glanced at Wujing, who had already changed into his snow-white robe. He looked more like a normal person in his own clothes, which made Gu Jianli feel relieved.
Then she noticed that Wujing was barefoot.
It must be so cold.
She turned and went into the house, fetching Wujing’s shoes. She crouched in front of him, ready to put on his shoes and socks.
“I don’t want to wear them,” Wujing said, retracting his foot.
Caught off guard, Gu Jianli lost her balance and fell backward, landing on the ground.
Gu Jingyuan walked in just in time to see this scene.
“How dare you! You actually kicked my daughter!” Gu Jingyuan shouted furiously.
That morning, Gu Jingyuan had gone out for his morning exercise and overheard Ji Xinglan and Ji Xinglou proudly telling Gu Chuan how beautiful Wujing looked wearing Gu Jianli’s dress. Unable to resist, Gu Jingyuan eavesdropped, growing more shocked with every word. After Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan left, he called over Jixia and asked for more details. Confirming that Wujing had indeed behaved so inappropriately, his anger flared up.
“Father, no, he didn’t. It was my own clumsiness,” Gu Jianli hurriedly got up and faced Gu Jingyuan.
“Move aside!” Gu Jingyuan pushed Gu Jianli away and pointed at Wujing in rage. “Nothing you say will change my mind. I can’t stand you mistreating my daughter! Those eunuchs from the Western Depot should have castrated you too!”
Wujing smiled a grim, mocking smile, “Even if I were castrated, I’d still be married. Then your daughter would be even worse off, marrying a eunuch.”
