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Qi Buyan’s breathing was utterly chaotic as he hugged He Sui’an’s waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck. His sweaty nose pressed against her, bringing a damp and scorching heat. He avoided looking at the spot where it all started.
He Sui’an felt a twinge of guilt for her actions. She truly hadn’t meant to do it.
She had simply seen the colorful butterfly trembling violently from being bumped, and the surrounding skin tingling intensely. She had wanted to press down on the butterfly to stop it from shaking so much.
Unexpectedly, pressing down on her own butterfly also pressed down on Qi Buyan, causing this reaction. He Sui’an didn’t know what to do and could only hug him back to express her apology.
Their heartbeats seemed to echo in each other’s ears. She moved slightly, and he slipped out.
Qi Buyan’s fingers tightened, digging into the soft pillow, looking somewhat uncomfortable. Feeling uneasy, He Sui’an picked up a corner of the blanket to wipe his sweat, muttering, “It’s… it’s okay.”
Just as she said that, Qi Buyan returned to the spot beneath the butterfly, making it stretch up again. With his renewed presence, the butterfly, which had started to fade in color, came back to life.
*
At dawn, silent snow fell.
He Sui’an was still sleeping, curled up under the blanket, clinging to Qi Buyan for warmth.
The weather had suddenly turned from hot to cold over the past few days. It had snowed yesterday, and today was the first day of May. The snow remained, and the temperature had dropped significantly. Without holding him, she couldn’t endure the cold.
Qi Buyan, like a warm furnace, made He Sui’an reluctant to let go. She wished she could cling to him, absorbing his warmth. Last night, they had tried once, though the method was rather unique.
He Sui’an’s butterfly was still there, with a very tiny one on her cheek.
It didn’t look like it emerged from her skin; it was so lifelike, as if a real butterfly had landed on her face. But as she slept and rubbed her face, the butterfly remained, proving it had indeed emerged from her skin.
The butterflies that appeared from mating with the people of Tianshui Village in Miaojiang would take a day and night to completely disappear. She was unaware of this, only knowing that such butterflies would appear.
Qi Buyan was still asleep.
The temperature hadn’t dropped to the point where he couldn’t wake up, but it did make him sleep longer than usual. He Sui’an nudged him with her head, both of them completely bare.
An hour later, He Sui’an slowly woke up. She wrapped herself in the blanket and sat up, her long hair disheveled but her complexion rosy, as if she had been thoroughly nourished.
He Sui’an forgot she was still undressed and pushed Qi Buyan, saying, “Wake up.”
He opened his eyes and focused, first on the small butterfly on He Sui’an’s face, then on the butterflies on her shoulder, collarbone, and other places.
Qi Buyan caressed them, causing He Sui’an to shiver slightly. Realizing she was exposed, she quickly dove back under the blanket, tightly gripping its edge.
The blanket smelled faintly of Qi Buyan’s warm scent. He Sui’an poked her head out.
She glanced at the scattered clothes on the floor and a few crumpled, soiled handkerchiefs nearby, not knowing what they had been used to wipe.
Qi Buyan sat up and went to get a clean dress for He Sui’an. He fetched it from the wardrobe; she had only taken a few clothes with her when she left the Princess’s mansion a few days ago, leaving the rest behind.
Looking at the dresses in the wardrobe, he asked, “What color do you want?”
She covered her face, “Whatever.”
Last night, a red dress got dirty, but there was another red dress. Qi Buyan’s fingers brushed the fabric and he asked again, “Red?”
He Sui’an thought of the red dress that had been under them last night, soaked and wet, and almost choked on her saliva. She quickly said, “Not red today, any color but red.”
He brought an orange dress back to the bed and handed it to her, “Do you want me to help you?”
He Sui’an shook her head frantically.
“I can do it myself.” She glanced at Qi Buyan, who was also naked, and the heat on her skin didn’t fade, it was burning hot. “You should get dressed too, don’t worry about me.”
Listening to He Sui’an’s voice, Qi Buyan felt joy spread through his entire body. The pleasure from last night lingered into today. He was fond of this intimate fusion, she would have him within her.
So this was what the books described as becoming one, inseparable.
Qi Buyan’s hands slightly trembled as he dressed, a result of reaching the peak of pleasure. He put on his indigo clothes, silver accessories jingling.
He Sui’an tied her dress and got out of bed to look in the mirror, ready to comb her hair. When she reached the mirror, she froze. The small butterfly on her left cheek was too vivid, impossible to miss, and it drew attention.
She leaned closer to the mirror, rubbing her face hard, but the butterfly didn’t change.
Why won’t it disappear?
Worried that the butterfly would always be there, He Sui’an, knowing why it had appeared, ran anxiously to Qi Buyan and stood on tiptoe to show him her face, “Look.”
Qi Buyan looked at the small butterfly on He Sui’an’s face that had appeared because of him, loving it dearly. He kissed it gently and traced it with his hand, “What’s wrong?”
He Sui’an, with a bitter expression, said, “Why is it still there? Shouldn’t it disappear?”
“Your butterfly will take a day and a night to disappear, it’s not time yet.” Qi Buyan paused, “You don’t like it?”
It wasn’t that He Sui’an didn’t like it; it was so beautiful, she did like it.
But having a butterfly on her face felt like announcing to others that she had recently done something intimate, even if they didn’t know what the butterfly meant. He Sui’an felt guilty.
She shook his hand, “Does it really have to take a day and a night to disappear?”
He replied, “That’s right.”
He Sui’an was at a loss, “Oh.”
Qi Buyan put down the towel he had been using to wash his hands and face, his hands still warm. He pulled her to the mirror, looking at the butterfly with her, “Do you want it to disappear quickly?”
She nodded and then shook her head, not knowing how to describe her feelings. She touched the butterfly on her cheek, too embarrassed to raise her head, and said bashfully, “People will see it.”
Qi Buyan focused on this point, “So you don’t dislike it?”
“Of course, I don’t dislike it.”
“That’s good.” He spoke directly, his fingertip brushing against He Sui’an’s cheek, “I want to see butterflies on you in the future too.”
He Sui’an was on the verge of going crazy. She could only have butterflies appear in that kind of situation, and Qi Buyan’s words implied… He Sui’an didn’t respond, instead grabbing a few silk ribbons to tie her hair.
Qi Buyan used a sandalwood comb to smooth her messy long hair, and He Sui’an watched him in the mirror.
His black hair was also loose.
His collar was slightly open, revealing a silver necklace around his neck that lay in the hollow of his collarbone, with the rest disappearing into his indigo clothes.
There was still a hint of redness at the corners of Qi Buyan’s eyes. Last night, he had stared at her with those eyes, looking at their connected parts as if he was very curious about something new and couldn’t get enough of it.
In contrast, He Sui’an had only glanced once last night, not daring to look a second time.
He Sui’an uncomfortably pulled her thoughts away from last night’s events, feeling Qi Buyan’s fingers moving through her hair. However, her mind flashed back to the scene of him pleasing her with his hands.
She couldn’t think about it anymore. He Sui’an abruptly patted her face, the sound of the slaps ringing lightly in the quiet room. Qi Buyan’s hands paused as he braided her hair, looking at her hands.
He Sui’an found a clumsy excuse, “My face itched a bit, so I patted it.”
“Hmm.” Qi Buyan seemed to believe her, finishing the braid. He took a silk ribbon from her hands and tied a bow at the end of her braid, adjusting it to be comfortable.
After tying the bow, he suddenly said, “He Sui’an, I want to marry you.”
She thought she had misheard.
“W-what?”
Qi Buyan selected a few silver ornaments and put them on He Sui’an, his gaze sweeping over her butterfly, wanting to touch it again. “I want to marry you.”
Instead of answering directly, He Sui’an asked, “Why do you want to marry me?”
He said, “You mentioned that marriage changes the relationship between a man and a woman, taking it a step further. So, I want to marry you. I want to do everything that signifies intimacy with you.”
So far, Qi Buyan could remember everything He Sui’an had said and could even repeat it.
They had explored each other intimately, and Qi Buyan had become increasingly greedy, wanting more. Anything related to He Sui’an, he desired, like an insatiable abyss.
There was an unknown emotion flowing in Qi Buyan’s eyes, “You don’t want to marry me?”
He Sui’an denied it.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to marry him.
It was just that He Sui’an felt uncertain and confused about the future. However, if she could face the future hand in hand with Qi Buyan, she seemed to have no objections. Although she couldn’t imagine what it would be like, there was a bit of anticipation.
Qi Buyan smiled, “Since you don’t object, let’s get married in a few days.”
He Sui’an was instantly shocked and exclaimed, “In a few days?” She had thought Qi Buyan meant they would marry when they returned to Miaojiang’s Tianshui Village, not in a few days.
He left the mirror and walked to the lattice window, pushing it open. “Yes, in a few days.”
Outside, it was snowing heavily.
The courtyard’s flowers, plants, and trees were covered with white snow, with branches bent under the weight, touching the ground. Qi Buyan caught a few drifting snowflakes, which quickly melted in the warmth of his palm.
He Sui’an found the cloak from yesterday and draped it over herself, then leaned on the windowsill to look outside. Qi Buyan asked her, “How long will this snow last?”
“Half a month.”
He Sui’an remembered clearly, without needing to think. A half-month snowfall at this time of year in the Great Zhou Dynasty was considered an extraordinary event.
She tilted her head slightly and noticed Qi Buyan’s wrist. The butterfly silver chain was loose, and every time he raised his hand, it would slide down slightly.
Suddenly, He Sui’an grabbed his hand.
In just a few days, new wounds had appeared on Qi Buyan’s wrist, with a red line in the middle that looked like a vein spreading under his skin.
He Sui’an frowned, “How did you get these new wounds on your wrist?”
“I made them.”
She pressed further, “Why?”
At that moment, the servants of the Princess’ Mansion came to deliver charcoal. They knocked on the door, “Miss He, Mr. Qi, we’re here to deliver the charcoal.” In the freezing weather, it would be hard to endure without charcoal to keep warm.
He Sui’an went to open the door for them.
The servants came in and placed two charcoal braziers in the room. Before they could light them, another group of servants arrived with breakfast. The breakfast was quite sumptuous, with eight dishes.
The servants had seen them return last night, so the one responsible for their meals, Zhi Mo, had arranged for the delivery of both charcoal and breakfast.