Fang Muyang asked again, "Are we considered a real married couple now?"
Fei Ni remained silent, fully understanding the implication behind his words. She was willing to marry him and had never regretted it, but she wasn’t prepared to become a real couple with him yet. Her mother’s teachings and the regular sounds from next door that she used to hear flooded her mind. If being a real couple meant making such sounds every week, she didn’t think it was any better than their current situation, nor did she yearn for it.
"If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as your agreement." Fang Muyang sought a warm, soft spot to warm his hands.
"Give me some time to think it over."
"Is there something about me that needs improvement?" Fang Muyang’s hands warmed up quickly.
Fei Ni felt her blouse tightening, almost to the point of suffocation, and her face flushed red.
"Wasn’t our previous arrangement just fine?"
"But I think we could be even better."
Fang Muyang’s fingers were both ingratiating and unrestrained. Fei Ni had never encountered such fawning fingers—it was as if even their fingerprints were trying to please her, to make her comfortable. But all that flattery had a purpose: to indulge more freely after winning her over. Fang Muyang’s fingers were no exception. They grew increasingly bold and forceful, yet disguised as a kind of accommodating strength, as if to say, "You must be willing too."
Before long, he had not only warmed his own hands but also raised Fei Ni’s body temperature.
This was beyond Fei Ni’s experience. What he was doing to her was something she had never seen in movies or read about in books. Perhaps his actions were still distant from the main subject, and even the advice her mother had given her on their wedding day was of no use now.
She had no idea where he had learned all this, as if it were specially designed to torment her.
She felt unbearably hot and itchy, and couldn’t help but question Fang Muyang, "Where did you learn all this?"
Fang Muyang didn’t grasp her meaning at first, but when he did, he smiled and said, "When I met you, it just came naturally."
When he liked someone, he naturally wanted to get close to her—as close as possible. Why would he need to learn how?
Fei Ni stayed silent, so Fang Muyang continued, "Don’t worry, I’ve never been like this with anyone else before you."
"I’m not worried." Her voice trembled slightly, but her tone was firm.
"Then why do I smell a hint of jealousy?"
"You’re framing me again."
Fang Muyang apologized sincerely and added, "I have no experience, so if I do anything wrong, just let me know and I’ll correct it. If you’re not satisfied now, bear with me a little—it’ll get better later."
Fei Ni’s face was flushed, her breathing uneven. Though her voice was low, it was resolute: "Enough." Her words were the hardest part of her besides her teeth, but Fang Muyang’s fingers sensed her vulnerability, so he didn’t take her seriously.
"But my hands are still cold. I need to warm them a bit longer." He insisted on staying.
"Then go warm them somewhere else." Fei Ni couldn’t bring herself to say that his hands were already plenty warm, even though they had long since lost their chill.
Fang Muyang took Fei Ni’s suggestion to heart and moved his hands slightly. He leaned close to her ear and asked, "Do you think this spot is okay?"
Fei Ni scolded, "Shameless."Fang Muyang wasn’t angry and patiently negotiated with her: “Once we’re married, we’re family. I’d rather give up my pride than let outsiders benefit—how about I give it all to you?”
Fang Muyang tilted his face to brush against Fei Ni’s lips, making it seem as though she were kissing him.
He wore an expression of generosity, offering his entire face for her to handle as she pleased.
No matter how Fei Ni tried to dodge, their lips still met. Fang Muyang occasionally gave her a chance to speak.
Her words slipped out intermittently: “I have to work today.”
He leaned in closer to speak: “So if you didn’t have work, it would be okay?”
Fei Ni closed her mouth and said nothing. Even without work, could she really allow him to do anything he wanted? Fei Ni herself didn’t know. But today, she definitely had to work. Besides, he had been busy all day yesterday and hadn’t slept yet—if he didn’t rest soon, it wouldn’t do him any good.
Fang Muyang grew increasingly bold. “Then let’s not go to work today.”
“How could that…” Before she could finish, Fang Muyang seized the opportunity.
Fei Ni silently cursed her own weakness for falling into his trap again. Her lips had been slightly sore before, but now they felt fine. His mouth was much gentler than his hands. His hands deepened their understanding of her bit by bit, as if trying to leave imprints back and forth, forcing Fei Ni to feel the distinct differences between each of his five fingers.
Normally, she disliked how he often teased her with words, but now she wished he would talk more. Only when he spoke could she speak; otherwise, she was left silenced. She wanted to use what little reason remained to tell him that they both needed to rest—to rest alone for a while.
After a long while, Fang Muyang rested his chin on Fei Ni’s shoulder, leaving her a gap to speak.
“It’ll be dawn soon. You should get some sleep.”
Fang Muyang agreed.
For Fang Muyang, lifting Fei Ni wasn’t much effort.
Startled by being picked up, Fei Ni instinctively cried out, “Don’t!”
Fei Ni’s head rested on the original pillow again. Fang Muyang pulled the quilt over and wrapped her tightly. Lying on the other pillow, he brought his mouth close to her ear and asked, “Don’t what? Didn’t you want to rest? Why say no now?”
Fei Ni tugged the quilt up to cover her face, ignoring him. She had misunderstood him again, and she couldn’t help but wonder if, deep down, she really wanted to do that kind of thing with him, which was why she kept suspecting him. The thought embarrassed her.
Fang Muyang wasn’t as upright as Fei Ni imagined. The reason he lay there without doing anything else wasn’t because his mind was free of distractions—it was simply because time didn’t allow it. Both he and Fei Ni still had to work.
He turned over and hugged Fei Ni through the quilt.
Fei Ni said, “I’ll sleep up there.”
Fang Muyang laughed. “Still don’t trust me?”
“Aren’t you cold without a quilt?” There was only one quilt on his bed, and she was using it. She didn’t dare share half with him.
“With you beside me, I’m not cold at all.” He held her tighter and leaned in to kiss her.
In the past, Fei Ni might have dodged, but now, after deeper contact, kissing felt ordinary. And since she was wrapped in the quilt, she didn’t have to worry about anything uncontrollable happening, so she let him continue. Because they had work this morning, Fang Muyang only kissed her ear.The air suddenly fell silent, and Fei Ni could hear her own heartbeat in the stillness. She thought Fang Muyang was right not to cover himself with the blanket—she was practically dying of heat herself. Closing her eyes, Fang Muyang’s fingers still twitched restlessly, as if trying to mold her into a certain shape. In just a short while, she had grown familiar with his touch, and the memory of his earlier movements, along with her own sensations, replayed vividly in her mind, so tangible it felt like it was happening all over again. But she knew his hands were now very well-behaved, extremely so. With Fang Muyang beside her, listening to his breathing, there was no way she could fall asleep.
She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like for the two of them to share a bed in the future—she’d probably lie awake every night. So, the later that time came, the better.
"Let me out for a moment." She was on the inside of the bed and had to pass by him to get down.
"Hmm?"
"I want some water."
"I’ll get it for you."
Fang Muyang knew Fei Ni was trying to use this chance to return to her upper bunk. As he poured the water, he deliberately slowed down, only turning around after Fei Ni had settled back into her original bed.
It was just as well she went back. If they squeezed together like that, he wouldn’t get a minute of sleep either.
Under Fang Muyang’s gaze, Fei Ni still drank the water he had poured for her.
Lying in bed, unable to sleep, she didn’t dare toss and turn, afraid the noise would disturb Fang Muyang’s rest.
He had been sleeping less lately because of the furniture he was making, and this time he hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly dawn. She wanted him to sleep a little longer.
By daybreak, Fei Ni still hadn’t slept. She climbed down from the upper bunk quietly, while Fang Muyang remained lying in bed, his eyes closed. Fei Ni noticed how long his eyelashes were and couldn’t resist blowing on them lightly to see if they would flutter. At first, she was too far away, and they didn’t move. She leaned closer to his face and blew again, then gently brushed them with her finger, even poking the tip of his nose with her pinky. Afraid of waking him, she only touched him lightly.
Since getting married, she had never observed him like this. The last time she had looked at him so closely was when he was unconscious in the hospital.
Back then, she had looked at him with hope for the future, thinking that if he recovered, she might be able to earn an advanced worker title or go to university. Now, even though she hadn’t made it to university, she had a companion, which made life feel meaningful and worth living. Of course, there were still many moments when she regretted not being able to attend university or change jobs.
She watched him quietly like this for a long while before heading to the washroom to freshen up.
In the washroom, she ran into Wang Xiaoman, who couldn’t help asking, "Fei Ni, why are your lips swollen?"
Fei Ni instinctively bit her lip, recalling the scene in the bedroom earlier, and casually made up an excuse: "I burned them drinking hot water."
Wang Xiaoman noticed Fei Ni’s ears turning red and didn’t have the heart to call her out. Yesterday, Fei Ni had laughed so awkwardly—she probably hadn’t realized how thin the walls were and that Wang Xiaoman had overheard. Her lips weren’t burned by water; they were clearly bitten. What had they been doing to cause that?
Fei Ni went back and looked in the mirror, pressing her fingers to her lips. Sure enough, her upper lip was swollen. She couldn’t help but blame Fang Muyang.
Fang Muyang noticed Fei Ni staring into the mirror and leaned over to look at her reflection. He reached out to touch her upper lip. "Why is this swollen? Does it hurt?"
Fei Ni shot him a glare. "None of your business."Fang Muyang did not stop showing concern despite Fei Ni's impatience: "Did you burn yourself while drinking water today? Let me get the ointment for you."
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