Сhaptеr 127: А Наrmоnious Couрlе
“Still angry?”
Just аs Zhu Yan was аbоut tо lеаvе, Shen Du suddenlу grabbed her wrist. With a slight exеrtiоn of fоrcе, hе rеndеred hеr immоbilе.
“Whаt аre уou doing?”
Zhu Yan lоwеred hеr voice tо question him whilе struggling continuоuslу. Yеt thе mоrе shе struggled, the tightеr Shеn Du’s grip bесаme, until thе pаin fоrced hеr tо stoр moving.
“I’m just asking if yоu’re still upset аbоut whаt haрpened this аftеrnоon?” Shеn Du аnswеrеd hеr quеstion, but Zhu Yаn wаs utterlу cоnfused.
“What аnger? I’vе аlrеadу fоrgоttеn what hapрened this afternoоn. Don’t go loоking for troublе herе.”
Аs she sрoke, the pain in her wrist made her frown. “Let go quickly, you’re hurting me.”
Only upon hearing this did Shen Du slowly release his grip.
But as Zhu Yan turned to leave, she suddenly lost her footing and stumbled backward. Shen Du caught her directly and carried her toward the room.
“What are you doing!” Zhu Yan exclaimed in shock, struggling and questioning him at the same time.
If it weren’t for the late hour, she would have jumped down from Shen Du’s arms and scolded him to his face, calling him a scoundrel.
A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Shen Du’s lips. He glanced lightly at the person in his arms and replied in a lowered voice,
“Everyone here doubts the nature of our relationship. If we don’t act convincingly, they’ll simply say your words are baseless and without proof, refusing to believe you.”
Zhu Yan’s lips twitched. How could Shen Du still be thinking about such things at a time like this?
“Put me down quickly. It won’t look good if someone sees us,” Zhu Yan continued to struggle, but Shen Du’s arms tightened even more.
“What’s wrong with it? I’d be glad if more people saw. That way, the fact that we’re a harmonious couple will be confirmed, saving you the trouble of explaining to everyone.”
“…” Zhu Yan was completely speechless, unsure how to retort. This move of his was truly preemptive.
She couldn’t help but admire Shen Du’s “foresight.”
Finally back in the room, Zhu Yan, like a startled rabbit, immediately jumped down from Shen Du’s arms and retreated far away.
“Alright, alright, the act is over. Now it’s time to sleep.”
As she spoke, Zhu Yan pointed to the nearby table and chairs. “The Zhu residence isn’t like the Shen residence. You’ll have to make do there.”
Shen Du glanced at the table and chairs, his brow suddenly furrowing. Then he looked at the bed behind Zhu Yan and walked straight toward it.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Shen Du patted the mattress and said, “Isn’t there a bed here? Only a fool wouldn’t sleep in a bed when one is available. If you’re unwilling, you can sleep on the table and chairs.”
“This is the Zhu residence!” Zhu Yan’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she shouted angrily at Shen Du. “It’s my home, not your territory.”
“I am your husband. As a couple sharing a room, is it proper for you to make your husband sleep on the table and chairs?”
“…”
Zhu Yan was speechless again. Was it really appropriate to lecture her on marital duties at a time like this?
Without waiting for her reply, Shen Du lay directly on the bed, closed his eyes, and said, “There’s still space on the inside. If you’re willing to stay here, sleep on the inner side. If not, spending the night outside with the moon isn’t a bad idea either.”
The muscles on Zhu Yan’s face twitched. Was this even human speech?
They had both experienced how chilly the night breeze was outside earlier. Only a fool would choose to sleep outside in the cold wind when there was a perfectly good bed available.After a moment of quick thought, Zhu Yan ignored Shen Du's words, kicked off her shoes, jumped onto the bed, and piled the quilt between the two of them before lying down on the inner side.
"Neither of us can cross the quilt. Even though the bed here is small, we'll just make do for the night. The rules we should have must still be followed."
With that, Zhu Yan closed her eyes.
Shen Du didn't say much either, only glancing at the woman and finding it quite amusing.
The night was indeed a bit chilly, and the two sleeping individuals unconsciously pulled the quilt over themselves.
When she woke up in the morning, Zhu Yan opened her eyes only to find herself nestled in Shen Du's arms.
Both were fully clothed, and Shen Du was sound asleep at that moment, seemingly completely unaware of the situation.
Zhu Yan widened her eyes and gently lifted the quilt off herself. Before Shen Du noticed what had happened, it was better for her to slip away quietly to avoid awkwardness later and prevent him from complaining about her body being dirty.
She moved slowly, but as a martial artist, the moment Zhu Yan stirred, Shen Du suddenly opened his eyes.
His large hand abruptly rested on Zhu Yan's shoulder, pressing the woman back into his embrace. "Where are you going?"
Seeing that Shen Du was awake, Zhu Yan quickly scrambled out of his arms. "It's good that you're awake. Last night was a bit chilly, we..."
Only then did Shen Du realize that the two of them had shared the same quilt and had just been embracing each other.
But for some reason, he felt no anger in his heart at that moment; instead, he seemed somewhat reluctant to let go of the feeling from earlier.
Zhu Yan hurriedly tried to explain, but halfway through, she suddenly realized something was off. Clearly, he was the one who had taken advantage, so why was she the one explaining?
She had gotten into the quilt and crossed the boundary, but wasn't he also under the quilt?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yan's expression shifted from guilt to anger. Pointing at Shen Du's nose, she shouted loudly, "What's going on with you? Didn't we agree not to cross the boundary? How could you do this?"
Zhu Yan's sudden change in attitude left Shen Du momentarily confused, and he didn't want to dwell on it. He got out of bed and stood up.
Zhu Yan refused to let it go. Since he had taken advantage of her, he had to give her an explanation.
"Explain clearly what just happened. Why were we under the same quilt?"
As soon as Zhu Yan finished speaking, the door suddenly opened, and Jin Shi walked in carrying water for washing. Hearing Zhu Yan's words, Jin Shi glared at her fiercely—this girl spoke without any restraint.
"What are you saying? A woman speaking so shamelessly?" Jin Shi harshly criticized Zhu Yan.
Shen Du didn't offer any explanation for Zhu Yan either, which only added to her frustration.
Her mother didn't know the truth, but couldn't he even bother to say a single word in explanation?
Shen Du ignored her. After washing up, he left the room, leaving Zhu Yan alone inside.
Today, Shen Du seemed somewhat different, with a faint smile at the corner of his lips. When he saw Zhu Kuo, he even nodded politely.
After breakfast, everyone gathered together again.
Han Shiyuan hung his head low; he didn't want to revisit the past.
But now, with everyone wanting to help him, he had no choice but to recall those painful memories.
A faint, refreshing incense burned in the main hall. No one made a sound as Han Shiyuan spoke—this was a sorrowful story, not a joke.
After Han Shiyuan finished recounting the events, Zhu Yan and Shen Du exchanged a glance.The information Han Shiyuan knew was consistent with what Zhu Yan had investigated and what was recorded in Shen Du's Inner Guard archives, offering little new progress.
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