The Prisoner of Beauty

Xiao Qiao was startled. The warm breath he exhaled caused the fine hairs on the back of her ear and neck to stand on end. She quickly leaned back, trying to avoid his oppressive presence.

“Husband, what’s wrong? I don’t understand what you mean,” she responded, her voice slightly wavering, betraying a hint of guilt.

Her eyes had gradually adjusted to the dim light. Though she still couldn’t see clearly, she could distinctly feel his gaze fixed on her.

After a moment, Wei Shao finally sat up straight, creating some distance between them.

Xiao Qiao let out a sigh of relief, only to realize that one of her hands was still resting on his thigh. His thigh was firm and muscular, the kind of lean hardness that felt solid even through the thin fabric of his clothes. Whether it was her palm or his skin that felt warm, she couldn’t tell, but she quickly withdrew her hand and scrambled to move away. As she tried to crawl off his leg, she found herself stuck—somehow, a corner of her clothing was trapped under his foot.

She tugged gently.

Whether he was doing it on purpose or his leg was just that heavy, it didn’t budge.

She tugged again.

“Husband, you’re pinning my clothes,” she softly reminded him.

After a brief pause, Wei Shao let out a cold snort through his nose and slightly lifted his leg. Xiao Qiao seized the opportunity to free herself and quickly crawled to the innermost side of the bed to lie down. She couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.

Due to the patriarchal norms, women were often taught before marriage that when sharing a bed with their husbands, the man should sleep on the inner side while the woman slept on the outer side. But this man, perhaps out of habit, had slept on the outer side since their first night together. Xiao Qiao didn’t dare to ask him to move, so she ended up sleeping on the inner side.

And he had so many annoying habits!

She really preferred sleeping on the outer side—it was more spacious and convenient for getting up and down.

…

Wei Shao felt the pressure on his thigh ease as she withdrew her hand.

The spot where her palm had rested no longer felt as warm, quickly cooling down.

He remained seated, unmoving. The spot on his forehead where he had bumped it earlier still ached faintly. By tomorrow, it might bruise.

Earlier, he had clearly heard her laughing.

And before that, when he had returned home slightly drunk and paused at the doorway to steady himself, she had looked at him with apparent concern, calling for the servants to assist him while she herself stood there, not coming over.

As if he couldn’t tell that her concern was feigned.

If she were truly concerned, would her hand break if she came over to help him?

Men often had this mindset—even if they didn’t particularly care for their wives, they subconsciously expected their wives to be utterly devoted to them.

Wei Shao was no exception.

If Xiao Qiao had actually come over to help him earlier, he might not have let her touch him.

But her inaction was her own fault.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the Qiao family had sent her over as a gesture of goodwill to him.

Had they really taught her to serve him like this before her marriage?

Wei Shao glanced at the figure curled up on the innermost side of the bed.

She was now huddled there, motionless like a cat, exuding an air of meek obedience.

Only then did Wei Shao feel slightly more at ease. He touched his forehead again and lay back down on the bed.As he lay back, he suddenly recalled the fleeting sensation when she had tripped and stumbled toward him earlier.

It had felt quite soft up front.

……

The next morning, Wei Shao woke up.

He had drunk far too much the night before, and after a night of heavy drinking, he still felt a slight headache upon waking.

He opened his eyes and immediately saw a face, his gaze fixing on it.

After a brief moment of confusion, his consciousness quickly cleared.

Somehow, after a night's sleep, he had ended up facing this woman, quite close, with only an elbow's distance between them.

To be more precise, it was he who had rolled over in his sleep, moving closer to her.

She was still deeply asleep, her long hair slightly disheveled and draped over one side of her neck, a few strands clinging to her lips. Her cheeks were flushed from sleep, and her curled eyelashes gave her a playful look.

Wei Shao's gaze lingered on her face for a while, and then, almost instinctively, it naturally drifted downward to her slightly loosened collar.

Although they had only shared a bed for a few nights, Wei Shao had already noticed that she always slept with her collar tightly closed, as if she thought he might do something to her.

He found it somewhat amusing, her childish behavior.

But now, since her collar had loosened on its own, he figured it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look.

With this thought, a small sense of vindictive pleasure suddenly arose in Wei Shao's heart, and he glanced at the delicate area below her collarbone that was exposed by her loosened collar.

He felt a growing discomfort below and thought about getting up to relieve himself.

At that moment, Xiao Qiao's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Wei Shao quickly averted his gaze and turned over, facing away from her.

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes and saw Wei Shao still asleep, his back turned to her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the window outside the bed curtains, her mind instantly clearing.

She had overslept! It was already broad daylight!

If she went to greet Elder Madam Xu now, she would definitely be late!

She really wanted to make a good impression on Wei Shao's grandmother. Even if she hadn't thought about it before, after meeting her yesterday, the idea didn't seem so far-fetched anymore.

But how unlucky! Madam Xu had just returned yesterday, and now, on the very next morning, she had slept like a pig!

It was bad enough that she had overslept, but why hadn't Chun Niang come to knock and remind her? Had everyone in the west wing slept like the dead…

Xiao Qiao felt like crying but had no tears. She sprang up from the bed like a coiled spring.

Wei Shao opened his eyes, turned his head, and frowned as he watched her scramble over his legs in a panic. "What's wrong with you? Is there a wolf chasing you this early in the morning?"

"I'm late! I overslept! I'm going to be late to greet Grandmother!"

Xiao Qiao didn't have time to deal with him. She got out of bed and, with a look of despair, turned back to say this.

Wei Shao then slowly sat up, straightened his collar, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. "Is it really that big of a deal? If you're a little late, it's not like Grandmother will eat you!"

Of course, it's no big deal for you!

Xiao Qiao muttered in her heart, feeling a bit resentful toward him. If he hadn't come back so late last night and caused a fuss before bed, she wouldn't have overslept this morning.Xiao Qiao ignored him, quickly adjusted her clothes, and hurried to open the door. Chun Niang and the maids responsible for washing were indeed already standing in the corridor outside. Seeing Xiao Qiao, Chun Niang immediately whispered, "Lady, don’t worry. The Elder Madam just sent word, knowing that the Lord returned late from drinking last night, so you two don’t need to get up early to pay your respects. That’s why I didn’t knock on the door."

Xiao Qiao breathed a slight sigh of relief and let the servants in to help with her morning routine.

Wei Shao, as if deliberately opposing her, moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. She, a woman, had already finished dressing, while he was still putting on his outer robe, taking an eternity to fasten his belt. Xiao Qiao, watching from the side, was fuming, almost wanting to slap him. Finally, when he was ready, he took a few bites of the breakfast that had been brought in, then glanced at Xiao Qiao and said leisurely, "Let’s go."

Xiao Qiao followed him out.

By now, it was already half an hour past the usual time for morning greetings. The sun had risen above the roof of the north house. The two of them, under the watchful eyes of the servants, arrived at the north house. It wasn’t the main hall from yesterday; Madam Xu was in her usual sitting room, and there were quite a few people inside. Besides Madam Zhu and Zheng Shu, even Wei Yan was there. He looked lively, chatting and laughing beside Madam Xu. When the maid announced that Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao had arrived, he stopped and turned his head.

Not just him, but everyone else in the room also turned their eyes toward them.

Wei Shao walked in with a composed expression, while Xiao Qiao lowered her eyes and stood beside him in front of Madam Xu.

She could already sense Madam Zhu’s gaze fixed on her, an indescribable mix of emotions.

"Grandmother, your granddaughter-in-law pays her respects," Xiao Qiao bowed. "It was truly impolite of me to be so negligent on the day after your return. I beg for your punishment and promise it won’t happen again."

"It’s fine," Madam Xu said kindly. "I told them not to disturb you. Have you eaten? If not, there’s still some warm porridge here. You two can have some."

"We’ve already eaten. Thank you, Grandmother, for your care and understanding of my late return last night. It won’t happen again," Wei Shao also smiled.

Wei Yan laughed heartily, "It’s my fault. Last night, I insisted on keeping Zhonglin for drinks and only let him go after a long time. He probably couldn’t even find his way back. The fact that he could get up this morning shows how well my sister-in-law took care of him. If you want to blame anyone, blame me."

Xiao Qiao didn’t look up but felt his gaze sweep over her as he spoke.

Madam Xu smiled, "It’s only natural for you brothers to sit and drink together after not seeing each other for so long. Just don’t overdo it next time. It’s not good for your health."

Wei Yan and Wei Shao both nodded in agreement. The two brothers chatted with Madam Xu for a while about the upcoming birthday banquet. Madam Xu told them not to make it too extravagant, a simple celebration would suffice, and then they dispersed, taking their leave one by one. Wei Yan and Wei Shao went to discuss matters with the steward, while Xiao Qiao returned to the west house.

In the north house, Madam Xu kept Zhu Shi behind and asked Zheng Shu to leave, leaving only the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the room.

Zhu Shi knelt beside her, and seeing that her mother-in-law remained silent for a long time, she felt uneasy, having feared her for most of her life. After some hesitation, she finally ventured a smile and said, "In two days, it will be Mother’s birthday. The entire household is busy these days, and I haven’t had much free time either. Though things are hectic, I’m truly happy in my heart."Madam Xu smiled faintly and said, "It's just a small matter. Originally, I didn't think it necessary to make such a fuss. But since you insisted, I had to go along with it, lest you complain behind my back about not fulfilling your filial piety."

Zhu Shi responded with a smile, "Not at all. It truly is the younger generation's filial duty. It's only right."

The Elder Madam nodded, her single eye turning to Zhu Shi, and suddenly remarked, "I recall that Zheng Nü is now around eighteen or nineteen. At this age, if a girl doesn't marry, it's not good to keep her at home. Keep an eye out, and if there's a suitable family, arrange her marriage."