The Prisoner of Beauty

Chun Niang noticed that Xiao Qiao was sitting motionless in a daze, so she helped her up.

Xiao Qiao, like a puppet on strings, bent down and climbed out of the carriage.

Although there was a heater inside the carriage, it still couldn't withstand the freezing cold outside. Moreover, from early morning until now, Xiao Qiao had been sitting in the carriage for a long time, and her legs and feet were slightly numb. As soon as her feet touched the ground, her legs gave way, and she stumbled a bit, struggling to stand steady. Without a word, Wei Shao raised his arm and pulled her into his embrace. Then, he took off his thick cloak, which still carried his body warmth, and with a swift motion, covered her from head to toe, wrapping her tightly before leading her inside.

The travelers who were sleeping on the floor in the inn's main hall didn't get a clear look at Xiao Qiao. They only saw a tall man swiftly passing by with someone whose head and entire body were completely covered by a large cloak, heading towards the inner hall.

Everyone knew it was a woman. Although her face was hidden and her figure was obscured, the hem of her skirt peeked out from beneath the cloak. The fabric was expensive, and the edge of the skirt was embroidered with intricate patterns of dogwood branches. A faint, lingering fragrance followed her as she passed by.

The hall was initially silent. After the travelers watched the couple disappear from sight, gradually, some began to cough, others turned over, and a few couldn't help but click their tongues in envy, wanting to exchange a few words of gossip with those nearby. Suddenly, they saw a group of robust and fierce-looking men rush in through the door, presumably the entourage of the couple, and immediately fell silent.

……

Wei Shao's steps were large from the start. At first, Xiao Qiao, being held by him, could keep up. But as he walked faster and faster, her steps became unsteady, and if it weren't for his arm firmly gripping her waist, she would have fallen countless times.

When they reached the door of the room, Wei Shao dragged Xiao Qiao inside with one stride. Xiao Qiao, whose head was still covered and couldn't see clearly, wasn't warned by him, so her feet caught on the threshold, and she fell entirely into his arms, almost being half-carried and half-dragged into the room. She felt his grip loosen around her waist as he let her go.

Without the support of his strength, Xiao Qiao tumbled onto the bed.

The drowsiness she had felt in the carriage and the initial shock of seeing him earlier had completely vanished.

Xiao Qiao let out a cry of "Ouch!" and reached up to pull off the cloak that was still covering her head, revealing her slightly dizzy and disoriented face. She turned to him angrily and shouted, "What are you doing! Do I not have legs to walk on my own?"

Wei Shao stared at her, then suddenly dragged her over, flipped her around, and pressed her against the edge of the bed. Before Xiao Qiao could react, "smack, smack," Wei Shao raised his hand and slapped her on the buttocks.

Her dress had a lining filled with soft silk for warmth, but even through the layer of silk, her buttocks still felt a sharp, burning pain.

It was clear how hard he had hit her.

Those two slaps completely stunned Xiao Qiao. At first, she lay there motionless. After a while, she slowly turned her head, her eyes wide, and said to the man who had just hit her and was now staring at her with a dark expression, "You... hit me? You actually hit me?"

Her voice was filled with disbelief, a hint of grievance, and the anger of being humiliated.

After saying this, she scrambled up from the bed.

"You hit me? You hit me!"Thinking about the humiliating moment when he had inexplicably spanked her, Xiao Qiao's cheeks flushed red. She continued to shout incoherently, clenching her fists and raining blows on his shoulders and chest.

Wei Shao stood in front of her by the bed, his eyes fixed on her as he allowed her fists to pound incessantly against his chest. As she gradually grew breathless and her punches became weak and feeble, the tension in his expression slowly eased. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled her tightly into his arms, leaning down to whisper hoarsely in her ear, "Had enough?"

Xiao Qiao was still fuming. Though she had no strength left, she refused to let him hold her properly. Shouting, "No, no!" she struggled with all her might. One of her fists accidentally struck his arm, and when he hissed in pain, she remembered that something felt off when her hand had landed earlier, as if there was something wrapped beneath. She paused, finally stopping her struggle, and glanced at his arm, snorting as she asked, "Did you get hurt again?"

After she asked, he didn't respond, only continued to stare at her. Slowly, he grinned at her, his expression filled with joy.

Xiao Qiao felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Then, as he pulled her along, the two of them tumbled onto the bed.

This room was the newlywed son's quarters that the host family had vacated, separated from the guest quarters by a small courtyard, making it relatively quiet. The furniture inside was new, and the bed was made of pinewood, though one of the joints seemed loose. As they pressed down on it, the bed frame let out a faint creak.

Wei Shao kissed her. He kissed her forcefully, with such intensity that it felt as though he wanted to devour her, as if he wished to swallow her whole.

Xiao Qiao was still seething with anger, and this kind of kiss held no appeal for her—it was pure torment. She refused to let him kiss her, but he insisted. Pinned down like a fawn under a tiger's paw, she was forced to endure his kiss for a moment before she managed to free one arm and punch his injured arm.

This time, she did it on purpose. Wei Shao seemed to feel the pain, his body pausing briefly before he finally stopped.

Xiao Qiao took the opportunity to break free from his arms, scrambling to the far side of the bed against the wall, glaring at him.

Wei Shao touched his injured arm, giving a bitter smile. Then, he slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard, tilting his head slightly to meet her gaze.

"Aren't you going to ask how I happened to run into you here?" he asked slowly after a moment.

Xiao Qiao replied, "I don't want to know!"

Wei Shao said, "I came south specifically to fetch you."

Xiao Qiao was startled, then pouted, "It must have been Grandmother who sent you. I know you didn't want to come. It must have been hard for you."

Wei Shao shook his head, "I wanted to come fetch you myself."

Xiao Qiao glanced at him sideways.

"I..." Wei Shao seemed to hesitate, pausing mid-sentence.

"I missed you. Missed you so much it ached to the bone," he said, gazing at her, his words slow and deliberate.

She had never expected him to say something like that, and to see him speak so seriously and earnestly.

Xiao Qiao couldn't help but feel surprised, and yet, it also made her feel incredibly awkward.After he finished speaking, his eyes remained fixed on her without blinking. Her cheeks couldn't help but slowly grow warm. She turned her face away unnaturally, avoiding his gaze, and muttered softly, "I don't believe it. You're just sweet-talking me with honeyed words!"

Wei Shao gazed at her flushed cheeks, his voice unconsciously softening even more, "When have you ever heard me sweet-talk a woman? I truly wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Xiao Qiao glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her delicate and pretty chin still held high, not uttering a word.

Wei Shao continued, "You don’t know this, but after returning from my expedition in Shangdang to Yuyang, I left my army behind halfway and rushed day and night, managing to get home more than ten days early. When I arrived home, it was already midnight. The first thing I wanted was to see you. But when I entered the house, I found you weren’t there. Those nights, I couldn’t sleep well. I kept thinking about you, and during the day, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I missed you deeply. My grandmother must have noticed, so she told me to go and fetch you. I immediately headed south, traveling day and night again, nearly exhausting several horses, and finally reached your home in Dongjun, only to find out you had already left for Lingbi. I hurried to Lingbi, but after many twists and turns, when I arrived, I heard you had already started your journey back north. Unwilling to give up, I chased after you, not stopping to rest, and finally caught up with you here, only to encounter the frozen Yellow River. At first, I thought you had already crossed the river, but I was stuck on the southern bank. My heart…"

He frowned and let out a long sigh, "Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. It turns out you were traveling slower than me. I finally managed to catch up with you."

Xiao Qiao was genuinely surprised this time. For a moment, she just stared at him in a daze.

"You’re the first woman I’ve ever treated this way," Wei Shao said.

After speaking, he leaned back against the headboard and opened his arms to her, "Come here!"

His posture was as if he were waiting for her to throw herself into his embrace.

Xiao Qiao was both amused and exasperated by him, her face flushed and her heart pounding like a deer’s. But just as her heart skipped a beat, she suddenly remembered the scene when they had first met, and her anger flared up again. She slapped away the arm he had extended toward her and said indignantly, "Then why did you hit me when you first saw me…"

The word "buttocks" was too embarrassing to say out loud. She bit her lip and glared at him with dissatisfaction.

Wei Shao replied, "Was that really hitting you? I was just reminding you! I was out on a campaign, unsure of life or death, and you left me without a word and returned to Yanzhou! I chased after you all this way, through chaos and danger, fearing something might happen to you on the road, and all I wanted was to find you as soon as possible. Finally, when I saw you, you were so cold toward me! You really have no conscience!"

Xiao Qiao’s voice had already softened, but her attitude remained stubborn. She snorted, "I still don’t believe what you’re saying! Last time, it was clearly you who deceived me first. Why were you angry with me before you left Yuyang?"

Wei Shao gazed at her, and suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly. He raised his hand to cover his arm, his face showing great pain.

Xiao Qiao was startled. She didn’t want to pay attention, but seeing him in such obvious pain, she finally couldn’t harden her heart and asked, "What happened to you on the road? Did you get seriously injured on your arm?"

Wei Shao nodded, "When I went to Lingbi to find you, I ran into your sister’s husband. There was a misunderstanding, and we fought. He injured me."Xiao Qiao was startled and quickly asked, "How did you two end up fighting? Is he alright?"

After asking, she noticed Wei Shao staring at her, his expression turning unpleasant again. Realizing she had misspoken, she quickly corrected herself, "How are your injuries?"

Only then did Wei Shao reply, "He's fine. I was fine too. But these past few days, while chasing after you, I didn’t have the chance to properly tend to my wounds on the road, and now they’ve started hurting again…"

Xiao Qiao gazed at him.

"Come here, help me take a look at the injuries!" he said, extending a hand toward her.

Xiao Qiao bit her lip and remained motionless at first. Seeing his hand persistently reaching out, stubbornly suspended in mid-air, she hesitated for a moment before finally crawling slowly toward him. When she got close, Wei Shao grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his chest, letting out a long sigh.

Xiao Qiao struggled slightly but soon softened, lying quietly on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat thumping in her ear. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

Wei Shao remained still at first, but then suddenly flipped over, pinning her completely beneath him. He lowered his head and began kissing her once more.