The words echoed Su Xiaoqi’s own thoughts, which was bizarrely coincidental.
Su Xiaoqi briefly wondered if she had spoken her mind aloud, finding it preposterous.
However, when she realized the voice was a man’s and belonged to someone she knew intimately, she was startled.
Who else could it be!
Undoubtedly, Su Jiamo also heard the remark.
He turned his head to glance, then immediately whipped his head back to look at Su Xiaoqi as if he had been frightened.
A shared glance confirmed it: this was someone they couldn’t afford to offend.
Su Xiaoqi reacted swiftly, sloshing half a cup of tea towards Su Jiamo, and scolding him without restraint, “You’re sick, can’t you talk properly?”
“Marry, I’m marrying a wife,” Su Jiamo immediately smoothed things over, wiping the tea from his face.
Shen Yun had already arrived before them, pulled up a chair, and sat down beside Su Xiaoqi without reservation, as if he hadn’t been the one issuing stern words moments ago.
Just as Su Xiaoqi was at a loss for words to prove her innocence, Shen Yun spoke:
“My dear wife, you seem to be in quite a leisurely mood today.”
“No, no, I came, oh, I came to find you.” Su Xiaoqi’s mind raced.
“I heard from Second Brother that you were discussing matters with classmates here, so I thought I’d come and see.”
“Oh, so my wife cares so much about me.” Shen Yun said, reaching out to grasp Su Xiaoqi’s wrist, and was met with sweat in her palm.
He knew her best; her palms would sweat when she was nervous, though her face showed nothing.
Su Jiamo feared Shen Yun because he had been cornered by him many times at the county school.
Furthermore, Shen Yun had repeatedly tried to scheme against him but had always escaped unscathed, with the calculations invariably backfiring onto Su Jiamo himself.
Thus, having been severely dealt with, Su Jiamo now felt intimidated whenever he saw Shen Yun.
He knew he wouldn’t gain any advantage today, so he decided to make his exit.
As he stood to leave, Shen Yun pulled Su Xiaoqi up, saying, “My wife and I will see our second brother out.”
He was smiling, and to outsiders, his smile was like a spring breeze, warm and gentle.
But to Su Jiamo, it instantly brought back memories of their days opposing each other at the county school.
He had smiled the same way back then, but when it came to dealing with him, Shen Yun was utterly ruthless, leaving behind a trail of tears and blood.
He just wanted to leave quickly, as far away from this jinx as possible.
Su Xiaoqi accompanied Shen Yun to see him off at the door. Suddenly, she called out to him, smiling, “Second Brother, don’t forget to pay the bill.”
When the tea was served earlier, Su Xiaoqi had inquired; this pot of tea cost one hundred coins.
Su Jiamo quickly agreed, sprang up, and fled the private room like a gust of wind.
Only Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun remained in the room.
Tea was simmering on the small clay stove, its fragrance wafting.
Shen Yun looked at Su Xiaoqi, his eyes darkening.
He hadn’t expected to see her here, and with Su Jiamo, no less.
He knew about their past entanglement.
But he had thought that after Su Xiaoqi’s transformation, she would look down on Su Jiamo and his ilk…
Shen Yun hadn’t said anything, but Su Xiaoqi clearly understood the emotions in his eyes.
With a strong survival instinct, she said, “I, I can explain.”
Shen Yun remained silent, but he had clearly given Su Xiaoqi permission to speak.
“This was an accident,” Su Xiaoqi explained.
She recounted how, since Shen Yun had advised her to buy a manor, and she had set her sights on Steward He’s property, Su Jiamo had resorted to underhanded tactics to swindle it away.
“I naturally had to intervene,” Su Xiaoqi declared indignantly.
Pouting her rosy lips and glaring with her peach-blossom eyes, she looked as if she were about to uphold justice.
“I had to get rid of him, otherwise Shopkeeper Zhao couldn't help me buy the manor.
And here, you see, it’s just begun. I intended to leave after finishing this cup of tea.” This was the truth.
Su Xiaoqi was also impatient to spend another moment with Su Jiamo.
“What’s so good about this tea?” Shen Yun finally responded, but his opening remark was a complaint about the tea.
Indeed, it was roasted buckwheat tea, and its taste was not bad.
But compared to the tea Su Xiaoqi brewed herself, it was rather ordinary.
“Oh, don’t be angry with me,” Su Xiaoqi pouted and acted spoiled.
Shen Yun looked at her, her charming little demeanor reflected in his phoenix eyes, and his anger had long since dissipated.
But seeing her act so sweetly and appeasingly was a rare sight, and he wanted to savor it, so he deliberately maintained a cold expression, pretending not to forgive her.
“Oh, husband, they say great men are magnanimous, that a prime minister’s belly can hold a boat. You are destined to be a high official in the future, why would you quibble with a little woman like me?”
As she spoke, she snuggled closer to Shen Yun, nudging his chest lightly with her shoulder.
Her rosy lips were pursed, plump and glistening, as if issuing an invitation to Shen Yun.
Then, he unhesitatingly accepted the invitation, lowered his head slightly, and captured her lips.
“Mmm…” Su Xiaoqi’s eyes widened in surprise, her clear black and white eyes staring at him.
She cursed inwardly, “Pervert, I knew you’d fall for this. Why waste my precious time?”
Unbeknownst to her, these thoughts had all entered Shen Yun’s mind. Seeing that she didn’t resist…
“Where is my wife going?”
It felt as if a quarter of an hour had passed, or perhaps half an hour.
When Su Xiaoqi lifted her head from Shen Yun’s embrace, she was dizzy and couldn’t tell the time. All she knew was that her lips felt swollen and tingly, quite uncomfortable.
She shot Shen Yun a sidelong glance, cursing inwardly, “Does this scholar have any restraint?
Fortunately, we haven’t consummated our marriage, otherwise, he’d probably be the type to last seven times a night.
The thought was terrifying.
She shivered, nestled in Shen Yun’s arms.
Shen Yun was amused by her thoughts.
Seeing his lips curve upwards, the lines of his jaw instantly softened.
Su Xiaoqi breathed a sigh of relief, leaned against his shoulder, and mumbled, “You’re not angry anymore.”
Shen Yun retorted, “Hasn’t my wife had enough?”
The question was laden with meaning, and with it, his deep, dark eyes fixed on her like a wolf.
Su Xiaoqi’s body stiffened, and she immediately covered her mouth, though she couldn’t stop her internal grumbling, “You damned bookworm, so lustful, aren’t you afraid of biting off more than you can chew…”
“My wife, we’ve been married for months, and your husband, pitying your young age, hasn’t even consummated our marriage. How can I be greedy?” Shen Yun’s voice was cool, piercing straight to Su Xiaoqi’s heart.
“What, what did you say?” She was stunned.
Had she spoken her mind again? She quickly tried to cover her tracks:
“Bah, bah, bah, no, I didn’t, I thank my husband for his considerate care.”
“Oh, how will you thank me?” Shen Yun pointed to his lips.
Su Xiaoqi bit her lip, and the throbbing pain made her let out a soft gasp.
She instantly felt wronged, believing she had done nothing wrong yet was being punished by Shen Yun for half a day, only to have to thank him in the end.
Was she not wronged? Her rosy lips trembled, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, rolling down.
A crystal-clear teardrop clung to her fair cheeks, her long lashes fluttering, making her look exceptionally pitiful.
Shen Yun’s heart immediately softened. Forgetting his pretense of anger, he patted her shoulder and placated her gently, “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. It’s my fault for biting off more than I can chew, my fault for being rough and reckless.”
Hiding in Shen Yun’s embrace, Su Xiaoqi’s eyebrows curved upwards, a triumphant smile appearing on her lips. Her heart bloomed with joy:
“Little trickster, I don’t believe I can’t handle you.”
Little did she know that Shen Yun wore an expression of willing indulgence. As long as his little wife was happy, what was wrong with saying a few soft words to coax her?
His little wife was naturally delicate and soft, meant to be pampered.