Chapter 86: Breakfast
"Don't rush..."
At the moment her lips touched his chest, the sensation was exactly as Song Hemei had imagined.
It was delicate, burning hot, causing Yu Yeqing's Adam's apple to slide involuntarily.
A vermilion red mole sat above his heart. Before, he had always been dressed neatly, so that only now did she discover its existence.
It was clearly not a place hard to speak of, nor something to be secretive about, yet at a time like this it carried a different meaning. This seemed to stir Yu Yeqing even more than usual, even making his arms tighten.
Perhaps this unconscious action greatly provoked him. The next moment, his body rose slightly. Song Hemei was pulled up out of the water by his movement, only to be pressed back down into the water again. Thanks to his strong palm supporting her back, she wasn't directly submerged.
"If it feels uncomfortable, tell me."
His words entered her ears. Song Hemei was still dazed, not immediately recognizing the power of those words at first.
Held by him, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck out of unease, her upper body pressed closely against his. His breath scattered at her ear, and then came the violent splashing.
She felt herself being plunged into the water again and again. Only by holding him tightly could she avoid being completely drowned. In this rush, she vaguely felt him pull up her legs. When she realized it, her legs were already resting on the rim of the tub.
This made things easier for him. With no obstacles, there was only the surging that broke through all restraint.
Song Hemei's vision gradually blurred. This came too swiftly, making her instinctively want to speak out to stop him, yet at the same time, because it carried an adventurous extremity, she also wanted to delve deeper into it.
Her breath grew faster, her body tensed. All she could do was hold tightly to the man before her, turning all the unbearable ecstasy into the strength of clinging.
She didn't know how long it took before everything calmed down. When her legs were brought back into the water, she finally came back from the overwhelming blankness. He held her against the edge of the tub as she gasped heavily.
"So tight..."
Song Hemei's mind buzzed. She dared not think what he meant.
But then he added, "You were holding me very tight too. I could barely breathe."
Song Hemei's heart raced wildly. The shame that had not yet faded now surged even more violently.
She let go, and he gradually withdrew, propping himself up to look down at her.
She was too embarrassed to lift her head, letting his tangible gaze rest on her. After a moment of silence, she heard him speak: "Do you want to rinse again?"
Song Hemei gently shook her head. At this moment, she only felt terribly exhausted. Even her waist and legs ached from the unexpected positioning, a soreness she had never felt before.
Yu Yeqing seemed to understand her meaning. He leaned down again: "Then I'll take you out."
One hand circled her waist, the other lifted her from the water. She didn't need to strain to hold him tight; she simply placed all her weight on him, letting him lead her out.
But once out of the water, things looked different. He was very tall, holding her high, but that didn't stop her from clearly seeing the water splashed on the floor.
She resignedly closed her eyes. This time, everything was truly done. When Chunhui came in to clean tomorrow, she would understand everything. There wouldn't even be an excuse left for denial.
As she thought this, she felt cloth touch her back. Startled, she propped herself up to look back.
"Wipe dry, so you don't catch a fever or get sick again."
Yu Yeqing's tone was calm, not feeling that wiping her body was inappropriate. He even wiped all the places on her back he could reach.
This made Song Hemei feel that her coyness was unnecessary.
She slightly pursed her lips: "Last time it was because the window wasn't closed. I don't get hot every time we finish."
"Better to be cautious, no harm done."
Yu Yeqing put the coarse cloth back in its place, then slowly carried her toward the inner chamber. His pace was neither fast nor slow. Plus, since it was summer, by the time they returned to the room, her front and back were mostly dry.
He took a clean bellyband from the small couch nearby. Song Hemei looked up and saw in the mirror before her his firm back, and her own smooth arms hidden beneath his body, dangling over his shoulders.
She dared not look further and quickly closed her eyes.
The soiled thin mattress was pulled off by Yu Yeqing. When she was placed on the couch, she instinctively wanted to hide deeper into it, but he grabbed her.
"Don't rush."
The light was blocked for a moment, and then soft fabric touched her body. She didn't dare open her eyes, because she knew Yu Yeqing certainly hadn't had time to dress. She simply couldn't bring herself to look at him fully.
One tie of the bellyband fell on her neck. Yu Yeqing leaned down and tied a slipknot. Then his arms circled her waist and tied the other side at her waist.
She instinctively arched her body to avoid him, which caused his fingertips to inadvertently brush against her waist.
"It's done."
He paused, not immediately rising. His tone, rarely, carried a hint of amusement: "Why keep your eyes closed? Very sleepy?"
His slightly hoarse voice after passion was very pleasant. Song Hemei swallowed: "Not really..."
"Then what? Shy?"
She wanted to deny it, but shamefully nodded.
Yu Yeqing sighed softly, somewhat helpless: "What now? Are you never going to look at me from now on?"
"That's not what I meant..."
Before she finished, she felt a weight on her shoulder, and then found herself wrapped up.
She opened her eyes and saw that she was enveloped in a thin quilt, while Yu Yeqing had already put on his undergarments again.
His tone was sincere: "I always feel that last time you got sick might have been because you slept without clothes."
Song Hemei quickly explained: "It really was just because I caught a draft while napping during the day. Your body is very warm. That night when we slept together, I really didn't feel cold. You don't need to blame yourself."
Yu Yeqing nodded, stood up, and put on his outer robe, fastening all the ties and hidden buttons neatly.
"I should go."
His voice was deep, carrying obvious reluctance, which made her feel uneasy as well.
She had the impulse to keep him there, but this was after all not the Song residence. If such a conspicuous living person disappeared without a trace, sooner or later they would come looking for him in her courtyard.
Her reason remained, so she could only nod reluctantly.
Yu Yeqing stared at her, then slowly approached, bending down slightly, his gaze lingering on her lips: "Can I..."
Song Hemei understood his meaning. Poor thing, how could she refuse? She directly loosened the tightly wrapped quilt, rose slightly, and kissed his lips: "Rest early."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Yu Yeqing's lips, his eyes softening. He nodded obediently: "Good."
His appearance at this moment was indeed captivatingly handsome. Even after he left the room, Song Hemei still felt her heart racing shamelessly.
Alone in the room, she slept for a night, but it was not a good sleep.
She couldn't help but long for the warmth of his embrace, even though it was summer.
She loved the feeling of being entwined together, as if the tighter they hugged, the closer their hearts would cling, never to separate again.
Before sleeping, she had been exhausted beyond measure, and at night she had many chaotic dreams. The next morning, she woke even earlier than usual, her eyes dry and her body lacking strength.
She was really afraid that his words might come true. She quickly raised her hand to feel her forehead. Only when there was no burning sensation did she feel relieved. She closed her eyes, tossed and turned on the bed, but couldn't fall back asleep.
Until she heard Chunhui's voice from outside: "Madam, the master sent me to call you. Are you awake?"
Song Hemei immediately responded, propped herself up, and said, "Come in."
Given permission, Chunhui's hand paused on the door before she pushed it open, entering with her head low, as if avoiding seeing anything she shouldn't.
Song Hemei also looked around the room. Actually, it was fine. The soiled mattress was neatly folded to one side. Other than that, the room was clean, with no trace left.
She was only grateful that they hadn't made a mess on the desk.
Chunhui came to her side: "The master seems to be going out with Lord Yu. He is having breakfast in the front hall. Someone from the kitchen displeased him, and finally he sent a servant to summon you."
Song Hemei frowned at this: "The kitchen displeased him, so why call me? I'm not his cook."
She didn't want to get involved. In the past, she might have put on a show with Shao Wen'ang in front of others. After all, no matter how messed up things were behind closed doors, that was their own business; there was no need to let outsiders see the joke.
But now Yu Yeqing was not an outsider, and she was planning to seek an amicable divorce. How could she still tolerate him?
Yet on second thought, Yu Yeqing was still in the front courtyard. If the kitchen food was truly bad, wouldn't he have to go out hungry during the day... And last night had been quite tiring.
Song Hemei sighed lightly: "Go to the small kitchen in our courtyard and get some food. Accompany me there."
She didn't know what Yu Yeqing liked to eat. Thinking he grew up in hardship, he probably wasn't picky.
Chunhui acknowledged and hurried to the small kitchen to pass the message. After Song Hemei dressed, they went together to the front hall.
Exiting the moon-shaped gate and walking along the covered corridor, before going far, she saw the two men sitting opposite each other in the hall. On the table were clear congee and small dishes, but from a distance, nothing seemed wrong.
But as she approached, she saw Shao Wen'ang looking at her with a smile, while Yu Yeqing, sitting beside him, had a flash of surprise in his eyes, then furrowed his brows and looked coldly at Shao Wen'ang.
Song Hemei spoke first: "I heard from Chunhui that you summoned me?"
The fake term "husband" was now impossible for her to say in front of Yu Yeqing, so this blunt opening sounded extremely distant.
"The kitchen staff are too careless. Knowing that Lord Yu would join us for breakfast, they still served such slop. Mei'er, you must pay more attention to these servants."
After saying this, Shao Wen'ang looked at the food box in her hands: "Mei'er, did you bring something extra?"
Song Hemei was too lazy to explain further. She only gave a faint acknowledgment and then signaled Chunhui to set the dishes on the table.
From beginning to end, she didn't look Yu Yeqing in the eye even once.
Having just been apart for one night, she was afraid her gaze would give away everything.
But Yu Yeqing seemed unconcerned. He took the initiative to ask her: "Have you had breakfast yet?"
As if realizing the tone was wrong, he added a respectful address: "Madam."
Song Hemei immediately tensed. She instinctively looked at Shao Wen'ang, but he seemed completely unaware. He laughed: "Lord Yu is right. Mei'er, sit down and have some congee with us."
As he spoke, he pointed to an empty seat.
Because the two men were sitting opposite each other, the remaining round stool happened to be placed between them.
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