Chapter 110: Praise
The arms holding her began to tighten. Song Hemei looked down at the tears on her hand, rubbing them between her fingers before the reality of Yu Yeqing crying truly sank in for her.
She lifted her gaze to look at him, but before she could make out anything clearly, he had already nestled against her neck, gently nuzzling, murmuring indistinctly under his breath—too low for her to catch the words.
Song Hemei found it quite amusing. She tilted her head to press her cheek against his. "How did you actually start crying? Is it because you paid respects to your parents and you miss them?"
Her voice was soft, coaxing him to speak.
If his heart was truly troubled, it would be better if he could say it out loud, spurred on by the wine's influence.
But Yu Yeqing gently shook his head, then kissed her neck. "I just missed you so much."
"What is there to miss? We've been eating and sleeping together this whole time, never apart."
Song Hemei tilted her head to the side, giving him room to kiss as he pleased. She looked back at the cups on the table, losing any interest in drinking.
Drinking wine under the moonlight—especially this wine, which his father had brewed specifically for his wedding day—was supposed to be a moment for heartfelt words, for pouring out one's true feelings. When emotions ran deep, one might make vows of never parting in this life and meeting again in the next.
Then, feigning drunkenness, she should be leaning against his chest. Although, given her alcohol tolerance, it would more likely be a fake intoxication. But the important thing was to put on the softest, most vulnerable appearance a young lady could at such a time, making it convenient for affectionate closeness after a few rounds of wine.
But the current situation was nowhere near what she had imagined.
The man holding her was no longer satisfied with just kissing her neck. He moved down to her collarbone, leaving a trail of marks, shallow and deep, before kissing her cheek again.
The corners of his eyes were still red, but there was no longer the threat of more tears. When he pulled back to look at her, it was as if he wanted to etch her into his very gaze. "May I?"
Song Hemei was taken aback, momentarily wondering if she had misunderstood.
Nothing was prepared, and he suddenly asked this. She studied him closely, but saw no sign of lust on his face—instead, there was something almost reverent in his expression.
She nodded. "You may."
Whatever he wanted to do, it was fine.
Yu Yeqing, as if receiving an imperial decree, cupped her face and kissed her, gently pressing his lips to hers, as if afraid of offending her.
Song Hemei found him a bit funny. Was he really so drunk that he thought this was a dream?
But the next moment, he swept her up into his arms.
Song Hemei panicked for a second, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck as he strode into the inner room. It wasn't until he placed her on the bed and came down with a fierce kiss that she slowly realized she hadn't misunderstood him at all.
Yu Yeqing was rarely this fierce. First, he pinned her wrists, then interlaced his fingers with hers. While kissing her breathless, he began tugging at her clothes.
Song Hemei sensed something was wrong; he didn't seem to know his own strength right now. She quickly reached out to stop him. "Let me do it. Don't tear my clothes."
Lying on the bed, she fumbled to untie the sashes. Meanwhile, Yu Yeqing propped himself up and hurriedly undressed, revealing his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The moonlight cast an ethereal, cold glow upon him, but his body was scorching hot. He couldn't wait, pressing close to her again, his lips barely parting from hers before they were drawn back.
Song Hemei could hardly breathe. She had to push him back a little, whispering soothingly, "Alright, alright, I'm done undressing. It's still early. I don't know why you're in such a rush."
Yu Yeqing supported himself above her, gazing down at her. His arms were tense, veins showing. His other hand traced lightly over her body: from her brows to her nose, from her collarbone to her lower belly.
Wherever his fingers passed, a tickling sensation followed. She had never seen him so direct and eager. She was willing to indulge him, so she simply grasped his arm and let him do as he wished.
But he was truly drunk. All his usual restraint was gone. In just a moment, he pressed down on her, fiercer and harder than ever before.
Song Hemei thought she had seen him lose control in passion before, but this was the real loss of control.
This was completely different from their usual gentle, lingering intimacy. A feeling of the world collapsing around her left her thoughts in disarray. At first, she remembered the door wasn't closed and thought she should have him shut it first. But soon, she had no strength left to think about anything. Only when the storm temporarily subsided could she lie limp on the bed, her gaze unfocused.
But her respite was short-lived; the suffocating feeling soon returned.
Yu Yeqing kissed her neck, his hoarse voice suddenly whispering her name in her ear. Full name and all. Anyone listening might have thought he was issuing a challenge.
He kissed her earlobe, his breathing ragged. "Thank you," he murmured, though his words weren't very clear.
She couldn't tell if his thanks was genuine or not.
Song Hemei couldn't speak; she could only hold tightly to his neck.
Then he said, "I don't want to be apart from you."
In her haze, Song Hemei couldn't tell which "apart" he meant. Was it being separated by distance, or stopping what they were doing right now?
But before she could figure it out, she felt his tears fall onto her collarbone. She opened her eyes in a daze, meeting his tear-filled gaze, and couldn't help but soften.
Yet he was still fierce and relentless. She wanted to comfort him, but she also felt that she—unable to even speak right now—was the one who needed comforting.
She truly didn't understand why he was crying. Wasn't he the one moving with such vigor? She hadn't stopped him from the beginning to now.
With no other choice, she mustered her strength to touch his cheek, pulling him down to kiss his lips. "Alright, don't cry. We will never be apart again."
Perhaps these words pleased him, as his force redoubled. The comforting words Song Hemei had wanted to speak turned into muffled groans. By the time she recovered, he had already hooked her leg over his shoulder.
In the end, she couldn't remember what watch of the night it was when they finally finished. Three thoughts remained in her mind.
First, she must never let him drink recklessly again.
Second, her previous belief that he was upright and abstinent was a complete lie; it was all a facade of restraint.
Third, the lower leg was a body part that should absolutely never be placed on anyone's shoulder.
Song Hemei only remembered falling asleep in his arms at last, not even bathing, just sleeping on the tangled, messy bed.
When she opened her eyes the next morning, she was lying on Yu Yeqing's chest.
His steady heartbeat was in her ear. She didn't want to keep pressing on him, so she braced herself to move onto the bed, but the soreness in her body made her frown instinctively.
Yu Yeqing woke up at that moment. He looked at her, dazed, taking a while to recognize the situation before belatedly recalling what had happened the night before.
He parted his lips, panic and bewilderment flashing in his eyes. "I—"
When he spoke, his own hoarse voice startled him.
Song Hemei looked up at him, deliberately putting on a stern face as she propped her hand on his chest. "Your voice is hoarse, isn't it? Do you know why?"
Yu Yeqing's long lashes trembled. "Why?"
"Because you talked too much last night, and cried for a good while. It'd be strange if you weren't hoarse."
Fortunately, although he couldn't hold his liquor well, he hadn't forgotten everything from the previous night. The scenes of chaos and foolishness flashed through his mind one after another.
He instinctively went to wrap his arm around her waist, but instead touched her bare skin.
No bath. No clothes. They had slept like this all night.
If it weren't summer, they would surely have fallen seriously ill.
His guilt deepened. He quickly pulled the blanket over her. "I'm sorry. Does it still hurt?"
Song Hemei squinted at him, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "So you do know how strong you are. For a moment last night, I thought you were going to take me to the grave with you."
Yu Yeqing's Adam's apple bobbed, and his ears turned red. He could only turn over to lay her down on the bed, pulling her into a tight embrace and burying his face in the crook of her neck to hide.
"I was wrong. Don't be angry with me. It won't happen again."
His hoarse voice came, muffled against her neck, carrying a unique sense of post-passion attachment and intimacy.
Song Hemei hadn't really intended to get angry with him, but her body was truly exhausted. Sometimes, when one is utterly spent, it's hard to sleep for long. The sky outside was just beginning to lighten, and her tired, sleep-deprived state made it hard to control her tone.
She gave a direct command. "I want a bath."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yeqing's embrace loosened slightly. He pushed himself up, preparing to get off the bed.
Song Hemei glanced at him. There were many red marks on his body, caused by her gripping and clutching when she couldn't bear the intensity the night before.
He raised his hand to dress, but suddenly paused, pressing a spot on his shoulder.
He didn't turn around, his ears blazing red to the tips. When he resumed dressing, his movements seemed a little flustered.
Sometimes, embarrassment is relative. Seeing him like this, Song Hemei felt her own shame fade. She huddled under the blanket, snorting softly in mockery. "You brought this on yourself."
Yu Yeqing dared not linger any longer. He hurried out the door.
The water took a while to heat. Song Hemei dozed off again under the blanket, drifting in and out of sleep.
When she woke again, she was already in his arms. And again, he hadn't even put a simple bodice on her. It wasn't until she was placed in the bathtub that she raised her hand and slapped him. "Don't do this next time. I need clothes."
Yu Yeqing instinctively caught her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it, agreeing to everything she said.
The bath was quick, and changing the bedding was quick too. When she lay back down, she proactively burrowed into Yu Yeqing's arms.
Sleep needed some coaxing. She wrapped her arms around his waist and decided to chat with him for a bit.
"We won't be separated. Never again."
She could feel his anxiety from the night before. Though she had said it once, during that intense storm of emotion, people would say anything. She felt she needed to clearly say it again now, while they were both sober.
Yu Yeqing had never expected her to do this. His heart softened instantly. He felt utterly unworthy of her concern and indulgence.
He hugged her back. "I'm sorry. I lost control last night. I didn't do well. You can punish me however you like."
"Punishment isn't necessary. Aside from being tired, it wasn't bad."
Song Hemei muddled through the memory, reflecting that while last night had only been about brute force, it had its own unique pleasures.
She gave a very impartial evaluation. "You are quite capable. You didn't seem to get tired for ages. It's a real waste that you didn't take up martial arts."
Yu Yeqing carefully examined her words, deciding this should count as a compliment from her, even if it was about what happened between the sheets.
It felt as if his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help asking, "Then did you like it?"
"It was acceptable."
"So, do you prefer last night, or before?"
Song Hemei rubbed against him. How could she choose something like this? She smiled, deliberately hesitating. "You're always the one saying, 'as you wish.' Young Master Yu, figure it out yourself."
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