Chapter 132:
Xie Wanning let out a huge sigh of relief, hurriedly wrapping herself in the bedding, wishing she could roll herself into a silkworm baby.
When Pei Yuqing returned, what he saw was the enormous bed with the young lady monopolizing the quilt all by herself, having rolled to the corner.
As if he were a fierce beast, she had cleared out most of the space for him.
He found it somewhat amusing in his heart. Even if he didn’t plan to do anything more, he wasn’t willing to share the bedding with her again.
Thus, he knelt on one knee on the bed, preparing to pull her back into his arms, but his gaze caught a small patch of deep red bloodstain on the bedding.
There had been no movement from behind for a long time, so Xie Wanning couldn’t help but poke her head out and look back.
She saw Pei Yuqing staring blankly at…
Her face flushed red, and she used the quilt to block that spot, shouting angrily: “What’s so good to look at!”
As she spoke, she finally noticed his unusual expression, frowning slightly. “What are you surprised about?”
They had only consummated their marriage today; wasn’t the fallen red perfectly natural?
Pei Yuqing knelt on one knee on the bed, leaning over to approach her, lowering his eyes to look into her eyes.
Their gazes met, their breathing intertwining.
“I…” He paused, then chose to confess: “I misunderstood something before.”
Hearing this, Xie Wanning was stunned for a moment, her frown deepening. “…You thought I had an affair with Lu Ziyan?”
“Not like that,” His fingertip gently stroked her slightly swollen eyelid, saying softly: “I thought you were forced by him.”
That day she had been kidnapped for over two hours, and when she returned, her lips were swollen, her dress stained with blood, and she wouldn’t let him touch her.
Given Lu Ziyan’s wolfish nature, forcibly taking her wouldn’t be considered excessive.
For him to release her back intact was what was truly surprising.
Xie Wanning figured everything out and glared at him fiercely.
“So, for these past few months, you’ve been thinking of me that way?” She angrily pushed him away. “You sure can endure!”
His new wife had been kidnapped and lost her virginity, yet he had held back for several months, staying silent without revealing even a hint of emotion in front of her.
Should she thank him for his consideration, or be angry at his misunderstanding?
There was actually such a man in the world!
Pei Yuqing took a deep breath and lifted the bedding to get on the bed.
“Don’t touch me!” Xie Wanning pushed him. “Explain everything clearly first!”
But the man who had always been compliant completely ignored her struggles, tightly holding her in his arms.
His body was tall and broad-chested, able to envelop her entirely in his arms.
“What could I do?” He nibbled her earlobe, gently sucking on it, and sighed: “Wanwan, I had no choice. No matter what, no matter what happened, I couldn’t abandon you, nor could I let you bear the blame.”
It was all his fault for not protecting her well, which allowed her to be kidnapped.
Even if she had been… by Lu Ziyan… that couldn’t be blamed on her.
So, he preferred to suffer himself and never showed that he cared about the matter.
How could there be such a man!
Xie Wanning didn’t have the best temper, but at this moment, her chest full of anger from the misunderstanding was extinguished by his few words.
Apart from being moved, she was still moved.
“Does it hurt?” His palm slowly rubbed along her waistline, and Pei Yuqing said softly: “Was I too reckless just now?”
He hadn’t known it was her first time and had even thought of going a third round earlier.
Xie Wanning’s face turned red, and she glared at him grumpily.
“Be good, Wanwan,” Pei Yuqing smiled, lowering his head to kiss her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.”
His heart was surging, already at the point of being unable to restrain himself.
He wanted to devour her in one bite, yet also to carry her back to his nest, guard her properly, and savor her slowly.
But Xie Wanning thought the drug in him hadn’t fully worn off yet. Seeing him like this, she couldn’t help but shrink back a little, saying cautiously: “We really can’t continue; it hurts a lot.”
Pei Yuqing hummed in acknowledgment. “Alright, no continuing.”
He hadn’t planned to continue anyway; he wasn’t greedy. This intimate closeness was already enough.
Hearing his agreement, Xie Wanning relaxed with a sigh, resting her head in the crook of his arm. Neither was wearing clothes, so what she saw was his bare chest.
Many things were only realized afterward by those involved.
For instance, at this moment, after everything had happened, Xie Wanning finally came back to her senses and realized what they had done.
Consummation meant they had become a true couple.
It also meant that starting today, she was thoroughly married.
“…What are you thinking?” Pei Yuqing gripped the back of her neck, kneading it gently. “Wanwan, do you regret it?”
Regret reaching this step with him.
Xie Wanning stiffened for a moment and didn’t speak.
Pei Yuqing’s gaze immediately darkened slightly.
He had given her many, many chances to regret, always leaving her room to back out.
Until Lu Ziyan offered that cup of wine, he had made up his mind to go along with it.
If she had chosen not to come, he wouldn’t have blamed her.
But since she had come, how could she regret it now?
Or was there something he wasn’t good enough at?
Perhaps because they had just been so intimate, Pei Yuqing’s superhuman self-control was much weaker than before. He couldn’t help but lean closer and ask: “What are you hesitating about? Where did I fall short?”
“It’s not that,” Xie Wanning pushed him away a bit with her hand, finally catching her breath, then countered with a question instead of answering: “Was it Lu Ziyan who drugged you?”
This meant she was starting to settle accounts.
Pei Yuqing was silent for a few breaths, then hummed lowly and said: “He insisted on toasting me, and the wine was drugged.”
“After drugging you, he let you come back so easily?”
Lu Ziyan wasn’t a fool; if he were truly afraid they wouldn’t end up together, he wouldn’t help his love rival.
Xie Wanning looked at him, frowning. “Why would he be willing to let you come back? Explain it all to me clearly.”
Pei Yuqing gripped her wrist bone, and after another silence under her stare, he finally spoke: “…He drugged me and arranged a bunch of young ladies.”
“…” Xie Wanning thought to herself, as expected.
Then she heard him say: “Among them, one young lady looked very much like you, about sixty to seventy percent similar.”
“What???” Xie Wanning’s eyes gradually widened.
“Lu Ziyan said she was your cousin.”
Pei Yuqing explained Chen Xi’er’s background to her in full.
But Xie Wanning didn’t even know her cousin Ji Chengfeng, born to her own maternal aunt, so how could she remember this cousin she had never met? Hearing this, she felt Lu Ziyan’s actions were outrageously absurd.
She sorted out the whole story: “You mean, my cousin’s husband offered his daughter to him, and after he accepted, he passed her on to you?”
Pei Yuqing paused, noticing her displeasure, and hurriedly said: “I didn’t take her.”
He emphasized seriously: “Even drugged, I never thought of taking her.”
“…” Xie Wanning was speechless for a moment. Seeing him lose his composure and eagerly trying to claim credit, she said grumpily: “Should I praise you for your chastity?”
She felt a pang of discomfort in her heart: “Visiting a brothel, getting drugged, and having a young lady throw herself at you…”
