When faint, fragmented sounds drifted from the room, the people waiting outside froze. In the next moment, Qian Qiyue, as if realizing something, hurriedly covered Xue Ru’s ears, her face flushing red.
Rong Yue instinctively reached to cover Qian Qiyue’s eyes, but as the realization hit, her expression darkened. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm in, only for Gu Helian to grab her by the waist and pull her back.
“Zhizhi, Zhizhi, don’t be rash, don’t be rash…”
Barging in now would be awkward for everyone.
Rong Yue’s hands trembled. “He… how dare he!”
But Gu Helian was thinking further than Rong Yue. He had seen Tangning and Xiao Yan’s closeness before and witnessed Tangning’s desperate efforts to protect Xiao Yan when he left the capital. He’d vaguely sensed something odd about their “sibling” bond but hadn’t thought much of it. Now, looking back, their intimacy had long crossed boundaries.
Though Tangning never said where Xiao Yan went when he left the capital, Di Tao’s arrival had given Gu Helian some guesses. He held Rong Yue back.
“Xiao Yan and Tangning share a deep bond. You’ve seen how he is with her. You saw Tangning’s state just now, only he could get close to her. She trusts him. And with Xiao Yan’s character, he wouldn’t take advantage of her if she were unwilling…”
Rong Yue glared, and Gu Helian shrank back.
She wanted to curse, to say all men were lustful beasts, cut from the same cloth, but two unmarried young women stood nearby.
Seeing their flushed faces, Rong Yue gritted her teeth, muttered a curse under her breath, and grabbed Qian Qiyue and Xue Ru, one in each hand, storming off with a murderous expression.
…
Inside, unaware of the commotion outside, the room’s lingering intimacy faded. Tangning lay limp on the bed, her arms weak, her slightly reddened eyes filled with confusion.
She had prepared herself to face his “imperfection,” but how could Xiao Yan…
Watching him, shirtless, light the room’s lamp and gently wipe the stickiness from her hands with a cloth, then kiss her reddened fingertips, the warm sensation enveloping her fingers made her body go soft.
Tangning quickly pulled her hand back, burrowing into the blanket, wishing she could turn into a quail and hide.
“Tangning?”
Feeling the sudden emptiness in his hand, Xiao Yan’s phoenix eyes lowered to see the little girl curled up, her exposed neck flushed red. He leaned closer, murmuring, “Little Crabapple?”
Tangning clutched the blanket, silent. Xiao Yan wrapped her, blanket and all, into his arms.
“Using me and then tossing me aside?”
His low voice carried a teasing, lingering chuckle, its seductive tone making Tangning’s ears burn.
As if on purpose, he leaned closer, his warm breath heating her ear, turning her face crimson.
“Tangning, pay attention to me.”
Tangning’s mind flashed to the moment he’d guided her hand to his body, his eyes red, holding her in lingering passion. Her shy, flushed eyes and the memory of it made her reach out and pinch him.
“Shut up!”
Xiao Yan pulled her hand, tugging the little quail out from the blanket. Tangning glared at him, her eyes round with mock ferocity, unaware of how alluring she looked.
Her fierce expression was like a kitten baring its claws, enticing Xiao Yan to lean closer.
Soft, dense kisses fell on her ear and neck, his warm breath melting her already pliant body. Tangning, shyly tilting her slender neck, clung weakly to the man before her, her body curving gracefully. As the bed curtains swayed, the atmosphere was thick with tender passion.
After a moment, Tangning suddenly felt herself lifted as Xiao Yan scooped her up.
He lay back on the bed, letting her rest atop him, his throat catching as he gazed at her.
Her dark hair spilled down, framing her jade-like face flushed with emotion. She wore loose undergarments, the stark contrast of white against her dark hair accentuating the pale shoulder exposed by the loosened ties. Her misty eyes shimmered with moisture.
Xiao Yan’s hands gently stroked her waist, his thin lips kissing her slightly swollen ones, their breaths entwining hotly, both clearly stirred.
But in the next moment, his lips wandered upward, brushing her delicate earlobe and then her forehead. He pulled her into his arms, steadying his heavy breathing, and stopped.
Tangning, lying against him, her slender hands weakly propped on his chest, looked up with misty eyes.
“Brother…”
Her soft, dazed voice wondered why he’d stopped.
Xiao Yan, gazing into her alluring eyes and hearing her soft, inviting tone, pulled her closer, tucking her stray hair behind her ear.
“If we keep going, I’m afraid your aunt will kill me.”
Tangning suddenly remembered that Rong Yue and the others had been there earlier. In her delirious state, she’d instinctively rejected everyone, but Brother stayed, while her aunt, uncle, Qian Qiyue, and Xue Ru…
Her face flushed red, her fingertips curling in nervousness, but in the next moment, her cool hand was enveloped in Xiao Yan’s warm palm.
“And I couldn’t bear it.”
He held her close, his breathing steadying, one hand gently stroking her hair.
“Our Little Crabapple deserves the best. How could I take you so carelessly? I’m waiting to marry you with an eight-carrier sedan and a ten-mile red dowry. The wedding night should wait for that day.”
Tangning’s tension eased, her cheek pressed against his chest as she softly said, “If Aunt tries to hit you, I’ll plead for you.”
Xiao Yan’s chest vibrated with a low laugh.
“Then Little Crabapple better act extra spoiled, or Aunt might not let you marry me.”
…
The candle flickered, the sound of insects outside faded, and the room’s passion gave way to warmth as the two embraced.
Listening to his steady heartbeat, Tangning murmured, “Brother, thank you.”
The sudden flood of memories had plunged her into childhood nightmares, the endless despair nearly making her lose herself in time.
In that moment, she thought she’d truly lose herself, drowning in despair. But he pulled her back, becoming her driftwood, replacing the figures in her nightmares.
That unfinished burst of passion had nearly erased her pain. Now, recalling those once-forgotten memories, the despair still suffocated her, but it no longer felt like unrelenting darkness. It was as if light had pierced that cramped, suffocating room, dispelling the shadows.
Tangning was endlessly grateful for this second chance and felt an unprecedented joy in meeting Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan’s gaze brushed her reddened eyes. “Don’t cry.”
Tangning rubbed her cheek against his hand, her voice nasal. “I’m not crying. I’m happy. I didn’t know Brother was that little brother from back then.”
Xiao Yan spoke softly, “During the East Palace fire, my mother consort risked her life to get me out. Consort Xue, with the few remaining hidden guards of my father, hid me but was hacked to death by pursuers to prevent anyone from discovering survivors in the East Palace.”
“Before she left, she hid me in a secluded place, giving me half a dragon-patterned pendant, saying to trust no one except the person who came with its match. I hid in that dark place for two days before a lady found me.”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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