Chapter 5: Wedding Night (2)

    On the auspicious night, within the vibrantly red room,

    Feng Xinyang was lying on the bed with his back turned to his bride, both seething with barely contained emotions. Meanwhile, Ling Wei was seated at the same table, her frustration mirrored by a chill that seemed to permeate her entire being.

    After a moment, the bride let out a soft sigh, cautious not to disturb the figure on the bed. She rose to her feet, approached the discarded red garment on the floor – earlier flung aside by the groom without a second thought – and picked it up. With deliberate care, she folded it neatly and placed it on the table beside the wardrobe.

    Subsequently, she shed her own bridal attire, folding it as well and meticulously removing various ornaments from her hair, a task that took considerable time. She then arranged these items next to the folded garments.

    Her wedding was nothing but untraditional.

    Ling Wei sighed again, this time searching for a vanity table to better manage her hair. No matter how hard she searched, she did not find one.

    The realization dawned on her that such a furnishing would be unlikely in a man's chamber, as well as a mirror. She was also sure her groom had made no arrangements.

    With another soft sigh, she began untangling her long hair with her fingers, methodically working through the strands.

    She then returned to her seat at the table in the center of the room, eventually leaning forward to rest on the table, succumbing to a quiet, tearless resignation beside her indifferent groom.

    Feng Xinyang, squinted his eyes on the bed, observing his bride. A peculiar irritation stirred within him at her subdued demeanor.

    Yet, it seemed fitting for a woman who dared to drug him.

    Remaining motionless on the bed as if asleep, he was nonetheless disturbed by an odd sensation. The itch started to get worse.

    He considered getting up for a bath to ease his discomfort.

    After a moment's deliberation, he rose, exhaling a heavy sigh of frustration loud enough to startle the bride at the table. She sat up straight before looking at him with uncertainty.

    Feng Xinyang sat still on the bed resembling a big wooden statue, as he stared at his bride.

    He glanced at the woman who was in her white clothes. Loosened hair flowed on her delicate back; some were encasing her soft, glowing face. She looked at him innocently, pursing her lips and rubbing her small hands together.

    Was she cold? Why did he feel hot?

    The man sitting on the bed, started to feel hotter and hotter, contrasting sharply with the room’s chilly atmosphere. He eventually stood up and walked towards the bathroom, disappearing inside.

    Ling Wei watched his rigid and scary form with a mix of relief and anxiety. She knew he disliked her because she did not like him either.

    But their unfortunate situation was partly her own foolish doing. She could only blame herself.

    The young woman pondered silently, glancing towards the bed and the neatly folded blanket on it. As the year's end approached, the nights grew significantly colder.

    She rubbed her hands together, occasionally blowing warm breath onto them to fend off the chill. After a while, she turned her gaze towards the bathroom, noting that her groom had been in there for quite some time. Perhaps he was taking a bath, she thought, or maybe he had fallen asleep in the tub. It would be convenient if he had, as it would give her the entire bed to herself.

    Ling Wei thought to herself, alternating her gaze between the bed and the bathroom.

    Deciding on a course of action,

    she quietly got up and tiptoed towards the bed. She was freezing and yearned for the warmth of the bed and blanket.

    She intended to make herself as small as possible on the bed, so that should he return from his bath, there would still be ample space for him.

    Having shared a moment of intimacy already, she reasoned it would not matter if they shared the bed. After all, they were now married.

    Ling Wei reassured herself with these logical thoughts as she lay down, covering herself up to her neck with the blanket and snuggling as close to the wall as possible, letting out an agitated breath.

    She tried to calm her racing heart, feeling like a thief caught in the act.

    The excitement slowly gave way to regular, deep breaths.

    Soon, Ling Wei fell asleep,

    worn out from the three days of rushed wedding preparations and the journey to her groom's manor.

    Sleep came easily to her, a respite from the whirlwind of events.

    She fell asleep just like that.

    Feng Xinyang spent an unusually long time in the bath that night,

    He closed his eyes, straining to hear any sound from outside the bathroom. Once he heard the steady breathing of someone asleep, he decided it was time to get out.

    He had bathed so long that his muscles went numb with cold, he would freeze to death, if he had stayed in there any longer.

    He sighed heavily, frustrated with the turn of events. Why did he have to be in this situation? His spacious room felt cramped and suffocating with the presence of the small woman who had invaded it.

    He felt trapped, unable to explain to his household why they should not share a room without disclosing the shameful circumstances that led to their hasty marriage. It was a secret he was determined to keep.

     At all costs!

    The enormous man emerged from the bathroom, trying to settle his emotions, but it was such a difficult task. The soldier wondered how he could be so unsettled by such a diminutive woman. If he had not been so careless, they would not be in this situation.

    If it were a man, he was certain there would be no way he would be overpowered like this.

    Humph! The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

    Feng Xinyang, after taking an uncomfortably stiffening bath, returned to the bed to find the beautiful form of his bride sleeping soundly under a thick blanket, nestled close to the wall as if to avoid him. Why could she not just sleep peacefully?

    He stood there, displeased as ever, and slowly let himself down onto the bed in a manner unlike any he had before. He used to throw himself onto his bed in any which way, but tonight felt constrained, almost as if he had to sleep straightly all night. That would be such a discomfort.

    He thought and awkwardly tidied his sleeping pose.

    Lying down, he began to feel the breath of the person beside him blowing near his ear, and the sweet scent of her skin started to fill his nostrils, unsettling him further.

    The young man lay there, listening to her breath, and smelling her scent, before he realized something.

    They had shared intimacy before, and tonight was their wedding night.

    So why was he just lying there doing nothing?

    What was the point of marrying under obligation?

    Was he making a mistake again?

    Why did he feel at a loss?

    Then, turning his face towards the person beside him, he spoke with a commanding tone.

    “Hey...”

    Silence.

    “You…” He tried again.

    Still, silence.

    “…”

    His bride was deeply asleep.

    Feng Xinyang felt a surge of frustration contrasting the cold seasonal air.

    He had lost so much to her, married her.

    Now, with temptation in front of a predator like him, if he did not take action, he would not live up to the name.

    With that thought, he peeled back the heavy blanket covering the petite figure and slid his robust frame under it, to share it, before seriously nudging his bride more persistently than before.

    But no matter how much the groom nudged his bride, she showed no signs of waking up for any rightful nocturnal activities.

    Feng Xinyang whispered threateningly, squeezed her shoulder, shook her arm, and pinched her soft cheek, but she would not wake up.

    She continued to sleep peacefully, her breath brushing against his ear and face, increasing his agitation.

    Humph!

    Was this how she was going to act?