After Rebirth, My Aloof Husband Can Hear My Inner Thoughts [Transmigration & Rebirth] - Chapter 48

Autumn was gradually setting in, the night breeze cool, the stars and moon bright.

Inside the bed curtains of the Golden Moon Pavilion, it felt even hotter than the most stifling days of summer.

Lin Shengshen never expected Xie Zhizhou to kiss her, and even…

Startled, she quickly expressed her anger by gently biting him. Through all those years in her previous life until now, she never knew kissing could be like this—tongues intertwining, it was truly… Her cheeks felt like apples roasted by a fire, red and burning.

Xie Zhizhou paid no mind to this punishment, because… Lin Shengshen’s bite only made him harder.

She was too sweet. Out of curiosity about Lin Shengshen’s preferences, Xie Zhizhou had tasted a few bites of a type of dairy dessert. At the time, he found it unremarkable and couldn’t understand why Lin Shengshen liked it. But now, he realized that the cheese wasn’t even one ten-thousandth as delightful as Lin Shengshen.

The sound of wet kisses echoed from within the green gauze curtains.

Lin Shengshen’s tongue grew numb from Xie Zhizhou’s licking, and she couldn’t help but let out a soft moan. Xie Zhizhou still didn’t leave her lips, like parched leaves suddenly encountering sweet rain, desperately drinking in and greedily savoring.

Lin Shengshen was left dizzy by his kisses, her chest heaving more intensely, her thighs scalded with pain.

She shifted her legs slightly, then suddenly froze, before flushing crimson from her cheeks down her neck to her collarbones as if thrown into boiling water.

[Xie Zhizhou! How dare you again…]

Wasn’t that familiar object pressing firmly against her legs, wedged right between her thighs, the very same routine tool?

Xie Zhizhou finally gave her some breathing room. His eyes flickered with flames under the moonlight, melting and boiling all the icy snow until the fire climbed higher, threatening to devour the person before him.

Lin Shengshen’s eyes shimmered with tears, her lips red like ripe fruit. Her voice was faint and weak, choked with tears, “You… you…”

Xie Zhizhou kissed her lips again. “I’m shameless, I’m despicable.”

Lin Shengshen’s retort was cut off, and she spat out bitterly, “You have no shame!”

Xie Zhizhou raised an eyebrow, the fire still burning in his eyes. “Indeed. Shengshen, do you know… you taste so sweet.”

Lin Shengshen, with her wrists firmly gripped, couldn’t free her hands to strike him, and her legs were immobilized as well. A thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead as she scoffed, “I never expected you to be like this.”

The dress tied with a honey-colored silk ribbon had loosened slightly, and her thin gown was askew.

Xie Zhizhou’s teeth left red marks on her shoulder.

Lin Shengshen gasped in surprise, but before she could say more, Xie Zhizhou sealed her lips with another kiss.

[Are you never going to stop?!]

Familiarity breeds ease—Xie Zhizhou expertly found her tongue, savoring it as if he couldn’t get enough.

Lin Shengshen had already given up struggling. Her body felt weak, and she suspected Xie Zhizhou had drugged her with some bewitching potion while kissing her.

However, before she could relax for even a few breaths, a sudden, dull pain struck—clear and distinct even through their clothing.

Lin Shengshen’s alarm bells rang loudly.

Though it was late summer, she was sensitive to heat and still wore soft, sheer gauze. Xie Zhizhou, having been recuperating at the Golden Moon Pavilion these past few days, wore loose silk sleepwear—soft and thin. Thus, every sensation was sharp and vivid: the temperature, the shape, even a slight dampness, she could feel it all.

[Xie Zhizhou… How dare you!]

After what felt like an eternity… Xie Zhizhou finally pulled away from her lips again. This time, not only Lin Shengshen’s lips, but even Xie Zhizhou’s had turned an unusually deep red.

“Dare what?” His voice was hoarse and resonant.

Lin Shengshen couldn’t bring herself to say it and shifted her legs slightly again.

Xie Zhizhou chuckled softly, his fingers stroking her palm as his lips brushed against her earlobe, whispering hotly, “Want to touch it?”

Each word seemed to explode in Lin Shengshen’s mind. Dizzy and disoriented, she stammered, “Have you gone mad? You, you… you…”

Xie Zhizhou finally released her wrists, lifting her from the tangled bedding and placing her on the soft pillow. He tugged the green gauze canopy and tossed it to the floor.

The bed suddenly became much brighter.

“You can look, too,” he continued to tempt her.

Lin Shengshen, flustered and incoherent, pushed against the advancing Xie Zhizhou while pleading, “You… you should focus on recovering. I… I still have accounts to review today. You… you should go read a book.”

“What’s the hurry with those things?” Xie Zhizhou pressed her down once more.

Then, lowering his head, his scorching breath brushed against her skin as he caught the honey-colored silk ribbon of Lin Shengshen’s dress between his teeth. With a gentle twist of his head, he tugged it loose.

The soft gown fell apart like a dismantled kite, barely covering her.

In a panic, she grabbed Xie Zhizhou’s ears with both hands, forcing his head upward to stop him from continuing to undo her skirt.

Xie Zhizhou took the opportunity to move higher, nuzzling against her shoulder. “Shengshen…”

Where had Xie Zhizhou learned such bewitching arts? They utterly captivated the soul!

Lin Shengshen closed her eyes to avoid looking, but then a familiar dull ache spread through her leg, as if he were growing impatient.

“No… no, I won’t touch, I won’t look, I won’t.”

Xie Zhizhou kissed her neck, sucking gently before nibbling, occasionally swirling his tongue to lick. “No?”

Lin Shengshen first felt ticklish, then an indescribable numbness crept from the base of her spine up to the back of her head, bursting like a spark from a lamp.

“Mmm…” A soft, lingering moan escaped her, and Lin Shengshen bit her lip in embarrassment.

Xie Zhizhou’s nose drifted to the layered collar of her ruqun. As he sensed the tension and pleasure coursing through the woman beneath him, he slowly nudged the fabric aside with his nose, revealing the curves beneath the soft gauze.

Outside, the moon shifted gently behind a cloud, then emerged, casting a bright, unobstructed glow over the bed now devoid of its green silk canopy.

The sweet scent of pear filled the air, and before his eyes lay a sight far more enticing than the red bean pastry from days prior…

Even Xie Zhizhou, who prided himself on his exceptional self-control, found himself breathless for a moment. A warmth surged in his nostrils. Ignoring the bloody scratches Lin Shengshen left on his shoulders, he cherished yet lost control, tasting and caressing with an insatiable greed, unwilling to lift his head.

Lin Shengshen was already dazed, never having experienced such seduction. She thought her resolve must be terribly weak—how else could she have been coaxed and tricked into having even her inner garment stripped away?

Driven to the brink of delirium by his ministrations, Lin Shengshen bit her lower lip and whimpered, “Xie Zhizhou, I hate you.”

“Shengshen, I like you.” Xie Zhizhou finally relented and moved his hand away. He grabbed the ruqun still draped over Lin Shengshen’s waist and tossed it off the bed, then—

“Young lady! Is the young master alright? I’ve brought the most aged ginseng!” Peilan hurried in from the corridor, about to push the door open, but Yuan Qing stopped her.

The door rattled but remained shut. Startled back to her senses by the shout, Lin Shengshen lost all traces of numbness and weakness. She yanked the brocade quilt over herself and kicked Xie Zhizhou a few times for good measure.

“Xie Zhizhou! You!! Get off!”

Chaos erupted once again in the Golden Moon Pavilion. Xie Zhizhou sat behind the screen, having removed half his sleeping robe to tend to his wound. Though it had healed somewhat over the past few days, it couldn’t withstand the evening’s exertions, and the knife wound stubbornly began bleeding again.

Lin Shengshen sat fuming on the bed while Peilan helped her into layer after layer of clothing. How had everything been removed?

Peilan’s mind flooded with scenes from romantic novels, her face flushing with shame as she whispered guiltily, “This maid deserves death…”

Lin Shengshen shot her a reproachful glance. “Thank goodness you came.”

After tidying up for a while, Peilan massaged Lin Shengshen’s legs before supporting the still weak-limbed young woman to pick up a lantern and prepare to leave.

Just before stepping out, Xie Zhizhou emerged from behind the screen, covering his mouth with a light cough. “Shengshen…”

Hearing his voice, Lin Shengshen felt an inexplicable shiver run down her spine, deeply aware of Xie Zhizhou’s formidable skills…

But how could she let him manipulate her so easily? Having been teased to the brink of being devoured today, she couldn’t swallow her pride.

[He hurt me so much, Xie Zhizhou hasn’t improved at all compared to before.]

Without looking back, she merely thought this to herself before walking away.

“…” Xie Zhizhou stood frozen in place.

Early the next morning, Yuan Qing went to West Street with a troubled expression.

Whenever he visited the bookshop before, he would always buy new collections of folk grievance records or travelogues. When had he ever purchased such things?

After hesitating for a long time, he finally stepped inside, scratching his head and glancing at the shopkeeper without daring to speak.

After pacing around several times, the shopkeeper finally noticed him and approached, asking, “Young man? What book would you like to buy?”

Yuan Qing’s face flushed bright red. “Buy…”

He closed his mouth, sighed helplessly, and nodded.

The shopkeeper was confused.

“Buy… that.”

The shopkeeper tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

Yuan Qing’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “Erotic pictures…”

The shopkeeper laughed heartily and said frankly, “Those? Young man, you’ll have to go to the dowry shop around the corner to buy those!”

Yuan Qing fled the bookshop.

No wonder the few erotic pictures at home were brought by his wife—these items were originally placed in dowry chests when girls got married!

He strode toward the dowry shop.

Lin Shengshen, arm in arm with Xie Zhenhuan, browsed the private rooms on the second floor of Jinzhi Tower. She picked up a gold hairpin and held it against Xie Zhenhuan’s bun, laughing, “The agate on this suits you. Let’s buy it.”

Xie Zhenhuan snatched the hairpin from her hand and put it back in its place, then pointed to the tray held by the maid behind her, which was filled with gold hairpins, gold hair clasps, combs, step-shakers, and a string of pearls…

“Sister-in-law! Stop buying, stop buying! Even if I grew eight heads, I couldn’t wear all these things!”

Lin Shengshen was still eager for more. “This is nothing! Back in the day, when I went shopping with Mother, I would never stop until I bought a whole chestful.”

Xie Zhenhuan pulled her to sit by the window, took out an exquisite small box from her sleeve, and eagerly opened it. “Sister-in-law, look at this!”

Lin Shengshen stared at the two crimson objects in the box—a pair of Exotic fragrant corals, loosely wrapped in gold thread and made into earrings. They were very beautiful.

Lin Shengshen played with them in her palm, feeling a sense of familiarity. “Where did this fine material come from? It doesn’t look like something easily obtained.”

Xie Zhenhuan, knowing Lin Shengshen liked them, smiled and said, “Brother asked me to have someone make them. He said they’re for you, Sister-in-law.”

“You still haven’t told me, how have things been between you and Brother lately? Has he been mistreating you again?”

Lin Shengshen knew Zhenhuan was asking if Xie Zhizhou had been cold to her like before, but at the mention of “mistreating,” she couldn’t help but blush at the tips of her ears. Mistreating… Last night, he pinned her down on the couch, kissed her all over, even stripped off her dress, and then… then feasted on her endlessly…

That counted as mistreating, right!

Lin Shengshen snorted. “Let’s not talk about him.”

Xie Zhenhuan didn’t dare ask further.

Suddenly, her gaze swept to the street corner, where she saw Yuan Qing, her brother’s servant, striding into the dowry shop. “Huh? What is he doing at the dowry shop?”

Lin Shengshen leaned out to look and also wondered, “Even if it’s for dowry shopping, it shouldn’t be Yuan Qing’s job.”

“Peilan, follow him and see. I want to know what Xie Zhizhou is up to.”