After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 49

What was it like?

Years later, Cui Jue would still recall this exact moment.

It was like the first warm breeze brushing against the face in the dead of winter; like the first ray of dawn breaking through a long, dark night. It was like a deity sitting high upon a lotus pedestal finally bestowing the first drop of dew upon a devout believer. It was like—he had finally seen the sprout of spring he had carefully nurtured and patiently watered, finally about to break through the soil.

But because this sprout was too delicate, Cui Jue’s entire body went stiff. He didn’t dare move; he even held his breath. Only his fluttering eyelashes and the protruding veins on the back of his hand betrayed the tip of the iceberg of his current emotions.

“Is that so?” He heard his own voice opening with a low rasp, like a lone wolf afraid of scaring off its prey, only daring to approach silently and step by step. “But Wanlan, why do you think it shouldn’t be like this?”

“…It would be very troublesome,” Gu Wanlan said in a muffled voice.

“I see.” Cui Jue nodded thoughtfully.

Cui Jue’s hair, draped behind him, was very smooth and cool; touching it felt like stroking fine silk. Gu Wanlan closed her eyes and ran her hand through it a few more times.

She was certain to leave Xijing eventually, and she was certain to don her armor and return to the battlefield. Too many entanglements and too many bonds would mean having more to consider when the time came to depart. It truly was troublesome.

Suddenly, Gu Wanlan recalled the scene she saw when she emerged from the manor last night, witnessing the confrontation between Cui Jue and Xiao Sun. He, who was usually so cold and aloof, had become extremely sharp at that moment, rebuking Xiao Sun and declaring that she, Gu Wanlan, would always belong only to herself.

Her heart couldn’t help but grow warm again.

Gu Wanlan suddenly exerted force, gripping Cui Jue’s arms and pushing him back slightly.

“It’s unfair.”

“?” Cui Jue was surprised and looked down at her.

In the darkness, the girl’s eyes, which had just finished crying, shone with a startling brightness as she looked at him.

“Cui Jue, I don’t care. You made me cry today and caused me to lose face like this in front of you. I must pay you back.”

The girl’s way of speaking—almost like a spoiled, rogue-ish child—made Cui Jue freeze for a moment. Then, an irrepressible laugh spilled from his throat. “Alright, it is my fault. What does Madam wish to do?”

The two had a tacit understanding; neither mentioned the half-finished conversation from before.

Gu Wanlan lowered her gaze. Even if there were many emotions she couldn’t clarify and many promises she couldn’t give right now, just for this moment, she suddenly wanted the person before her to know—at this instant, she liked him and wanted him.

Gu Wanlan reached back and found the knot tied in her hair ribbon. With a gentle tug, her bound ponytail instantly unraveled, and her ebony hair fell over her shoulders. Holding the ivory-white hair ribbon Cui Jue had given her in her palm, she looked at him with burning eyes.

“To be fair, Cui Jue, since you made me like this, I want to see you lose your composure too. I want to see you cry before me.” She stood on her tiptoes to get close to him and whispered, “Speaking of which, don’t you think the ribbon you gave me today matches the color of your clothes quite well?”

Cui Jue remained silent. He stared fixedly at her face for a long time, his gaze deep like a cold pool. “Are you sure?”

Gu Wanlan thrust the ribbon forward and arched an eyebrow. “What? Are you afraid?”

Cui Jue took the ribbon from her and let out a low laugh. “Wanlan, provocation doesn’t work on me.”

Gu Wanlan licked her dry lips. “Then what is this?”

Cui Jue slowly smoothed out the wrinkles in the ribbon with his fingers, stroke after stroke, as if stroking the precious fur of an animal. Then, he tied the ribbon he had personally gifted over his own eyes. He let out a sigh. “Wanlan, it has only ever been you who works on me.”

Gu Wanlan’s whole body jolted. She felt a spark of fire ignited within her. At no other moment had she realized a fact so clearly—this man before her likely loved her. Not because he was a “good person,” nor because he was currently her husband. He was simply, very seriously, loving her for who she was.

Looking up again, she saw the usually cold gentleman standing before her with his eyes bound by the ribbon, unable to see. Gu Wanlan felt like a predator whose delicious prey was submissively revealing its vulnerable throat.

It turned out that all the unstated feelings were hidden in his every move.

Gu Wanlan could no longer restrain herself. She grabbed his collar, pulled his head down, and kissed him fiercely. She had no technique, relying only on a head-on collision. Cui Jue wasn’t annoyed; he silently accepted her clumsiness, then enveloped her like a trickling stream, guiding her.

It wasn’t until Gu Wanlan felt the scruff of her neck pinched that Cui Jue’s teasing voice reached her ear. “If Madam doesn’t take a breath, are you planning to suffocate yourself?”

Gu Wanlan’s face turned red. Just as he had done earlier, she gripped his jaw fiercely and said with embarrassed fury, “Shut up, Cui Jue! Now it’s my turn to bully you!”

“Fine.” Cui Jue chuckled helplessly. He turned and felt his way to a soft couch, sitting down. He even patted the empty spot beside him and smiled. “Waiting for you.”

This was practically a provocation!

By now, Gu Wanlan’s head had cooled down slightly. She paced slowly to stand before him. “Cui Jue, what will it take to make you cry?”

Cui Jue shook his head slightly. “I don’t know. It has been a very long time since I last cried.”

“And the time before that?”

“The time before…” Following her words, Cui Jue’s thoughts drifted.

The last time he cried was likely the day in his previous life when he thought she had died. That day, when the news reached him…

“Mgh!”

His memory was forcefully interrupted. A surge of pleasure from his body instantly pulled him back. Having lost his sight, his sensations were amplified countless times. Gu Wanlan had actually bitten him on the neck.

First, a forceful bite. Then, a gentle lick. Finally, a sequence of fine kisses.

But it was too light… her kisses were like a feather scratching at the depths of his heart. After stirring tremors throughout his body, they drifted away, leaving him unsure where the next would land. It was like a form of “lingchi” (slow slicing).

Cui Jue’s fingers at his sides curled. He couldn’t help but straighten his body, wanting to get closer to her. But his chest was lightly held back by a finger.

“No moving. Until I say you can, you are not allowed to move.”

Cui Jue took a deep breath and said hoarsely, “Madam… this is torture. I don’t think… my crimes warrant this.”

“Is that so? But it was only just now that I realized something. Cui Jue, what you did today was a deliberate attempt to force my hand, wasn’t it?”

Tracing his chest and abdomen with her fingertips, Gu Wanlan moved her hand a bit further. Cui Jue’s breath hitched.

Gu Wanlan continued, “That night, you knew clearly that I intended to break ties with Xiao Sun. Even though he followed me back into the manor the next day, and after I explained that I had to look after him because of the Emperor’s request—how could someone as smart as you suddenly be jealous over nothing?”

Cui Jue could only press his lips tight to keep from losing his composure. A layer of fine sweat had broken out on his forehead, and even his speech was becoming labored. “…I-Is that so?”

“Yes.” Gu Wanlan was like a vine entwining around him. She straddled him, leaning against his shoulder, and whispered, “You used Xiao Sun as an excuse, then used the mention of divorce to unsettle my mind, and finally threw out the matter I had been desperately trying to hide—all just to lead me into a fight with you, so I would vent my inner frustrations on your head.”

“Cui Jue, you truly are a great actor.”

As the sentence ended, Gu Wanlan, feeling annoyed, tilted her head and bit Cui Jue’s earlobe. A tingle instantly surged up his spine as if something were about to explode.

Cui Jue reached out his long arms, hugging her tightly and pressing her into his chest. He panted softly, “Madam… this is unfair. I only wanted you to cry, but you want me to die.”

Cui Jue didn’t deny it.

Gu Wanlan finally understood. After going such a long way around, Cui Jue really just wanted her to vent the pent-up gloom in her heart. In an instant, her heart felt incredibly soft. She no longer felt like teasing him. Looking at this face that let her mess around and go mad, she was momentarily dazed.

She reached out and touched his eyes hidden behind the ribbon, speaking as if under a spell. “Actually, in the future, it doesn’t have to be this troublesome…” She paused, then added, “We can do it.”

There would never be a day more embarrassing than this one.

Lying in bed clutching a hot water bottle, a despondent Gu Wanlan thought to herself. Later, once she understood the key points, she had no heart left to tease Cui Jue and only wanted to connect with him properly. She hadn’t expected that right as things were getting intense and reaching the critical moment, she discovered her period had arrived.

When she was dressed as a man at Changping Pass, she had taken medicine to avoid being exposed. Later, when she came to Xijing, she stopped, but even after stopping, there were no signs of her period. Over time, she had put the matter out of her mind.

Who knew it would arrive today, of all days. No wonder she had been so irritable and “blinded by lust” recently.

Hearing familiar footsteps approaching, Gu Wanlan pulled the quilt over her head and said muffledly, “Cui Jue, please, I’m really fine. Go back to sleep. The moment you come in, I can’t help but think of the stupid thing that just happened.”

Cui Jue chuckled. “How is this related to you? Isn’t this just Heaven stepping in to punish me for you?”

Hearing this, Gu Wanlan pulled down the quilt and peeked at him, blinking. “Then… are you better now?”

Cui Jue shook his head. “Not very.”

Gu Wanlan was eager to try something. “Cui Jue, actually, I just remembered—I heard there’s a way—”

Cui Jue curled his index finger and gave her forehead a light tap. He said with a laugh, “Rest well, don’t think of anything else.”

Gu Wanlan rubbed her forehead and grumbled, “Hmph. Ungrateful. I’m going to sleep, go away quickly.”

Cui Jue placed a bowl of herbal soup beside her. “The kitchen just finished brewing this. Since you don’t want to see me, I’ll leave. Drink it before you sleep.”

Gu Wanlan pulled the quilt back up to cover herself. “I know, I know, you’re so naggy.”

Cui Jue smiled, leaned down to tuck her in, and then turned to leave the inner chamber.

Outside, the night was growing deep. Cui Jue walked alone under the corridor. A black silhouette drifted down quietly from the eaves.

“Master.”

Cui Jue didn’t look back. “How are the preparations?”

The shadow cupped his hands. “Everything is ready, we only await the signal.”

Cui Jue closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Proceed.”