My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 38

Oh my god! After hearing Cheng Yi’s words, Lu Jiahe felt like her jaw was about to drop off her face.

At first, she didn’t quite grasp what Cheng Yi meant. But as she stared into the other’s faint, elusive gaze, her face instantly turned as red as a traffic light!

“Huh? T-try what?” Lu Jiahe, her face flushed bright red, lowered her eyes and stole a glance at the person in front of her.

Cheng Yi raised her hand and touched her own chin, observing Lu Jiahe’s reaction and wondering whether the other had understood her meaning or not.

She slowly walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down, then reached out to lift Lu Jiahe’s chin. “I said we could try spending some time together. If you have feelings for me and I for you, then what comes after isn’t impossible either.”

As these sweet words reached her ears, Lu Jiahe felt the blood in her body boiling and surging. She tightly gripped the edges of the blanket, trying to calm herself down, but her uncooperative nose chose that moment to start bleeding profusely.

“Ah! You’re bleeding from your nose!”

Seeing the drops of blood from Lu Jiahe’s nose splattering onto her pants, Cheng Yi hurriedly stood up, grabbed a towel, and pressed it against Lu Jiahe’s nose and mouth.

Holding the towel in place, she pushed Lu Jiahe down onto the bed. “It’s fine, just hold it there.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!” Lu Jiahe flailed her arms, struggling and trying to push Cheng Yi’s hand away. If she didn’t bleed to death, she was about to be smothered to death!

“Alright, be good, it’ll stop soon.” Cheng Yi thought she was being exceptionally gentle and caring, completely unaware of the physical harm she was inflicting on Lu Jiahe.

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

Seeing that Cheng Yi showed no sign of letting up, Lu Jiahe grew frantic. She thought to herself, ‘She just said she wanted to give us a try, why is she trying to smother me already?’

“Your face is so red, are you embarrassed?”

Embarrassed, my foot! She was suffocating, about to kick the bucket, for heaven’s sake!

So exhausting.

Lu Jiahe’s hands slipped down onto the bed, and with a heart as dead as ashes, two tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she stared at Cheng Yi.

At first, Cheng Yi thought the other was moved to tears by her caring gesture. She was just about to say a few gentle words when she caught sight of her own hand pressing the towel against Lu Jiahe’s nose and mouth.

Oh crap!

Realizing what was happening, Cheng Yi quickly yanked the towel away. Her heart raced with panic as she saw that Lu Jiahe had already passed out.

She took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm, then mimicked what she’d seen on TV as a child—pressing her thumb firmly against Lu Jiahe’s philtrum.

‘Mother, your child is coming to you.’

“Whew! Whew!”

Lu Jiahe, who had already halfway floated up to the heavens, suddenly opened her eyes and gasped for air.

Her mind went blank as she stared at Cheng Yi, terrified that she had already turned into some horrifying ghost.

“Ouch!” Lu Jiahe felt a sharp, piercing pain on her philtrum and immediately grabbed Cheng Yi’s arm, trying to push her hand away.

“Sorry, did I hurt you?” Cheng Yi released her grip and gently brushed the red mark above Lu Jiahe’s lip.

Lu Jiahe was a little afraid of her now. She’d never thought Cheng Yi was the type to mercilessly try to kill her, what had gotten into her tonight?

“It’s fine, the pain will fade soon.” Lu Jiahe stood up and stuffed a towel against her nose. Seeing the clear apology on Cheng Yi’s face, the pent-up anger in her heart instantly vanished.

Cheng Yi felt that since she was willing to give this a try, she needed to change her old temperament. How she treated outsiders didn’t matter, but Lu Jiahe was, after all, the first person she had actively chosen to start something with. She ought to show her a little more patience and tolerance.

“Let me see if the bleeding has stopped.” Cheng Yi reached out and took the towel from Lu Jiahe’s hand, then gently tilted her head upward. Seeing that the nosebleed had subsided, she finally relaxed.

“Lie down and rest for a while. I’ll go wash the towel and wipe your face.” With that, Cheng Yi didn’t wait for a response. She stood up, walked to the washbasin, bent over, and rinsed the towel clean.

This was the first time Lu Jiahe had seen Cheng Yi act so steadily toward her, and she was completely stunned.

Lying on the bed, she turned her head to watch Cheng Yi bustling about nearby. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke up, “There’s no need. I can wash my face myself.”

“How can that be?” Cheng Yi lifted her gaze and shot Lu Jiahe a glare. “This is something I want to do for you. Are you refusing because you don’t like it?”

As she spoke, Cheng Yi’s gaze grew increasingly reproachful.

“No, no, no… that’s not it,” Lu Jiahe stammered, her eyes darting nervously. “I’m just not used to it, and I can handle these things myself. I’m afraid. I’m afraid you’ll get too tired.”

Cheng Yi wrung out the towel, walked to the bedside, and sat down. She carefully wiped the bloodstains from Lu Jiahe’s face.

“If you’re not used to it now, you’ll get used to it over time,” she said, trying her best to appear gentle and virtuous. “Once we’re married, we’ll be husband and wife. We’ll need to take care of and support each other. Besides, you always indulge me in everything. Doing these things for you is nothing.”

At these words, the blush that had just begun to fade from Lu Jiahe’s cheeks returned in full force.

She licked her lips and studied Cheng Yi. To be honest, she found it hard to believe Cheng Yi’s words. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Cheng Yi was being so accommodating because she wanted something from her.

“I.” Lu Jiahe swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on Cheng Yi. “The way you’re acting… it makes me a little uncomfortable, even a little scared.” She closed her eyes tightly, mustering the courage to voice her thoughts.

“Hmm? Scared?”

Uncomfortable was understandable, but scared? What was there to be scared of?

Cheng Yi raised a finger and gently traced the outline of Lu Jiahe’s chin. “What are you afraid of? That I’ll eat you?”

“A little,” Lu Jiahe admitted, tilting her head slightly as if to escape the touch, yet secretly craving the tingling sensation it sent through her.

Cheng Yi leaned in closer, her warm breath brushing against Lu Jiahe’s ear. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll take it slow.”

The heat of her breath enveloped Lu Jiahe, who gripped the bedsheet tightly beneath her. It was thrilling, far too thrilling!

Cheng Yi chuckled at the sight of Lu Jiahe, who looked like a kettle about to boil over. “Your clothes are dirty. Go change into something clean and get some rest. You have to go to the academy tomorrow.”

She stood up and walked to the dressing table, removing her hair ornaments and deciding not to tease her any further.

After Cheng Yi had left, Lu Jiahe licked her dry lips. Why did she suddenly feel a twinge of regret?

Although this wasn’t the first time they had shared a bed, Cheng Yi’s sudden and direct confession tonight had made Lu Jiahe cling tightly to the inner side of the bed, deliberately keeping her distance.

Naturally optimistic, Cheng Yi wasn’t upset by her reaction. After all, the other was a girl who had yet to understand matters of the heart, such shyness was only to be expected upon receiving a sudden confession.

Before dawn the next day, Lu Jiahe rose and hurried to the small kitchen to arrange for soup to be simmered. Seeing how tirelessly Cheng Yi worked to manage the shop, with little she could do to help, this was the only way she could think to convey her feelings.

“Master, the young master is here and wishes to see you.”

In the main courtyard of the Lu residence, a servant stood beside Lu Zhengliang to report.

“What brings him here so early? Could it be that he spent the whole night thinking of my faults and has come to quarrel again?” Lu Zhengliang took a sip of tea from the cup he held as he sat in his chair.

He had pondered the events of the previous night for hours. Though he knew he had been wrong in how he treated his youngest son, as the head of the household, how could he possibly lower himself to apologize to a junior?

Upon hearing their conversation, Diao Yuqing, who was having her hair styled by a maid in front of the dressing table, immediately perked up. “It’s rare for Jiahe to seek you out on his own. If he wants to see you, you should go quickly.”

Though her words sounded encouraging, Diao Yuqing secretly hoped the father and son would argue even more fiercely. If Lu Zhengliang grew angry enough, Lu Jiahe would likely receive little inheritance. With a few well-placed words and some persuasion, he might even end up with nothing!

The thought made it hard for Diao Yuqing to suppress her smile. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help but silently praise herself.

“Fine, I’ll go out and see.” Lu Zhengliang stood and walked out. As a father, no matter how much he criticized Lu Jiahe, the love in his heart for him would never change.

The moment father and daughter met, the air around them grew tense. The servants cleaning nearby quickly distanced themselves from the brewing storm.

“You’ve come to see your father so early, is there something you need?” Lu Zhengliang poured two cups of tea and gestured for Lu Jiahe to sit beside him.

Frowning at his father’s gesture, Lu Jiahe knew it was an attempt to reconcile. Yet, the matter of her mother remained a barrier in her heart, one she couldn’t easily overlook.

“I have something to discuss with you.” Lu Jiahe sat down, struggling to control her emotions and silently reminding herself not to provoke a conflict.

Lu Zhengliang raised an eyebrow, studying her. This was the first time she had sought him out since her mother’s passing, and he felt both eager and curious.

“What is it?”

Lu Jiahe hesitated, biting her lip. “Will you promise me?”

She feared he might refuse, especially since Cheng Yi had mentioned last night that her father likely already knew she wasn’t pregnant.

“You must tell me what it is first. If it’s not an unreasonable request, I’ll agree.” Lu Zhengliang had resolved that, as long as Lu Jiahe didn’t ask for anything immoral, he would grant whatever she wished.

Lu Jiahe let out a long sigh, took a few deep breaths to steady herself, and finally spoke: “I want to get married.”

Lu Zhengliang, who had been leisurely sipping his tea, was so startled by the words that he choked, spraying the tea from his mouth. The exquisitely carved teacup clattered onto the table, following his abrupt movement.

“What?” Lu Zhengliang stared at his “rebellious” son in disbelief. Just last night, he had been adamantly refusing!

“I said I want to get married, to marry Miss Cheng Yi.”

Lu Jiahe tilted his head slightly, frowning as he watched his father, a hint of disdain in his eyes at the flustered reaction before him.