Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 46

Whether it was because the Pipa melody she played earlier that day had fully vented her emotions, Jiang Wanshu slept peacefully tonight.

He stared fixedly at the girl before him. After a moment, he stripped off his cumbersome outer layers and climbed into bed. Without Jiang Wanshu noticing, he pulled her body into his arms, embracing her as he closed his eyes.

The candles had burnt out, masking the displeasure on his face. He, too, had heard her playing tonight; it seemed she truly once had feelings for Zhou Shu’an.

His Ajia once had a lover.

Desperate for warmth, he stopped restraining his strength and gripped her waist tightly, pressing his body against her back. He expected her to wake immediately and scold him, but to his surprise, Jiang Wanshu merely patted his hand in a daze.

“Zhou Yan, stop fooling around… I need to rest,” she murmured. Having spoken, she drifted back to sleep.

It was just like on the grasslands; he often held her in his arms while she slept, and she would habitually pat him away.

Habit?!

The thought sent a jolt of excitement through Zhou Yan. His despondence vanished, and he opened his eyes to look at her with a bright, beaming smile.

Habit is a powerful thing; a sudden change causes discomfort. At the very least, the person beside her now was him. In her subconscious, he was the only one who belonged in her bed—otherwise, she wouldn’t have called out his name instinctively.

Comforted by this realization, Zhou Yan finally settled down and fell asleep by her side. Like Jiang Wanshu, he had a dreamless night.

The heavy night passed, and the first light of dawn rose over the flourishing capital, shining into Jiang Wanshu’s bedroom.

Jiang Wanshu was not an early riser, and surprisingly, the man holding her didn’t wake early either. It wasn’t until the hour when Zhou Shu’an, having left for duty, realized he’d forgotten something and returned to find Zhou Yan’s room still tightly shut.

Still not up at this hour?

Disapproving, Zhou Shu’an called over a servant. “Has Master Zhou not risen yet?”

The servant, assigned specifically to attend to Zhou Yan, replied respectfully, “Replying to the Young Marquis, I haven’t seen Master Zhou come out at all.” Meaning, he was still asleep.

Though Zhou Shu’an followed the basic etiquette of a host and didn’t pry further, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the courtyard. The wind lifted his expensive robes and blew open the door to Zhou Yan’s room, which had been left slightly ajar.

Zhou Shu’an frowned. The door wasn’t locked?

For someone staying in an unfamiliar household, to be so unwatchful while sleeping—did he not value his life? Yet he knew how cautious the man must have been to bring Jiang Wanshu all the way back to the capital. There was only one explanation.

Zhou Shu’an strode forward, crossed the threshold, and looked inside. The large room was silent; no one was there.

His face flushed with anger. As expected, the man was likely in Jiang Wanshu’s room. Or perhaps, he had been there all night.

Driven by a surge of inexplicable jealousy, Zhou Shu’an turned and walked out, asking the old servant, “Uncle Lin, have you been guarding this spot since dawn?”

Uncle Lin, a long-time servant of the house, feared being accused of negligence. “Young Marquis, I have been here since the crack of dawn.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shu’an’s pace quickened.

He arrived at the other courtyard to find a similar scene, except that outside her door stood another person—the maid who had arrived with Jiang Wanshu.

At the sight of him, Yu Lu’s heart skipped a beat.

Earlier that morning, Yu Lu had brought a basin of water into the room, only to see a shocking sight: two people lying on the clean, soft bed. The thick brocade quilt wrapped the girl, while the man, wearing only thin inner robes, leaned against her, his long arm draped over her and the quilt.

As an innocent girl, Yu Lu had blushed and retreated immediately. She knew the relationship between her mistress and that “brute” was complicated and couldn’t be discovered by outsiders. She had been standing guard ever since.

When Zhou Shu’an appeared, Yu Lu’s heart raced. Seeing his fast approach, she ran forward.

“Young Marquis! You’re here so early, is there something wrong?” she called out, intentionally raising her voice.

As she expected, her voice carried clearly into the quiet room.

Zhou Yan was the first to open his eyes. He looked at the girl sleeping peacefully beside him, his brow furrowed in thought. He was a light sleeper; he had actually woken up when Yu Lu first entered, but he had been too enamored with the feeling of holding her to move.

Now, hearing Yu Lu’s warning, he couldn’t ignore it. He looked at the door, then at the girl in his arms. She was so beautiful, with her fair skin and long lashes, that he felt a fierce urge to protect her.

His first instinct was to let Zhou Shu’an see them together—to show him he had no chance. But he knew if he did that, Jiang Wanshu would never forgive him. She cared deeply about her reputation and didn’t want to hurt those around her. To the outside world, they were supposed to be strangers.

“I came to see if your mistress is settling in well,” Zhou Shu’an’s voice came from outside. He wanted to see for himself. If they truly were in bed together, he would have to face reality.

Yu Lu couldn’t stop him. Just as Zhou Shu’an reached for the red-lacquered door, it was pulled open from the inside.

Their eyes met. Jiang Wanshu stood there, her clothes perfectly tidy.

Perhaps because of the distance she had put between them yesterday, she seemed a bit hesitant. She looked up slightly, her expression calm. “Brother Zhou, shouldn’t you be at work? Why have you returned?”

The cold wind carried the faint scent of roses from her body to his nose. Being this close to her, Zhou Shu’an’s face turned red. He was momentarily speechless before stammering, “I… I left something behind. I just wanted to ask if you need anything. If you do, tell me, and I’ll have it bought.”

“Brother Zhou, I have everything I need,” Jiang Wanshu replied, her voice slightly husky from sleep. She offered him a smile.

She knew he still cared, but in his heart, she would always come after his family. She didn’t want him to ask more; the more they spoke, the more likely she was to slip up. Knowing he was shy, she maintained her gentle smile.

Sure enough, Zhou Shu’an blushed like a schoolboy. “T-that’s good then. I’ll head back to work.”

Jiang Wanshu nodded. Once he left the courtyard, she handed a small handful of agates (given to her by Zhou Yan) to the maid Zhou Shu’an had assigned her, dismissed her, and then turned to Yu Lu.

“Yu Lu, keep watch out here for a moment.”

Jiang Wanshu hurried back inside and shut the door. She marched over to the bed, where Zhou Yan was still sitting in his thin inner robes. Her anger flared at his broken promise.

She grabbed a soft pillow and threw it hard into his chest.

“Why did you sneak into my room in the middle of the night!” she hissed, her face dark with frustration. She hadn’t realized he’d been there all night, and they had nearly been caught. She wanted to bite him.

“I was just holding my Ajia to sleep. Besides, didn’t I wake you when Zhou Shu’an arrived? What did I do wrong?” Zhou Yan replied petulantly.

In truth, he almost regretted waking her. He should have let her deal with the fallout of being exposed.

Seeing this fierce man acting like a pouting child—and remembering his childish behavior toward Zhou Shu’an yesterday—Jiang Wanshu realized that when it came to love and rivals, his IQ completely vanished.

She glared at him. Zhou Yan, sensing the danger, put on a charming grin and patted the empty spot on the bed. “Wanwan, it’s bad for your health to be angry so early. Sit down and rest a bit?”

Since the crisis had passed, Jiang Wanshu didn’t want to keep fighting, but as she sat down, she began her lecture.

“Zhou Yan, I told you we have to keep our distance in this house! You promised! Why take such a risk? If we were caught, how would I explain it?”

She poured out her grievances, but Zhou Yan’s response nearly made her choke.

“Because I missed you,” he said simply. “I can’t sleep when you’re not beside me.”

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