Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 76

In an instant, Jiang Wanshu’s face flushed a deep crimson at his words.

She hurriedly tried to push Zhou Yan away. In the bedroom, she could still indulge him, but outside was absolutely out of the question. Unfortunately, the man possessed great strength; with a light squeeze, he rendered her unable to move.

Outside, the sound of the rain gradually grew louder.

Enveloped by the man’s hot, tensed muscles, Jiang Wanshu’s body felt a wave of stifling heat.

Seeing her face full of bashful embarrassment, Zhou Yan got straight to the point. “Wanwan, I want to try the taste of being outdoors with you.”

With a clatter, the book in Jiang Wanshu’s hand fell to the ground.

She turned her head to dodge the kiss the man naturally offered, yet she still couldn’t avoid him kissing the corner of her mouth. Controlled by Zhou Yan, her entire body was tense.

Though few people came to this place, it was unpredictable. If they were seen doing such things here, she would never be able to face anyone again.

While she knew that a man in this state was best left unprovoked, Jiang Wanshu’s body acted first. Since her hands and feet were pinned, she used her mouth. Intending to bite down on the man’s arm, Zhou Yan let out a “tsk,” grabbed her forearm, and scooped her up in one swift motion.

The rain outside began to fall more urgently. With lightning speed, Zhou Yan laid her down on the long stone bench where she had been sitting just moments before.

Forced onto the stone bench, Jiang Wanshu tried to sit up and bite him again, but Zhou Yan covered her lips with his palm.

“Shh, Wanwan. I’ve heard that writers love to pen scenes of caught adulterers being drowned in cages. Though we aren’t in that kind of relationship, it wouldn’t be any better for us if we were discovered, would it?”

This single sentence shattered any remaining sense of taboo between them. Jiang Wanshu propped her hands behind her, her breath coming out in hot, dry gasps.

Despite the hellish atmosphere, she moved her body inch by inch, only to end up being pulled back into the man’s embrace.

Beneath her, a garment pressed against the stone bench—it was the man’s inner robe.

Outside the pavilion, the rain fell harder and harder, creating a rhythmic patter-patter sound. Inside, however, the temperature was the polar opposite of the cool wind and rain; it was scorching and boiling hot.

Two bodies intertwined on the hard stone bench. As the man’s hot, bulging muscles pressed against her soft frame, the girl on the bench became increasingly overwhelmed with embarrassment, her voice trembling as she pleaded for mercy.

It wasn’t until the thunderstorm subsided and the sun sank behind the western mountains that the man finally stopped. The thrill of their outdoor tryst had left them both dazed. Once it was over, Zhou Yan dressed Jiang Wanshu piece by piece. He then took the handkerchief she had previously given him to wipe his sweat, dampened it with the rainwater from outside, and meticulously wiped away the stains on her skin.

He even wiped down the stone bench for good measure. Having finished everything, Zhou Yan turned to see Jiang Wanshu looking so exhausted she didn’t even want to speak, merely glaring at him with resentment. He picked her up in a horizontal carry.

His ordinary cloth boots stepped through the wet puddles, expertly navigating a secluded path until he reached the bedroom window.

After being set down, Jiang Wanshu rubbed her forehead in exasperation and used the man’s crouched back as a stepping stone to climb through the window. It wasn’t until both of them had stepped into the bedroom that she realized something was wrong.

She was the Princess, the mistress of this Lanyue Palace. She could have walked through the front door perfectly fine—how could she have forgotten that in a moment of distraction?

It seemed she really had been turned into a fool by Zhou Yan’s antics. She should be kicking this culprit out right now.

With that thought, Jiang Wanshu shot an angry glare at Zhou Yan.

Receiving her wrath, Zhou Yan didn’t dare misbehave further. He grinned and picked her up again, placing her onto the canopy bed. “Wanwan, wait here a moment. I’ll go call for water so you can wash up.”

Jiang Wanshu ignored him, turning her head away.

Zhou Yan carefully tucked the brocade quilt around her, his tone tender. “It doesn’t matter if Wanwan is angry with me, as long as you stay healthy.”

Jiang Wanshu rolled her eyes at him in disdain. “Zhou Yan, if there is a next time, you can go stand in the rain all night of your own accord.”

Zhou Yan knew she was just speaking out of anger and replied compliantly, “Fine, I’ll go stand in the rain all night tonight, alright?”

“You’re so glib.” Jiang Wanshu didn’t know where he had learned this “retreat to advance” tactic.

Just as she sat up to speak again, she was interrupted by a voice from outside the bedroom. “Princess, dinner has arrived.”

It was Yulu! Jiang Wanshu immediately pricked up her ears.

Zhou Yan sat beside her, listening. Jiang Wanshu shot him a look, as if reminding him of something.

Zhou Yan knew what she meant but didn’t want to move, until she blocked his path with a single sentence: “What are you waiting for? I feel sticky and want to bathe.”

She wanted him out. Left with no choice, Zhou Yan reluctantly and lingeringly jumped out of the window.

Before leaving, he paused to look back at her one last time, only departing once Jiang Wanshu raised her hand to shoo him away.

Seeing that the risk of exposure had vanished, Jiang Wanshu moved her sticky body and called out to the exterior, “Yulu, leave the dinner for now. I want to bathe first.”

Yulu immediately replied, “Yes, Princess.”

As Yulu turned to give orders to the others, Jiang Wanshu sat up on the bed.

Suddenly feeling a tingling sensation on her neck, she rubbed the spot and walked toward the vanity.

The copper mirror, refined through a thousand strikes by a craftsman, smoothly reflected a small red mark two inches above her collarbone. Recalling the absurdity in the Liuyun Pavilion, Jiang Wanshu couldn’t help but shiver.

This man… he was truly too bold!

After bathing and eating dinner, the moon reached its most brilliant glow amidst the evening’s bustle.

Following that brightness, the sky turned dark. On the massive canopy bed, the sounds had only just ceased.

A girl, her face flushed with heat, lay against the man’s burning chest. She took shaky breaths in his arms, her hand playfully slapping his chest.

“Didn’t you say you were going to stand outside all night? Why did you go back on your word?” Jiang Wanshu grumbled.

Zhou Yan placed his hand on her bare back, helping her steady her breathing. “If I were standing outside, you wouldn’t have had tonight’s pleasure.”

Zhou Yan’s words were so unrestrained that they provoked Jiang Wanshu into slapping his chest once more. “You certainly have a way with words.”

“Is it possible you felt nothing at all?” Zhou Yan asked, feigning ignorance.

Jiang Wanshu felt he was being utterly wicked and chose to ignore him.

However, the silence of the night lasted only a few seconds before Zhou Yan pulled her even tighter into his embrace.

Jiang Wanshu looked up, noting an expression on his face that differed from his usual self. “What is wrong with you?”

In the past, after their intimacy, he would usually release her for a while to let her catch her breath. But tonight was different; she sensed something was amiss.

Zhou Yan said nothing, merely tightening his hold on her.

Jiang Wanshu made no effort to break free. Instead, while he held her by the shoulders, she slightly arched her waist.

Her long hair, dark as ink, spilled across the bed. Her eyes carried a hint of concern. “If there is something on your mind, you can tell me. Perhaps I can resolve it.”

As a princess, she lived a life where everything was provided for her. Moreover, she was the most beloved daughter of the current Emperor and Empress. As long as her requests did not involve matters of state, they were almost always granted.

Her words sparked a teasing thought in Zhou Yan. He looked down at her with a faint smile. “Oh? Since returning to the palace, Wanwan has become quite assertive.”

His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, which made Jiang Wanshu’s heart ache. “Do you not like it?” she asked, hoping to coax a genuine smile from him.

Zhou Yan reached out and pinched the webbing between her thumb and forefinger, rubbing it gently. “Wanwan, do you not know my heart? I love you no matter what version of yourself you become.”

Jiang Wanshu smiled, but she pressed further. “Who knows what you really think? Perhaps you preferred the version of me that was confined by your side.”

“You’re joking. Actually, I prefer the you of right now,” Zhou Yan remarked, glancing at the girl in his arms.

When she was previously kept by his side, though he was happy, he could sense her underlying fear of him. But since returning to the palace, he could feel her true temperament more authentically. Now that she felt free to show her temper, he realized what had been missing from the Jiang Wanshu of the past.

However, this wasn’t of ultimate importance to her. To Jiang Wanshu, it was natural for him to love her, but the most important thing was that if she ever discovered he no longer loved her, she would kick him away without hesitation. After all, she was not someone who lived solely for love.

She had her own family and friends; she was unwilling to abandon them just for the sake of his love.

Carrying these thoughts, Jiang Wanshu suddenly wrapped her arms around the man’s waist, returning his embrace with even more conviction.

For now, he loved her, and she delighted in him. She was naturally willing to go through life and death with him, for they were currently in love.

Jiang Wanshu stopped pressing him for answers, which ironically caused Zhou Yan to speak up on his own.

He squeezed her waist tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder as he breathed deeply against her. “Two days ago, when I left the palace, I saw Zhou Shu’an’s father.”

At the mention of this, Jiang Wanshu recalled how many people, upon first meeting Zhou Yan, thought he bore a resemblance to the Marquis of Yuanning. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with reflection.

When looking closely, the resemblance was indeed striking.

For instance, those sharp, hawk-like eyes possessed the unique aura of the long-standing Marquis of Yuanning. Additionally, he had a slightly hooked nose reminiscent of the plains, much like the Marchioness of Yuanning. As Jiang Wanshu pieced the details together, the truth seemed to be emerging.

Zhou Yan could read her emotions. Seeing her look of confusion turning into realization, his lips twitched. “What is Wanwan thinking about?”

Surely she didn’t think of Zhou Shu’an just because he mentioned the Marquis? That wouldn’t do.

But in the next moment, he knew exactly what she was thinking. At his words, she sat up abruptly in front of him.

On the exquisite canopy bed, she propped one hand against the bed frame and placed the other against his abdomen, her movements natural and unforced. “Zhou Yan, have you ever considered that perhaps your biological parents have lived in the Central Plains all along?”

Jiang Wanshu stared at him, her gaze tinged with a delicate caution.

The topic of parents was a sensitive one for someone like Zhou Yan, who had lacked parental care for over a decade. If he was unwilling to answer, she would never mention it again; she did not want him to be sad.

“I never thought about it before. But the day before yesterday, I saved Zhou Shu’an’s father on the street and took him to a clinic to have his foot seen to. The people at the clinic assumed I was the Marquis’s son.”

In truth, he was also puzzled. How could two people with seemingly no connection lead others in a clinic to make such an assumption?

“So that’s how it was,” Jiang Wanshu said, then added, “The Marquis was injured?”

“He was galloping down the street and happened to encounter a vendor setting up a stall of small wares. Around the corner, the horse was startled by the vendor’s cart. As he fell from the horse, I happened to catch him—though unfortunately, he had already twisted his foot before he fell.”

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