Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 390 - 344: How intimate counts as intimate?
Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly composed herself and said softly, "You’re not resting yet?"
Yu Wenye looked at her: "We haven’t finished our earlier conversation."
"..."
As soon as those words were spoken, the hand that Shang Ruyi had reached out to push the door suddenly froze. Instinctively, she wanted to pull it back, but Yu Wenye grabbed it firmly. For some reason, his body temperature was so high, and that hand was even a bit hot.
She wanted to break free, but she already knew well his strength. Arm wrestling with him was simply self-humiliating.
Moreover, even if she did break free, where could she go at this moment?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi simply calmed down, raised her head, and looked at those eyes that were unnaturally bright in the dim night, calmly saying, "I think there’s nothing more to say between us."
Yu Wenye’s eyebrows immediately furrowed.
He said, "Are you saying you have nothing to say to me, is that right?"
Shang Ruyi originally wanted to nod, but after thinking for a moment, she looked up at him and seriously said, "Yes."
"...!"
Yu Wenye’s eyes deepened even more, and he said in a deep voice, "But I still have things to say."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, "What do you want to say?"
"..."
"To say that you have feelings for the Empress, you care about her, worry about her safety? I already know all of that, there’s no need to say it again."
"Ru Yi——"
"Since the relationship between us is merely a transaction, then fairness is enough. Don’t involve anything else. Right now—" Shang Ruyi looked at him, a faint bitter smile appeared on her face as she calmly said, "I really don’t have the energy to talk about anything else."
"..."
"I’m very tired."
Yu Wenye gritted his teeth. He originally had a lot to say to her, even explanations to offer, but when he looked down, the pale small face under the moonlight indeed showed exhaustion.
No matter how much care was given in recent days, she indeed suffered some hardships. The travel was not conducive to a woman who had recently miscarried, she said she was tired, it was a sign of weakness, of evasion, yet she was truly tired.
Yu Wenye took a deep breath and finally said, "Alright."
After speaking, he closed the door, led her back to the bed, and let her lie down.
And he, too, lay down beside her.
Shang Ruyi looked up at him uneasily—she hadn’t intended to share a bed with him, that’s why she went out to avoid it, and didn’t expect that upon returning, she would still have to sleep in the same bed as him. Even, after Yu Wenye released her wrist, he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
This was not without precedent.
During their brief moments of sharing a bed, he always liked to hold her as he fell asleep, and at that time, even if she was exhausted by him, as if her bones had been taken apart, she could still sleep well in his warm and familiar embrace.
But now—
She couldn’t accept being so close to him again, especially since it reminded her of too much that she didn’t want to face.
So she bit her lower lip and struggled a bit, trying to break away from his embrace.
But as soon as she struggled, Yu Wenye’s arm tightened around her even more. The two of them were only separated by thin garments, almost fully pressed against each other.
He closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "If you move again, I’ll make sure you get enough movement!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi immediately dared not move again.
The room was pitch black, she couldn’t see the person in front of her, she could only feel his breath brushing against her neck, which, amid the heat, carried a repressed air, making her believe without a doubt that he meant what he said.
No matter how much she didn’t want to remember, the current situation, and this person, made Shang Ruyi think of the night when he held her so tightly that even her breath and heartbeat were taken away.
Even their first time was in a temple—
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi’s body stiffened up.
And feeling the body in his embrace become completely tense with fright from his words, Yu Wenye let out a deep sigh and whispered in her ear, "I was just trying to scare you."
"..."
"I’d never—I wouldn’t treat you like that."
His voice was somewhat gentle, even carrying a hint of powerlessness, and upon hearing his words, Shang Ruyi unexpectedly felt a rush of bittersweet and grievance welling up in her heart, her body no longer stiff, but she still didn’t dare to open her eyes, fearing that the hot tears would flow out.
And in the silence, Yu Wenye softly said again, "Shang Ruyi, there are actually many things I want to say to you. It’s just that there are some things I haven’t figured out myself yet."
"..."
"I think you can make me understand."
"..."
"But if you keep being like this, we can only keep being like this, do you understand?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi leaned numbly against his embrace, listening to his heartbeat. But her own heartbeat remained still, as if reduced to silence.
Understand? Understand what?
He was so smart, what could there be that he didn’t understand, something that she needed to help him figure out?
Shang Ruyi only felt a chaos within her heart, yet she didn’t want to think anymore. Everything between her and this man should be cut clean, she thought. So, she tightly closed her eyes, as if this way she could block any chaotic thoughts about him from entering her mind, and banish all the joy and pain this man brought her from her heart and body.
Yet, just as she closed her eyes and tried desperately to persuade herself to sleep, to forget everything around her, Yu Wenye kept his eyes open the whole time.
In the darkness, his eyes shone as brightly as stars.
Looking at the vague, gentle outline before him, he couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to touch her, yet his fingers, just a hair’s breadth away, sensed the kind of defensive shiver on her body. He remained silent for a long time before finally lowering his hand slowly.
That night, in the quiet, the two of them drifted off to sleep together yet miles apart.
|
Perhaps she was truly too tired, or maybe finally seeing Shen Wuzheng yesterday had lifted a great weight off her shoulders. Or maybe, there were reasons she herself didn’t want to face. In any case, that night, Shang Ruyi surprisingly slept very well.
When she awoke, it was already light.
As she opened her eyes, she still felt a bit foggy, her vision blurry, and saw a familiar tall figure standing by the bedside, leaning in to look at her.
Then, her vision slowly cleared up.
The handsome face instantly came into view. It was none other than Yu Wenye, who had held her all night long!
At some point, he had already risen, his clothes neat and tidy.
Shang Ruyi abruptly sat up in bed.
"You—"
She wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say. After all, the two had just embraced and slept together for a night; words of intimacy or coldness seemed unapproachable at this moment.
Seeing her a little flustered, even subconsciously moving inward on the bed to avoid him, Yu Wenye’s expression dimmed again.
He sighed softly and said, "Awake?"
"...Yes."
Shang Ruyi instinctively tidied her disheveled hair and hurried to get out of bed. Yu Wenye pointed to the foot of the bed, "Tushere just delivered some fresh clothes for you; I’ve placed them here. Change first, then wash up, and go to the dining hall for breakfast."
"...Oh, okay."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Last night, due to his presence, she hadn’t even removed her outer garments before being dragged to sleep. Now, the clothes as wrinkled as pickled vegetables could certainly no longer be worn, so she hurriedly took them off to gather the new attire.
But as she walked over, she noticed a pair of earrings placed atop the neatly folded clothes.
Taking a closer look, they were exactly the ones she had removed last night, given to the monk.
"Huh?"
Shang Ruyi was startled for a moment, immediately turning to Yu Wenye: "This is—"
She saw Yu Wenye sitting aside, not looking at her, but gazing calmly out the window. Today was another fine day; the sunlight was bright outside but did not penetrate the room, leaving his eyes dim. He said lightly, "Early this morning, the abbot of the temple brought it."
"Why?"
"He found that his disciple took something of yours and thought it inappropriate, so he returned it."
"But I—"
Shang Ruyi hesitated because she had given it to Shantong’er last night to plead for mercy, not like it was forcefully taken. If the abbot returned the earrings, wouldn’t Shantong’er be punished?
Seeing her somewhat troubled expression, Yu Wenye said blandly, "I gave them money to treat that young monk well."
"Oh..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi relaxed immediately.
Yu Wenye was silent for a moment before he spoke again, "In the future, don’t casually give people things that are close to you."
Shang Ruyi frowned, "But this isn’t really something that close to me."
Moreover, given the chaotic times, many people had to rely on pawning their jewelry or even family antiques to live when travel expenses fell short. She had only given a pair of earrings to someone, and a monk at that. It was nothing.
Yu Wenye glanced at her and said, "How much closer does it need to be to count as close?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback by his words.
For some reason, she felt there was a hidden meaning in Yu Wenye’s words, and his tone seemed slightly dissatisfied with her. Yet, she couldn’t understand why—those earrings were not ones given by Mother-in-law Guan Yunmu but brought as part of her dowry. Why did it matter to him if she gave something to a monk?
Noticing Shang Ruyi’s apparent displeasure, Yu Wenye exhaled a long breath himself, then said, "Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Go freshen up, and we’ll go to the dining hall together."
"Mm."
Shang Ruyi said no more, walking to a nearby wooden stand where a basin of hot water sat. Without Tushere’s help, she didn’t want to call out for service in the temple, so she simply bent over to scoop some water to wash her face.
But as she was just about to splash the water on her face, a sudden realization struck her—
How did Yu Wenye know about the young monk?
