Chapter 8: Satisfied Yet?
Having just drunk some tea, Song Hemei's vermilion lips appeared even more lustrous and moist, with a faint, barely perceptible indentation when touched by a fingertip.
Perhaps it was that men never refused the offer of stolen fragrance when it came knocking, especially since she was hardly of plain appearance. Or maybe, having already done more intimate things, merely pressing lips together seemed comparatively less significant.
In any case, in Song Hemei's view, he would not refuse.
Her gaze was fierce and burning as she awaited his active approach.
His expression shifted, and indeed he moved—but it was to abruptly rise to his feet.
Song Hemei was startled. Her eyes followed his movement upwards, but because he was so tall, her head had to tilt sharply back.
Before she could say anything, she saw Yu Yeqing take several steps back, increasing the distance between them, assuming once again that aloof, unapproachable, calm demeanor. Yet now, the depths of his eyes held clear displeasure: "I must ask the Second Miss to conduct herself with propriety."
But his displeasure was not born of disgust for her; rather, it resembled the look her younger brother's tutor wore when displeased with his lessons.
Song Hemei's lips parted slightly, and she looked up at him: "Why are you making such a fuss? What serious matter is this?"
Yu Yeqing stood by the pavilion's edge. The sunlight from outside, streaming in around the pillars, illuminated him, making him appear even more upright and self-possessed, as if even speaking of such things was a defilement of him.
"Young Master Shao's improper conduct is his fault. Why must the Second Miss debase herself out of a momentary rage?"
He was an outsider, and the Song family's affairs were not for him to meddle in. But some things could not be made wrong repeatedly.
Song Hemei stared at him for a moment, then smiled: "Then what do you think I should do? You watched a good show today too, Young Master. Do you also think I should preserve my chastity, hold my nose, and continue living out my days?"
She tapped her fingertip lightly on the stone table: "But, Young Master Yu, it's too late to talk about that now. Even if I wanted to continue being the good Madam Shao, I cannot."
Yu Yeqing fell silent. Emotions surged within those dark ink-pool eyes. Within his long sleeves, his slender fingers clenched, then released.
He had, indeed, been dragged into this thorny predicament alongside her, just as she had wished, trapped in a difficulty known only to the two of them.
But Song Hemei was not particularly happy. Her smile faded bit by bit.
Another person's entrapment in sorrow could not share or diminish the pain in her heart. She urgently craved to do something reckless, to find an outlet that would let her ease the congestion and bitterness in her chest.
Her voice turned colder: "But this is not the time for that. I am not negotiating with you, Young Master Yu. Even if you disregard your own legs, you should consider your sister. What you should do right now is listen to me."
"Kiss me. Don't make me say it twice."
In the space of their locked gazes, there was her pain, nearly on the verge of spiraling out of control, and Yu Yeqing's complex, unfathomable emotions.
In just a few breaths, Yu Yeqing moved. He paced slowly towards her.
The distance closed. His tall form gradually enveloped her. Though she was the one who had orchestrated and driven this, she inexplicably felt a fleeting urge to retreat.
Should she close her eyes? She didn't know. She had never seen others press their lips together.
But closing her eyes seemed instinctive at this moment—to accept, to savor, to taste... to wait for this man with the clear, handsome features to recreate the closeness of last night, where their breaths had almost intertwined.
The light before her eyes was blocked. She felt a soft pressure on her lips, and then the scent of soap entered her nostrils.
He was terribly inexperienced, as if he knew nothing at all. He simply pressed his lips against hers and stayed still, but she felt his trembling.
She had cherished Shao Wen'ang in her heart for years. Their relationship had always been governed by propriety, stopping at the bounds of etiquette. Yet she couldn't stop herself from wondering: had Shao Wen'ang been the same with Cao Lingchun?
When he maintained decorum with her, unable to suppress the urge to draw close, only to retreat with reddened ears... did he return home to entangle and mess about with Cao Lingchun?
Yu Yeqing straightened up. Their joined lips slowly parted. When Song Hemei opened her eyes, the first thing she saw were his long fingers gripping the stone table, veins standing out on the back of his hand from the force.
Following her gaze up, she saw that his body was rigidly tense.
Higher still, she met his deep, somber eyes.
His Adam's apple bobbed. A low, hoarse voice slowly emerged, carrying a hint of coldness: "Is the Second Miss satisfied?"
Song Hemei was not satisfied. She felt it wasn't enough. It seemed no matter what she did, it couldn't compare to those two.
She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with resolve: "Come to my courtyard tomorrow afternoon."
Yu Yeqing's brow twitched violently: "What?"
Song Hemei didn't find her own words shocking in the slightest. Instead, she analyzed earnestly: "Although the evening would be more suitable, it's not easy for you to enter the residence, so the afternoon is fine."
Having said this, she nodded in satisfaction. Daytime indulgence wasn't bad either. Had those two ever acted wantonly during the day?
A flicker of anticipation passed through her eyes, but it completely caught Yu Yeqing off guard. He stepped back abruptly again, his brows deeply furrowed: "Second Miss, what exactly do you intend? This kind of heretical, unorthodox behavior—"
"Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?" Song Hemei interrupted him. "If you are, make sure to cancel it. And yes, what if I do want to be heretical and unorthodox? You have no choice now."
She also stood up, but even on her feet, she still couldn't look him straight in the eye.
She pressed her lips together, the lips that had just touched his, and her tone lost any pretense of pleasantness: "Young Master Yu will come tomorrow. I'll settle the payment for you then. Remember, just do as I say. Spare me the nonsense I don't want to hear."
Yu Yeqing's thin lips moved slightly, but he indeed remained silent. He was taciturn by nature and wouldn't argue with her. He simply turned his head away, with an air of "those on different paths cannot take counsel together," as stubborn as a high flower on a snowy peak, making one want to pluck it all the more.
Song Hemei lifted her chin: "You know the way out of the residence, don't you? I won't bother having anyone see you out."
With that, she turned and left first, enduring the gaze that followed her from behind until she exited the long corridor.
She returned to her own room. The joy of her wedding day was still vivid before her eyes. The room still had the Double Happiness characters pasted up; these were not to be removed until a month after the wedding. Besides that, the room was clean and tidy, still awaiting her and the young master's return to her family three days after the wedding to stay overnight.
The dowry maidservant who served her most closely was still at the Shao residence—this was the Song residence's attitude of still intending to maintain the marriage alliance. The other maidservants in the courtyard didn't know what had happened and didn't dare ask her, their mistress. They all looked at her timidly, so she simply dismissed them all and lay down to rest.
She hadn't slept well last night, and had woken early this morning. She had cried, argued, and was utterly exhausted. She fell asleep and didn't wake until the next morning.
In between, her parents had sent people to look for her, but the maidservants had kept them all at bay. Now that she was awake, she had no intention of avoiding things. She had her servants let down her hair, which had been coiled up, until it looked as it had when she was still a maiden. That was how she walked all the way to the side hall, right under the eyes of the household servants.
When she entered, her parents, elder brother, and younger brother were all already there. The morning meal was laid out on the table. All four of them had complex expressions upon seeing her, looking like they wanted to speak but hesitated. Only her younger brother stood up and called out "Second Elder Sister."
Song Hemei curled her lips into a smile: "Father and Mother, are you not treating me like a member of the Song family anymore, forcing me to eat apart from you all?"
Mother Song stood up first and came over to take her hand: "Child, what kind of talk is that? There's no rush to eat. I was hoping you'd sleep a little longer to restore your health."
Father Song glanced at her, his gaze finally settling on her unbound hair: "This attire, what does it look like? Set yourself in order properly after the meal."
He had the dishes she usually favored placed before her, and then said: "Shao's eldest young master will likely come by this afternoon. You should see him. A concubine is no great matter. You two young couples should have another good talk."
Song Hemei's expression shifted slightly.
This afternoon...
She was afraid she wouldn't have time to entertain this husband of hers.
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