Chapter 102: Love Deepening
Song Hemei felt she should act more experienced. After so many times, being coy would only create distance.
She took a couple of deep breaths, suppressing her unease as much as possible. "Are you hungry? We could eat something first."
Yu Yeqing didn't answer. Instead, he asked her, "And you?"
"I'm fine either way. If you're not hungry, go sit on the bed."
She pointed behind her.
This was an official inn, and they had chosen the best room. The space was clean, but that was all – the bedding was tidy, yet somewhat sparse.
Yu Yeqing hesitated for a moment, then walked over slowly and sat down on the bed.
He had shifted his position, and the light from outside the door fell on her through the thin paper windowpane, reminding her that it wasn't even dark yet.
But when she turned around, she saw Yu Yeqing sitting on the bed, his body relaxed, long legs casually curled. Beneath his outer robe, it was clearly visible that he was ready, but his face was perfectly composed, without the slightest hint of eagerness – as if he were still discussing some serious matter with her.
Song Hemei felt that he rarely took the initiative like this, and she couldn't dampen his spirits. Now was the time when both were willing; if later she wanted it and he didn't, he would have to accommodate her.
"Why aren't you undressing?"
Song Hemei's gaze fell on his tightly tied sash. "Your clothes today don't have hidden buttons, do they?"
Yu Yeqing's breathing deepened. He raised a hand to unfasten his own collar as he answered, "No."
There weren't any. It was very easy to undo.
One might have thought it had been prepared in advance – in just a few movements, he had stripped it all off, easier than untying the string on a pastry wrapper.
Except this time, the pastry was unwrapping itself.
When Song Hemei braced herself on his shoulders and sat down, only one thought filled her mind –
Would this shabby bed suddenly collapse, sending them both crashing to the floor?
If it did, it would be hard to explain.
"Are you alright? Should I take over?"
Yu Yeqing's voice was hoarse from her slow movements. His hands rested on her waist, not daring to exert too much force, yet they couldn't stay still – gently stroking, both soothing and urging.
Song Hemei's knees pressed into the bedding. Her breathing quickened, a flush spreading from her ears down her neck.
Her eyes grew hazy. As she looked down at the man before her, she felt her passion surge even more intensely.
She cupped his face and kissed him lightly, again and again. "Don't you like this?"
In the brief moment their lips parted, Yu Yeqing's voice came in fragments: "As long as it's with you, I like everything."
His words ignited a fire in Song Hemei's heart, and her desire burned even fiercer.
Perhaps after these few times, she had grown better accustomed to this act. When she took the lead, she didn't feel very tired; in fact, she could keep going for a long time.
As they climbed higher and higher, the bed first gave way under the strain, emitting an ambiguous creak.
What was truly maddening was that Yu Yeqing seemed equally overwhelmed by passion. He held her tightly, his lips dotting kisses along her neck, low and restrained sounds escaping his mouth, making her heart pound wildly.
His voice was as pleasing as before – falling on her ears like an urging, an encouragement, and also... a kind of praise?
She seemed to understand a little of the pleasure he felt when he was in control. Physical satisfaction was one thing, but hearing the person beneath you breathing erratically because of you, feeling how every sway and pause made his body tense – that was indeed another exquisite experience.
From his breathing to his heartbeat, from his tightening arms to his waist unconsciously arching to meet her – every part was under her control. Eventually, she heard him speak, his voice patient and cautious: "Could you... go a little faster?"
Song Hemei's mind started to spin. He had never made such a request to her before.
He didn't rashly roll her over; he waited for her permission, waited for her to grant him the release he craved.
Song Hemei wrapped her arms around his neck, putting all her strength into it. The sounds around her grew chaotic, forcing her to divert some attention to wonder – hoping the innkeeper hadn't exaggerated, or else it would truly be an offense to the people in the neighboring room.
But soon, she had no mind for anything else. No matter how hard she tried, she always fell a little short. She was lacking, and so Yu Yeqing was lacking too – even more so, he suffered in his restraint, because the hands on her waist seemed unable to hold back any longer, gripping her tighter and tighter, harder and harder.
She simply wrapped her legs more tightly around his waist, leaned close to his ear, and said, "Maybe you should take over."
With those words, she completely ceded control to him.
And it was then that she truly realized how much strength Yu Yeqing had been using to hold back.
He lifted and lowered her, not even needing to shift their positions.
Song Hemei's entire body tensed from the motion, clinging to him, but the strength in her legs dissolved with each bounce. Until her vision seemed to plunge into a momentary darkness. The tingling numbness that rose from deep within her abdomen traveled from her waist up her spine. She hugged Yu Yeqing fiercely, and it took a long time before she could relax her grip slightly.
She gasped heavily, while his hand on her back stroked her gently, again and again.
"Are you alright?"
Song Hemei nodded in his embrace.
But in the next instant, she was laid down on the bed, her legs hooked and locked by Yu Yeqing's hands. The world swayed before her again, her back rubbing against the bedding. Fortunately, they were only at the edge of the bed, or she feared she might bump her head.
Her lips were captured, the give and take of their tongues seeming to echo his movements. It was impossible to guard either above or below. Such stimulation made her scalp tingle, building up little by little, piling higher and higher, until the final collapse came even more violently than the first time. Her body arched, and she trembled even more severely.
When she came back to her senses, the daylight outside had nearly faded. The lust-filled features of the man before her still seemed to glimmer with excited light in the darkened room.
But Yu Yeqing did not continue to press his advantage. Instead, he gathered her into his arms, gently kissing her neck. "Let's stop here for now. Are you tired?"
Song Hemei's legs had no strength left, and she truly couldn't bring herself to talk tough. She only hummed softly in acknowledgment.
Yu Yeqing laughed. The laughter seemed to emanate from deep in his chest, and she could feel the slight vibration.
This made her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She couldn't help asking, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm happy."
Song Hemei's voice grew softer. "What's there to be happy about? It's not the first time."
"Of course I should be happy." Yu Yeqing's tone was slow, murmuring close to her ear. "When the innkeeper just now called you 'Lady,' it felt like you really are my wife."
He kissed her earlobe again. Where had he learned such wicked tricks? He actually took her earlobe into his mouth.
"Now, whatever I do with you is perfectly legitimate. Even if outsiders knew what we're doing right now, they would all think it only natural."
Song Hemei's entire body tingled from his actions, and her heart pounded violently at his words.
His words were too direct, too sincere – she had no defense against them. No wonder her mother always said that pillow talk was so effective.
At a time like this, when both body and heart were conquered, if he asked anything of her, she would probably agree without hesitation.
Yu Yeqing was still asking her, "And you? Are you as happy as I am?"
Song Hemei felt that no matter how she answered, it wouldn't seem deep enough. So she simply turned to face him, hugging him tightly. "I'm happy."
Happy because he was genuinely happy.
Yu Yeqing chuckled softly again, holding her, stroking and kissing her. When they finally stopped, the sky had turned completely dark.
He got up first, tidied himself up briefly, and then went out to order food and hot water. She had already instructed Chunhui about these things earlier. As soon as the door opened, everything prepared was brought in together.
The room wasn't as large as her own at home. Although the bed curtains had been lowered in advance, she could still catch glimpses of shadows as the servants came and went.
When everyone had withdrawn and Yu Yeqing lifted the bed curtain, Song Hemei looked at him and murmured, "They all must know."
Yu Yeqing lifted her, thin quilt and all, into his arms. "Know about us?"
Song Hemei leaned against his chest. "Yes. Just arrived in the room, and we're like this. People would think we were—"
—how impatient we were.
Sometimes, the truer the words, the harder they are to say aloud.
When he reached the bathtub, Song Hemei felt the thin quilt being removed from her, and then Yu Yeqing's voice sounded by her ear. "It was my fault. I won't do this in an inn again."
After a pause, he continued, "Do you need me to help you wash?"
That was certainly not necessary.
Song Hemei told him to look away. She was both too embarrassed to let him wash her and afraid she might get stirred up again, ending up like before. This wooden tub couldn't fit two people.
When everything was clean and the soiled bedding had been replaced, there was nothing else to do for the evening. They ate dinner and retired early.
This trip back to Changzhou was not particularly rushed. They traveled for six days, staying at inns for five of them.
Yu Yeqing kept his word – he didn't bring up matters of the bed. But they still slept together at night. Perhaps because they lacked that ultimate union from the other time, he held her very tightly, as if to compensate – as though if they couldn't merge in that way, he would melt her body into his embrace.
At first, she really liked this kind of tight, overwhelming embrace.
Perhaps because their previous meetings had been shrouded in secrecy; only by holding on tightly could everything feel real.
Or perhaps because, even though their hearts were connected, there was always a lingering sense of uncertainty – only a nearly suffocating grip could prove that their feelings were genuine.
In any case, during the most passionate times, any kind of skin-to-skin contact was never enough.
But now, though their affection had not diminished, the timing for such intensity was wrong.
After all, it was summer. Who could endure being held like this every night and sleeping?
Song Hemei hesitated for a few days. On the last night, she simply couldn't bear it anymore. She reached up and pushed against Yu Yeqing's chest. "Don't hold me like this. I'm hot."
Every morning she woke up drenched in sweat, and it was very uncomfortable.
But somehow, something she said struck a nerve. Panic flickered in his eyes. Though he obediently loosened his hold, the wariness in his gaze made her heart ache. "But we've been like this every night."
His Adam's apple bobbed. "Are you tired of me?"
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