Su Xiaoqi felt a little scared by Shen Yun's coldness. She pressed herself against the bedpost and whispered,
"I am no one, ah, no, I am Su Xiaoqi. I don't want to do anything. I just want to live a good life with you."
Afraid that Shen Yun would see through her lie, she lowered her head and feigned shyness.
She had come to understand that Shen Yun was someone who yielded to softness but not hardness.
If she wanted to achieve her goals, she had to be meek; otherwise, she couldn't argue with him.
"I don't believe you," Shen Yun said coldly.
Deep down, he wanted to believe her more than anyone.
But he remembered her words clearly from the night he lifted her red veil after they got married.
"Shen, you're just a useless, pedantic scholar from a fallen family. You think you can marry me? Dream on."
Nothing could have hurt him more.
If it weren't for his mother's feelings, he would have written a letter of divorce and sent her away on the spot.
Su Xiaoqi realized the situation was not good, as Shen Yun's expression grew darker. She quickly said,
"Shen Yun, can you trust me this once, like last time?
I saved your life. If it weren't for me, you would have drowned in the Yuanbao River."
"It was you?" Shen Yun looked at her with disbelief.
But at the same time, there was a hint of joy that even he himself didn't know about.
Since he had regained consciousness, he had been thinking about who had saved him, knowing only that it was a woman.
But he had never thought that person would be Su Xiaoqi.
Hearing her say it now, he suddenly felt relieved.
If it were her, it would be fine. If it were someone else, he would worry about having to repay the life-saving debt with something.
"If not me, then who? Was there anyone else beside you when you woke up?" Su Xiaoqi suddenly felt a little wronged.
She thought he had known about this all along, but unexpectedly, he had never thought of her.
To avoid becoming a tragic character like the Little Mermaid, she recounted the scene of that time to Shen Yun in detail.
She stopped only when Shen Yun's expression softened.
"Why do you want to stay?" Shen Yun asked, enunciating each word. "I want to hear the truth."
The truth was, of course, that she wanted her space to upgrade and to suppress the jinx...
But could she say these things?
Su Xiaoqi hesitated, then bit her lip and whispered, "Because, I like you."
To show that she wasn't just saying it, she raised her hand, wrapped it around Shen Yun's neck, stood on tiptoe, and initiated a kiss with her rosy lips.
As their lips touched, both of them trembled.
Shen Yun instinctively tried to push Su Xiaoqi away, but she held his neck tightly.
With a forceful grip, Su Xiaoqi lost her balance and pulled him down with her.
In a man-on-top, woman-on-bottom position, their lightly touching lips were pressed together tightly.
It was unclear who first explored with their tongue, and they immediately began to chase each other.
At first, it was like a dragonfly skimming the water, gentle and artistic.
Then, like a bee collecting nectar, seeking out only the sweetest spots.
Later, it was like a stormy sea, raising huge waves, making their breathing ragged...
"Ah... Mmm, do you believe me now?" Su Qingning tilted her head back, gasping for breath as she looked at the handsome man with his tall nose.
Shen Yun's heart ached from her tender, sweet lips, and he couldn't help but glance away.
But this shift in his gaze inadvertently revealed the large expanse of exposed scenery on her chest.
It was as fair as condensed snow and as fragrant as scented cream, impossibly beautiful.
He swallowed subconsciously, his Adam's apple bobbing, but his inner turmoil and hesitation were fully revealed in Su Xiaoqi's eyes.
She pursed her lips and smiled lightly, knowing that he was not someone who could remain unmoved, and that a slight temptation was enough.
"Husband, for the sake of my sincere affection for you, please don't divorce me, okay?"
Su Xiaoqi gently stroked his hand with her fingertips, her voice soft and captivating.
Shen Yun's mind raced. He let out a low growl and stood up, draping the quilt over Su Xiaoqi.
"Su Xiaoqi, get up. If you want to stay, it's not impossible.
Remember this, from now on, you are not allowed to do this again..."
He licked his lips forcefully, suppressing the heat and trembling in his heart. A siren, a true siren?
He prided himself on being well-read and having strong self-control, yet he had almost been ignited by her just now.
"Not allowed to do what?" Su Xiaoqi pretended not to understand.
"In short, be more composed," Shen Yun found it difficult to describe what had just happened.
However, Su Xiaoqi was daring. The more he avoided it, the more interesting she found it.
She puffed out her chest, raised her head, and took the opportunity to peck his lips before tilting her head and smiling charmingly, "Can't I do this?"
Shen Yun's lips felt warm and moist, and his breath hitched. He grabbed her chin and growled, "Su Xiaoqi, be more dignified! Your behavior is so unrestrained..."
Shen Yun rattled off a long list of things related to "The Book of Women" and "Admonitions for Women," which were beyond his usual repertoire.
Su Xiaoqi wasn't interested in listening to him lecture. She was only delighted that her space had been upgraded again due to her intimate contact with Shen Yun.
Her space had now reached level five.
It had eight fen of paddy fields, yielding eight dou of rice per day. If she chose to plant wheat, the yield would be even greater.
Soon, the stock she had used to buy clothes and medicinal herbs was replenished.
The mist in her space had dispersed a bit, revealing a world of birdsong, fragrant flowers, and falling blossoms – a perfect paradise.
Su Xiaoqi patted her chest with great joy, having figured out the upgrade mechanism for her space.
As long as she held onto Shen Yun, this great pillar, she was confident she would soon see the world beyond the mist.
Su Xiaoqi almost laughed out loud. Shen Yun, who was reading by the window, glanced at her, then returned his gaze to the book, his thin lips involuntarily curling into a smile.
She had said she wanted to stay in this home, she had said she liked him. Although she didn't know how sincere her words were.
But undeniably, a trace of secret joy had sprung up in his heart.
Su Xiaoqi was no longer the Su Xiaoqi of the past, and he himself no longer wanted to drive her away, though he didn't know when that change had occurred.
The reason he had brought up the old topic just now was merely to confirm her feelings definitively.
Since Shen Yun had to marry a wife, who she was no longer mattered.
After this incident, Su Xiaoqi finally settled down in the Shen family home with peace of mind.
She exchanged rice and grain from her space for meat and daily necessities, just as before, and even replaced all the quilts the family had.
She took meticulous care of the Shen family, and the Shen family's small courtyard often echoed with laughter and joy.
Qian Shi, along with her youngest daughter, had come to cause trouble several times, but each time, they could only smell the fragrance of rice and meat, and found nothing.
Even the slow-witted Shen Xiaomei finally noticed something was amiss and searched the house several times, but still found nothing.
Yet, three meals a day, her sister-in-law always provided them with white rice and meat.
Whenever asked, Su Xiaoqi would deflect with her dowry or claim it was food obtained from the one hundred jin of wild boar from last time.
However, to allay the Shen family's suspicions, Su Xiaoqi specifically dug a cellar in the kitchen and showed it to everyone.
Shen Xiaomei was finally reassured, realizing that the family's food was hidden in the cellar. Covered by a pile of firewood, it was no wonder Auntie couldn't find it.
The three members of the Shen family were convinced, but only Shen Yun looked at her with a faint smile.